The Virginia gazette — Williamsburg, Va., 1775-04-14 00:00:00, page 6

On the thorion for it.-: being referred to
this day's committee, it passed in the ne ga
tive, 85 to 1 1. ct
Another petition was presented from
Dudley to the same purport. The House
were going to divide ; but LIr. Burke said,
he Would not trouble the noble Lord
North) andhis train, to walk out every
ve minutes, in funeral pomp, to enter
titidns.
- Onthe same uestion of reserring it be
ing put, it was ikewise carried in the ne
gative, without a division.
'Mrsi Skipwith next desired to present a
petition from the inhabitants, manusac—
turers, &c. of Birmingham; which being
received and read, set forth, " that they
(the petitioners) desired the laws againstA
mericami ht be. put in force, so as to bring
the Amencans to a speed}! see;/?: of their
.' ' duty, and that Great Britain would exert
her authoritv." si ,
Lord North was for reserring this peti
tion to the same cosimmittee as the North
Amen'idan merchants petition is referred ;
but Mr. Burkc objected, saying, this was
not a petition concerning commerce, it
wasawarlike blood-thiz'sty petition, and de—
seed to hear the names of" the persons who
had signed it read, which was complied
with. This tition, however, was refer
red to the ' e committee as the other
titions. , . -
Sir George Saville arose, and ac uainted
the-House, that his not understan ing any
business except the bllloting was meant to
ranne on that day, be left the—House im—
mediate] , as it was over; buton going
home,?! p'etitiondf Dr. Franklin, Mr. Lee,
- and Mr. Bollan, the three Gentlemen who
, had the direction of the petition from the
North 'American- ,Congresii to the King,
wan put into his hand. He {lated the con
tents, which were, " that the petitioners
could ekplassin and throw great light on the
' ' presentEd from the Congrels to
thKin , which, .-by his Majesty's com
man], been referred to that Hon.
[Muse, and therefore praying to be heard
on the same."
A conversation now ensued concerning a
point of order, whether a petition could be
received concerning a etition which lay
beforethe House, but 0 which they could
havenoposstblc knowledge . This conver
sation lastcted some time, in which Lord
North, Mr. Rigby, the Solicitor General,
.Ldtct'dfrededck Gampbell, and Mr. Gas—
.- edgne, were against the receivingit , com
, g ofthe thinness of the House, and
the latent-(si of the-hour ; but it was very
ably contended, that it could he received
lbssaflir George siSaville, Mr. Bnrke, and
.' T. T0wnsend, who all shewed the
Werence there was between receiving a
petition and complying with its prayer.
A motion was drawn up 11 Mr. Burke,
in order for the point to be ( iscussed ; but
as the House was so thin, there being but
sortyct members, with the Speaker, it Was
withdrawn, and the point was to-be discus
sed next day, before the House went into
: committee on the Anterican papers .
The House broke up at half past six
o'clock, and alljoumed until this day.
sh DzBA'rssl-Z in the Housisz of Lonns
upon the motion fbr wit/ulrawiug the
troopfi'mn BOSTON.
ORD Chatham first, by complaining
K
_ of the eat delay there was on the
\
side of Admmistration respecting Americ'an
sibusincsi; that the papers had been detain
ed above six weeks, and now were brought
With an empty parade, the contents of
which he dared to [11 every noble Lord
.in.t.he House, as wellyas many other per
' 'Wsiottt. of it, had been previous] ac—
q ' , d with. His Lordshi next acK/ert
ed til the present mill-rable ate of Ame
fica, which he described in strong, descrip—
tive, surciblc, lmthctick terms; and ob—
served, tlut there was not, perhaps, in
the annals of any Frec country, sian instance
where the legillature could ( xped to ex
tort obedience and duty by such cocrcive
measures; that sending armed troops \\ as
not the way to make good shlzjec'ts, nor
even the way to produce that severity and
thraldom Adminiliration so much fought
after; for that three millions of people,
the descendents of our soresathers, who
were forced out of this their native land
by the narrow views of bigotted councils,
were not likely so soon to give up their
most valuable rights, and undoubted privi
leges; nay, what do I talk of three mil
lions of people (says his Lordship) many
more: lreland is with them to a man;
and as for every VVhig in this country,
the rights of America are so connected
is, : l. .
W'lul lus UW'll [flat HIS nium llflfl near]: "'luls
co-operate with their measures . His Lord
ship then took a large and extcnsive xiew
of the rights of taxation and legiflation,
in which it would be doing great injustice
to his oratory, judgment, and observati
on, to attempt following him. He con
cluded , by asserting that whathe said he had
before often asserted, " that the property
of a British subject was of that sacred and
tmalienable nature that nothing under Hea—
ven could touch it, without the consent of
the roprietor." lnthis critical situation of
affairs, then (says his Lordship) it is my
duty, aged and infirm as I am, to crawl
to this House, and give my opinion and
best advice; and having thus far got. on
the threshold ofAmerican business, I will
knock at the doors of Adminish-ation for
the admisiion of si justice and sound policy,
till ! have obtained them. I have-there-si
fore, my Lords, brou ht a paper in my
hand, beseeching his Majesty that he would
be gracioufly pleased to withdraw the
troops si'0m Boston, as the first step of a
reconciliation between these unhappy ill
treated people and the mother country;
for, even upon the extravagant idea of the
people of America deserving the chastise
ment they have received at the hands of
Parliament, isit not better, is it not sound
er policy, and does it not become a free
nation more, to have this effected by the
influence of a civil power (that constant
palladium of Englilhmens rights) si than
dragoonin them by main force, which,
admitting it for a time effectual, must af—
terwards produce rancour, animosity, and
revenge.
