The New-Jersey gazette — Burlington [N.J.], 1782-05-22 00:00:00, page 1

^ here appeared about that time tome disposition
in the Britilh cabinet to cease the further prosecuti
on of the war, and as 1 had formed my opinion,
that whenever luch a design should take place, it
w mid be accompanied with a dishonourable propo
fijon to America respecting France,' 1 had addres
sed the remainder of that number to expole the bafe
nels of any such proposition. But the arrival of the
next news horn England declared her determinati
on to go on with the war, and consequently as the
political object i had then in view was not become
a fubjed 't was unnecessary in me to bring it for
ward, which is the re don it was never published
The matter which J allude to in the unpublished
part, l shall now make a quotation of, and apply it
as the more enlarged date ot things at this dry Shall
make convenient or necefLry. It is as follows:
“ By the speeches which have appeared from the
British parliament, it is ealy to perceive to what
impolitick and imprudent excefles thelpahens and
prejudices have in every infbnce carried them dat
ing the prefect war. Provoked at the upright and
honourable treaty between America and France,
they imagined nothing more was necessary to be
done to prevent its find ratification, than to pro
,mife, through the a ocy of their crmmiffi nets,
(Carlide, Edenand ?/.. ; ore) a repeal or tm-ir once
offensive ads of pdrliam.m, *he vanity of the
SINCE the arrival of two, if not three pack
ets, in quick succession, at New-York from
England, a variety of unconnected news has
circulated through the country, and afford
ed as great a variety of {peculation.
3 hat something is the matter in the cabinet and
councils of our enemies on the other fide the water
is certain; that they have run their length of mad
ness, and are under a necessity of changing their mea
sures, may easily be seen into; but to what this
change of measures may amount, or how far it may
correspond with our inteieft, happiness and duty,
is yet uncertain; and from what we have hitherto
experienced, we have too much reason to fulpeCl
them in every thing
I do not addicts this publication so much to the
people of America as to the British ministry, who
ever they may be, for if it is their intention to pro
mote any kind of negociation, it is proper they
should know beforehand, that the United States
have as much honour as bravery ; that they are no
more to be seduced from their alliance than their al
legiance; that their line of politicks is formed, and
not dependant, like that of their enemy, on chance
and accident.
On our part, in order to know, at any time, what
the Britdh government will do, we have only to find
out what they ought not to do, and this last will
be their conduCt. Forever changing and forever
wrong ; too dirtant from America to improve cir
cumstances, and too unwise to forefee them; schem
ing without principle, and executing without proba
bility, their whole line of management has hitherto
been blunder and baseness. Every campaign has
eddrd to their LEi, and every yem to their disgrace;
till unable to go on, and affirmed to go back, their
politicks have come to a halt, and all their fine
profpeds to the halter.
Couid our affections forgive or humanity forget
the wounds of an infant country, we might, under
the influence of a momentary oblivion, stand flail
and laugh. But they are engraven where noamufe
ment can conceal them, and of a kind for which
there is no recompence. Can ye restore to us the
beloved dead? Can ye fay to the grave give up the
murdered? Can ye obliterate from our ^enories
those who are no more? Think not then to tamper
with our feelings by infidipus contrivance, nor to
fuffocate our humanity by deducing us to difhonour.
In January 1780 1 published part of. the Crisis
No. 8, in the Philadelphia news-papers, but did not
conclude it in the following papers, and the remain
der hr. lain by me to the prelent day.
NEW-JERSEY GAZETTE.
The CRISIS, No. XI.
On the present State of News.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 1782.
could Ihe once get them to stand singly, Ihe could
conquer them unconditionally. Failing in this pro
ject in America, the renewed it in Europe; and after
the alliance had taken place, the made feciet offers
to France to induce her to give up America; and
what is dill more extraordinary, the at the fame
time made proportions to Doftor Franklin, then in
Paris, the very court to which ihe was secretly ap
plying, to draw off America from France. But
this is not all.
On the 14th September 1778, 'he British court
through their Secretary, Lord Weymouth, made
application to the Marquis D' almadovar, the Spa
nish imbaflador at London, to “ aft the mediati
on," (for these were the words) of the court of
Spain for the purpose of negpeiating a peace with
Fiance, leaving America, as 1 shall hereafter Ihew,
out of the quellion. Spain readily offered her me
diation, and likewise the city of Madrid as the place
of conference, but withal proposed that the United
States of imerica, should be invited to the treaty,
and considered as independent during the time the
business was negociating. But this was not the
view of England. She wanted to draw France from
the war, that flie might uninterruptedly pour out all
her force and fury upon America; and being difap
pomted in this plan as well thiough the open and
generous conduct of Spain, as the determination of
France, ihe refuted the mediation she had solicited.
i shall now give some extracts from the jollifying
memorial of the Spanish court, in which she has let
the conduCt and character of Britain, with reiped to
America, in a clear and striking point of light.
