The Virginia gazette — Williamsburg, Va., 1776-04-12 00:00:00, page 2

W;Wassmmff
erous' moderatidn. ] apprehend that
mdependence'could, in no wav, be more
explicitly announced than by dsssolv'mg the
Fovemm'ent on which it depended, and
' orm'mg one with which it is utterly incom—
atible. " Besides the overturning from
" without; governments are diffblved
"from within, when the legistature i:
altered," are the words of mr. Locke.
We have not only altered the legishture,
but exercised the judicial, the executive,
and every other power osindependcnt so
vereignty, except the least considerable one ,
of negotiating with soreign states. Why
have we so unanimoufly and cheerfully
assumed the greater acts of shvereignty,
and yet hesitate about the lcsser? If the
abshlute necessity of cdmmencing the con
test directed us, insensibly, to the former,
why tremble when the necessity of conti
nuing it. as absolutcly directs us to the
]atter? I am at a loss to give an answer,
except that we shall be obliged to call our
selves, what for some mouths we have
really been, indepelzdent. In this dread
ozmd our terrours seem to be comprehend
ed. And shall we, by silent stealth, draw
all in good effects, and shamefully deny
our benesactor? I confess this conduct
rescmbles more the dark guilt of rebeliion
than the manly candour of a righteous
resisiance. While GangreffZ-s, Couveutiam,
Councils of Safizty, military awangcmcnts,
court: osadmiralty, cozctmUr-committee courtsif,
colonialfbech, &c. are fresh in their me-si
mories, will our enemies believe as when
.we tell them we meant not to be indepen
dent? So mean a suhtersugc would serve
-only to add the insolent lash os contempt
to the scourgc they have prepared for us.
The ex cdtation ospcnce and reconcilia
tion still fosters the irrcsolution of some
men. The Vague, unauthenticated hintsss
of peace, which were the harbingers of
my lord North's alive branch, divided our
councils, and enervated our preparations
for defence. This, it might have been
thought, would have. furnished us, and
on 'no ver reasonable terms, with the
wisdom ofyexperience; but some, under
an insatuation without example, are now
deluded with an artifice of the same kind.
We fondly expect commisiioners of peacess
The king, on the contrary, tells us ex
resily, that he shailsend them to receive
he submzffiom of the ])eriitent rebel.r, and
that they shall be accompanied with ;:
ver rejpectable fbrcc. This very respec
tab e, very humanc, and peace-compel
ling- force, is neither more or less than all
which they cauld at present master for
our destruction. One of his servants tells
us, we may obtain any thing by a coag/li—
utionnl application; while another, in his
Eresence, who has the sole power of ena
ling us to tr the cxpcriment, should we
(incline, resu s by his concurrence to make
it possible. Anci could this be done by
the author of a late pathetick letter? it
is addinginsulttoinjury , with a vengeance * .
" Their smiles are not to be trusted; their
resentment should not be dreaded; the
treachery of the first is not less formidable
than the effects of the last.
Be assured, my countrymen, that they
would,
Under fair pretence of friendly ends,
With well-plac'd words of glozing cour
si tes ,
Baited with reZsons not unpiausibie,
Wind them into the easy-hearted man,
And hug him into snares.
.] am, sir, yours, &c.
A. B.
'7-5 General Clinton and lord Dzmmore,
in their late conference with so] . Corbin.
C. A NI 15 R ] 1) 0 E, .Mnrch 21.
[IE joy of our friends in Boston, on
seeing the victorinus and galiant troops
of their country inter the town almost at
the hecls of their barbarous oppressors,
gratulatsizons which soon aiierwctfflsix mni:
place, between those of the nearest cun
ncxions in life, for a long time cruelly
rent. sunder by the tyranny of our impla
cable enemies, shrpaflsses description.
