The Connecticut courant and Hartford weekly intelligencer — Hartford, Conn., 1775-05-29 00:00:00, page 1

%P RO TB S T,
&H OUSE of LORD S 8
~ Die Martis, 21 0 Martii 1775.
"g The order of the day being read for the third
'reading of the American: reilraining Fishery-Bill,
'and for the Lords to be summoned. The said Bill
Was accordingly read the third time. And several
Amendments being made thereto, it was moved,
“ That the bill with the amendments de pass;"
which being objected top after debate, the ' questi
on was put thereupon: it was resolved in the af
firmative. Contents 73, Non-Contents 21.
D IS S E NT I E N T.
-Q E CAUSE the attempt to coerce by famine,
|) the whole body.of the inhabitants of great and
populous provinces, is without example in the hif
gory of this, or perhaps of any other civilized na
tion; and is one of those unhappy inventions to
which Parliament is driven, by the difficulties which,
daily multiply upon us, from an obstinate adhe
rence to an unwise plan of government. We do
not know exactly the extent of the combination a
gairift our commerce in New-England- and the o,
ther colonies; but we do know the extent of the
punishment- we infii& upon it, & which is universal,
and indudes all the inhabitants, Amongst these,
many are admitted to be innocent, and several are.
alledged by the ministers to be in their sense, even
meritorious. That government which attempts to
prefetve its^ith&ty by dHlroyirig the trade of its
fubjeds, and by involving the innocent and guilt,
in a common ruin, if it ads from a choice of' such
means, confeffes itfelf unworthy, if from inability
to find any other, admits itfelf wholly incompe
tent to the end of its institution. f 1
Secondly, Because the English merchants are pu
nished without any guilt, real or pretended, on
their part. The people of the proscribed provinc
. es, though failing in their duty to government,
ought to be permitted to difeharge their obligati
4pns to commerce: Without their fifhery this is rm-^
possible. The merchants of England entertain no'
fears for their debts, except frora the steps which
are said to be taken in thoir favour. Eight hundred
thousand pounds of.Englifh property belonging to
London alone, is not to be trifled with, or facrific^
ed to the projects of those who have constantly fail
ed in every expectation which they have held out to
the public; and who are become more bigotted to
methods of violence, inproportion to the experi
ence of their inefficacy, and the rriifchievo'us con
sequence: which atttend them. /
; Thirdly, Because the people of New-England,
besides the natural claim of mankind to the gifts .Of
Providence on .their own coast, are specially enti
tled to the fifhery by their Charters, which, have
never been declared forfeited. These Charters,
we think, (notwithstanding the contempt with
which the.idea of public faith has been treated) to
be of (material consideration. The bill therefore
not growing, out of any judicial process, seems e
qually a violation, of allnatural and all civil right.
Fourthly, Eecaufe ;we conceiye that the attempt
which has been made to bribe the nation into ah ac
quiefeenpe in.this, arbitrary aft, by holding out to
them (by evidence at the bar) the spoils of the New-
England fifhery, worth 'Upwards of 300,0001. a
year, robe a scheme full of weakness and inde
ccncy;-—of indecency, because it -may, be fufpe&-
ed thatthe desire of the confiscation- has created the
^uilt,---weak, because it fuppofelth^t whatever is
taken from the colonies, is ofcourfe to be transfer
e4.ro ourselves. We may trample upon the rules
erfjuftice, but we cannot alter the nature of things.
We cannot convey to Great-Britain the advan
tages of {iteration, which -New-England poft'e.fles
for the filheiy. If the value of the commodity Should
be enhanced at the foreign markets by the exclu
sion of so large a part of the supply, it may greatly
injure, the sale of the commodity itfelf, or put the.
cohfumers on new articles of consumption, or new
methods of supply, to the just ruin of those, who
Containing the Frelheft ADVICES,
MONDAT, May 29, 1775:
CONNECTICUT
AND
WEE KL Y
deluded by avarice, have chosen from the vain hope
of an enhanced, market," to disturb the natural, fet
tled, and beneficial course of traffic.
