The Virginia gazette — Williamsburg, Va., 1776-04-26 00:00:00, page 1

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APRIL 26, 1776. si * _ Tsi H i;
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ALEXvANDER PUR_DIE, PRINTER.
' .
S : EN an A 1. LEE Mu/i in reat mea
sure regulate the motionqo the conti
'nental troops under his command according
to the internalfbrce if the colony, the com
mittee: of the different countie: are requq/ied
to send into' head-quarter; a return as their
minute-men,' with the state and condition
of their armk. -
IT being thought necessity! for the publick
Yervice to keep :: body of SHIP CAR
PE N TER S in constant employment, this
"it to give potice, that TWO COMPA—
.NlE S, constfiing of one c APTAIN and
thirty MEN each, are to be raised. T he
uptain is to have 0 NE D O L L AR per
dicm, the men HALF a DOLLAK,
their provifiam an'd mm. They are to find
their own too]: and arm. Such as are
willing to engage may repair to Williams
burg or Suffolk. \
As an army without cavalry i:-,' in all
countries, a very desective machine,
but in this province, circumstanced as it is,
it isim fflble to carry on the service, with
any : sierable degree of credit and success,
without a certain proportion ofthixjpecie: qf
troops, general LEE begs leave to address:
himsZ-If to the young gentlemen of the different
cozinties, entreating that they will form
themselves into companies o] L I G H T
D R 40 0 ONS, consisting of dne captain,
one lieutenant, one corner, two scrjeants,
two corporal:, and a trumpet or horn s ouml -
er." As it is intended, and hoped, that the
whble will be composed of 6 5 N T 1. E M a N
v o LU N T E F. : s , it will not be expected
that they'should receive 'auy pay ,- Imt, at
the same time, as it is not reasonable that
they should put them/Z-lves to the expenfi- of
maintaining [heir horses, they ure to be al
lowed ratiomfbr them, a': well as for them
fiilvet. Their arms- shauld be, a short riflcd
carbinc, a light pike, of eight feet long,
and a tomhawk. General LE E i: confi
deht, if the young gentlemen approve and
adopt thi: scheme; they will not only do
great hanowct'ict'lo themselves, but "very im
portantsi/Ervice to their country.
*ss*.si un v. g. u- uct. 1.- u. wo'v- o.- a; u- * *
t.wounveuou-uobowcuouov-uo **
The substance of lord Manssield':_ eeeh in
the House of Lord:, on the third reading
of the bill " jfohib'iting- all trade and
intercour/Z with the 12 United Colom'es,
during the present rebellifictnssin Amersixca,
and for empowering hi: majesty to {[fize
eomm'iffiam to qertaz'n' person: to grant
pardon: in the case;: and for the purpose}
therein ntmtianectt." _ , 4
1 01!) not come prcp'nr'ed the last day this
bill was under consideration to speak to
it, thgughsi [delivered my scntiments upon
some matters which happened, then to
come in to discussion; nor should I now trouble
Your lordships,si did I not think tpyselfc'al
ed upon 10 assign my reasons for nssenting
to it. The noble lord * says, this Mll'is
hasty, rash, ru'mous, and unjust. I shall
be;; the patience of the House, while I
endeavour to exculoatc mvsels from that,
* Lord. Shetlmme .
-. __-ct._.,.n . 4
part of the ccnsure which may be presum
ed to fall to my share; as giving-it
support arises from the sullelt cunviction
of its utter necesiity, in the present flute
of things. Before, however, ] speak to
the principle of the bill, I shall explain one
matter, which has been frequently men
tioned. It has been objected, that one of
the clauses of this bill has a retrospect view,
as it legasizcs all seizures made before the
passing of this bill. This, my lords, is not
unusual ; it has! indeed, been the Etm—
stant uniform practice in such cases. It is
founded in justice ; because, issuch seizures
were made wantonly, or without. cause,
and not upon the only ground which they '
can be fairly defended, thus as manisestly
advancing the publick service, the clause
in this bill will not protect or ctindemnisy
any act of that kind . Besides, what is the
true legal consh'qction osthis 'claus'e ? Not,
surely, t_0 seize the propsierty, and consis—
cate it. No, only to defend their actors
against personal actions, the ersons coni
plaining being still lest at full liberty to
pursue their remedy at law, in order to
recover their property, or the value of it.
