The New-York gazette, and the weekly Mercury — New-York [N.Y.], 1776-08-05 00:00:00, page 2

None are so happy as to have all persons
their friends, and nothing is so incoriftant, as
not sometimes to undergo considerable altera
tions, friendfhip degenerating into hatred, and
the bonds of society being frequently b:cken
by many intervening causes of jealcufy: Ard,
its adverse fortune ariles from prosperous, and
profyerous fr®m adverse, so the public ways
and means are ofually ordered and varied ac
cording to the disposition of nature. Nothing
besides can be so well regulated in a common
wealth, as to seem so to all. To remedy the
inconvenienci s aiiffng from this variety, Plato
imagined a certain eternal form of common
wealth; but, as such must rather exist in the
ideas of Philosophers than in mature, Ariflotle
and his followers inflicted ^d taught a form,
which, as fubjeft to variations, mutt be accom
modated to the nature and genius of mankind.
Hence, as diseases have their lucid intervals,
whereby they are distinguished, and at length
are terminated by health, or death ; so war has,
I may fay, its remissions, either particular,
which are called collations of arms and truces ;
or univerful, which are peace. No war there
fore can last for ever, and no enemy can be re
puted so inveterate, as not to admit cf a truce,
I and fometimts a peace: For, as Seneca very
finely exprefles it, ' If mortals were to bear an
eternal) hatred; if the fury once harboured in
their minds was never to cease; if the fortu
nate was always to keep the sword unsheathed,
and the unfortunate was always to obey, war
would leave nothing free from their ravages,
the fields would lie waste, we fh.uld fee the
abodes of men continually in flames, and heaps
of rubbish and ashes become the burying places
of the molt flourishing nations.'
From the impossibility of continuing war too
long, notwithstanding the motives of just re
sentment, we may therefore conclude, that
peace must take place: But, in order to a fafe
and lading peace, we must confider that all
agreements and compacts are in some measure
dangerous in regard to the parties we are to
deal with, and therefore not to be entered into
without great caution. In public negotiations,
both things and persons, not febje& to the
fame jaw with ourselves, and not biased by the
fame judgments, ought to be attended to: And
this especially, when we are for fettling mat
ters with the enemy, or ihofe who have been
newly brought under our fubjeftion ; frit may
be laid down as a maxim, that the parties are
always to be dreaded whom you have inin ed,
or who have injured you. Desiring either to
be revenged, or fearing you will be revenged
of them, they often endeavour to be before
hand with you.
Three farts of compacts are made with an
enemy, Ceffatioa of arms, Truce, and Pesce.
These three differ as to time, Cessation of arms
is of (hort duration. A Truce lasts a few, or
many years. Peace is eternal, that is, circum
scribed by no certain space of time.
Cessation of arms is so cabled, when hostili
ties are deferred for a time. Whilst it continues,
the war remains, but i$ not cxercifed for cer
tain reafens. The chief use of a cessation of
arms is for deceiving the enemy, gaining time,
and receiving reinforcements. Whence it is
reckoned to be one cf the Eratagems or points
of policy in war.
A Truce is an iraperfea peace, war being
deferred for fame time, and the belligerant
parties, during the interval, being allowed all
the advantages cf a perfect peace. For this
reason Varro called a truce the Holydays cf
wars, because, tho' the cause of war fubfitb,
the ads of war indeed cease. The lon^lt
Terra of a truce is too years. History doeslot
fyrnilh us with an inftanca of a longer. The
Romans twice ratified a truce of 10) years with
• the. Vajantes. The Persons in the reign of
Tk^odofius 11, granted a truce of too years to
the Romans. Between the King of Spain and
.she States of the United Provinces a truce laded
Bom 1609 to 1622.
Ic*ce is a perpetual cessation of hostilities,
and a reiteration of the commerce of freely
tonverfing between those who were enemies.
,Peace is made among Equals orUaequals. Among
Equals, when both parties are yet in good
plight, and upon' a balance with each other,
ESSAY on PEACE.
Peace! II (hthe dismal din of arms once
more,
And calm the jarring World from Shore to
Shore.
Translation of Lucretius.
