The New-Jersey gazette — Burlington [N.J.], 1783-06-18 00:00:00, page 1

The following petition was presented to the Gene
ral Court the last session.
Commonwealth of MASSACHUSETTS.
To the Honourable the Senate and House of Re
presentatives in General Court affembl-ed.
The Petition of BELINDA, an African,
Humbly sh^ws,
, I ,HAT seventy years have roled away since
I (he, on the banks of the Rio da Valta,
received her exigence—the mountains co
vered with spicy forefts, the vallies loaded
with the richest fruits, spontaneously produced;
joined to that happy temperature of air, which ex
cludes excess, would have yielded her the most
complete felicity, had not her mind received early
impressions of the cruelty of men, whose faces were
like the moon, and whole bows and arrows were
like the thunder and the lightning of the clouds.—
The idea of these, the most dreadful of all enemies,
filled her infant dumber with horror, and her noon
tide moments with cruel apprehensions! But her
affrighted imaginations, in its most alarming exten
sion, never represented distresses equal to what fire
hath since really experienced—for before she had
twelve years enjoyed the fragrance of her native
groves, and ere she realized, that Europeans placed
their happiness in the yellow dust which she care
lessly marked with her infant footfteps—even when
she, in a sacred grove, with each hand in that of a
tender parent, was paying her devotion to the great
Orifa who made all things, an armed band of white
men, driving many of her countrymen in chains,
rulhed into the hallowed shades ! Could the tears,
the sighs, and Supplications burfted from the tor
tured parental affe&ion, have blunted the keen edge
of avarice, she might have been rescued from ago
ny, which many of her country's children have
felt, but what none hath ever described—in vain
she lifted her Supplicating voice to an insulted fa
ther, and her guiltless hands to a difhonoured De
ity ! She was ravished from the bosom of her coun
try, from the arms of her friends, while the ad
vanced age of her parents, rendering them unfit for
Servitude, cruelly separated her from them forever.
Scenes whicli imagination had never conceived
of a floating world—the Sporting monsters of the
deep, and the familiar meetings of billows and clouds,
strove, but in vain, to divert her melancholy atten
tion from three hundred Africans in chains. Suffer
ing the most excruciating torment ; and some of
them rejoicing that the pangs of death came like a
balm to their wounds.
Once more her eyes were bleft with a continent;
but alas ! how unlike the land where she received
her being! Here all things appeared unpropitious;
flie learned to catch the ideas, marked by the founds
of language, only to know that her doom was Sa
very, from which death alone was to emancipate
her. What did it avail her, that the walls of her
lord were hung with Splendor, and that the dust
trodden under foot in her native country, crouded
his gates with sordid worfhippers ; the laws had
rendered her incapable of receiving property; and
though she was a free moral agent, accountable for
her own actions, yet never had a moment at her
own disposal !—Fifty years her faithful hands have
been compelled to ignoble Servitude, for the benefit
of an Isaac Royall, until, as if nations must
be agitated, and the world convulsed, for the pre
servation of that freedom which the Almighty Fa
ther intended for all the human race, the present
war commenced. The terrors of men, armed in
the cause of freedom, compelled her master to fly,
and to breathe away his life in aland where lawless
domination fits enthroned, pouring bloody outrage
and cruelty on all who dare to be free.
The face of your petitioner is now marked with
the furrows of time, and her frame feebly bending
ffder the oppression of years, while she, by the laws
pi the land, is denied the enjoyment of one morsel
NEW-JERSEY GAZETTE.
[Vol. Vl.]
WEDNESDA Y, June 18, 1783.
LISBO N, February 24.
The decree by which our august Sovereign grants
to the fubjeds of the United States of America a
free trade in all the Portuguese ports, having been
published on the 15th of this month, in conse
quence thereof M. d'Ohrman, who some time ago
received his credential letters in quality of agent
from the United States of America, in this city,
will immediately have his firft audiance of the Se
cretary of State for foreign affairs.
Brunswick, March 6. The political secrets
of the leveral cabinets upon the continent, are to
tally impenetrable. The immense preparations of
Austria and Russia were at firft supposed to be in
tended against the I urks, with an intent to drive
them out of Europe. That idea is now vanished
with the ceflation of those motions, and peace is
said to be established between the two Imperial and
Mahometan courts. At present, the immense pre
parations made at Berlin, occaffon freih Speculation.
A thousand waggons are said to be ordered to be
ready the beginning of June; the directors of the
hospital have orders to take an account of all the
assistant surgeons in the capital; three new regiments
of infantry aie to be railed; and they talk of an
augmentation of the cavalry. What new storm
threatens we know not, but couriers arrive more
frequently than ever. This week we have no less
than four from Peterfburgh to Potzdam.
