The Virginia gazette — Williamsburg, Va., 1777-09-05 00:00:00, page 5

F 3 1 1) A Y, .SUPPLEMENT TO nsiz vmomm GAZETTE, ' No si
ssissz. 5, 1777. Panuuz ay ALBXANDEK PURDIE. "3 '
FlSH KlLL, Augu/i 14.
IIANOVER (Newjersey) Augu/ib, 1777.
Asisr. Louoon,
" TAKE the freedom to enclose you :1
] copy of a letter which ctl receivej
through the h'md! of his cxceileucy gene
ral Washin rton. The original! luvc sent
to Congreisss. The manner in which it
was (!ctrctcd appears upon this letter. ]
beg thc saw. ur ofycu to pnblilh it, with
this letter. lndeed ] cou'd wish it to be
pubhshcd in all the (lates, thsitt the people
may sce that every meature is adopted by
our enemies to occoctzplilh their t) ralmical
purposes. Nothing is ]. unattempted
which they think may promote their hel
]ish designs. They are so lost to all sense
of honour and honesty, that, by their own
seclings, they judge it a light matter for
:: peridn to sicuifice his honour and con
science by betrafing the trust rcposed in
him by his country, and afliffiug them to
establish despotism upon the ruin: of free—
dom. T his letter was directed to me as
commander at Ticor-dcroga, there sure
may show the importance of having the
commmd of our important post: in the
hand: of those who have the reatest at
tachment and the sirongast ucs to bind
them to the cause cf their country . ] am,
sir, yeur most humble servant,
]OHN dULLlVAN.
S ! I.,
HAVE long desired to wrhe my mind
on :: matter of very great importance
to you, but the unhappy lituruion of things
has rendered ali intclcoursc very difficult,
and hns hitherto prevented me. I now
smd :: man is to be sent for a very different
purpose to you; by him ( shall comrive to
get this letter to you, a person having
undertaken to put it in the place of that
which was designed to be carried to you.
You know me very well, and are acquaint
ed with many circumstances of my life,
and have seen me in very tqing iituni
one That might perhaps hsvclwcu some
excuse, yet I am sure you never knew mc
guilty of any ungcm enmnly action. ]
remind you of this, to convincc you that
you may sxfcly trust what I say to ycu,
a.— coming from : person who has never
trsiyfl-d with any man.
You know better than ] do the situa'ion
osy- ur Congrcss, and the confusion there
in --.-.n-- .ssg y.>u. and the ru'm that impcuds;
3 11 m-si f lt how unequal the forces uf
}' m" own peopie are to vxisihstand tho
pc- fer or" Great Britaiv; and for forcign
:]sh ]" mcr, lneed not tell you how preca—
rZ n- mcldrsicci'sishl sit must be. France and
Sctsi in know. (ney cannot cmbalk in you:
qu ct-rrcl \ iihssut the greatest dangtr os
()rcat Brimin turnisig sud:3e1fly agaizct
and takirgp- ss ilisim ur Lheil colon-iea, ffisiuh
so great a iuxce already collected and in
Amcr'xca; lnlides their fear: of r. iling
kiews ot'indcpendence in their own coldsi
nics, to which they are much disposed.
But why should ] en! nrge on this ('a-Let?
! um sure you know the futilily of all hopes
of eff-Ctual foreign affistance, and that
thus; hopes have been thrown out only to
keep up the spirits of the dcluclzd common
pcnple; yuu, therefore, will not suffcr
ynursclstube ulcluded by them. The must
yun can expect src'ssm fereigners is., that
they will help, at the cxpezsc of you.
cnuntrymcns blood and happiness, to keep
up !: disputc that Will ruin you am! (iss—
tx-cs: Great Britain. it is not the interest
of FH rcc nr Spctsim that. Amelicu should In:
fnzlc'p- M'fffi ; but if it were poiss'si]? t'nn:
von c zusl si- !: rtain :mv !houzvsshts that the
]njvzs uf zff :sit :.xl s'si-rcign asslfl mc': were
w '1 3" "1" 'sczi, you cannot bu' k-row LZLL'.
sue}: uflf f—Lzzcu; must now ;u-rlrc too late.
