The New-Jersey gazette — Burlington [N.J.], 1777-12-31 00:00:00, page 2

WE learn from Algiers, that a Spanish slave who
had enjoyed the confidence of the Dey for
many years, had found means to take out ofthe trea
sury of that Prince, four chests filled with gold and
silver, to the amount of upwards of three millions.
Contrary winds prevented the departure of the ship
on board which he embarked with the money, by
which means he was taken, and hacked in pieces im
mediately.
LONDO N, AuguJl ia.
Laftweek a cause was tried before Sir Geo. Hay,
judge of the admiralty court, wherein Capt. Benja
min Hughes, of the Elizabeth letter of marque, was,
plaintiff, and William Greenwood, Esq. executor of
Archibald Baird, Esq. late collector of the customs at
. George-Town, Wifiyaw, South-Carolina, defendant.
The late Archibald Baird, Esq. when he was expell
ed that province for refuting to swear allegiance to
the state of South-Carolina, embarked on board the
Three Sifters, bound to some port in France, 'bring
ing with him nine calks of indigo, not for trade but
for his present fubfifterice. The snip was taken by
the Elizabeth, and the question was, whether the in
digo fell under the description of the late ad'of par
liament. It being a new point, and what may fre
quently occur, it was argued on both sides, when the
judge decreed the nine calks of indigo to the defen
dant, declaring that they did not fall, within either
the letter or spirit of the late act. At the fame time
restitution was decreed of two calks of indigo, to
.the Reverend Agnus Macauley, late a schoolmaster
in Charleftown, who had been obliged to leave the
province at the fame time, and for the fame reasons
as Mr. Baird. The ship and rest of the cargo was
condemned as legal prize to the captors.
October 2. In the late war, it was thought necessary
to raise some troops in Virginia. At the fame time,
the present General Washington, by his indefatigable
zeal for the service, raised a regiment called the Vir
ginia Volunteers, which he commanded. Their ac
tivity and success were so remarkable, that the Re
verend Mr. Davis, who preached a sermon, or rather
d&vered a .panegyrick on the occasion, in Virginia,
on his speaking of Mr. Washington, who was their
Colonel, made use of the following sentence : " As
" for that young man (WASHINGTON) his un
'' common bravery, con'duft, and knowledge in the
" art of war, at his age, is superior to what I ever
" read of; and he seems as if appointed by Provi
" dence to be hereafter the proteflor and deliverer of
" bis country."
Extract of a letter from Mr. Israel Powley, dated at
Cadiz, September 8.
" Last Friday an American privateer of twenty-fix
guns came into this b^y, and lay too near three hours,
when Don Carlos Hederitz, 2 Spanish Colonel, and'
some other officers, embarked on board the above
vessel for Charleftown, and the privateer flood out to
sea again ; and, setting all her fails, was soon out of
fight."
Extract of a letter from Paris.
" When Dr. Franklin appears abroad it is more
like a publick than a private gentleman, and the cu
riosity of the people to fee him is so great, that he
may be said to be followed by a genteel mob. A
friend of mine paid something for a place at a two
pair of stairs window to fee him pass by in his coach,
but the crowd was so great that he could but barely
fay he saw him."
Intelligence Extraordinary.
WE are well assured that Dr. Franklin, whose
knowledge in philosophical sciences is universally al
lowed, and who has carried the powers of electricity
to a greater length than any of his contemporaries,
intends shortly to produce an electrical machine, of
such wonderful force, that, instead of giving a flight
stroke to the elbows of fifty or an hundred thousand
men, who are joined hand in hand, it will give a vi
olent shock even to nature herfelf, so as to disunite
kingdoms, join islands to continents, and render men
of the "fame nation Grangers and enemies to eacli o
ther; and that, by a certain chymical preparation
from oil, he will be able to smooth the waves of the
sea in one part of the globe, and raise tempests and
whirlwinds in another, so as to be universally ac
knowledged for the greatest physician, politician,
mathematician, and philosopher, this day living.
CHARLESTOWN, (Sohth-Carolina.) Oct. 7.
We are told, that three weeks ago, there were not
less than between 6 and 700 Americans (taken in ves
sels) elofely confined in the gaols of Antigua, and
that they were treated with so little humanity, that
collections were making in all the French, Dutch,
and Danilh islands, in order to enable them to pro
cure the necessaries of life.
