The Pennsylvania ledger, or, The Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, & New-Jersey weekly advertiser — Philadelphia, Pa., 1776-01-20 00:00:00, page 2

well considered, or properly adapted to answer the
ends to which they were directed.
“ We are fatisfied by experience that the misfor
tune has, in a great measure, arisen from the want
of full and proper information being laid before the
Parliament of the true Rate and condition of the
Colonies; by reason of which, measures have been
carried into execution injurious and inefficacious,
from whence no salutary end was reasonably to be
expected; tending to tarnish the luftre of the British
arms, to bring discredit onthe wisdom of his Ma
jesty's councils, and to nourish, without hope of end,
a mod unhappy civil war.
“ Deeply impressed with a melancholy Rate of.
public concerns, we shall, in the fulled information
we can obtain, and with the mod mature delibera
tion we can employ, review the whole of the late
proceedings, that we may be enabled to discover,
as we ihad be mod willing to apply, the mod ef
fe&ual means of reftbring order to the diftraded
affairs of the British empire, confidence to his Ma
jesty's government, obedience, by a prudent and
temperate use of its powers, to the authority of Par
liament, and a fatisfadion and happiaefs to all his
, people.
" By these means we trust we shall avoid any oc
casion of having rccourfe to the alarming and dan
gerous expedient of calling in foreign forces to the
support of his Majedy's authority within his own
dominions, and the dill more dreadful calamity of
shedding Rritifh blood by British arms."
In the House of Lords, on Thursday, before any
motion could be made for taking his Majedy's speech
into consideration, Lord C n rose and presented
a petition from the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and
Common Council of the city of London. The
petition was accordingly received, read, and order
ed to lie on the table.—The Lord C ---r rose
with some degree of warmth, and condemned the
impropriety of the condud of the noble Lord who
presented the petition; said that it had been always
a rule in that House, on such occasions as the pre
lent, not to receive or enter upon any business
. whatever, till the speech from the throne was pre
viously taken into consideration. He added, it was
a compliment uniformly paid and expected; that a
failure of it was looked upon as a mark of difrefped;
but that, however, since the learned and noble
Lord had thought proper to depart from that rule,
he should, in turn, beg leave to present a petition
from the Freeholders, &c. of his Majesty's Colony
of Nova-Scotia. His Lordship then presented the
petition, in his place, which was of course read by
the clerk. It is a very long one, and asserts the
sovereignty and supremacy of the Mother Country,
in the strongest and most fpecific terms; maks offers
of affi ftanee, and teftifies the loyalty, obedience and
zeal of the Nova-Scotians, in expressions as the
most zealous supporters of theclaims of the British
Parliament could possibly dictate. But before the
Clerk had proceeded quite half through, the mat
ter took a flrange turn; for after this political
confeffion of faith, the Nova-Scotians immediately
change their note, and enter into a very long enu
meration and detail of their grievances; condemn
the whole system of Colony Government; point
out several modes of redress and regulation; and,
in fine, become at once the authorative CounfeUors;
and if not the a&ual, at leall the virtual accusers of
their trusty friends the present Ministers. When
the Clerk was beginning to read this part of the pe
tition, it seemed to be the wish of some of the no
ble Lords in office and their friends to fink it; but
several of the noble Lords in opposition infilled that
it should be read through, that the whole might be
received or rejected together. It was ordered to
lie on the table. /
The Spe EC Hos the Lord Mayor, John Wilkes,
Esq; last Thursday in the House of Commons, on
the motion for an Address to the King:
“ Mr. Speaker,
" I entirely agree with the Hon. Gentleman,who
seconded the motion for an Address to his Majesty,
that ever, man ought now to freak out, and in a mo
ment so important as the present, to the whole em
pire, I think it ill becomes the dignity and duty of
Parliament to lose itfelf in such a fulfome, adulato
ry Address to the Throne, as that now proposed.
We ought rather, Sir, to approach our Sovereign
with found and wholesome advice, and even with
remonstrances against the condud of his Ministers,
who have precipitated the nation into an unjust, ru
inous, felonious and murderous war. I call the war
with our brethren in America, an unjust, felonious
war, because the primary cause and confeffed ori
gin of it is, the attempt to take their money from
them without their consent, contrary to the com
mon rights of .all mankind, and those great funda
mental principles of the English Constitution, for
which Hampden bled. I assert Sir, that it is in
consequence a murderous war, because it is an at
tempt to deprive men of their lives, for handing
up in the just cause of the defence of their property,
and their clear rights. It becomes no less amurder
ous war with refpcd to many of our fellow-fub
jeds of this island, for every man, either of the na
vy or army, who has been lent by Government to
America and has fallen a vi&im in this unnatural
and unjust contest, has been murdered by Admini
stration, and his blood lies at their door. Such a
war, I Fear, Sir, will draw down the vengeance of
rHeaven upon this devoted kingdom';
" I think this war, Sir, fatal and ruinous to our
country It absolutely annihilates the only great
source of our wealth, which we enjoyed unrivalled
by other nations, and deprives us of the fruits of
the laborious industry of near three millions of fub
jeds, which centered here. That commerce has al
ready taken its Right, and our American merchants
are now deploring the consequences of a wretched
policy, which has been pursued to their deßrudion.
