The Connecticut courant, and the weekly intelligencer — Hartford [Conn.], 1778-12-08 00:00:00, page 4

^ fi - yog, I beg to p ? ae: a line ci crdc& before you
that Will eifoy leld you out of all your trouble-. It
has been hinted before and cannot be too much at
tended to.
Sappofe America bad remained unknown to Eu
rope till the present year, and that Mr. Bunks and
Dr. Sounder in another voyage round the world,
had made the firft difeovery of ler in the felf fame
condition she is now in, of arts, arms numbers and
civilization. What'l ask in that case would have
been your conduct towards her, for that will point
but what it ought to be now ! The problems and
their solutions a?e equal, dnd the right line of the one
is the parallel of the other. The question takes in
every circumftarc that can poffibiy arise. It re
duces politics to'a simple thought, and is moreover
a mode of investigation, in which, while you are
studying your interest, the fimplicuy of the case will
cheat you into good temper. You have nothing to
do but to suppose you have found Arneria, and she
appears found to your hand, and while in the joy of
your heart you Hand IWI to admire her, the path of
politics fifes flraight before you.
Were I disposed to paint a contrast. I could easily
set off wJiat you have done in the prefect case against
what you world have done in that case, and by
justly opposing them, conclude a pAure that would
make you blush. But, as when any of the prouder
piffions ate hurt, it is much better philosophy to let
a man flip into a good temper than to attack him in a
Lad one; for that reafen therefore, I only slate the
case and leave yourselves to refled upon it.
To go a little back into politics, it will be found
that the true internal of Britain-Lay in propefing and
promoting the independence of America immediate
ly after the raft peace; for the expence wlrch Bri
^m had then incurred by defending America as her
" own dominions ought to 1 ave shewn her the policy
and necessity of changing the stile of the country,
as the best probable method of preventing future
wars and expence, and the only method by which
flie could hold the commerce without the charge of
fovercignty. Besides which the title she assumed of
Parent Country, naturally led to and pointed out,
the propriety wisdom and advantage of a separati
on; for as in private life children grow into men,
and by setting up for themselves, extend and secure
the intcreft of the whole family, so in the settlement
of colonies large enough to admit of maturity, the
fame policy should be pursued, and the fame confe
quences would follow. Nothing hurts the affedons
both of parents and children so much, as living too
closely connected, and keeping up the diftin&ion too
long. Domineering will not do over those, who
by a progress in life are become equal in rank to their
parents, that is, when they have families of their
own; and though they may conceive themselves the
fubje&s of their advice will not suppose them the
objeAs of their government Ido not, by drawing
this parallel, mean to admit the title of Parent
Country because, if due any where, it is due to
Europe colleOively, and the firfl settlers from Eng
land were driven here by persecution. I mean only,
to introduce the term for the fake of the policy, and
to Show from your title, the line of your interest.
When you saw the Hale of strength and opulence,
and that by her own industry, which America had
arrived at, you ought to have advised her to have
set up for berfeif, and prop6fed an alliance of ine
freft with her, at)d in so doing, you would have
drawn, and that at her own expence, more real ad
vantage, and more military supplies and assistance
both of fliips and men, than from any weak and
wrangling government you could exercise over her.
In short, had you fhidied only the domeflic politics
of a family, you would have learned how to govern
the Hate ; but, inflead of this easy and natural line,
you flew out into every thing which was wild and
outrageous, till by following the passion and flop di
ty of the pilot, you wrecked the vcCel within fight
of the Ihore.
Having shown what you ought to have done, I
now proceed to fheW the reason why it was not
done. The caterpillar circle of the Court, had an
intcreft to pursue diftina from, and opposed to yours,
for though by the independence of America and an
alliance therewith, the trade would have continued,
if not increased, as in many articles neither country
can go to a better market, and though by defending
and protesting herfelf, the would have been no ex
pence to you, and consequently your national char
ges would have decreased, and your taxes might
have been proportionally lessened thereby ; yet the
striking off so many places from the Court Calendar
was put in opposition to the interests of the nation.
The loss of thirteen governmentlhips, with their ap
pendages here and in England, is a Locking found
in the ear of a hungry courtier. Your present King
?nd Minify will be the ruin of you; and you had
letter risk a reyoluticmind call a Conger's, than %
thus led on from madness to despair and fem dc
fpair to ruin. America has set you the example,
and may you follow it and be free.
