The Connecticut courant, and the weekly intelligencer — Hartford [Conn.], 1780-09-12 00:00:00, page 2

»ct. nor is any lefflative body comptffot, to treat
er to conduct any treaty. All proportions made at
the;outfet of treaty, ought to be indefinite as pre,
January, and the line cf treating ought to be a se
cret confined to those only who treated: Bat Pro
portions made in the House of Commons must be
founded on resolutions, both definitive and conclu
sive, and be known to all the world ; and wo,ld
therefore come forward at the outlet as final flipula
ted terms, and preclude all treaty. He said, that al,
though he was prepared, he should not enlarge now
, this topick, but appeal only to the unfortunate
issue of all our attempt to treat, for the example.
He added, that all the proposed projects of treaty
and proportions for peace made in the House, had
no other effe& than the raising at every step new
quefhons of difoute, of perplexing the ground of
negoc ation, and of barring and Cutting up the way
to peace.
He fhopld not, he said, propose to Parliament any
executive meafuse; he had a fixt and decided opi
nion founded in the fad experience of our own case ;:
that Parliament, the legislative body, assuming the
office of executive Magistrate, had been a leading
cause of our disappointments, both in war and
peace.
He Should therefore totally abflain from even the
mention cf those matters. He Should not draw any
arguments from the fate of the war. He thought
that this moment, in which there was no decided
information of the events of war ; In which there
were no proportions of treaty made from either fide,
nor no treaty on foot, was the very moment to veß
the Crown with the powers which his motion pro
posed, and thereby enable the Crown to treat when
and wherever the proper opportunity offered : It was
fufficient that Parliament, by accepting this Propo
rtion, would mark their inclination of rendering
treaty for peace practicable; and he was fare, from
such information, as it came to his Share to receive,
that the Americans a^g Sincerely inclined to peace,
and would meet any sincere and praAicable proposi
tions made by this country. He added farther, that
the quarter where the greeted animofi+y and rancour
was supposed to dwell, was that very quarter from
whence he believed puce would firft spring: He
meant, fie Gid, the Province of Maffachufeit's Bay,
which he had once governed.
He then added, that being sensible of what danger
ous interpretations, & to what mifehievous confe
que.ncei the refufal of this Proposition might train,
he affirmed, ar , a man of honour, before the Heufe;
he declared, in the preface of GOD, that he would
not makei:, if he thought it would, or could, receive
* negative. There were, he said, perlons in the
House who had influence, which could decide the
general opinion of the House, if they would only de
clave their opinion, and fay that they could not in
their opinion receive this Proportion, he would ac
quiefee in their negative, and not rifque the Popo
fition's receiving a parliamentary negative, which'
he knew it mufl do, iffuch was their opinion. Ht
bere dopt for feme time. --Well then, if they do not
declare their dissent, he would, he said, understand
their nience as a consent to his making the Proporti
on which he had communicated to them.
The Proposition, he said, was, ''For leave to bring
" in a Bill to enable his Majesty to make conventi
" on or trace, or to conclude peace with the inha
" bitants of Maffachufett's-Bay, New Hampshire,
" Conne&icut, Rhede Island and Providence Plan
" tations, New York, the Jerfes, Pennsylvania,
" the three Delaware Counties, Maryland, Virgi
", nia, North Carolina and South Carolina, on such
?' terms and conditions as, in the course of events,
" might become convenient and necessary for the
" honour and welfare of his Majefiy and his people."
Before he entered into the Bating of the ground on
which he founded this proposition, he would beg
leave to mark to the House, one good effc& which
would (as he believed) immediately arise out ofit --
and that war, the libeming those gallant officers, and
brave little array, which remained prisoners under
a Convention, which the Americans did not con
ceive to be yet duly ratified. The removing, he
said, the doubt, whether the King could ratify that
Convention, and the enabling him to do so, might
give immediate release to those prisoners and would
be a good beginning of good offices/ and might o
,en the way, and be improved, so as to lead on pre
liminary ground to peace itfelf. He conceived the
greatest hopes from such beginning.