Versailles, March 28. On the 25th of this
month the King received some official defpatches
from M. de Suffrein, which (after giving a detail
of the late proceedings in the Eaft-lndies between
the French and Englilh fleets, as has been already
mentioned) conclude as follows:
“ M. Duchemin died with his arms in his hand,
in a battle fought at the gates of Madras against
General Munro, a part of whose army was cut in
pieces, and the rest fled in the greatest disorder to
Madras. M. d'Orfelis, formerly Lieutenant-Col.
of the regiment of Auftrufia, and lately appointed
Colonel, took the command of the French after
the death of their General. The crew of the ad
vice boat, which brought the above news to Cadiz,
have deposed, that they met with four (hips of
war belonging to the Dutch Company at Surat,
failing to the road of Batecato, and that having
hailed them, they declared that Trincomale was
in the power of the french, who had recovered
that important possession by the abidance of the
Dutch from Colombo."
of that immense wealth, a part whereof hath been
accumulated by her own industry, and the whole
augmented by her Servitude.
Wherefore, calling herfelf at the feet of your
honours, as to a body of men, formed for the ex
tirpation of vassalage, for the reward of virtue, and
the just returns of honest industry, she prays, That
Inch allowance may be made her, out of the estate
of Colonel Royall, as will prevent her, and her
more infirm daughter, from misery in the greatest
extreme, and hatter comfort over the short and
downward path of their lives—And she will ever
p ra y-
BELIND A.
Boston, February, 1783.
LONDO N, March 27.
The parliamentary history of the week, lays be
foie the publick eye, the diftrefles of the East-
India Company, and the murmurs of those planters
and merchants who have property in the Weft-
Indies. It is clear that our trade to the islands
must materially decrease. The ad for regulating
out commerce with America, gives the fubjed of
the United States unconditional freedom of trade
to those islands, of every thing the produce of
America; but it requires no great strength of pe
netration to forefee. that under the denomination
of American produce, the produce of other coun
tries will be exported from the continent, and that.
America will be a medium of trade to all Europe,
THE
if not in some measure to Asia. A new system of
commerce must take place all over the world, nor
is it possible for any man to point out where the
great mart of trade will be established; but a man
may venture to assert, that if Great-Britain, Ire
land and the United States of America, form an
union of amity, the wealth of the world must
circulate under their directions.
April to. The last advices from Russia menti
on, that there was a disposition in the co^rt of
Peterfburgh to acknowledge the independence of
America. Mr. Dana, an American gentleman, is
flationed at Peterfburgh by order of Congress, to
wait the favourable moment, and embrace any
overture on the part of the Czarina to conclude a
commercial treaty.•
Spain has at last formally recognifed the inde
pendence of America. In consequence of this re
cognition, Mr. Carmichael has been publickly re
ceived at the court of Madrid, and introduced to
his Cathdlick Majesty in quality of Charge des
Affaires from the United States of America.
April 11. A letter from Stockholm fays, that
several ships are fitting out there the merchants
having come to a refoliation of opening a trade to
several parts of America, being invited thereto by
some of the members of the Congress ; and that:
two Consuls are to be Lent, one to Philadelphia,
and one to Boston; and if the trade answers, an
Ambassador will be appointed to go to America.
April 14. A fitter man could not have been
pitched upon, to adjust the commercial interefis of
this country and America, than Mr. David Hartley,
that gentleman having a most comprehensive know
ledge of that branch of trade, and a general ac
quaintance with commercial matters; added to
which, he possesses the esteem and confidence of
Dr. Franklin, and is much known and refpe&ed
in America.
Whitehall, April 12.
Extraßs of letters from Lieutenant-General Sir
Eyre Coote, K. B. dated Madras, the 31/? of
August and z^th of September, 1782, received
at the office of His Majeftfs principal Secre
tary of State for the home department, on the
7th of April, 1783.
WHILST I was Draining every nerve in ad
vancing the army to the neighbourhood of Ching
leput, to counteract the views of Hyder and the
French, I anxiously looked to the result of my
reference to the Governor General, and to the ar
rival of their orders in consequence, as a period
which would undoubtedly restore to me that au
thority over the Southern troops which would
enable me to direct them to such a co-operation as
might tend equally to facilitate my own movements,
and diffract the designs of our enemies: But most un
fortunately on the 18th of February, long before
any answer could come from Bengal, Colonel
Braithwaite was attacked by Hyder Ally's son,
Tippe Saiby, and Mons. Lally, near the Banks of
the Collertian, and totally defeated. His whole
detachment, confining of about 2000 infantry,
250 cavalry, 18 officers, and a 'field train of 13
pieces, were either captured or destroyed.
the French being free from any apprehensions
of a check from our Southern forces, and covered
by the army of Hyder Ally to the Northwaid,
which secured them from all sudden attacks by my
army, proceeded in perfect security against Cuddaj
lore, which being incapable of holding out for any
length of time, was, on the 6th of April, fur
lendered to the French forces under Mons. Duche
min, on terms of capitulation, which I have the
honour to enclose.
to his Excellency Sir Eyre Coote, K. B. Lieute
nant-General and Commander in Chief in India,
S I R,
IT gives me much concern to inform you, that
this garrison surrendered to the French arms on the
4th inst. in the morning. A copy of the capitula
fon 1. have now the honour of forwarding.
[Numb. 286.]