The New-Jersey gazette — Burlington [N.J.], 1782-05-22 00:00:00, page 2

in the fulleft terms the ministerial idea of a total
conquert. Copies of those letters were sent to Con
gress and published in the news-papers of last year.
Col Laurens brought over the originals, some of
which, signed in the hand writing of the then Se
cretary Germaine, are now in my possession.
Filled with these high ideas, nothing could be
more insolent towards America than the language
of the Britilh court on the proposed mediation. A
peace with France and Spun she anxiously solicited;
but imeiica, as before, should be left to her mer-
C), neither would (he hear any proposition for ad
mitting an agent from the United States into the
Congress at Vienna.
On the other hand, France with an open, noble
.and manly determination, and the fidelity of a good
ally, would hear no proposition for a Separate peace,
nor even meet in ( ongrefs at Vienna, without an
agent from rmerica; and likewise, that the inde
pendent cL. after of the United States repielented
by their agent, Ihould be fully and unequivocally
defined and fettled before any conference Ihould be
entered on. Ihe reasoning of the court of France
on the several proportions of the two Imperial
courts, which relate to us, is rather in the stile of
an American than an ally, and the advocated the
Cause of America as if the had been America her
felt—l hus the second mediation like the firft prov
ed ineffectual
But since that time a reverse of fortune has over
taken the Britilh arms, and all their high expecta
tions are daffied to the ground, the noble exertions
to the southward under General Greene, the fuc
cefsful operations of the allied arms in the Chesa
peake, the loss of most of their islands in the Weft-
Indies, and Minorca in the Mediterranean, the per
severing spirit of Spain against Gibraltar, the ex
pected capture of Jamaica, the failure of making a
separate peace with Holland, and the expence of an
hundred millions fteiling by which all these fine loss
es were obtained, have read them a loud lesson of
difgracelul misfortune, and necessity has called on
them to change their ground.
In this situation of confufion and despair their
present councils have no fixt character, it is now
the hurricane months of Britilh politicks. Every
day seems to have a dorm of its own, and they are
scudding under the bare poles of hope. Beaten but
not humbled, condemned but not penitent, they aft
like men tremb.ing at fate and catching at a fttaw.
From this convulsion in the entrails of theii poli
ticks, it is more than probable that the mountain,
groaning in labour, will bring forth a mouse as to
its size, and a monster in its make. They will try
on America the fame insidious arts they tried on
France and Spain.
We sometimes experience sensations to which
language is'not equal. Ihe conception is too bulky
to beborn alive, and in the torture of thinking we
ftanddumb. Gur feelings, imprisoned by their mag
nitude, find no way out, and, in the Itruggle of ex
pdhon, every linger tries to be a tongue. the
machinery of the body seems too little for the mind,
and we look about lot hups to shew our thoughts
by.—Sic. mGr be the fenlation of America, when
ever brium, teaming with corruption, shall pro
pose to net to iacrifice her faith.
.^ cxclufive of the wickedness, there is a per
sonal offence contained in everyfuch attempt, it is
calling s villains; for no man asks another to aft
the lain unlels he believes him to be inclined to
be vie. No man attempts to seduce a truly modest
vjinan. It is the fuppoied loolenefs of her mind
t at Harts the thought of induction, and he who of
fers it calls her a pioftitute. Our pride is always
heft 0) the fame proportions which offend our prin
ciples; for when we are ihocked at the crime, we
are wounded by the luppofition of our compliance.
Could 1 convey a thought that might serve to re
gulate the publick mind, 1 would not make the in
teieft of the alliance the balls of defending it. All
the world are moved by intereit, and it affords
them nothing to boalb of. But 1 would go a step
higher, and defend it on the ground of honour and
principle T hat our publick affairs have flourished
under the alliance, that it was wifely made and has
been nobly executed, that by its assistance we are
enabled to pieferve our country from conquest, and
expel those who fought our deftrudion, that it is
our true inteieft to maintain it unimpaired, and that
while we do io no enemy can conquer us, are mat
ters which experience has taught us, and the com
mon good of ourselves, abftra&ed from principles
of faith and honour, would lead us to maintain the
connexion.