Fifthly, Because we do not apprehend that the
topie so much insisted upon by a .Lord high in office,
in favourwf his projefl, namely the cowardice of his
Majesty's American fubjefts, to have 'any weight
in itfelf; or to be at dll agreeable to the dignity of
sentiment which ought to charafterife this House.
Wedo not think it true, that any of t^e fubjeds
of this empire are d Tedlivein bravery. "It is to the
lad degree improper to aft upch such a supposition,
as it mull highly disgrace our arms in tafe of mif
fortune, and mufttake away all honour from them
in case of success. Nothin ; can tend more effeau
ally to defeat the purposes of all bur coercive mea
sures, than to let the people against whom they are
intended, know, that.we think our authority found
ed in their baseness; 'arid that their refinance will
give them some credit, even in our own eyes, and
thatwe attribute their obedience only to the
want of courage. This is to call for refinance, and
to provoke rebellion by the mot powerful of all
motives which can-ass upon men of any degree of
spirit and feasibility. ' .
Sixthly, Because the interdict from fitting and
commerce is not to be terminated by any certain
and definitive ad to be done by the party interdifl
ed, -but induration depends solely on the will of
the Governors and majority of the Council in some
of the provinces; upon their mere arbitrary opini
on of the date of commerce. In two of the pro
scribed provinces the interdi& is made to depend on
the fame arbitrary will, in much worse hands, those
of mere' Cuftora-houfe officers; a power of such
magnitude is not to be delegated to any man, how
ever wife; or however e;xalted..
' But to deliver over several hundred thousands of
our fellow creatures to be starved, at the mere ple^-
sure of perfohs in subordinate situations, and some
of them in an-office always more or less suspicious
and obnoxious, and necessary to be watched and
guarded,' rather than vested with absolute power
over all, and this without any rule to guide their
diferetion, without any penalty to deter from an
abuse of it, is aftrain of such tyranny, oppression,
and absurdity, -as we believe never was deliberately
entertained byany grave assembly.
^ Lastly, because the bill, though in appearance
ameafure of retaliation only upon suspicion that
the colonies have been the fifft aggrefforS, by their
association not to import goods from Great-Britain,
yet is, in truth, a most" cruel enforcement of the
former oppressions; and that association is no more
than a naturafconfeouence of antecedent and re
peated injuries. And since the refiraint of this bill
is'not to be taken off, 'till the several colonies shall
agree to receive again, all goods whatsoever, from
Great- Britain, and to pay all duties impofed' by
Parliament, not excepting those upori tea; arid,
since three of them mu^ apply through the medium
of the new council of the Maffacbufetts-Bay; and
the lad mentioned province is-obliged not only t@
acknewlege-the new charters but submit rip all re
fpe&s to the severe condition of the port- bill, before!
they can be released from their hardships; ffnCf
these are the terms-, and the only terms' upon which
this proscription is to cease, arid the colonies must
therefore ftibmit to be slaves irifteacLof the fubje&s
of Great-Bfitairi, this bill, ihits principle, -is both
arbitrary and unjufl. And- as we do not conceive'
an y ground or expedation that the provinces, will
yield to such hard conditions; a civil war,, which
may probably end in the total fep^ration of the ' co
lonies from the mother country, will' tod naturally
bethe confeguerire of this bill, in refpeTof which,
as well as for the other reasons hereby assigned,
We do most solemnly and heartily protert agair.lt
the fame.
