ing of the troops, they difembarked at the above-mentioned bay without the leaft oppofition; when, being informed that the rebels had quitted the works in and about the town of Newport, and were retiring towards Bristol ferry, I detached Maj.-Gen. Prescot, with the grenadiers and light infantry, to intercept them, fuftaining him with a body of troops under the command of Lt-Gen. Earl Percy. Maj. Gen. Prefcot took two pieces of cannon, a few prifoners, and obliged them to quit their fort on this fide the ferry, and retire to the continent. I likewife fent a battalion to take poffeffion of Newport, the capital of the ifland, in which were found fome cannon and ftores, which the rebels, in their fudden retreat, had left behind them.

I fhall, as foon as poffible, fend troops to the islands of Cananicut and Prudence, and occupy fuch other posts as may be neceffary for the fecurity of the harbour. Having had it in command from Gen. Howe to give your Lordthip the earliest intelligence of the fuccefs of his Majefty's troops; I have the honour to tranfmit this to your Lordship by Capt. Drum mond, one of my aid-de-camps, to whom I beg leave to refer your Lordship for any particulars which you may wish to be informed of.

I have the honour to be, &c. H. CLINTON." "Admiralty-office, Jan. 22. Lieut. Logie, of his Majefty's fhip the Mercury, arrived in town this morning from Rhode island with the following letter from Commodore Sir Peter Parker to Mr Stephens.

SIR, Chatham, Rhode-island har bour, Dec. 11. 1776. THE Commanders in chief in America having thought proper, while the feafon would admit of it, to employ a confiderable number of his Majefty's fhips and troops for the purpose of making defcents on the colony of Rhode ifland; and Lord Howe having done me the honour to appoint me to the command by fea, (Lord Shuldham having leave to return to England by the moft early conveyance), I directed Com. Hotham (agreeable to my inftructions from the ViceAdmiral) to proceed with his Majefty's frigates the Brune, Mercury, and King'sfisher, and alfo all the tranfports with the troops under the command of LtGen. Clinton, (the Grand Duke of Ruffia excepted, which was judged to be

too large), by the way of the found, whilft I proceeded with the great hips, fome frigates, and the laft named tranfport, by Sandy hook to the fouthward of Long island. I failed the 1st instant, and on the 5th joined Com. Hotham in the found in Black-point bay, a place he had judiciously chosen for the protection of the transports against the violence of a strong N. W. wind, which blew the night before. The 6th I turned down with the fleet, to be as near as poffible to the place of our deftination. At four the next morning the wind fprung up at W. S. W, and by three o'clock in the afternoon the whole fleet came to an anchor off Weaver's Cove, Rhode island. The following morning Capt. Caulfield, (who had the direction of the flat boats) landed all the troops without opposition; and I have the pleafure to inform their Lordships, that Rhode island, with the ifles adjacent, are now in the poffeffion of Gen. Clinton.

Capt. Wallace, of the Experiment, led the fleet in by the weft of Narriganfet paffage. An arrangement was made for covering the tranfports; but we only paffed two works, without guns, and intercepted a brig of 160 tons, (which the Experiment took), laden with pipe and hogfhead ftaves, and bees wax. On the first appearance of the fleet, three rebelprivateers, of thirty-four, thirty, and twenty-eight guns, went up from Newwith feveral others; and I fhall hope to port to Providence, where they are now put an effectual ftop to any farther mischief from that neft of pirates. Gen. Clinton fends one of his aid-de-camps in the Mercury with his dispatches; and I have directed Capt. Montagu to fend his lieutenant exprefs with mine. Inclofed is a lift of the rebel-privateers at Providence, commonly called The Continental Fleet. I am, Sir, &c.

P. PARKER.

moval to his former lodgings in the town, with centinels to guard him. The fevere treatment the congrefs declared was inteaded as a retaliation for the imprifonment of Ethan Allen [xxxvii. 649.], which, though really done by Gen. Carleton's orders, they afcribed to Gen. Prefcot; who might have obtained a much more speedy releafe, by declaring that the orders came from his fuperior officer; but at that jun&ture Montgomery was carrying on the fiege of Quebec, and Gen. Carleton feemed in danger of fall ing into the hands of the Congrefs; there fore Gen. Prescot, though formally interrogated on the fubject by deputies from the congrefs, refolutely fuffered them to continue under this mistake, till Montgomery was defeated, and Quebec fecure.

66

Bileterre, St Kitts, Dec. 9. Octavius Nibbs, Efq; of Tortola, coming out of St Pierre, Martinico, in his own fchooner, where he had been on business, was kidnapped by an American pirate; who retained the veffel and two negro boys, and fet Mr Nibbs on fhore again. He went immediately to the Governor; who ordered all American property in Martinico to be feized, and full reftitution to be made to Mr Nibbs.-The Governor at Guadalupe has liberated three English veffels which the American pirates had carried in there; and forbidden them to attempt taking any English del within a certain diftance of the ifland."

Letters received from Philadelphia in the beginning of January import, that the congrefs had paffed an act, for clearing their gaols of all debtors and felons, (thole for murder accepted), on condition of their ferving in the army; by which they have got in the feveral provinces upwards of 6000 men.

46

Stamford, Nov. 12. The congrefs have borrowed five millions of dollars,

at four per cent. Since September last, 154 veffels have been taken, and carried into the feveral ports of Malachufet's bay. This province has now out 60 privateers; and there are at least 130 from the whole continent." Boston Journal. Ever fince Gen. Howe landed on Staten island the congrefs dollars paffed at New York at twelve for one filver dollar; and no body took them at that rate, but thole who could fend them to New Engand, where they were in better credit, though every day falling.