_.
'l he last campaign was almost consumed
btsore the Engznlh army could get collect
ed, and in a p.Ai.isi>n to act in America;
but now the campmgn 'ujust opening, the
whole armyiu tue greatest hea'uh and spi—
rits, plentiz'ufly provided withet'uy thing,
must earnest in the cause, ] do ullure you;
well acquainted with th: country, and
placed lo as to mit brlik!y. wi h the great
est eilicacy. A sew mouths vi.! therzlLvre
probably dcci !c thc comen ; )cu u ust ci
thcr fightorlly ; and, in eitheruse, ruin
seems inevitahle. You wsits the first man
in accive re'ut-Hizm, and drew with you
the pr-zvince yt-u Five in. What hope,
what expcctation, can you have? You
will be one of the first sacrisices to the re
sentmcnt andjullice ct' government ; your
samily vill be rushed, and you must die
with ignumim'; or, is )ou should be so
he py us to escape, you will drag alonga
te ious lisc ofpovcrty, nz'ssscry, and con
tinual apprc-hensions, in :! koreign land.
Now, Sullivan, [have & method topro
pus: to you, if you have resohnion and
courage enough for it, that will shve you
and your s.;mily, and estate, from this
imm'mcnt destruction. It is, in plain Eng
lish, to tread back the steps you have al
ready taken; and to do some real essemi
al service to your king and country, and
nisifflng to rc-estabhsh publick tranquilhty
and lawful government. You know] will '
not deceive you; every one who will exert
himsclt for government Will be received;
and ( do assure: you, firmly upon my ho
nour, ] am cmpowcred to engage parti
cularly with you, that it shall be the caie
wnh cu, it'you will fiucerely endeavour
to delzcrvc ypur pardon. [t is not desired
of you to declare yourself immediately,
nor indeed to dcchre yourself at all, until
you can disposc matters so as to bring the
provincc with you; in order to which ou
should, as much as pcfliblp. uudcr dufc—
rcut pretences, concrive to lind every
man oht ofthc proviccc from whom you
apprehend difficulty, and to keep at home
all those'who arc friendly to government,
or desirous of peace. In the meantime,
endeavour to give me all the mctntcrial in
tcloigcnce ou can coUcct (and you can
get the bcz) or isyou find :: moll conve
nient, you can convey it to general Bur
goyne; and by your using my name, he
will know Whom it comes from, without
your mauticning your own name. As
soon as you find you cam do it with sctsety
and success, declare yourself, and you
will find afiistancc you very little expect
in rcstmiztg th: province to lawful govern
ment. lfyou do not choose to undertake
this. another will; and if you continue
obstinatc on the ground yOu arc now on,
you may depend upon it you will sudden]
find it sail, and burst under you like the
springing of;: mine. What ! recommend
to you is not only prudent, safe, and ne
cessary; it is right, it is honourable. That
you early cmbar kcd in the rebcllion is true :
P:rh:1ps pou mistook the popular dcluhon
for the c us: of your country (as many
others did, who have, returned to thcissr
duty) and you engaged in it warmly ; but
when you found your crrour you carnssily
returned, you saved th: provincc you had
ensisi'sigsd for from dcvalhti-m and ruin,
an: you rendered most essemi :! services to
your king and country; for which ! en
gage you my word you will receive par
don, you will sccurc your estate, ;:rcl be
shrihcr nmpfsi' rewarded. Ysiur past cun
duct has been unworthy; vuur return wi}!
be pruisc—u-orthy. V. ]!sili is all xhis ex
pcnl'c ot' lzumzm li'st for, those dcluges of
human blood? Very pn-iwbh. onlv to
se: nfloat somv ].lw'l— L's dcifmzfflsig tyrant.
in the room of our l.uzfu} king.
