The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1909-08-02
Tells Of the Times When Bur-
goyne's Men Grew Oh,
So Homesick.
BELFAST news
LETTER Of 1878
Correspondence Between His Males
TVS Commissioners and Congress
President.

Musty and yellow with age, and
bearing across thirteen decades tie
spirit Of the times when his majestys
commissioners were demonstrating
with the congress of the United
States on the subject of the detention
of the troops lately serving under
Gen. Burgoyne," a copy of the Bel
fast News Letter of 177S has come in
possession of the News through the
courtesy of Gen. McGrath, of Burr
ville Tenn. Mr.. McGrath was struck
with the recent account in The News
of the relic belonging to Mr.. Grimmer,
copy of the United States Gazette
and sent to this paper one of the
copies of the Belfast News Letter of
1878. 1t is one of the most inter-
esting relics of ancient journalism
and contains many items that will
strike the newspaper reader of today
as inuque and picturesque.
The date of the copy of the Bel
fast News Letter is From Friday
October 20, to Tuesday, o.
177S," and almost the entire first page
is taken up with news from America
taken from Rivington's Gazette, of
New York, August 20.
In the first column the following
correspondence is given:
New York. Aug. 18th, 1878.
Sir have the honor to send you,
| by order of their excellencies his
| majesty's commissioners, the enclosed
paper, containing a demonstration adj
dressed to the congress on the sub
| ject of the detention of the troops
lately serving under Gen. Burgoyne,
with reQuisition for their immediate
release. To which l make no doubt
that you will pay the attention due
to matters of such high concern; and
have the honor to be, with the great
est respect, sir, your most obedient
and humble servant,
adam FERGUSON"
ferguson was secretary to the
British .commission)
ITO His Excellency, Henry Laurens,
Esq, President of the Congress.
by the Earl of Carlisle, Sir Henry
Clinton, William Eden, Esq, and
George Johnston, Esq, his majesty's
commissioners appointed with suf-
ficient powers to treat, consult and
agree upon the means of quieting the
disorders now subsisting in certain
Of the colonies, plantations and prov
inces of North America.
Upon a representation from the
commanderin-chief of his majesty's
forces that the troops lately serving
under Gen. Burgoyne, Notwithstanding
the solemn convention entered into at
Saratoga in which it is stipulated
that the said troops should have a
free passage Great Britain, are
nevertheless under various pretenses
still detained in New England the fol
lowing remonstrance against the I'M
just detention of these troops and
requisition for their immediate re-
lease, on the condition annexed to the
article by which their passage to
England is stipulated, are now SOL
EMMY made to the American con.
gress.
Whereas, the means that have
been devised by mankind to mitigate
the horrors of war and to facilitate
the establishment of peace, depend
on the faith of cartels, military capt.
conventions and treaties en-
tered into even during the continu-
ance of hostilities. From whence all
nations have agreed to observe such
as they revere the sa-
cred obligations of humanity and JUS
tice and as they would avoid the hor-
rid practices of oscillations which,
however Justly due the guilty, but too !
'equently fall on the innocent.
And whereas upon these considera-
ions all breach of faith even with an |
enemy and all attempts to elude the
orce of military conventions or to de-
eat their salutary purposes by eva
lion or chicane, are justly held in de-,
estation, and unworthy of any. de-
cription of persons assuminS nv
haracter of or stating themss lives ~