The Virginia gazette — Williamsburg, Va., 1776-02-02 00:00:00, page 2

Mhoping for the best, are sipt to call out,
Come, come, we shall be shend; agaiujbr al!
thix. But examine the pashous and see]—
ings ofmankind; bring the doctrine of
reconcilintion to the touchltone of mture,
and then tell me, whether you can here
after love, honour, and faithfully serve,
the power that hlth carried fire and sword
into your land ? If you cannot do all
rhese, then are you only dccciving your
selves, and, by your delay, bringing ruin
upon posterity. Your future conucctlon
with Britain, whom you can neither lm-c
nor honour, will be forced and unnatural,
and, being formed only on the plsim of
prescznt convenience, will, in a little time,
fall into a relapie more wretched than the
first. But ifyou say you can llill pass the
violations over, then ! ask, Hath your'hause
been burnt ? hath your pmperrsiy been de
stroyed before your juce? Are your unfi- and
children defiitute ofa bed to lie on, or bread
to live on:" Havesi wsiu last' (: parent or a child
by their hand:, ussnd you; jects the ruined and
wresi'chedsarviver? it" you have not, then
are you not ;: juJ e of' those who have ;
but if you have, and still can shake hands
with the mur-lerers, then are you unwor—
thy the name of husband, father, friend,
or lover, and, whatt ver ma) be your rank
or title in life, you have the heart of a
coward, and the spirit ofa sycophant.
This is not'inflaming or c-xaggerating
matters, but trying them by those seelings
gnd affections which nature justifies, and
without which we should be incapable of
ischarging the social duties oslisc, or en
]oying the selicities osit. ] mean not to
cxhibit horrour for the purpose of provok
an reVenge, but to awaken us from fatal
and unmanly flumbers, that we may pur
sue determinately some fixed object. it
is not in the power of England or osfrlurope
to conquer America, if [he doth not con
quer heiselk by delay and timidity. The
present winter is wnrlh an age, is rightly
employed; but iHnst, or neglected, the
whole continent will partake of the mis—
fortuu -; and there is no punishment' which
that man doth not deserve, be he who, or
What, or where he \\ in, that may be the
mrsscms us sacrilicing a season so precious
and uieful.
lt is repujvnnnt to reasim, to the uni
versa] order of things. to all examples
from sormtr ages, to suppose that this
continent can long remain subject to any
external power. 'l'he most sanguine in
Britain doth not think so. The utmost
' stretch of human wisdom cannot at this
time compass a plan, short of separation,
whih can promise the continent even a
ear'a security. Reconciliation is now it
Zaflacious dream. [Nature hath descrted
the connection, and art cannot supply her
PiftC'f; for, as Milton wisely expresses,
Never can true reconcilement grow where
wound., osderzdly hcttc have pierced/o deep.
' , Every quiet method for peace hath been
inestectu-il. Ourprayers have been rejected
with disilain, and tended to convince us
that nothing flatters vanity, or confirms
obstinacy in kings more, than rc-peated
petitioning *, and nothing hath co-vtributed
mbre, than th et very measure, to make
the king's of Eumpc: ahiolute: Witness
Denmark and S sieden. VV hercsore, since
nothing but blows w siil du, for God's lake
let us come to a final scparation, and not
leave the next generation to be cutting
. roats under the violated unmezming
names of parent and child . To say they
will never attempt it again is idle z-nd
vsiisionary. We thought so at the repeul
of the stamp act, yet a year or two
undeceived us. As well may we suppose,
that nations, which have been once de
feated, will never renew the qu nrrel.
- As to government matters, it is not in
the power of Brita'm to do this continent
justice. ct si'l'he business osit will soon be too
Weighty aful intrimm to lssm managed,
with any tulcrablc degree of convenience,
by a power lo UllqulI 'Trom us, ansid so
very ignorant of us ; for if they cannot
ctumquer us, they cannot govern us. To
be alwh)si running three or four thousand
miles vsnn ;; tale or a petition, Waiting
soursi'or five mouths for an answer, which,
when obtained, requires five or six more
to explain it in, will, in a few years, he
looked upon as folly and childishness.
There was a time when it was proper,
and there is a proper time for it to cease.
Small iflands, nor capable of protectingct
themselves, are the proper ohjects for gu
vernment to take under their Care ; but
there is something very abiurci in suH-us—
ing a continem to be pelpclually govern—
ed by an isiand. ln no instance hall- nature
made the sutellte larger than its primury
planet ; and as England and America,
with respect to each other, revelies the
eummon order ofuature, it is evident
they belong to diffirent syliems, England
to Europe, America to ilsiss.
I am not imlucrd by motives of pride,
party, or resentmcnt, to espuusc the duc
trine Os separutiun and indepcndcuce. I
am clearly, positively, and conscicntioufly
peusuctded, that it is the true interest of
this contincnt to be si), that every thing
short of that is mere patchwork, that it
can afford no lasting felicity, that it is
leaving the sword to our children, and
shrinking back at a time when, a little
more, a little farther, would have ren
dered this continent the glory of the earth.
As Brituin hath not manilksted the least
inclination towards a cOmpromil'e, we
may be assured that no terms can be ob
tained worthy the acceptance of the con
tineut, or any ways equal to the expenisie
of blood and treasure we have already
been put to.
The object contended for ought always
to bear some just proportion to the ex
pense. 'l'he removal of North, or the
whole detcstable juncto, is a matter unqsi.
worthy the milhons We have expen ct (ij.
. , ..
