The New-Jersey gazette — Burlington [N.J.], 1782-03-27 00:00:00, page 1

By the Antonie, Captain ANGUS, in 32 days from
I'Ofitnt, we have the following, extracted from
an European paper.
LOND O N, Dec. 13.
The following is the petition which was agreed upon
on Monday by the inhabitants of Westminster,
affcmbled in Westminster-hall.
To the KING'S nioft excellent Majesty.
The humble address, petition, and remonstrance of
the electors, and other inhabitants paying taxes
to government, refideat in the city and liberty of
Westminster.
" "IMPRESSED with an awful sense of the
■ dangers which surround us, feeling for our
selves and our posterity, anxious for the
"glory of a country as much renowned for
the virtues of justice and humanity as for the Splen
dor of its arms, we approach your throne with sen
timents becoming citizens at so alarming an hour,
at the fame time with that refpe& which is due to
the monarch of a free people, and a Prince of the
illustrious house of Brunswick, to which we feel
ourselves in a particular manner attached by all the
ties of gratitude and affedion.
" It is with inexpressible concern that we have
heard your Majesty declare, in your speech to both
houses of Parliament, your intention of persevering
in a system of measures which has proved so disas
trous to this country. Such a declaration calls for
the voice of a free and injured people. We feel
the refpe& due to Majesty; but in this critical and
awful moment, to flatter is to betray. Your Ma
jesty's Ministers have, by falfe -Tertions and fallaci
ous suggestions, deluded your Majesty and the na
tion into the present unnatural and unfortunate war.
The consequences of this deletion have been, that
the trade of this country has fuffered irreparable
losses, and is threatened with final extinction.
" The manufacturers in many valuable branches
are declining, and their supply of materials ren
dered precarious, by the inferiority of your Majes
ty's fleets to that of the enemy in almost every part
of the globe.
" The landed property throughout the kingdom
has been depreciated in the most alarming degree.
“ The property of your Majesty's fubjeds veiled
in the publick funds, has loft above one third of its
value.
" Private credit has been almost wholly annihi
lated by the enormous interest given in the publick
loans superior to that which is allowed by law in
any private contrast. Such of our brethren in A
merica as were deluded by the promises of your
Majesty's Ministers, and the proclamation of your
Generals, have been surrendered by your Majesty's
armies to the mercy of their enemies.
46 Your Majesty's fleets have loft their wonted
Superiority.;
" Your armies have been captured.
“ Your dominions have been loft.
" And yous Majesty's faithful fubjeds have been
loaded with a burthen of taxes, which, even if our
victories had been as splendid as our defeats have
been difgraceful; if our accession of dominions had
been as fortunate as the dismemberment of the em
pire has been cruel and disastrous, could not in it
felf be considered but as a great and grievous ca
lamity.
“ We do therefore most humbly implore your
Majesty to take all these circumstances into your
royal consideration, and to compare the present situ
ation of your dominions with that uncommon state
of prosperity to which the wisdom of your royal
ancestors, the spirit and bravery of the British peo
ple, and the favour of Divine Providence, which
naturally attends upon principles of justice and hu
manity, had once raised this happy country, the
pride and envy of all the civilized world!
" We do beseech your Majesty no longer to con
tinue in a delation from which the nation has awak
ened; and that your Majesty will be graciously
pleased to relinquifli entirely and for ever the plan
of reducing our brethren in America to obedience
NEW-JERSEY GAZETTE.
[Vol. V.]
WEDNESDAY, March 27, 1782.
by force; a plan which the fatal experience of past
losses has convinced us, cannot be prosecuted
without manifeft'and imminent danger to all your
Majesty's remaining possessions in the western world.
“ We wish to declare to your Majesty, to Eu
rope, to America itfelf, our abhorrence of the con
tinuation of this unnatural and unfortunate war,
which can tend to no other purpose than that of
alienating and rendering irrecoverable the confidence
of our American brethren, with whom we still hope
to live upon the terms of intercourse and friendship,
so necessary to the commercial prosperity of this
kingdom. We do therefore further humbly im
plore your Majesty, that your Majesty will be gra
ciously pleased to dismiss from your presence and
councils, ail the advisers, both publick and secret,
of the measures we lament, as a pledge to the world
of your Majesty's fixed determination, to abandon a
fyltem incompatible with the interest of your Crown,
and the happiness of your people."
[The above petition is an exa& copy verbatim
of the address, &c. agreed to by the livery of Lon
don at the common hall on Thursday last. The
Lord Mayor, aldermen and livery ordered the She
riffs to wait on his Majesty, to know when he would
receive it; when his Majesty was pleased to fay,
“ I (hall take time to consider of the manner in
" which I shall receive it, and the time when, and
" will let you know." The 1 ith December Lord
Hertford informed the Sheriffs, that his Majesty
would receive the address, &c. at the levee, on the
14th; but as the Sheriffs were ordered to present it
to his Majesty fitting on his Throne, and in no
other mode, the address was not presented at all]
PHILADELPHIA, March 20.
