The New-Jersey gazette — Burlington [N.J.], 1781-04-04 00:00:00, page 2

BY HIS EXCELLENCY
William Livingston, Esquire,
Goaerner, Captain-General and Commander in Chief
in and over the state of New-Jersey, and territories
thereunto belonging, Chancellor and Ordinary in
the fame.
Proclamation.
WHEREAS the United States in Congress assem
bled, by their Proclamation, bearing date the
twentieth day of March, reciting, that " at all times
it is our duty to acknowledge the over-ruling provi
dence of the Great Governor of the universe, and de
voutly to implore his divine favour and protection:
But in the hour of calamity and impending danger,
when by fire and the sword, by the savages of the
wilderness, and by our own domefticks, a vindictive
enemy pursues a war of rapine and devastation with
unrelenting fury, we are peculiarly excited with true
penitence of heart to prostrate ourselves before our
great Creator, and fervently to supplicate his graci
ous interposition for our deliverance."
DID THEREFORE earnestly recommend, " That
THURSDAY, the THIRD Day of MAY next, may be
observed as a day of Humiliation, Fading and Prayer ;
that we may with united hearts confefs and bewail
our manifold fins and transgressions, and by sincere
repentance and amendment of life appease his righ
teous displeasure, and through the merits of our bles
sed Saviour obtain pardon and forgivenefs: That it
may please him to ipfpire our rulers with wisdom and
incorruptible integrity, and to direCt and prosper their
councils ; to inspire all our citizens with a fervent and
disinterested love oftheir country, and to preserve and
strengthen their union ; to turn the hearts of the dif
affeded, or to fruftrate their devices ; to regard with
divine companion our friends in captivity, affliction,
and distress ; to comfort and relieve them under their
flifferings, and to change their mourning into grate
ful songs of triumph: That it may please him to bless
our ally, and to render the connection formed be
tween these United States and his kingdom a mutual
and lasting benefit to both nations; to animate our
officers and forces by sea and land with invincible for
titude, and to guard and protect them in the day of
battle, and to grown our joint endeavours for termi
nating the calamities of war with victory and success:
That the blessings of peace and liberty may be esta
blished on an honourable and permanent balis, and
transmitted inviolate to the latest posterity : That it
may please him to prosper our husbandry and com
merce, and to bless us with health and plenty : That
it may please him to bless all schools and seminaries
of learning, and to grant that truth, justice and be
nevolence, and pure and undefiled religion may uni
versally prevail."
And did thereby further recommend " to all the
people of these states to assemble for public worship,
and abstain from labour on the said day."
I have therefore thought fit, by and with the advice
of the Honourable the Privy Council of this state, in
pursuance of the said Proclamation, as well as from a
deep sense of the pious duty thereby recommended,
to appoint Thursday the said third day of May next,
to be observed as a day of Humiliation, Fatting and
Prayer throughout this state, in the manner, and for
the purposes in. the said Proclamation mentioned ;
and do hereby recommend it to the Ministers of the
Gospel of every denomination in this state to perform
divine service, and to the people committed to their
charge to attend on public worship on the said day,
and to abstain thereon from all servile labour and re
creations inconsistent with the duties and solemnity
thereof.
Given under my hand and seal at arms, at Tren
ton, this twenty-eighth day of March, in the
year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred
and eighty-one, and in the fifth of the Indepen
dence of the United States of America.
WIL. LIVINGSTON.
By His Excellency's command,
Bowes Reed, Sec'ry.
GOD SAVE THE PEOPLE.
HAGU E, November 16.
THE following is the resolution taken by the States
General of the United Provinces, relative to the
insults and violences committed at the island of St.
Martin, on the 9th of last August.
" That Count Welderen, the Minister Plenipoten
tiary from their High Mightinesses to the British court,
be charged to make the strongest complaints of the said
insults and violences, and to represent, in the most
energetic manner, that their High Mightinesses think
themselves in a most supreme degree aggrieved, by the
premeditated violence of the inconteftible territory of
the state, the Island of St. Martin, done by the offi
cers of his British Majesty, according to the expref§
orders of the King, and in consequence of a written
declaration of those officers.
" That no power ever doubted, but all bays and
roads belonging to the fame power as the lands an
nexed to them, and that all who might be in them,
were iheltered from the rights of war, and from all
hostile pursuits, and that no power is in any way au
thorifed to take, or in any refpeft to molest vessels, so
Iheltered, against the will of the sovereign, without its
being looked upon a# an indirect attack: That not
withstanding this, the men of war of the King of
Great-Britain, sent on purpose by his Admiral, had,
by his order, seized feme American vessels, which
had taken refuge in the Island of St. Martin, under the
cannon of the fort, and took them via fafti, threat
ening, that if the least resistance Was made by the fort,
that it, together with the whole village belonging to
their High Mightinesses, should be burnt to the ground,
and a force fufficient was sent to carry these their or
ders into execution.
