The Virginia gazette — Williamsburg, Va., 1776-04-19 00:00:00, page 3

them :" Un the contrary, is it not plain
that lht'y are [L' silttisiy less iluiisili Lu )siusi.
rights and li.:ppthclsi than the t_. isisi._sst um,
isih? lt is this a "tus tiltu'vusi nlzll iAnC
appeared .yuur udmcsiitcsi; but hsssi. ",,si
' the virtuous, and incnda tu lib.:zv in
other parts of the gluhc, been usinsihy
ctour advocutcd? H.ne not the lin. ge
niuses of France, intssmrd by the lftctc-i
love of freedom and hu .Lnui) , HeH-td
forth as champions ul ttmt csituac which is
in her the cause of all mankind? 'I ne
'lincuelsi, Vultsitires, and .ucmucrts, have
exerted their tulcnts in your defence; and
they have cxu'ted them not in vain : 1 heir
wm-Ls hate been read with midst), und
applctuse. Lwry man who llllll- s, every
m..n \\ ilUsCle, tlnvugh the dish sent (lates
ol France, lt..ly,. umt (iti'uuny, [& your
isikllti, :md llnx sup rous for your success;
whiht, in England, arsiununt, resslun,
wit, and duqusincc, hsinc been ubli-luul
thrown awu). As an uidcnce of this
truth, lus .] single Cxsiunt) pttitiuned in
)uur l'ss.l\ out ? dume scw msimumctuzing
tuwns hsitvc indeed cxlrsili'cu' their appre
licnii-mb thsiit the- present mealuxs um) be
dctrimental to tluir own consiuncrce and
i.:rerelt, but on the itsijaltice anu mhuma
nity of these mectsurn they have been ut
terly lilcnt. H.th nut ymir liclds been
Lid waste, your pmpcrty confiscatul,
our citizeus butchsircd, and )ourcitics
reduced to ashes? lime not the savuges
been tamsiurcd with lo d-sihtg'e your fron
licrs with blood and (laugntci ? llasc not
your iln-es been insiigzucd to murder you,
and your wives and chisdren? Are nut
these things (moulh'nus anii incrcdiblc as
they are) nonuriuu—Z But in what man
mr have they affected the people ofEng
land? , H.:vc thty lncwn the least resem
ment, indignatiun, ur even compassion?
Have they not, on the contrtry, voted,
or suffered their rc-prel'elnativcs to vote,
fresh means for prosecuting the diabolical
pint! Hwe.thcy nat.neguti4ted with
exe—ry pan cr us Europe for hirelinz instru—
ments to endure your destruction? Are
these things facts, or are they not? Aud
can you now in patiently, with your arms
across? V\ ill you not muse yonrsclves at
the great call utsitmture! V\ ill you suffer
a few coward hearts,_conten1ptible, con
fused heads, [or perhaps treacherous bo
snm, to keep you suscinated in & state of
turpur, till the chain is fixed about your
necke, by which you will be inextricubly
held? But, to snak without figure, ]
will tell you plaiuiy, fellow citiZens, your
situsiition, and point out your-interest and
duty. You have ahesiuly roceecled so
far, that, were your cduse iiesh righteous
thsim it is, yu-u could not in policy recede.
You luve ovcrlurned every form of the
Constitution, it sucha desective patchwork
fabrick as yours can be called a conffituti
on; you it we ussumed the ]egiflature into
your own hands; you have raised troops;
you have waged war; andcyou have, in
appearance at least, expelle your gover
nour. ln short, youhavc committedamul
tiplicity of- acts, which a prince less tyran
nicu], a ministry less abandoned, and &
nation less imperious than that of Great
Britain, might. choose to construe treason,
and which, if fortune, or your own inde
cilion, should throw it into their pon er,
they will infallibly punish as such. If you
suceeed, all these things which you have
done will rednund to yourhmzour; but
if you miscarry (which may Heaven and
your own spirit avert) the horrible flavery,
which must be the lot of you and your
children; will be represented, in history,
as scarcely adequate to the blackness and
magnitude of your crimes. "" any thing
in human affairs is certain, it may be
affirmed that success or miscarririge are at
your own option. Decisiun ensurcs the
former; hcsitation incurs the latter.
