D.bates in the Briti/b Parliament, relative io
the French Flect now in America.
L O N"D O N, Mayagth, 1778,
House of Lords, Thur{day, May 7.
THE orderof the day for summoning the Lords being read,
the Duke of Richmoond rose. His Grace began by apologizing
to the Mouls for bringing oo a mution relative to the navy, at @
time the firftLord of che Admiralty was absent j it war what
hefhould notdo, did net the critical situation of this country de
smand if; a situation that it was superior (o point and ceremorys
#4.¢ Grace then obfeived, that he had been informed that the
‘Toulon fleet had failid foms weeks 3 thatthey had bern feenin
the zut of Gibarlter ; thar they consisted of twelve or fifteen
f2il of the line, bafides frigates, well manned, amd laden with
ttures of various Kinds: He woeld thesefore be glad to know
tiom Administration, whether these were faéls or not ? He had
put the question yesterday to one of his M:jefty’s mioifters, but
reccived no reply, he had moved to summon their Lorddhips for
this day, to be fatisfied about particulars, which their Lord(hips
snufl {ee were of the highest consequence to them & tothe nation,
His G:ace then turaed to the feelings of Adminiftration,upon
the fitfi aceount of the French §refeript, and bis Majesty’s mel
-I.ge to the House in consequence; he said Administration then
feemzd to fexl it a 2 2n insult offered to the honour of tkis king
c¢om; but notwi hfisnding thie,; they have fuffered France to do
miore, they have fuftered her not only to form 2o alliance with
America, but to aflift America with fhipsof war and warlike
ftotes, asin all prob.bility the French Admiral might have been
half across the Atlantic at present. His Gracethea very parti
colarly fked, what was Administration doing all this while ?
Instead of having » fleet properly manned and equiped in the
Ddediterzanean, to flop the jun&ion of the Dieft and Toulion
fleets, as was done in the year 1767, and which was always done
in times of war, our flcet is parading it at Port{mouth, exhibit
iog a fpeflacle to Royalty, but unfit to preceed to sea for want
of beer, water, and other neceflaries; he appealed to their Lord
~ ships recolle@ion, bow ali this agreed wiih the fisft Losd of the
Admiralty’s constant declarations relative to the geodnefls of the
Englith flzet, and their being superior to the combined navy of
the House of Bourbon.
He atraigned, in spirited end maniy terme, the shocking ne
glet of Miniftiy in the whole of this, asinevery othertranf.
sétion of S:ate j he said he was informed, that but one Minister
was in town, when (he intelligence of the Toulton feet’s failing
acrived ;5 thot exproffes were obliged to be sent after the othere
and that » cooncil was not called in many days afier ; the con
fequtace of which was, the fleer we thould have sent in pursuit of
them, were disappointed from failing by the fhifting of the wind
en Friday 1.6, though it was fair all the beginniog of the week:
He appeaied to their Lordthips, what Rind of fupportere of pa
tionai horour cr fafety ministers were, who could att in this
mannser ? And how much must their Sovereign be insulted in
amuolng bim with shows, in the very bhour that the fame fleet
oughr o be prot:&ing the honour of his flag abroad.
1. Grace enncluded a very timely, fp'rited and sensible {peech,
whici. Fleshed conviftion on all che difpatfianate part of his hear
‘ers, with the fullowiog motion, deslaring at the fame time,in the
molt f.lemn~ manner, he had no other with by ir, than to bring
before cheir Lo ships a true ftace of their danger, im order to pro
cure the most efe&ual remedies poflible,
*¢ 1 ha this Houf: doth address his Majesty, that he would be
gro ivoily pleased to order the properofficers to lay before them
alb ¢ pirs of letsecs, or extralls of intelligence which his Maje(-
ty’s Stereticics of State, the Commiflioners for execating the
offi-e f Lord High Admiral of Great Britain, or any'of his Ma
jefs's Minißers whatever, may have received of the equipment
gnddettination of the Touloa Fleet,or any otherFleetin the har.
