The New-Jersey journal — Chatham, N.J., 1782-09-11 00:00:00, page 1

Vol. IV.]
N E W-J ERSEY JOURNAL,
A LETTER,
Addressed to the INHABITANTS
of Charles-Town.
Charles- Town, August p, 1782.
,yo nos cunqueferet m^lior fortuna—>.
Lvimus 6 bocii Comitejque—
Nil deJperandum-—
SIR S,
TH E extensive plan of the war in which Great-
Bruanis eng ged, rende s it expedient for her
to withdraw her troops from the southern diftrid of
North Amtfrca.
The wifoom o' folly of the measure is foreign to
tha fubjed of this a'drefs.
In the prelent hour of impending danger, a review
of the sy stem of policy which has been pu-fued since
the reduction of this town is of lit 1c moment.
The army, habituated implicitly to approve the
orders of their commanders will feel little regret in
leaving us; the national honour of the soldier is
wounded, when he reflects on the lal tfcene of an un
fuccefstul campaign, and his gallant heart is touched
with pity at the hard fa e of these his arm can no
longer protest, and from numbers of whom, pehaps,
he has experienced eve y mark of kindness and at
tenrion
But there is a description of persons, whose fixa
tion is much to be lamented, it includes all thole who
acknowledged themfe v<s Bri^fh subj £ts at the con
qieil of this province in the year 1780. Their pro
perty was then here, and their p operty now com
pels them to remain in this country . —See their situ.
anon! —not very pleasant, i r must be owned—but
fuiely it will admit c f some alleviation;
■ Why 00 not these persons find out tb^r enrobe' ?
—When they have found how numerous thty are,
they will view their affairs in a more favourable
light
The names of these persons may be colleaed into
the form of an allocation ; this will include a body
of citizens, by no means unworthy the notice of the
thinking part of the leaders of the American party ;
a fort of convention may be entered into, difhonour
able to neither party.
But here a deeming difficulty occurs —There is a
shyness in a great many against Signing associations
or ay kind. But <bferve.—this affectation has no
thing to co with politics.—not a word will be men
tioned of the supremacy of the British Parliament, or
dependency or independency of America.
This is to be considered as the remohftrance of
those persons, who, after a severe contetl, surrender.
eLto tile British forces ;—which forces, will, in a
short time, withdraw their protection, These per
sons, of course, are now dr firoas of being considered
a. -to be protected by the power which will succeed
the British.
This is the purport of the intended afi elation.—
The form will be agreed to by a ft est committee.
•Who will not acknowledge, but that it is a mo r e
dig ble, —a more manly mode of proceeding than
the prevailing faction of 6 ' making one's peace"
as they, flile it. For instance, one person deals out of
town, wi h p r o{ouno humility, con feffes his mani
fold tra.Tgieffions.m kes a wonderful merit of an
ticipating an evacuation, and prays fervently to be
admitted.
Another person is perfectly polite and courteous
to every American rfmehe accidentally meets with
in the fleets; pc haps he commences the humble
'Servant of some reputed whig in town.
Ano her intreats his wife or some friend to write
letters in erceffory for h : m,—then, there is another
pe fun has a epufin of his wife's aunt now in the
Amer can camp ;—t^ere is another has all his rela
tions married in America, and last of a 1!, one pleases
himfep with the charming bought, that he was al
wavs a friend to the American cause in his hearts
though pe haps he now and then does duty it the ci
ty guard io a r ed coat.
What ©etched (Lifts are these, though force have
fucceered by them! Yet finely men of feufe would
blulh to follow their example,
WEDNESDA Y, September ir, 1782.
Another great objection to the proposed associati
on is, the supposed refufal of the concurrence of the
merchants and others, who have fettled here since the
surrender of the town. It is surmised that they are
apprehensive of offending a body of people, with
whom they exped shortly to be commercially con
ne&td. Let them confider the spirit of the associati
on proposed. There will not be the shadow of an
offence couched in it. It is a civil treaty ;= a trea
ty, which they as individua s have solicited, and
surely it would be more refpeCtabe if it came from
their aggregate body.
Certainly, there is a semblance of spirit and confi
dence, to rely on the gene^ofity of the power they
soon will bend to—but this is not the case in the
common tia^faflions of life.
How much greater fatisfadion muff that merchant
enjoy, who has received from the Americans, assu
rances of protection in person and property, while
he demeans himfeif as a good citizen, than one,
who blindly trusts to the event of things^ and
spends .the tedious moments in hoping for the best !
Though the pencil is dipped in colours of the
deepest dye, jet fainly indeed are the horrors of ci
vil war depicted.—lt is not therefore to describe
them, but to fofien, that this letter is obtruded
on the pub ic.
I er then the names of those persons who either
from nereffity of choice will to, remain in this coun
try, be colle&ed—to these nrmes let there be prefixed
propofa s to the c< meander in chief of the Ameri
can forces.-- It cannot be dcubted but an agreeable
answer, as well as the times pe mir, will be ieturned.
Their conduct will be cinfidered, and those, to
whom leaf ns of state poiiej deny onger residence
in this country, will know the word ; —they will be
freed from the anxiety of fufence, and mod Hand
prepared to receive the tudeftihocks of adverse for
tune.
And may it not be h^ped, that the eye ofhumani
ty will drop a tear of pty over sch a long mehm
choly lift of names, v.htini barefhnunt fr m Ameri
ca must devote to indife ibabh mi ery.
May it not be hoped that th: band of lenity w'l
mark the smallest number pjfible of btate crimi
nals--- still considering them as brethren, though
they have differed in their political sentiments.