tAbingtorf Devonfohtefr
Stanhope, Cambden,
Richmond, Cholmondely,
Rockingham, Abergadennj,
Ponfonby, Wycomb, (Lord Shelburne)
Manc-btfer, Dorrington,
Craven, Effingham,
Leinfer, Fttz.wlHcCT
THE
€|W.^W^B^ ^^F
Account of the late Battle at Lexington, fullfeed by Au
;tborit, continuedfrom our lafl,
Lexington, A,rd 21,, .1,77
I Thomas Pri,e Willard, of lawful age, do teftify
and declare,, that being in the house of Daniel
Harrington of laid Lexington, on the nineteenth in-
^ an ,/ n th^ morning, about half an horir before
iunrife, looked out at the window of said houfe,and
saw, (as I suppose) about four hundred regulars in
one body, coming up. the road, and marched th
'wards the north part of the common back 10 the
meeting house df said Lexington ; and as soon as
said regulars were against the east end of the meet
inghouse, the commanding officer said something,
what, I know not, but upon that the regulars ran
till they came within about eight or nine toils of a
bout an hundred of the militia of Lexington, who
were colle&ed on said common, at which time the
militia of Lexington dispersed; thepthe officers made
a huzza, and the private soldiers succeeded them.
Diredly after this, an officer rode before the regu
lars to the other fide of the body, and hollowed after
the militia of said Lexington, and said, " lay down
- our arms, damn you, why don't you lay down your
arms ?" And that there was not a gun fired till the
militia of Lexington were dispersed ; and further
faith not. .
„'Thomas Price Willard. Y
>' Lexington, April 24., 1775.
J John Robins, being of lawful age, do teflify and
fa-, that on the nineteenth inflant, the company
under the command of Capt.' John Parker, being
drawn up, (sometime before funfile) on the gieen
or common ; and I being in the front rank, there
suddenly appeared a number of the King's troops,
abouta'thouiand, as a thought, ata dilkn/;e ofa
bout 60 or 70-yards from us huzzaing, and on a
quick pace towards us, the fofemoft of which cried.
7 throw down your arms,.you villians, you rebels,"
upon which said company dispersed. The foremoft
of the three officers ordered their men,faying, " fire,
by God, fire," at which moment we received a very
heavy and close fire from them, at which infant
being wounded, 1 fell, and several of our men were
ihot dead, by me; Captain Parker's men, I believe,
had not then fired a gun : -And further this depc
nent faith hot JOHN ROBINS.'
Lexington,.April 25, 177'5- °
WE Nathaniel Mullekin, Philip R,-hell, Mpfej
Harrington, jun, Thomas and Daniel M&C
fington', William "Grimes, William Tidd,*!fiac
Haltings Jonas Stone, jun. James Weyman, Thad
deus Harrington, John Chamber,Jofhua Reed/j^'h.
Joseph 'Simonds, Phineas Smith, John Charrilp%
jun. Reuben Lock, Joel- Viles; Nathan - Reed. Sa
muel Tidd, Benjamin Lock,; Thomas WihlhipJ $h.
ineon Snow, John Smith, Moses Harrington, the
third, Joshua Reed, /Ebenezer Parker, John Hir.-J
---ringtori, Enoch .Willington,.John Hormer, Ifaat
Green, Phineas Sfearri^Tfaac Durant, and Thomas
Headley,jun, all of lawful age, and inhabitants .of
Lexington, inthe county of Middl^fex, and colony
of Massachusetts-Bay in New England, do teflify
and'declafe, that on' the 19th of April infant, a
bout prieor two o'clock ip the morning, being in
formed that several officers of the regulars, had the
evening before beeri riding up and down the road,
and hid detained and insulted the inhabitants pas
sing the fame : and also underftahding that a bod/
of regulars, were marching from Borton towards
Concord, with intent (as was supposed) to take the
Bores belonging to the colony in that town, we were
alarmed, having met at a place of our company's
pa,ade were dismissed by opr Captain John Parker,
for the present, with orders to be ready at the beat'
of the drum : we further teftify and declare; that
about five o'clock id the morning, hearing our drum
beat, we proceeded towards, the parade, arid foon'
fdund that-a large body of troops were marching to
wards ds, fome'of our company coming up to the,
parade, and others had reached it ;at which time'
the company began to difperfe,whilft our backs were
turned on the troops, we were fired on by them, and
a'number' of our men- were instantly killed and'
wounded, ---not a gun was fired by any person in
our company on the regulars to our knoledge, before
both FOREIGN 2nd DOMESTIC.
'[NUMBER 544. j
C OURAN T„
]> ^HARTFORD .
INTELLIGENCER.