The royal gazette — [Charleston] S.C., 1782-04-03 00:00:00, page 2

* Tbefource of the Duke of Richmond's information, is fully as ref,enable,
as #Je LOYALTY of Mr. Bowman is conspicuous. Some of ibis Gentleman's
megroet tvere brought hither from Georgia, a little 6fore the surrender of
this tenon, b, one Singleton, a noted plunderer. The, cere claimed here
by Mr. Bowman's Attorney, on the sea, that their oener noas tealoufly
attached to the Cause of America ; and that although be bad bitberto taken no
a&'roe part in the dispute, yet be bad rendered this country more essential
ferroice, by bis arguments and other efforts in England, than be could have
done by being present here in arms. Ibis plea tvas admitted, its jtfice
being univffally acknowledged, and foe negfai were delivered us. Die
find the Republic, to the year T,B<, have at length Appeared
in print ; they are made in consequence of an order from the
Prince Stadtholder and the States General. These reports re
move in the most fatisfadory manner, the doubts that had been
long entertained whether the Colleges of Admiralty, as far as
in them lay, had realty done every thing that 'ought to h„
been expected from them, for the defence of the State, the
protection of trade, and the annoyance of th: enemy: from
these reports it appears how active and zealous the different
Colleges had been; and for what reasons certain resolutions
have not been carried into execution. The College of the
Worth, or of Weft Friefland, complains greatly in its report
of the enormous expences it was obliged to incur before it
could proceed to work on flrips in three of its yards, of the
total want of tools, and of all forts of materials for (hip-build
ing, with which the arsenals or yards were totally unprovided:
the report attributes ail this to the low state of the finances of
the province; the emptiness of its treasury, and the weight
Of its heavy debts. All these causes united were more than
Sufficient, according to the language of the report, to (hew,
why the naval force of that College of Admiralty, from the
year 1776, to 1780, had confided only of two frigates, name
ly, the Dieran and the Weft Friefland; the latter of which
\vasnot ready before 1780. The report, however, states, that
the force of the college will, in 1782, consist of eleven ships,
viz. one of 70 guns; five of 60; one of $0; one of 40 ; one
of 36; and two of 24; exclusive of a yacht, and four guard
ffiips. Their Noble Mightinesses of Weft Friefland continue
their report in the following terms:
“ It will require infinite films to fit out such a fleet in a pro
per manner, and fupplv it with all necessary ffi res, of which
there is no provision laid up ip our yards; if theneceffary funds
can be raised, we may then he able to purchase cannon, car
riages, and eve r y other Pecefl'ary implement belonging to them;
but where (hall we be able to find teamen ? They are not to be
bought like arms, and we know that there is at present a very
small number to be found."
%^^r, 31. The Daflitrood packet, from Charleftown,
South Carolina, is fafe arrived at Falmouth.
Last night an express arrived at the Admiralty froth the
Downs, with advice of all the outward-bound trade having
failed for Porrfmouth, with the wind at N. E. upon the receipt
of which, drfpatehes were immediately Tent to Pbrtfmoutn,
with orders for the troops to be in readiness to embark, as
soon as possible, after their arrival,
We hear from France, that the ingenious Mons. de tolme,
cf Geneva, who has written so admirably on the English Con
fli'ution, \\ aslately seized at Paris and thrown into the Baftile;
and it is fitypofed, that this aft of cruelty, which must strike
every Enrffhman with horror, was rather the effect of the
French Minister's apprehentions, that he would give informa
tions to this country, or write in favour of our Government,
to the depreciation of theirs, than any actual guilt with which
he has been charged.
DEBATES in the House of Lords, on the execution of Mr.
Isaac Hayne.
Thursday, January 3X, 1782
THE House met remarkably early, about half an hour after two
o'clock. The Lord Chancellor then took his feat on the Wool
fack, and a raft deal of private business was ttahfa&ed, particularly
petitions for appeals, for changes of landed property, and one or two
divorce bills
The House as soon as the private business was finifhed, fat for near
ly three quarters of an hour before they proceeded to corihder the
question that was to come before them, which, though not publick ly
announced, feerned to be well understood by every noble Lord pre
sent, of which there appeared a numerous attendance, considering
the season of the year.