It is, Sir, no less ruinous, with regard to the enor
mous expence of the fleets and armies necefftry for
this nefarious undertaking, so that we are wafting
our present wealth, while we are destroying the
sources of all we might have in future.
" I (peak, Sir, as a friend to England and to
America, but Rill more to universal liberty, and
the rights of all mankind. I trull no part of the
fubjeds of this vast empire will ever submit to be
slaves. lam lure the Americans are too high Spiri
ted to brook the idea. Your whole power, and
that of your allies, if you had any, and of all the
German troops you can hire, cannot cffed so wic
ked a purpose. The conduct of the present Ad
minißration has already wrested the feeptre of Ame
rica our of the hands of our sovereign, and you
have now Scarcely a post-master left in the whole
northern contin nt. More than half the empire is
already loft, and almost all the rest is in confufion
and anarchy. The Ministry have brought our So
vereign into a more disgraceful Situation than any
crowned head now living. He alone has already
loft, by their fatal councils, more territory than
the three great united powers of Russia, Austria and
Prussia have together robbed Poland of, and by
equal ads of violence and injustice from Adminis
tration.
“ England was never engaged in a contest of
such importance to our moll valuable concerns and
poffeffibns. We are fighting for the fubjedion of a
country, infinitely more extended than our own,
of which every day increases the wealth, the natu
ral Strength and population. Should we not Suc
ceed, it will be a botom friendship soured to hate
and resentment. We shall be considered as their
most implacable enemies, an eternal Reparation will
succeed, and the grandeur of the British empire
pass away. Success seems to me not equivocal, but
impolTible. However we may differ among ourselves
they are perfectly united, On this fide the Atlan
tic, party rage unhappily divides us, but one foul
animates the +aft northern continent of America,
the General Congress and each provincial Assem
bly. An appeal has been made to the (word, and
at the close of the last campaign what have we
conquered? Bunker's hill, with the loss of 1200
men ! Are we to pay as dearly for the rest of Ame
rica? The idea of conquest is as romantic as unjust.
" The Honourable Gentleman who moved the
address, fays, The Americans have been treated with
lenit,.'' Was your Boston port bill a measure of
lenity? Was your fifhery bill a measure of lenity?
Was your bill for taking away the charter of Maf
facufTetts bay a measure of lenity, or even justice?
I omit your many other gross provocations and in
sults by which the brave Americans have been driv
en into their present Rate. He asserts that they a
vow a disposition to be independent. On the con
trary, Sir, all the delarations both of the late and
the present Congress, uniformly tend to this one
objed, of being put on the fame footing they were
in at the year 1763. This has been their only de
mand, from which they have never varied.
“ Their daily prayers are for “ liberty peace and
fafety." I use the words of the Congress of the
last year. They juttly exped to be put on an equal
footing with the other fubjeds of the empire. If
you confine all our trade to yourselves, fay they,
if you make a monopoly of our commerce if you
shut all other ports of the world against us, tax us
not too; if you do, then give us a free trade, such
as you enjoy yourselves; let us have equal advent,
ages of commerce, all other ports open to us; then
we can and will cheerfully pay taxes.
“ It must give, Sir, every man who loves this
country, the deepest concern at the naming, in the
Address, foreign troops, Hannoveriaßs and Htffi
ans, who are now called to interfere in our domes
tic quarrels, not to dwell this day on the illegality
of the measure. The militia, indeed, are now em
ployed and that noble institution is at present com
plimented by Ministers, who hat© the very name of
a militia, because the embodying thole forces en
ables Aminiftration to butcher more of our fellow,
fubjeds in America.
“ Sir, I disapprove not only of the evil spirit of
the whole addreis, but likewise the wretched adu
lation of almost every part of it. My wish and
hope therefore i;,^hat it will be rejected by the
house, and that another dutiful, yet decent, manly
Adrefs will b presented to the King, praying his
Majesty that he would sheath the sword, prevent
the farther effufion of the blood of our fellow-fub
je&s, adopt some mode of negotiation with the
General Congress, in compliance with th'eir repeat
ed petition, and thereby restore peace and harmo
to this diftra&ed empire."
