The Virginia gazette — Williamsburg [Va.], 1778-11-06 00:00:00, page 1

' ctssfL—sisisf
(si N.0vF,MBL1R 6, 1778. T H E 57 m NUMBER 1'440-7
,VIRGINIA GAZETTg,
si .- ssi. '- -,- .
The Freedom of the Press is one of the great Bulwarlcs of Libmj, and can never be restmiuea' but by despo't'ic Govmmmm.
* ct WILLIAMSBUR'G: Pmsszn BY DIXON AND HUNTER.
______________—ssss
To lb! PUBLlSHER of the GENERAL ATDVERTI SER.
5 1 R, )
E V ER AL essays have been published in your General Advertiscr, and
in other newspnpers, calcuiated to prove the superior CXCLLitlTCt of our
independeuee to that of our subordtnution to GreAt Britain; but as the
[ton mld the man who shewed him the statue of a human figure with sin!
of a lion at his feet, that men were the only ltatttaries, :tnsii thztt if lions
understoothhe art of carving i-nnget they would reptesrnt the man prustrs-tte before
5 ;!
the lion, fi- ! may venture to say that all those eflhyt are the compositionsi _ .WFslss
' who n- knwsshmed with the tmhmary charm} of democracy, andsithat
siwere the'frieml: q/"go-vtrmmt to handle the subject they could easily shew its
superiority to all our present republicm and levelhng systemt. This teflt I have
undertaken, in er firm relianee of being allowed th'At fteedom os sentiment to
which, according to our professed idea: ofcthberty, every man seems to be clearly
entitled. ] shall therefore. without any exprehenstons of exposmg myself to a
legal prosecution, and with the greate} eeorum and impartiality, proceed to
partieulnsiize some- eminent advantage: peculiar to the old government, of which
we are most lamentably deprived by our independency and republicanism.
The most violent whig will not presume to deny that we have contracted an
enormoua debt by the present war; and though we are very able to pay it (which
our short-sighted politicietu urge n en argument to alleviate the affli-siztion) it is
thlt very ability of oure which, in my opinion, enhances the misfortune; for as
.we are tble to pay the debt, ! am under great apprehensiom that we really shzll
: it. But in thissirespefi Great Britain hn evidently the advantage, because,
ing utterly impable ofidiseharging her national metre. it is certain she never
will diseharge them; end indeed her ineepaeity nnnihilatet her obligation, it [sting
an indispttted maxim in law that no one in obliged to impoffihilitiel. What ren
der: her situation still mon Munate, and in which she differ: from all other
debtor: in the world, is, that be continue; to have credit atte: being universally
known to be insolvmt. lutsi who will trusi America after she becomes bankruptt
Noloeyen hit Mok'Chrisi-ln Majdy himself. Would it not therefore have been
infinitely betterct'ssfor us to hide tainined in subjection to : nation thnt can equip
thod} foemidable fleetennd nume- on credtt, and rosecute endless wars in
every yon of the globe, not 0an without any eash of er own, but without the
M—iytentiouozfd ing wh- lhe borrow: from other: for that purpose? The
le : v . ss
Aqua the Cugreb, notwithlanding our present exalted opinion of that re
e body, mly, si'itt process oftime, betreyftlcir ful, and sacrifice our libers
. But in an Mnm-tl- Hast of Gum unset &nuheir
conRituentt, because the people selliu their voice: to the member: on their election,
the latter undoubtedly may, withoun imputation of corruption, dispose of their:
to the Minish'y, to nimburse dlemselm the exPenditure; and the matter being
thu- underfiood by bath partiee, bribery in the represenutire cannot be considered
;- : violnion of his dog. And it to their sacrisicing the libertiee of the people,
it it wisest beside ectort repeatedly ehusing the men obsequiout instrument!
of Mniniflrnion, that they mlly Mudthem to be thou obfequiout; end that:
saving to themselvet the [precious privilege of calling their King a fool, end hie
mother : w—-e (: 'vtl Peculiar to En lishmen) the Pulmnent may justly
dispose of the remit!) or of t eir righte and li 'et as they please. And indeed
I cannot see how any pen le can have greater liberty than that of freely rest ning
all libe whosoever. t it therefore evident that the people of Englan can
never be' trayed by Parliament, nor wrongfully abridged of their liberty, except
only by an express statute against libelling his Majesty and his mother, which, in
consideration of the resignltion aforesaid, it not like to be ever passed. We, on
the contrary, shall have reason to complain of a breach of tmtt whenever our
delegltes in Congrese act in derogation of ourrights, or deviate, how minutely
soever, from the path of rectitude and integrityi, which, from the imperfections
incident to human nnture, are undoubtedly pollmle events.