At length the reason was explained, for as soon as Lord Stormont
entered the House, the Duke of Ricbmonn gave notice to the Wool
lack, that he would detain the House no longer.
His Grace rose with observing, that this country had preferred her
fame, reputation, and glory, ro less by her natural, as well as [cri
tical justice, than her ftri& regard to all the various virtuous difoofi
tions, which, combined and faithfully adhered to, draw after them
the admiration and affection of mankind, arid by that unparalleled
fidelity, which always wrapt up those who confided in it in the utmost
confidence and the most perfe& security, a confidence and security
which no time, tircumfiance, or change of fitnation, had been able
to shake or undermine for upwards of a century.
The matter he was about to mention, though it did not extend to
those important objects which he had now pointed to, was certa hly
included in them, if true, which he hill hoped, for the honour of the
Britilh arms, of a British soldier, and the British name itfclf, was
not the cafc.,
Whatever opinions have prevailed in that House refpedling poli
ticks and matters of State, a fubje& on which men were so apt to
differ, there was one leading feature which fttohgly marked it, or
rather which never departed from it, when differences and disputes
tun highest, that was, a tenderness and regard for the personal rights
cf any of their fellow fnbje&s whom they had reason to believe, or
had cause to know had been injured or oppreifed. When cruelty was,
added to injustice their Lordships never failed to express a proporti
onable share of horror and resentment, and the delinquent, if proved
so, and within the reach of justice, Scarcely ever escaped the punish
ment due to his crime. The individual, whose unhappy case he
meant to bring before their Lordships, was an infignificant person,
and besides adfed in the capacity of an enemy; but if the laws of war
were violated in his person, if the foundations of eternal justice were
rooted up, and force and violence made to fupertede even the forms
of justice. such was the magnanimity and wisdom which pervaded
their Lordships bosoms, even under the circumflances described, he
was persuaded they would never approve of what was wrong and un
iuft, how much soever the delinquent had rendered himfelf obnoxious
in every other rcfpe&.
The person to whom he alluded, was a Colonel Hayne, in the fer
• vice of Congress; he should, for a variety of reasons, avoid going
into detail, or dating any particulars, and that for several reasons,
of which their Lordships would approve. His motion, should he be
obliged to make one, would be only for their Lordships to be sum
moned for Monday next. He had not a fihgle paper which he could
venture to lay before the House as a Parliamentary document, but
his principal motive for declining every species of detail was, that he
trailed some of his Majesty's confidential servants would rife and state
to the House such official information as would render all enquiry un
toeceffary, and of course prevent him from troubling their Lordships
on any future day.
It might be fuggefled, and with much plausibility too, that he had
Upon the present occasion thrufl himfelf forward to take the lead in a
business that neither dirc^ly or by inference called upon him to hand
forth on the occasion. He did not acknowledge this do&rine as ge
nerally true, because he thought fadls publickly authenticated in Ame
rica and Great-Eritain, in the newspapers, &L even General Greene's
Proclamation, entered upon the minutes or proceedings of Cengrefs,
afforded a further confirmation of the mere fad of Hayne's execution,
tho' not of the injustice or illegality of it; but waving every inform
ation of this kind, he begged leave to inform their Lordships, that he
had received a letter enclosed to one of his Majesty's Secretaries of
State, from a person [we believe a Mr. Bowman] of confidcrable
consequence, now living at Charleftown, a loyalift*, and under the
prote&ion of course of the British Government, in which all the par
ticulars mentioned in the publick prints were confirmed. As he ob
served before, this was not an authority fufficient for their Lordships
to institute an enquiry upon it, but it led him to what he preferred
either to motion or enquiiy, and he trusted the proposition he was
about to make, would meet with that degree cf candour due to the
natives whence it originated. His proposition was this: that if any
one Cabinet Minifler would rife, and fay whether he had received
an, official information on the fubje&, and if he had, that he would
juit flare so much of it as might appear to hind fufficient to latisfy
their Lordships that Hayne deserved the punishment he met with,
or fuffcred according to law, he would rest Contented.
