The New-Jersey gazette — Burlington [N.J.], 1783-01-01 00:00:00, page 1

"'[VoI.VLJ THE (NuMB,26„
NEW-JERSEY GAZETTE'.
From the Chatham Phper of Dec. 18.
Copy of a letter from Count de Vergennes to Gene
ral IVafoington, dated at Versailles the 29th of
July, 1782.
— I R, #
rr^T is not in quality of a King, the friend and
I ally of the United States (tho' with the know
ledge and content of his Majesty) that 1 now
a^have the honour to write to your Excellency.
Iras a man of sensibility, and a tender father,
who feels all the force of paternal love. And I
take the liberty to address to your Excellency, my
earnest solicitations in favour of a mother and fa
mily in tears. Her situation seems the more wor
thy of notice, op our part, as it is to the humanity
of a nation, at war with her own, that she hasire
courfe, for what she ought to receive from the im
partial justice of her own Generals.
I have the honour to enclose your Excellency a
copy of a letter which Mrs. Afgill has just wrote
me. I am not known to her, nor was I ac
quainted that her son was the unhappy victim, deft
tined by lot to expiate the odious crime that a
formal denial of justice obliges you to revenge.
Your Excellency will not read this letter without
being extremely affeded; it had that effect upon
the King and Queen, to whom I communicated it.
The goodness of their Majesties hearts induce them
to desire that the inquietudes of an unfortunate mo
ther may be calmed, and her tenderness re-assured.
I feel, Sir, that these are cases where humanity it&
felf exacts the most extreme rigour; perhaps the
one now in question may be of the number, but
allowing reprisals to be just, it is not less horrid to
thole who are the victims; and the character of
four Excellency is too well known for me not to
e persuaded that you desire nothing more than to
be able to avoid the disagreeable necessity.
, There is one consideration, Sir, which, though
it is not decisive, may have an influence on your re
solution. Captain Afgill is doubtless your prisoner;
but he is among those whom the arms of the King
contributed to put into your hands at York-Town.
Although this circumstance does not operate as a
fafeguard, it however juftifies the interest 1 permit
myfelf to take in this affair. If it is in your power,
Sir, to confider and have regard to it, you will do
what is very agreeable to their Majesties ; the dan
ger of young Afgill, the tears, the despair of his
mother, affed them sensibly; and they will fee with
pleasure the hope of consolation shine out for those
unfortunate people.
In seeking to deliver Mr. Afgill from the fate
which threatens him, I am far from engaging you
#0 seek another victim; the pardon, to be perfedly
fttisfa&ory, must be entire. I do not imagine it
can be produ&ive of any bad consequences. If the
English General has not been able to punish the
horrible crime you complain of, in so exemplary a
manner as he fkould, there is reason to think he
will take the most efficacious measures to prevent
the like in future.
I sincerely wish, Sir, that my intercession may
meet success ; the sentiment which dictates it, and
which you have not ceased to manifeft on every oc
casion, allures me that you will not be indifferent
to the prayers and to the tears of a family which
has recourse to your clemency through me. It is
rendering homage to your virtue to implore it.
I have the honour to be,
with the most perfect consideration,
Sir, your's, &c.
(Signed) De Vergennes,
Cop, °f a letter from Mrs. Afgill to Count de Ver
gennes, dated London, July 18, 1782.
S 1 R,
IF the politeness of the French Court will per
mit an application of a stranger, there can be
no doubt but one in which all the tender feelings
of an individual can be interested, will meet with
WEDNESDA Y, January i, 1783.
a favourable reception from < nobleman whole cha
racter does honour not only to his own country,
but to human nature? The fubjed, Sir, on which
l presume to implore your afliltance, is too heart
piercing for me to dwell on; and common fame has,
most probably, informed you of it; it therefore ren
ders the painful talk unnecessary. My son (an only
son) as dear as he is brave, amiable as he is deserv
ing, to be so, only nineteen, a prisoner under arti
cles of capitulation at York-iown, is now confied
in America, an object of retaliation. Shall an in
nocent fuffer for the guilty? Represent to your
felf, Sir, the situation of a family under these cir
cumstances, surrounded as I am by objects of dis
tress ; diftraded with fear and grief; no words can
express my feeling or paint the scene. My husband
given over by his physicians, a few hours before the
news arrived, and not to be informed of the misfor
tune ; my daughter seized with a fever and deliri
um, raving about her broth*, and without one in
terval of reason, save to bear heart alleviating
circumstances. Let y&ur feelings, Sir, suggest and
plead for my inexpressible misery. A word from
you, like a voice from Heaven, will save us from
deftrudion and wretchedness. lam well informed
General. Washington reveres your character; fay
but to him you wish my Bn to be released, and he
will restore him to his didrafted family, and render
him to happiness. My ^oh) virtues and bravery
will juftify the deed, dishonour, Sir,carried him
to America. He was born to adjuenue, indepen
dence, and the happiest molpe&s. Let me again
Applicate vpur ^oodnefg let me relpettfully im
■ore your high influence in behalf of innocence; in
the caufemfjultice, of humanity; that you would,
Sir,~dgra&a letter to General Washington, from
F r aij/&&avour me with a copy of it to be f^t
fronWera, I am sensibly of the liberty Ih,fyin
making this request; but lam sensible that whether
you comply with It or not, you will pity the dis
tress that luggers it; your humanity will diop a
tear on the fault and efface it. 1 will pray that
Heaven may grant you may never want the comfort
it is in your power to bellow on
ASGILL.
_, —
LONDON, September 27.
