The New-Jersey gazette — Burlington [N.J.], 1778-04-08 00:00:00, page 1

Lord George Germain answered, that the qteftion
was certainly pertinent and proper, and that he should
readily answer it. He acknowledged it was true he
had Rated the army under General Howe to be 13,000
man, and that of General Wafhiiig,toil's to be 15,000.
men, and did so still; but then he neither included
is: that number the artillery, officers, or, wounded
Didiers. He only spoke of 13,000 men with arms opt
their Ihoulders ; 13,000 effective men engaged in
Hgtie, and that conquered 15,000.
Colonel &1/7Y expretfed the greatest furprize at the
r ply of the nobler Lord —He never heard so bare
faced; palpable, and mean a quibble in his life---
Never, he said, did he hear a soldier so c^refs him
felf; never, he was convinced; did a Minister of
War obtrude on the House of Commons Rich an af
fertion:---lt is deferring of remembrance, and 1 pro
mise the noble Lords, fays he, it Ihall be rcmember
ert What, continues the Colonel, exclude from the
lift of the army the officers and artillery, because they
do not carry firelocks ? Are not the officers concerned
in the battle? Are not the artillery ? Do they nothing
towards conquest ? The noble Lord maty have pax
oil experience on his' fide, perhaps, to prove such
dodrine ; but I'll promise him, it would be very un
gracious to a Britilh audience, and would gain little
credit even in a domestic circle. The Colonel then
called upon the noble Lord to declare upon his ho
'ur, what was become of General Burgoyne and.
his brave troops ; and whether or not he had not re
ceived expresses from Quebec, informing him of.lus
having surrendered himfelf, with his whole army
prisoners of war;
Lord George Germain faidfal aufwer, that he was
Colonel Barre requeued of the noble Lord, that,
previous to the invcltigation ofthe new vote of troops,
he would be plcafcd to inform the Committee, what
1 umber of Britilh troops were now actually engaged
in the campaign in America,
Lord Barrington answered, that no particular and
4 iftindt return had been received of a'later date than
July, so that he could not, with any degree of pre
tifion, afeertain the numbers nonu employed, nor in
form the House of the dissing difpohUons of the ar
ray. The several battles fought lince that time had
receffarily taken from the number in the returns, and
the different necellities of the campaign had fixed
them in new situations ; that, however, he could lay,
with certainty, that at that time there were 55,095
effective men in America ; 20,000 of which were un
der the command of Sir William Howe, and he be
lieved failed with him, and landed at the head of the
Elke; io,oco were under the command of General
Burgoyne; and 4000, all but 200, left under thc
command of General Carleton, in Canada ; there
mainder were in different situations, in Nova Scotia,
New-York, &c.
Mr. Bingham said, that he should be glad to men
tion a circumßauce which occurred to him, on a cer
tain noble Lord's observing, the night before, that
General Howe always attacked General Walhington
with an inferior force. I should be glad to know,
Rid he, whether the 20,000 men,, which are now
Rid to have landed, with General Howe, are inferior
to the number of 15,000 men, which has been Rated,
to be under the command of General Walhington.
J' is a fad, that the noble Lord ycßcrday represented
the number of our army to be 13,000 men, and the
number of General Washington's to be 15,000. It
appeared extremely inconsistent to him that General
Howe should attack an army of 15,000 men, with
only 13,000 men, when the number of his army was
actually 20,000. This was a circumftancc, he con
cluded, that required investigation, and he called on
the noble Lord in question to explain it.
Abstract of the DEBATE in th: II OUSE of
COMMONS on CPdmfdfy.
r" HE Iloufe having formed itfclt into a
1 1 Committee of Supply, Lord Barrington
read the eftimatesof the kill year, and
made a motion for rc,cco additional
troops for the service of 1778. He laid
—that there was fomc final! difference in
he real pay of his Majesty's troops on the British and
.rifh eftabliffimentsf which had for a long time palled
innoticed, hecaufe the pay was nominal/, the lame.
3ut, fays he, a very worthy, ingenious, and acet
ate gentleman, of the Irilh Houle of Commons, dii
overed the difference, and demonstrated that the pay
if the Irish troops was one twelfth less than the Bri
ilh. The nob'c Lord then became the biographer
of Mr. Barr,, and obliged the House with a clear,
ircumftantial and accurate account of the pedigree,
connections, &c. See. of tile worthy gentleman his
riend.
NEW-JERSEY GAZETT E.
Not. I.]
WEDNESDA Y, Apr,!. B, 177 8.
every man would fay, or at leak every man would
think, that the man who planned, the expedition was
to blame. The Minister alone who concerted the
Jebeme, is obnoxious to rcprchcnlion for its failure.