beurs of Frapee." ;
His Grace, after delivering in this motien, begged to be under
fiood, at the fame time, that he did not mean to include,in this
miotion, an accrunt of the person or persons who gave thisin.
teiligence ; he saw the impropricty of such a recuifition, aad
therefare would not demand it,
Lord Waymouth excofed himfelf as one of his Majesty’s
Ministers, who feldcm was absent from town, and always near
enough te be ready for any sudden business. In sefpedt to the
failing of the Toulon Fleet, he acknowledged such an account
was received, and that he dared to fay, every thing considered, his
Majesty’s Ministers did sot negledt to take every neceflary pre
caution in consequence ; sos that however a Fleet may be, to all
appearance, ready to fail, yet there were many little thiogs pre
viously neceflary, such as inflruions to Commasders, &c. &<,
which must neceflarily make some little delay,
In refpe& to the motion, he hoped the noble Duke would con
fider, that, by laying open the destination of the Toulon fleet to
, the public, it would be gvidently telling our enemies the deflti
%, mation of oue own Flzet, the consequence of which his Grace
~imuft fee very obvioofly 5 for this reason, therefore, though he
§§f§ftnu!d not think of dire&ly negativing the quaftion, yet he found
. bimfelf under the difegreeabls oeceflicy of putting the previous
. queflion, -
%}%’r;};q The Dulks of Richmond reptied,and with 2 manliness and can
~ dour that eviaced he had no with bot the reaf good of his coun
try &t heart, sgreed to leave the word dellination out of his mo
_ ‘%imp, ¥s it might be the means of telling our encmice where we
~ Jintended fending our Fleet ; but he fliliinhified to know from a
’jfig%f hie Mzjefty's Ministers, when they received the firft intel
~ “ligence of the failing of the Toulon Fleet, ae by that means the
" pation would be informed, whether evary thiog was done that
“gught to be done in such & conjunlure,
Lord Weymouth rose to sufwer, by telling their Lordfhips,that
Administration received the firftintelligence onMonday fe’night,
that they heard other patticulars on the Wednesday following ;
and that as soon as possible a council wae called, and a Fieet or
dered oat to ail, but were preventet by the wind being contrary,
The Duke of Richmond having obtained thie answer, reproba
ted Administration in the most spirited terms for their ignorance,
inattention, and want of intelligence. He said, he had letters
dated the 17th of April, fiom Paris, of the Toul:n Fleet fiiling
the 13th ; and notwithstanding this, administration who faould
bave the firk and most private intelligence of every thing which
so much refpeed the (afety and honour of this couatry had not,
tili the 27th j that even thea they did not properly avail them
selves of this imteliigence, 23 our Fleet might have failed either
Tueldsy, Wednesday, or Thur{day, forthe wind did not fhift
till Friday ; but instead of being ready to flip their cables, as the
Fleet of Great-Britain was wont in times of expeéted danger,
_this Fleet, {0 galconaded off by the firt Lord of the Admiralty,
~ wanted wacer, beer, and many other neceflaries ; that there were
7 brewaries in Portsmouth eftablithed but for 17,000 men, inftesd
¥ of 21,000, and the rest were obliged to be supplied from other
sea pos. towns. .