His Lordship then handed up his motion,
which was read .
In answer to Lord Chatham, Lord Sus
folk- greatly condemned the conduct of the
Ameriean's ; said that overnment had
tried every entlc methofi in their power,
but to no effect; that things were at last
come to that crisis, that either the mother
s'mu'lfru mnnsi "sin.-a L-.. -,
______ ] -.._.. ...5-.. uuctuuuuut , Us sc
si it; thathimself, asqncoshisMajesty's
ers, advised coercive measures, and
he would abide by such advice at all hazards .
Lord L ttleton sup rted Lord Sussolk,
and'restedy the principiizoofhis argument on
the infallibilit Ofacts of Parliament, which
my ower t int resisted against, he lizid,
shou d be compelled tosubmit to.
Lord Shelburne spoke in defence of the
Americans, said he stood totally uncon
nected with men and measures. but that
the noble Earl's motion Cfll'lltd with it such
a conciliziting mode that he heartily adopt—
cd it. _
Lord Camden went into an examination
of the original rights of a free people,
which he desined With :tccuracy, temper,
and precision. He observed, in an insc
rence from these premises, that nrlzitrar
power may as Well be judged in a calle-(live
body as a single pec/Fm, but. wherever—it was
exerted, it was un/u-uj/ill, and ma be re
slsted; that this was no navel-doctrine, but
as old as the confiitution, and may he
sound in all the law books, from Schien
dcmn to :1 (lcnliemnn (meaning judge
Bluckstonc) whose cummcnturics had been
so julfl)" uzni unircrsfsillssv i'c'ui'.(:l in th:
world; that lhcrusiurc ;ussts of the [l.-sins:
were not infallible doctrincs, but ucrc,
and ought to be, in purticuizxr ('zzscs, sub
ject to the right of tree-dom um: the: pub—
lic}; at large-, who had the original right
vcllccl in them of dclcguting their power
and authority.
Lord 'l'ounscml quoted scxsscrul acts of
Parliament, to show how the Americctctns
had trnmplcd upon lcgiflutive authority.
He said, he therefore should be for reduc—
ing them to obcclicncc by those methods
adopted by gm'crmncnt, and vshich :ip
pearcd to be the best. He ncxt went into
a short detail of the Irish commcrce, and
observed, that is the acsit osnuvigution was
to be suspended, as the Amcricmis w anted,
he thought it would be in favour of the
lrish merchants, particularly those osCork,
whose local fitumion, and rcspcctsul beha—
uuur, enllllca them to a prczcrcncc.
The Duke of Riclnnond took a large
xiew olctthe question; and, on the whole;
concluded with coinciding with the opini
on of Lord Chatham for withdrawing the
troops before Boston, as the only way to
open a lan of reconciliation. He next
answere the assertions thrown out by some
of the Lords in office, that the Americans
would not be content with being excluded
internal taxatio'n, but wanted a repeal of
the nuvigation act, by going to the table,
and reserrin ;; to the petition ot'the Congress, .
which he read in his place, and by which it
appeared that they asked no such matter.
He concluded, b drawing a comparison
between the timiss behaviour of Adminish'a
tion at the surrender ofFalkland's lllands,
and their swag tring conduct now used to
their own children.
"The Marquis of Rockingham lamented
the unhappy sittiation ofthe town ofBoston,
and asked what good sending the soldiery
had already produced ? That they had been
there for some time ,' ineapable osusing their
arms, or bringing about the purposes of
government. .From this experience of
yomsi ill concerted measures (continues hi
Lordship) you ought to be taught wisdom.
and prudent le '(lation'; and the Only way
to recover {lability to 'our councils, and
open a door to reconciliation, will be by
withdrawing the soldiery from the town of
Boston, , '
Lords Gower, Rdschsssord, and Weymouth,
avowed the settled intentions of government
of compelling the Amerieans to the imme
diate obedience of the legillature of the
mother country., ct_ - .
janumjy 28; "Sir George Saville pre
sented apetitionfrom Mess . Bollan, Frank—
lin, and Lec, agents for the colonies, stat
ing, " that the petitioners could explain
and throw great light on the petition
presented si'omsithe Congrch to the King,
which, by his Majcsty's command, had
been referred to that Honourable House,
and therefore praying to be heard on the
fame." This was the subject of'much al
tercation the preceeding evening-, and now
produced another warm debate , which con—
tinued till eleven o'clock, when the House
divided: For receiving it 68, Noes 218.
It is this morning confidently asserted,
at the cossee-houses about Change, that,
government have declared their intentions
'to lay on embargo on all ships trading to
America, except such as would have con—
venieucy for carrying oslbldiers.
On Monday lust nooo lhs. weight osgun
powdcr was [hipped, for the use of the
troops in America.
:l'wo general military officers, we are
informed, are ordered to attend at the
next (labinet Couneil, who, it is said, are
to embark on board the ships oswnr now
fitting-; out for America; and it is added,
that immediately on their arrival General
(Bag-(; will return to England.
Sexcral grsimts arc-now in great forward
nest os landx on the ("do, in An'icricci, to
the amouul olsisutr miliionx ol'acrcsi.