From such a set os beiugs, the prescrvati
on of property was not expected; and it
was found that a great part of the evacu
ated houses had been piH-sstged, the isiumi
ture broke and destroyed, and many of
thebuildings greatly damagcd. ]t is wor
thy osnot'lce, however, that the buiidings
belonging to the hon . john Hancock, est};
particularly his elegant mauiiun-hotzse,
were left in good order. All the linen
and wooilen goods, except some that
might be secreced, Were carried off by the
enemy. All the salt and mulusses, which
they could find, Were desh'ojsicd. The
enemy also deitroycd great quantities of
effects belonging to themselves which they
could not carry off, such as gun carringcs,
and other carriuges of" various kinds, house
surniture, &c. together with (! quantity
osfiour and hay. All their sorts, butte
ries, redoubts, and breastworks, remain
entire and complete. They ]cst many of
their heavieit canuon, mounted on earth
ges, and several of them charged ; all of'
them were either spiketl up, or had &
trunuion beat off. They also lest several
of their ]argcst mortars; quantitics of
cannonshut, shells, numbersot lmsitll-sizrms,
and other instruments Os war, have been
found in many parts of the town, thrown
off the wharves, concezdcd in vanlts, or
broken in pieces. In the sort on Bunker's
Hill, several hundred good blsimkets were
found. lt is said about 15 or 20 of the
king's horses have been also taken up in
the town ; and it is thought about the
same number of 'l'ories remain behind, all
the rest being- gone with the fleet.
The prisoners, who were long confined in
jail, Were cruelly carried oflsiin irons.
Tuesday evening the enemy set fire to
the block-house and barracks at the castle,
and yesterday they were employed at the
same place in blowing up and demolishing
the furtilications. , .
A purt of the continental army are now
employed in sortissing Fort Hill, in Bos—
ton, to secursie the town against any attacks
which may be made by the enemy's ships
'of war. '
The enem r's fleet, consisting of about
too sail, stil lie between the Cul'tle and
Nantalket. .
Vk'c have since heard they have all put
to sea, by their course supposed to be bound
sor llnlitux.
Two vessels arrived at Portsmouth the
beginning of this week, and brought in [ix.
tuns of gunpowder.
We have just learned that between 90
andsiloo pieces ofcannon, 2 or ȝooo hushcls
'os wheat, and avast quantity osc al, have
been found in Bostun, also upwards oi' loo
horses.
N E W Y O li K, Alum]: 28.
Y the Albany post we, are informed
that letters hadjust come to hand in
Albany, informing that gm crnour Carle
ton, one morning, had shot 17 nt'hismen,
for rcsusing to sight; that the iew forces
under his command, as well as the people
in general in Quebeck, were much dixicl
ed; that our forces amuunted to 57oo
men, and many on their march, which,
when joined, would augmentour army to
upwards of6ooo, and that our troops were
to storm the city the zoth chalch.
Extract of a letter fi'om Cmnbriclge.
" Col. Miffl'ctn had yesterduy an inter
view with nmjor SmaH , who informed him
that they expected the commisiiuners to
treat with the Congrcsi', zmd that the
duke of Grsillsswn was one of them. He
also informed, that they (in Bosi'on) heard
that general (jhnton and his troops Were
taken."--- [Lies all.]
nn-siwluss, "}n-u T- -m. : ::1: "!; ;...csi N-ss'sisslf...
12: [1 m sisssilu s-L :zcrdll .2. si.'.;.. '.-si\!'n.\i.:1!-.si_
Vs (L- -si'sissb s, <'.:( nu' 5, i-';:'siz-_7h-;.'5,. ;.ml (AL
ton' s 1c_,<ri.nents, zurivul hue from the
lumc phlsst'c, by \\ ny ()l sun ] , sin -h-n.
Pmt ot cul Dsix) ton s la: (:: liutf sicfn
lct:h'l.sill)c\h',10\\'11 and lendes} ("(As-] auics
(] um (Zosnuctisut, came to town hit
uctkzllsib, so tlut We now ]] we .wrcubouc
Scoo men.