In the Boston Gazette there is a refolution dated Oct. 31. viz. "Whereas it is reprefented to Congrefs, That fundry inhabitants of thefe United States, to keep fupplies from the army, or promote their own intereft, have purchased confiderable quantities of cloathing, and refufe to difpofe of the fame, unless upon extravagant or unreasonable terms: Refolved, That it be recommended to the affemblies, conventions, councils, or comittees of fafety, of the several States, forthwith to take fuch suitable measures for obtaining, for the use of the army, fuch neceffary articles, as, being thus engroffed in their refpective States, cannot be otherwise immediately procured, allowing to the owners reasonable prices for the fame; - and that laws be provided, in each of the States, for effectually preventing monopolies of neceffaries for the army, or inhabitants of the same.

CHARLES THOMSON, Sec."

By order of the congrefs the following addrefs was made to the provincial army the day before Lord Cornwallis landed on the Jerfeys." The falvation of America, under God, depends upon the activity and refolution of our troops. Vigilant officers and brave foldiers are invincible. Let no thoughts of being conquered enter your hearts. Entertain no fufpicion of an enemy superior in power. Diftinguish yourselves as heroes, in this critical moment. Difcover the foldier in every particular; and victory is ours.' From the New-York Paper, of Dec. 30. printed by Hugh Gaine. Published by permiflion of Lord and Gen. Howe. New York, Dec. 30. The following Addrefs from the Congrefs has just been received from Philadelphia.

The Reprefentatives of the United States

of America, in Congrefs affembled: To the People in general, and particularly to the Inhabitants of Pennfylvania, and the adjacent States.

FRIENDS and BRETHREN,

think it our duty to addrefs a few E words of exhortation to you in this important crifis. You are not unacquainted with the hiftory of the rife and progrefs of this war. A plan was carried on by the British miniftry, for feveral years, in a fyftematic manner, to endlave you to that kingdom. After various attempts, in an artful and infidious manner, to bring into practice the having you under tribute, they at lalt openly

and

and decifively afferted their right of ma king laws to bind you in all cases whatso

ever..

Oppofition was made to thefe encroachments by earnest and humble petitions from every legislature on the continent, and more than once by the congrefs, reprefenting the whole. Thefe were treated with the utmost contempt. Acts of the most unjust and oppreffive nature were paffed, and carried into execution; fuch as, exempting the foldiers charged with murder in America from a legal trial, and ordering them to be car ried to Britain for certain abfolution; as also directing prisoners taken at sea to be entered on board their fhips, and obliged either to kill their own friends, or fall themfelves by their hands. We only mention thefe from among the many oppreffive acts of parliament, as proofs to what horrid injuftice the love of dominion will fometimes carry societies, as well as men. At the fame time, to fhew how infenfible they will be to the fufferings of others, you may fee, by the preambles to the acts, and addreffes to the King, that they conftantly extol their own lenity in thofe very proceedings which filled the whole continent with refentment and horror.

To crown the whole, they have waged war with us in the most cruel and unrelenting manner, employing not only the force of the British nation, but hiring foreign mercenaries; who, without feeling, indulge themselves in rapine and bloodshed. The fpirit of the army in general is but too well determined, by the inhuman treatment of those who have unhappily fallen into their hands.

It is well known to you, that, at the univerfal defire of the people, and with the hearty approbation of every province, the congrefs declared the United States free and independent; a measure not only juft, but which had become abfolutely neceffary. It would have been impoffible to have refifted the formidable force deftined against us laft fpring, while we confeffed ourselves the fubjects of that ftate against which we had taken arms. Befides, after repeated trials, no terms could be obtained, but pardon upon abfolute fubmiffion; which every public body in America had rejected with difdain.

Refiftance has now been made, with a fpirit and refolution becoming a free people, and with a degree of fuccefs hitherto which could fearce have been ex

pected. The enemy have been expelled from the northern provinces, where they at first had poffeffion; and have been repulfed in their attempt upon the southern by the undaunted valour of the inhabitants. Our fuccefs at sea, in the capture of the enemy's fhips, has been aftonishing. They have been compelled to retreat before the northern army. Notwithstanding the difficulty and uncertain. ty at firft of our being fupplied with ammunition and military ftores, thofe we have now in abundance; and by fome Jate arrivals and captures, there is an immediate prospect of fufficient cloathing for the army.

What we have particularly in view, in this addrefs, is, not only to promote unanimity and vigour through the whole ftates, but to excite the inhabitants of Pennfylvania, New Jersey, and the adjacent ftates, to an immediate and spirited exertion in oppofition to the army that now threatens to take poffeffion of this city. You know, that, during the whole campaign, they have been checked in their progress, and have not till within thefe two weeks ventured above ten miles from their fhipping. Their prefent advances are owing not to any capital defeat, or a want of valour in the army that oppofed them; but to a sudden diminution of its numbers, from the expiration of those enlistments, which, to cafe the people, were at firft adopted. Many have already joined the army, to fupply the deficiency; and we call, in the moft earnett manner, on all the friends of Liberty, to exert themselves without delay in this moft preffing emergency. In every other part your arms have been fuccefsful; and, in other refpects, our facred cause is in the most promising fituation. We think it proper, to inform and affure you, that effential fervices have been already rendered us by foreign ftates, and we have received the most positive assurances of further aid. Let us not then be wanting to ourselves. Even a fhort resistance will probably be effectual,as General Lee is advancing with a ftrong reinforcement, and his troops in high spirits.

What pity it is, then, that this rich and populous city of Philadelphia fhould fall into the enemy's hands, or that we fhould not lay hold of the opportunity of deftroying their principal army, now removed from the fhips of war, in which their greatest Arength lies!

It