CAPITULATION of the islands of St. Christo
pher and Nevis, between His Excellency the
Count de GRASSE, commander of his most
Chriitian Majesty's naval forces, and His Excel
lency the Marquis de BOUILLE, Governor-
General of the French windward islands in Ame
rica, and His Excellency THOMAS SHIR
LEY, Esquire, a Major-General in his Britan
nick Majesty's army, and Governor of the islands
of St. Christopher and Nevis, and THOMAS
FR iSER, Esquire, Brigadier-General, com
manding the troops on Brimstone-hill.
a rt £ ' i'''" governor, the commander of the
l troops, the regular officers and sol
diers, the officers and privates of militia, shall march
through the breach on the fort of Brimstone-hill,
with ail the honours of war; with drums beating,
colours flying, one mortar, two brass field pieces,
ten rounds each, arms and baggage, and then lav
down their arms at a place appointed ; the officers
excepted.
2. The regular troops shall be prisoners of war,
and sent to England in fafe and good refills, which
fliall be furnifhed with provisions for the voyage;
but they shall not serve against the King of France
until they fliall be exchanged.
The officers are permitted to reside in any of the
islands upon their parole.
The militia and armed negroes shall return to
their refpedive homes.
3. The inhabitants or their attornies fliall be
obliged to take tlfe oaths of fidelity to the King of
France within the space of one month, before the
Governor of the said islands, and those who are
prevented from it by sickness or otherwise, fliall ob
tain a delay.
4. They shall observe an exad neutrality, and
shall not be compelled to take arms against his Bri
tannick Majesty, or any other power.
They are at liberty to retain their arms for the
internal police and better fubje&ion of their negroes;
but they are to make a return of them to the justice
of the peace, who fliall be responsible for any bad
use that may be made of them, contrary to the tenor
of the present capitulation.
5. They fliall enjoy, until the peace, their laws,
cu ftomsand ordinances, justice shall be adminiflered
by the fame persons who are actually in office—all
THE
13. The inhabitants and merchants fliall enjoy
all the privileges of commerce granted to the fub
jeds of his most Christian Majesty, throughout all
the extent of his dominions.
expences attending the admiuiftration of justice
,shall be defrayed by the colony.
6. 'lhe court of chancety shall be held by the
council of the island, and in the fame form as here
tofore, and all appeals from the said court shall be
made to his most Christian Majesty in council.
7. The inhabitants and clergy fliall be supported
in the possession of their estates and properties of
whatsoever nature and denomination, and in their
privileges, rites, titles, honours and exemptions,
and in the profeffion of their religion, and the mi
nisters in the enjoyment of their livings.
The absentees and those who ate in the service
of his Britannick Majesty, fliall be maintained in
the possession and enjoyment of their estates and pro
perties, which fliall be managed by their attornies.
I he inhabitants may fell their estates and posses
sions to whom they fliall think proper —and they are
at liberty to fend their children to England to be
educated, and from whence they may return when
they judge proper.
8. The inhabitants fliall pay monthly, into the
hands of the treasurer of the troops, in lieu of all
taxes, the value of two thirds of the duties that the
islands of St. Christopher and Nevis paid/to the
King of Gieat-Britain, who fliall be animated ac
cording to the valuation cf the revenues made in the
year 1781, and which shall serve as a basis.
9. The slaves which may have been taken during
the siege, shall be religiously restored; and they may
also be reclaimed in any of the French windward or
leeward islands,
10. The inhabitants shall not be obliged to fur
nifh the . troops with quarters, except in extraordi
nary cases; but they are to be lodged at the ex
pense of the King, or in houses belonging to the
crown.
11. In cases where the Kings' business may re
quire negroes to work, they fliall be furnifhed by
the inhabitants of the laid islands, to the number of
500; but they shall be paid at the rate of two bits
per day each, and victualled at the expence of the
King.
12. The vessels and droghers belonging to the
inhabitants at the capitulation, fliall be restored en
tire to their owners.
The vessels which the said inhabitants expert
from the ports of England, or from any of his Bri
tannick Majesty's poffeflions, fliall be received in the
said colonies during the space of fix months, and
they may load them to return under neutral colours,
even for the ports of Great-Britain, with the par
ticular penniffion of the Governor; and if any of
the veflels expeded should flop at any of the Eug
lifli islands, the Governor shall be authorized to
grant permifljon for them to come to either of the
said islands.
14. Whatever may have been furnifhed for the
French army during the siege, and to this day, by
the said islands, and the losses that the inhabi
tants have sustained by the burning of plantations,
and by every other means, fliall be estimated by a
meeting of the inhabitants, and the amount fliall be
equally borne by the two islands, under tl.e head of
contribution or indemnity for the expences of the
war, but in such a manner that this article shall not
dimiijfh the taxes above-mentioned, which are to
take place from the date of the capitulation, but the
assembly of the inhabitants may apply to it the ar
rears of the general taxes which remain in their
hands at the date of the capitulation^
15. The sailors of merchant ships, those of pri
vateers and other individuals, who have no property
in the said islands, shall depart from the fame in the
space of fix weeks, if they are not employed in dro
ghers, or avowed by two proprietors, who will an
swer for them, and means shall be furnifhed them to
depart for the neutral islands.
16. The General of the French troops shall be!
put in possession of all the artillery, all the effects
[Numb. 222.]