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will tell you fairly what I wish for-I wish for a repeal of every oppreffive act passed since 1763; I would put America precisely on the footing she stood at that period. If it be asked, Why should we submit to concede? I will tell you, my lords: Because you have been the aggressors from the beginning; you ought, therefore, to make the first overture. I fay again, my lords, you have been the aggressors, you have made descents upon their coafts, you have burnt their towns, plundered their country, made war upon the inhabitants, confiscated their property, proscribed and imprisoned their perfons;-you have injured, oppressed, and endeavored to enslave them. America is therefore entitled to redress. Let then reparation come from the hand that inflicted the injuries; let conciliation succeed to oppreffion; and I maintain, that parliament will again recover its authority; that his majesty will be once more enthroned in the hearts of his subjects; and that your lordships, as contributing to so great, benignant, and glorious an event, will receive the prayers and benedictions of every part of the British empire." The peers in administration repeated upon this occafion their accustomed arguments against conceffions of any kind, as an acknowledgment of weakness on our part, which would excite the contempt of our friends, and fofter the malice of our enemies. They positively denied any danger from France, and afferted, that "the assistance given to the Americans proceeded neither from the court nor the ministers, but from the spirit of military enterprise and commercial adventure; and finally, that the motion arraigned in the most improper terms measures which had received the fanction of parliament." On a divifion, the numbers were 99 to 28 peers who supported the question.

On the 7th of June, 1777, the session was terminated, and his majesty expressed in his speech his entire approbation of the conduct of parliament, lavishing upon them high and flattering compliments for the unquestionable proofs

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proofs they had given of their CLEAR DISCERNMENT of the TRUE INTERESTS of their COUNTRY.

During the feffion, a memorial, in a very unusual style, was delivered by Sir Jofeph Yorke, Ambassador at the Hague, to the states general, in which his excellency declared, "That the king, his master, had hitherto borne with unexampled patience the irregular conduct of the fubjects of their high mightinesses, in their interested commerce at St. Euftatia, as alfo in America. If, faid the ambassador, the measures which your high mightinesses have thought proper to take, had been as efficacious as your assurances have been amicable, the undersigned would not now have been under the neceffity of bringing to the cognizance of your high mightinesses, facts of the most serious nature. His excellency then proceeds to state, that M. Van Graaf, governor of St. Euftatia, had permitted the feizure of an English vessel, by an American pirate, within cannon shot of the ifland; and that he had returned from the fortrefs of his government the falute of a rebel flag: and the ambassador concludes, with demanding, in his majesty's name, and by his express order, from their high mightineffes, a formal difavowal of the falute by Fort Orange at St. Euftatia to the rebel ship, and the dismission and immediate recall of the governor Van Graaf; declaring farther, that until fuch fatisfaction is given, they are not to expect, that his majesty will fuffer himself to be amused by mere assurances, or that he will delay one inftant to take fuch meafures as he shall think due to the interest and dignity of his crown."

The ftates, highly offended at the imperious language of this memorial, would give no answer whatever to the ambassador, but ordered count Welderen, the resident in London, to deliver into the king of England's own hand a counter-memorial, in which they complain of the me nacing tone that reigns throughout that of the English court, court, such as ought not to take place between sovereign and independent powers; adding, however, " that from the fole motive of demonftrating their regard to his majesty, they have actually dispatched orders to M. de Graaf to render himself within the republic without delay, in order to give the necessary information respecting his conduct; nor do they scruple to disavow, in the most express manner, any act or mark of honor which may have been given by their officers to any vessels belonging to the colonies of America, so far as it may imply a recognition of American independence." The king thought proper to declare himself fatisfied with these conceffions, but the utmost coolness from this time subsisted between the courts of London and the Hague.