^r'HOUGH ic be very agreeable to the
X law of nature, that men should live in
peace with each other, peace being a state pe
culiar to man, so far as he is distinguished from
brutes: Yet war becomes sometimes lawful to
man, and even necessary, when, by another s
malice, we cannot preserve our property, or
enjoy our rights without forcible means. But,
herein too, prudence calls upon us, and huma
nity persuades us not to have recourse to arms,
when, by feekin^ fatisfa&ion for the injury
done us, we are likely to involve ourselves and
dependents in greater misfortunes.
Now, as it concerns mankind in general, and
every nation in particular, to have an end put
to wars, thia end cannot be obtained, nor the
calamities made to cease, but by certain stipu
lated agreements with the enemy. It is much
more advifeable by such agreements to prevent
greater evils, than by wars to revenge perpetu
ally thofc already inflicted, and perhaps, amidst
a series of doubtful fortune, considerable ex
pence, and often signal defeats : Add to this,
that no war is just by the law of nations, un-
Ws waged for the fake of peace; for the cause
of war ought not only to be just, but also the
end ; this end is justice, and jullice is what we
call peace.
Nothing could be more just than this reason
ing; for there is no better prognostic of a
peace near at hand, than the necessity wherein
both parties find themfalve to end the war.
Want of money tires as much as a furfeit. Be
fore this, the Mediators were not heard; but
then they are intreated to a&, or rather they
are laid aside; because both parties treat di
reCtly with each other, agree upon the main
points, and then conclude without them ; or,
if they are made use of, it is only for form
fake. We read this in Priorato's history of the
peace of the Pyrenees. “ This peace, fays
he, was concluded, without the intervention of
those who had a long while meditated it," and
gave eccafion to remember what Pope Innocent
said, one day, when he was at a window of his
palace on tie Piazza Navona: He saw two
men, of an inferior rank, boxing one another
furioufly, and he forbad that they should be
parted, adding, ^ You will fee that, when they
are weary, they will leave off of themselves ;
which happening a little while after: " Thus,
(continued he) the French and Spaniards will
do, when they are tired of waging war against
*ne another; for then they will make peace
without any body's mediation."
There are, however, circumstances, in which
the Princes that conclude a peace, incur a ge
neral b arae; and this happens, when the peace
is dishonourable, or robs either party es an
infallible opportunity of ranking ufeful and
glorious clique's. Bat, as the most flattering
appearances are f>metimes deceitful, it might
happen perhap , that war would net procure
greater advantages than could be obtained by
peace. If France after the taking es Utrecht,
in the year 1672, had been contented with the
conditions that the United Provinces, who bag
ged for peace, would have accepted, how many
State Critics would have censured Lewis XIV.
for not improving his advantages, and neglect
ing ois fair opportunity of subduing the whole
Country ? It was with this view, fay they, that
the Minister who had the management of the
military affairs, caused all the reason of M. de
Pomponne, who advised the peace, to be re
jected. Before the end es the next campaign,
they had rcafon to repent their not following
this advice ; and they assure us, that the King,
being forced to abandon all his conquests, said
aloud, " Pomponne was in the right." We
may here admire the odity of events. France
fufftfed by refufing peace to an enemy almost
subdued, and the Turk, at the fame time, fuf
fered for granting it to an enemy reduced to
Strange confufions. The Port was dazzled at
the advantageous terras the Poles offered her
after the taking Kaminiec: She was content
with them, and did not disturb the Poles; but,
after the Sultan's retreat they took courage, and
kept none of their promises, laughing at the
lurk : 80 that at the fame time, the conduCt
of these two Princes deserves to be condemned,
•one for not granting a peace, and the other
for granting it.
The proper time for a Prince to make peace
is the time of his enemy's ill fortune ; for if
he cannot intirely ruin him, he does better to
secure his conquests by a good treaty, while
hisenemy is weak and unfortunate, than hazard
them by continuing the war, the event of
which repeated experience ffiews to be very un
certain. Thus we fee that worsted Princes ge
nerally defer an accommodation with the Vidor
as long as they can; which succeeds sometimes
well, sometimes ill, there being no fixed and
certain rules of human actions.
