The Virginia gazette — Williamsburg [Va.], 1777-02-28 00:00:00, page 1

.T' HE si Vsil R G 1 N lct A G-A-ctsiz E T T E.?sissss
she Freedm oftbe Press: is me of the great Bulwm-lu of Libc- m', andsscan never be restrained but by de/potic Go'vemmeiztr.
[FEBRUARY 28, 1777.] WlLLI'AMSBURG: Printed by DlXON__£'f HUNTER. (No. 1334.)
For the VlRGlNlA GAZETTE.
BE snfl part of the first sentence in the ! ram": speech
contains . true lsscrtion, vil. that " othing could
have afi'orded him so much satisfaction as to have been
\able to inform his Parliament, that his troubies heir
\ were utuendz" but in the samesentenceand breath, he
' syeakl of the oppressiono of our leaden, whereas it is
well known thn no people in the world enjoy : greater
lure of freedom than we do, and that our leaden are fairly and freely
chosen [: the people, who have alway: cheersull submitted to them,
and fini the sentence with eflerting the object o those leaders always
wu dominion ud power; whereas he knows full well, that, till h-ss.
forced on to remonce all allegiance to him, by a scries of opprcssions ahd
crueltics unpalllelled in the annals osmmkind, and by : finishing {'mkc,
put on totally from under hie protection, we constzlntiy looked upon him
is our licge'Sovereigp; and that every Assembly, or Convemion, and
even count committee, made solemn and sincere proxestations of their
loyalty an attachment to his Crown and Government; that the Ial} pe
tition of our Congress prayed that we might be continued under his pro
tectionss, and subject to all the law- and regulaiions that were in force in
1773, and ashed but sorpmtc. [!blflj; uudsaftt); he knows also full well
that h (! we been aioiing at independence, we might have much souncr ob
tained it, end should undoubtedly have been in a much better condition
for war, as every day*s expzrience teaches him. He adds, " they have
rejected, uwitssb circumstances ofiudigniy and install, lb: meam qf rounlinnon,
held out to tlmn under the autborizjy oj'our tommiffian." \Vh:ctt were the
men. of u-ncxiiation, and 'ctiow held out? Does he mean Lusi-d Howc 5,
or rat'nctzi Lord Drummnnd's proposal, thai we should return unde: hzs
yoke, on his hue promise that some act:should be n'vised, and 1 know
not what done wilh Govemors instructions? Does he call it holding uct
the man: gftomiliarionf For an Admiral with a powerful flesifl, ului a
General With a fierce nnd surmidahle arsimy, to block up our haiboms,
cruile on our consis, and hucchering hurdreds of our people, to propuse
such (arms as these, and so privake persons too, for Lord Howe woulssi not
eonsem totreatwikh the Comminec ofCongress, but as private Gentlemen.
Could we have been more insuited ? siOr could there have been a greater
mocke than such a manner of proposing a reconcnlntion ? But suppose
no obje ion had beeh made to the humiliating manner in which they
were proposed, and the insulting tenm hnd heen accepted! could the ty
rant have hop (! the uplifted knife or hatehet, ready hv hls command to
strike the face siroke on many an helpless woman and innocent babe on
our extensive frontien? Had all the savage tribes been as ready to un
dertake the blood work for him, as some were, and had they been suc
cessful, it wou] have been out of his power to have checked them in
.thesir cruel career, till they had desolated whole countnes. Had the
Toriet in the different State: possessed more courage, and had mu
fiaveu their cruelty and ingratitude, they would have been engaged in
the inferior and lower parts of the country, in the same work of death
and desolation, whilst the lndians were,ctwith unabating ardour, toil
ing ;.tit on our srontiers. This might have been oursitua'tion for aught
that George lll. or Lord Howe cmfld tell at the time they nmcked
(us with proposals of. ce! But it has besin ashd by us a thousand
times, and never an wered, why, if the British King meant to
neat with us, is he meant to suffer us to enjuy peace, or if he did
'not intend at all events to revenge the insult he thought had been offered
him, did he not recall his army, and his inhuman emiffariet from amongst
the hulians ? The falsehood then of this part of his speech is too evident
and glm'mg, and it will stand recorded as an eve-laffing monument of his
wickedness and cruelty. His next sentenc: contains an honest confession,
at least, that much mischief may accrue to him from thin wan of his own
seeking, and I am Plnd to find that he there acknowledge: that it may hnve
a mnsu '- mhlc si-ffect on the sysiem of all Europe. Then follows a plain
conscshon that he haenotyetfound such unanimityathome as he could wish;
" c.".e zrmt advantage, however, says he. will be derived from the ob
'ejct us the r. he]; being openly avowed and clearly understood; we shall
no unmimity at-home," but shamefully adds, " founded on the gene
."] mnvia-on of thejastiu and neresu'n' ofnur mnsm;*' for there
u not an how" man in En land whois acquainted with our proceeding:
in America who doee not esim inivflice and folly of all his mature}:
.K
And yet he impioufly lttn'hutee hil success in Cannda to " the blessing
of Divine Providence." ! will here remark, b the bye, that he is very
thanksul to Heaven, and thinks highly of the gnveiysi and good conduct
of his fleet: and armies, that have enabled him to rumr Cauactk. it it
not three years since he thought that five thou l'and men were able to marcp
through America. but now he is Very thanksul that seven thousand of
his hest trap: have been able to keep their ground in Canada. As 'to
the h'essin of Providence I think that haa been greatly in our favour, p
might be ewn in (thousand instance: which gratitnde prompusi me so
to point out at :\ future time; and even in_ the instance before in, I thin
we have more reason to be lhanksul than he has; folss' had we got possefiioti
of uebec it would have cost us an' imme'nseexpense of blood and treason to
hsiwe ept it; ourforcea would have been too much l'catrered abroad, am!
