The New-Jersey gazette — Burlington [N.J.], 1780-12-20 00:00:00, page 2

Majesty's will and pleasure was notwithstanding to
be executed.
“ Our letters from Brest mention, that the work
men in that port are busily employed in sheathing with
copper all the ships that are destined for North-Ame
rica, under the command of Monsieur de la Touche
Treville. The second division of the army, under
the command of Count de Rochambeau, which is to
embark on board the said squadron, consists of the re
giments of Auvergne, Meuftri, Rouergne, and An
halt, commanded by their Colonels the Viscount de
Laval, Count de Guibert, Viscount de Guftine, and
the Count de Wirgenftein.''
KINGSTON, (Jamaica) October 14.
There having been no arrivals from Europe since
our last, we have it in our power to communicate but
little interesting intelligence to the public from that
quarter ; for the present weel< therefore we Ihall con
fine ourselves chiefly to insular occurrences, and hap
py should we think ourselves did they afford any cir
cumstances likely to prove grateful to the humane and
benevolent mind, on the contrary, we have the pain
ful talk to relate feenes of complicated horror and
distress, far exceeding any thing that has been expe
rienced in the island, during the present century ; ac
counts from different parishes teem with unpieafing
relations of plantain-walks being destroyed, cane
pieces levelled, with slaves and cattle carried away by
the rapidity of the rivers, in the course of the preced
ing week ; —in the parishes of Hanover and St. James
the losses sustained have been remarkably great, as will
appear by the extracts made from the Cornwall Chro
nicle, for the observation of our readers ; but the town
of Savannah la Marr, that of late flourishing commer
cial spot, appears to have been devoted by the ele
ments to complete deftrudion. On Tuesday the 3d
instant, the wind and rain set in about 11 o'clock,
and about 12 it blew a perfect hurricane, continuing
to increase till four, the wind varying to almost every
point of the compass ; from the beginning the water
poured in over the beach, and almost inhantaneoully
rose to a perpendicular height, that rendered the con
tinuance of the inhabitants at the Bay wholly impos
sible, the attention of every individual was fully em
ployed in providing for his own fafety by flight ; some
indeed by endeavouring to save their family and friends
perished with them in the deluge ; such was the un
happy fate of Mr. M'Dowal, comptroller of the cus
toms, Dr. King, his wife and two assistants ; Messrs.
Forbes and Dallas and four children; Mrs. Allwood
and three children ; Mrs. Gibson and tivo children ;
Mr. John Fitzgerald, Dr. Lightfoot, Mr. William
Antrobus, junior, Messrs. Aaron Touro and Motes
Nunes, and the nephew of the latter, Miss Pefoa, a
child of Mr. Payne, Mr. M'Lean, his wife and chil
dren, Mrs. Slop, Mrs. Little with three quadroon
children.
In less than a quarter of an hour not a house or
building was left Landing at the bay ; the courthouse
though built upon strong stone walls, came down a
mongst the rest, many who had taken fhclter therein
were killed, others escaped with broken limbs; the
fort is entirely destroyed. Mr. James Nefbet, car
penter, with 24 Negroes, were at work in one house
and swept away together; by 4 o'clock not a build
ing was left handing in the Savannah, the whole hav
ing yielded to the violence of the tempest ; most of
the surviving inhabitants have taken flielter on board
the Princess Royal, Captain Rufden, whois drove a
shore between the house of George Robert Goodin,
Esq. and the Cage: The Henry, Captain Richardson,
is nearly in the fame situation : The Afton-Hall, Cap
tain Austin, is drove far up among the mangroves,
laying flat upon her fide ; as also the sloop Skimmer
from Rattan. There is but little hopes of any ofthefe
vessels being got off. The country for many miles
round exhibits a most gloomy profped, not a leaf to
be found on a tree, nor scarce a tingle building hand
ing upon any of the neighbouring estates; at Blue-
Castle estate, it is said, upwards of 200 Negroes were
killed in the boiling-house, to which place they had
fled for shelter, but it is to be hoped this will in some
measure prove erroneous. Mr. Beckford's elegant
stone-built house at Hartford-Pen is entirely destroy
ed.
A gentleman from Savannah la Marr last Thursday,
mentions the number of white persons loft on the bay
only to be upwards of 50, and people of colour 150.
Extract oj a letter from Savannah la Marr, received
by yeflerday's post, dated the gth inflant.
" No pen can describe the dreadful situation we
are in, and God only knows the number of lives loft,
for you can scarce walk ten yards for the space of two
miles round but you fee the dead above ground, and
we that are left, what from fatigue, the heavy rains
and unwholesome smells arising from the dead carca
ses, it will certainly be the death of many more of us.
The Negroes seem inclined to revolt, and lay they
are now free; how our unhappy condition will ter
minate, God knows, but a gloomy profped is before
us ; we must inevitably perish by famine, uulefs time
ly supplied from Kingston."
Extract of a letter from Pensacola, to a gentleman in
this town.
