The Connecticut courant, and the weekly intelligencer — Hartford [Conn.], 1778-02-24 00:00:00, page 2

The amendment-having been read by f/.e 'Lord
Chancellor..„
T,e Earl or Sandwich got'iip and said if was
"with greit diffidence lie rose to reply to a noble Lord
so renowned as a wife fatefmui and powerful ora
tor as the proposer of the amendment ; but as .e
rras convinced from what had fallen from the no! Ie
Earl, rthat lie not only was an al Ie politician but
had a real and sincere regard for his country he
thought it his duty to let his Lotdihip rght ref
peeling several particulars which he had advanced,
and which were absolutely falle in fadt. H^ pre
mised that he fyas well aware the noble Earl d r d not
mean tomdlead the Houle, or to milreprefent any
one mu:e.rwhich heh.d taken upon him to medias
in the courfc of his speech ; since however^ it Was
evident that the noble Earl had been mifinfoimed,
he woJid undeceive him in reipeef to such of tee
' points js fell immediately under his cognizance
and which he could prove to be very differently
fit tidied fromthe noble Lari's defcript on. + I. e fort
pfthefe was fbe State of the navy in Europe, wh ch
the noble Earl has declared not only to be weak and
unfit for service but info dcfpicable and deplorable
a state, that no man of cred t in his profellion would
take the command of it.- So far was this from being
the cife, thathe was mofthem/y happy to be able
to lay in the hearing of the Houle and of the
ftrargers and not to care how universally it was
reported, that our navy never was in io powerful
and relpe^ble a condition as at present. We have
no lets than forty two ihips of the line in commis
sion in Europe thirty-five of which were fully
manned, excepting only .a deficiency of about nine
hundred men upon their entire complements, which
was an uncommonly trifling deficiency and very
easily made up in case of necessity : that the Seven
om r Ships were lately put into commission and
therefore not yet manned; but that all the marines
mmed'arv for them were ready, and that no doubt
thmr complements would soon he procured. Tins
naval force his Lord flip remarked was superior
what France or any of the continental p>wefs
had • ard that when it was considered we had more
Ime'ol battle flups, full manned, in different parts
of the world, an incredible number of frigates and
other armed vessels in America, and a mod extra
ordinary-addition of frigatesand small vessels built
and bought and now preparing for iea surely it
c ould not be argued, that our navy was in any tiling
like a weak ftace or an unferviceable condition.
With regard further to the assertion 6 that no of
ficer of credit would take the command of the Beet
in Europe " it was equally falfe; a noble, and an
able officer, of one of the nrft families in the king
dom, and of an irreproachable charader was both
ready and wdlingto take the command; nor was
be the only officer of reputation readyio accept it ;
others, many others were also willing, and God
forbid that the fafety of the kingdom Should rest
falely outlie experience and valour of an indiv dual
in any pro'effion, however excellent his chara^kr,
however great his abilities !
His Lordihip, with a view to fatisfy the House
refpeHing the date of the Navy produced papers
from which'he read a variet r of matters, all tend ng
t) prove his assertions, by fpecifying the part cnlars
necefl'ary to convey an exa& information of the
number , fr ? e crews &c. &c. of tl e various veflels
in the service ; and after very c,cumftantially prov
ing that our navy was now much superior to the
united fleets of the House ofßourbon the Earl de
• clared that it was a do&rine Ire most heartily fub
icribed to and hoped every successor to him would
feel the force of, that the perlon who presided at the
Admiralty Board in Grear-Britain was no longer
worthy of holding his office, than while he kept the
navy of this country in a Rate of fuptriority over
that of every other European power.
He paid Lord Chatham very high compliments
cn his declaration,.that he wished not to have Ame
rica independent but would at allevents, preserve
the superiority of Great-Britain and oblige the A
merfcans to allow the force of the Navigation AH.
This his Lordftfp remarked was a itile of thinking,-
which was very different from the general language
of Opposition; and be doubted not, that many of
the noble Lords, who would go entirely with the
Ehl in the bufine.s and debate of the dry, entertain- #
tai ned fentmems of an opposite nature. _
The noble Earl had declared, that among other
losses this country felt from pursuing the American
w '° tue river of Lisbon was shut up. This de
claration, his Lordihip said was to him altogether
unintelligible ; we had two men of war row Nation- .
rd in the'riverof Lisbon, and we had the free use of .
river as much as ever. Add to this the Portu
gu'ele publicity denied countenancing the Ameri
cans, and in conlequ^e fume of the R^be) priv^
te*rs h&lafiackr^ and uh tn che of ikef^hgTiC
Ihips richly laden.
