The Connecticut courant, and the weekly intelligencer — Hartford [Conn.], 1781-04-17 00:00:00, page 1

Remainder of the Parliamentary Debates ( continu
edfrom our last.)
SIR Richard Sutton said, that when he said
the Americans would not be easily induced
to abandon their French connection, he meant,
not the Americans at large, but Congress.
Lord George Germaine said, that the propos
ed address had been fufficiently explained, re
commended, and defended. But fitting in the
place he filled, and considering himferf 'to have
been personally attacked by the Hon. Gentleman
who spoke lately (Mr. Fox) he could notbe silent;
but would tell that gentleman, that whenever he
chose to descend to such personal abuse, he dif
pifed the abuse, and difpifed him. 1 With regard
to the proposed address, he did not conceive that
it bound any man who subscribed to it to a pro
secution of the American war ; but if it did, he
would agree to it, for he had ever thought the war
necessary, and the Hon. Gentleman could not
apply to him, what he had unjustly applied to a
nother Gentleman, that he thought what was
just in its origin might become just in its ad
vancement and prolecution. Gentleman are ve
ry forward to advise the immediate discontinu
ance of the war, but not one of them had sug
gested any means of obtaining a fare or honora
le peace. , ,
Are they aware, that America is the ally of
France, and will not, till Fiance be humbled,
leave off the war with us, even though we should
be willing to leave off the prosecution of the war
with them. But Congress are not so much at
liberty to follow their own counsels as allies com
monly are. They call themselves, indeed, the
allies of France, but I, more truly, the depen
dents and fubje&s of France. Ihe Hon. Gen
tleman has predißed, that all our efforts to sub
due America will be in vain, and that we areqn
the brink of national ruin. Should this predic
tion prove true, I do not fay that he would be
the firft man that would repent of a conduct that
precipitated the downfall of his country Ihaye
as little hope as he has of fabduing^ out I do
hope that we shall yet regain America. More
than half the Americans, I am well informed,
when relieved from the yoke now imposed upon
them, will, with joy and alacrity, submit to tne
government of Britain.
The Gentleman fays he is a friend to liberty ;
let him exert his abilities to deliver the peaceable
Americans from the tyranny of Congress. Con
fider what would be the con'feqtience of giving
America their independence. Ihe Americans
would immediately attack Newfoundland, and
deftfoy your tifheries, cut off your navy by the
root. Canada, and the, other dependencies of
)Britain, would next fall into their hands, and at
last the Weft-India islands themselves. O ! but,
fays the Horn Gentleman, recall the troops from
America, and pour them into the possessions of
France. In the mean time you leave the whole
of America in the poffefhon of Congress, and.at
liberty to a&, and to build a navy, and joining
France, to pour into your settlements in return,
and to pursue you in every quarter of the worm.
Nothing but despair ought to lead us to such con
duct—lt would not be impolicy but madness.
' What matter of defoondency has happened m
" the course of this last year, that ibould give rife
to such proposals ? In America you have gained ;
in the Weft-Indies your fleet commands the leas:
Jamaica is Rill iafe ; and I trust, that against
next summer, there will appear upon the ocean
a fleet superior, both in numbers and equipment,
'- J <= rf ^O^ (AN l^>J^^^
WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER.
HART FO R D : Printed by H UDSON and GOODWIN, near the Great Bridge.
TUESDA Y, April 17, 1781.
to any that Britain has yet known, either in this
or the last war. These things his Lordship tho't
proper to mention in the absence of the noble
Lord, who could better defend the measures of
government than he could, and who would be
ready to do so on any future occasion.
Admiral Kepple wished that greater attention
had been paid to the naval opperations on land.
The noble Lord had talked ofa fleet superior in
equipment to any in the last war. He wished it
might be equal to it; superior it could not be.
The diffentions that had been fomented in the
navy, led him to fufpe&, that in the execution of
designs, it might be somewhat inferior. The na
val officers had done their duty and they always
would do their duty ; but they had not been pro
perly supported. The French were now at Rhode-
Island, and we muff follow them thither ; but
why were they permitted to go to America ? At
the time Mr. de Ternay was preparing to fail
from Brest, there was a squadron of ships lying
in aßaybecalmed, which if ithadbeen reinforced,
by lying before Brest, might have blocked up
the French fleet in their harbor. Ad. Rodney
had been obliged to decline fighting before the
arrival of Ad. Walfingham. If he had been at
tacked, or if Jamiaca had' been attacked before
the arrival of Mr. Walfingham, what would have
been the consequence ? But I suppose, said the
Admiral the Spanish and French councils are
sometimes as bad as yours, and that saves you.