You have an army, the sohiiers and
osiicers of which have displayed more va
lour, order, and. discip'xine, and the gene
I .;. ill-ol'k .tm'sstt) ., than the enemy , or you
)uu-t !vesi, Luulu pulhbly have txpeJt-d.
! l-e-si hsine becu crowned with melt Mou
dcrlui success. And are they now to be
lluppcd in the career osthcir good fortune?
A'nu are )nur liberties to be tsiilked on the
chance f-sa die, merely through complai
l'tucc tutcteiears, ifnut the treachery, us
the most despicable and worthiest: part of
the punimunit) ? I speak nutsrum pasiion,
or prtjndiu: ! appea] to your own sense,
and experience. l.u--k ubuutyuufl Who,
what are these men thus Iubb'mgand wist..
ing after their darhng dependensie, which
they can neither understand themselves,
nor do attempt to explain to other:? Are
they not the very men vtho, from the
beginning, have either openly oppused,
or thrown obstacles in the way of, every
lririted measure us reiiltance? ]" shortct,
are they not men of suspected principles,
muddy perplexed understandin'gs, or usa
timidity ridiculous to a proverb?
] shall now Conclude, fellow citizens,
with urging and inlilting upon these un
c mtro.ertible truth:: lhctt although you
have a numerous and gallssmt ;.l'mv, ...l—
though ynur general! and office rs or I a
lous and capable, although it hass p-t .ctse !
Heaven to bless them hithex tu w Ill almost
one cnnrinttedseric-s m sncrf ssi, ] s. y. lb.".
a'thnugh these things are, they are ..tlin \ ain
unless you likewitc exert, .: this impor
tant crilis, that mctt-ly decision which has
long been expected from _\nu. 'l'he pal
]antry nsyuur troops, thc Z. al ;md cztpatsii' )!
of your officers, will unlv serve tu m. ke
their deseat and desh'ttction more humiliat
ing and lamentable; and [hat thty nmst
ultimately bcdeseated. ruined. or disiulv
ed, is most infallible, unless they are sur
nished with the requisite means oi'carrying
on the war. They have not these means;
they have neither arms, tents, blankets,
nor a sufficient stock usammunition. 'l'he
can only be supplied with these requisites
by a more certain, and lesiz precariuus in
tercourse with other states, than the little,
dirty. disgracesul, sinuggllng methodnow
pursued. This intercourse cannot be esta
blilhed without a decl :ration, on your
parts, that you are a flat and independmt
people. Whilst you remainin the predica
ment of Rebelx, they are, in decency, ob
liged to keep aloos; but, when you can
be considered as an indepenclent state, the
eternal rules of policy will point out to
them the advantages 'and honour which
must result From a close alliance with you.
For Heaven's sake, whv, wherelore, do
you hesitate? The pusilhnimous mortuls
who labour to raise spectres in your imagi
nations, similar to those whichdance before
their own, know very Wci] that reconcilia
firm and remlion with your butsher: are im—
possible. You may, indeed, he theirslavcar,
but to be their brethren and fiel/o-w suhjz-sict:
is out of the nature of things. 'Procrasti
nation only prolongs the calamities of war.
Every day's delay swells up the expense of
America's blood and treasure. V\ ill you
then, lss repeatedly demand; throw away
the lives of so many thousimds of'ydur most
valuable citizens, plunge yoursilves into an
enormuus debt, from which you can never
be extricated, will vou stake the liberties
os yourselves and posterity, on hazssrd and
fortune, merely in_ compluceucy to the
sears of & sew timid', or perhaps to the
designs of a few disaffected men ? Or uill
you, by a brave, spirited, and manly in
junction on your servants in Congnsh, to
declare you A FREE AN D ]N DEPEN
DENT PROPLR, bring the cahmilies
of war to a shorter issue, :md fix vour liber
ties on a firm and dur nhh- soundution?
Alf/l ofDELEGA/TES ch/fi-nfizr the
fbllowiug connties. viz.
OR Amherlt, \\illi'cm (}.zhell, and
Gsitbrie] Pennsi csiluires. For Charles
Lity, V\ illium Acrill, and Samuel Hur
wood, esquires. For Charlotte, Paul
Larri-sigton, and Thomas Read, csquires.
