The Virginia gazette — Williamsburg, Va., 1776-12-27 00:00:00, page 2

When a new army is asscmffled, the enemy
mult ugctiu narrow their bounds ; and this
demuustralcs the necessity us every state
exerting every means to bring the new
Icss'ics into the field with all possible expe
dit'sson. It is the only sure means ospla
cing Amer'sica on the ground where every
good man would wish to see it
The British Army is at- prcscnt stationed
along- the D-sluwurc srum uhove Trenton,
on the jcrssv side, m Burlington, about.
20 miles above l'hihdclphin. General
W alhingtnn, with nen Ocoo men, is on
the river litle, appetite to 'l'renton; and
the- gundolssn, with other armcd vessels,
m'c llzuioned from l'liilaclelphisitto Tremun,
to prevent. the pullfnge of the. D;l.sszw;1rc
General Lee, vxilh : bout 5000 men, re
mains on the enemy's rent", a little to the
westward of their line os march through
sisihe ]crscys- In this state, is the country
(llsi-ciators of Pennfllvania, and from this
aciglibou'sihzwd, reinsurcc the general with
; few thousamls, so as to enable him to
rcss the,cncmy's front, it may turn out
happy circumllance that they have be ("
neoura'g-zd to leave their ships so lar behind .
We have good reason to expzcsit a ge—
crul war in Europe soon, and we have
ch proof of the friendship ol'France as to
'we little doubt of the willingness of that
"untryb to nllist us.
'l'l'c enclosed haudbill will silssiciently
fruct "the Americans what treatment
:v are to expect srom the cruel dishn'b
:siss-s their peace, and evince the neceffity
the most spcedy and manly cxertiuns to
se these foes of the human racc from
continens .
H—MPKW
. L T I M () R E , Dcrcmlzcr 1 8.
c 14: county, New Yersejn Dcc. 14. 1776.
-si 'HE progress us the Brisiil'h and llcslictm
" troops through New _]:.-1s- y has been
sinded with lbch scenes ofdc ('t-lation and
. age as would disgrace the most barba
' nations. Among inumerablc other
nccs, the following are authemicatcd
tell a manner as leaves no doubt of
sin;. truth. -
William Smith, of Smith's farm, near
fi'oodljxfidge, hearing the cries ol'his daugh
ter rushe'd into the room, and Founda Helli
an officer attempting to ravish her. In an
_agony cf'rage and rcsentment, he instantl y
killed him; but the officer": party (bon
(came upon him, and he now lies mortal.
ct..sil ss_ younded at his ruincd and plundercd
weiling.
On Monday morningF they entered the
house OF Samucl Stout, esisq; in Hope
wcll, where they destroyed his deeds,
?pers, surniture, and effects of every
_ ind, exceptwh-sitt thcyplundcrcd. 'I'hcy
took every horse away. left his house and
Lsirm in ruin, initning him to the value of
woe]. in less than three hours.
siOld mr. Phillips,'his neighbour, they
'nllng'cd in the same mantsstcr, and then
uellv beat him.
OnssWedncsilay last three women came
vn to the _]crscy shore in great distress,
m which a dcmchmcnc of'the Amcrican
fly went and brought them off. when
nppe-arul thctt they had been is!] very
.-;h ahused, and the youngest of them,
;irl about 15, had been mvishcd that
.)rning by a British officer.
Anu-nbcms youngwomenin Hopewcll,
the umount c-s 16, flying From lhis ru—
g'mg :m'sil cruel enemy, muk rcsngre on
?. ms 11-194'111 near Rss-slph Harz's; but in
mation being given of tluir rcn-cnsst,
v wrrc soon brcught down into the
'ish camp, where they have been kept
- since.
he "line sczttfcmcnts osMctuidcnhead :md
'sisswsill are entirely broke up. No age
si-x has been spurcd: the houses :n'c
(J us He rv sinsizicle os surniturc, and
I not psin'shble is entirely dclh'oycd;
the stocks oFcatde and sheep arc drove off,
every article of clothing and house lincn
seized and carried away, scarcc a soldicr
in the army but what has a horse loaded
'Eth plundcr; hundreds of issmnilics are
reduced, from comsort and asiluencc, to
poverty and ruin, left, at this inclemcnt
season, to wander through the woods
without lueusc or clothing. lsthcsc sccncs
oi'dcsohtion, ruin, and distress, do not
muse and animate every man of spirit to
revenge thcir much injurcd cuuutryme-n
and countrywomen, all virmc, honour,
and courage, muiisi have lest this country,
and W'etit'schc all that we sixsxl] meet with,
as there can be no dc-ubt ths." same scene
will he mited i'l this pruvincc u;.<>uuu1siov\ !:
property, and our beloved wives and
dctughu rs .