He then said. tlaras fr Ptepefitions flawed in
his motion, was the Principle of the Bill which he
Should propose, and contained the fubßance of it, it
was unnecessary to fay any thin,, in the general ex
planation ofit, further than that he meant to obvi
ate all doubts, and to remove all durabilities in the
Crown to make Peace in this case, and to put if in a
New-Haven Bridge Lottery TICKETS, to be fold, at the Printing-Office.
fruition' of treating and making Place. as In all other
cases. I was thus indefinite in order to avoid the
bringing forward, as he Said at firft, the difeuffion of
those points, which were left id fitence; add that,
for that reason, he Should at this time, and in this
stage of the bufincfi, (as he hoped, and indeed fnp
pofed, he Should have the Hour's leave to I in
the Bill) avoid entering into any particular
tion, wh^i might draff on the difeefri
topics which had always been so deftrul
bafiaefs. That when he broughti
terms and provisions which it contains 1 .
be properly ch /cuffed. If his motion w. w.
a negative, he did not wi/h they Should be u
at all : that he at leak would not go into any
cuffion of them. It was enough to fay, That it w
to e, power his Majaßy, by advce of his Council,
and by the executive powers of his Ministers, to in
ter into Convention or Trace, or to conclude truce
with perlons who were under such a predicament,
according to the ftnh cf Parliament, as his Majefly
could not enter in o Convention or Trace with, or
conclude a Peace with'. That his power so given,
muff be given by the Servants of the Crown, in'the
fame manner, and under the fame responsibility to
Parliament, and to the Laws of their country, as the
Minifteri were, ailing in all other cases of the like
nature. If they advised the Crown, to take any
measures which were unconstitutional, or contrary
to the Law of the Land, or executed, any such, they
were amenable to Parliament, and to the Law, and
liable to Punishment. They would be so sAing.
under the powers given by the propofted Bill. As he
did not fee the least harm which could arise from
this B 11 ; as he hoped every good from it ; and as it
was absolutely necessary, in order to remove the Ob-
AruAions, which must always arise in the way of
Peace, if it was to commence in Parliament; and to
remedy the want o f Power, by which the Crown
would be disabled from entering into Convention or
Trace, or of concluding Peace, if the moment for
such accused during the recess of Parliament. He
moved, •' That leave be given to bring in a B:11,
&c." as above
With refpe& to those who wiffie^him to declare,
whether he meant to impower the Crown to enter in
to treaty with the Americans, as with S^vebeign In
dependent Stores, he maintained a guarded filenca
in reply to those who called upon him to enter into
particular explanations of the previous contained
in the Bill he proposed; he answered repeatedly,
that if his Bill was brought in, they would then be
come matter in their proper time of thorough dis
cussion, at which time any amendment, or any pro
vision, as guards against the powers hero given,
might be offered, and which he would be ready to
accept. If he had not leave under the general pro
position, to bring in the Bill, he Should bo happy
that he had not made this debate an occasion ofdif
cuffing and declaring opinions on matters, which he
had said, at the opening. of this bufinefr, ought in all
prudence, most carefully to be avoided.
In answer to Mr. Hartley's attack, he said, That
he would refer it to the event of the present business,
whether he was playing into the hands of Ministry ;
and that he had now in the course of the debate,
learnt, that they would not play into his hands;
far he found, that it was a measure taken, to givea
negative to this proportion- for that the moving
the previous qweflion, or the order of the day, was
equally decided, as the dirca negative.
In reply to Mr. Hartley's charge, that he had ta
ken the opportunity of moving th:s matter, in order
to preclude Mr. Hartley from moving those proposi
tions, cf which he had given notice, and that the
proportion now moved was alm^ft the very pro^o
fitioa of which he had given notice; he said, that
he begged to remind him, that he had upon the firft
general notice, which that gentleman had given cf
his intention to move for a Committee to confides the
Bate of the war, called upon him to explain whether
he meant any thing which might lead to peace with
America, and declared openly in his place in the
House, that if Mr. Hartley's ptopofitions did not go
4treaiy and effedually to that point, that he Should
himfelf move Something to that purpose. That he
had irequenri, asked him to communicate his Pro
pufit.ons; that he did not obtain that favour; that
he had feta them in the news papers' and,
what he had seen, was convinced that they ' ,
have no'effea in procuring the means of pear
they would, if they were accepted, per-1
lines of negociation, and obftru& thevM
peace; and that the moving of them, it :< ;
to receive a negative, which he believedc
gentleman was convinced they would receive,
be of the most mifehievous confequerce. 1
therefore he had purposely taken a previous day to
make his motion, in order if it Should pass, to pre-
elude and ,event Mr. ' Hardy from making thofe 1
motions, tie making cf which he conceived would
be of bad coufequeace. He said, .he (roped that he
was understood to be explicit with the gentleman,
aad direct in hi, aofwer.