That the vulglr Itould he flattered by our muggletonian tatterdamaiion overn
mente, it not to be wondered at, eonfideri into what importance those w imsicel
'ngamuffin constitutiom have elevated the eretofore despicable and insignificant
mobility. But I am astonilhed that men of fashion end spirit should prefer our
hote-Foteh Olivcsin'oliglrehical anmhiee, to the beautiful, the togflitutional, the
- jun 'm'u, and the Heaven-desce'nded monarchy of Britain. For pray how are
the better sort, amidk our universal le-wllism, to get into officeei During the
hzleyon deytsi of wyll!) end leya , if a Gentleman was only blessed with : hand
some wife or dau hter, or wou d nke the trouble of informing the Minisiry of
the disasi'ection o the colonies. suggesting et the same time the most proper mee
sures for reducing them to pariiamentary suhmifflon (the inexhaufiible source of
all Petee end felicity) he was inRanfly rewarded with some lucrative appointment,
'his owudisqualisicatiom, and the maledictiom of the rabble notwithllanding—
But how it I Gentleman of family, who is always entitled to e fortune, to be
promoted to ; polt of profit. or [tation of eminence, in these times of usubordiu
n'am and fiflb nomrrbynism? Why he must depart himself like a man of virtue
and honour (which abridge: him of a thousand innocent liberties) and devote as
tuuch time to the discharge of his office as would m aimofl any other employment
yield him ten times the amoupt of hil emolumentt. He must, moreover, pretend
to be : patriot, and to love his country. when we know there are no such thing:
in nature, and he wot! conseqnetly he .1 hypocrite, and act under perpetual rcfiraint,
' .or he is detected, and disczrdcd with inshmy. Besides, it it not only the smallnel's
of our salaries, and the necessity of having an adcquate degree of merit to get into
ofisiee (a condition never exacted by the gencrusity os Mnnarcht) but the corn :t
t'ntwe scarcity os oflices themselves, that mull make every man of laudable ambiuon
- etenm'ly ienssz'c: our tevolt from the mother country.- For the present governments
helm; uj.1=.uf--Fturcd by the populace, who have worked themselvet into a persua
" bon, ui ( know not whtt, of public weal and public virtue, and the interest of
on-si's cfmntry, it It is been ri-liculuufly imagined that there ought to be no more
OffiCLS in .1 liste thin arc ahst-lutcly rcq-xisivu sor what these deludezl (realms: cell
the henefit us the comm )nwenlzh. Under the: old cunstitution, on the contrary.
whenever thc crown tive— grncm-sssiliv i'zspnsed m ohl-size a Ge- tleman (and the royal
coffer: at the happy juncture of princeiy ruunisicencc happened to shew rather tho
much of their hottoms) an cffire was instantly invzut; .! for the purposr, jnd bo
law! and water. earth and sea, (hsiuid be rassisacket. hut Pus Mctjsi-uy would crea e
ishrfvcjor qf'u'aedt, and Iss/bllflJesif' ofcmff. Tvun evcty humble: suitor, who had
a proper immduet-on, wax alwsiye sure of being genteetiy provided for, without
either consulting a mob, or losing any time about the wild ehssimera of pubhc
unsir-si. __ 4 . -- si .
The made of religion i-sizsinzsher thing in which the Bshish connieucim lus
manifelfly the advanu e of oure; for th twisithshludingz nmzboaitcd generotity on
t" t tnpmcuwua suhjz , and all our po -si ",dt'CbsM uui'ot'knct' ugly bit. sict
si" "Pfssfi' msi'M'ffie m 'rel' ' nPMfiMIisim-dxsinit tuzflmssm-ctisisi-si-Y
oblictzcd, in order to coincide wit!) (: popular p-ejmficc, to give some ,. - ,
tive evidence of their being neither MhCi {s nor deilts; whereas in E ad, and .
indeed in America, before our unhippy desectisn, the: beiies os chrihanify,_u'*a
qualification for any office;. was entirely out of the question; nor did any jub 'c
perlunagc or gentleman of fashion think himself undu- the least obligflion' do siss ve
any pl'szos even of his saith in the cxitlcnce us a Deity, except onlysithatns rect:
fancly swearing by his name. Nay, amid]! all our pctrsde of atholiffi, n.];
well known that not a lady in the land, let her he as whiggish nthe si
ilseitct, can now enjw the liberty of conscience, os w-si-m'ing un innocent he . Rsi
of three feet in nltitudc, without falling under the tltspicisn of hein dis; 'ed w !
independevsscy, or perhaps exciting surmiks still m.;n: indclicate :ndguncharinble.