,sifisi [( is hoped by a" good men that
the above rehuion will induce the brme
lnihtissz (.t'Msiirjlcmd i'lmnediatcly to com—
j-ly with ihc rccommendutiun of the Con
tinental (}ctngrcss, by mnrching, without
delay, to rc'znshrce general VVushinpss'ton's
army, that & stnp may be. put to the pro
gress os thtsisc cruel sm'eisi-n spoihcth; that
our much inj-n'ed countr'jsuiks in the jer
seys muy be revenged, and the fsspine and
dcvustation cummitted there be prevented
from reacss'hsi-nsr this stair .
]ct'rclh :n-u ..uthcuuck sisiunces srom St.
Eulia'isi'si brisiipsi the agreeable news that a
French flsi . t of eight iliil of the line, and
four trigntes, under the command csM.
Duchisctux, had suih-d from Breit for the
illmds of Mnrtiniquc ::nd Gauduleupc,
with :: number nf transports, having on
board 7ooo troops, and 300 pieces of ord
nzmce. P "'t os the fleet had arrived when
this intelligence crime avsi'ny, and the rest
wereluukcd so.- dctily; s; that there is now
a very sair appearance of nur being spee—
dily succourcd by the French nation, which
no doubt will cffectually divert the atten
tiouos Brimin srom purlctuing her diaholicsid
schemes against Amcrica, lute, the land of
peace and plenty, till imadcd by her de—
generate sssons, and their hircling compani—
ons in v.:clzeduesi: and brutzzhty, the ac
cursed Ilcflinn banditti, whom God give
our suldicrs grace and valour to drive out
of this continent, or to extermiuatc from
the face of the earth.
Our growing country bleeds at every Vein;
Now munlcrz, rzpes, fell m-sszssucres prevail,
And desolation covers all the land!
Who can hear this, and not, with patriot
zeal,
Nobly step forth, tp guard their wives and
children !
And [heath a dagger in the viiiain's heart
Who'd rob us ok'our peace, our ail, our
" honour!
Capt. Trai is, who is returned from an
unsuccessful cruise, and spoke several
French veil-zls' at sea, corroburates the
- lailing ok'the French arnmmcntsrom Brest,
as also os'sumh-y of them being arrived at.
the places of their destinution.
By a St. Kict's paper, we learn that the
gOVcrnour of St. Lustatin lately gave an
cntcrtzimneut for capt. Rolvinsun, com
mandcr us the continenml wife] of" war
ths: Andrcw Doria, to which all [he Ame
ricnn merclmms and pruvincictl ugc—nxs mcrc
imsiircd; am), that (me of our pxivutccrs
had taken a brig bclcmging tu ])ominica,
and carried her into that Du-ch srce purc
A letter of undoubted crsidiz recclvul
hy ycstcrdwss's post says, thzsit general
IlUWc's zn'my had retreutcd to Princctovm,
finding it raxhcr imprudcut 10 nucnnp;
cr<siffihg the ])clsilwurc, where our row
}ssyssxHZ-ss—s, gemdohs. &c. arcHatisincd. Ancl
si). iL nuy {m pr {u-ncdss endeth his expe
(Hrinn against Pi iladclpl-ia, which his
snthrs have rendered infamous by their
h-humanity and hrutality.