rut over and above the mere letter of the alli
ance we have been nobly and, generously treated,
and have had the fame refped and attention paid us
as if we had been an old established country, To
oblige and be obliged is fair work among mankind,
and we want an opportunity of fliewing to the world
that we are a people sensible of kindness and worthy
of confidence. Character is to us, in our present
circumftarices, of more importance than intereit.—
We are a young nation just stepping upon the Itage
of publick life, and the eye of the world is upon us
to fee how we ad. We have an enemy that is
watching to destroy our reputation, and who will go
any length to gain some evidence against us, that
may serve to lender our conduCt fufpeded, and our
Character odiouc -, becuufe, could the accomplish this,
wicked as it is, the world would withdraw from us
as from a people not to be trusted, and our talk then
would become difficult
LONDO N, March g.
The expectations of the publick are very great
from papers which are now in the press; some in
favour of Sir Henry Clinton, and others in favour
of Lord Cornwallis.
THE count de Guichen failed the iith from
Brest, and was entirely out of fight next day. His
fleet is composed of fourteen ships of the line, seven
frigates, cutters, &c. The troops and ammunition
are embarked on board sixty-one transports, and 2
fllips armed en flute; other vessels are laden with
provisions of every kind. Two transports, Laid to
have run foul of each other, have put back. There
are 11,000 effective men on board this armament,
exclusive of the usual garrison of the troops.
Feb. 22. They are employed at Brest on another
armament, which will consist of about 100 ships,
to carry 12,000 men. Each regiment is to furnifh
150 dollars, and some of them 200 and 250. On
the return of M. de la Motte Picquet, the whole
will be ready for failing under his orders : Many
persons fay, that on his return he will convoy to
port I'Orient the Dutch Eaft-lndia ships, which have
been at Cadiz a long time.
there is nothing sets the character of a nation
in a higher or lower light with others than the faith
fully fulfilling or perfidioufly breaking of treaties.
They are things not to be tampered with; and
should Britain, which seems very probable, propose
to seduce America into such an aft of baseness, it
should merit from her some mark of unusual delega
tion. It is one of those extraordinary instances in
which we ought not to be contented with the bare
negative of Congress, because it is an affront upon
the multitude as well as on the government. It
goes on the supposition that the publick are not ho
nelt men, and that they may be managed by con
trivances, tho' they cannot be conquered by arms.
But, let the world and Britain know that we are
neither to be bought nor fold. That our mind is
great and fixt, our profpedclear, and that we
will support our character as firmly as our independ
ence.
But I will go still farther. Gen. Conway who
made the motion in the Britilh parliament for dis
continuing effenfae war in America, is a gentle
man of an amiable character. We have no person
al quarrel with him. But he feels not as we feel;
he is not in our situation, and that alone, without
any other explanation, is enough.
The Britilh parliament supposes they have many
friends in America, and that when all chance of
conquest is over, they will be able to draw her from
her alliance with France. Now if 1 have any con
ception of the human heart, they will fail in this
more than in any thing they have yet tried.
1 his part of the business is not a question of po
liticks only, but of honour and honelty; and the
proposition will have in it something so visibly low
and bale, that their patrifans, if they have any, will
be ashamed of it. Men are often hurt by a mean
action who are not ftartted at a wicked one, and
this will be such a confeffion of inability, such a
declaration of fertile thinking, that the Icandal of
it will ruin all their hopes/
Ln short, we have nothing to do but to go on with
vigour and determination. The enemy is yet in our
country. I hey hold New-York, Charleitown and
Savannah, and the very being in thole places is an
offence, and a part of offenfive war, and until they
can be driven from them or captured in them, it
would be folly in us to listen to an idle tale.
I take it for granted, that the Britilh ministry are
finking undei the impossibility of cari ying on the
war. Let them then come to a fair and open peace
with France, Spain, Holland and America, in the
manner they ought to do; but until then we can
have nothing to fay to thefa.
COMMON SENSE.
PARI S, February 18.
N E W- LONDO N, May 10. ;
Friday last was sent into port, a sloop laden with
flour, from New-York, bound to the Weft-Indies,
captured by the sloop Randolph, Capt. Fofdick.