It was an incoafy/ext scheme, ah impracticable oak
Unworthy of a Britilh Miniltcr, and rather too ab
surd for an Indian Chief. Remember how frequent
ly, how earned!y, and fmeercly I have warned, lays
he, the Minister of the effects of this plan. 1 fore
faw the confcqucnces. I foretold the event, ft was
said I spoke in prophecy; has not my prophecy come
to pal's? But in what terms can I express iny,arprije
at the bravery, my indignation at the effrontery of
the noble Lord, in declaring he will abide the cen
sure of this House, and submit his conduct to their
eye. Dyes the noble. Lord know the extent of his
criminality? Does he know the resentments of this
House? L believe he knows neither; but hew soon
he ma, it is not for me to determine.
I would beg leave, -continues he, to call the at
tention of the Committee to the conduct of the Ame
ricans. They have been branded in this House with
every, opprobrious epithet that mtannefs could in
vent ; termed eywardly, and inhuman. Let us mark
the proof. They have obliged as brave a General as
evefc; commanded a body of.Britilh troops to surren
der. Such is their cowardice ; and inßead of throw
ing chains upon these troops, they have nobly given
them their, freedom ; fach is their inhumgni& '1 only
with, from this tingle circumßapce, to draw this fair
cpncluhon,. that indeed of being engaged with a set
of lawless, desperate adventurer's, we find them, by
experience, to be men of the most exalted sentiments;
inspired by that Genius ofLiberty which is the noblest
emotion of the House, which it is impotiible to con
quer, impracticable to dismiss.
Honourable fames Luttrcl. I find myfelf under a
necessity of requeuing the indulgence of the Iloufe
for a few minutes, because I think it my duty to
take every opportunity of repeating my abhorrence
of the mercenary and lavage principles of a civil war,
whi^h has never yet held out. conititutional terms of
peace to be its object; and as I do conceive, that
wmlft unconditional submission is the language of the
Ministers and. Parliament, all efforts to conquer Ame
rica, must prove in vain ; 1 cannot agree to vote away
the lives and properties of my fellow fubjeds, merely
for the purpose of enriching, and aggrandizing a few
favourites and Rjttcrers placed near the throne.
The Americans, it is evident, will eut give up their
liberties; they will die firft ; all the eloquence of a
tycer? cannot persuade u„ that the unfortunate, mg-
He hoped they would lulpend their judgments both
on the conduct of the General and of the Minister
on this occahon. He hoped file conduct of both
would appear free from guilt. Fpr his part, he de
clared he was ready to submit his conduct in plan
ning the expedition to the judgment of the House.
If it appeared impotent, weak, and injurious, kt the
censure of the House fall upon him. He was ready
to abide it ; as every Miniftcr, vuo regards the wel
fare of his country, ought at all times to have his
conduct ferutinized by his country.
Colonel Barre rose again, and in a most animated,
fevete manner, reprehended the noble Lord. HeAc
clared he was shocked at the cool, easy manner in
which he related the fate of the brave Burgoyne. He
was more so (it the aliuranGe of intinuating, that a
portion of the blame might lie at the door of the
General. Was there, he exclaimed, a man in the
House who in Ids heart could fay, that Burgoyne had
failed' through his own mifeendutt? That he had
shewn the leak tign of cowardice, the lead symptom
of neglect in the expedition be was . thrust into? He
was certain, there were none would fay so. But
ever ready to give to the. House the most early and
authentic intelli[cnce of any traufartion within his
knowledge ; and, now, though the recital mule give
him pain,,he knew it to be his duty to inform the
House, that he rad, indeed, received expresses from
Quebec, with a piece of very unhappy intelligence,
which, however, was not authenticated, arid lie could
not declare it officially : It had been font from Ti
conderoga to Qticbcc, and had come to Ticonderoga
by the oral reports of deserters. The tidings were,
that General Burgoyne and his army were surround-,
ed by a force greatly luperfor—cut off from frelh
supplies of provilions, and unable to pierce through
the numbers of the enemy —so lituated, he had been
forced to capitulate, and had Surrendered himfelf and
his army prisoners of war. Such, he said, was the
tenor of his expresses. It was a mod unwelcome,
and a moR unfortunate affair ; but, however, he hoped
the House would not be over anxious in condemna
tion, nor decide on the propriety or impropriety of
the concerted plan that led to this unhappy event.
