The Connecticut courant, and the weekly intelligencer — Hartford [Conn.], 1780-04-18 00:00:00, page 2

to his person, together with a pun&ilious
^erfeverence in the execution of all his law
ful commands.
Under this sense of my past situation,
yourletter Rated to be written by theKing's
command, cannot but affeft me most pain
fully.
The time in which I am charged with
negled of my duty, has been employed
to vindicate my own honor, the honor of
the British troops, and those of M's Majes
ty's allies, under my late command, from
the most bale and barbarous aspersions that
ever were forged against innocent men by
malignity supported by power.
In regard to the lecond charge. I mutt
firft observe that there were two letters
from the late Secretary at war, upon the
fubjed of my^ return to America; and
though you only Rate that of the sth of
June, I conclude it is not meant that the
other of the 7th Ihould be suppressed, as
it is explanatory of the former.
The fignification of the King's pleasure
therein contained, being clearly condition
al, and the condition depending upon my
own judgment, I am unable to Conceive
by what possible conftruftion it can be
considered as disobedience, that I have not
fulfilled an optional condition; and I am
readyand desirous to meet the judgment
of a proper tribunal upon that, as upon
every other part of my conduct.
In the mean time, Sir, I am not told who
it is that confiders my taking advantage
of my parole for the purposes I have done,
a negled of duty, and breach of orders,
and has so represented it to his Majesty.
But in this state of ignorance concerning
my enemies, I must fay, as well from duty
to my Sovereign, as from justice to myfelf,
that they who have abused the confidence
of their gracious master, by such a gross
mifieprefentation, merit, and I trust will
meet with more of his displeasure than
they wickedly have drawn upon me.
The punilhment implied in the order
referred to, you will observe, Sir, is unu
sual as well as cruel. Whether the Mini
sters of the Crown can officially order a
British fubjed into captivity either at home
or abroad, without trial, or whether they
can compel an officer by virtue of his ge
neral military .obedience, to deliver him
felf to the prison of the enemy, without
any requisition on their part, is (to fay no
thing Wronger ofit) matter of serious doubt.
On pretence of military obedience, I am
ordered to the only part of the world in
which I can do no military service.--- An
enemy's prison is not the King's garrison ;
nor is any thing to be done or fuffered there,
any part of an officer's duty ; so far from
it, that it implies a direct incapacity for a
ny military fundion.—What are the mi
litary orders I am to give to men who have
no arms to fight, and no liberty to march.
Or by what rule is my not being in the
hands of rebels, understood to be a neglect
pf duty to my, Sovereign ? Sir, the thing
is too evident; those who calumniate my
condud on this account, are desirous not
of serving the King, but of insulting roe,
and of eflablilhing new, dangerous, unmi;
Jitary, and unconstitutional powers in
thtmfelves.
While a precedent is eßablifhiig in my particular
case, I icq-ell it may moreover be remembered that
I am depoved of a Court n-artiel upon my cq du&
in America, brcaufc J am net foppefed to be amena
ble to the juflice of the Kingdom: And the King is
told, I haved.fobeyed hit orders, io the v&y ^n^
breath that 1 am Rated not to be accountable to him:
1, this dd&rine it seems foppofed, that I am not ca
pable ofjg^eiving orders for the purpose of public
juflice or public service, but am perfectly fubje& to
all such as have a tendency to my own deßru&ion.
Bit it has been suggested, when no military duty
could be devised as a ground for this order, that I
might be returned to captivity, in a fort of civil ca
pacity, to comfort my fellow prisoners by a partici
pation of their fufferings. and to aft as a Commiffaty
to negotiate for them. Could any fafferings of mine
alleviate the smallest of theirs I should willingly sub
mit to any thing the malice of the present Minivers
could infl.a upon me. Bat it is squally injurious
to truth and to their honor and humanity, to feppofe
that my ptrfccuticn could make any part of their
confobtion, What cor.folation could they derive
from my jonaion 10 the common captivity, only to
tell them that not a name among c.tm is to be found
in the numerous lift cf late promotions ? And that
the negotiations to be undertaken in their favour,
are to be conduced by the man who is notoriously
proscribed by the power in the name of which he is
to negotiate ? Who alone, of all the officers who
have ceme from America has been denied all access
to the Kin; ? Cruelly as I and my fellow foff^ers
arc treated I can scarce bring myfelf to with that
they who provide such comfort for others should re
ceive it in a similar situation themfevet.