The memorial, speaking of the refufal of the Bri
tish court to meet in conference with commiilioners
from the United States, who were to be confideied
as independent during the time of the conference,
fays,
" It is a thing very extraordinary and even ridi
culous, that the court of London, who treats the
Colonies as independent, not only in acting, but of
right during the war, should have a repugnance to
treat them asTuch, only in anting during a tiuce or
suspension of hostilities. The conventions^ Sara
toga; the reputing General Burgoyne as a lawful
prisoner, in order to fulpend his trial. Ihe ex
change and liberating other prisoners made from the
colonies; the having named commiffidnets to go and
Supplicate the Americans at their own doors; re
quert peace of them, and treat with them and the
< ongeefs; and finally, by a thousand other ads of
this fort, authorized by the court of London, which
have been, and are, true signs of the acknowledge
ments of this independence
" ' n aggravation to all the foregoing, at the fame
time the Britiih cabinet answered the King of Spain
in the terms already mentioned, they were infinuat
council was as unpardonable as the experiment was
impolitick. And so convinced am lof their wrong
ideas of America, that I Shall not wonder, if in the
last Rage of political phrenzy, they propose to her
to break her alliance with France and enter into one
with them. Such a piopofition, should it ever be
made, and it has already been more than once hint
ed in parliament, would difeover such a disposition
to perfidioulnefs, and such disregard to honour and
morals, as would add the finishing vice to nati
onal corruption—l do not mention this to put me
rica on the watch, but to put England on her guard,
that She do not, in the looseness of her heart, enve
lope in disgrace every fragment of reputation."
I bus far the quotation.
By the complexion of some part of the news
which has transpired through the New-York papers,
it seems probable, that this insidious era in the Bri
tish politicks is beginning to make its appearance.
I with it may not. For that which is a disgrace to
human nature, throws fomtunug ot a ihudc over all
the human character, and the individual feels his
share of the wound that is given to the whole.
The policy of Britain has ever been to divide
America in some way or other. In the beginning
of the dispute Ike praCtifed every art to prevent or
destroy the union of the states, well knowing that
THE
ing themselves at the court of France by means of
secret emissaries, and making very great offers to her
to abandon the colonies, and make peace with Eng
land. But there is yet more: For at this fame
time the English ministry were treating, by means of
another certain emissary, with Doctor Franklin, Mi
nister Plenipotentiary from the colonies, residing at
Paris, to whom they made various propofols to dis
unite them from France, and accommodate matters
with England.
" From what has been observed it evidently fol
lows, that the whole of the English politicks was to
disunite the two courts- of Paris and Madrid, by
means of the suggestions and offers flie separately
made to them; and also to separate the colonies
from their treaties and engagements entered into
with hrance, and induce them to arm against the
House of Bourbon, or mere probably to oppref/
tbeni when the, found from breaking their engage
ments, tby ^o r d alone and without protestors.
" this, t erefore, is the net they laid for the
American States; that is to fay, to tempt them
with fluttering and very magnificent promises to
come to an accommodation with them, exclusive of
any intervention of pain or France, that the Bri
tilh ministry might always remain the arbiters of the
fate of the colonies.
" But the Catholick King, (the King of Spain)
faithful, on the one part, to the engagements which
bind him to the most Christian King (the King of
France) his nephew ; just and uptight, on the other,
to his own fubjeds whom he ought to proted and
guard against so many insults; and finally, full of
humanity and compassion for the Americans and,
other individuals who fuffer in the present war; he
is determined to pursue and prosecute it, and to
make all the efforts in his power, until he can ob
tain a solid and permanent peace, with full and fa
tisfadory securities that it shall be observed."
I bus far the memorial; a translation of which,
into English, may be seen in full under the head of
State papers in the Annual Register for 1779,
P^ e 3 6 7-
i he extracts I have here given serve to shew the
various endeavours and contrivances of the enemy
to draw fiance from her connection with America,
and to prevail on her to make a separate peace with
England, leaving America totally out of the questi
on, and at the mercy of a merciless unprincipled
enemy. the opinion liKewife which Spain has
formed of the British cabinet character for me n
nefs and prefidioufnefs, is so exactly the opinion of
America refpeding it, that the memorial, in this
inltance, contains our own sentiments and language;
for people, however remote, who think alike, will
unavoidably speak alike.
I bus we fee the insidious use which Britain en
deavoured to make of the proportions for a peace,
under the mediation of Spain.—l shall now proceed
to the lecond propositions under the mediation of the
Emperor of Germany and the Empress of Russia,
the general outline of which was, that a Congress
of the several powers at war should meet at Vienna
in 1781, to fettle preliminaries of peace.
1 could wish mylelf at liberty to make use of all
the information 1 am possessed of on this fubjeCt,
but as there is a delicacy in the matter, I do not
conceive it prudent, at least at present, to make re
ferences and quotations in the fame manner as I
have done with refpeCt to the mediation of Spain,
who published the whole proceedings herfelf; and,'
therefore, what comes from me on this part of the
bunnefs, must rest on my own credit with the pub
lick, alluring them, that when the whole proceed
ings relating to the proposed Congiefs at Vienna
shall appear, they will find my account not only true
but studiously moderate.
We know that at the time this mediation was on
the carpet, the expectations of the British King and
Ministry ran high with refpeCf to the conquest of
America. Ihe English packet which was taken
with the mail on board, and carried into I'Oriem,
in France contained letters from Lord George'
Germaine to Sir Henry Clinton, which exprefled
-(Numb. 230.]