The Connecticut courant, and the weekly intelligencer — Hartford [Conn.], 1780-08-15 00:00:00, page 2

„ Let tnem pjeate tnwisives wiaoirdK
ing a king absolute, who,think a whole
nation may be Sacrificed for fSe interests
and plea fares of one man and his adherents.
Let ethers rejoice in their fubtiety, who,
by betraying ther trust, have advanced
themfewts ; perhaps they may foopfird,
that they have, with muchpainfy purcha
sed their own ruin, that the king's power
is.their ffiame, his plenty the people's thi
fery, and that the gaining of an office, for
the fake of enriching themselves, is but a
poor reward for destroying a nation, and
that they will fh^tly fall a just facriSce
to the revenge of a greatly injured peo>
What man will dare to danv, for even
doubf that when a nation is fallen from
-the greater height of glory, by the obfti
naey of a king, and the maladministrati
on of his minivers, into the mo 6 despica
ble and ruinous condition; that the people
' have no right to rescue their country out
such hands. Every man ought to
• * '<' e principles of "the lift
revolution he is bound to refift%riy King,
who may endeavoured ruin the kingdom
" r 'd e nslave the people, Qd that he may
puffi this refinance even to the dethrone
ment add exefofi^ of his race. The laws
ind eohftitutibn" are the general property
of the ^bje& npl To defend is to relin
i9° ^bo is ffiebfo fiupti and fenfe
*fs#as to renounce hjs Ihare in a cotrimon
benefit, chiefs h&hopes to profit by a new
division tn the fperD. The highest flation.
and the greatest glory any min can aspire
to, is to be the support of good, the con
iroul of bad^government, the" protestor
offotue, the patron of industry, and the
guard am of public liberty : When oaf
tighis are invaded, our feelings ought to
te [L US ''° w '° n g M should submit, and at
what moment it would be treachery not to
re/f/?. The preterit Situation of this king
dom is alarming enough to rouse the at
tention, and to demand the assistance of
e ery man who pretends to the least con
cern for the public welfare, Bad as it is;
there i^, no extremity of distress which of
"ought to reduce a brave people to
despair. A lake warm cbndu& is always
od ous, in times of national danger high
ly criminal. We owe it to our ancestors,
preserve pure and untainted, those rights
an that constitution which they have
handed down to us at the expence of /heir
, o ^? and we certainly owe it to otirin
parity, not to fuffer their dear
inheritance to be destroyed. By one
glorious struggle against the despotic and
ruinous designs of an infamous ministry,
and the all grasping power of the crown,
% epur try may ye t be saved from perdi
tion. But if all hopes to eftabUfh once
more the spirit and the virtue of our an-^
ceftors, who fuccefsfully resisted kingly
tyranny, are vain, then all expectation of
the confutation's remaining entire, and
our continuing to be afa people, mud al
lo be vam, and we may expel to fee the
Violence, villainy, and madnef- prac
tifed over again with redoubled vigor,
Refoce is therefore become abfolptelv
neceflary, and cannot be prosecuted bv the
people with too much ardor and refold
they mean to save themselves and
their country from DESTRUCTION, f
D y,p 1 V "?. AUgUU w.
We linterefy congratulate our readers
on the Capture of so great a part of the
Q,*bqr flerf, the jinoft important blow
given to the British trade since the com,,
meiiCCTQent ^ the krar.^fhe fleet config
te ' "(<3°'fail;under convoy of twoß iufh
frigates,-.richtedad^n with ptyV/fyns; urd
nance ,and military fibres, valuable mer
chandize, and all kinds i c supplies for
the province of Canada, theß itrih army
there, and the Indian trade. It contained,
indeed, mofl, if not all, the Supplies for
that quarter for the present year'. It had
been long preparing and Waiting for con
voy, arid was I much wanted lid expected
in Canada. This fleet failed from Torbay
the gorh of May; three days' after, a
French ship of the line 'LI in with it,
Which, according to the belt accounts we
Can obtain; took 7, and probuTy more,
and feathered the whole fleet, Afterwards
a number of "American privateers forty
nately met with this prey, and; we have
a^eady a certain atebum, capcu ed if
Our cruizers (feme, if not all, of wh^ m
soon inlifted as many men from thteprizes
as it took to secure them) were left in pur
suit "of the remainder of th-fleet; aid as
we know there were a number "or otner
American armed veftls cru-'frg: 'a: or
near the mouth of St. Lawrence, ii3§ high,
ly probable that? Very few; if efen any,'-
will find their way to Quebec. From ah
apprehension in England thaf our fas at
•Penobfcot had disenabled” us. to fit out
cruizes, this fleet had a final! convoy,
and insured at lb per cent. The value of
each prize is computed, on an hve^ag% at
'20.00°01. fterting. They have an affot
ment exactly adapted ' to the wants' and ocf
cafions ofthe'United Spates: 1 The blow
muff be terrible to the British in' Canada
as these Hupplies carinofbe replaced this
year : The Briti ftr rirmy there irru ff feel
it severely : The Indian trade; whichgave
our enemies military as- well as commerci
al advantages, muff fuffer greatly by it/
So muff the merchants in Britain, as well
as Canada, particularly' the infurers.'-In
short, it is not easy to compute what the
eriemy has loft, andwhat we have gained
by this fortunate iftrbke. It has been re
marked, that the American privateers con
cerned in this capture, all belong to this
State, and that some of the owners' of the
vessels lofton the'Pendbfrot expedition, are
largely interested in this success.