I am lorry ft ally to observe that the treatment I
have experienced, however centradiaory in the
reaftns assigned for the several parts of it, it peifeaiy
uniform in the principle. They who would not
fuffer me to approach the King's presence to vindi
cate myfelf before him; Who -have held that I can
not have a Court martial to vindicate myfelf to my
profeffion ; and who have done all they could do, to
prevent me from vindicating myfalf to my country
by a Parliamentary enquiry ; are now very fyflema
tically desirous cf burying my innocence and their
own guilt, in the prifon# of the enemy, and of feme v
ing, in my person, to the other fide of the Atlantic
Ocean, the means cf renewing Parliamentary proceed
ings which they have reason to dread.
These extraordinary attempts to oppress in my
person the rights of all fubje&s, and to pervert every
idea of military obedience, by direaing it, not to the
ferviee of the public, but the ruin ofc facets, j unified
me to my own conscience, in the part I tock under
the conditional order, referred to in your letter. I
found the fame inward jollification in requiring in
the most public manner, at rhe close of the left Sessi
on cf Parlmment, a clear, peremptory order, in calc
the Mioiflers persevered in their intention of re- far
rendering me to the enemy.
I have received no order ; had an order been sent
to me framed in any manner that I could have aßed
upon it confidently with the exigence cf gbaraaer, I
might have made a proted against the precedent, 1
might have enquired of you, Sir, by What probable
means in the present posture of affairs it was to be
executed. Bat in deference to the King's name, as
a military fervent. I meant fabmiffion. Your letter,
Sir, inflead of an order for my future conduct, is an
unjust reproach of my past ; for which I humbly im
plore of his Majesty, and firmly demand of his coun
cils, trial by a court martial. Should that be refaf.
cd or procrastinated upon the principle formerly a
dep ed, " that in my present fi nation no judicature
" can have cognizance of ray adion, ;" I can then
confider the purport of your letter, Sir, in no other
light then as a difmiffion : A difm ffion as conclusive
as any you could have worded in form, and perhaps
more poignant. To cat the bread of the crown,
however faithfully earned, under a fen'ence, without
appeal, in the name of the King, of negjea cf duty,
and disobedience of orders, is incompatible with my
cone ption of honor ; an interdiction from my coun
try ; a baniffiment to the only part of the world in
which I am disabled from Serving that country at the
moment of her fate ; and when every other arm,
even to the weakest, is pressed to her defence; these
circumAances give a critical barbarity to the intenti
on of the Kite's advisers, that an Engl sh soldier
cannot support. Therefore, Sir, I find myfelf com
pelled, if not allowed an early trial, or by the King's
grace upon this leprefentation, reposed to a capaci
ty of ferviee, thro' your office! channel to reqaehhis
Majesty to accept of my refignauon cf my appoint
ment upon the American sass; of the Queen's regi
ment of light dragoons ; and of the government of
Fort William ; humbly desiring only to reserve my
rank as Lieutenant General in the army, to render
me the more clearly amenable to a court martial
hereafter and to enable me to fulfil my petfonal frith
Should I be required by the enemy so to do.
'I have the honor to be,&c. &c.
To the Ri^bt Honourable Charles Jenkinfoj,
S^cret^y at War,
(St# the fourth Page.)
NEW -Y0 RK, April 6.
By the Ship Polly, Capt. Haightman, in 1I Weeks
from Cork, we have received the following Ad
vices, viz.
From the LONDON GAZETTE.
Admiralty Office, January 3, 1,80.
CAPTAIN Marshall, of his Majefly's Sh ; p Em
merald, arrived late last night ftom Cap . Field
ing, with an account of his having fallen in with &
Fleet of Dutch merchant Ships, under the convoy
of the Admiral Count Bylaud, with a Squadron of
five Ships of war.