In reply to Mr. Eden's abjrAion, that the motion
was not calculated to Supply the &$& cf power in
the crown, to treat and conclude peace with any I^o
id, of fabjeAs which had revolted, for that he did
% kow the b 11 could be worded so as to avoid
Station of independence cf the Americans,
B % prote& and ju^ify tie miniafr of the
^ ringing and concluding a peace with
: ^^ •.< that he Should defer all debate
bill till it was brought in, and
V '"' iu^king ary peace which
^'* ^i^e honour, or contrary to
"^ '. ^ " P e °P' e > the proposed
Breaks ...~jaff as it ^odd in all other
cases; a. : • ;,xto fi:d that it wa, underfiord
N that hut mo^ •; .1 not mean to fereen minifies he
hoped thereto: hat gentlemen, who had been for
so miny years repeatedly making propofi ions for
peace with America, would not be %ainß giving to
the crown the mean, of doing it. Under such pow
ers as it now appeared, the ministers were afraid to
accept, as they meant to rejia th w bill which pro
posed to give such to them."
The following is a copy of the bill which was proi
posed by Governor Pownall for putting this
country in a Situation of Taking p^ace with Ame.
rica.
6< In order to remove all doubt# and difabilhler
which may prevent, obfba& or delay the happy
werk cf peace, rosy it pteafe year M^jeßy, that it
may be declared and ena&ed, and be it hereby de
clared and enaaed, &c.& c . That his Majesty if era.
powered to make convention or trace, or to con
clude peace with the inhabitants cf New Hrmp.
Sh re Massachusetts Bay, Cbnne&!cuQ Rhode Isl:%
and Providence Aanmic% ^wYci, the Jw feu'
Pe^nfflvania, the three Delaware counties Mat
land. Virginia North Cg/olioa and Scuth Carolina,
convened in Congrtfi, or i n any affcrablj or ass m
bites, er with any perfen or perfcn, authorized to a &
for, and in behalf of the feme, in fach fem and
manner as he, by virtue of the prerogative of hie
crown, hath power to do in all © her erfes, a d on
such terms and conditions as in the course cf events,
shall become convenient and necessary for the honor
and welfare cf hit majesty and his people.
" And in order thereto, be it en:&& by the an
theri y aforefitid, that from and afer the puffing cf
this act, it thill and may be lawful for hie Majety
to appoint such person or perform f&bj a# cf G eat
Britain, as his Majesty in his wifdem shall think fit.
and fully to authorise and empower the fame to treat
consult and agree with the fa d Americans er any
part of them, or with any perlon or perlons &aiug
for, and in their behalf, to the said purpose cf con
vention, truce or treaty.
" Aud be it further enaAed, that from and after
the puffing of this aft, it fhJl aid may be lawful
for his Majifly to grant fife cohdud to any fach
person or perfous wharDever, as h s Majefly Anil
fee cause, and judge proper to receive an the ground
of treaty, for such convention, truce or pera, in
like manner as he is, by divers ancient flu
tuteL empowered to do in the cases therein fpecL'
Bed."
Hours of Peers Tae&lay Jans 6.
The Marl cf Radnor rose and objected to proceed
ing to bufintfs, when their doors weft ih^eted with
a military force. He was pf opinion, that an aft
passed under Inch circumfiances would nothave the
weight or nature of a law.
Lord Ravenfivorth wished their Lordships, so
conjunction with the other house, would inflantly
take the petitions of the people I^Q consideration.
and there by quell the riots and the disturbs ices cf
the people at onr Earl Bathurft, Evi Mansfield,
and the Earl o' ftoruugh. assured the House that
Ministers b yy precaution, and exerted
every po %d with, to qeell the ri
°, ^' anquility. The house
c • being appointed Commif.
- 1 ' - honourable Court of Probate
x^ford, to examine tie cWms of
ft .neeftof SAMUEL rus
•°' Windsor daceafed, represented
hereby &ives notice, that we shall attend
at thehoufeof SAMUEL WOL-
? ALLYN innholder in said Windier,
-the firft Tuesday of November next. No ac
counts will be allowed except properly attend.
^^ FiTCH B ^ SFLL I Cowmiffi.
NATHANIEL HAYDEN,j orm
Wiadfor, Sept. I xjßo.