" That their High Mightinesses cannot look upon
this violent step in any other light than as an open vi
olation of their territory, and a contempt ofthe inde
pendent sovereignty ofthe state ; and flatter themselves
that his Majesty must perceive, that if an independent
power of Europe is to be exposed to such insults as
this, that all liberty and security, both in and out of
Europe, will then only depend upon force ; and con
sequently that the King will be displeased at this hostile
action, committed by his officers against the territory
of a power, which has not only had the honour to be
allied to Great-Britain for upwards of a century, and
to live in peace and friendship with her, but from the
beginning of the present troubles in America, has not
refufed to restrain its fubjeCts from trading with
North-America, in a manner for which his Majesty
has acknowledged his fatisfadion.
" That their High Mightinefles could not pass over
in silence what has happened, but, at the fame time,
must protest solemnly against it, and most strongly de
sire of his Majesty, what they hope from his justice,
his friendfhip, and his equity to obtain; which is a
full fatisfadion for the violation of their territory, in
which the intention of his Majesty may be made ap
pear, relative to the treatment of the powers not in
cluded in the troubles of the present war, and of their
territories in general, and of those the Republic of
the United Provinces in particular, &c."
BOST O N, March 12.
Extract of a letter from Nantz, dated Nov. 30.
" In consequence of the late successes of the enemy
at the southward, the British government seem de- 1
termined to prosecute the war with more vigour than
ever, and are now preparing to fend out 10,000 troops
to the Weft-Indies and America. I wish we did not
in America so often tantalize ourselves with that too
deceitful and dangerous doCtrine, that England can
not de this, that, and the other ; that flie has fuffi
cient employment for her ships and men at home to
think of fending any part of them abroad. These
sentiments have often lulled us into too great security,
from which we have not been roused till it has been
too late ; witness Penobfcot. Whereas if we did take
the advantage of this fappofed inability of the enemy,
and not placed too great dependence on what others
would do for us, would perhaps better facilitate our
plans, and certainly be acting more in character."
It is said, that the owners of American privateers,
finding that British vessels being covered by Bermudi
ans, as also that real Bermudian property cannot be
made legal prizes, while the present resolve of Con
gress in favour of the Bermudians subsists, have wife
ly procured coinmiffions from our generous ally, who
knows no diftinCtion between Bermudians and Britons.
PHILADELPHIA, March 28.
On Monday last arrived at Chester, His Most Chri
stian Majesty's frigate I'Hermoine, M. M. La Touche
commander, ^ho parted with the French fleet off our
capes, on the 19th instant ; by whom we have the
following account of an engagement between the
French and British fleets :
On the 16th inst. after a violent southerly wind,
which had carried the French fleet to the N. E. of
Cape Charles, it being foggy, the fleet having their
larboard tacks on board, they difeovered, at day
break, a frigate about two gun shots to windward ;
the Admiral had scarcely made the signal for a chafe,
when he difeovered many large vefieis in his rear ;
he then made no doubt but it was the English, who
having been informed of his design, and having had
greater advantage of the westerly and N. W. winds,
had arrived, almost at the fame instant on the coast
of Virginia ; he immediately made the signal for the
line to be formed with the larboard tacks on board,
the wind just then blowing from the N. E. the En
glish fleet being about two leagues to the southward,
upon the fame tack; at nine o'clock the fleet put a
bout on the other tack, and half an hour afterwards
the enemy made the fame movement; at 10 o'clock
the wind frefheuing, the fleet again put about on the
other tack, the enemy continuing on the opposite
tack, forcing fail, and with the advantage of failing,
which they had over the French fleet, they were soon
in such a polition as to be able to gain the wind; at
noon they put about, and before one o'clock their
van was not more than half a league from the rear
of the French line. After many well executed ma
noeuvres on both sides, the engagement began at half
after one o'clock, and at three quarters after two the
firing ceased on both sides. The English fleet being
in the rear and to the windward of the French fleet,
Mr. Deftouches made the signal for re-establishing
the line of battle with the larboard tacks on board,
without having regard to each vessel's particular place,
which was executed in a short time; he then intend
ed to tack the second time upon the enemy, who ap
peared to be more damaged than himfelf, and were
then all gathered together in a cluster, with their fails
aback, and their rigging very much cut ; but the fig
nals made by the Conquerant and the Ardept, inform
ed him that these vessels, and particularly the firft
(who had sustained for a long time the fire of three
of the enemy's ships, and in the end was so nearly
engaged with her opposite ftiip ih the line, that they
appeared to be aboard each other) had great need
of some immediate repair. The French fleet conti
nued therefore to run on this tack, with a small fail,
ready to receive the enemy if they thought proper to
hazard a second engagement ; but they very prudent
ly kept themselves in the rear, and to windward dur
ing the rest of the day, without taking advantage of
the superiority of the failing oftheir fleet, which were
all sheathed with copper, to renew the engagement.