'1'u( silsin lust, arrived here from s'hihdcl—
phm brig-siuh er-gcnt !" qu'nn De VVm-Lilke,
the 'rI )n. Bclss. -j unm h'sium]: n, and isifl enul
olhtr siendcmen.
By illtt'l. i<_'_cncc from Csimbr'zdnssc, of the
24th (f M nch, the whole (ten wus hung
in Naul: (flux mzul.
W
N E \\ B F. li N, 1'si'1.lr('/z 22.
[If Csmm inu- of .siaht) {( r Ihi "sims
t: ict have ordered ('u]. (lum (ll, com
mundmgr-c sheen of the \cwberu lunta'z'un
or minutc-men to m;- :r(hiuun(-usiwte!y 10
Brunsni: k, to jom the olhcl loutd ()l (] 18
province in nppufiug gc—mr (] (,sihnlun, who
is an'wed there with ((mihkrnlk Isimuz.
The committce have also m-(icred 750 us
the miihisix ut- the sound Cuunzics in this
dish'silcsit tu march uudcr ('ui. Luswdl, and
we expect in 12 or 15 dzzys tu hznc 15ssoc—o
men (simbudicd against gm (mour Msictu'lin's
cut-throut armv; for by a deposiliun osu.
master of a veilsic] vxho l'atcly sell into the
hands oi'capt. Cohett, tlmt little ntrociam
villain, he told] 4. 11 W.enc*1(lhnton's :umy
was to spme neither age nor lex, except
a Few )oung lauies, who w are to be {med
(or their private pleulures. Amclicrctns,
muse, muse )uur rescntment against the
shvnge brutes, and let your indgnation
full with teniold vengeance on the heads
of these murderers, thc pious troops of
George Ill. the father of ]Zi! people.
\Vlssl.LlANlSBUR G, April 12.
LAST Saturday cnpt. jsi-simcs Bzzrrou
si-Hived in town with deisipatches from
the sc-crctzxry of state for governour lsiichn
osMuryhmd, which he took srum un hoard
a small vessel that had been sent by lord
Dnnmore to carry them to Annupuiis.
They were in the cusiocly of a certain mr.
Ross si-nm Fort Pitt, an old osi'ender, and
an asisiociate of the infamous Connoily.
' 'he packet contained three letters The
first, datcd Nov. loth, only serves to
annunnce hislordship's succeeding the earl
osDartmouth as sccrcmry for the Amcricun
department. The second, of Dec. 234],
enclosed the act os parliament sor seiziug
Americzm property; and assures him oshis
mzz'esty's beingdetermined , in concurrence
with his parliament, to pursue the most
viqorou: meafictre: jbr reducing hi: rebelh'rsiu:
sillfis-ct: in North America ; and then closes
with the king's exhortation to the people
of his government, couched in terms of
the same import which we have already
seen in sundry proclumatinns from his
governours. The third letter, being more
interesting, is inserted at full length, and
is as (blluws :
VVHITEHALL, Dcc. 22, 177q.
S I R,
T was not tffl the 27th os Novembcr that
your despatch to lord Durtmuuth, us
the: 27th of Aussusiust, v.:15 received hn'c,
when I had the huxmur uf'ln)ing it in sure
the king;; and ] hzxvc it in comntmd from
his mujcsty to cxprcfsi to \'(:1\ his nmjcsty's
npprubutsilon us your'tml jbr t/zc ['tis-lick
fi-rvicc, and olssthc Isi'UJslt'fllblcct' attzurlnnunt
)nu have ihcwn to his ])Cl sin] and govern—
ment, from the first cuunncuccmcnt of
the present unhappy disputes, which have
involved his nmjcsiy's _/itz'tl:fitl_/Z-rv1mts in
the colonies in disiicakics and distress, that
are only to be cquz-Hed by the fortitudc
with which they are born.
Your letter contains a great deal osz'mjy
ushfill ilz/ermatinn, and your coizfissdz-zltial
carmnmm'atiun ofthe characters cfindiz-idu