The Virginia gazette — Williamsburg [Va.], 1779-04-16 00:00:00, page 1

VIRGINIA GAZETTE
T H E NUMBER:
II/ILLLIAMSBURG: PRlN-TED BY DIXON' &? NICOLSON.
We are dared to publtjb thefollowing pieclfrom DUNLAP's Pennsylvania
ackct, Jalni March zo.
HROUGH th: chctnucl of your paper, I take the liberty of
sun.:sikmg on ;t passage in : pzunphlct just come into my
hands, entitulesil, ()Irser-valia-u on the (l/fsiu-rimn n-uolutiau,
pusi' !.)le assordussq [a (( rcshlsiflm 55" (."ougrsiyss, (1) Il zir commit
ue. Th: C—sintkmeu who prnw-psilly, :! llot wholly con
(!uctess this work, were Guverncur Kinds. L'sq; delcgate from the [tate
of New York, and W. 11. Drnytuu, Esq; late delegate from South
Carohna; and ot'those two Mr. Mutris had the chief share. Consequently,
the honours or errour: it contuin, ate claimJble by, or chargeable on,
the compilcrs EA'si-d condusisitms only.
The wolk consifte us : colkction of the principal state Pa rs, which
Ire connected with the rub and progress of the present revo ution, and
, ere zrranged in the folluwing order:
A part of the proceedmsict ot' Congress in 1774. The motion, com—
monly called L'nd N. xth's concilisittory muncn, in t775, and the resolu—
tion of conxrcl's thereon. A paper dezivsi-red to Congt'ess by a Bxitish
elmstsiary. ketblutions of Congrcl's resprcsiting the defence of New Yot'k.
Dnclzmory reasons of Cunglese for takin'g up arms, dated ]aly 6th,
1715. Petition of Congrell to the King of England, july 8th, 1775.
. Assltlress to the people of Great Britain, july Sth, 1775, Resolutions of
Cvngreso, for granting cummiffion- to privatcere, ot November zsth,
1773, and March zyt, 1776. Resolutton ot Congrcss recommending
the taking up new Gavernmems, May lssh, 1776. Declaration ot'
lndepondence, ]uly 4th, 1776. Confcrence on Staten "land with Lord
Have, reported Septcmher ] 7th, by the committec ot Congress appointed
on that business. Draught ufth: hill: of the Btitjsh Parliament received
by Conqress zt'Yotk town ARli] the ult. t778, and the resolution: otsi
si Cougrefs thereon, April zzd, 1778. Addrel's of Congrese to the people
of Amc-iea, Mny eth. 1778. Collection of letters, &c. &c. whtch
yafl'ctd between Congress and the British commilsionert. The work closes
with the prochmntion and manifelto of the British commiffionets, dated
New York, Oflober zd, 1778, and the manifcsto of Congtesl in answer
theueto, Octoher zoth, 1778. The reztelt part, is not the whole, of
those pubtientiom, have at different hues, appeared in most of the news
" on the eontincnt.
The above making up the substance of the work, the only thing that is
., m in it in the hinoriml connection by which the several declautiont, re
solutions, &c. are farmcd ;nto 11 continued chain, lnd in this part there
it an evident defect amounting m iniustice.
lt cannot be supposed that the hiltoncal part should be compleat in so
llot: : compass, but that it no reason it should be unjust in the grass;
end me Mr. hlum's and Mr. Drayton are the only persons accountable
foe the defect ] shall here take notice of, to them only, ! address these
marks.
The render. !) niting his eye on the arran ement of paper: in the
"da- in which ! ave placed them, which is t e order they stand in in
the pain let, will see there in : skip (a flying over I may call it) from
the'con crence on Staten Illand, September 1776, to the receipt of the
British bill: :! York tow'n, April nll, 1778. ] shall give the paragraph
entire (for there i: but one) which unites those two events so wideiy
distant in time, and, on the part of the enemy, so different: complexion.
