The Virginia gazette — Williamsburg [Va.], 1778-05-08 00:00:00, page 1

.Thesict- VIRGlNIA GAZl-siETTEct—
sissssctctctsssiffipssfimmw
[MAY 8. 1778.) WlLLlssAMSBURG: Printed by DlXoN &? Hun'rzn. (No. 14}; ]
YORK TOWN, Aprilq.
The Ubwil. in ulten from : Pbshdelphiz New: Paper, efctpetl 17. publishd
" by ame- Robertson. 84: 8 laud
y-ctctu :bn' rbt': Excellent m c....sif'ctl'si cl'zictf, mbfo'ctfiMjmssd
]. 'oeverwbe'cbern'v bren?" Iasthz : m !: .
with the be:} on "pen, u- wbicb eve but extreR-J thefollowing imi
We.
0 N D 0 N, Ftbruary 19.
! House of Common. went into : committee on Tuesdty night after the
debete wee met, upon the proposed offered by Lord North relative to
Amaice; end n soon :- the chairman left the chair, : motion wu made, .
" The: lene be given to bring in a hill, to enable hie Mtjeny to nppomt
Commiflonen to treat, consent, and agree on the meam of quieting the disor
am now suhflflinzineerbin of the enlaniet, plantntiom, and peovineet of
Ameflcs." Also,
** A bill for declaring the intentiom of the Padiement of Great Brit-ia, con—
eeening the exmise of the right of impoflng tue- on the coloniee, plantntione
end 'ncee ot Americe."
queflien wn then put nel : ned, and the bille ordered to be brought
in by Lord North, the Auomey Selidtor Genenl, Sir Gvey Coopef, &c.
, Lord Not 'rn': S ? B ! C ", on his congtunsironv nektel, ell 'I'nqu
list, 0- . ll : u : I : .
H}: propofition which ] have the honour to ofl'u- to this House it for two
eat oi Perhtment. ] will now open the eontente of them full. end will
then fear them to : committee of the whole house. At the opening of the
resent senon, on the firfl do,, during the dehlte on the .ddrest to hit Mejefly,
told the House, that in my opinion te'rnte might he made with the eqloniet,
short o! unconditiond submision, and the: 'the time of making them was the
moment of victory. ] said thn thinking that the victory geioed by Sir Williem
Bowe was more deemen than it really wet, end ignoum at the time of the
mities which hzdldlen on General lurgoyne'e nay. When the newe of the!
Melancholy even: arrived, lwu struck, the! the time as proposed term: was
pan, lnd that :he firsi point to be done wet the niting ssnnv Fleviee end : new
- {weet 'l'sitve consdq'uences of that mitfortune wereunknown', the seven] idu
un that the vnctoriout army would much to Philadelphil, end that, finshed
with victory : general engagement might hnve hapened, which weld have been
decisive. ! thought it necessary therefore to wnit till the end of the eampaisin,
hill had :: knowledge of in the eveuu osit; it is ended, md nothing decifive
hn happened. The force! of Washington ne not sufficient to mette him quit
hit defenflve pltn. Our army is greet, out navy great, out men in henlth, in
spirits, and well (ttpplied ; but the rcfiflance of Athens: is grew, lnd the war
hie lasted longer than was it fi-si apprehended, much longe: than any friend
to thin country could wish, and ] do not think it will end in the next cempaign.
] think that our forces are sufficient to compell Amen'c- toucept of reasonable
tent"; hot ] make my prt-pcsitwn on thin ground, that it is better to offer :
conceflicn to the :.oloniee now, which may end the comen within the year,
thin to continue the war for three or four years longer, though with the assur
eneepf complsiezt cohquett. in the present suuation of tff-in only three pro
. yofltiom can be made. si
]. To strengthen our force, end continue the war upon the present phn.
". To recall the troops from hmcrica. And .
lll . To offer term: of concilinion to her.
The am p'oposition in mended with too grene un expence of men and mo
ney; nn expence which eonqnefl itself would not balance. The second is, to
fibscribe to the independeocy of America. The third is that which :
_ do me to be the best and wisest. ] never thought of propoang un ultimmrm
Io America. ln : comen which contain: so many nice and difficult poinu, so
My mnuen which demand future remedies. without my person present on
the part of the colonies, that would be impossible and impnaiuble. Whlc.
Wyou give, unless it in firfl seuled :nd agreed on by person: luchorised by
the coloniec, might be given in vain. The danger also of publishing such an
lltimamm would be grene; every word would be crirkzlly examined by jenloua
:, nnd receive an invidious Ind false eonflruaicn, or unjust commenc.