With regard to France he said he we; id ven
ture to declare, that refronftrant es luong icmon
ltranc& had been mafeto tee Court of \crialhcs
-on the Icore of aLfbng tue Amer c-ms' a.d coante
nancing their piVa ters. that as a nation oe
French bad folemniy decLred'Ceir inenticns iO y' 1
amicably to Great Britain: that them public ordi
nances many of , which bad keen lately ifmed cot
responded with this declaration ; tii.it as for a tur
ther corroboration of it they had lately orJere'd that
-no American flip should feme into their ports un
less in cases of particular and urgent, ddhefs ; and
that no logger knee than a fortnight ago they had
obliged the Amer.can Captain; who had brought in
two of cur Weft India ikyt to a portin France, to
give uphs prizes and had restoredthem to the rr.tr
cu^ms here, and that the Ihips were now on. their
Way to England. Teat Great Britain had every
national'affurance ®f Friendship from France; and
although it could net be denied, nor avo ded but
that in such a liquation that we flood in with Ame
rica, private perfons'in France might clandestinely
lend out litres and furhifh the rebels with alfu ance.
that it would surely le impel.tic to commence a
new war on such an account ; and that the men
who endeavoured to embrod their country in a
French war at this crisis could rot he lad to be
fronds and well-withers to their countiy.
Toe noble Earl haff lai', he willed to fee b,e
man who dared to. Hand forward and tell his Ma^ef
ty shat his aff'a rs were in i hopeful condition. He
could he declared, flew his forehead on that fcorc;
and with an" unembara ffed countenance, tell him
that his affairs were in a hopeful condition. News,
he presumed would soon arrive frem Sir William
Howe which would not only effectually disprove
the calamitous and difireffed relation given by the
noble Earl as descriptive of the present fi uat on of
affairs, but would operate to the fatis fallion of every
member el that House and to the latisfa&ion of the
whole nation. rt
lord Abingdon fclhwed Lord Sandwich, and
'Was for a celfaiion ol hostilities.
Lord Shi • BOURNE would not credit tl e accounts
of the navy dated'by the Ear) of Sandwich, and
asked why official papers were not laid before the
Houle in a proper parliamentary manner. He at
tacked the IVlinndry and took up an hour in arrang
ing their- meafure^ and giving b.s reasons for coin
ciding with the -Earl* of Chatham in support of the
amendment.
Lord Suffolk replied to various parts of Lord
Chatham's Ipeech, and gave his negarive to the- a
mendmerit, as impolitic and ill timed. , I
The Duke olGrafton complained of the mode
of managing the debates ; he was exceedingly severe
on Administration on account of the whole of their
conduct, and Supported the amendment.
Lord Carnarvon followed the Duke of Grafton.
Lord Camden took pains to Shew that France had.
in the most open manner countenanced and assisted.
the Americans. His Lordihip returned to the old
argument upon the icore of Great Britain's expecting
unconditional Submission and the Americans having
no intention to declare themselves independent till
our cendua reduced them to the neceffay of making
such a declaration, His Lordship ended his Speech
with averting, that '• he had rather fee America in
dependent, than America enslaved."
Lord Weymouth at-,..c.ed Lord Camden on
the change of his language from Est feif,ons, resett
ing the conduA of France.
The Bishop of Peterborough, in a Short
Speech, arraigned the conduct of Great-Britaia, la
mented the ill consequences already fed from the
present war having been carried on so long prophesi
ed that the milchief would increase in proportion to
its continuance, and advised thatthis country should
mak&the firft overture towards an accomodation, as
a proof that lire hadfirgot her pafS.©n and resent
ment.
The Duke of Richmond went over the old
ground ofthe origin of the war:.Recapitulated its va
rious events and endeavoured to fhcw, that in three
years we had only gamed two towns, and that the
ablest arithmetician could not poihbly osculate the
time when we should be able to conquer ail America.
Lord Effingham pointed out for/ e contradictions'
which had fallen from the mouths of the Minifiry
and the Lords in office, in the course of the debat e
and took pains tojuftify the amendment and the
advice given by the. noble Earl who proposed it.