When Francis I. and the Emperor Charles
V. came in fight of each other, in France in
the year 1544, with each_ a potent army both
weary of making war against each other, some
great men interposed to make that peace, which
was then concluded between those two great
Monarchs. Meft people thought that Charles
V. having made 10 great a progress would not
hearken to any terms of peace, but what
?ould be too ignominious for his enemy to ac
cept. They had then no good opinion of
the success of the negociation en foot; but
thole, who knew very well, that he would be
very glad to end this war, were full of good
hopes. Among these, Lewis Alamani, a Flo
rentine, being afod, whether he believed that
those persons could make the peace, he answer
ed in this Italian diftich:
• How can we have otherwise than peace,
feeing the one desires it, and the other stands in
need of it.'
which being supposed, peace is easily and Safely
fettled between them. Among Unequals, as
amongst the Conquerors and Conquered ; but
between them peace is brought about with
great difficulty, when, on one fide, the Con
querors are insolent, and would have all granted
to them; and, or the other, the Conquered
would rather perish, and lose all, than accept
of such base conditions. When affairs are thus
circumstanced, peace cannot poflibly be made
without the interposition of Mediators, very
Strong in power and authority, who can, as it
were, prescribe conditions to the contending
parties, and extort them by force to the party
that will not comply. Notwithstanding, pro
perly Speaking it belongs to the Conqueror to
give law and peace to the Conquered, and not
to receive them. And it is the business of the
Conquered to Submit to necessity, and by some
tolerable conditions father to put an end to the
war, than endanger the whole State. Thus,
there will be two necessary conditions of peace:
Phe firft, that it should be honest; the Second,
that it should be fafe and secure; for, when
a peace carries with it the lead suspicion of
bring deceitful, war is far more fafe and pre
ferable.
C m' offer puo ch'a noi pace fi toglia,
Slun n'ha neceffita, l'altro n'ha vogiia ?
The Gen. being determined to cross next
day, gave orders far all the small craft to be
collected together from the neighbouring creeks
that night, and two brass field-pieces fix poun
ders, to be carried to a place called Lower
Windmill Point, to attack the tender that lay
there, and facilitate cur crofiing. Accordingly,
in the morning, Capt. Uarrifon, who had the
direction of these field-pieces, began playing
upon the tenders, which he galled so much,
that the schooner ran up a small creek which
made into the island, where the crew abandoned
her, and the (loop get aground in reach cf our
cannon ; upon which the General ordered Capt.
Smith, of the seventh regiment, with his compa
ny, to man the canoes and board her, which was
done with alacrity. However, before our men
came up with her, the crew got into their boat
and pushed for the island; but Capt. Smith,
very prudently passing the tender, puriued them
so close, that, before they c uld reach the
shore, he exchanged a few (het with them,
and took part of them prisoners. The enemy's
lookouts, perceiving our men close upon the
lower part cf the island, cried oqt " The (hirt
men are coming," and scampered off. The pi
lot b at made no remittance.
Gen. Lewis then ordered two hundred men,
under Col. M'Clanahan, to land in the island,
which was performed as expeditiously as our
small veffels,would admit of. On our arrival,
we found the enemy had evacuted the place
with the greatest precipitation, and were (truck
with horror at the number of dead bodies, in a
state of putrefaction, brewed all the way from
their battery to Cherry-point, about two miles
piratical crew, from Gwyn's island.
^^^E got to the island on Monday the
VV eighth, and next morning, at eight
o'clock, began a furious attack upon the ene
my's (hipping, camp, and fortifications, from
two batteries, one of five fix and nine pounders,
the other mounting two eighteen pounders.
What forces the enemy had were encamped cn
a point of the island, nearly opposite to our
five gun battery, covered by a battery of four
embrasures, and a breastwork of considerable
extent. Besides this, they had two other bat
teries, and a stockade fort, higher up the haven,
where troops were stationed to prevent our
landing. In the haven were three tenders, one
a (loop (the Lady Charlotte) mounting fix car
riage guns, a schooner of two carriage fix fivi
vels, and a cohorn, and a pilot boar, badly
armed ; who had orders from Cant. Hammond,
of the Roebuck, to prevent our boats passing
over to the island, and to annoy the rebels by
every means in their power.
