The Pennsylvania ledger, or, The Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, & New-Jersey weekly advertiser — Philadelphia, Pa., 1776-02-03 00:00:00, page 2

a day to take into confid ration the present Rate
and condition of Great-1 ritain and her Colonies, in
order to ground thereupon an affectionate and du
tiful Address to the Cro\ n, in answer to his Ma
jesty's Speech, this day delivered from the Throne.
I am lorry not to fee the Honourable Member
who propoled, and so abiy supported this Address,
now in his feat, for I flatter mylelf he would ac
knowledge his motion premature, and admitof .the
neccility to take the preliminary hep of afeermin
ing the temper and resources of Great-Britain and
her Colonies, in order to address his Majesty with
good effc&; when we shall, I trull open his eyes
to the manifold impofitionsput upon his royal con
fidence, by some dark and dangerous parricides,
ambulhed too near the Throne, and help him to
restore that peace, good order, and happiness,
throughout all his dominions; without which it is
imppfiible that he can continue to reign over us with
fccuritv; or that id pious and benevolent a Prince
as he is,' though he wears the most brilliant diadem
in Chridendom can offc it fit easy on his brow.
O vr ^, . \G + & <, a!, N, ^, ^ <%
<s° ?° "<<' Z<° Z^'h z<:"z\- '7)"Z\° z\' fy"^"^"^ so ^ "V ^
id .1 M if U R G H, October 6.
rOHE Hannoverian troops, defined for Gibral-
I tar and the island of Minorca, arrived a few
days ago at Ritzebuttel and Cuxhaven, where they
begun yesterday to embark on board of 17 English
tran poris, in pretence of Prince Earnest of Meck
fcnburgh Strelit;:, Col. Faucit, and several officers
sent by the Electoral Regency, to prevent any un
forefeen disorder.
L ON DO N.
Nov. 2. A great number of soldiers deserted from
the five regiments that last embarked from Corke
for North-America, before they could be secured
on board the. transports.
This day the Lord Mayor ele&, Aldermen, She
ri Fs, and City officers, went to the Lord Chancel
lor's, in Great Russel-street, Bloomfbury, when the
Lord Mayor elect was presented to his Lordship for
his approbation by Alderman Croiby, who was the
senior Alderman there ; when the Lord Chancellor
informed them, his Majesty had been pleased to ap
prove of the choice the Livery had made.
Aon. 8. A bill is to be brought into Parliament
this week for the purpose of empowering Governors
Penn, Franklin, and the rest of the Governors of
the American provinces, to grant indemnities for
past offences, and receive the submission of all such
as are willing to submit to the usurpations of Great
Britain.
We hear from Corke, that on Tuesday the 10th
ult. at one o'clock, when the army were in their'
beds, without previous notice, a draft was made
from the two regiments, and at seven o'clock they
were taken'to Cove, and embarked for America.—
We are assured the sgd'regiment does not conlift of
more, than 100 men.
To .the, honour of the British nation, there is hill
some little degree of virtue exiting. The unwearied
endeavours of the worthy protesting Lords, the spirit
of the freeholders of Middlesex, and the almost ge
neral patriotism of the Livery of London, joined
with the earned efforts of that pure society, the
London Association, may yet, by their perseverance,
in time, open the eyes of their fellow fubjb&s, and
work a material change in the wretched situation
of our affairs.'
The following is the copy of a letter from Mr.
Ethan Allen, the person who commanded the party •
of Provincials which were defeated near Montreal,
and who was also taken prisoner, to Gen. Prescott,
on the General's ordering him into irons, and to be
closely confined.
" Honoured Sir,
" In the wheel of transitory events I find myfelf
prisoner, and in irons: Probably your Honour has
certain reasons to me inconceivable, though I chal
lenge an indance of this fort of ©economy of the
Americans during the late war to any officers of
the crown.
" On my part, I have to assure your Honour,.
that when I had the command, and took Captain
Delaplace and Lieut. Felton, with the garrison of
Ticonderoga, I treated them with every mark of
friendihip and generosity, the evidence of which is
notorious ever )in Canada. I have only to add,
that I expect an honourable and humane treatment,
as an officer of my rank and merit ihould have, and
fubferibe myfelf your Honour's mod obedient
humble servant. ETHAN ALLEN."
House of Lords. Yesterday the House of Lords
took into consideration the Petition and Address to
his Majesty from the American Congress, which
was laid before the House by the Earl of Dart
mouth.
A motion being made, that Governor Penn be
and peril: J therefore desire that the motion made
on the opening of this Congress, commonly called
the Convention Parliament, and which was the
ground work of the glorious Revolution, be now
read..