Last Thursday arrived here a ship from France,
laden with salt, in which came passenger (highly re--
commended by the Hon. Dr. Franklin, Mr. Deane,
and others) M. de Bretigney, a French officer of dif
tindion, who, animated with the fame zeal to serve
in the glorious cause of America as has diftinguilhed
the Marquis de la Fayette, has brought over at his
LEGHORN, August tr.
own expence, a chosen corps of experienced officers,
to form a regiment of Chaffeurs, together with 130
hand of choice arms, and as many genteel complete
uniforms, to be presented to the regiment. Mons.
de Bretigney is stiled Colonel; his Lieutenant Colo
nel is the Chevalier deiKerangues (who has been in
most artions of note in Germany, since the year
1742) and his Major, Mons. Milly.
Letters from France of the 21st of Augtift, advise,
that a son of Lord North had been in Bourdeaux a
whole month, at the house of a Mr. Barton,; and had
suddenly departed on th@ 18th : That 12 Ihips of the
line at Breit, and three more at Rochfort, had been
fitted out with the utmost expedition to take in 12000
troops at the latter port: That 12000 more troops
were to be embarked at Rochfort on the 26th, for
v hich purpose a number of Welt-India blips of 500
tons .had beeh taken into the King's service: That
the clamour for.war.was so great inEngland, that the
King,feidoin went abroad without being infiilted;
and the French ambahadorin London had also re
ceived some gross infalts; and that a war between
France and Great-Britain seemed then inevitable. Yet
another letter, dated August 23, fays,, that the pre
ceding day, in cqnfequence of orders from court, by
an extra courier in 46 hours, all the American vessels
at Bourdeaux had been fcarched, and every kind of
warlike Rores found on board, taken out and stored:
But the writer concludes, % the Americans' are not
. to be alarmed at this."
W ILL lAMSB U ll G,- Deember 12.
A vessel is arrived at .Edenton, North-Carolina,
from France, .with about seventy thousand pounds
worth of wollens,&c.
BOSTON;. November 21.
We have only time to inform the public, that yes
terday arrived here under an escort of American
light dragoons, the Hon. JOHN HANCOCK, Esq.
President of the American CONGRESS, and firft
Major-General of the militia of this State'; by his
coming into town fodner than was expected, he a
voided some public marks of respect which would
otherwise have been paid him ; his arrival was made
known by ringing the bells, the discharge of 13 can
non of Col. Craft's park of artillery on the common,
the cannon on the fortrefs on Fort Hill and the whip
ping in the harbour—the independent and light in
fantry companies paid him their military salutes —
He received the compliments of gentlemen of all or
ders ; and every indication was given of the sense the
public has of his important services to the American
cause.
Dec. 14. Monday last the Rip Hammond, Mon
sieur Sandis, commander, arrived at Portsmouth,
New-Hampihire, from Marseilles in France, with the
following cargo, viz. 48 pieces of brass cannon, four
pounders, with carriages compleat. io nine inch
mortars. 256.0 bombs, nine inch. 2000 four pound
balls. A quantity of intrenching tools. 3000 fufees.
1110 of another fort or quality (for dragoons). A
bout 18000 weight of gun powder. 61051 weight
of brimflone.
FISH-K IL L, December 1%.
On the 27th of Nov. General Putnam with the
troops under his command, marched down towards
King's-Bridge, with a view to draw out the enemy
to battle ; and for this purpose, he detached Colonel
Meigs over the Brunx, near the Fort, with orders to
retreat in such a manner, as would most probably
draw the enemy out to the main body, posted ad
vantageously about one mile distant. This was at
tempted by Col. Meigs, but the enemy cautiously a
voided the danger, only fending a final! party of
rangers, who could not be drawn over the river; a
skirmish ensued between this party of the enemy and
Col. Meigs, in which they left three men killed, a
bout the fame number wounded, and one or two
made prisoners ; Meigs had two men slightly wound
ed. The following night several small parties were
lent down to alarm the enemy's camp, which they
did, and turned them out in the severe storm and
left them, bringing off Col. James Delancey, Mr.
Ogilvie, a Lieutenant in Robinson's regiment, and
four other prisoners. The posts at the Bridge are
strongly fortified, but with a suitable force and pre
parations, may soon be reduced.
Y O RK-T O W N, December 13.
Extract of letter from General Gates, dated Albany,
November 25, 1777.
SI R,
"BY this express I have the pleasure to fend your
Excellency the particulars of the enemy's retreat from
Ticonderoga. Lieut. Col. Herrick, and the regiment
of militia from New-Hampshire-Grants, under his
command, have much merit, and deserve applause
for their sensible and spirited behaviour, as well be
fore as after the abandonment of that fortrefs. lam
well pleased they got so large a booty from the ene
my, which will be some recompense for the hard
ships which they must have fuffir^d, the weather
being remarkably fevere.''