(For more London News fee the if?page)
About fix weeks ago, Mr. Robert Cunningham,
of Ninety-fix, who had taken a very adive part in
the disturbances last summer, and who refufed to
accede to the treaty concluded by the Hon. Wil
liam Henry Drayton with the insurgents, was taken
prisoner, brought to town and put in jail, where
he still remains. His friends upon being informed
of this, gathered in a body, with his brother Pa
trick Cunningham at their head, intending, as is
supposed, to make reprisals. Our late Council of
Safety, at that time, had lent one thousand weight
of gun powder, and one thousand pounds of lead,
to the Lower Cherokee Indians, who were in great
Want of ammunition for hunting, and who had
given the strongest assurances of observing a Arid
neutrality in the present unhappy dispute. This
Cunningham's party determined to take poffeffibn of,
which they easily effected, it being escorted only by
a few rangers, whom they allowed to depart. The
Congress was fitting when advice of this outrage
was received, and they determined immediately to
adopt such measures as would effectually prevent
the like in future. They accordingly ordered Cols.
Richardson, Thompson, Neel, and Thomas, to
march with a body of rangers, and Major Andrew
Williamson, with about 460 of the militia, hear
ing that the insurgents were encreafing daily in
numbers, and threatening, while there was no ap
parent opposition, to ravage the country, joined
their forces; and, upon the 17th of last month,
having received certain intelligence that the enemy
were within a few miles of them, hastily erected a
flight square breast work of old fence rails, joined
to a barn on a spot of clear ground, on which, in
proper places, they fixed a few swivel guns. On
the next day, and before the bread-work was quite
finilhed they were surrounded by about two thou
sand of the milecontents, that were led on by Ma
jor Joseph Robinson, who sent a message to Majors
Maylon and Williamson, desiring that they and
their men should lay down their arms and surren
der themfblves prisoners, which was rejected with
disdain. The jail, which is about three hundred
yArds distance from the fort, was taken possession
of by Robinion's party, who had likewise cut off
all communication between the stockade and the
only spring of water near it. On the fame day they
took two men belonging to the rangers or militia
prisoners, upon which there began a smart firing
on both sides, and was continued, with little inter
mission, till Tuesday at sunset. Notwithstanding
the party in the fort were without water near two
days, yet, animated by the example of their com
manders, they determined to endure every extremi
ty rather than submit. On Tuesday evening, Ma
jor Maylon received a message from Major Robin*
son, offering a cessation of hostilities for twenty
days, which was agreed to At that time, Majors
Maylon and Williamson had nearly expended their
ammunition, a circumstance they had the address
to conceal from their men. Of our party fourteen
were wounded, one mortally; of the enemy it is
known several (some fay fifty-two) were killed
and many wounded; but particulars are concealed.
That their lots exceeds onrs is not to be doubted,
else why should two thousand men make advances
for suspension of hoßilities to five hundred, whom
they had a few days before insolently demanded to
surrender at diferetion.
The last accounts from the back country inform
us that Col. Richardson was on his march, and
near the habitations of rebels against liberty, with
near three thousand men; and that Col. Polk, of
North-Carolina, had set out to join him with fix
hundred men; So that, when all our troops are
united, there will be a body of upwards offaur
thousand men, a force, without doubt, Sufficient
to restore peace and good order in those parts
WILLIAMSBURG, January 6
The Otter sloop of war fired a broad fide yefler
day fe'night at the main guard in Norfolk, which
wounded one man, and damaged several houses.
And on the day following the whole fleet began a
heavy cannonading, and under cover of their guns
a number of men were landed, who set the town on
fire in different places. The most important parti
culars of this tranfadion are contained in the fol
lowing extrad.
Extrafl of a letter from Col. Howe, to the Hon. the
President 0/ the Convention, Norfolk, Jan 2.
“ The cannonade of the town began about a
quarter after three yesterday, from upwards of one
hundred pieces of cannon, and continued till
near ten o'clock at night, it then abated a
little, and continued till two this morning, ten
der cover of their guns they landed and'fet fire
to the town in several places near the water, though
our men Rrove to prevent them all in their power,
but the houses near the water being chiefly of wood^
CHARLESTOWN ^ Carolina) Dec. 8.
We are glad to inform our readers, that the
troubles which have lately disturbed our western
frontiers are now, in a great measure, removed,
and from the measures adopted by the Provincial
Congress, and pursued by the Council of Safety,
we have now a prolpeft of peace and quietness, in
a very short time, being restored in these parts.
The following is the best account of the late
tranfa&ions in that quarter, that we have been able
to colled.