The Virginia gazette — Williamsburg, Va., 1776-04-05 00:00:00, page 2

. .that Lh ' ' .tB Bread the snare, and cannot
help crying out to you, " O foolish
'f Americans! who has bewitched you,.
" that you should put any confidence in
" men who spill your blood with as little
" desiren'mny and reluctance as a butcher
_" Would that of an ox. is this all you
" know of the king and his ministers ?"
] know there is not a Tory now on the
contineut but hopes these commisiioners
Will efect. their purpose, and are preparing
to give them every possible affistanCe, and
Very few Whigs who have not their fears
on the occasion. Ever thinking man,
du both side: of the qttel inn, must, and
deed believe, that their sole errand is to
cajole and deceive, and that large promises ,
lies, bribery, and corruption, are the
means they will use.
] beseech you to lend all your spirit and
vigour to the Congress on the occasion.
.Dependsi on it they will want it. Pray
them to take one decisive step: To send
order! to the commander'in chief in each
provincefto arrest said eommisiioners, in
_the nameof the 13 United Colonies, as soon
:! they set foot on shore, and send them,
under stron guards, to the Congress,
With the stnctest injunction that they be
permitted to speak with no man, besides
dle guard: and their servants, until they
lrrive in Phflnde] hia; and that, as soon
.as they arrive, : (nputation from Congresis
wait upon them, and aik them this one
{bin question, Have you authority to order
, your !: and armie: impediately .?
:If they an wet- in the negative, then to
break of all farther conference, and send
them off that instant to the enemy's head
nature, with this information, That we
can: as much to treat with :: dugger at our
breq/i: a: we di/i-egard their force;. [(
they answer in "the affirmative, then to
lssure them , that as soon as the intelligence
of their fleets and armies- safe arrival in
,Great Britain shall have reached America,
the conference shall be opened, and not
before. That they, in the meantime,
shall be kept in safe custody, treated like
gentlemen, but not permitted _t9ct cgssizcef
d or converse with the inhabitants be
re the treat is completed. Ever .ho'nr
spent in con erence with commi tuum,
before thin takes place, is an hour lost tQ
_ America, and two gained to Great Bricain.
, Beside: the immense damage: which will
' firise from the power: ofdeceit and comp
' on, English gold, government promises,
rensions, titles, an every art which ma
ice, cunning, and religious h pocrisy,
can siinvent or use, will be psiyed off
ainfl: our liberties. These, judicioufly
plied, will convert such among the
eat as have not virtue and integrity to
'withstand their force; and you will be sold,
Withput pockeung a penny of the price.
Witbffle fzocketing, did I say ? Nay,
ourselves must pay it. Hard lot indeed!
int if you have not virtue and spirit suffi
cient. to sup _ rt the Congrcsi: in execucing
se me _ urssep, spr. your security, you
deserve it. . ],conclnde, by exhurtingyon
to keep ssoflsstbc wsiatch; lose not sight of
. the. king and the army, by looking at the
* ss e ministers, parliament, and commis
mue". One bold stroke will effectuaily
defect the machinatinns of the lat-ter', and
then the former will stand alone and un
so}: rted, and a siecond vigorous exertion
if,:rush their evil designs against your
ss liberties. Remenber these commisiionets
are the wooden horse which is to take those
by stratagem whom twelve years hofiility
could not reducect Act then like Laacoon;
strike the dagger into his breast, and never
ct permit your credulity or inactivity to give
the perjured Sinon an opportunity of mak
ing a worn out, deiuded, or corrupted
Whig', the altar on which to offer up your
dear—bdu ght privileges .
CASSANDRA.
P. S. ] shaii besi'tcisidfjhsss' would be
treating the cummissionct's t00_ midiierly.
To this ] answer," mep couning-on such an
etrand cannot be treated too" muctch'so.
Let any one show the lead} mark ctul' -si.1 d-e— "
sign in administration to relinqixifhltheir
claims, and ! will treat them him the
utmost ceremony and rsicsprct. 3] Min—
publilh an ancient testimony'in their own
favour, isit can be but considered as ddctin'
them honour; for though ] tisinltct'l shall
never prostelute a pure and holy religion
to pay my court to men', thocigh thty-"be.
kin;?s, yet] will dq any right rhing—sor'
tho e who Come on so good- nctn sierrand.
w- - -
N E W Y 0 li-K, Marssch 20.
Y an express arrived last night front
Cambridge, which place he left the
l4th, we learn that general-Howe intended
a seint us embarkatwn, in order to draw
off our troops from Dorchester point, who
intended to attack his lines, which at the
same time were doably manued . The bait
did not take, general VK ashingwn hzning
secured the heights with 7o_oo men ; and a
reserve of 5000 were ready at Roxbury to
sustain them, in case of need. Our army
wan soon increased to the amount ol'3o,ooo
men; every thing cunl ired to render
eneral Howe's designs x'uitlSss, 'and he
Eas at length been obliged to turn his scin't
into a real embarkation . He can noctlonger
stay there, as he is ensiladed on every side.
The admiral's ship, and a number of
'the transports, had left the harbour, and
were in Nantafket road; the rest of the
army embarkin as fast as possible, and
there is no dou t but their destination is
for New York.
General Washington has already detach—
ed six regiments for this place, who are al
ready advanced too miles towards it; zooo
men from Connecticut arc coming; 13
other regiments will soon be here, so that
we shall in a few days have an army os at
least 20,ooo men to opposc our enemies,
and we have a train of zoo pieces of can
non ready to_ salute them.