An Hon, Gentleman, a relation of his, after
whom he fnould never speak, he said (Mr, Fox)
had mentioned the appointment ofa certain Gen
tleman to the government of Greenwich Hospi
tal. He was well informed, that that promotion
had excited great disgust and indignation in the
army. As bad an opinion as he had of some of
his Majesty's Ministers, he believed there was
only one man among them capable*of advising
his Majesty to promote the person alluded to, to
so honorable a station. The house might guess
whom he meant, if they pleased. He entirely
approved the proposed amendment.
Alderman Newnham was against the address,
because it tended to fix the present Adminift rati
on in their feats, whole public conduct in many
important refpe&s he wholly disapproved. He
mentioned their neglect of the two fleets that
had been captured this summer; the unequal
and high taxation of the city of London, and the
oppreffion'of the tradesmen and industrious poor.
These things he spoke as an independent man,
desirous to do his duty, and n^t from any per
sonal dislike to any of his Majesty's Ministers, or
from,any attachment to any of those who wish
ed to fill their places.
Mr. Willian Hartley liked that expression of
Lord Germaine's, that he hoped not th subdue
but to regain America. He pressed him, very
earnestly to think of some conciliatory plan, some
objed, which being held out to the Americans,
might detach them from France.
Lord Mahon recapitulated the principal, errors
of Aminiftration, as he conceived them to be, for
many years backward. Ihe extention of the
province of Canada, and the est abliihment of the
Roman Catholic religion, in that province ; the
haughty rejection of the petitions of the Ameri
cans, who would have concuted in a piantor re
ducing the national debt, &c.
He deferibedthe dangerous and exhausted state
of this country ; recommended peace with Ame
rica ; despaired of making a majority in I fr
ment in oppofitibn to the Minister; but addeu,
Last Sunday arrived here, Mr. Galgey, mid,
fbipman of. his Majesty's ship Royal Oak, dis
patched express by Vice Admiral Arbuthnot, the
following is an account of an action fought on the
16th, between the British and French squadrons,
off the Chefapcak.
Royal Oak, Lyn-Have^ Bay, March 21l
On Friday the 16th inst. at 6 A. M. the Iris
made the signal for discovering five Grange fail
to the N. N. E. and soon after hailed the Admi
ral, that they were large ships handing for the
Capes of Virginia, and supposed to be diflant a
bout three miles. The Admiral immediately
concluded it must be the enemy he was in'fearen
of, accordingly prepared the squadron for battle,
by forming the line a-head to the wind which was
then irefh, and proceeded on with a press of fail
in the chafe : At this time Cape Henry bore S.
W. by W. diflant about four leagues, wind at
weft, the French bearing from us N. N. E. the
weather so hazy as scarcely to be able to difce'rn
the length of the British line. At a quarter af
ter 8 the wind veered to the N. W. by W. which
gave the enemy the advantage of the weather
gauge. About this time several of the ships were
difeovered to^indward endeavouring to form in
a line. Twenty five minutes after eight, the Ad
miral directed the Iris by signal, to make fail a
head and keep fight of the French fleet ; the Bri
tish line was by this time compleatly formed.
At twenty minutes after nine, the headmoft of
the French ships tacke'd as did the rest in succes
sion, and formed the line on the starboard tack
At thirty five minutes after nine, the wind being
very squally, the Admiral formed the line a-head
two cables length asunder. At a quarter after
ten the Admiral made the signal for the squadron
to tack, the headmoft and weathermoft firft, and
gain the wind of the enemy; at a quarter after,
eleven, the headmoft of the French line tacked,
but one of them having miffed stays, the rest wore
and formed the line on the larboard tack; at for
ty minutes after eleven, the Admiral again form
ed his line at a cables length asunder: At twelve
there being a profpea of the van of the British
line reaching the enemy, the whole of the British
line tacked by signal : At one P. M. the French
squadron being also in a line, a-head of eight two
deckers, bore E. by S. the British line close haul
ed, fleering E. S. E. wind at N. E. At thirty mi
nutes after one, the enemy being apprehensive of
the danger and inconvenience of engaging to
windward, from the very high sea that was run
ning, wore and formed their line to leeward of
the British line; and in a few minutes the Robust,
which ' led the fleet in the mod gallant and officer
like manner, was warmly engaged with the van
ofj:he enemy; the ships in the van and centre
were all engaged at half past two, and by three
the French line broke, part of them began soon
after to wear, and to form their line again, with
theirheads to the'fouth-eaft.
At twenty minutes after three we wore and
flood after them, bur the Robust, Prudent and
Europe, which, from the mariner of the enemy's
engaging, bore the brunt of the a&ion, wer^ so
entirely disabled as to be incapable of pursuit, and
From the Royal Gazette Extraordinary.
N E W-Y O R K, March 26.
that there was a firm phalanx in this nation, de
termined to.fupport the constitution and conlli
tutional rights of their country.
On a division of the House, there appeared
For the amendment 130
For the original address 212
(No, 847.)