,very proposizion would be blnned before it reached Amevica. If it got there
"tin, cheeoloniu, [; resufing one condition, would defiroy lll. ] will! there.
ken for to open con erence with Americn. ] think that there in so much of
Won flill left in that country toward: this, that barely to enter on . dishlffion
in more then half zhe business. My plan is to open such : discufflon. ] shall
dlmfore propose, 11}. nn act ossss'avhzmenc to vesi Commiffionen with very
mlple power: [or rhiipurpose. The power: mufl be simple; limiced power.
can produce no gard; flsiey must & ample, " to the pensom with whom they
um, and is so (he ohjects crncrrnir—g whigbjh'syct neat. An to (he on:,
the present Commishoners hlve great puwfn'; but the present na musrbsscss sun
end cient, containing no doubt. no doubt whether dull tion wilt ths
Congrest, with rebelt, with petsont actully in me, ye her evdh : General
Assembly of ill the eoloniee, or with the Asemhly of : particular celony. The
only rule to guide the Commiffionen must he, whether the person- with whom
they met are amhon'sed so to do. ] M therefore ytopose thet beh person:
shall be described in the men genesel wade. There should he no etiquette;
the time for thee in pen. Al to the object- of the tte-ty, they should bell
geneully described. The Commimon-e should he enhletl to out on :"
grievance: exining, or supposed to exifl, in the lut- of the eolouiee'. eritt tle
(hunted of this realm, on all metten, ptoviaont. or tliags, end on :" na
end sum? eonuihutton' 0 to be furnished by the eoloniee; fer ] heve reason to
think, & on the dedmtiont of the coloniet, that they are willing to contribute
their sharew the public support. Thin will make the tie stronger between et.
Those who derive an zdunnge from : (tue ought to contribute to the burden
of it. The execution of these powm must meive the subsequent senction of
Parlinment; but there us some point: in which the opilflen ef-the Commun
onen must prevail immedietely. :: the creating ot' sense! end rticuler par
dom, or : eefl'n'n of hounde- They mon hm else ! immed'nte
power mote renne utenfiee. founded on the example of in 16 petsed in
the reign of hole. I], the power of suspending ecte of Pariement. The
eolonie- heve demnded to be ut in the sttuntionthey were in 1763. ! doubt
they willnever he plued en ly in the same htuetion, but they nay
he pheedinone not much lefe tdventngeout. The Mtn that year me
my; mony of than ere hechial to the colohieez many necesety for their
dependenoe et to tude; and many ought to be npealedz oil. perhaps, should
he teeikd. ] would give the Common": full zem- to talke them all into
their consideration, end to suspect] shch " should 'W. . Thereie eno
ther proviflon, which it, perhape, : metter of convenience only; they should
hue : power onppoin' Govm in thosecoloniee where hie szefly w
used to lppoint them. I ell prepoth to Iiptit the dumionof this ed to ]v-e
!, !779. !! ] vel to nop here, the plln would certainly be Men de
seaive in hot otetingn indueement to the eolon'm to met with ne. They
maginupthetv claim osbdepmdencyz'w te inducethe-t to do die.
theymutlheeeminofsomething heateddeeided. Ifitittpeeenry tohote
out en indueement to on the coldniee eollectively, it it equny Me) to hold
it out to each eo'bny in partieullr. Thoezh some they not monee their in
dependeacy, some may; and it will not be said, thet if the eminenere
cannot treat with ill, they shall not tient with lny. The eoioniet ma hzv
some other indveemetit than mere hopes. Before the wet broke out. ] offe
. condhatosy pmpodtion to Americe; ] offered it before the sword was drewa.
The ground u which ! mzde it wot, 'I!!! it ere: jun the eolohiecte should
contribute to support of government, but that their tu-tioehy Parlinmeut
emfioned jeelouflet in them of our nttempting to throw the harden off oee
own shoulden upon them, end of endangering the security of their Assen.
hties. Thie propofltion woe unfortunate; it wet tended Mpicion by the
supposition of : variety of cases; it two mifreprefented or misttnderflood. !
thought it necessary to shew them thlt we were not ting set tention, for
] nevet thought thet such tention would be very ed] to us. The stamp
wn the bed duty that could be laid, and even that would nothve produced
much, so greet was the everflon to it. My intent of making this propotititp
was to prevent the war, by presewing our righte, end freeing them (tom their
jealousiee. ln mmy of the Assembliet therewn en inclination to have ne
eepted it, but they referred it to the Congrest. The Cengtefe treated it a un
reesonable end infidiotte, and rejected it. Wer began, end my intention wet,
from the beginning, at the moment of victory to have me fed the-fzme pto.
pofition, in tinue obvieting !" the misrepresentetiom : misnndershndinp
concerning it. The principal objeeions to it were,
[. Thnt the coldniel hus- sole'rig'ht of grating their own money. My pro
pofition looked ton pmnmmt revenue to be created by them in the cut in
nlnee; my ide- wae, that they should grut their own money in proponion "to
our game, sinne end falling with them. _
11. That it was unreesomble, because the qulmity wan not nscertained, but
their contrihucion wu aftenmdo to undergo the reeifal ossiParlinmem. This
wu not my idea; my intent" we:, that their proportion should be settled, end
being settled, should always remain the same.
m. Thnt it wot infidious, becaut the Miniflry intended to get one colon;
to bid loins! another. I had nosuch intent. The Congress might hzve settled
whn each colony should ofl'er. I will now hold out to the coloniea : cefflmon
of the exercise of cuation, and ] will not subject it to thy conditions, or to
thedemand of any specific mtrihntion. My propofition, therefore, it an act
of Plrlhment, grounded on the jealoufiee of the exercise of the right of m:
ltion, and on their declaradonc of their being willing m contribute, m rctke
may this exercise lbsolmdy, rruflin; to the negocimonss of our Couznnfl-an.
en for plain; eonuibutiom - the colcniu. lnt hiid n : man to make_