Gen. Lewis announced his orders for attack
ing the enemy by putting a match to the firft
gun, an eighteen pounder, himfelf; and the
Dunmore being then nearest to us, at the dis
tance of only four or five hundred yards, the
^Gt passed through her hull, and did considera
ble damage. Our five gun battery likewise be
gan playing on the fleet, the enemy's camp and
works ; and the fire soon became so hot that
the Dunmore was obliged to Cut her cables and
haul off, after receiving ten flint, some of which
raked her fore and aft. The Otter lay next to
her, and it was expe&ed would have taken her
birth, but the firft fhet we gave her took place,
supposed between wind and water, and she im
mediately flipped her cable likewise, and haul
ed out on a careen, without firing a gun. By
this time all the fleet any way near (hore, be
gan to (lip their cables, in the utmeft confufion;
and had the wind set in with a flood tide, we
must have taken great numbers of them. Our
eighteen pounders did great execution from the
upper battery, which raked the whole fleet;
and Capt. Denny, who commanded the other
battery, soon silenced the enemy at the point,
knocking down several tents, which put their
camp into great confufion. At half after nine
the firing ceased, which was renewed again at
twelve, with double vigor, from both batte
ries; and nothing prevented our pushing to the
island during the cannanade, but the want cf
vessels.
WILLIAMSBURG, July i 9:
From Hampton we learn, that advice was
brought there from the Eaflern Shore of a ten
der, mounting two carriage and twelve fwivcl
guns, being drove aShore in a Squall of wind,
five cr fix days ago, with eighteen pirates on
board, among them Mr. James Parker, late of
Norfolk, merchant; who immediately furien
dered themselves to a party of eur troops, and
begged for quarters. A boat from another ten
der, her consort, attempted to cut her out from
the creek where she was Secured ; but cur peo
ple, perceiving their design, lay in ambush for
them, and, when nigh enough, rulhed into the
water and fired upon them, killing five of the
crew, it is supposed, as three were seen to fall
overboard, and two to drop down in the boat,
upon which the pirates tacked about, and rowed
fatter than they came, to their tender.
Benjamin Woodward, against whom an infor
mation was lodged for attempting to counter
feit the paper currency of the American dates,
was brought to town last Wednesday, with four
other persons, fufpeded to be accomplices, and
lodged in the public jail. They were taken in
Pitt fylvania county, with types and other imple
ments to carry on their wicked and deftru&ive
schemes.
Of the vast number of shells which were
thrown against Fort Sullivan, near Charleftown,
but two fell into it, and only cne of them did
any execution. The express that brought Ge
neral Lee's letter, and who may be depended
upon, assures us, that the following is an exa&
lift of the loss we fuftdined by that shell, viz.
three ducks, one goofc, and a turkey, killed;
and one goose so wounded that the cock de
spaired of its life, and thereft re cut eff its head.
The following is a particular account of the
attack and rout of Lord Dunmore, with his
The enemy left behind them, in their batte
ry, a double fortified nine pounder, greet part
of their baggage, with fevert) e^s sad mar
ques, beside the three tendtrs, wih ,neir can-
H(n, fmril arms, &c. ado tire ~n~h r ;nJ ca
bles of the Dunmore, Ouer, ard ma^y : iheri,
to the arm unt, it is supposed, of t five nun
died pounds. On then leaving the island, they
burnt some valuable vessels, which had got
agr und. Mr. John Grimes's (ffetson the
island have fallen into our hands, confiftin, of
thirty-five Negroes, horfe l , c/tt^ and furniture.
Major Byrd, on the rppo.cn of m canoes
to the island, was huddled into a cart, in a very
lick and low c mdij in, it i, said, and carried
down to Cherry-p inr, where he embarked.
The second foot the Dunmore received cut her
boatfivain in two, and wounded two or three
others; and she had carcriy recovered from
the (hock when a nine pounder f ?m the lower
battery entered her,quarter, an # beat in a large
timber, from the (printers of which Lord Dun
more got wounded in the legs, and had al his
valuable china smashed about his ears. Lis
said his lo dfhip was exceedingly alarmed, and
reared out, " Good God, that ever i should
come to this I" We had our information fr an
one of his people that came afliare,after the en
gagement, who was taken by our fc^uts ; he
likewise Lid, that many were killed in the fleet,
which had fußained fine thcuLnd pounds
worth cf damage. The Fowey and Roebuck
were the 1. wernr ft ships, besides which there
were one hundred and odd fail of large vessels,
who took their departure on Thursday after
noon, and are supposed to have gone into Po
towmack, •
In this affair we left not a man but poor
Capt Arundel, who was killed by the burning
cf a mortar of his own invention, although
the Gen. and all the officers were aga^ft his
firing it. His zeal for the service loft him his
Ilise.
