The Virginia gazette — Williamsburg, Va., 1777-05-02 00:00:00, page 6

\VILL[AI\ISBURG, May :.
lS cxccllency general Waihingcon lus la'sicly l'cu ivccl
a letter from the lord Curnwallis, cnchli xg a nu-st
audacious and imperlinent paper from ;: can. in l.ult. c-ct-l.
Walcott, acting undergencral Howe's aulhoricy, wherein
he dcmands, in very high and peremptory tcnm, the full
and due performance of th: agreunent entered into the
goth Of July and lst ofAugust [Os un exchxugc of prison
ers, and the return and releasmcnt'ot' an equal numbcr
for those sent and delivered over to general Wash'zngwn;
and is pleascd'm term lient. cal. usixrriibn's ohjcctsilnns
, " sictss. ._._,si-_._.ll,sil'.. ,...Al
thereto, on tnc part Ol Ill! ChbtlleL) ,. HlVll\l\lixuo ...."
unprecedcnted, and that they c.:nnotct wtth any degree of
reason, or consistentiy with common lense, be allowed or
admitted as 0bstacles.---Genemi Walhington, to general
Howc, replies : 'l'hatit is with peculiar regret he is con
strained to observe (upon this illibernl performance us
lieut. col. Walcntt's, a copy of which he transmitted to
him) that it is calcuiatcd to auswcrul—css genrssrnm purpose
than that of merely effecting an exch mge of priibnerz,
contains a grass misrepresentation ss'ol shcts, and is a pal—
pable dcvirttion from that delicate line which he expected
would mark his conduct as a man of candour :tnd inge
nuity; for that he has mutihted and mistated nuttets,
in such a manner as to change their meaning, and to
adopt them to the unfair conclusions he wished to estzbiish .
He then explains the motives of his conduct, and the
rounds on whic'sii the s1id mr. Walcott's ch_ss.rge is found
ed: That he does not hold himself bound; citherin the
spii'it of the agreement or by the principhs (.fjufiice, to
account Far those pfisoners who, from the rizour and se
verity of their treatment, war;: isii s) cm-tcittcd and im
uiz'hi-ig a (tare, at the time they came out, as to render
their death almost certain and inevitabie, and which, in
' su tdry i-sii't tnces, happened while they Were returr-ing to
their hfssimes, and in many others after th-sir art'ivzd; tint
the object ofeverv carte], or lisinildr agreement, is the
benefit of the prismers themseivcs, and that of the con
tending puwers, on which footiug it equally exact; that
they shouid bc weil treated as that they should be ex
changed ; that the revel so is thercsure an evident hzsrzcti
on, and ought to subject ths: party on whmn it. is ch n'gc
able to all the damage and i'l conssiquenccs rcssiiTting from
it.; that it cmnot be expected those unlitted sor future
service, by acts of severity, in direct viola'siion of & com
pact, are proper subjects for an exchange, and that to
return others not in the [lime pt edicamcnt would hrsi. to give
without receiving an cq-siiivalent, and would ZLsissUl't] the
greatest encouragzment t.) cruelty and iuhummity; that
the argument drawn from the mere circumstancc of the
prisoners having been received is of no vaiidity, for that,
though; from this wretched situati'm, they could not
at that time he deemed proper for an exchange, our hu
manifv required th it they sh mld he permi'ted to return
amongst us, although it 15 cossdcflcd that alter lhalt' Ucll
Very they still continued pris-ctncrs, and would be so till
regulutly exchanged; that it may, perhaps, be fairly
doubled, w :ther an apprehcnsion ofthcir death, or that
of a great part of thun, did not contribute to their being
sent out when they were, and that it would have been
happy is the expediant had been thought of before these.
ill fsslted men were reduced to such CX',1'Cl'x'iiLy.----\]is ex
cellency concludes as follows: " Thus, sir, hwe I ex
" plained the motives of my conduct, and ] trust vindi
" catcd myself, in the eve osi-nparti dFty. from the hn
" proper and groundlcss charge which you, and the
" entlcmen acting- hy your authmity, have been pleas
" ed to alledgc againfl me. is, in ct'h'izlg this, ] have:
" departed in the sinaf'ctss. dejgsctssc from that delicwcy
" which ! always wishes! sh-mlsi': sorm ss part of my ch't
" ructer, you wii] remember ! hwc been. s-n-ced into
" recrimi-zzui m, and that it has become :m :th usmu-s
" surv justice. ] [hall now dsidaz'c it to hc: mv arsilc-nt
" wish, lb.;t & general cxchmgc may er ;)!zssc-z- (," grene—
" ro-ts undlibersitl printiples, as far as it csim bc effected,
-
" and that the. ngrr—rmmt shksif'i 'ssz bethen us for shsi"
" purpctl}: sh yu'sij bss;".:;x-':-ss-]-*.'-viv niulbrvcal ; rmd ] ('al'e up:,"
u )uu, by every oblig stint: of guard !;Lil'n, w rc-mnvc all
" ilni)ed'nnrnts on your part to the accompliflmum osic, _
" lf, however, you (is.) um, ] consukz mylsiclswih almpe
" tlnc those 11ML>rtumxtc men whose lot i'si 1..- to be vsimr
" pvisssmers vx 'sh bczzr [heir iussclizsgs whh becoming lin'd
" tude nucl nunguzimi-y." ,
ch are told, in a luc London paper, that the loss.
which lord Humours sustained in his pr vate propexty in
Virgiuisil exceeds 40 cool. whereas it is wcil known tlnt
his lordship hzul never huls that worth os prnpcuy in this
countrytolc se; andicis equaliyccytuin, that this doughty
chicfcm'ried hnssic vxiih him more man double ].vi-ss' sup
posed loss, wizissh he ::msictzssz-d from the czrpxure ufvcsisi ,
the pfumlcr ol'uur inhabitants, and ssc-m the side ofa,
number of negrucs 11; lsihippcd off to the VVcst anies,
7 - 1 .l !, , ctss 1-7.ssss ,,
!l
whom he CHCL-Ul'flgcu tU 'lcctvu tuul unaucna llLlC ulluu
prun isc ossl'cc'tnp; them from flsszvuictv.