“ Don Bernado not receiving from the Havannah
a reinforcement equivalent for an attack on Penfaco
-la, left a strong garrison at Mobile, and returned to
the Miffifippi, there he is likely to remain unmolest
ed, as well as we here, till either gets a reinforcement,
he that gets it firft is sure of being matter of both Or
leans and Pensacola, and as the Spaniards have no
force at the Havannah, and Sir Henry Clinton has pro
mised a reinforcement to General Campbell, I make
not the least doubt but the whole of the river Miffi
fippi will be subdued to the English arms before the
end of the year, particularly as General Haldiman is
making preparations to attacli the head of the im
mense river from Canada, where it takes its rife, and
is navigable for upwards of 600 leagues.
" Orleans is not fortified in the least, nor capable
by its situation of being so, whereas the late alarm
has made a very strong place of this, and a nut that
5000 Spaniards would find it hard to crack, though
defended by only 600 regular British troops.
" Our naval force consists of the Mentor, Hound,
Port-Royal and Earl Bathurft armed ships; we have
eight merchantmen bound for Europe, on which an
embargo is laid for four months longer."
A smart shock of an earthquake was felt in this
town between nine and ten o'clock on Wednesday
evening. Two Shocks were likewise felt at and with
in the neighbourhood of Spanish-Town a little after
ten o'clock the fame evening.
BALTIMORE, December 5.
It is said the enemy have left at or near Portsmouth
several empty American vessels ; amongst them, we
hear, is the ship Buckskin, belonging to this port,
lately captured by the Iris frigate.
Thursday last the brigantine Ranger, Capt. John
son, arrived here from St. Euftatius. On his paliagc,
in lat. 36. lon. 73, 30. he fell in with the wreck 0 a
pilot boat built sloop. The Ranger's boat being sent
on board, one man was found dead in the cabin. She
appeared to be loaded with tobacco; her cables were
bent to her anchors, but the had nothing handing but
her bowfprh. She was about 6o sect upon deck, and
had a rife forward, for the farecaftle, of about 12 in
ches. As she was full of water, no further discoveries
could be made.
The Jamaica Gazette, of the 14th Odober, men
tions that the British troops at St. Juan's, on the Spa
nish Main, were, by the latest accounts, in a very
sickly state, daily dropping off in considerable num
bers.
The Mercury, Capt. Hill, from Maftrandt for Bos
ton, loaded with china, tea, &c. is taken and carried
into New-York.
PHILADELPHIA, December 12.
In CONGRESS, December 6th, 1780.
WHILE Congress are sensible of the patriotism,
courage and perseverance of the officers and privates
of their regular forces, as well as of the militia through
out these United States, and of the military concuct
of the principal commanders in both; it gives them
pleasure to be so frequently called upon to confer
marks of diftin^ion and applause for enterprizes which
do honour to the profeffion of arms, and claim a high
rank among military atchievements : In this light they
view the enterprize against Fort St. George on Long-
Island, planned and conducted with wisdom and great
gallantry by Major Tallmadge, of the light dragoons,
and executed with intrepidity and complete iuccefs
by the officers and soldiers of his detachment :
Ordered, therefore, That Major Tallmadge's re
port to the Commander in Chief be publilhed, with
the preceding minute, as a tribute to distinguished
merit, and in testimony of the sense Congress enter
tain of this brilliant service.
Extract from the minutes,
CHARLES THOMSON, Sec'y.
St. JOHN'S, (in Antigua) November 8.
His Majesty's ships Andromeda and Laurel, of 28
guns each, the Beaver's prize of 16, and the Endy
mion are loft, the two former under Trinity rocks
Martinique. The Egmont of 74 guns, Blanch of 36,
Deal Castle of 24, and Cameleon of 16, are miffing,
N E W-Y O R K, December 12.
Yesterday thirty-fix rebels, amongst whom are a
Colonel, a Captain, and a Brigade-Major, were brd't
in here. They were furprized and taken at Horse-
Neck, by a party of Colonel De Lancey's refugees,
who lately made an excursion to that place, attacked
a rebel post there, killed fix, made the above menti
oned number prisoners, and returned without losing
a man.
A ship commanded by Captain Mason, in fix weeks
from Bristol, arrived here yesterday.
RICHMOND, December 2.
By a letter from a gentleman in Mecklenburg, we
are informed, a man who moved from that county to
the state of Georgia a few years ago, wasjuft return
ed ; he fays the tories begin to repent of the part they
have taken, and complain loudly of their task-mas
ters : The British have declared that all the lands are
forfeited, and that no man must have a freehold, but
a lease ; for which he is to pay for every acre that he
works, four shillings sterling; for every fire-place,
twenty shillings ; for a cotton wheel, twenty shillings ;
for a flax wheel, thirty shillings; for a loom, five
pounds ; and are also obliged to give the fourth bulh
el of all the grain that is made, towards supporting
the King's troops. And he further fays, that 600
men left that state when he did.
A letter from an officer belonging to his Majesty's
fllip Phoenix mentions that vessel to be loft in the late
storm off Cape Mais, on the island of Cuba, but that
the crew were all fafe, excepting 20 who fell over
board with the foremaft.
SIR, Fairfield, November 25, 1780.