A temporary sioppage of tricle was tsimct I
convenience which would have shfiiejently
bulanced the repeal of all the acts com
pluiued us, had such repeals been obtain
ed ; but isthe whole continent must take
up arms, isovery man must be a soidier,
it is scarcely worth our while to fight
against a contemptible ministry only.
Dearly, dearly, do we pay for the repeal
of the acts, if that is all we fight for ; for,
in ajust estimation, it is as great a folly to
pay a Bunker-hil] price for law as for land.
As I have always considered the indepen
dency of this continent as an event which,
sooner or later, must arrive, so, from the
late rapid progress of the continent to
nmturity, the event could not be far of.
Wherefore, on the breaking out of husii—
lities, it was not worth the while to !) we
disputed a matter which time would have
finally redressed, unless we meant to be
in earnest; otherwise, it is like waiting an
estate on a suit at law to regulate the
trespasses of a tenant whose ]ease is just
expiring. No man was a warmer wisher
for reconciiiation'than myself, besore the
fatal lgth of April 1775; but the moment
the event of that day was made known I
rejected the hardened, sulien-tempered
Phar. oh of'England for ever, and disdain
the wretch, that, with the pretended title
of fitthcr of his people, csim unfsic-elingly
hear of their ll..ugl.ter, and cmnposedly
sleep with their blood upon his soul.
VVILLlAMSBURG, Fcb. 2.
Mr. Pvn ma,
L Ii M ] 'I' the officers and soldiers of
minuLe-men oslhe hattulion in South
tlmmptun dilirict, through your paper, to
return their molt iinccre thanks to col.
Thomas Wssillidmson, of Southampmn
county, for the very kind and huspituble
recep'siion they met with from that worthy
gentleman on their march to Nursulk.
PHlL A D ELP " ! A, 7anuarjy 15.
lN, Couunuss, junumy 11, 1776.
HEREAS it appear;, to thi> (Lm-gssl : ss,
that several evil-disposid pen nuns,
in order to ohsh'uCt and deteat the eflurts'
of the United (;ulunies in the uclchce of
their jult rights, have attempted to de
pi'cciulc the bill: 01 credit (mitted by the
authority of lilh' (jungiclsi :
quul'ued thereji/re, lhdl ifzmy pershn
shall hereafter be so lull to all xiltue, and
regard for this country, as to refuse to
receive the said bih: in passumnt, or ob
sh'msit or (lisinurage the current") or circu
latiun thereof, and shall be duly cunvidud
bx the cuunnittcc ut'the city, gounty, or
distritsit, us, in cnlsie cctf sim z-p},c;ctl tinm their
dicisiun, by the aiisipissby, convention,
council, ur cummittcc (zsiast-t) (sisthc ch
lcm) where he shall relide, such person
shall be deemed, published, and treated as
an enemy to hiv cuuntxy, and precluded
from all trude m— intercourse with the inha
bilum— nslhese culc—nicz.
Extract: ji-um Me minutes.
Pub/{sbcd by order of the Congrc/i. 'si
CHARLLQ l'hUMPdON, lectuary.
ct'si :
Ex-rkACT firm: the proceeding,: of tho
(;ONVENTMN, of junuury gd (:r- 4111,
1776.
Rtsisi/olved. that doctor Archibald Camp
bcll does not appear to have been ihimical
to ths risihls and liberties ot Amcrica.
ss Rcssolved, thcttjuhn " iic-ughby acted a
a friend to Amc-n'lcan liberty before lord
Dunmure cu-cted his llamlurd, and what—
ever he aftcrv al'db did to the contrary
proceeded from con-pulsiun, being him
scllct, and family, in the power oslord
Dunmore.
Ke/blved, that Cary Michell doth not
appear to haVe acted untriendly to Ame
rican liberty.
, Rcsolved, that Matthew Phripp hath
uniformerly shewn himself the firm and
steady friend of Amcricau liberty, until
his unfortunate visit to Norsolk, in conse
quence osthe invitation of' hisagsied parent;
at which ting,, falling- intu the power of
lord Dunmore'; he had only the alternative
of'submitcing, or e ss_ . his life and
fortune to hicts lordship'ass " cfiment ;" that,
'in this extremity, ]! , si ldcd," and took
the oath ; but as the sa si atthew Phripp
soon after maniscsted hll' willingness to
support the common cause, we think,
upon she whole, he ought to be restored
to the confidence ushisi countr) men.
Mr. Punoxa, '
' 'HE answer given to my question in
Pinkncy's paper, osthe loth instaut,
by A. M . is just and satissactory; and shall
only observe, that his sulutiun differs from
mine 75'30." The correspondencc he
propuses I shall be happy in carrying on,
from the Fame motive that induced me to
appear in print, which was only to obtain
iushrmation upon the'subjcct of GUNNE
RY, that ] might he somewhat serviceable
to the publick, by engaging their atten
tion to so important a study. ] solve the
question in the following manner, but
should not hsiwe published it, had it not
been at the requclt of A. M. Draw A B
equal to the hurizontal distctnce; from
the point B, Lmd perpendiculsiu' to the
horizon, draw Ba equal] to the height of
the point of prujctitiun above the object to
be hit; from s/draw AE equal to the
imjmtus osthc bull; hissccsst it in 0 by the
line G' K; at right zing-lus to A E draw A m
perpendicuhr to A a, which will cut G [(
in m; vsith the rudius AG, and on the
oint m, as centrc, describe the circle
AKE; bisscct Ell in R, and R z/ in C;
draw the line C L perpendicuhn' to the
horizmn, which will cut the circle in two
points L F; draw A], :md A F, which are
the tgulgcnt, or directions required.
1). l .