Thc London papcrs, as late as ] :nunry :34L memicn,
that the French coutt, notwitl shustling the sy'sizixsid me
morial oi'lcml 'A cym'xuh, d-si-lss-mdivg th': rcsitiitmhm c. ?
an-Enghih ship (mkcn by the :trmcd \ u'sissil thqzh carried
Dr. Fmr—k'iin w- Frm-ce) hcne permitted the {H.}, ;u—z! csirrgo
to be pubZZL—kly shld at (Namz. 'l hat ;.11 CXFl's sss' I.:sisid ar
r'tvcd st'om Spain, with an ;zccmmt of the lctzdii tgz (s & s:
cond Hmng squndmn srum ()..d'z. That in (cnzs-siqucncc
cfsrcsh adechs us'sihe dcsigns of France mzd St'zssm, the
greatest wzrfihc pxsparzt'ivns were making in Ictt'glpnd,
and that the press sur scanun had become hzsi-ttcr than I
ever on the rit er 'isihzmcs, &c. 'I hat. (Lur Au'criczm pri
v-tteers were, in ];uzut-rv Lctst, ])Ziz p; in the l-nrbour of
Bourdeauxct 'lsihass Portsmouctsih ruptr house wss supposed ct
to he sit. on fire de sigzecsilv, am! toc-o]. rewzzrcl is oss'sirnl
by government, for (its, :Ziscm cry us the l-ss- ntff rs. 'l'lmc
the inhabitants of B.]itul have ctvngraz u'atcd their king on
the su: cess "l'hisarunsmthR:]1:.\r.zc:"1cms. 'ssihua num- si
bcrol ships, housesmmt :hsi-rcsic. in Lh'ltc'tty. hadbeensi-*ss i'ful
lysetcm fire, and [greamxn'sigcthmm ct 'l'h ft three troops
us guardd had arrived there to yssu t-J thc'tizy against in
ccnzihr'zas. That mr Ebcmz :z' Pint, :: plant'ct-r smm
(Occsirrgia, lus been commhzezl tu New gate fsi-z-r high trar
[Zm, being uccusul us isi: t'usict; nzzu'zC ssscc vssith the king's
store: at davunnah, . zsid m" shsi-p'ujnsi-si his enemies with ::m
munitionsi 'l'lnt it-shusiiinzzs siu'c suxt m htrd Stosmhnt,
at the court of Vctctlsihiilss. tn dem-md th: d- livfiry us D.".
FraPkH-sil, in rdcr to be s, nt to E-xpsslsictui ; and in case of
a refused, that his lordship 11 13 ( r-Zcrs to ratum home im
mediately. That he lud retumcctd, without his pxizc,
and it was therefore shpposchLhc French court had
thrown off the mnlk.
Latt Friday the. first division of the North Caroliffa
troupz, under the command as (to]. -'\si11r!.sim, pnsssid
thruug-sih l'si-tcrshm'csi', on this way toj in the grand um
tim-mssl army. 'l'hc Olhcl' division w-n a F-ctw (] tys march
behind, compusing in the whole :: body (;i' zooo Well ap
poiztt-sid men.
, .. ss- ,, ! -.-.1___:._. rsisi... D!.'.!...!,Inh7r. .Isie-sisl sh
lzCLLde "] guuu auunnu] nun- . si- .,_.__.si,_., ., ....____ ,
zzd uYt. say, that two (;fnur PsiV'.Lt-':C]_'S have taken n-ssnl
ssscntinto St. Eustaria and Martinique nine CM of transporcs,
on their way to New Yolk, and two gui'sseumcn bound
to the VVest ]ndies. 'l'hesg: transports w-sixe to call at the
West [ndics scr rum for the army, :ssn ] to avoid as much
as possible the Eastern privateers.-—_!)d'.:x-ter.< come out
in numbers, and say the cnemy's army is very sikkly, and
that the men die salt General Stcphcn has lately
had :: hrush with the enemy", hc auadssd one of their
piquct guards, and drove it in, killing 7, mid taking 16
pri soners . .
A farther ffccount of ELRCTEOMS, flz. For York,
Thssmfls Ncls-m. jun. am! juscph i'rcm'h', c-sq 's. EYMA
bath (Iitv, H/orhch *-'-'-:!'cwoucl mid H.!cs Ki .fgss, eiilrsi'o
D'mw'lddic. ] )hn P— usxstcr :m-l Buliim: Sc'n'sie , fsip'i
K-ng :m-zl Qsiwcn, 'l'hshnnsi; ()demm :ml Hazzsi-v 'i'v-H
el'qrs. ihaovcr, john Sjmc an'. Guhud malerl'un.