Too much praise cannot be given to that firmnefs
and courage which the Captains, Officers and Crews
of the French fleet have (hewn on this occasion, as
also of the troops embarked on board them ; their va
lour has flood them in stead of a ship, which the ene
my had more than them ; and if the success of the
expedition had depended on a second attack, the Ad
miral would have looked upon it as certain, in spite
of the superiority of their forces.
There ought not to be omitted a particular cir
cumstance in the action, which gives the greatest ho
nour to the Romulus. The ship London, of 90 guns,-
having endeavoured to break the line, this frigate had
the bravery to keep her wind and fire a broadside in
to Admiral Graves, who likewise discharged his, but
was obliged to relinquish his design. The Romulus
ought to have been funk, from the small distance they
were apart ; however, by a singular happiness (he re
ceived no damage.
By a vessel from Hispaniola we learn, that the Con
tinental frigates Confederacy and Saratoga have taken
a ship (said to be the Stag privateer) of 32 guns, on.
her passage from St. Euftatia to Jamaica, having on
board 200 Negroes and a large quantity of plunder,
and conducted fafe into Cape Francois. \
By accounts, from New-York we learn, that the
fleet which has been getting ready there for some time
past, and on board of which is embarked a number
of troops, failed on Wednesday last, having put back;
twice.
We also learn that General Clinton and General
Knyphaufen are going to Europe, the latter in dis
gust ; and that Lord Cornwallis is to have the com
mand in America.
We hear, that the Honourable the Congress of the
United States have agreed to recommend to each of
the States immediately to suspend or repeal all ten
der laws, from a convidion of their injurious effefts,
not only upon our paper money itfeif, but upon the
agriculture, commerce and morals of our country.
We hear further, that the State of Massachusetts-Ba,
has taken the lead in this aft of policy and justice ;
and that the consequences of it were an immediate
loan of a large quantity of specie to the State, by the
citizens of Boston. Nothing is wanting, fays a cor
respondent, to make credit, both publick and pri
vate, as common as in former times, but laws to make
contracts of all kinds sacred.
The Commissioners appointed to examine and bum
the old continental money, called in by tax, have pro
ceeded in the business, and, according to order of
Congrtfs, have burnt three millions three hundred
and two thousand three hundred and nine dollars and
one third of a dollar. And the publick are inform
ed, that there are large sums in the several offices rea
dy for the fame purpose.
On Sunday, the 18th inst. departed this life, after
along continued illness, the Reverend John Brainerd,
Pastor of the Presbyterian church at Deerfield, New-
Jersey, in the 6zd year of his age ; and on the Wed
nesday following, his remains, attended by the neigh
bouring Ministers and a numerous concourse of peo
ple, after a discourse, well adapted to the occalion,
had been delivered by the Rev. Dr. Sproat, of Phi
ladelphia, were interred.
The memory of this exemplary worthy man of
God, needs no eulogium—it will be long endeared
by all who had the happiness of an acquaintance with
him, in the various relations he sustained.
Let it therefore fuffice to fay, that for many years
he was a most laborious Missionary among the Indi
ans —an eminently ufeful Trustee of New-Jersey Col
lege —he excelled in recommending religion in pri
vate converfation —was distinguished for his punctua
lity and Catholic spirit—a most tender husband, an
affectionate father, a kind matter, and a generous
sincere friend.
He died with great calmness and serenity of spirit,
in sweet and certain hopes of eternal glory, greatly
lamented by many people of various denominations.
" Blessed are the dead, that die in the Lord."
MARCH 31.
Extract of a letter from Halifax in North-Carolina,
dated March 20.
" This forenoon the Honourable Mr; H— arrived
from General Greene's head-quarters, and brings the
following most important intelligence:
" That on the morning of the 15th instant an en
gagement was brought on between a small part of our
regulars, joined by a very conliderable body of militia,
and most of General Cornwallis's army. The affi
opened by Colonel Lee early in the morning, and w
conducted with equal conduct and spirit by Colon
Waflungtoh^and some other choice troops, joined,
above, so as to terminate greatly to the honour ar
advantage of the American arms. As I said befor
Lee displayed before the enemy early, when our ma
body were at the distance of three miles, and by h