The Virginia gazette — Williamsburg [Va.], 1777-04-11 00:00:00, page 3

The marine force ofE-glud, now in America. ,eonsish of two ni'i
of the line,- ten istiee. end seventy one frigatee and armed v'esl'e :,
amounting in the whole w eight} three shipt and vessels of vssar, md
fifteen thousand seemen. - _ ct ,
Noe. ] . The Munifieent, Eldmgsifmm New York, Wght ad
vice that rd line and dip brother theGeaeral have had an interview"
with some of the Congresd, but nothing m done, as they would treat
with them on no odtertemte then a free-ltate. '
Those t'vhn to have the best information with respect to our
' e in mefiea, affert, that the flowed have no authority to settle
any thin. with the provineiale, but a temporary eefl_'ation of hostiljtju :
Thetthetr eharun, being now become legally forfeteed. evil] hereafter
he nodefled u shall appen- tnol! commodious to the mother co'untry.
Noe. 53. The advocate: of Ameriea ineessantly declare. that if we
Kn conquer the melted eeloniee, we cannot keey them in subjection
without a very large biding army. There is certainly much justice in
thil mark. But then : ues'cion will arise. by whom this large stand
ing envy in to be paid? 'Po this, common sense sirepliee, the: it must be
undoubtedly [aid for by theAmetieam. Atssthetr rebelliott has created
the ofctfieh a military ehhliihnssent, it it surely msonable that
the weight of it hold fall upon their own shouldef-e. They nosiw boast
of being able to pay msiooo men forssthe maintenance of civnl "war, and.
consequentty they me well s on a fourthlpm of that number for the
in ofgen tranqtu ity. —
Aletter from St. Eubtia. Sept.ssaa. We. 'sbl commandet- qfa Dutch
steep, arrived :: th': plat fla- Borh Bct , ctbriag: lb: fillnving intelli
ptm: A Wfilcttjdn harried :: Pom Belle, frm Cadiz, c.: are
up a lay body of force;. E—wr] thing tbtn wear: the appearance
of uwct, and at; matins" lb: above purpose t': tarrying on by the
Spuicrdtiadlt Mix must India.
it is now "? eon tly talked, among the friends of government,
at the Court en of thctm, and in the city, that by Christmat they ex
pect the pq'u to be open to lien York, if not to Philadelphin and Ma
land.
I'yBy a poflscript of a letter front New Yolk, dated Se t. 28, we are in
formed, that an orderly book of the provincialt had en picked up by
one of our officen on the field of battle, in which directiom were minuted
to spare neither man, woman, nor child. ct When General Howe was
shewed thin, inflead'of ifl'uihg out orden of reprisall, ae wat expected,
he ve a particular charge to the whole army to exert their benevolence
an humanity the more, at there wan a possibility, he said, of such or
den being gtven under an idea of their being treated so themselves.
By the late flop age of a eapiul West lndia house in the city, said to
be for upwards (: _4,oo.oool. a considerable house at Briltol it likel to
be affected, and it is feared the consequence: may extend farther. i not
prevented by the support of the merchants, many of whom have agreed
to flibscribe lar some, to be drawn upon the bank of England; but it
is as yet doub ul whether : sufficient sum can be raised to answer this
emergeney, which is said at least to require : so,oool.
WILLlAMSBURG, 45! 11.
THE noo Guun. annc-rou, Clpnin Moseley, i; mind
from unsad. laden with shlt end d goode.
Wednefda some despztches were receive here, by exyress from hit
Excellenc eneral Washington, said to bring advice of an embarkation
of 1000 o the enemy :: New York, on board of transportl. with ::
numberos flat bottomed beau. Their d'eflirtation lud not transpired
when the express left clmp.
It may be depended on, that : ship is arrived from France, at Ports
mouth in New Hampshire, with rooo barrels of powder, u,ooo stand
of army. cannon far.: frigate built at Portsmouth, and : large uzntity
of linens, woollent, &c. &c. and that I 50 gon ship sailed at t : same
time, from the fame place, with-so brass field-picccs, and other warlike
store: on board. A GenerlI, I Colouel, and : Major, came pzssengen
in the above ship. recommended by Dr. Franklin. —
Two very fine ship; from London are taken and clrried into Boston,
leden with dry goodt, value 50,oool. sterling.
We have the pleasure to assure our readers that all the Virgini: troops
to the nonhward are well of the fmlllpox.
The men of war below, since our last, have set ashore 27 more
prisonen.
Lest Monday GEORGE WYTHE, Esq; was unanimoufly chosen :
Delegatc to represent thin city in General Assembly. '
Extract qf : [mer from Alum,! Town ( New Jerfq) Mars}: 25.
" Ycstesdaz :. fty of about sixty men from Sampton, under Iflsijor
Ritney of Co one Stricker's battaliun, fell in with a party of the enemy
near one of their out pofls, where : smart engagemcnt began. Major
Rimey's party being much inferior to the enemy .(who were continually
'ssreinforced) he was obliqd Zosimt, which he did in such good order
us 'ndt-to lose : man, t ou h the enemy were three times hie number.