[for Chcliuficld, Aschibald tary, and
Bclsijumin Malkins, ciquires. For the
Cullcge of V\ iilium and Phry, john Blair,
elquire. For Henlicu, Richard Adums,
and Nalhaniel \\- i-Lihsun, esquires. For
Hammer, Pauick Henry, and jolm S) me,
esqnn'cs. l'ur jamcnown, (Jhumpiun
'l'r_ vis, esqunc. For jctmes City, liu
bert (;urlcr Nicholas, and V\ illiam Nor
Vcsiil, csquires. For Louisct, George Mcri
wethcr, and Thomas jazhusun, el'qu'lrcs.
Fnr Northumberland, jack Crawlc—y, and
Rodham Kcnuer, esquires. For New
Kent, Burlhnlomew Dandridge, and
M llsidm Lluytou, esqujrcs. For Prince
George, Ricnard Bland, and Peter Po -
thrcss, (squires. l-siul' Richmond, lind un
Muse, and Charles M'Carly, esquires.
For Hillictmlburg, Ldmund Raudolph,
esquirc. lsi'msi Warwick, " illiam [lar
woud, and Richard Csixry, csquircs. For
YOlk, Dudlcy Digges, and William
Diggcs, juu. esquctn'es.,
Mr. Punmu, ..
H E nfligcrs of the 5th regiment'bcg
lean.- to return their thanks, in'thc
must ..ublick manner, to mr. ]oho Hay," -_
merchant atCobham sovhisldnd, gentccl,
unsil polite treatment. to themsson their
nurch tu Suffizlkct
Czlpl del usi'gs, and capt. Henry 'serrel,
desire to return lhzmks' to (01, William
Rnan, us !"ssc x-, in behalf oftheir officer: ' ,
and such us, for his friendly and genfecl" '
htsillsizviflur, and parlicularkindness to them
on this march to Richmond courthouse.
—-—-——-———.
T a cummittee held isior AMELXA
coumy, March 8, 1776. This com
miuee takinginto consideration the distres
scd situalion of mauy of the inhabitants of
the lower countics, who have been redu- *'
ccsil to lhe-real want of'every necessary of
me by the cruel hand of oppreflinn, think
it theirimlisiwnssictble duty to repeattheiros- si
fc-rs ofsriendship and asiiltance to as many
osthe friends to American liberty as may
think proper to come and relideamong us; '
and for our sc] vez- , and sor our conltituente,
we do assnre all such, that we will contri
bute every thing in our power to make ,
their residence agreeable.
Rq/isilved, that these proceeding: be
published in the Virginia GaZette. -
jOHN BOOKER. jun. clerk.
*,* Robert Berry of Middlesex, sound
guihy osmurdering a negro fellow belong-ct "
ing to mrs. ]ones of that cpunty, has fled "
from justice, and there is now a hue and
cry after him. He is a native osVirginia, '
about 26 years of age, near 6 feet high,
is stout made, has a down look, dark hair
and eyes, and follows the water as a pilot. _
He crossed the bay, to some part of the
Eastern Shnre. ' -
ADVLRTISLMENTS.
"TOLEN from the subscriher the 14th
instant (April) in the night, a large ss
light gray horse, 7 yearsold this lpr'mg, ss
about 4 sect 9 inches high, has a switch
- tail and roached m.-me about hall'grown,
wall tyed, one scarcely perceivublcsi re—
mznkzthle flut sect, very thick about his
uitlnrs, with three or four small scars
thereon, p.:crs, trots, and gHHOPS, and
works exceeding w<ll ------- h'nn) several
Currt bcuniting-circumstanccs, the said horse
was stolen by a person who had been lurk
ing- in the neighbourhood two or three ct
(]7135, and suid his name was Samuel Flan
ngim. He is rather lurger than the middle _
[izc, osa swarthy complexion, dark hair, -
and has a large ringworm in his sace.---- si
\\ ]] ucver deliurs the said horse to me,
in Surrjv cunnty, near the cnurthouscss
{11 t" have 405. reward, and 5]. on con—
sictiun c-Fthe thief. ,
(2), ROBERT PYLAND.