(In). (,.ssctrx'hngtun, usthc artllfsrv, just
arnivcd t'rsim Hamp'sion, brings us the
agreeable mte , of a most \:; Hcti-{zL
csi-ugu being gone up tcsi: [& I : -l'L [w—Hsi
Cape ] ral. ( ls, w]: lch um -'
!] ;:i-:*(! ]):11
'dd icnt out b) _
hanm: blulid
Soolhnd uf'mms, 15 un umiss-r,
a quantity of sulphur, and ;: \.,._-.' lus
allsiurtmcnt ofblsmkczzing and ((mrisi- (, :):h'si's
(or the. luhhcry. A number of Ictss'cnci,
pusienqcrs c um: m the usssil, one. clsim-sim
:moilicu of r'simk. 'i'hc caprff'm of her
says, that the lctmnch (how Lhc [] must
' cisisiility and give nary cncourryss-si-muit
to the AllkssliCJlib, and have Cl'liiisicl'd' out
m ;) utter their tmdu: nisi), timt ;: ded.!
l'miam os wzu' Wihct curssss z'nc-ment (xctzyccted
fsirom'the French court. And that gum
pov-sssidc-r, wo-ylicns, nnd almost cveryofhcr
kind oi'goods, Wsi-i'e in great plenty us the
(jape, and to be bought on good terms.
A will] srmn St. linihqtiu is nisi) gone
up the Day, v-iih salt and dry goods.
det Suturdcty the Genzctmi Ass-simbi
adjcxurned to the 4th " 'hu. sdcy in March,
alsstzrsi- pulling a nun'zbtr of acts, a list of
which will be in th: nzsixt Gsizz-ss-tte.
Death;) FRANK lippes, fssil; ]ieute
nnnt-colune] us the lst regimeut, who was
a very brave (,sticer.
Mr. PATRlCK COUTTS, osl'siichmond,
merchant .
[Mr. Punou—si,
FROM the manner in which you men
tioned cnpc. Richard K. Mezxde's do
clisssiing his appoimment to the rank of
licutcnanL-colonel in the Amelif'an army,
many have supposed that he 11 18 entirely
d-siciined the szrvice of his country. I am
com'inced you were not av. are of this in
jurious construction; but as it has been.
made, and is very far from beiugjust, you
will be hind enough to inform the pubsi—
sick, that although capt. Meadc declined
the honour his country was willing to con
ser on him, he (lill continues to serve al
captain of that company in the sccond re
gimcnt, which he former] commandcssd
He declined, not because he was indiffe
rent to promotion, or regardless of the
savours of his. cmmtrymen, but because he
did not choose to be raised oVer the head;
of many deservingr oflicers under whom he
had served, and because, in which it must
be cousesi'ed he was sin 'ular, he did not
think himself qualisied for so high a com
mand.
—— _
In GENERAL ASSEMBLY, Dec. 21, 1776.
HEREAS it hath been recommended
, to the good people of this colony to
enter into associations for the support of
the wives and children of the poor who
shuil enter into the several battalions now
raising within this commonwealth, :md
whereas itis not Certain that sufficientsums
will immediately be subscribed for the
purposes asorcsaid : -
Rcsolvc-d, that the courts of the several
counties be required, and they are hereby
empowered, to surnish the wives and chil
dren os such pour sohiiers, who cannot be
maintained bv such associations, with ne—
cesssissy provisions, and to draw on the
treasurer for such sums os money as shall
be re quisite, who is hereby required to pay
the same.
A . CA !! . Speaker of the Senate.
E . PEN 1) LET () N, Spenker of the H. D.
_ B () 8 'l' () N, Nuvcmbur 14.
C,si\1P'iAlN Skimmer, in :: pxivutccr
belonnimr to this state has taken and
l>.( ussht into this post a sh' lp, bound to
[New Yolk, having on boznd 17 ooo {mts
of duthcs, 30 oco s]: " H. 30 oco pair of
sht-cldnys, 30 ooo p.;lr 01 sinms, &c.
A vclch wl L-ich axr'wecl Ill Neupmt the
30: huit. from Hisp? .niula, bmughtadvue
that Spuin had ccdcd :.ll their part of that
ihmd to France, and th: sit a Fire; ch m (!
Spanish (] ct, with :1 ] -: jrc bc-ch ul troops,
v. me lu-urlv up. med; puhups Lo lukc
Jumaka, 1... Spain,