The Pennsylvania evening post — Philadelphia, Pa., 1776-02-15 00:00:00, page 1

The PENNSYLVANIA EVENING POST.
L OND O N, November 16.
P — ~N.HE number of men that periled in different ships
| 'in the late ftprms^mount ttywenty- five hundred,
£ as appears by the ehimates Delivered to tne com
-^ manders from the several hfybours. ,
The general difficulty of freer siting extends even to the
Highlands, insomuch that Lord John Murray's , battalion
wants above a third of the numder to complete it.
Nov. 18. On Thursday, about half an hour after three
o'clock, Mr. Burke opened his conciliatory propofitim. He
began by preferring a petition Iroln the gentlemen, clergy,
clothiers, manufacturers, and other inhabitants of the several
towns of Weßbury, Warminfter and Trowbridge, and the
neighbourhood thereof, in the county Ox Wilts, complain
ing°of the address from these places, which had entirely mis
represented the Rate of the trade, and the sentiments and
wishes of the inhabitants, and praying the Tloufe. to find
fomeamicable method for terminating the differences between
this kingdom and the colonics. He told the Houle, jhat the
signers of that petition were all men who manufactured for
phemfelves; and he was authorised to fay, that they pofleffed
more than 500,000 1. of English property.
He faid°, that he wished the prayer of that petition to be
considered as the exordium of what he had to fay to the
House. He complained of the difficulties which in civil wars
lay upon moderate men, who advised lenient measures ; that
their moderation was attributed to a want of zeal, and their
fears far the public fafety to a want of spirit ; that whatever
they said to incline the House to lenity,' was construed into a
countenance of rebellion ; and so many arts and so many
menaces had been used, that if they had not been opposed
with a good share of firmnefs by the friends j:o the peace of
their country, all freedom of debate, and indeed all public
deliberation, would have been putan end to.
He said, that for his part he was no way intimidated by all
these machinations from doing his duty, and that nothing
that could be done by these, whose meafares had brought
this country into so deplorable a situation, should hinder him
from using his bed endeavours tojwliver it from its duheffes.
The fil'd hep for this purpose, was°to get out of general
difcombs, and vaguesentiments, which, he said, had been
one of the main causes of our present troubles ; and to ap
preciate the value of the several plans that were, or might be
proposed, by an exad detail of particulars.
q he fp^ech was so very methodical, that it was not diffi
cult to form a jufti&a of the outline. ~.
He stated, that there were three plans afloat. Fifft, sim
ple war, in order to a perfect conquest. Second, a mixture
cf war and treaty. And third, peace grounded on con
cefnon.-.
As to the firft plan, that of mere war, he observed, that it
was propped in two ways ; one of direct conquest, the other
indirect by difrefs, in either of these ways, he said, he
thought it his duty, before he voted for a war, to know
difd^tly that tire means of carrying it on were adequate to
the end; It did not fitisfy hisconfeienfe to fay, that the re
sources of this nation were great; he must fee them. I hat
Vol. ll.]
Price only Pico Coffers.
THURSDAY,' FEBRUARY 15, 1776.
Published every Puefday, Phurfday, and Saturday Evenings.
79
before he could trust to those resources, ,on the credit qf what
had be^n formerly done, he mud find the. situation of the
country to be what it formerly was. He then examined what
the ministers had laid' before the House, as the means of carry
ing on the ensuing campaign. That as to the forces which
they had made the House expect from his Majesty's allies,
all difeourfe cf that had; for fame time, entirely subsided ;
he could, therefore, take credit for nothing more on that ac
count, than a handful of Hanoverians; which only answered
the purpose of an imperfect security to fame of our foreign gar
riions. That our national forces to be employed in America,
by the account do the table, amounted to no more than
twenty-fix thousand men ; that in this, credit was taken for
the army now'in America at full numbers. This he could
not allow, as, supposing that if their reduction in future was
to be estimated by the past, they mud be reduced to little or
nothing, by 'the beginning of next campaign. That the
troops here are only upon paper, and the difficulty of recruit
ing was acknowledged. 'On the whole, he saw reason to ap &
prehend that we should not be very materially Wronger at the':
beginning of the next year, than we were at the beginning of
the last ; but that if the number were entire, it did not feeui
to him to -be fufficient for the purpose. That as to the pre
datory, cr war by distress (on the nature of which he.greatly
enlarged) he ebferved, that it might irritate" a people in the
higher degree; but such a war had never yet induced any
one people to receive the government of another. That it
wag a kind of war to distress an independant people, and not
to coerce disobedient fubjefts.
But his great objection to it was, that it did not lead to a
speedy decision ; that the longer the war continued, the grea
ter chance there was for the interference of the Bourbon pow
ers, which, in a long protruded war, he considered not only
probable, but in a manner certain. That he was very fare
tlAt this country was utterly incapable of carrying on a war
with America, and these powers anting in conjunction. He
then entered into a long and particular enumeration of all
the dangers and difficulties which mutt attend such a war.
He then observed that, as he saw no probability of success
in the detail of any arrangements that were proposed, neither
did he fee any th ng cf authority to induce him to believe
that they would succeed, not one military or naval officer hav
ing given an opini m in its favor; and many of the greeted, in
both lervices, havin § given their opinion directly ag^nft it.
That as no man of military experience had vouched for the
fufficiency of the force, so no mail in the cemmifer^tc would
answer for its fubhdence from the moment it left thelea c aft;
that therefore its fublidence and its operation were become
incompatible:a
To the objection, that qt |his rate the Americans might
always reduce us to unreasonable terms, by the supposed im
possibility of reducing Afem by force-, he laid §b^£ he could
not help the difficulties .which arose from nature and the conf'
ftitutioi of things ; that he could not make America header
to us than it is, or.a country of another nature than what God
has made it. The people who cannot contrive to reconcile
their quarrels, must fuffer the evils that happen to a divided
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