,—
! conctix e you must be surrounded with
embarraflinems; you may perhaps find
dil'liculty in getting a letter to me; pos
sibly the fellow who carries !}ns to sin
may be sitdo be trusted; he thinks issssdced
he carries you :: lektcr very different From
this, and l suppose wiil be sh'ghlened :
good deal when he find: the charge that
has been ent upon him, and that ] am in
pussclhon csxhe lcner he was intended to
carry. Yet ] luvc understood he lus 4
tam'fly here, and will, I suppose, with lo
relurn-, and knows well enough it is in si
my power to procure him ardon and re
ward; and [imagine he thluks (as ( trust
m-zlt people do) that ! am never for -
ful of a man who dUTS any thing to 05!!
me. You will cmsidcr how far you day
trust him, ]] rw sn' it is prudent to do it;
and you can (".-und him, and see whether
he.- \\ilhcs to rcmm, and whether he is
likely to answsicr the purpose; and ifyouss
think proper you may engage to_hun_thac
! w'd] protect him, and reward lum, ff he
brings me sxscly a letter from you. _
] could say a great deal more on th}:
squ-cctt; but ] must close my letter, lest u
should be too late. Be sincere and Ready,
and give me an occasion to show myself
)our (inch siicnd,
PETER LlVlUS.
MoNTuAL, sum :, 1777.
To jmm SULLlVAN, csq;
'I his letter was taken out of :! cantecn
ui !: ;: sizlsc bottom by general Sehuyler,
at Furt Edward, this 16 ]! dsiw oi' jlne,
in thaprcssircct-otsichrj zmin Hicka, c1pm'm, '
Ucury B. ] ivkngsh—n. niJ de camp to
general Schuvlcr, juhsiA VV. " ende",
captuin, and jk hndctaniing, jumscctcmy
to general Sclxuyl-cr.
] c.:rlizy, up.,n honour, that tHs letter
was taken cu. c-t'a cvmcen v.}fich ] deli
Vered 10 gengral Schufler. vss': Ich canteen
received swm c ]. Van Dysik, who sc
psssmcecl part (:f zha hire from the False
bottom, to the whither it wnathc cantecn
! was [but for, and who, ::fsit'ct' usikingout
mis letter, and lctki xg our svmc num, re
turned it into the camccn wiih'sizuc break
ing the snls.
Bss. ]. v. Vsifk-n-burgh, sisi-uz.
ADVERTISEMENTS.
OR sctlle, in Charlotte countv. about .
12 miles from the courthcss-use, and
one from Fuqua's scrry, on Staumon river,
looo acres ot'good land for tobucco, corn,
wheat,-flax, (rc. well improvcd sofoora
hands, whereou is a good dwelling-housc
with four rooms on the lower shor, two
remarkable good chimnies, one brick Zmd
the other stone, & large garden, kitchen,
daisy, and spring house, an exceedingsine
grsimary, tobaccu houses, and :: still house
with two stills, the houses chicsillv new, and
well built, also apple and pench orchards
sufficient to make 5'00 gallons of brandy
and !ooo gillons of cidcr, convenient to
church, sundry mills aml sisheries, there
being several within two miles from the
said dwelling-huusc. Also 1113 acres of
v'erssv good l-siuul in Piicf/j'lvania county,
abrut 25 miles shut the above tract, un
improvesil, well tim'ocred and w atercd , with
exceeding sine range for stock. Any per
son inclinnhlc to purchase must apply to
the shhisicrihsr, now living: on the Clmrlom
trzvct, besorssc the first nt'Sd'tcorzh-si'r, as he
will then set nu'. to the: south, and not:
return till Chrfjfsictsiu.
85] THO: CARTER.
(I The szzid land will sti'! he snr saic
after CHrj/Zmu, is not purcizsitscl before
Scptcmber. T. C..