It was impossible for him to fele6l expressions which might-meet
with universal approbation, but this he was intitled to aver, that he
spoke from the Spirit of the pUreft candour, and that having thus
pledged himfelf, lie hoped in turn, to meet with treatment equally
candid.
These were his ideas on the ftrbjedL If Mirriffers would rife and fay,
whether they hador had not received official information, that would
be an answer. If they had, it would be a good ground for his mo
tion; if they had not, he would of course wave it till they should re
fnfe to ^ive that House and the nation fatisfu&ion :—Should Mini
flers act as he did nbt believe they intended, his motion vrould+e,
that this House be summoned for Monday next.
Lord bfeount Stormont rose rather in apparent heat, though he
opened his speech, with acknowledging ' very fully, the candour of
the noble Du e, 'who 'had just fat down. He did nbt pretend to be
a great mailer of order, but as long as he had the honour of a feat
in that House, he always underflood, that it was irregular to eriter
into a debate, when there was no question before the House; that
was, in his opinion, precisely the edfe with the noble Duke: hi,
Grace had spoke fully arid ably to a variety of cirdumftanccs, and
entered into a feties of general reasoning, but had ekprcfsly declined
mating or framing any motion whatever, but seeming inclined ra
ther to promote a conversation to be cofitirihed, that confeffedly could
have no particular object in view. The noble Duke asked him or bis
Majefly's Minillers, in general terms, whether any official intelli
gence had been received, refpeaing the fubjedl matter of his dif
courfc? He wohld answer the noble Dti^e, when a qUellion came
regularly framed before theft Lordships, what was proper or im
proper to be imparted. Tie noble Duke promised to make a motion
for summoning theirs Lordships oh Monday next; he was not just
then prepared to fay. how far it would be proper on that day to in
stitute an enquiry. When rhe day came, he would give his opinion
very explicitly, and he traded to a further proof of the noble Duke's
candour, that he would excuse him from giving any informal or un
parliamentary opinion .at present, but permit him to reserve it till
the business came regularly before the House.
The Duke of Richmond met the noble Vifeount dire&ly on his own
ground; he said, the noble Lord, firtce he undertook to answer for
the rest of his brethren in offite, had a right to answer any member
who might call upon him respecting office paper,, the contents of
which were generally known, or if misrepresented, would refle&
honour upon Government and the nation. If Hayne died by the
law, he cf course fell a just victim to his own crimes: if, on the
other hand, he was put to death contrary to law, or indeed without
the nitre out Ward forms of a legal trial, he would not fay what the
crime exactly amounted to, but he believed General Greene, and
even the loyalists in Charleftown and South Garbling, did not hefrtate
to denominate it murder, and that of the fouleft complexion.
I'he noble Lord in the green ribbon, instead of answering in the
stile of candour, which every h:ble Lord present but his Lordship
thought he was intitled ro, wrapt up th the cld,k of sis-importance
and ministerial consequence, and he might almott add, of difrefpe&
to every member present, haughtily replies,—“ There is no question
before the House; when they may be one, I shall speak to it; I will
give my opinion, how far an enquiry may or may not be proper';
no noble Lord present has a right to interrogate me, nor shall I art
wer but to what I please, &c.' [Here his Grace affected the tone,
emphafi, and firmness of the lad fpeaker.] This was a language un
befitting the noble Lord as a member of that House, and much more
so, as a firvant of the publick. He never meant to infringe upon
the private rights of any member, yet he never tlmught of making
any private application to the noble Vifeount in his mere personal ca
pacity ; he called upon him as a publick man occupying, a refpofilde
situation, one of his Majesty's principal Secretaries of State, and
bouhd by his duty, to give that House and the nation at large, eve
ry information which in its nature or effe&, might not promise to
prove detrimental to the State. This bauteur and felf-fumcient tone
of unbounded and uncontrouled authority did not become the litua
riou of the n>ble Vifeount, considered in any one finglc point of view:
the noble Lord possessed several lucrative offices in the State, as well
as that which he had been alluding to. He owed much to that na
tion, whence he derived those benefits, and if he did not, his office
called particularly upon him, to adopt a more measured and refpedl
ful language to that House, for he should, in the predicament i^
which be then flood, Confider himfelf in a publick capacity, Handing
up for the undoubted rights of that House and the nation.
