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for Holland, in the beginning of May 1777. The captain and his crew were committed to prison for some irregularities: and to save appearances were continued there for a short time by the French; but were speedily released from their mock confine, ment, and permitted to purchase and fit out a much stronger tessel avowedly to infest the British commerce. Mr. Hodge, whom you know, was committed also to the Bastile, at the request of lord Stormont, for having acted publicly as Cunningham's agent, in fitting out the privateer that took the Prince of Orange packet. While in the Bastile he was treated with the utmost politeness and civility; and entertained in the most elegant manner. But the American commissioners being dissatisfied with his confinement and expressing themselves in strong term$ upon the subject, he was released, that the harmony between the French and Americans might not suffer an interruption.

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Upon some reports tending to discourage the French come merce with the Americans, Mr. de Sartine, minister of the ma rine, assured the several chambers of commerce by a public in strument, signed the 4th of July 1777, and in direct contraven tion to all the British navigation laws, that the king was deter mined to afford the fullest protection to their commerce, and would reclaim all ships taken under that pretext. Still the poli cy of Versailles prevented France's being hurried into a rupture. She determined to riske no decisive step, till the issue of the Ame rican campaign was known, her sailors were returned from the Newfoundland fishery, and her naval equipnicnts were compleated. Therefore when the British ministry made heavy complaints attended with manaces, on account of the many prizes carried into the French ports by the American privateers, and there disposed of, as also of the countenance and protection given to the said privateers, she granted lord Stormont, an order for all of them to depart immediately.

The news of gen. Burgoyne's success at Tyconderoga and advance toward Albany, excited the greatest triumph on the side of administration. The promising prospect of the northern expedi tion's answering fully the wishes of ministry, enabled them to press France harder than ever; and dictated to the latter greater pliableness and complaisance. Express orders were sent to Nantz, and all the other parts of the kingdom, forbidding the admittance of any American privateers, unless they entered in order to refit, or were driven in by stress of weather or want of provisions, and in either of these cases they were to be gone as soon as possible. "Notwithstanding: all this parade, priva teers come in, tarry and take military stores; and their prizes are publicly sold, but as formerly.. practised after similar come VOL. II, plaints,

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plaints, at the mouth of the harbor to people who go off in boats to buy them; and are then brought in and unloaded.Lord Stormont hears of it, flies to court, complains and threatens afresh the court storms at and threatens its officers, officers make their excuses; and the affair is soon hushed up, or terminates in a tedious controversy, by which the wished for time is gained." Before the subject of shipping is dropped, let it be noted that the king's cruisers have taken several American ves-sels and privateers and retaken some of their prizes; and will be likely soon to check the progress of American success in naval operations on the European coasts.

By the beginning of November, advices were received of the Bennington action, the failure of St. Leger's expedition against Fort Stanwix, and Burgoyne's first engagement. These advices overthrew in a great measure, the sanguine expectations that had been formed of speedily reducing the colonies: and were a bad prelude to the meeting of parliament, which took place the 20th of November. The royal speech was in the usual tone, but mentioned an augmentation of the naval force, considering that the It conarmaments in the ports of France and Spain continued.

cluded with a resolution of pursuing the measures in which administration was engaged. When the address of the commons was before the house, the marquis of Granby proposed an amendment, and that his majesty should be requested to adopt measures for accommodating the differences with America, and that a cessation of hostilities should be recommended. It was strenuouly supported by the opposition on the following grounds, that three years war, at an immense expence, with 55,000 land forces, and 100 ships of war, had only left the nation in nearly the same situation as when it began. They had lost Boston and had gained New-York; and every hope of obtaining a revenue from Ameri'ca had been long over. The country gentlemen were unusually blank; they saw not only an end of ail their expectations of an American revenue; but found themselves saddled, with the burden of a war infinitely more ruinous than any other in which the nation had ever been involved. Some of the ministerial party however threw out hints for their consolation, that America when subdued would be taxed. Mr. Hartly mentioned in the debate, that there was one ray of hope left to the British, if they had wisdom to seize the opportunity of opening a treaty with the Americans, while these were discontented with the cool and dilatory proceedings of the court of France. After all that could be ad vanced by opposition, the amendment was rejected by a majority of 243 against 86. The earl of Chatham moved for an amendment in the house of lords. He was for bringing about an accomo

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dation with the Americans by a treaty, and rested the stress of his argument upon this point, that the house of Bourbon was upon the eve of breaking with us. His motion was rejected by 97 to 28.

When the news of the Saratoga convention reached France, and was communicated to the court of Versailles by the American commissioners, the latter were almost instantly received and publicly treated in that character. The capture of Burgoyne's army convinced the French, that the American opposition to Great-Britain was not owing to a faction, a few leading men that had gotten into power, but that the body of the people must be engaged, and that they were numerous, or that they could not have made such an effort as not only to have stopped a conquering army, but to have captivated it. It was therefore determined by a majority of the French court, to take the Americans by the hand, and to acknowledge their independence. They knew that Great-Britain could not subdue, though they might distress France; and that if the United States would persevere, these must at length establish their independence in connection with France, though they might be reduced to greater difficulties than they had already felt. The marquis de la Fayette's correspondence with his family and friends, undoubtedly proved influential in procuring the determination. His letters were eagerly sought after; and counteracted those prejudices that were raised by several Frenchmen who returned from America in disgust. His sentiments were imbibed from their being frequently confirmed by events. The American cause being now popular in his native country, and the French court having adopted it, they cannot longer resent the early part he took in it, notwithstanding the offence given at the moment by his disobedience and departure.

