The Virginia gazette — Williamsburg, Va., 1776-06-14 00:00:00, page 4

To CIMRLES Pctx'r'resox 'and JonN CA
BELL, gentlemen, delcga te: fin' tlzc coun
ty ojsilzuckingham, now in General Con
vention :
The Anvnsss and TNSTRUCTIONS ofthc
freeholders of the said county.
GENTLEMEN,si
' S yon were elected and depnted by us
to fill the most difficult and important
place that the repreitntativcs of this conn—
ty were ever appointed to act in, we can
not, in le'Z'lice to ourselves and poltelsiity,
forbear to give some instructions concern—
ing" the distharge of your great trust. ]n
thiS'we have the example oksimany, but
would not tie you down in a manner too
sh'icctt and politive. Though a general
considence in your hunesty and wisdom
may bcrcqnired, yet, in some great and
leading questions, it may not be unneces
sary to take the sense of your cunltitucnts.
Wc give you uui's in the plained, cullest,
and lxedvmethod it can be collected. lt'it
does not agree with the general opinion,
we tsirctjsilit at least it will be pardonable.'
Actuated by a warm and sincere regard
for the interests and rights of mankind,
and & deep sense ofour present iitnation,
we wish to think and proceed aright in
affliirs osshch great consequence; and are
Willing, therefore, to submit ouropinions
to the candidjudgment of the puhhck.
The unhappy dispnte between Great
Britain and these United Colonies seemsnow
arrived to :; crisis, from whence events
ought to _t:dce place, which,_at the begin
ning, we believe, were in contemplation
of but a saw, and even by them viewed at
a much greater distance. When dissenti
ons first arose, we felt our hearts warmly
attached to the king of Great Britpin and
the royal Famiiy; but now! the case is
much alter; . At that time, we wished
to look upox the ministry and parliament
as_the only sountains From which the bit—
ter waters flowed, and considered the kin
Us deceived and misguidcd by his counseisiZ
lors; and were therefore led to think, that
he might , in a proper time, open his eyes,
and become a mediator between his con
tending- subjects. Thwmasurcs, how
ever ltsidl pursued aglil America, leave
no room to expect such an interposition,
from motives of goodness and affection;
_or with concesiions, which may be justly
required. Our enemies denouncc our
.ruin, from the Whole tenour of their con
duct; and the king's speeches, and ad
drefles, retolntlons1 anu acrs or ["it IlZlslld
ment, are evidently concertcd to carry
their great and favourite point. Prospects
of a reconcihation haveopcned themselves
to some, but they, wc seat", were onlythe
ignorant, eredulous, and unwary; and,
even to them, they must, ere this, have
closed with more threatening appearances .
The gracious'receipt ofsia continen al pe
tition, and the bare mention of commisst
oners, have been severally eonstrued good
marks of reconcilcment and peace, by
those who too shndiy hoped what was ge
nerally desired .
When the British pnrhnment assumed an
absolute power over us, and attempted to
exercise that power, an oppoiition was
formed in the United Colonies, the most
)acifick which could be adopted, with any
probability of" silCCfCsS, in the last resort,
should our enemies perlist in their mea
fitres, and endeavour to drive us into sub
ziffion by force. This opposition became
a great offence in theit' eyes; our petitions
'were treated siwith contempt, our actions
termed rebellious, and arms used to sub
due us . As the colonies seemed determin
ed, li'nm the first, to maintain their rights,
and the rights of'a (si'rec people, they were
"obliged to oppnse some with force; and,
for the effectual purpose thereof, us occu—
sions required , it. take into their own hands
the legiflttim, cxecutive, and judicial
.' 7:7 I,L_L F.,411475'B_UR(}: "Printed by ALEXANDER PURDIE, fit shC CONSTITL'siTI-ONAL Lct®siisictsissosssssilusisisi si
powcrs of government. Thisi. 'uzizss .z n.
cessury conshqucnce, and no if-zsisilmi sin.?
permunent opposjtion could he -:- nisi i: !