theirs, which are now in Canada, might have bvun perha in Philadel—
phia. He next mentions hie success ai New York, whicssevery semible
Anericen muK see has been of service to us, not only by emholdegisig
hie army to attempt to march to Philadelphia, and so put it in our GQ
neral'e war to chaltise them as he do, but by enabling General um
tosend eh flattering and true accoumos lu'orapid successor, as must ut
even the crafty usant dffhll guard, and induce him to think when he
hears them that no farther " preparation butsscr)" for mother um;
feign." He proceeds to tell, according to hie custom, of the .sihsisiasisi-si,
ol amity he has received from the several Court! of Europe, but nt-ffle
same time shews that he put but little considence in them, for s I he
" u-verthdafl' it is txptlim fwc should be in a rcshtctul'ltstau qssilg/Z—nn a!
borne." From this part of his speech we have a constrmation osthe ac
councs we have had ofa quarrel between Spain and Portugal. [r. reading
this sentence I was shocked when ] came to " ] hope that all mishHdsi—si
flctmdings may be removed, and Dura continue to enjoy the iug/iimablc
blessing: of peace." Good God! W_iata monster! that he should wish
fm peace in Europe only, that he might prosecute with more vigour a
cruel and bloody war in America! for he could have nothing else in view
in thin wish, as it is well known that the destruction os thousand: in me
East ]ndies. the butchery of the unhap Caribs, the miseries of war in
Cofiica, and Polnnd, and the dreadfn carnage in battle: between (he
Russians and Turks', rwesire vie'ssired by him with pleasure or llntoncern:
_._) ,,Lss.
ct sssi .... ,..si-u-u. ul unsoncel'l'l;
and what can be said for hie callingpmceln messirnunu lctl
(.ssffsslsszt and
yet, thue inhumanly rubbing us of it! in his addt'ess to my Lords an}!
Gentlemen, he then asseru that "_no peosile ever enjossed more happmcte,
or lived undern milder government, t an the revotted provmccsss (
must desire the reader: of this rt of the speech to peruse the proceeding
of Congress, if the do not ee the falsehoot! of this assemem. len cu
rious enough to in him attrlhutmg our " improvements in every art,"
which he meanly says " we boafi/b netu'b of;" and out numbera, &c. .
to the mildnesu of his Go-wnmmzt, which he: been : senesss of OPPl'efl'iang- sict
and nueltv. No sooncr had he patehed tip a peace wnthf'rance 3.de
Spain than'he prepared for war with lus tubjects, nttd be am it by [sy'ng
the strength of his prcrogative at home, and herdemng ehmt-ts yf hie '
troops, and training them up to flmrghtes their feilow eltizensctgeusihouc
remoi'lic. His fleels were brought on by the lame kind Ofdlsi'lPh to be
able to go through the desh'uctive work they are vow engaged m. "Cap.
tains ofss ships of war were made Custnm-_House Officers, .."d were soo
rendered very expert in perusing, sem-chmg, mid plundermg 1" vessel:
which fell in their way. They were taught, that our trade was altoge. . ?
thcrundes the direction of Parliament, and were tohlve been awedmtoc, -. )
belief, that it was our duty to suhmssit to eveicty ()
p ression :tnd insust theysi
0 nesittuzee, we were to _ J
.ct
might offer, if we dared to complain, or think
have bren convinced that resisiance wasss um. Thehttle wlrls of the si
diliressed tt'ader in these wretched coionnzs,
flying from their ships of wn'
with a few comfort! and necessaries of life, bought c-ssia cbcswf "'a-fleet ss
than England afforded, gavetheir an idea that their ships would alw- \ 17
;wusift'sctzlyfi St. George's fields, led the tyrzmt to believe that his "mia, ? ss
' as. The success ofthe hired ruffiansa Btemsnrd, and , ,,
4
would meet with no resishmce in Amenea. His shtps nn_d renders had_ effccss (
tually cut off our supply of specie from the M'eti lndtes_, With wiJCh se.
mittances weremnde to Englandin his grand-smher's rezgn; he!};en be- —
gan toexeeute Sir William Keixh's scheme of rmfing :. revenue :!ifsiAme
rica; : scheme'vcttich had been rejected as d'.n_ .-ro_'1= is. th: rugxsizsiqf
George XI. and thus Pharuuh like, attempttd .ss" &;sisissssm h-nct ] ...sias—
without shiw. From the ten'tility of cut (0!i,- end the bieffin-si—apt
(