Cap'. Fielding desired permission to visit the mer
chant Ships, which was refufed. Upon fending his
boats to visit them, they were filed at, upon which
he fired a Shot a head of the Dutch Admiral who re^
turned a breadfide. Capt. Fielding did the like; and
the Dutch immediately flruck their colours. Such
of the merchant Ships as had naval ftcies on board
were flopt, and the Dutch admiral toll ts at he wac
at liberty to hoist his colours and prefecute his
voyage. He accepted the former, and fluted but
declined the latter; and is coming with the Ships
that was under his convoy to Spithead.
LON DO N, January 4.
Further particulars from C<mm<do^ Folding, re
lative to the Dutch Fleet.
THAT, on tie 3if lof December left, one cf
our sq jsdrc; then oa a cruise in the channel,
made the Signal for fpya^ a fleet, which was imme
diately ordered to be chafed by cur whole fqnadron,
and that io a few hoots ft,-came within call of it,
and found it to be a flee, cf 27 fail of Duch and
Americas m^rchammen, under convey ffthc Dutch
Admiral By#and, with five fh;ps cf the line and two
higates. Crmmcdore Fielding immediately ordered
abar^e out, and sent bis Captain on board the Dutch
Admiral, with his complements, and bagged to know
where that fleet was bound, at the fame time requeH
ifig pt'm ffion to search the merchantmen, agreeable
to hrs infiruaicns. The Admiral sent bis Captain
back with a very refprQable au'wer, informing the
commodore, that the D-ch men of bar were bound
to different flat our in ihe Weft Indies, and the mer
chantment for various ports efFrance most of which,
he acknowledged, were laden with hemp and iron,
But none with timber or cordage, but that he must
beg to be excafed from permitting 'heir being Torch
ed, as his orders were equally p^fi ive to the con
trary. *
Commodore Fielding returned for anfw% that he
hoped the Admiral would think better of it next
morning, when he should be under the nectffity of
renewing the application. The two fleets palled the
n-ght in company, at day break, next morning,
(Jan. 1) t^e Commodore sent his Cap am again with
a more puffing message. adding at the fame time,
that featch tee veffel^ he must, at all hazards. The
Dutch Admiral's reply was, that he was forty mat
ters were likely to be brought to such extremity, for,
that on boats attempting to board any of his vessels,
he should not fulfil his duty without firing t pen
them.
About ten o'clock, therefore the Brit : jh Commo
dore ordered a boat Stem every ship to be manned;
and to row down 10 them with colours flying, which
was infianily cemphed with; but no (penes did the
Dutch Admiral perceve the beats bearing down
than he filed a ffic' at them; Commodore Fielding
immediately fired a shot a-head of the Datch Admi
ral, fam <he Namur which the latter returned with
a bicadfide : on this th< Namur and Vigilant fired
each a broadside at the Dutch flag fhp from their
upper' and middle tiers when the Dutch Admiral
Stuck bis fla, as dd the rest of bin fquadicn and
first Fortunately no lives were loft on either fide.
Ccmmod oie F elding immediately sent an c fficer on
board the A^nrral requeuing him to heifl hit flag
again and pursue his voyage, since be (the Cem
modorc) bad fulfilled his duty, in capturing the
merchant veffch which be raufl carry into port;
The Admiral returned for arfwer, that he thought
himfetf board to fhaFe the fame fate with hit convoy,
and should therefore proceed with them; but, if the
Commodore would make his trqueft in writing, that
he should hpiA his colours, be would certainly com
ply with it, thiLbein^ immediacy done the Dutch
Admiral and his fqus&cn drip),.§e'd their colours,
and falutcd the B«tifh fla^ w rg guns, which
was returned by Commodore Fioldi.^ ; who imme
diately after, precluded with :e merchantmen, and
all the Da ch men.olwar^ $0: Spitbead. . ~
The firet confined cf 27 hri of merchantmen ;
but 10 of them* pa ted cnmp^^ rheni,' t before they
werefeen by the Erty sh (quaeres Paul Jones was
rot in company with ' e above flee, as is reported,
bat fiilud out of the Tex^i °^gy n ' bt ,bouta
fortnight igo, in 2 fidgk ft ,( ne Alliance), and
frem the Duich Admiral's account, went north a-,
boat, to avoid the frigate uat were cruifiag for him,