I now come to the last part, a war with Banco.
This is what no man in his senses will advrfe you to,
and all good men would wiffi to prevent. Whether
France will declare war against you, is not for mein
this place to mention, or to hint even if I knew it,
but it must be madness in you to do it firfl. The
matter is now come to a full crisis, and peace is easy
if willingly set about. Whatever you may think,
France ha< behaved handsomely to you. She would,
have been unjust to herfelf to have a&ed othorwife
than she d d; and having accepted our offer of alli
anee she gave you genteel notice of it. There was
nothing in her conduct reserved or indelicate, and
while she announced her determination to support
her treaty, she left you to ive the firft offence. A
merica on her part, has exhibited a chamber of
firmnrfs to the world. U prepared and unarmed,
Without form or government, she tingly opposed a
nat on that domineered over half the globe. The
greatness of the deed demands refpe& ; and though
you may eel refe tment you are Compelled both to
wonder and admire.
Here! est my armaments and finifh my address.
Such as t. s, it ia iftand you are welcome. It
Was always my defi, n to dedicate a Crisis to you,
when the one Should come that would properly
make it a Crisis ; and when, likewise I sh uld
catch m tell n ^temper to write it, and ftp,cfe you.
in a condion o read it. That time is now arrived,
and with it the opportunity of conveyance For the
Comm ffioners- POOR ( OMMISSIONERS ! -having
proflamed hat yet fortydays and Nineveh
SHALL BE OVERTHROWN " have Waited out the
date, and difeontented with their God, are return
ing to the r yourd.' And all the harm I wish them
is, that it may not wither about their ears, and
that they may not make iheir exit in the belly of a
Whale.
COMMON SENSE.
Philadelphia,
November 21 1778.
P. S. Thou.h in the tranquility of my mind I
hav coneluded with a laugh, yet I have femething
to mention to the Commissioners, which to them
is fericus ai d worthy their a rention Their autho
rity is derived bom an a& of Parliament which like
wise describes and.limits their official powers.
Their coinmiffion, therefore, is only a recital, and
perfonal.i v rtituie, of those powers, or a ncmina
tion and dr fcripuon of the persons who are to execute
them Had it contained any thing contrary to, or
gone beyond the line ®f, the written law from which
it is derived and by which it is bound, it would, by
the En E hfh confti ution, have been treason in the
Crown, and the K ng been fubje& to an impeach
ment. He dared no , therefore, put in his commis
sion what you have put in your proclamation, that
is, he dared not have authorifed you in that coin
miffion to burn and deftfoy, or to threaten to burn
and deßroy, any thing in America. You are both
in the Act and in the Commission filled Commis
sioners for restoring peace aid the methods
for doing it are there pointed out Your last procla
mation is finned by you as Commissioners under
that Act. You make Parliament the patror of its
contents. Yet in the body of it, you insert matters
contrary both to the spirit and letter of the A&, and
what likew fe your King dared not have put in his
commission to you. The date of things in England,
Gentlemen, is too ticklish for you to run hazards.
You are Accountable to Parliament for the
EXECUTION OF THAT ACT ACCORDING TO THE
letter of it. Yjut heads may pay for breaking
it, for you certainly have broke it by exceeding it.
And as a friend, who would wish you to escape the
paw of the Lion as well as the belly of the Whale, I
civilly hint to you to keep within compass.
Sir Harry Clinton, ftri&ly speaking, is as account
able as the rest ; for though a General, he is like
wise a Comm ffioner, a&ing under a superior autho
rity. His firft obedience is to the A& ; and his
plea of being a General will not and cannot clear him
as a Commiffioner,for that would suppose the Crown,
in its finale capacity, to havea power to dispensing
with an A& of Parliament. Your fituationi, Gen
tlemen, are nice and critical, and the more so be
cause England is unsettled. Take heed l Remember
the times ofCharles the firft! For Laud and Stafford
fell by trufling to a hope like yours.