7 hey will remember that their moalcharacters are
unimpeached, and that in then various fittaricns in
life, they have difeharged their duty with in egrity
and honour.
Should these proposals of the ciiz ns of Charief
town be unattended to but forbid the thought!
they cannot be rejected. Let thetria be made, --if
rejected - then cuncemn the Americans in power of
INHUMANITY.
But let the Americans contemplate the viciffi'ude
of human affairs ; -Let them km w, that mildness
is a firmer basis, on which to rarethe ftrudure of A
merican g camels, than oppression and severity.
The inhabitants of a la'ge and opulent city will
have great weight in the scale of American p litics.
—if their offers are rejected, despair will render
them formidabe. Even cowards grow desperate
when pushed too far.
It would be a novelty in the history of nations,
for citizens to throw open their gates to a power
from whom they have differed in poiicai senti
ments, without some previous treaty.
The spirit of good and b aye men revolts at un
conditional fubmhfion,—if it is infilled up n, they
must be reduced to be fad alternative of defending
themfelve- to the last extremity— This will prolong
the distresses of the war, and probably deprive the
Americans of the honour of taking peaceable pos
session of the metropolis of Carolina, without the
assistance of foreign troops.
The fitft will of the heart of the writer of this
address is, that f me abler pen may be excited to
point out a line of conduct which may prevent that
anarchy and misery into which so great a number
of our fellow citizens are rapidly battening.
Jam, Sirs,
With great refpeft,
Your well-wilher,
A CITIZEN.
AMSTERDAM, June ig.
Several letters from Paris of the 7th of this
month, make mention of a great advantage gained
in the East Indies by M, De Orves, commanding
the ships of his most Christian Majefly, over the fleet
of Admiral Hughes, commander of the British fl et
in that part of the world. Among these letters
there is one,, the tenor of which is so important^
that tho' the news still merits confirmation, we can
not forbear publishing it.
" On board the Sphinx, in the bay of Trindotauk;
, February 14.
" I take this opportunity, of the failing of *
Dutch armed (hip carrying to France the news of
the re-taking Tiincomale by our squadron, and the
entire defeat of the Englilh fleet under the command
of Admiral Hughes, made priforer on b aid the
Superb man of war, bi te King's ships I' Annibl©
and 1 Sphinx. Our fleet was much superior to that:
of the enemy. Besides the Supurb, we have taken
the Englilh ships the Ganges and the Royal Admirals
M. de Suffrien may claim the capture of the latter,
wnich he engaged five hours and an half. The rest:
ofthe Englilh squadron have been greatly dilabled,
and obliged to take shelter under Fort Anna. We
have taken in T rincoihale 750 of the Englilh troops
and 1500teapoys The (hip 1' Orent, Capt. Boyer,
fell in with one of the Englilh squadron chat was
fi f kng, and laved the remainder of the crew. The
Englilh have loft a great number of men. We had
5, men kiLed and 24 wounded on board the Sphinx."
LONDON June 2§.
r The idea of keeping a squadron oi thips in tha
North Seas, fufficient to fignt the Dutch, is totally
givenop for this Summer. It was fount impoflib e
co 'pa el4or 1 Blips of the line for that purpose,
and at the fame time have are pitiable Channel flter b
ty keep the cutrof in awe pro t^ ourera<e, and re
lieve Gibraltar A convoy is now ass mbiing ag
Punlmomb, with t 0 pg, pavilions and military
floes cr th. lc.lt meric oaed purpose.
It is not improbable but abort tne beginning of
nxt m<nh an engagement will happen between the
E g) th flee under L rd Howe, and the combined
fleet of F auce and Spain, as he latter will never per
mit Gib al ar to be relieved, without attempring to
prevent it ; and tho' they try have a fuperiorit) of
seven o< eight fail of the line, yet as their force con
fins ofd.ffi rent nations, signals may b mifunderftood^
and confufion will ensue. On ti e contrzt the Eu
gth vi, have a c>mpa& fl et, commanded b, b r ave
aid experienced offi ers, wh>,no doobt, will have
t e glorious 1 2 hos April in remenbance, and like
the br, y, Rooney, manoeuvre only to break the e
nemy s ime, uhi<h thee is no dot bt, will at kaft
in part be st ended with the fame success.
June 20. It is not true as has been represented,
tha M .Grenville had returned to Paris, He arriv
e fr<m France last Saturday evening, and having
held repeard conferences with Lord Sh< Iburne and
Mr. Fcx on the fu bjett of his negociation, set efffor
Stowe, from whence he will soon return to London,
to receive further inftru&ions and more cn a ged
powers, on the future conduct of bis important cm
baffy. rhe^e is every reason to expert the most
pleasing effects from he further prosecution of his
negoci tion. The ports of Calais and Dover having;
been opened in consequence of wh^t la p-ffed be
tween the two courts, a ci cumitance whicu is always
corn erec i as a p elage ofan approa<hi ? g pac fication.
On I burfeay evening Major Ross Aid de Camp
to Earl Cornwallis, arrived express fem Paris, with
the agreeable intelligence of having uegeciated bis
Lordship's exchange.
Yeherday Lord Cornwallis was at court for the
fi ft ime since his I eirg exchanged. Sir Henry Clin
ton w tado pref nt, and they had each a long con
ference with the King.
June 2^ Commodore E'Ho' is said to be fixed up
on to command the force intended to make a defeent
upon the coast of France. The plan, which is kept
a profound ftcret, is said to have been formed by
Lord Keppel.
The wif< of a soldier in the guards, having pur^,
chafed a bed of a br ke: in Druryriane, in carrying
it home upon her head, thought th; felt fom€thing
[Numb. CLXXXVII.]