He wga ready to grant, that the noble Vifeount flood upon broad
and seemingly firm ground? be presumed he hud great private as
well as personal weight. He was Supported, he Was aware, by
strong private influence, but he would nevertheless recommend to
the noble I.ord, not to be over confident. The times were precari
ous; the storm was great; and the sea run high. The vessel which
he and the rest of his colleagues had the direction and guidance of,
was doomed to encounter all those various perif ; the event was un
certain, or rather such was the state of the vessel, that scarcely any
profpe& was presented to a thinking mind but ruin and shipwreck.
The noble Lord should, to judge wifely, take the whole of his situa
tion together, and reflect, that possibly, nay probably, when the
vessel ffiould go to pieces, the Chew, though they could not prevent
the ruin brought upon them by those who undertook tht helm for
their fafety and protection, might not rife, apd, in a parexyfm of
rage and resentment, devote the noble Vifeount and his colleagues to
immediate deftru&ion.
The noble Vifeount, though he reserved his Opinions in detail, by
the complexion of bis speech, feerned to treat the trmfartion as a
matter of little or no importance. It m ; ght strike his Lordship in
that light ; but he begged leave to fay, that he entertained a very dif
ferent opinion of it. It was not merely doing an a& of particular
justice, or the endeavouring to refeue the nation from the odium,
which if true, and not enquired into, muff ever attend it, but it re
fpe&ed a most honourable valuable body of men, namely, all the
British officers nbw serving in the southern diftri6ls of North-Ame
rica, who were threatened by General Greene, which threat was
fan&ioned by Congress, that every British officer taken in arms against
the United States, should be retaliated upon precisely in the fame
manner as Col. Haynes had been treated, and Greene's Proclamation
tool: the diftindlion between native British officers, and those loya
lifb or persons fighting under the British standard, prorhifing, from
motives of tenderness or companion, or not deeming them, acceffa
ries to the death of Hayne, to treat them as prisoners of war.
His Grace pressed two or three points of less consequence, and de
clared, if he did not procure a fktisfaQory answer from, some one of
his Majesty's confidential ftrvants, however reluctantly, he would
move, that their Lordships be summoned for Monday next, for the
purpofc of going into an enquiry into the grounds and motives for
putting Col. Hayne; an officer in the service of Congress, to death,
without any form of legal process, or due proof of the crime or
crimes laid to his charge.
Lord Vifeount Stormont rose again, and said he never imagined the
noble Duke would have put such a couftru&ion on his words. He
did not recoiled that he was haughty or difrefpeftful ro the noble
Duke, or to any other noble Lord present, or that he with an air of
importance, improperly affurhed, wrapt himfelf up in the cloak of
ministerial importance. The noble Duke had imputed to him what
be confeffed he had been hitherto an entire stranger to—personal
weight and private influence, arid art overbearing haughtiness and
negle& of his duty, arising from both. As to the place he then oc
cupied he was called.upon to fill it, for he never fought it; his pre-
behaviour of Mr. Bookman in this place, after ki: las arrival freer. Eng
land, it too icell knozun to require mentioning ; but nee behove no one trill
fry, that it gave the n^rld reason to regard him at a Loya LIST. To com
plete bis political kiflory, tie ?:pf add, that he bat lately gone from &<&•
York to Pbiladekpbig.
vioUS habits find pursuits in life, It was, he imagined, persuaded those
in whose power it was for to fcle& him for his present office, that he
wa not totally unfit for it. He believed even at that period the noble
Dulce would agree with him that it was not a situation co be coveted
merely for the fake of power and emolument; he hoped he had ac
cepted of it from motives of a more commendable nature than cither;
lie knew his o^n infufficfency, but he nevertheless was of opinion
that the acceptance of the office he now filled was a duty which ought
to fupercede every oth< r consideration of a private or personal nature.