Confideiing, fays some of our news writers, the
immense reinforcements which the French and
Dutch have sent to India, there is every reason to
fear that we shall be forced to abandon all that Ad
miral Hughes has conquered. Ihe incredible num
ber of French land forces sent to co operate with
Hyder Alley, make it very doubtful whether they
will content themselves with recovering their own
possessions. We flatter ou^elves, however, that as
Sir R. Bickerton mult have joined Admiral Hughes
by this time, that the two admirals will be able to
hinder the squadron under M. de Buffy, from land
ing the troops he carries, on the coast of Coro
mandel.
We have now 18 fail of the line in India, under
Hughes and Bickerton; the greater which this na
tion ever sent to Asia; lof 84, sos 74, 2of 70,
8 of 64, and 2 of 50 guns.
Oct. 4, By his Riajeity's ship the Jason, arrived
at King Ro^d, Bristol, from Jamaica, we learn,
that the convoy bound for Great-Britain, amount
ing to 150 fail, had left Bluefields 25th July, under
the care of the Ville de Paris of 104 guns, the
Ramilies, Canada, Centaur and L'He&or, of 74,
the Ardent and Caton of 64, and the Pallas of 32
guns. The Jason and Gloiieux failed three days
after the rest with seven merchantmen. After the
news of this important fleet, which we hourly ex
pect to arrive, the merchants,planters and insurers
begin to be uneasy ; indeed the nation in general,
fearing the Dutch will seize the opportunity to re
venge themselves for our taunts against them for
fuffering the Baltick fleet to escape; which indeed
they could not help, as we find by the report made
by the Stadtholder to their High Mightinefl'es,
Oft. 8. The Thetis, Capt. Major, one of the Ja
maica convoy, is arrived at Bristol, having on board
the crew of the Withy Wood, another of the fleet
bound to London, which was foundered Captain
Edwards, who commanded her, gives, by letter of
the third inst. from Briftoi % the following account
of his shipwreck:
" I he 16th of last month, being in lat. 42, 50:
long, weft 50, we were met with a very violent
gust of wind from S. E. by E. which suddenly
veered to N. W. and blew so violently, during lour
hours, that in my whole life I never was in such
danger. The sea from S. E. was so high, that the
ship laboured greatly ; the counter was stove in and
the gun-room laid open. The water came in so
plentifully, that all my pumps could not keep it
under. 1 cut away the main and mizen masts, and
got the fliip before the wind; in short, I did all that
a seaman could do to save the vessel ; but the water
gained upon us so faft, that in 6 hours we had 6
feet water in the hold. As it was yet clear wea
ther, we threw every thing overboard out of the
gun-room, and staved all the rum we could, but all
in vajn ; at ten o'clock we left the ship and got on
board the Thetis. We are happy to have laved
our lives, not having had above two hours of wea
ther so moderate as to pass in the boats. Next
morning we difeovered about 30 fail of vessels, the
four nearest of which were difmafted; the rest were
at a great distance."
An express dispatched from Dover has brought,
on Sunday last, the news of the arrival, off that
port, of the Jamaica Planter, Captain Hay, and the
Mary Ann, Captain Innis, vessels of the Jamaica,
fleet. The 4fh inst. they spoke with the following
vessels, which make part of the fame fleet, viz. the
Salt River, the Charming Molly, the Hibberts, the
Lady Taylor, and the Nancy, bound for London;
and theist instant they also fell in with the Jamai
ca and the Hope, bound for Bristol, and the Mi
nerva for Glasgow. We learn by these venels, that
the Dutton, a vessel belonging to the India Com
pany, and the Sarah, have foundered, and that 19
men, part of the crew of the Dutton, have been
saved by the Salt River. They report also, that
they saw fix other vessels making signals of distress
the next day after the storm ; and the Ramilies of
74 guns, in which Admiral Graves was embarked,
had loft her main mast, fore mast and rudder, and
the Glorieux her fore matt and bowsprit.
Bristol, October 2. The Tobago Planter is just
arrived from Jamaica; she failed with the fleet on
the 16th of last month: they were assaulted by a
violent gust of wind, in lat. 43, lon. 48 : next day
at 9, A. M. they spoke the Ramil,ies, Adm. Graves,
which had loft her main and mizen masts ; and they
saw abundance of ships in like condition, all more
or less difmafted; afterwards the paded by a great
quantity of puncheons and calks, bags of cotton,
masts, Campeachy wood, &c. floating on the furface
of the ocean. The Ardent man of war had sprung
a leak, and returned to Port-Royal in Jamaica.
From the New-York Gazette, of the 19th instant.
LONDON
OR. 10. It appears that Admiral Graves, who
had the charge of the homeward bound Jamaica
convoy, kept a very northward course, to avoid the
enemy's cruizers, which he apprehended might be
detached to intercept and pick up the tardy ships
of the convoy. His flag was flying on board the
Ramilies from his departure from Jamaica, to the
moment it was found necefTary to quit her, for the
preservation of (he lives of her crew. She loft her
masts on the 10th of last month in a violent gale of
wind, and continued ungovernable till the 19th,
when ffie was abandoned and left finking. She was
then it lat. 42. 20. north, lon. 17 weft. A number
of ships of the convoy were observed foundering be
tween the 13th and 19th September, though most
of the crews were saved.
Every day furnifhes us with frelh advices of the
melancholy effe&s of the violent storm which the
Jamaica fleet met with off the banks of Newfound
land. Yesterday intelligence was received of the
Ann, Captain Sherrin, for Loudon, and the Mentor,
Capt. Whitetide, for Liverpool, having foundered;