The motion was then read, which hands updn
the Journals In the-following words; " That the
Houle do appoint a -day-to take into confederation
the date and condition of the nation," which moti
on p died, nemine contradicente, for the Monday
following.
1 now move you, Sir, that this House do appoint
naturally cease, and the power revert to its firft
source, the people at large; that if this proposition
was allowed, it mud also be. admitted, that con
ventions or general assemblies of the people were,
in. such cases, agreeable to the spirit of the consti
tution; and he observed, that we had federal in
dances in our history of such aflemblies; that much
good had been effected by them, and mucli evil pre
vented; that some of our bed princes had been
raised to the throne, and our word kings deposed,
by means of a British Congress. He than made a
motion to the following purport: " That the Com
miflioners which are to be sent by his Majesty to
the different parts of America be impowered to
treat with any Convention, Congress or Assembly
of one or more provinces, who may bed be sup
posed to understand the inclinations of the people,
without enquiring into the legality of the manner
in which they had been convened, in order that a
speedy reconciliation might be effected, confident
with the honour and interest & Great-Britain, and
the requisitions of the colonies."•
Sir George Young laid, that in every dispassio
nate converiation, which he had with gentlemen
of either fide of the House, he found they were, to
a man, anxious for a reconciliation with America:
He was convinced that, every day's delay made this
reconciliation more difficult; that the Congress
leemed to him the most speedy, as well as the mod
effectual medium by which it could be attained;
and as he regretted every hour th it passed without
an effort towards this happy object, he was desirous
to adopt this, or any other, or all propofitjons cal
culated to promote a reconciliation.
Mr. Ried expressed some regret, that he had not
been soon enough in the Houle to hear the argu
ments by which the motion had been introduced:
He wilhed for a happy reconciliation as mucli as any
gentleman in the House, but laid he was desirous,
if poflible, to avoid treating with any felf created
assembly, and he apprehended that our entering
into treaty with the Congress would edablilh its
power, and lay a foundation for future troubles.
The question was then called for, and the motion
rejected without a division.
Nov. 9. Great betts are laid in this city, that
within fix months, one or both of the garrisons of
Gibralter and Mahon are surrendered either to the
French or Spaniards.
It can hardly be doubted, unless the Americans
receive proposals of accommodation soon, but they
will relinquish all hope of peace, and throw away
the scabbard. They have been accused of enter
taining views of independance; it is hard to fay,
on what that actuation is founded. Profeflions of
attachment to Great-Britain can never be suited to
advance Such a design: Besides embarrassing their
own councils, and diffufing among the people Sen
timents 01 veneration and refped for the Mother
Country, they mull, id long as they are made use
of, absolutely preclude all hope of foreign abidance;
for who will interpose in their favour, while a re
conciliation seems probable : If they aimed at inde
pendance, they would never talk of submission.
Nov. 10. The following is an authentic abftra&
of the army estimate presented on Wednesday by
Lord Barrington to the House of Commons:
Resolved, That 20,752 men be employed for land
service, for the year 1776, and that 659,2001. 2s.
tod. 7-Bihs be allowed for maintaining them 365
days, from the 25th of Dec. 1775, to the ^S^ 1 °f
Dec. 1776.
Resolved, That 723,4321. 11s. yd. g-qths, be
granted for maintaining the forces in the Plantati
ons and Africa, for the year 1776.
That II 5031. 7s. 3d. be granted for the pay of
General and Staff officers for the service of the
current year.
That 104,1361. 6s. be granted for levy money,
for the augmentation of the British and Irish forces
for 1776.
That 15,0721. 12s. be granted out of savings of
grants of lad sessions for the charge of an augment
ation to the forces, and for levy money for the
augmentation to Major General Prefion's regiment
of light dragoons, towards defraying the charge of
levy money tor the augmentation of the British and
Irish forces for the year 1776.
That 26 7831. 15s. 2d. 1-2, be granted for de
fraying the charge of five Hanoverian battalions of
foot at Gibralter and Minorca, from the firft of
Sept. 1775, to the 24th of Dec. following.
That 46,8381. is. qd. be granted for defraying
the charge of five Hanoverion battalians, serving as
above, tor the service of the year 1776.
That 249 5561. 18s. 6d. be granted for the office
of ordnance, land service for the year 1776. And,
That 223,1711. iis. nd. be granted for defraving
called to the bar, and examined, the fame par Ted
in the negative, 56 againd 22.
The Duke of Richmond's motion for a reconcili
ation with the colonies puffed in the negative, 42
against 21.