, His Gracs callsd upon Adminifation to know,and upon theie
Lordthips in gencral to erquire, what could be the reason of all
this negle@ and itrange management ? He observed, it could not
be for waat of mooe;, when the fitft Lord of the Admiralty bad
been granted so much ; it must be owing to the greatest and m.vlt
scandalous ignoranc - and inatieation, in petdilpvliog us the fthips
in proper harbours, to be properly accomodated ; in not kno_wmt
and forelecing the use we thould soon have for them, and of pro
curing every poftible conveniency et hand, But fays his Giace,
which ought to be done,they wereali colle@zdinto one barbour
tomake a few for his M.jeity, et the expence us every thing that
i» valuableto this country,
The Duke of Bolton was upon his legs, to support .thc -pn;ke
of Richmond, when (whether from a {udden cuavilion of the
teuth of what was just Rated, or whether he feared a trefh broad
side from the other noble Duke, who was preparing his attack)
the Weymouih struck, and fubmitied te the motico, which was
carried niem, con. and the Lords with the white saves ordered to
attend his Majesty accordingly. :
Never, pechaps,did @ motion take so unexpe€ed a turn ; every
body, from Lord Weymouth’s putting the previous quefiion vn
i, and the great appearance of the Hoale, expelted » iong, a_nd
warm debate, and that it would in the end, as usual, be negativ
ed. Whenotra sudden, his Lordfip fubmitted,the Lord Cnaa
cellor put the question, snd it was ordered, before baif the House
could be puifuaded of the salt. We bope, fur the good of the
country, theabove prieceding is a fursiunes of miitissial re
formatioaq, :
In a Committee on the Land Forces, recroiting Bill, went
through it with amendmeats, without a division.
2RN I, SIS v
POUGHKEEPSIE, July 20.
Since our laft,many of the ditirefled Refuges
trom the Wyoming {cttiement on the dot
quehannah, who eicaped the g=neral mai
facre of the inhabitants have pafled this
way, from whom we have collected the
following account, viz. .
(Previous to the narrative, it may be ne
ceflary to inform some of our readers, that
the settlement was made by the people of
Cenneflicut, on a grant ot lands purchased
by the inhabitants ofthat eolony,under sanc
tion of the government of the Indian pro
tectors ; and that these lands falling withia
the limits of the Pennsylvania ¢laim, a Dis
pute concerning the right has arisen between
the two governments, and preceeded to fre
quent ats ot hostility. When it was at a
height that threatened the disturbance ot the
other goveraments, Congress interpafed, by
whose recornmendation and authority, the
deeifion of the dispute was fufpended,till that
within Great Britain, equally interesting to
every American State, was concluded, when
there might be more leisure to attended to
the other,& conflider the jufticeof each claim.
On this footing the dispute haslain der
mant fortwo or three years ; the inhabitants
lived happily, and the fettlementsinereafed,
consisting of eight towns, viz, Lackewana,
Exeter,Kingfton, Wilkesborough, Plymouth
Nanticak, Huntington and Salem, each con
taining five miles iquare.— The fix lewer
townihips, were pretty full of inhabitants,
the two upper ones had comparatively but
few thinly'icattered. The lands are extreme
ly good, beautifully situated along both sides
ot the Sufquehannah, navigable for flat bot
tom boats, and produced immense quantities
of grain of all forts, roots, hemp, flax, &c.—
and stock of all kinds in abundance.———The
settlement had latelyfupplied theContinental
army with 3000 bushels grair,and the ground
was loaded with the most promising crops
of every kind. The settlement included up
wards of 1000 families which had furnithed
our 3rmy 1 000 soldiers, besides the garrisons
of four forts in the townthip of Lockewany,
Exeter, Kingfion, ahd Wilketbury. One of
these torts was garrisoned by upwards of 400
soldiers, chiefly of the militia, the principal
officers in which were ColonelsDennifon and
Zebulon Butler.
The Tories and Inhabitants had given some
disturbances to these settlements last year be
fore Gen. Harkemer’s battle 2tOneidaCreek
near Fort Stanwix, and our fkirmifthes foen
after with parties of the enemy at and near
Schohary, when they were dispersed, and the
tories concealed themselves among our dif
ferent settlements, the people bere remained
urdifturbed during the rest of the year.) -
About this time the inhabitants having
discovered that many of these villianous to
ries who had flirred up the Indians, & been
with them in fighting against us, were with«
in the settlements, 27 of them were, in Jan.