out, it. They violated the kiss'th sir'si-hzss
ters, the principlcs nt'thc cm- kiss. sssiztitzn, :tnd
attempted to destroy ()ln' [( _—ct;:d us well as
natural rights. We could do nothing
without forming ut lond" :: temporary go
vernment ofsionr own, by laying niidc that
Part, and dilpensing wizh thcti'si- forms, Us
the old constitutiun, which nere incum
pzttibic uith ons svi'sicty or incccik. They
have broken through puiitivc Luxs, ;md
express acts o'r' Aiisiemhlv, us vc-H ;15 tho
ties which nnitchmn to man in sifZsi'C'DCl'di .dsi
fection; bv which means they hzzvc hu—
comc felons, and enemies, Hlltit'l' thosu
laws. In the struggle, th: Zivsi—z-z us hun
drcds have been dcictiroyed; Honrishing
towns lm'rnt down and dmnolishsid; pru
perty seized :ind taken, secretly and open
ly; thousztnds reduced, from cnsy and us
ilucnt circumstances, to poverty and dis
lrcsis ; and all the horrours of'un expcnsivc
and dreadful wzn' experienced . W e have
opposed with arms, and persevered in our
mcnsin'es with a resolution to maintain
our rights, and regarded no law hereto
ict'orc made but as it was found consistent;
with such a laudable (lclign. Both tides
grow every day more and more incenscd,
from circumstassnces which always arise in
suchcontests; undthztt generalconfidencc,
so necessary to the iinsivport ofcvcry kind
osgovernment, seems entirely annih'dat
ed, without & prospcct of rc—union ol'as
fcctions sufficient to restore it. It be
comes daily more out oicttheir power, and
farther from their inclination, to put us
on the footing where we stood at the close
of the last war, or repair the great da
mages we have sustained; which, if they
should ever confess their errour, and de
sire to close with us on the terms we have
hitherto offered, they mustz in justice and
reason, agree ought to be done.
Besides, the welsure of ourselves, and
future generations, obliges us to turn mut
tcrs over in every point of'vicw, and con
sider what has been the issue of contclts
most similar to our own. As virtue or
publick' spirit cannot be thoroughly lost in
any country, but must survive in the
brensts ofmany individuals, so it would be
too sanguine to imagine that any country
is without some men of ambitious and
seisilh vicws; who, taking the advantage
of favourable omzortnnities, and an un
settled state, turn the scale too much to
their own side, and destroy the liberty, or
fix the chains, of their country. This
eft! we find generally arises 'm, or after,
civil broils, when the people have 'no esta—
blish'ed government, or are led from a
scnsn-osdanger, or unhmited considencc,
to give themselves up blimlly to their lead—
ers. This misfortune, we hope, winne
ver happen among us; nor do wc believe
that, at this time, there are any of'influ
ence or inclination to effect or desire it.
However, it is better to prevent evils than
have them to remedy; and no precaution
can be too great for the attainment of
every vuluablc end to mankind. \\ hen
things are fixed in a point beyond the pre—
sent, many advantages may probably ac
cruc. We therefore, your conilitucnts,
recommend to, and instruct you, as sar
as your voices will contribute, to cause a
total and final separation srom Great Bri—
ta'm to take place, as soon as pnllible; or,
as we conceive this great point will not
come within your in'nncdi-sitte prov'mcc,
that, as far as in your power, you cause
such instructions to be given to the dele
gsltcs from this colony to the (Iuntineutal
Congrcss; that you wdsigss'h well the impor;
tanCc OF the matter, and cndcuvuur te)
lodge power in the hands osthz-sc. whose
houesty. wisdom, amllnrclsinct:h-sisih'conn
try , will direct, them to use it for the pub
__._.__.L...-.
>_.>ud ; thsiit, as far asi Four Vthtsitb arc
:
si . Hl-z d, you cnflse :. srec ::nu I::tsi'r'sip_\* um
Siiiutiun in he (lluizhlhtd, vith sin n-nund
;uiun t'i' the mid, and so trtui. timms ?;
hzts hrcn sound intonveniru ..mi (:plncs.
lit c ; :tmi thutyou uxdcnvunrtu1.\tt]znh
hci-ssienlmzly in this coniiitntimi, :..si'. un es—
scn'siml principle nisi its suppzst't .
