The Virginia gazette — Williamsburg, Va., 1777-08-22 00:00:00, page 2

PHILADELPHIA, August 5.
A letter fi'om Bez-jzunin pranklin and dihs
Dcanc, esquirea'. to lord Stornumc, the
English ambnffudour at Paris.
My LORD, Pnsixs, Afrilz,1777.
E did ourselves thchonc urot wrixisi-g
somc'timc since to your lcrdH-isisi
on the subject of cxclzanging prisoners.
You did not condzsccnd to give us m y
answer, and therefore we expect none to
this. fl'e however take the liberty of
sending ycu copies of certain depcsizi-sims
which we shall transmit to Congresi,
. whereby it will be known to your court
that the Unitcd States are not unncqurxint
ed with the barbarous treatment their
pc0ple rc ceive when they have the missur
tuneosbcing your prisoners here in Europe;
and that, is your conduct towards us is
not altered, it is not unlikely that scverc
reprisals may be thoughtjusiisiablc, from
the .zecc sslty of putting some check to such
abominablc practices. ' '
for the lake or numamty, 1: 15 to oe
Kish2d that men Wouk] endeavour to alle
viatc, asmuch asposslble, thcunavoidablc
miseries attending a state of war. lf. lns
been sai-l, that Among the civihzed nali
ons of Europe the ancient horrours c s that
state are much diminishcd; but the: com
pellingmen by chains. siripcs, and snninc,
to fight agaslinfl: their friends and relations,
is a new mode of barbarity, which your
nation alone has the honour of'inveming;
and the sending American prisoners of war
!
to Mrica and Asia, rc mosie from all pro
babisity of'exchange, and where they can
scarce hope ever to hear from their flami
lics, even is the unwholssisimcness of the
climate does not put a specdy end to th: ir
lives, is a manner oftreut'mgct captivcs that
You can justisy by no other prccedcnt or
custom excc'n that of the black savagcs
of Gusinca.
, We arc your lordship's molt obedient
humble servants,
B. FRANKLKN.
S. DEANE.
Lordvzj/Zmunt S'ronMox-r.
- To the above letter the ioilowing inso.
lent reply was made:
" THE king": ambaffizdour receive: na
letter: fi-cm rcbsb, except when thcyccmc
to dlk mercy."
Extract of a letter fi'om France, dated
2.
" Our privateers and cruisers in the
channc! hzsi-vc raised the cnsurancc in
London. One of my friends here lately
paid 10 per cent. between Dover and
Calzctis. Capt. Cunnyngham, imprudently
:
returning into Dunkirl: with two prizec,
was apprehendcd, with his pcoplc, as. the
request of the court of England, and put
into prison, on pretence ot'piracy; but,
having :: commisslon from Cungrcss, they
are dischnrgcd. The erzcs, however,
being reclaimcd, will be delivered up, the
fitting out at Duukirk being contrary to
treaiics. which must be observed till waris
declared."
Extract of a letter fi-om tmsi American gentle
man at Paris, May 13, 1777.
" From every information lam able to
obtain, our enemies are much prcflizd to
make a tolc rableappcarance this campnign .
Someth'mg extraordinary n-ust happen to
enable the king- os Great Britain to gratisy
the maHgnancyqfhis passion, by continu
ing the war, shbuld this campaigu sctil.
" h'ucver a man, impelled by the most
le-ricnl disnnsition, can do, may be ex
pected from him ]t is certain he has
mrx-lc s.-mc csinmsswrs in th; finhcry to
this crum, irz hupcs ( skceping Lhun (] lict;
Lu' ;sic need not be much afraid about the
rssff & hfctlhctsm."
Extract nfa lette. from Lonfcn, April 25.