PHJLAD ELP H [A, March 15
Extract of a letter, received by exprcj}, from
the best authority, dated head-quarters,
Cambridge, March 1'9, 1776. -
IT is with the greatest pleasure l inform
you, that on Sunday last, the 17th
inflame, about 4 o'clock in the forcnoon,
the ministerial army evacuated the town
of Boston, and that the forces of the
United Colonies are in actual pusiession
thereof. ] beg leave to congratulate you,
sir, and the Hon. Congresis, on this happy
event; and particularly, _-as it was effected
without endan ering the lives and proper
ty of.the rsiemaminsig usilhappy inhabitants.
-- 1 nave great reawn ;co imagine men
fli ht was precipitated by the appearance
0 11 workwhichlhad ordered to be thrown
up last Saturday ni ht on an eminence at
'Dorchester, whichay nearest to Boston
Neck, called Nesswk's Hil]. The town,
though it ]th suffered greatly, is not in so
had a state. 31 I expected to find it.
?} As soon as the ministerial troops had
'quitted the town, [ordered iooomen (who
had had the smail-pox) under the com
mand of general Pumam, to take possesii
on of the heights, which I shall endeavour
to fortisy in—suc-h a manner as to prevent
their return, should they attempt it ; but
as they are still in the harbour. I thought
it not prudent to march offwith the main
body of the army until I should be fully
satisfied they had quitted the coast. I
have therefore only detached five regi
ments, besides the rifle battalion, to New
York, and shall kee the remainder here,
till all suspicion () their return ceases.
" The situation in which ] found theix
works evidently discovered that their re
treat was made with the greatest precipi
tation. They lest their burracks and othei
works of wood at Bunker's Hill, &c. al
standing, am] have-dcsiroyed but a small
part ol'their lines. 'l hey have also hh a
number Os-sincss pieces & cunnon, which
they- lsspikcd up, also a very large iron
mortzzr. and (us ] um informed) they
have thi-siown Mother over the end of )our
whar's. '
si " I have-cmployed proper pcrshns to
'd'rinsi'the cannmsi, and doubt mt ] sin]
be able to sine the must of them. ] zuu
not able to procure an exact hlhuf :111 the
ifore's they hau lcsl; as soon as it can be
done, -] [hall take care to transmit it to
you. From an eliimute of wlut the
quartfrmaster-general has already discu
vcred, the am xunt will be 25 or 30,o:;o]."
We hear the humune general Howe has
ssburnt the pretty little town of Nuntaikcctc,
in Boshm harbour; and that many of the
'l'oric—s, not being able to get off with the
fleet, have throw ]] themlelves (Su'the mercy
of their countrymen. .
Extract oj'alcttcrjramNew York, March 1 6 .
" Ycl'tcrday several cannun were sent
across the river to the soruficcttion ac
Brooklyn ferry, and one third of the cil'l—
zens were ordered out to erec't new works.
'l'hey began a iort upon mr. Bayard's
mount, near the Bowery, and another all
round the hospital. To-day another one
third is gone out. Every street in the city
is to be hurricaded." -
Extract ofu lettcrfi'om New ank , March ! 8 . 4
" No news, 'oniy 5'ooo reguhtrs env
barked at Boston the lozh initant; have
no account of their sailing."
W I'LLIA M d si URG, Aprilj'.
Y w ifliam Goddard, esq; surveyor of—
the cmuinentul post—oshce, just arrived
from a tour to the lbulhwuul, we are"
favoured with the present [tale of our
brethren in the proxince ofGeorgia, now
nobly th'usisighng for their hherties, ?c'd,
'm support of the common cause of all
America. That when he lest Savamzdh,
which was about the first of lust mumh,
the town was iuvvssh-d by a small n inifl'erial
squudron, cunsishng of the Scarbm-ough
ol'zo guns , commodure Barclay , the Tamar
of 18 guns, the Cherokee of 12 guns, and
the Hinchinbrook armed schuoncr, having -
under their convoy about 300 troops, com
manded by major Grant; who. early 'unhe
morning of the d, by collusiun with
the masters of undry merchant ships
] ing in the harbour, loaded with fice,
Jeerikins, &c. and bound to Europe,
got on board those v. ssels, either
with a design to carry th- m off, or of
]anding in the town. The Cummittee of
Safety of that province, who had deter
mined they should not full until the sense
of the Continental Con resiz could be ob
tained, and shspecting several osthe mas—
ters to be enemies to Amerlca, (Ielpatched
capt. Rice, with orders to them to send
their sails and ligging on shore; but upon
finding that he was detained, about joc
provincials were soon after marched to -
Yumacraw , opposite to the shipping, with
three shur-pouuders, where they threw up
a breastwork. 'she armed schooner,
Hinchiubrook, with : number ofmen on
board, which,L with others, went up the" '
Back river in the astcrnoon osthe day pre-ss
ceding, about this time set sail down the
Sooth river, with intent, no doubt, OF
covering the landing of the troops, from
on board the merchant [hippinsi-sszsi hut being
continually fircd ass. by two companies of
riflemen, who were placed in amhuscacle,
she was obliged to come very (lowly, and
often came to, and returned a very snmrt
fire at every place where the riflemm smctl
from, until the tide was spent, and she
Could not get down. During the course
osthe string, only one of our men got.
wounded, and that fliqhuy in the thigh;
but on hoard, seven.] nere seen to set".
lo the meanwhile, the troops in Suwm
' nnh beginning- to grow clctmorous at the
l detention ofcupt. Rice, two deputies were