He could however assure the hoble Duke, that he wished not to re
main in office longer than' his Lrvices proved acceptable; and he
should with real pleasure hear that they were no longer thought so
but that the good of his country made it proper to appoint to him z
fucceffoK more able and equal to the arduous difficult talk, which
: from the prefect posture of affairs necessarily called for the assistance
of men, of the firft-rate abilities.
The noble Duke, he begged leave to repeat again, had imputed t^
him, and that in a style of accusation, that he had iinfiilted that
House, than which, there was nothing farther from his intention.
He might with much more justice, and be was warranted in affir
ming, that the noble Duke had insulted their Lordships, and that in
the grossest manner. He had compared them to a Crew.
The Earl of Abingdon insisted on the noble Vifeount's fitting down
as he had palpably mifrepfefented the- noble Duke's-words—for his
Grace did not allude to the House, but compared the present state of
this country to a ship in bad weather, and in danger, through the un
ikilfulncfs of the officers, or those who had the care of the vessel, and
drew a simile between the people at large and the cretv, observing that
they would probably avenge themfclves on the authors of their ruin.
Lord Stormont rose again and resumed his speech, giving up the
point to which he was called reorder for, and said, that all the paG
fengers indifcrimintitely had one common stake to preserve or lose,
and that it could be hardly fufpedlcd or believed, that ahy particular
class of individuals, however fcl6&ed or diftinguiffied, Would madl,
rush upon their own ruin.
Lord HikkJborougb rose and said, he was forty to fee a business,
which had been opened to the House with so much candour, or at
least, with so mtfch appearance of candour by the noble Duke, get
by degrees i^to warmth, and at length into a stile of severity and
harshness like that their Lordffiips had heard adopted. He declared^
he was persuaded nothing could have occasioned this, but amutual
mifunderflanding of each other's meaning, both in the noble Duke
and the noble Vifeount. The noble Vifeount, who fat next him,
had not said, he had neither weight nor nfluence; his words were,
that he pretended not to weight or influence. The fa& was, the
noble Vifeount had considerable weight and influence; to the full as
much as any Minister, and when the noble Viscount's high character,
great parts, ability, integrity and experience were considered, it was
no wonder, that he should have great weight and great influence.
Having said thus much, the Earl begged leave to intrude on the pa
tience of the House with a word or two on the fubjea matter of the
extraordinary coniterfatidn that had taken place that day, and firft he
could not help expressing his furprize that the noble Duke should
have flood up in his place, and called for that information, which
he did nd doubt but the noble Vifeount, or any one of his Majefty'a
Ministers, would most readily have communicated on a private re
quisition. The noble ViLotmt, in his firft speech that day, had
merely endeavoured to avoid ko ng into difeuffioo of a fabjed, which
the npble Duke had himfelf declared he meant not to render the fub
je& of debate that day. That was clearly the noble Vifeount's mean
ing, and tide a design of treating either the noble Duke or the House
with the teaft haughinefs, or the smallest degree of contempt. With
regard to the circumstances under which Colonel Hayne had been
executed, he made no scruple, as one of his Majesty's Ministers, ta
fay, that Government was not in possession of any official informa
tion upo* the fubj^dl. There was no such information to be found
in Ids office, and he dared to fay, he might answer for the noble Vif
eount, and for the other noble Lord near him [the Lord Prefident]
that they knew not of any that had been received. He would not pre
sume to speak for the learned and noble Lord upon the Woolfadty
but he believed, if he was to rife he would fay the fame. With re
gard to the enquiry tha was talked of, that wa a qaeftion to be con
sidered and discussed another day; he only wished the noble Duke
would recoiled the nicety of the case, and the difficulty of proceed
ing on it before information, that might be depended on, arrived,
or good evidence was to be had. The honour of that gallant officer^
who had commanded the Southern army, and to whose merits ever,
one was perfectly familiar, was intimately connected with its event.