Pnge 61. " From this moment," that it, from the conference on
Suun llinisitd, " the war raged with the utmost violence, and was pro
fecuted by the enemy with unahated vigour and barbarity. To recite
the nume-ous instances in which their saith solemnly pled ed, hath been
hmkcn, would be tedious and perhaps uselcss: Victory didued herself
for a long time in favour of the i'uperiour numbers and superiour disci
line, and their insolence was equal to their success. Unable to compre
hcnd Yh': whole of the object they had undertaken, and ovesjoyed-et the
'acquifltion of the minutcr parts, already the needy, greed parasites, of
avoluptuous court had, in imagination, carved out our po essions among
them, and v. sntoned in the prolpcct of enjoying the fruit: of our laborious.
industry. Every thing, therefore, which looked like coneiliation, was
treated at a conceffion flowing from feeblenest us soul. The spirit of
despotism, flushcd with hope and iniu'ed to guilt. turned a hard, unseel
ing eye, upon the miseries of human nature, and directed, well pleased,
e storm of vengeance on the head of freedom. But that jidl tide qf
Pus: which bad werk.! tbeir ;sxcttcctuliam so l'iqb, ("gan to ellb away.- 77):
influx: army, cammazjtd ty Burgnynt, (baked &) impediment: wbitb nature
44th in .61: am-ji, at length submitted, notwithstanding the efforts
of the accomplished Generzl, to the determined bravery of their see:.
The splendour of our success in that quarter called the attention of
Europe to our sortitude and perscvmnce. The weight and importance
of aeountry which could resill the astonishing efforts made by Great
Britain, were evident to the most carelese observation. The acknow
ledgment of our lndependence became thereforoqn object of serious de
liberation. Awakened from their dream of glory to : view of their dan
, the Minilhy of England determined, is possible, to recoyer what
I:) had wantonly'thrown nway."
On the ztst day of A ril, 1778, the Con rest, then sitting ut York
town, received :: lette:- mm thc General incfofing ! printed paper from
Phihdeiphia to the following effect: Draught of ! bill for decllring the
intention: of the Parliament of Great Bn'tain, &c. &c. &c.
! have mzrked the exceptienable part: in inlicks. The first, which it
hflmatcial to the history, though of shme moment to the writer, i'o l-i'alse
thetorinl figure, for " bard and "swing" are not, in-lny case, proper
ties of the eye, but sentimentally, of the heart. A hard unseeling heart,
;- deaf ear, and a scornt'ul eye, are the epithet: exptefflvle of pomble
qualities in the part; they are applied to: But according to this Gen
tlcman'e derangment of them, he might as well say, a scornful eat or :
deat'eye. A man must be little acquainted with feelings, not to know
which is their place of relidence. "
As the sense of the reader would have supplied the above defect in the
writer, ! should not have gone out of my way to have made the remark,
had it been in any other paragrapli than that which I have quotedss on
account of a more important inattention. 'si, " "'f'si. -
The insulenee of the enem after the engagem siss si ?4- :, and
their barbatity after taking ort Washfngton, ct si-"T 77" *_ thei:
vigour at any one time of thatcampaign. ls '
ledge than either Mr. Morrit or Mr. Drayton & w ss' T
the army from the first marching oftheassociatotl—ITHM si (fee
, . :
their return was with General Green at son Lee til W'bn, and
(: mtinued withthe army till after passing the Delawnre oanDeQm
bet". ! had began the first number of the Crista whib'hssfle tetreat at
Ncwa-k, with a (;cfign of publishing it in the jetseya, at it was General
Walhington's intention to have made a ltand at Newatk, could he have
been timely reinforced, instead of which, neat half the army lest hi- at
that place, or soon after, their time being out. **
To qse a plain phrase, the enemy were then matter: of the field.- 'lnd
had it in their power to carry every thing before them. " Flushed with hope
and inured to guilt," and in full expectation os eonqueft, theireonsidence
betrayed them into caielessnesa, and enabled General Washingd'm to'
defeat them by a tpirited and judicioua improvement of their neglect: :
And ! alle Mr. Morria and Mr. Drayton, wbn i: tway that their, 'the
enemy'a, " fill] tide of stamjst 1:th ta ebl: may?" Truth will, and
hiltor ought tosay, that it turned at'rrenton, and was addition" im
pelle by the subsequent, and molt mefierly stroke at Princeton. e
two action; disahled and laid the enemy dormant for mon than'fi:
month: afterwarda; and by throwing a spirit of 'oy into the mtiltent,
gave life and vigour to the recruittng service the nextcmpign.