Having thus shewn you the danger of your pro
clamation, I now shew you the folly of it. The
means contradi& the design. You threaten to lay
waffe in order to render America a useless acquisiti
on of alliance to France, I reply, that the more
deftru&ion you commit (if you could do it) the more
vol ao< to r.-atre you rule that alliance. Yon
can de roy only i c; fes a) d geed^ ; anchby so doing
you encreafe our chm^d t poo her for materials and
meichand ze, for ike wants ofene nation provided
it ha! Freedom and Credit naturaly produces
riches to the other ; a d as you can neither ruin the
land nor prev nt the vegiiation, you v ould encre^fe
the eXporta.ion of our produce in payment, which
to her would be anew fund of wealth. 1. Abort, had
you cafl about for a plan on pur^cfe to enrich your
enemies you could not have kft upon a better
c.° s.
We hear tnai Admial Bairin^ton is preparing to
go back to bis itation at Barbado, in wh ch he is to
waitull he is joined by fifteen fail of the line, be
sides fire (hips frigates, bomb ketches, transports,
&c a d we nave hea/d of 10 000 forces to join this
armament, who it is Wrongly be l cved are defined
to exhibit a fine set of fire works frr the aniufement
of the gentlemen of Martinique and G ndaloupe.
1 R ENI O N, N vember 25.
Extract ol a letter from E! zib^l T wn, bv ip.
Tis certain that w sh ps of Byron's flee have
returned difmafted, ones a 74, the other a 64. The
fleet that lately put to sea is returned and preparing
for sea again, and the Experiment is new died to
their convoy. By a gentleman that left them this
day, it appears, that they will put to sea to morrow
if the wind is favourable. T %y have no general
officer in the fret unless CdlCampbell, of the 71st
regiment is a Brigadier, which 1 am not certain of.
Yesterday General Grey's bag age was put on board
the Brune frigate it is said he is going to England."
BOSTO N, December 3.
By the last advice the Brtifh fleet was ip port as
well as the French. It is a matter of uncertainty
whether the former ever failed at all ; if it did it
proceeded but a little way, took care to keep out of
fight of Count D'Orvilliers, and soon returned. It is
said Mini Pry gave ftri& orders to Admiral Keppel,
that while he kept up upon all occasions a good
countenance, he fhoald ^ fare not to run any ha
zard of his flee* and of giving, by the loss of any
considerable numbe of his sh ps, a decided fnpeiio
rity to France in the Channel; which', should it
happen must throw the British nation into convulsi
ons and p ove fatal to il.
PROVIDENCE Number 28.
Tne enemy have now at Rhode Ifliid 12 capital
ffiips and 2 frigates.
The report chat the enemy had burnt their Bar
racks at the north end of R-ode Illaid which has
been current for feme days pift, appears to be with
out foundation.
Saturday lart the brave General Starks arrived
here from the N rthward. '.
H ARTFOR D, December 8.
By a gentleman who left Long Island last week
we have the foll>wing account of the strength and fi*
tuation of the British Arny, viz,
400 Dragoons H^mpttead,
200 Je^fies.
470 Qyfter-Bty.
150 Lloyd's Neck.
1500 Jamaica.
200 Yaugers, Flushing.
350 New Town.
20® Ferry,
3000 New York Island.
3000 on board the Fleet at the Hook, with Gen.
Campbell.
7of the C-rk Fleet and sos the Quebec, taken by
Count D'E ! aing./
4 of Admiral Byron's fleet miffing.
Sunday last the Hon. Major-Ge leral Marquis de
la Fayette passed through this town on his way to
Bolton. *
There have been saved from the wreck of the So
merset British Ship of war of 64 guns, which was
lately call away upon the Cape, fifty four guns f
24, 18, 12 and 9 pounders, with their carriages,
400 barrels of provisions, and 200 barrels of pow
der, all of which are merchantable. T e remaining
10 guns weie thrown over before she went a th re.
Congress have recommended o the proper author
ritv in each State, to a p in Wednesday the 50th
of December, as a day of public thanks iving and
prarte to Almighty God for the threat and manifold
mercies he has been pleased to bellow on the inhabi
tants of these United S ates.
DIED, last Saturday, Mr. Samuel Day, of this
town, in the 59th year of his a, e.
Advert^ments omitted, for want of room,
will be in our next.
^§fy READY MONEY is expected for infesting
ADVERTISEMENTS in this Paper.