" lslW m'r. ---— to-L! *) , z-ltzi lmssss! ;. long
conVerssisit'scm vsiisih hi-n. He, i.; :! wail 'm
fiructcd', czsiuctiqus, and scniible mzm, and,
though connected with Govemmeng. he
t'sssnkly acknowledged to me., that xssithe
king's snrccs were not able this cqmpaxgn
to give & final (lescat'ts- the Amcrlczarl ar
my ,sissitss'ssv—vGukIss be impussnble for admlmstra
t-uq'tn support another. Arms, he laid,
were to decide the queflion of indepen
dmcv; and people in power still fluttcr
thenillecs w'uh (iissiunion, and that Wash
ingcon would not be ablento collect an_ ar
my stmng enough to rehzk the exerhons
of Howsiz. He conduded by observing,
that nothing; less. in "his opinion, than the
imervemiuu nf Providence could prevent
the ruin ()sBrimin "
Extract of a letter from a gentleman of
character at Martinique, St. Pierre,
j'une 24, 1777
*'* The act of parliament that was lately
passed for the purpose of destroying our
commcrce, by imprisoning our scamen,
has begun to operate among the islands.
All Americans that are now taken are
closely confined until an oppertun'uy offers
sir sending them to Great Britain."
'I he enemy'a fleet of men of war and
transports, on board which all their troops
(except some scw at New York and Sta
t-sin island) arc embarked, have becn ho
vczsiiug about the cr—pes of the Dclawnre
this week past, sometimes standing into
the bay, and cut to sea again; but on
Friday last they diszzppcared, and were not
seen again when the last accounts came
away.
By a letter From Boston we learn, that
capt. Fisk, who was said to be taken, is
arrived with a very valuablc cm go from
France, and that clpt. Clcushm's richest
prize has also pjnt snse in.
WILLlAMSBU RG, August 22.
CORRETPUNDENT informs, that
,L upon notice bcisi*g received of the ap
pro-c'w of the British fleet to our capcs,
th', C u .cil immcdittely met at the Ca
pitol; at.d as his Excellency the Gover
nour was at that t'me out of town, orders
were immediately isi sit] by the Lieutenant
Governour' ssto th ceunty lieutcnants
throughe ut the commonweaith to prepare
their several corps of miiitia to march to
Williamshurg, Y—ctrk, Portsmouth, &c.
in order to be in readincss to receive the ene
my, wheresoever they shJuH make & dss
cent. In consequence of these orders, the
miiitiasrom thzneighbcuring counties have
aireadyrepaired to their appointed rendfz
vous with theutmofl: alacritv, and seem de
termined to lend their affistance to their
country on this extraordinary occasion
with & cheersulness that will ever do ho
nour to them. An instance of the extra
ordinary readiness of these brave sricnds to
liberty w enter the field may be produ—
ced in the Sussex militia, who, being warn—
ed out on Saturday, encamped on Sunday
evening on the banlcs-ofjames river forty
miles from home. So rapid a march is
scarcely to be paraliclied.
ln pursuancc of the powers granted by
act of'Assemny, his Excellcrcy the Go
Verncur. immedfatciy on his return to
Vw'iliicmshurg, with theadviceostheCcun
ci], amgqiztted TquLgctssNELsm: , jun.
est]; ccuzt'sicttsiy iicutenassisstctosYsscTrk, brigadier
generashnd Cammnnder in chief es the
forces in t] is cssimeaonweui'h. The ap
poiutmcnt (;fa guttlcman so universally
beloved and ciiesmskd for his zsi-zdct-us at
tztchmcnt to our sacred cctulc, CH'K'ZOY.
fail of g'ssving ths: m-si-st un siigncd ]sisiczsi'zsu c
toevcry sticml tohi csi-ucti'sizry, whor. fl ('t-=
that, cxceptc u ' noblegzncml inthe north ,
there, is not; & native of Americsit to " lies.:
standnrd so great :- numbercfsiwrrm v'tsiitit-Ys
and I'Lsiisslfissssstlibie perfirlrs wou'd rep: ir 25 to
that txsstiiy nc-blc and worthy gentic-mct'rn's.
ksssi'ss/c are all:) informed, smzn uvsi'sh u'tt
ed auth'uizv, that the worthy si-jcn-zrczsssi 3 33
accepted the C'vmm-md tt-m't the most
dtiintct'ilul motives, as he ssjsssis rcssisissid a
salary, his table only being supported at
the expensc osthc Cf'ssn'luu-n'.vczilill. Such ,
instances of genuine panimism mark th:
most generous attachmen: to his country,
and its liberties.
