The New-Jersey gazette — Burlington [N.J.], 1780-03-01 00:00:00, page 2

In the midst of my care and solicitude for the
fafety and welfare of this country, I have not been
inattentive to the state of my loyal and faithful king
dom of Ireland. I have, in consequence of your
addresses presented to me in the last session, ordered
such papers to be collected and laid before you, as
may assist your deliberations on this important busi
ness ; and I recommend it to you to confider what
further benefits and advantages may be extended to
that kingdom, by such regulations and such methods
as may most effectually promote the common strength,
wealth and intetefts of all my dominions.
Gentlemen of the House of Commons,
The proper estimates shall, in due time, be laid
before you. I fee, with extreme concern, that the
necessary establishments of my naval and military
forces, and the various services and operations of
the ensuing year, must inevitably be attended with
great and heavy expences ; but I rely on your wis
dom and public spirit for such supplies as the cir
cumstances and exigencies of our affairs shall be
found to require.
My Lords and Gentlemen,
“ Affairs in Ireland are at last come to a crifis,—
the Parliament, ip their address to the King, were
almost unanimous in demanding a free and unreftrid
ed trade, and if this is not complied with, there is
scarce a doubt but they will declare themselves in
dependent, and open their ports to all the world.
Sir George Newenham declared in the house, that
they were and ought to be independent to all intents
and purposes, and that the Parliament of Great-
Britain had nothing whatever to do with their trade.
Between fifty and sixty thousand men have formed
themselves into independent regiments in the diffe
rent counties, mostly headed by gentlemen of rank
and fortune, and the Duke of Leinfter commands
the Dublin volunteers. We have not yet heard
what reception the address is like to meet with, but
every day we expect very interesting news from that
quarter.
I have great fatisfadion in renewing the assurances
of my entire approbation of the good conduct and
discipline of the militia, and of their steady perfe
ierance in their duty; and I return my cordial thanks
to all ranks of my loyal fubjeds, who have stood
forth in this arduous conjuncture, and By their zeal,
their influence, and their personal service, have giv
en confidence as well as strength to the national de
fence. Trusting in the Divine Providence, and in
the justice of my cause, I am firmly resolved to pro
secute the war with vigour, and to make every ex
ertion in order to compel our enemies to listen to
equitable terms of peace and accommodation.
After rhe King retired, a motion was made in
the House of Loids for an address of thanks, and
on a motion for an amendment, the House divided ;
for the address, as it was moved 90, for the amend
ment 41, majority 49: ^nd in the House of Com
mons, for the addreis 233, lor an amendment 134,
majority 99.
Extract of a letter from a gentleman of character in
L'Orient, to ins friend in this town, dated No
vember 17th, 1779.
“ The Parliament of Ireland have aided with a
degree of spirit that furprizes every body. On
their meeting, instead of echoing back the Lord
Lieutenant's speech, as is usual, they in their ad
dress to ,the King, demanded a free trade in every
refpcct; and if this is refufed them, there is no
doubt but they will declare themselves independent,
between 50 and 60,000 men have already formed
themselves into independent regiments, and the
Duke of Leinfter is at the head of this association."
Extras of a letter from I'Orient, Nov. 19, 1779.
• “ The Dutch seem at present entirely to disre
gard Great-Britain ; notwithstanding Sir Joseph
) orke's memorials, they allow Captain Paul Jones
to refit his little squadron, and give him every as
sistance possible; nay, he is even allowed pofieffion
of a final! fort in the Texel, in which he'has put his
sick and wounded seamen own marines con-
Itantly mount guard, and the continental colours are
hoisted. The English do him the honour^to attend
with eight fltips at the south and four at the north
entrance of the Texel, to watch his motions, in
answer to Sir Joseph Yorke's memorial and demand
of the Seraphis and Countess of Scarborough, the
States General have replied, that they were a neu
tral power, that their ports were free, and that they
did not take upon them to judge of the validity of
any prizes brought into their harbours. It is said
that Sir Joseph, in his second memorial, has de
clared, that if the prizes are not given Up, orders
will be given to the Captains of Britifn men of war
to make reprisals. Captain Jones is expeded round
here very shortly, if the English do not watch him
too close.
taliation, Capt. Kollock, and the sloop Page, Capt.
Palmer, from Fiance; the brig Delaware, Capt.
Collins, and schooner Revenge, Capt. Carson, from
Hispaniola; a brig from Cadiz, and several others.