The acrimony displayed on this occasion by the former, may be without doubt imputed in a great degree to the extreme offence taken, previous to the interchange of these memorials, at the refusal of the states to part with the Scots brigade in their service, at the defire of the king of England, fignified by a letter written to their high mightinesses in his own hand. " In what an odious light must this unnatural civil war appear to all Europe!" said one of the deputies of the Province of Overyssel, M. Vander Capelle, in the debate which arose on this subject. "More odious still would it appear for a nation to take part therein who have successfully refifted oppreffion, and fought themselves free. Superlatively detestable must it appear to those who, like me, regard the Americans as a brave people, engaged in defending those rights which they derive from GOD, not from the legiflature of Great Britain. For the purpose of fuppreffing such a revolt, or, as some please to call it, such a rebellion as this, I had rather see janissaries hired than the subjects of a free state."

The CAMPAIGN of 1777, in America, commenced early in the spring by the deftruction of a confiderable magazine of stores at a place called Courtland-Manor, on the banks

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of the North River, by a detachment under colonel Bird, and another at Danbury, by another corps conducted by general Tryon, late governor of New York, who was attacked on his return by a large body of provincials, led by colonel now general Arnold, and suffered in his retreat great lofs. Arnold on this as on all occasions diftinguished himself by acts of extraordinary personal valor. His horse being shot under him, he with difficulty disengaged himself; and, feeing a foldier at the same moment with a fixed bayonet advancing towards him, he drew out a pistol and shot him dead on the spot. The Americans on their part retaliated by an attack on the English post and magazine at Saggs Harbor, in Long Island, where they destroyed a large quantity of stores, and burnt a number of sloops and other vessels lying in the harbor, with inconfiderable loss. Lord Cornwallis continued in his station at Amboy, watched and straitened in a manner which exposed the troops to the hardships of a most severe and unremitting duty, though lately strengthened by a brigade of British, and some companies of grenadiers and light infantry from Rhode Island, The order for these troops was fent by general now SIR WILLIAM HOWE (the "blushing honors" of the Bath having been recently conferred upon him in reward of his services) to lord Percy, in the absence of general Clinton. His lordship did not immediately comply, but returned for anfwer, " that the enemy were collecting a large force near Providence, with which circumstance he supposed general Howe to be unacquainted:" adding, "that he thought it his duty to represent the danger that might result from sending away so large a corps." General Howe replied, "that lord Percy knew the consequence of disobedience of orders -trial by court-martial and certain sentence of being broke, and insisted upon his orders being punctually obeyed."

From fome extraordinary and unaccountable negligence, the army at New York were not able to take the field till June, for want of tents and camp equipage; which at length arriving, arriving, general Howe passed over in full force into the Jerseys, with a fixed intention if possible to bring the American commander to a general action; but on approaching his camp at Middlebrook, it was found absolutely inacceffible, from the nature of its fsituation and its artificial defences. Every manœuvre was practised by the English general to induce his antagonist to relinquish this advantageous station, but in vain. A feint was made of leaving the American army in the rear, and marching directly to the Delawar; but the American FABIUS was not to be deceived. "Had their design," said he, in his letter of the 17th June, "been in the first instance to cross the Delawar, they would probably have made a straight rapid march towards it, and not have halted as they have done to awaken our attention, and give us time to make every preparation for obstructing them." At length general Howe decamped suddenly in the night of the 20th, and retreated to Brunfwick. On the 22d he fell back to Amboy, being much harrassed in his whole line of march by the advanced parties of the enemy. General Washington himself, quitting his trong camp at Middlebrook, moved with his army to Quibble-town, that he might be nearer the royal forces, and might act according to circumstances. The English commander, who had actually thrown a bridge over the channel which separates the continent from Staten Island, and part of whose troops had already passed over, now made a rapid march by different routes back into the Jerseys, in the hope of surprising general Washington at Quibbletown; but on the first intelligence of this movement, the American general, penetrating the design, re-possessed himfelf of his former strong position at Middlebrook:-and knowing that lord Cornwallis at the head of a strong detached corps was advancing by a circuitous route to the right, he fortified the passes of the mountains on that fide of his camp; so that lord Cornwallis, who had defeated in his march a confiderable body of the enemy under lord Sterling,

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