last, taken up and secured. Of these 18 were
sent to Conne'ticut, the rest, after being de
tained fcme time and examined, were, for
want of fuficient evidence, set at liberty ;
they immediately joined ife eremy, 21 d be
camae active In railing inthe brdians a Jpinit
of hoflility 2gainitus. ‘l'bis dugpoftion ioon
after began o appear in the bebavior ot the
Tories and Lidians, wiich gave ibe peple
apjdehernfions of danger,and vecalicici ivine
preparations for deience.~=The e e had
frequent intimaizons that the inwians had
some wmitchievous design againtt chem but
their tears were somewhat abliated Ly the
seeming solicitude of the Indiars to preterve
peace ; they sent down at diftcrent times se
veral parties with declarations ¢f their peace
able disposition tcwa.ds us, and 10 requeii the
lixe on wur part tuwards them. They were
always diimifled with ailurances that there
was no defign.to disturb them. But one of
those Indians getting drunk, Iz2id he and the
other messengers, were only sent to z2mmule
the people in the feitleme:rt, bug that iheln
diaps intended as {aon as they were in order
to atiack them. Qua this, the {ndian -mien
were confined, & the women sent back with
a flag. In March, appearances beccime more
alarming, and the Icattered famiiies fettled
far 3¢ nules up the river, were coilelied and
brought into the mcre popular parts.——ln
April and May, firoliing parties of Indians &
Tories, about 30 and under, in a com pany,
made frequent incursions into the settlement
robbing and plundering the inhabitants of
provision, grain, and live Ttock.— In Tune,
ieveral perions being at work on a farni, from
which, the tory inhabitants had gore to the
enemy, were attacked, and one man of them
killed ; feon after, 2 woman (Wife of one of
the 27 tories before meationed) was killed,
with her five children, by a party of ikeie
Tories andlndians, who plundered tke houte
of every thing they could take away, and
destroyed the rett, .
On the firft instant (July) the whole body
of the enemy, confitiing, it is supposed of
near 10e0, (about 300 of whom were tho't
to be ladians,under theirown chiefs, the rest
Tories, painted like them, except their of
ficers, who were dressed like regulars, the
whole under the command of Celonel Butler
(a Connecticut Tory, and cousin to Col. Z.
Butler the second in command in the fettie
ment) came down near the upper fort, but
concealed the greatest part of their number;
here they had a Skirmifth with the inhabi
tants, who took and killed two Indiacs, and
loft ten of their own men, three of whem
they afterwards feund killed, scalped, and
mangled in the most inhuman manner.
Thuriday, July 2: The enemy appeared
en the mountains bank of Kingston, where
the women and children then fled into the
fort. Most of the garrison of Exeter fort
were Tories, who treacherously gave it up te
the enemy. The fame night after a little
resistance, they took Lackewana fort, kilied
Squire Jenkins and his family with several
others, in a barbarious manner and made pri
soners of most of the women and children, a
small number only escaped.
Friday, July 3. The morning Col. Zebu
lon Butler, leaving a tmall nuinber to guard
the fort ( Wlikfbury )croffed the river with
about 400 men, and marched into Kingston
fort. ‘The enemy sent in a flag demancing
2 surrender of the fort in twe hours. Col,
Butler answered he thould not furrender,but
was ready toreceive them. They fentin a
second flag, demanding an immediate fur
render,otherwife that the fort thould be storm
ed, plundered and burnt with all its contenis
in a few hours ; and said that they hiad with
them 300 men. Col. Z. Butler proposed a
Parley, which being agreed to, a piacein
Kingston was appointed tor the meeting, to
which Col. Z. Butler repaired with 400 men,
well armed,but finding nobody there he pro
ceeded to the foot ot the mountain, where
at a distance he saw a flag, which as he ad
vanged, retired as if afraid, 20 or 39 rods 5 =
Le f%llowiag, was led int®e an ambush, and
partly surrounded by the enemy, who sud.
dendy rose and fired upon them. Notwith
flanding the great disproportion of 1605 1o
40e, he and his men bravely flood & returned