They were hard bought victories, under every disadvantage of winter and
mistortune. But the tide, once turned went on; and the conquett of
Burgoyne wan, properly speaking, the high water mark of out sueeel'ea.
Why Mr. Morrie and Mr. Drayton have, in mrfllenee, passed over"
the affaire of Trenton and Ptinceton, and taken a light stent Slaten lflpd
to Saratoga, ! cannot conceive. An historiar-a t have revetsed the
line os satte, and as writer: they have not made the me of their metaphor;
for had they given honour where it was iufily- due, and shewn when the
tide began to turn in our favour, itwould have enabled them to have Mn
its full increase in the reduction ot Burgoyne, where they have only placed
its beginnin . - ' ct : si '
The smalf remains of the army at that—time'continued with General
Washington, and the citiaena of thin state and of ]ersey, who turned out
to repel the ton'ent which threetened desh-ufflon to 'Amdtiea," must see!
themselvet injured by such a partial representation, published underthe
authority of a committee of Congrese. Their services ate done away, a
is they had never been; and an omisiion, amountiag w obliviott; Kinds
as a contradiction to the fact. Thin could not unimntionally .
as the natural order both of time and eireumstaneea threw thelctnseivet' in
their way. and half a page, judicioufly com iled, Would have ntfltedss'ghe
several link: of the chain. ! wonder that t metaphor ofa tide should
not revive in Mr. But on an idea of its progress; as he has, I am told,
been an Adm'ral—o the )ellm ! suppose. '
But this is not the only injukice in the paragraph ! have quoted. The
compllcrl say, that, " the zallam arm edmmmded !) _ Furgoyne,
" checked by impediment: wa-icb nature 'tbn-wu nt- u'mrfict' '32
" length submitted, notwithstanding the -efsoeta of their accomplished
" General,,to thesidetermined bravefy of their foes." ; '
The conquefl at Bennington by General Smke, which laid the soun
dation of Burgoyne': deseat, it here unjuffly buried under : seven] de
scri tion of impediment: which nature threw ill Li: tout]:- , - '
here is no pan in the pzmphletsswherc lulf : doun pagec might have
been employedsito more honour and advznu e, !hln insi concisely setting
forth the principal circumstances whichctpa ed between the couserencc'on
Smen lsland and the arrival of the dranghls of the British him at York
town; for the want of which, the circumflann'al conn'eflion is lost, lad
Khat which in omitted, :: well as that which in told, have an IPW
of iniulfice. , - ct . , :
Mr. Morris and Mr. Drayton have each of them been so exceed'ngly
indnlh-ious in supporting Mr. Dennc'a imposicionp. thn theg'summn
have had time to attend any otherkind of dqu, lpd n. ! lien,, Mr.
Dcanc is nowlooked on by. nsslf that Housep & dishonest min, And the
other hall dare not support him, itsswill become those me (3de m
show on what grounds they have abated him. The suspiugusi agnnRMf.
Deme are now too strong to be suffocated, and the_ cvisiilcncq'xw full to
be rejected or explained Iway, and he can but _ we tsihip hlp (hand::
in every thy finkmg with the publick. That e negoclmd : &
present into : purchase, and either Hole. or was rictuy do the 3 m- th.
despnchu to cover the imposition. m circumsinm ct'hkh] hive—
msoh to dishcljm. . L' Q MM;0.N-- S E'NSZEH
P-sct And: pamphlu r hate referctred-w infenectctuldi {h- lnm. 'nh
princess in mhmlldp a 18 justice tb those Ih? an u'opilnhc
yersormmc'c so greatly neglect by inserdng ' , chu- m