In the Fit isismt unfsculed stsiztc c-ict:xssairs,ct
v.}:sisi-n th-ssi ;sisi-nc-t'nmcnt crec'kctz-Li :mt'ntg us
i> Clss'ltii'issssisi'i! on all hzznds to be (n.!) tempo—
t'znssv, hzt' th-si- immedimu Zss'si'sisi? z-ti- tz-l'up
Point;} the :H'hsiltssitl'y i'tt'idssxrsi ul lhsizsiuc Uri
llsslill, ::ntl cflsisssiciinsigsi a t'usi'unrssssh ;Znn with
this muthct' ('cnzazi'y, wiun lhsi- (iK-I'tifist is
between subject and subject., with theclsi
tuhliihcd power of ])CLLCC :uzsi'! uftr at [he
it siud of (His ('lll'lllit'*i, and on? 'ssnsiof'cliions
and ztdinns tend only to bring; . hunt :! sc
concil'z'siztiun, -.sic ]lec not the ]czzit room
to hsihcvc that any linsieign n.:siiu—n wi" es—
ponsc our cause in an open ;md ;:vuwed
manner; but when we lay ::iidc sithtsi-{L con
iidcrutions, and bid the his: :xfiicn, some
shreign powers may, for thrit- own inte
rest, lend an aiiittinglmnd, i}. Hif: ;t trude,
and enzthie us to dilsichnrgc ths,- ctsijz'cctt bur
thens of the war, which othzrwiilsi may
become intole abie. I'lct'eagninwc would
direct you, :15 far as relates to your pro
tince, to beware of any other than com
ntet'ciul nihnnces with ibrcigmrs, and to
keep their armics nssynnr Hamsics, is pos—
sible. \Ve ;;ik for a full .t'cin'clentation,
free and frequent elections, and that no
standing armics whatever (honhl be kept.
up in times of peace. Vlc truff you will
usc you'r utmost care and circumspcction
at this trying crisis, that as Amexica is the:
last part of the world which hits co'ntend
ed for her liberty, so she nmy ba: the most
free and happy. She hcts in my advantages,
which others, in nearly her circuznstansscefi, '
have not known; urilinpss' fron; heriituari
on and strength, and the experience of' ail
before to profit by. View \\ tli ahe defects
in other governments, and cctmsider thfe
visible cansies which reduced them
from freedom to flavery, m' r.tised"theri1
from flavery to liberty; and learn by'these
examples. It was by a revoluticn, and
the choice of the people, that the presentsi
royal family was seated on the throne of
Great Britain, and we conceive the Sti
preme Being hath lest it in our power, to
choose what government we please for our
civil and religious happiness; and when
that becomes desective, or dcviates from
the end of its insiitution, and cannot be
corrected,- that the people may form them
selves into another, avoiding the desccts
of the former. This we wuuhl now with
to have csscdtccl, as soon as the genectral
consent approves. and she wisdom ofom'
councils will admiz; that we may, as far
as possible, Lccp up our primctzcty object,
and not losu Oursi-lvcs in hunkcring ctsm
a reconciliation with () rcat Bs'uain . " Gousil
government alone, and the prosperity of
mankind, can be in the divine intention.
Vchruy, therefore, that, nudcrthesupcr
intending providcnce or" the Rules of the:
Universe, & government may be cshibhihccl
in Americu, the most free, huppy, and
permanssfsint, thzu' human wisdom c-sim con
n'ive, and the perfchion of man maintain.
})ttbl{/,'.ved lsszy order nsf/zu committue.
ROLFH F.],DRIDCE, clerk.
——W—-——ss—si
To .Mest'. 13"on ds- l-lUNTz-LR.
('- ENTLEMEN,
[IROU GH an omiilion of yours, a.
T number of: your customc-ra in thz:
hsixc'k coumics in this cul-simy had not timely
notice Of the PUBLLCK F-Xd'l' appointed
hv the GENERAL CONC—HHSS. ] think
ixct :l duty you owe the public}; to inform .
them of thc reason of this ncysshscssfft. By
doing; it, in a shtisflchkot'y msiznnusi, you
\\ ill oblige, gentlemen, your hum'x lc si-r
Vzmt, M()N'i'.—'-.."—.US.