Extras of a letter from Brigadier Gen. Bowel, to CuE
Herrich, or officer commanding at Pacolet.
SI R, Mount Independance, Oct. 30, 17,7.
" I was very much surprised three days agp, when
informed that Capt. Allen, under the fanttion pf a
white flag, without a drum or even a letter from you,
had presumed to approach this garrison; but'im
puting it to ignorance of the rules of war, I have fuf.
sered him to return, after informing him that na
more flags would be admitted under such trifling
pretences: Not, ithftanding which,. Capt. Clark came
here yesterday in the fame unmilitary manner, and
with kill more trilling excuse.
J' As I am determined net to admit any more flags
of truce, unless upon occasions of real consequence,
and properly attended, I fend Ensign Crawford, # of
the King's royal regiment of New-frork, to inform
you of my resolution to look upon all such persons
as spies, who approach the garrison in that very im
proper manner, and to treat them accordingly. En
sign Crawford returns with Captain Clark, which
makes it unnecessary to fend a drum with him."
I am. Sir, your most obedientservant,
H. Watson Powel, Brigadier-General.
Colonel Herrick's answer to Brigadier-General
Powel's letter.
To the Honourable Brigadier-General Bowel, command
ing at Mount Independance.
« c Pallet, Nov. 1, 1777.
By thertime this comes to hand, I hope you will
have recovered from the surprise with whicli you have
been repeatedly affected since my correfporiderice with"
you. You impute my conduct to ignorance of the
lules of war. I hope, Sir, I have not been guilty of
ill-manners.'
f If you please, Sir, I am ready to conclude the
trifling correspondence with you, provided you will
quit the ground immediately, 011 whiah you flow
pretend to teach me military rule's ; otherwise j (hall
endeavour to convince you, at the head of my Green
Mountain Boys, that your dominion is 'bnt tem
porary."
I am, Sir,facere!y four most dot humble fervt.
Samuel Herrick, Colonel Commandant.
Letter from Col. Herrick, to the Pkfdent of the Council
of the State of Ferment.
S , Pflculet, Nov, 14, 1777.
" I have the pleasure to inform you, that the ene
my have abandoned Ticonderoga, Mount Indepen-.
dance, &c. on Saturday last, after demolishing all the
fortifications, bridges, burning all the houses, and
destroying all ffores, cannon. &c. which they could
hot bring off: Their retreat was precipitate indeed,
as appears by many cireumftances.
" A few days before I was informed by deserters,
that their shipping and a number of boats were load
ed for St. John's, who had orders to return imme
diately to fetch more loading. About that time I or
dered Capt. Ebenezer Allen, with 60 rangers, down
to Lake Champlain, with orders to take two armed
vessels by stratagem, and to secure what provisions,
forage, &c. he could. Capt. Allen was joined by
Capt. I^ee at Rutland, and a considerable number of
the inhabitants and hunters a few days after, which
enlarged Capt. Allen's detachment to about 200 men.
" I suppose they had not yet recovered from the
surprise, which my letter of Nov. 1. occafoned them,
when Capt. Allen's detachment was difeovered on
the Lake a few days after, and being afraid that their
retreat would be cut off at the Narrows, they im
mediately began their retreat on the 3d instant, and
finished the whole on Saturday last.
“ Major Wait is gone with 75 men to take pos
session and to secure the stores, cattle, horses, and
boats, if the enemy have left any. Capt. Allen is
now harraffing the enemy's rear, endeavouring to
take some scattering boats."
Dear General,
" I have the pleasure to inform you of the fuccefe
of our Green Mountain Rangers in harraffing the
enemy's rear, 011 their retreat from Ticonderoga ;
in which Capt. Ebenezer Allen, with 50 rangers, has
taken 49 prisoners, upwards of ico hofrfes, 1% yoke
of oxen, 4 cows, 3 of the enemy's boats, &c.
" Major Wait, who was lent to take possession of
Mount independance, found nothing of consequence,
except several boats, which the enemy had funk, in
which there was some provisions All'the barracks,
houses, and bridges were burnt, cannon, to the num
ber of forty, broke and spiked up. Ilc was so for
tunate as to take one French futtler, with some rum,
wine, brandy, &c. Beg your Honour's direction
how to dispose of the prisoners. I have the honour
to be, by order of Council,
Tour Honour's most obedient humble servant,
Thomas Chittendon, President)
The Hon. Major Gen. Gates.
Published b, order of Congress,
CHARLES THOMSON, Secretary.
In Council, Bennington, Nov. 22, 1777.
I am, Sir, your most obedient servant,
Samuel Herrick.