All accounts from RhodeTfland agree,
that, the army of our good Allies, the
French, is in high health and spirits; that
it consists of a body of uncommonly fine
and well disciplined troops, as well as
brave and experienced officers. The mi
litia are ditmiffed, and such works com
pleated there, as to leave no apprehension
from the British land and sea forces col
le&d. /
File ships of -Admiral Ternay are in
the beff order, and make a fine appear
ance, and it is not doubted will loon find
an opportunity advantageously to co ope
rate with th^ combined lan 1 forces.
I he alerrhefs of our militia in repairing
' l R^''''^^ upon an apprehension
that the who e c.heftive Bituh fq-ce'ii
fended aa approach td that place, is one
^harce, among many; of the happy union
between the . French and Americans, and
Lite wa< rm mipoiiviuu i/£ me people or vneie
Spares to co Operate with our good Allies.
Admiral Ternay, whole reputation stands
rhigh in the navy bf Fance, and General
Roc^ambeau, w,ofe military merit is ef
tabbfh^, have both, it is said, expreited
much fatufaftion upon this occasion, which
evidently appears to have made the most
agreeable im^rcffion on the officers and
men or fheir relpedive departments.
A yrffel rot long since arrived here from
the Writ Indies, tailed with the combined
fleets of France and Spain, of 3b tail of
the line, and 14 000 troops. This vessel
accompa: ied the fL-et to leeward, through
the Porto Rico passage, to the, coast of
Hifpaiola, where she left it about 27
days ago. It was universally concluded
to be bound for Jamaica. %
Saturday arriyedat Saem fromacruize 2
the fh:p Erutu-, during ^h ch irfc mpa
ry_.wrh the America & Saucy Jack pri.
vateers, ha captured 10 rch vessels laden
with dry goud; pr wifiaus, &c being
part of a fleet of upwards es 40 fail from
London, bound to Q_ebec, u der con.
voy of tab frigates. The Brutus carried
in with her one sh p, another arrived' yes;
terda , the red are hourly expeded
Las: Saturday arr ved a packet from
Birb^a, after a passage of nine weeks.
Wet ear &e bro'tdipatches for Congress.
A Leter fr^m an Officer of the rtnericem
tinny at Hcaa Quarters Pracaoefs, da
ted Juh 22, 1780, contains the follows
%,.vz b
" The following is an extras from
General order :—(t is recommended to
the officers of the A neriean Army to have
b^ck and white cockades, a black ground
wish 1 white rel es, en blematic of the ex?
pe&ed unto ' of the two armies;
Headquarters' July 20, 1780.
TH E Commander in Chef has the
pheafufe to congratulate the army on the
arrival .of a large land and raval arma^
ment at Rhode Ifla d, sent by his M ft
Chrilban Majesty to co eperate with the
troops of these States against the com
mon enemy; accompanied with every
circumstance that can render it honorable
and ufefui.: 1 he ge,n.erofi:y of this fuc^
c&ur, and of the mauler in which it is
ffven, js.a new.tie betwixt France and
America : The lively concern which our
allies manifeft for our fafety and Inde
pendence, has 1 claim to the flffe&ion of
every virtuous ctizen. The General;
with confidence assures the army, that ths
officers and men of the French force®
come to our aid, animated with zeal,
founded in sentiments for us as well as in
,duty to their Prince ; and that they WW
do.ev.ery thing in their power to promote
harmony and cultivate friendship ; he is
equally persuaded on our parts, we shall
vie with them in their good ddpofition ;
to, which we are excited by gratitude, as
we'! as ^o a common interest ; and that
the only contention, between the two ar-^
mies, will be to excell each other in'good
offices, a: d in the drip ay of every mi
litary virtue ; this will be the pledge of
the most food, advantage, to the common
cause and of a glorious issue to the
campaign.";. '„
NEWLONDO N, Auguff rr.
"°° n ' n Saturday last, the Bri
tilh Fleet from Block island to the Num-