Such is the present state of the contest between Great-Britain and the Americans, that it will more than ever suffice to give you a few occasional hints upon the parliamentary debates respecting it. In one that took place on the second of December, a federal commercial union was talked of by some, as the only hope left with regard to America; but reprobated by ministry. Fox moved for laying certain papers before the com mons-while the matter was debating, intelligence was received that a similar motion had been complied with in the house of lords, by the lords in administration agreeing to it; and yet such was the influence of the ministry in the house of coni mons, that Mr. Fox's motion was, in a manner which in other seasons would have been deemed incredible, rejected upon a division of 178 to 89.

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[Dec. 3.] The succeeding day was marked with the melancholy catastrophe of Burgoyne's expedition; a disclosure which excited no less grief and astonishment in both houses, than dismay on the side of the ministers, who were bitterly reproached upon the occasion. The business relating to the pecuniary supplies, being finished, and little short of nine millions voted for the service of the ensuing year, by the 10th of December, an adjournment to the 20th of January, was that day moved for on the side of ministry, and after considerable debates, carried in both houses.

Two days after, the American commissioners at Paris, finding all attempts to establish a cartel with lord Stormont, ineffectual, transmitted a letter to lord North, couched in strong terms of complaint, on the subject of the rigorous treatment exercised toward the American prisoners. It contained a particular charge which has not been publicly refuted, that a number of them were in a state of bondage, on the coasts of Africa and in the East-Indies, being compelled to submit to that condition, under the menaces of an immediate and ignominious death.

On the 16th of December, Mr. Gerard delivered to the American commissioners the preliminaries of a treaty between France and America. The same conveyance that brought an account of the Saratoga convention to the commissioners, and the letter to Dr. Fothergill, brought also a letter from the Rev. Dr. Cooper, of Boston, to Dr. Franklin, in which was mentioned the opinion given in the one to Dr. Fothergill; before this last was sent to England, care was taken to open and procure a copy of it for the commissioners. Dr. Cooper's letter was long and full, contained much information, and urged that France should step forward at once in the cause of America, or that her opportunity of gaining a connection with the United States might be lost. Dr. Franklin communicated it to the French minister, on whom it had a good effect. A number of circumstances, not publicly known, came at the same time to the knowledge of the doctor; they were well adapted to quicken the court of France, and he improved them to the purpose of showing the importance and necessity of her taking an open and decisive part. The ministry however, were for keeping that part private when taken, as long as convenient to their own nation, and subservient to the general good of both countries.

December the 24th, there was a meeting of merchants at the King's Arms tavern, in Cornhill, for the purpose of raising a sum of money to relieve the distress of the American prisoners. A petition from several of these at Portsmouth prison, sent the 1st of the month, to certain lords and others, was read. The peti

tion sets forth, that admiralty was petitioned the last year in behalf of certain sick prisoners, and the petition disregarded-that they were about one hundred and forty, in want of warm clothing as well as of almost every comfort, many without shoes and stockings-that they were under a man, as overscer, void of all humanity, who detains every charitable supply sent by humane neighbors, denies them the common supplies of milk, and allows them neither candle nor fire in that cold season ;-that their whole allowance is only eight ounces of meat each man per day, including the bone, and beer that is very small indeed;-and that captains and other officers are penned up altogether like cattle, with the common sailors, and with their own servants. Lord Abingdon had taken up the matter in the house of peers, and moved for accounts relative to their treatment. No relief however was obtained by his effort in parliament; the merchants therefore engaged in the business, and by the 29th, fourteen hundred and eighty-six pounds six-shillings and six-pence was subscribed.

On Saturday, January the 3d, five gentlemen attended on the lords of the admiralty, who expressed their approbation of the humane motives of the subscribers, and promised official countenance to the application of the money, and to lay the committee under no other restraints than what were necessary for the good order and safe custody of the prisoners. Lord Sandwich, at the time, in the handsomest manner, directed the commissioners of sick and hurt to give immediate orders to the surveyor to erect a temporary building, where the prisoners might have the benefit of a fire in the approaching inclement season.

[Jan. 9.] The committee advertised, that the town subscriptions, (independent of the country) amounting to upward of three thousand seven hundred pounds, being fully adequate for the present to the end proposed, the subscription was therefore closed. Subscriptions had been opened at Bristol, Nottingham, in Yorkshire and other places. The whole sum by February the 17th amounted to four thousand six hundred and forty-seven pounds fifteen shillings, including what had been sent from the country.

During the recess of parliament, measures were pursued by the ministry and their friends for obtaining a body of new troops by a voluntary supply from the people. The towns of Manchester and Liverpool were leaders in this business; engaged in it with the greatest fervor; and immediately sent to court an offer to raise each a regiment of 1000 men. In other places, public meetings of towns, counties and great corporate bodies were encouraged, at which resolutions were proposed for the levying of men for

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