House of Commons. Mr. Luttrell made a long
speech, in whicli he considered the nature, princi
ples,. and spirit of government in general, and the
con dilution, of this kingdom in particular; from
which he concluded, that whenever the trud dele
gated by the people was unjudly or oppreflively
exercised by the delegates, then the trust should
the expence of services performed by the office of
ordnance for land Service, and not provided for by
Parliament in 1775.
James Harris, Esq ; his Majesty's Minister at the
Court of Berlin, arrived in London on Monday
last; he had but four days notice to fettle his affairs
arid leave that kingdom; the reason is not yet known
but it is conjectured his Prufhan Majesty intends
making Some incursions into our German dominions.
Extras of a letter from Milford, Nov 4
" On the 30th of Off. the Commanding Officer
of the regiments destined for America, received or
ders to dilembark the troops till further orders. It:
is laid here, that they are not to go to America till
next Spring."
The Duke of Gloucester is certainly dead; the
news is not declared, that ministry may have time
to fettle the disposal of his places.
It is confidently aflerted in tlie city, that the
court of Portugal has entered into a treaty with
the comt of Spain, to give the Spaniards all the
assistance in their power, in case they should be at
war with England; and that the Spaniards are to
give them like affidance in case they should be at
tacked by any European power.
At the Court at St. James's, the 10th day of No
vember, 1775.
Present, the KING's most Excellent Majesty in
Council.
HIS Majesty having been pleased to deliver the
custody of the Privy Seal to the Right Hon. Wil
liam Earl of Dartmouth, the oath of Keeper of the
privy Seal was this day administered to him, and
his Lordship took his place at the Board according-
His Majesty having been pleased to appoint the
Right Hon. Thomas Viscount Weymouth to be one
of his Majesty's principal Secretaries of State, his
Lordship was this day, by his Majesty's command,
swore one of his Majesty's principal Secretaries of
State accordingly.
His Majesty having been pleased to appoint the
Right Hon. Lord George Sackville Germain to be
one of his Majesty's principal Secretaries of State,
his Lordship was this day, by his Majesty's com
mand, sworn one of his Majesty's principal Secre
taries of State accord ; ngly.
Nov. 17. On Monday last Mr. Alderman Oliver
gave notice to the House of Commons that he
should on that day fe'nnight, make a motion for
an address to his Majesty, requeftmghim to impart to
the House, who were the original authors and'qd
viiers of the measures which have been pursued a
gainst America before those measures were pro
posed to the House. He laid he was not unaware
of the advantages and disadvantages of his situation
in that House. That he knew and lamented, that
whilst an unconnected individual was left liable to
be carried away with any improper measure of par
ty or faction, such a person was for the fame rea
son, and at the fame time lets lik iy to be fuqcefs
ful in any measure that he can possibly propofe.'
On Friday in the Upper Assembly Governor Penn,
of Pennsylvania, was examined, and gave very Sa
tisfactory answers to the quehions put to him; after
which he was ordered to withdraw ; when a mem
ber, after descanting on the necessity of an imme
diate conciliation, proposed the last petition from
thefontinental Congress to the King, as a basis for
a plan of accomodation, and moved, ' That the
said petition furnifhed grounds of conciliation of
the unhappy differences at present iubfiiling between
Great-Britain and America, and that some mode
should be immediately adopted lor the effectuating
so defireable a purpose.
The fix transports that failed from the Downs
last Thursday are put into Plymouth by contrary
winds, and we are well assured, that the cattle on
board die very faft, owing to the different changes
of the weather.
One of the transports with the Hannoverian troops
on board is on fhdre on the, Flemish banks, and from
her situation it is thought she cannot be got off.
Last night Gen. Gage and Home other officers,
arrived in town from Bolton. They bring most
terrible accounts of the situation of our army there.
The information given at the bar of the house of
Lords, by Gov. Penn, deserves very serious consi
deration: The known character of that Gentleman
for honour, probity, and moderation, being equal
ly removed f om faction and venality, renders what
he asserts of much more importance, than the ac
counts which have from other quarters, been laid
before the public.
Lord Rochford retires upon a pension of 30001.
per ann. A pretty moderate slice of the national
plumb pudding of Old England.
Seven regiments of 650 men each, two bombs,
and four frigates, are tofeil for Carolina on the
firft of December. It being determined to attack
the southern provinces, while the American army is
in the north. It is said this expedition is undertaken
at the request of Gov. Martin, of North Carolina
(brother to Tarket Martin, who shot Mr. Wilkes)
who has promised government great things, great:
support and success, if they fend him a proper force
Among other things, it is said, he lias promised to
raise 2000 men for the service of the ministry in Ca
rolina. If he has io much intereh and influence why
did he run away from it'?