BOSTON, %/ ? 25.
I Last Lord's Da, arrived here Capt. De Silvers
linI in twenty-fix days from Martinico ;be informs
a that a number of fail were fan to follow for this
I ' port, and the different parts of the continent.
|Same Day the transport foip Qyeen of England,
! Capt. drnard, came into Nantafket Road, when
I fee was soon made prize off This foip failed from
[Cork last September, bound to this port, but by
§ reaJon of contrary winds and bad weather put into
)Lifon to rest from thence came upon this coafl, and
I meeting with bad weather again, loft her rudder,
l&c. foe was obliged to put away for Jamaica ;
I fee,ailedfrom thence the icth of May, and was
upon her last case of water when fee arrived:
t Her cargo conffts of about 1760 barrels of pork,
I 55° '"J'" butter, 100 cases oatmeal, and a puat
1 tit, oats in bags and cajks.
The following let er was taken in Captain
Arnard, in the f, en of England Store,hip,
addieffed to an Officer's Daughter then in
this Town, dated Cork, September 20th,
1775 :
if, Dear Miss,
A Sy° ur letter (which I received the 2d Infant)
|fh comes from the world of war, Jure oaided
with fire and Jwotd, feknejs and p@or prov^fi ns,
it gives us great plajure to hear that all year
\fami, are in the land of the living ; and, wbiljl
\you can ex ft in the fames, we may call you
g all Salamanders. God grant you a speed; call
}from butchering your friends there, to pret a us
I here from the Spaniards, from whom we eep ft a
I vift Jo Joon a: B te and N—-—th c^n advise
[ them of our troops here being embanked for ,our
§aff, lance ; however, as a recompence to us for the
I loss of these brave fellows, our generous Peffx
I Nobilit, and Gentry, have offered to raise Popjb
Regiments to pretext this Kingdom ; which pro oJal
has been graciously received; so that ,qu muff
(acknowledge us to be under a kind and promfrg
influence. Ever, day our ears and eyes arc saluted
'with drums beating and colours fifing, for volun-
I teers (as the, call them) with Mr. Cowie, at
|thei? head, with a dra, and several barrels of beer
! on it, to entice the rabble; and like the wide ocean,
receives all, (pick-pock ts, Jhoe-boys, cleve-boys
\ and cow-boys) with green boughs fuck up (to save
! the expence of cockades) in their hats, together
, with many faggots decorates in the Jame uniforms ;
from hence they marched in this glorious expedition
to Bandon, and feme other corfitutional towns ;
hut how can I relate (after eating Jome of his late
Taffy's bread) without wetting m, paper with
tears, the indignity that was offered to his M—,'s
forces ? Oh flecking ! like soldiers discharged from
their crimes, were drummed out of town ! for as
sass as the, beat up for the ferwice, those riotous
people beat up for the Americans, but Bandon 'uery
generous, threw them three or four pick dockets t?
jave the trouble of hanging them, and to purge the
town.
Tdefe, my dear Miss > are to be our
guards : What use do you think /words or fire
arms can be to Juch ragged rajcab ? For my part
I know of none ; but this I sow, that thejpade,
bill-beck, fb^el and dung fork the, can exerefs
in length, with a shovel full of earth upon
them ; others gasping for life; and f me had
crawled to the water's edge, who c uld only
make known their distress by beckoning to us.
By the small-pox, and other nulignent difor
dcrs, which have raged on board the fleet for
'many months past, it is clear they have left,
since their arrival at Gwyn's island, near five
hundred fouls. I myfelf counted one hundred
and thirty graves, or rather holes loose y co
j vered over with earth, close together, nnny of
them large enough to hold a corporal's guard.
One, in the middle, was neatly done up with
turf, and is supposed to contain the remains of
the late Lord Gotport. Many were burnt drive
in brulh huts, which, in their confufion had
got on fire. In Ihcrt, Inch a fcere of miv,,
distress and cruelty, my eves never behead ; for
which the authors, one may r&f nably con
clude, never can make atonement in this * urld.