The brig , Captain Prole, fiom Cadiz for
this port, being blown off the coast, is got into
Martinico.
Caprain Gustavus Cunnyngham made his escape
from Plymouth gaol the sth of November, and ar
rived at Amsterdam about the 2cth.
The schooner Polafkie, Capt. Hartwell, from'
this port, for the Welt-Indies, is taken and carried
into Antigua.
The schooner Baltimore, Capt. Earle, from St.
Euftatia for Baltimore, being blown off this coast,
is taken, and going into Antigua ran on the rocks,
where the was beat to pieces.
On the 15th and 16th of December, there was a
violent gale of wind at Teneriff, in which several
vessels were drove ashore, among them a schooner,
Capt. Adams, from Edentown, North-Carolina,
which had brought to that illand 17,000 Raves.
'lhe brig Active, Capt. Mefnard, and the brig
the
brig , Capt. Chatham, from Teneriff, are ar
rived in the Delaware, with valuable cargoes of rum,
salt, wine, dry goods, &c. and will be up, as soon
as the river is clear of ice.
“ News this day arrived in town from London,
that Lord Sandwich has shot himfelf. People have
various conjectures on the cause of this."
GENERAL Galvez set out from the town of
New-Orleans the 27th of Augull lalt, towards
the establishments which the Germans and Acadians
dependent on that government possess there, to ef
fect the joining their militia, having left orders that
the troops he had destined for the enterprise Ihould
set out that very afternoon, leaving a fuiFicient gar
rison at that place for its custody and prefervanon.
6 All the people jointly amounted to 1427 men,
including in that number 600 of all .kinds and co
lours. Seven American volunteers and 160 Indians
undertook a march to Mantchak, distant 105 miles,
which they performed in fix days with great diffi
culty, occafioued by the acceleration with which
they executed it, and the excefhve heat of the wea
ther which they experienced, many of them having
fallen sick, by which means the number of the army
was reduced to two-thirds.
“ The morning of the 7th of September took the
fort of Mantchack by storm, without losing (of the
Spaniards) a single man, making prisoners one Cap
tain, one Lieutenant, and eighteen privates; one
Lieutenant and five privates eleaped at the time of
the storm; the English having had advice two days
before of the march of the Spaniards, the rest of
the garrison, with the artillery, ammunition and
provisions, had retired to the fort called Baton Rouge.
“ The Spanish Governor ordered an inventory to
be made of what was found in the fort, and gave
fix days respite to his army, at the expiration of
which time he proceeded on against Eaten Rouge
fort, making five prisoners on his way.
“ Having reconnoitred the fort, it was found to
be compleatly and regularly fortified, with a ditch
of 18 feet wide and 9 feet deep, with pallifades and
13 guns, defended by 400 regular troops and 100
armed inhabitants. These were fufficient motives
Account of the operations and advantages acquired by
His Catholic Majefly's arms, under the command of
Brigadier General Don Bernardo de Galvez, Gover
nor of the province of Louisiana, againjl the Englifhf
tuated on the river MiffiJippi, the taking pofifion of all
their ejlablfbments, of twee forts at Mantchak and
Nantjbes, defended by 550 privates, and a number of
inhabitants and blacks, who took up arms and were
made prisoners of war under the dominion of the King
of Spain, and about 1500 miles of the very bes fertile
and prime ground. This account has been feat to this
town by the Governor of the Havannah, under the
date of November 23, 1779, and is as follows :
Extract of a letter from Nantz, Dec. 13, 1779.
" The Count D'Eftaing, with four Grips of the
line is arrived from America at Brest. The intend
ed invasion of England is laid aside till spring, and
the refpedive fleets are in port."
Capt. John Wilson in the schooner Buckflein,
from Havannah, is arrived at Egg-Harbour, after
a long and tedious passage, owing to severe gales of
wind, &c. On the 7th of January, off Georgia, he
saw a fleet, supposed that which failed from New-
York some time since: They met with them about
5 o'clock in the morning, and lay too, not being a
ble to get away ; the weather very hazy and hard
gales, they thought his schooner one of their own
vessels ; about 7 in the evening he made fail from
them, a frigate or two chafed him, but in vain.