That brave and promising young nobleman, Lord Rawdon, who had
distinguished himfelf so brilliantly in the course of the war, on such
a variety of occasions, and who was in a responsible situation at
Charlellowri, when the circumstance happened, was now abfint.
I,ord Rawdon was gone over to Ireland to so his family and his rela
tions; he Would be back again in ten days or a form ght. Why
not wait his return? Lord Rawdon, as a viva voce witness, could
give the noble Duke and the House the fulleft information on the
fubje&; he hoped therefore the noble Duke would pof pone proceed
ing any farther just at present, and would wait either, till official into
formation arrived, or till Lord Rawdon returned to town. At an,
rate be implored the nob e Lord not to precipitate the business, or
take any one step that might give rife to injurious suspicions, without
doors, or fu pend for a moment, in the publick opinion, the high
character, which a series of meritorious lervices had obtained Lord
Rawdon.
The Marquis of RocLingbam said, the noble Earl, who had so fully
complied with the lequ fition of the noble Duke, must be aware,
that one thing would inevitably ensue in the minds of every Lord in
the House, upon the whole of his speech, viz. air extreme degree of
furprize and wonder, at the difficulty felt and expressed by the noble
Lord in the green ribband, when he firft rose to answer the noble
Duke. What could be the reason, that a matter so clear, so plain,
and so easy, as the account given by the noble Earl, was hesitated
upon for a moment by the noble Vifeount? Perhaps, he thought he
was acting more discreetly, if he flight use such a word, in not faying
a syllable upon the fubjedl, and that it was wiser,, than to tell the
plain, unvarhifhed tale, unfolded by his noble colleague. The Mafi
quis called upon Ministers to fay, if they had rec ived an auth&ftick
copy of General Greene's proclamation, in which Mr. Hayne's exe
cution was deemed a murder, and severe retaliation threatened? If
they had, they ought te fay, what means of preventirg British of
ficers from the rifque of being hung up by the Rebel General, had
been suggested in the last instructions, which they sent out to A
merica.
The Earl of Huntingdon rose next, and after stating that he forgot,
while I.ord Rawdon was in England, to qneftion him upon the fub
jed of the execution of Mr. Hayne, said, as soon as the noble Duke
told him he meant to make it a fubjedt of parliamentary enquiry, he
sent to the Secretaries of State to know wnat information they were
in possession of qpon the fubje&. The answer was, they had examin
ed their offices, and had no papers relative to it. Hi, Lordship ex
plained to the House that the dispatches, containing a full account of
the fubjed of the conversation of the day, had been thrown over
board, previous to the packet's being captured, that was coming to
England with them, which was the reason of Ministers not having
yet received any official information of the matter. His Lordship
explained also that Colonel Balfour was Commandant of the toxin of
Charleftown at the time in qneftion, that Lord Rawdon had only a
partial command, and that Col. Gould commanded three regim nts,
and was both their seniors. His Lordship said, hi gave the House
this information, not as an argument, either in favour of Lord Raw
don or against him, but merely to put the Houfein poffeffi n of fa&s.
Tie Dale of Richmond thanked the noble Earl [Lord Hillfborough]
for the plain, the fatisfadlory, and, his Grace said, he would add the
honest information, which he had given their Lordships. His col
league in office had, as his noble friend the Marquis had observed,
thought it a better fort of difaction not to fay a word upon a fubje&
which the House, he trufled, now saw required not in its nature any
vaftfcrecy or caution. With regard to the eulogies bellowed on
Lord Rawdon by the noble Earl he did not doubt they were merited
but it was a rule with him never to praise men that he did not know.
Had any noble I,ord said any thing in praise of the noble Earl who
spoke last, he should have joined most heartily in his applause, be
cause he was convinced from his acquaintance with his Lordfllip's,
character, that no praise could go beyond his merits. At the feme
time that he fa d this, he begged not by any means to be understood
^ derogating from Lord Rawdon's character; he had no such intent