, Ycstcrday evening the troops in !}.vis city,
both reguhrs and mililh, 'ss'cz'e revicwecl
on the Collcgc grccn hy general Nelsun,
who expressed luimsclt' mth shtisisicd with
their readincss to attend on the present
occasion, and madeamfzstanlmctiiug speech
to them on the present prospcct before us.
It may not be unworthy ot' ubssixvalicn
With what calm'silcss w: now heat of the
approach osa fleet of two hundred ssiil.
Two years ago a tmdrr v.]t'u half a dram:
three poundcrs wou'd have cxciied more
consternation among the people t'uzsin so
shrmidzsisiblc an arm'unect-nt uocs :sis. ])lssLl-UL.
Such are the ,ofimiouz; slui s (s iudeoen
dencc, which has delivered cur mmds
from those sh zckies which an accustomed
tyranny had impoied on them. '
Another correspondent remarks, that
the alacrity of the militia in turning out
to defend the lower country must be at
tended with the most: salutary effects to
the whole commonwealth, as very great
qtlantities of salt are already made in the
counties bordessng on the suit w ater, which
in a few mouths will be able to suppiy. the
whole country with that article, so indis
pensnbly necessary to life.
The lion. Congrcss have ordered an
inquiry to be made into the reasons for
ev'acuitinz Ticonderoga and Mount lode
pcndence, and into the conduct of the
general officers who were in the northern
department at the time ofthc evac'uation;
and that majms general St. CI-siiz' and
Schuyler do immediately repair to head
quarters, and the brignd'sieis as soon as
general Washiz gton shall judge their ab
sence from the .uLIic k service willpermit .
His Excellency is also cmpowered to order
such general officer as he shall think proper
to repair with all possible cxpedltion to re
lieve mnjor general Schuyler in his com
mand, and to furnish him with directious
what number of the milisi.i.t to call in from
the states of New Hampshire, Mzss-si-chu
lette Bay, Connecticut, New Yolk, New
Jersey, ,and Pennsylvania; the said com
mander to have dishretionary power to
make rcquisitions on the states asoresaid,
from time to time, for such additishal
number- cf the militia to serve in the nor
thern department as he shall judge neces
sary for the publick service .._...\/1:jur ge—
neral GATES, we learn, it appointed to
that important command; from whose
valour and good conduct, added to the
rciusorcements daily aniving to the nor—
thern army. there is the greatest reason to
hope our uflsiairs there will quickly take a
more favourable turn, and Burgoyn , in
his turn, be driven back to the blcak re
gions from whence he slelied forth.
Nothing new has transpired, since our
last., rclpccting the enemy's flzet, but
their being gone up the. bay. A. 64 gan
ship and a srlgate lie off the spit at York.
The continemal frigate Hancock of 34
guns, capt. Maffly, was taken the 6Lh
usslt. as she, with her consort the Boflon,
wcrc conveying into an easicrn port the
Pox and another vessel they had made
pr'z: (,s, by the Rzzinbow and Flora British
man as wzssr, and the Victcr armed brig.
The B {tun nnd Fox got clear, but the
nhsir p-Tzc capt. Manly set" fire to before
he w as taken.
'I he th uv. ingsftltr United States ]ottery
i., }3(.-!tpnnfll tothc Gih..xk'Dss'ovembcrnfxt,
usi-on accc uttt us the uzncertnissty cs ths
cu-ctmjv'siss iutcnthms nysi;*]z\l't )lziluiclph'm,
:;isizcl (l cssnnsidcrzzsiissfc number of the lickazs
)et rcmzsisimhtg unsrz'cti, which are in the
me lnv- ]!TNZ' lo hr sssnt to the disisssirent {bres
to 1): (if}wsid os.
.'si=<;v: rctl 'w'i'c-Ft txsic'sii-zrwss'n. part as: H.:Pt
oszbu (:.lezosi1:csi,vard l-si um! from St. liitt's,