We have received an account of the following
vessels being arrived in the river, viz. the brig Re-
HIS Majesty has seen with furprize the long silence
which has been observed concerning the Memo
rial which by Uis Majesty's orders the under-written
had the honour to present to your High Mightinesses
above four months ago, to demand the fuccours sti
pulated by treaties. His Majesty would not have
claimed the assistance of his allies, if he had not been
fully authorized thereto by the threats, the prepara
tions, and even the attacks of his enemies, and if he
had not thought your High Mightinesses as much in
terested in the Security of Great-Britain as in their
own preservation. The spirit and letter of treaties
equally declare this truth. Your High Mightinesses
have too much wifdbm and justice to dispense with
its observance, particularly as they themselves solicit
ed the addition of the separate article of the treaty of
1716, in which the cafasfederis is stipulated in a clear
and inconteltible manner. The hostile declaration
made at London, by the Marquis de Noailles, the at
tack of the Illand of Jersey, the siege of Gibraltar,
and all the other enterprizes as notorious, are so ma
ny proofs of a manifeft and well characterized ag
gretfion. Besides, your High Mightinesses have seen
during last summer, the combined forces of the House
of Bourbon evidently directing an attack on his Ma
jesty's kingdoms, and altho' the King's vigorous mea
sures, the zeal and patriotic efforts of the British na
tion, accompanied with the divine blessing, have hap
pily hitherto (topped the progress of those ambitious
deligns, the danger Rill exists, and the enemies con
tinue to threaten with the fame parade and assurance,
to make formidable defeents and invasions under the
protection of all their ma?itimc forces.
to obftrud the storming of it, which occasioned Ge
neral Galvez to determine a regular siege, approach
ing gradually to the fort, forming a falfe attack to
hide from the enemy the true one, of which they
had no knowledge until the last night, when the en
trenchments and batteries were perfectly placed.
The firing began on the 21st of said month at break
of day, with so much success, that in three hours
and a half the fort was so shattered that the English
were obliged to beat a call, and sent two officers
with the proportions of capitulation to the Spanish
General, who would not admit them, demanding
that all the garrison should remain prisoners of war,
and deliver up with equal condition the fort of Pain
mure and of Nantfhes, garrisoned with 80 grenadiers.
The English being forced to submit to these condi
tions, the garrison marched out of Baton Rouge
with military honours, and advancing 500 steps, de
livered themselves prisoners of war to the Spanish
troops, who received them formed, in number 375
men, with arms and colours.
His Majesty can never imagine that the wisdom of
your High Mightinesses can permit them to remain
indifferent in regard to interests so solid and common
to both countries, and much less, that they should
not be convinced of the justice of the motives, which
have determined his Majesty to claim the fuccours
which are due to him by so many titles. His Majesty
would rather persuade himfelf, that your High Migh
tinesses, having formed resolutions for the augmen
tation of your marine, had thro' prudence delayed
their answer, until they would be in a better conditi
on to furniih that assistance. Therefore it is, that
renewing the strongest instances on that head, I am
ordered to demand of your High Mightinesses in the
most amicable manner, not to delay your deliberati
ons on the means of fulfilling, as soon as possible,
those engagements. The determination of your High
Mightinesses is so necessary and so important by its
consequences, that his Majesty thinks he ihould be
wanting to himfelf, to his own fubjeds, and to those
of this Republic, if he did not seriously recommend
this affair to the immediate and most mature delibe
ration of your High Mightinesses. It is of the utmost
" It is not known what loss the English have sus
tained, they having taken the greatest care to conceal
it. That of the Spaniards was only one killed and
two wounded.
" To the fame fate were fubjeCt 500 inhabitants
and blacks who were found armed in Mantchak,
Baton Rouge and other places, but the Spanifli Ge
neral did them the favour of leaving them free, in
honour of his Catholic Majesty, to whose royal do
minions remained fubjeCt all the establishments and
grounds which the English had on the river Miffi
fippi, whose inhabitants are chiefly employed in the
ficin and fur trade.
" The prisoners taken amount to 550 regular
troops, including 28 officers, viz. 1 Lieutenant-Co
lonel, 5 Captains, 10 Lieutenants, 5 Sub-Lieute
nants, a Quartermatter, 2 Commissaries, a Store
keeper, and three chief Surgeons ; also eight vessels,
with sundry provisions, and different boats with a
bove 50 sailors.
" General Galvez gives the greatest praise to the
bravery, intrepidity and constancy of the troops un
der his command ; and of the love, zeal, and ex
traordinary good will with which the inhabitants of
Louisiana behaved in affixing to the fuccefsful issue
of this enterprize."
MEMORIAL presented by the British Minister to
their High Mightinesses the States of Holland.