He was presently reinforeed tieutenant Colone} Hollingsworth, with
: detqchment from Col. Rumley'e battalion of Muyhnd militia, and the
Virginin volunteenz' who, ltter : smart skirmish, 'cansed the enemy to
give way, and drove them into their brealtwor-ks, "leaving behind them
everal hue, knapsukn. blankete, and one bloody handkerchief.
" In thin lkilmish they must have lost some men, as they were seen
carrying them of in the time of lflion, which happened Within half a
mile of their breasiwork-n. We had two riflet broke, but not a man hurt
in this lkirmish; an evident proof that Providence shields the just and
brave, for we forced them from an advantafieout wood, where they were
pofled behind tree:, and our people entire y exposed in an open field.
The trot?- that were engaged With our't were British, and not Hesiiane.
Our who e party did not exceed one hundred and thirty, and the enemy
not lefe thnn three hundred."
General Burgoyne nrrived in England in a bad state of health. Dun
more in nlso there, end but had the bow of : conferrence with the King.
A drought prevailed throughout the whole at last summer in the ifland
of St. Domingo; which Fendered every article of life so dear that sub
sifhnce wu wanted for the Negroee, and in many place. they were obliged
to kill their' dormkie animals for food. .
There is no certainty that : body of Rufliane aroto be employed against
m. The English papen mention only :; reinforcement of 6 more Bruns
vick battalione, and four from lreland, that are to be over thin spring.
A privlteer floop belongin to New London, has taken a brig bound
from Liverpool to Antigua, aden with dry goode, oau, end potatoes,
valued lt lo,oool. sterling; and : letteros marque floop it arrived at Phi
ladeiphia, from Martimco, and brought in with her : prize fioop from
New York, bound to Barbados.
On the Ilsi ultimo James Molesworth, a traitor and spy, was executed
on the commom near Philadelphia. it appeared by sundry evidence,
ard hit own confession, that he had been sent fiom New York to procure
pilotl for conduaing the British fleet up the river Delaware.
The [(in of Great Britain hath coufu-red the dignity of a Baronct of
Great Britnm on Robert Eden, Esqz late Govemor of Blaryland. Ge
neral Howe is also made a Knight of the Bath.
Deatbt.) The Rev. PATMCK HENRY, Reaor of St. Paul's parish,
in Hanover.
From lb: Soutb Carnlixa gmtu, Feb. 27. We have been favoured
with the followingsiauthentic intelligence from Georgia: On the morning
of the l7lh inshnt fort Mackintosh, at Sitilla, "was attacked by a large
party from Floridz. The glrrison of the stoekade confined of about so
men, commanded by Capuin,Richard Winn, of the South Carolmz
nngere. The enemy kept u : smart" fire on the garrison tor about five
houn, after which Lieut. Co . Thomal Brown, of the Florid: rnnssers,
came with ; flag, and required the glrril'on to surrender, threato-ning,
the! in ed'e of non-compliance, no mere would be thewn. Capt. Winn
demanded an hour't time to consider, w ieh wan agreed to. ln answer
to the proposition, he soon informed Col. Brown. by : l'enjaant, that
" they were bound in honour not to comply with it, and that if they
should fall into his hands they expected to be treated ac Gentlemen and
prisoners of war." The serjeant returned. bringing with him Lcrd'and
General Howe'z Proclamation. Capt. Winn bid the enemy desiance; :
smart fire immediately ensued, and was kept up on both tide: for Illout
an hour. Next day Lieut. Col. Fuser of the Royal Americnns, the com
manding officer of the enemy, sent in a message to Capt. Winn, and de
fircd he would send out some of his officer: to see the forces, and their
preparation: for the attack. This was complied with, I" the officero;
excepting Capt. Winn, going out. On their return. they informed him
of the enem "s force being val'tly superior to hie, and of their being pro
vided with ve field-piecsis. lt wan therefore determined to surrender,
and at n. o'clock the enemy were put in posiession of the fort. The gan.
rison were allowed to keep their haggage, were disarmed, and, except
ing two officers, Lieutenants Caldwel] and Miller, who are sent to Au.
gustine, were dismisscd on their parole, to be considered al prisoners of
war till an equzl number is exchanged. They were escorted some dis
tance, to protect them from the savages, who were very unruly. The
force of the enem wae about 1000 men; soo of them regulate, loo
Florida rangers, t e relt Indians. Of Capuin Winn's men four were
wounded. The loss of the enemy not known, but several were seen car
ried off. Col. Harris, who went with :: party from fort Howe to the as.
sishnce of Capt. Winn, feil in with : superjour number of the enemy, .,
and wu obliged to return with the loss of six men killed and taken. _ *
[Q- fltfretbnldzfl aj' Your cannl} art earnest!) requgflessl to a end
of the turtbaust " M'ondqy th! ::st flj tbi: month," stele'ct :: SENA _0R
and two DELEGATES to represent then in the approaching Ct-m-al
Affimb/y. ]