Nor can it he denied that many truly zansssrienriz-n; person: have been ruffly handled
for only conveying intelligence to the sishi-nsh troops, and others for supplying
them with a trifle of provisnons (according to sctip'ural my: offndt'rglur
manie: ) though they made the most solemn prosrffions of their paceable med,"
!): and even of their friendly disposition to the Untkd Smcs, which is, beyond
all question, downright perfemian for conscience (".-he. ' "" " si 'ct ' , '
We have imffievably lot}, by our sate! revolt. anmhen impflnn! advantage,
I menn the late usesul and uninterrupted influx of the English g'alhmtry, nndszll
the politeness of the Court of Lnndon, Wlnle we received qurss Gmrflon and
other principal officers immediate! from the fuunmin head bscthigh life : Po
lished mannere, it me impofflbte'ihr us to degenerate into en: pnmikivesic own.
ishncse and mfiieity. But those being now unfortmmely excluded, 'we (hell gu- - -,
dually re-immerse into plain hospitality and downright [oned finwity, .m .
whieh nothing can be more ilsipid to : men of breedingsimilpnliufiss ' lum ' " .-*
ofden shnll we recal to mind those jovial end deliciom houre when ons bsi' '. _ 9; -
perienced the inimitnble {om-nkliy, and our belle; the loss! do um ct s =
menn of_a Dmofl and * Spake! And-vith respect tflhet __ _'
si-si
boliminnmfinninthssennciflu If] WfilaJ-xoms *' _ si
siit't-na. A
u'nifrsm. which Congnese have wantonly cramshrmed _ ln'si "
diseo ountions of Fasepb'e coat, ] perse , wevel 1 momen: leddsiik
? ssct
un
my in revenge of the dismal prospect our not having by next Chr'
recited Zn the continent. _ ' . .
, .. .
Our rlnterc, I am consident, will universally join me in my lnmenmion' Nor
our un onunate seceffion. These Gentlemen, in cont'ormity to the principleecf
our civil eflablilhmentl (probably indeed coincidem mth their own, hntsithnm.
ders forei n restrain not the least arbitrary or itkscme) an cruelly Milk! w
plain tru and decency; while their brother enffl'imn in sheenflfkihm' did]
the whole typognphical fratemity in the toujlituriazml illnnd, are generally Per
mitted to range uncontrolled through the boundlcss field: of imaginnion, end to
exert all the powen of inventive genhu in embcllishing their publicationt with the
nmtllou, which has ever been deemed a eapital beauty in composition, endlfl'eaz
in the mind in the most agreeable manner by its one: &ed surpriu lnd noveltv.
Thus have I endeavoured to point out the most e ential defect: in our re B.
can governmenta, and have, in my humble 'o "nion, offend suffieient re _ "p
induce every dispalsionate Ametican to wish or a speedy reconefltntion with the
part" flute, consistent with that union of force, on (which !bl safety !" our t'"—
rzlifl'o- and liberty depends. ' * si
ought, however, candidly to acknowledge, that many gentlemen}? of upsi
nion that we have gained one very material advantage over Grelt Bnmnhy m
separation from her, I mean that no Perfone employed by the sheen mpistmled
for imitating her example in peculmon, and defrnuding that country m ny the
departments committed to their manegement, and that all continual ! in
hushanded with the gtcatefl tzconomy. But this, without my fc
old England, l shrewdly suspect wants consormation. ct 'ss
HORTENTlUK'
* A most accomplished rojal Governor in the Wefl lndklsiwho, by hie pen
liar tendemess for every thing in pettieoau, 'whether msole or sue M c
casioned :; molt unnatural conspiracy of : number :: hushamb and sathen, who
rushed into his room, and tratloroust} flew him otion the spot; an indigmty to the
rtgal appointment. which Great Britain, from her pvmlm for the do
m'u, plantatiolu, and flowing, was too indulgent to punish at a "che. win!
the suprmmq of Parliament.
To be S () !. D at the [are dwellingbnqse of Mr. ]ohn Harris, detessaftl. :: Camliq.
count), near Cook": bridgc, on Tuelday lb: 17tb yf Noumba' next, sidfdr,
otherwise the next scir day, and continue lum! all unfold,
ALL du: personnl estate of the late deceased, consisting of household And kissfihen
surniture, planntion utensils. hdrses, mnrev, md eolu, eltdl (lmbngfl
which are two yoke of good oxen) sheep, hogs, : gsos- of quit bond.. &
case and bottles, and : set os shoemakcn cools. Six month: cndic will be given
for all sum: exceeding ten pounds, on giving bond lnd npproved security, wheat
interest from the date if not punctually paid. At the same time will be renied nl!
the land. The term: made known on that dzy by
Till EXECUTORS.
I
,*. Alsu will! be SOLD, on the same day and et the said pine, them too
barrcls of corn, all the soddz's, some when, nnd sundry other lrtidu, che pro
perty of Mrs. Saml: Harrix, deceased, by _ _
GEORGE GUY, Admmhuor.