It would, indeed, were it otherwise, be
imposiible for officers in high command to
act, is, for measures taken for the good os
the state, they should beliable afterwards to
be ruined by the almost infinity of suits that
might be instituted against them, when
the commotions were over; and ever
thing returned to_ its former tranquil state.
The noble lord seems to doubt of" the right
of delegating the power of pardoning to
be inherent in the crown; for _my part, I
am pbrsectly clear it has, _ from the first
establishmcnt of the modarchy. General
Guge eXercised it onalate occalioh, where;
by proclamation; he promised pardons
to every man in America; but one or two
individuals. It has been always the prac
tice. Every general of am army, acting
against rebels, is vested with this power.
lndeed; I believe, there never was a rebel
lion in this country, or its dominions, in
which this power was not actually exercis
ed . The rebels taken in x7j15, at Preston,
claimed it as an agreement*as the terms
ofcupitulationss. It was not granted; but
the pOWer was never disputed; A night
or two ago ] was reading the Register, a'
book of the first law authority extant. It si
is full of original writs. So early as the
reign of Edw and I . I find thisidoctrine of'par
doning in the lump fully confirmed . lsound
there a dedimm potestatem, directed by that
kmg to certain pcrlons tnercm menuoned,
to pardon all the people of Galloway.
Was not this pardoning in the lamp? Wus
not this pardoning a whole community?
As to the original matter that gave rise
to this bill, I always was of opinion that
the people oF America were as much bound
to bbey the acts of the British parliament
as the inhabitants of London or Mi'ddlesex .
I always thought, that, ever since the
peace ofPsiaris, thessnorthelsin colonics were
mbditating a state of i'nclependency' on this
country. They have told you as' mfich in
one of the publications of the Contincntalsi
!
Congress, wherein the thank providence
in inspirinnheir enemies with- the resolu
tion of not attempting to carry their
schemcs os dominion into execution till
they had arrived at :: growth and strength
sufficient to relist them. ] have not ::
doubt on my niind but this was their in
tention, from the period ] allude to
Vthtevcr might be their wishes before -
'that tisne,ss their situation rendered it im
prztcticuble; because, it was this country
that could alone protect them against the _
power of France, to which their whole
t'rontier lay exposed. But, allowing that
_all their proieflions were genuine, than,
cttheirinclinutions were those of duty and
respect towards this country, that the
entered into the present instance at the
instigznion osla few faction: and ambitious
fiteti, or thus?: who ultimately directed
them; that the stamp act was wrong,
that the dcciarutory law should-assest the
supremucy over that country, but should .
amount to no more than such a power his
present majesty exercises over the kingdom -,,
osFrunce; that no troops should he sent.
into the country, even to defend them
without their own permisiion; that the
admiralty courts' should never be made to
extend there, though by the trial byjury
the parties wou]_d be judges; 'that offen
ders agamlt the law: and authority of this
country should be tried for offence: hy
persons who, themselves, ,Were ready to
declare they did not—think the charge:
criminal; that no restraints should be laid
Upon their commerce, though that great
bulwark of the riches and commerce of
this countr ', the act of navigation, de
pended on siu'ch' restraintsis; that eve'r .mea
sure hitherto taken to compel submiii'ion to
ihe parliansiientary authority of this country
was cruel and tinjusi'; .and that every
ministry in this country were tyrannick and
bppreflive, and that the last was the worst '
of all; 'et, admitting all this to be true,
my lenis, what arc we to do? . Are we to
ljest inactive till they shall think prOper
to begin the attack, and gain strencrth to
do it with effect? We are now in inch a
situntion that we milst either sight or he
pursued. What a Swedish generalsssiss'said
to his men, in the reign osGustavus Adol
phus, is extremely applicable to us at pre
sent. just at the eve osa battle, pointing
to the enemy who were marching ddwn to
engage them, says he, " My luda, you
like those men vondcr; if you do not kill
them. they will kiil you !" Iswe do not.
my lord:, get the better of'Amerisica, Amm'ca
will get the L-xtteraf m. ssWe do not sear,
at present, that they will attack us at
home; but consider, on lhe other hand,
what will be the sate of the sugar isiauds,
what will be the sate of our trade to that
country? That, my lords; is a most va-*
]uable and important consideration; it is
the best sentherin the wi-ng of this country.
They are preparing to raise a navy ; they
have begun in part ; trade will be et opu
'lsicnpe, sizmd by that means they wi ] be en
ablcd to hire ships from sorei n powers.
'It is said , the prescctxt war is our?! dcfeusive
.si. Am .J