I HAD the honour to receive your Excellency's or
ders of the iith instant. On the 16th following,
in obedience to which, a detachment of Colonel Shel
don's dismounted dragoons under the command of
Captain'Edgar; were ordered to march the next day
to Fairfield, to which place I directed a number of
boats to repair. The troops arrived in the vicinity of
Fairfield on the evening of the 18th, at u hich place,
by reason of a very fevtre storm, we were detained
till the 21st instant ; on the evening of which, at four
o'clock, I embarked the troops in eight boats: The
whole in number, including the crews, amounted to
about eighty men. With a favourable wind we land
ed fafely on Long-Bland, at a place called the Old.
Man's, about eight o'clock the fame evening. After
leaving about twenty men with the boats in charge of
Captain Sutton, we began our march to put your Ex
cellency's orders in execution ; but a very severe ftqrm
coming on, however it migfit have favoured an attack
on the fort, obliged me to poftponc it, as I was well
aware that attention must be paid as well to a'favour-
able time for re-crossing the Sound (which is at this
place more than 20 miles wide) as to atta< king the
fort. I accordingly concealed the troops till the e
vening of the 22b, when, atfeven o'clock, we began
our march across Long-Island, and at 3 o'clock the
next morning were within 2 miles of Fort Si. George,
at South-Haven. By the most accurate ^formation
I found that the fort and other works had been en
tirely completed but a few days before, and that the
garrison confined of about fifty men. It may be n
ceffary here to observe, that the works of Fort St.
George consisted of twolarge strong houfcs and a fort
about 90 feet square, connected together bv a very
strong stockade or line of sharpened pickets' 12 feet
long; the wholeforming a triangle, the fort and houfis
Handing in the angles. The fort confided of a high
wall and deep ditch, incircled with a strong abaitis,
having but one gate a sally-port, which led diredly
into the grand parade within the pickets. This fort
had embrazures for fix guns, though but two were
mounted ; the houses were strongly barricaded. From
this description I found it necessary, small as my de
tachment was, to make three different attacks at the
fame time. I accordingly detached Lieutenant J«ck
fon with 16 men, with orders to advancers nigh the
fort as he could, undifeovered, and there to halt till
the alarm was given by the advance of the detach
ment under my immediate command. The van of
this detachment, who carried axes to beat down ob-
Hru&ions, was led by Lieutenant Brewster, directly
against the new house, while the remainder, with Ca)-
tain Edgar and myfelf at their head, followed c.Jfe
after. Another small division was di ecled to tile off
and surround the other house; Mr. Simmons b ing
ing up the rear, with directions to halt v here the
breach might be made, to prevent the garr son from
escaping. Thus prepared, the troops wcr # put in
motion precifcly at tour o'cl ck, and, contrary to
my expectations, the pioneers adva ced with n twen
ty yards of the works before they were discovered.
The centinel firing, the different detachments imme
diate ly rushed on, and palling all obftruCtions m t at
the fame instant in the centre of the fort, where rhe
watch-word was given from all quarter at the fame
time. The guard in the fort was fecund —but the
two houses contained the main body of he garriiou,
who began to fire from the windows . 1 immediately
ordered the troops to enter the houses, the doors of
which, tho' strongly bolted and barred, w ^- soon
burst open, and in less than ten minutes the whole
garrison were our prisoners.
Being informed that a vcffel lay wthin view of the
fort, loaded with stores, rum, wine, sugar, glif< &..
I detached a party who boarded and to k her. Thus
m d'er, of the whole, my firft object was to demoldh,
as'much as possible, their works, &c. We a e r m -
ingly set fire to the small garrison, buildings, ft ck
adc and abattis, consuming at the fam time the pub
lic stores that could be collected, including a co fi
derable quantity of ammunition and arms which the
troops, so much f tigued, and having so long a march
to make back, could not cairy. We remained at the
fort from four to eight o'clock in the morning, when
having destroyed as much of it as possible, v c begin
our march back. Ihe vcffel being aground was burn'.
I have the honour to enclose .our E cellency a re
turn of the prisoners ; Jhe arms and other public floras
to a considerable amount we re, as I before mention
ed, chiefly destroyed. The soldiers brought off a few
articles of clothing and other things, which tho' small,
(as we endeavoured to keep them as light as possible
that tliey might not fail on their march)l trult your
Excellency will permit to be distributed among them.
I feel peculiarly happy that I can inform your Ex
cellency, that we had not a man killed in this enter
prize, and but one wounded; him we brought off.
The enemy's loss was seven killed and wounded, most
of the latter mortally. The furprize was so complete,
that before they could rally they were all prisoners.
On our return, I mounted ten men on the horses
taken at the fort, and, while Captain Edgar marched
the detachment and prisoners acre fs the island, I filed
off, with Lieutenant Brewfier, to Coram, and set fire
to the whole magazine of the King's forage at that
place, supposed to contain more than 300 tons, and
joined the detachment again in less than two hours.
By this time the militia began to muster, but prudent
ly avoided coming near us. Some guns were fired,
but no damage received. By 4 o'clock the afternoon
of the fame day we reached our boats, and having'