T HK
'l hc Revolution which brought the prefect family
to Ihe throne, was obtained by men so rtfefoed; exit
Magna Charta was obtained by men yfe refolded ; arid
the Americans have net proved theihfeWeS less de
serving of their liberties, o than thote Britoft Afi
American Magna Charta is what they wifely Contend
for; not a Magna Charta to be taxed by ftraugto,
a thousand leagues distant. But the conßitution if
this country, it in perfection, if uncontroverted by
bribery, and abuse of power, is acknowledged td'bx
one of the happicß that men can five under; there
fore, I do believe, that many wife and honest Ame
ricans may, upon found principles, prefer it to ary
new invention of their own. Ido not fay the Con,
grefs would, nor yet many of their ambitious leaders,
nor yet perhaps the virtuous Washington; but if
conßitutional freedom was feeured to America, every
victory might then gain over fomc worthy friends to
our cause, mnead of cowardly deserters, deceitful
Ipies, or fade and dangerous pilots.
But Minißers tell us that England is rich, and F
oreigners may be hired to. carry on the war; what
Briton would give up his laurels to those paltry hire
lings, and save our bipod ? Sir, if honour called to
arms, what Minider dare to propefe it ? Neither ard
the Germans as cheap as is preteiidtd, for you niuft
now pay their hire, and when the War is at an end,
you must likcwifc pay a large additional sum for all
those who do not return home. Sir, Ido not think
the Germans will return, for I must, pay the compli
ment to these Minißtfs r that Ido believe, even they
arc incapable of making such a conßrtution for Am&
rica, that the Germans, Ihall Ry f from it to betted
thcmfelves by returning to their own native; infa
mous ihambtes, to be again fold by their tyrannical,
petty Princes.,:
But our important bope^ to ^gratified by the pof
fefiion of Philadelphia. Sir, that, town was built for
peace and trade, not for war. Itextends ittelf upon,
a low, flat country, with scarce one advantageous
spot of ground to place afingle gun on for its defence ;.
therefore to surround itwith gre&t works to secure
yourfeJves in winter quarters, rauft create an im<
menfe expence, besides the lateness of the season
making such an undertaking almost imprarticalße to
be carried into execution, ft ifr then al glorious con
quell,, to those who may enrich themfelv.es by thah
new expence, but a calamity , to, those who are to be
taxed for that new extravagance.
Or do we with to be in poffeßion of thernoft beau
tiful town in America only to set fro to it ? Are the
British legions gone forth,merely ' to warm themfelvea
by the burning of towns upon th© coafr? Can Bi-,
foops persuade us,, their fmokc- ihall rife # to an: ap
proving God, or an earth celebrate the dignity, the
wealth, the honour, the , hup^nity. of^ the British
nation?
led Burgoyne is victorious ; that Genera! Clinton is
in dehrablc fakty; or jußly give the boatted title bf
conqueror of America to Sir William Howe, yet the
latter n; represented with a great and powerful a/rmy
in the held; he wants neither for money, nor ships
nor troops; he wants but the only one necessary ar
ticle tor consolation in defeat, or permanency arid
^vantage tn victory, I mean a just cause ; 'and Gredt
Briton never, nevef can build up fame or dignity to
itletf, upon arts of irijuftice and oppreflion.l
But Ministers have hopes of important fuceefs. Sir,
that language ought at least todmply, some honest,
wife Americans, may, upon found principles, be in
duced to return to their allegiance ; but is there a
gentleman in this House, that would candidly acquit
the abettors of unconditional fubmiflion, of defervirig
the slavery you endeavour to yoke them with ?' Is ft
to obtain such a humiliating end, that the Amtricah
now consoles himfelf for the lot's of a father, friend,
or brother, who fell iri the battle? No, Sir, it w&
tor liberty they sought, for liberty they died ; theft
only can repay the lufs, and obtain fopgivenefs of the
murder.
But Ministers are very brave to-day, they; arc ready
to leal with their blood the mifehiefof their councils ;,
and whilß they are so loudly supported by a? majority
of Parliament, that language - tounds- welh Butrf
must beg leave to,remind them of a Rory which i»
related of a certain General and Statefmao,. who
drew all his former friends about the Court, with
the heads of birds and beads upon their Ihoulders.-
He drew his^mißrefs- with the head of a? fw.allow,
and he wrote this motto underneath, Jefuis le m'qu
vuis temps, alluding to her having forfaken him in
bis misfortunes. Let Minißer® beware, left the
Swallow's head and that motto dhould belt fait the
most Rrenuous and forward of their present advocates;
For, Sir, had I an hundred toogu<§.,ahdrthe elo
quence of nwph abler men than myfelf who speak
"NUMB. 19.]