Lord SuFFOLK role again to obviate the ob e&i
ons made again# Government for employing the
Indians and Viewed that if we had not embodied
them to assist us in repulsing the rebels^ they would
have got them to attack us ; that out motive was the
gri* and nnu,z-/L\pr: : rc # ;.l^ o' fe?eferva+jon.;
and .rat w ^euuiqumia-turai ret en on w^s I ugun it
iure;y was not only uihufye but ^r,Ctly politic,
toe<m every inhßiracbt in quelling .t, which God
and nature had put ime our Lands,
Lord Chatham role m vehement warmth, and
dec,area? that i e V,,s encccomgly flocked at v, bat
the ctcrenry ol Bene had avowed ; shocked as a
piokilor ot religion ; llocked as a Cfriiban senator ;
luce .cd as a Lord of Parliament and fhocl<ec las a
num of humanity ! 1:E Lordihip with great loud
nels ol tune reprobated the idea o' turning the lava
gerfole upon.ine Americans w:thtl etr tomahawks
and leaping kniv,s ;he laid it was setting a pack
oi hell hounds io hunt them, and, in tfe:Cial feme
ol the word,.to eat them up and that to ue J.e
teuhD G d, and narure, in defence and avowal of the
cncum tance, WAS 111 his eyea moitheirid and dar
ing pielumption.
hand Suffolk repelled this attack, and uflificl
the exprehioD.
Ine Lord President Lord Gower) declared,
that Lord Chatham was Minister during the late
war when tielndians ty^ecifployed by the En
gidii in the lame manner as uey now were.
Lead Chatham endeavoured to throw the blame
on ine onicers and laid t t no authority for so
en ploying them was given by Government, or lent
from the office to the ten manders.
Lead Govfr .hen charged tie Earl with having
had the .conduct of the w .r, and confeffng his ignor
ance of the manner in which .t was conducted in
ftauemg that prefects had been lent to the Indians,
and treaties niade with them, which no officer could
have dared to have made, without authority fioni
Government.
Lord Amherst was called on to prove that the
Indians were employed - - which le ^c/nowledged.
Lord Townshend alfc proved that, they were,
buulaid they were chiefly as Caimucks and Pan
doors.
Lord Chatham again arose, and put the beftface
he.could on his assertion..
Lord Shelburne and the Duke cf Grafton
fupperted him. Tie Duke said letting loose the sa
vages was as bad as poilonmg rivers, and yet the
latte; might be deemed an inurnment which God
• and,Nature, had put into our hands;
At length," The Question, Tl eQi eftion " be,
ing called for from all parts of the lfoide it was puty
when the xloufe divided, and the-numbersw&re
Non Contents 84
Proxies, ]j
Ctmeins 24
Proxies, 0
So that Lord Chatham's motion was re'eßed da
a division 97 against 24.
Lord Percy afterwards reported an Address to
the House which was read and agreed to, and the
Lends with while haves ordered ,0 wait on his Mz,
jefty, to know when he would please to be attendel
therewith.
At tne concmfion of the delate on the motion for
the Address, and after die divriion thereon, Lord
Winchelfea mov-.d alter a short introdu&ory speech,
for a congrats-atory Address to the Queen on the
, birth 0: a rrincels : which motion was seconded by
Lord Fowls.
The Houle broke up at half past ten o'clock.
moftia& or the debates in the Houfe"of Commcut
on Wednesday 3dof December,
At four oclok the order of the hottie was read,
for thehoule to form itielf into a committee of lup
ply. Lord Barrington reed the estimates of the last
)em, ana made a motion for 20 000 additional
troops' for die f rvice of the year 1.
.Colonel ik rre re defied of the iiok; e Lord, that
previous to oe inveftgation of the new vote oi troops,
he would be pleased to imorm the committee, what
number of brnifh troops were new actually engaged
in the campaign in Ani&ica.
Lot d Barrington ^niwered, that no particu'ar and
diftintt return had been received ofa her date
than July lo that he could not with any degree of
precision alcuitam tt,e numb-rsrow employed near
inform t: e houfeof the diftin& difyofitions of tha
ainiy. ,I he levera] battles fought since that time
had necuffarily taken from the number in die return's
and the different necessities of die can^aign Bad fix^
cd them in a new situation; that, however he
could lay with certainty, that at that time there
were 5.5,095 effective men in ?" n^er cm 20 000 of
which were iindc ithe command of Sir William
Howe, and he believed tallied neb him and landed
a. tire head of the Lik; io,oco were under the
cemma^ded of Can. Burgoyne; and 4000 all
but^oo left under the command Gen. Carlton,
in Canada ; the remainder were in different fitirL
ons, in Neva ^cotia, New-XM. ,