Last Monday the galley Black-Sloven sent into
port a fchooncr laden with boards, which she cap
tured at Fire-lfland inlet. And the fame day was
brought in a galley with seventeen men, captured
by the John and Fair American gallies, which they
captured the back of Long Island.
Wednesday arrived the brig Alegater,—.Stutfon,
late commander, from St. Croix, bound to Boston.
with 130 hogsheads of rum, —taken by the Centu
rion, and re-taken by the sloop Randolph, Captain
Fofdick.
RICHMON D, May,
Extract of a letter from an officer of Gen. Greene's
army, dated April 13, 1782.
" About a fortnight ago Captain Rudolph, of the
legion infantry, with twelve men only, took an arm
ed sloop in Ashley river—His address upon this cq
cafion was something lingular, and deserves much
to be applauded. The enemy had stationed this ves
sel in Ashley river, to prevent any communication
with the town; after reconnoitring her situation, the
Captain prepared a boat, and a quantity of straw to
cover his party, and about ten o'clock at night row
ed immediately down the river, as if he intended to
pass her. When he got within sixty yards, he w^
challenged by the sentinel ; he answered in the Ne
gro dialed, “ that some poor negroes were going tp
town to fell some live stock: Maffa, we got some
fit goose, will you buy?" “ Yes, yes," replied the
sailor, “ heave too and let us look at them." As
soon as the boat struck the fide of the vessel, the
men jumped up, mounted the deck, knocked the
sentinels brains out, and shut down the hatches, by
which he secured forty prisoners, three officers in
cluded, and captured a very fine sloop of 10 or 1^
guns. He was obliged to burn the vessel; but hr
brought off the prisoners.
" All Georgia, except Savannah, is in our pos
session.—General Wayne confines the enemy clofclr
to their lines.
BOSTON, April 29.
Last Wednesday arrived at a fafe port the brig
Peggy, With 900 barrels of provisions, from Ireland,
bound to Barbadoes —prize to the letter of marque
brig Hind, Captain Leach, of Salem.
May 6. Authority have made choice of the Ho
nourable Major-General I imothy Danielson, Esq.
and Jonathan Jackson, Esquire, as Delegates to re
present this Commonwealth at the Honourable the
Continental Congress.
May 9 Last Saturday the privateer Ihip Grand
Turk, of Salem, returned from a fuccefsfal cruize,
having captured several valuable prizes; one com
manded by the doughty Captain Mowat, who some
time since was confined in the gaol of this town, for
his good behaviour, and who effected his eicape by
seizing on the gaoler, locking him up, and running
off with the keys: Ihe laid Mowat has infefted
this coast, in a privateer brig, for some time, and
never diicovered much humanity to those who be
came prisoners to him; he was taken in a vessel
bound from Antigua to Penobfcot, and reports, that
the trench fleet, in the Weft-Indies, have loft seven
ships of the line, in an adion with Rodney, on the
tyb April; but we can't credit this intelligence as
unquestionable, by coming from the mouth of a
man whole character is so imperfed as that of Mr.
Mowat.
Sunday arrived here a letter of marque brig of
twelve id's and two long e's, copper bottomed, load
ed with coffee and cotton, prize to the letter of
marque Ihip Robin Hood, Captain Smith, of but 8
6's. —She was from St. Lucia, bound to England,
and was taken without opposition. The brig had
ten hands more than the Ihip.
I he above prizes failed the 2d ult. under convoy
of the Britilh fleet, bound for Jamaica; but as the
Flench fleet failed 24 hours before, 'tis supposed
they arrived time enough to lay siege to Jamaica.
The Ceres man of war, which arrived at Port,
mouth from Plymouth, is ordered to be got ready
to fail with some officers and persons of diftindion
for America, who are going over, it is said, to hear
on what terms the Congress will agree to a recon
ciliation with their mother country.
Same day was brought into port by the brig Sam
son, Captain Brooks, a privateer brig called the Jol
ly Tar, of twelve guns and forty men; she failed
from New-York on Sunday last. She was former
ly called the la Impromtou, Captain Peo, who ar
rived at this port from Norway in October last.