November 14, 1 778. THE Number 454.
tiORTH-CAROLINA GAZETTE,
5
Wj.th the lateft ADVICES, Foreign and Domestic.
SEMPER PRO LIBERTATE, ET BONO PUBLICO.
PHILADELPHIA.
H E contempt file figure which the Bririlh King and
miniltry bay cut in the prefent war cannoc be bet
ter (hewn tli an in the following pr clamatiop, which
has been b tely pubiifhed at New Yoik by Carlifle,
Clinton an A Eden. Thofe gentlemen feem to con-
fider their matter's cooj niflion as a fort of a pafs to go a begging
with ; for if aoy thing can juftly be called begging, this laft per
..,min cf their's oeferves that t ame. It is in the true ftile of
Goo blefs your Honour beflnv your charity for the Lord1 s fake
Poor Devils ! why don't rhey get home and mind their hardware
srd broadcloth, and not f elter us with fcribbling letters and pe
nsionary proclamations.
But thofe geniofes have another bufmefs in hand betides beg-gi.-.g,.
aud ihat is lying. I .ail winter their newfpapers were Huffed
ntnieverv lalihcxd tney could invent refpecting the friendly and
paciac difpofition of Frui ce towards Britain, and we were told a
thcufand limes over by tft e minillry and Gen. Howe that France
woufid give ns no affntanoe : But as the lie of that dy is over and
Fracce has actually joine J as, thofe fame mum and pitiful mor
tals have changed their laote, -ad are now s bofy in abufing
France as they before we re in crying her up and abufing us. But
the poor devils will abui c any bedy now their hnnd is ini and it
is hoped the good peoj lc of Frnuce and Ametica will confider
them as men cut of thei r fenfes, and treat iKm accordingly.
M A N I F
PRO
E S T O
o
M A T I
t N.
y; the tntft btrs ttbe Congrefs, the m:mbes of I be general AJanbltcs
er Ccni -entiens. of the federal Colonies. Plantations and Provinces
cfh'ruj Hampjbire. Maffackujetts Bay, Rhde Jjland, Connecti
cut, Mrw Tori, Nnv Jerfey. Pennjyl-janta, the fire Lo-tue'r
Ccunties on Delaware. Maryland, Virginia, Nonh C irolina,
ihufh Carolina, and Gedrgia, anJ all ethers, free inkchitants of
the f aid Colonies, of rvty rani and denomination.
ET the Earl of Carlisle, Sir HenrV Clinton, WWm.
Eden, Ef'q commijioners appointed by his Map fly, in purjuance
of an ad of Parliament, made and pajjed in the th year of his
Mauffs reign, to enable his Mnjefly to appoint commiffioners to
treat, confult and ogree upon the means of f dieting the dtjorders now
fubffling in certain of the Colonies, Plantations and Provinces rn
North America.
HAVING amply and repeatedly made khown to the Con
grefs, and having a!fo proclaimed to the inhabitants of
fMofch America in general, tie benevok nt overtax ol Great Bri
tnin towards a reunion and coalition with her colonics, we do
not think it consent 'either with the duty we owe to our coun
ts v, or with a jr.lt regard tcAhc chnr. tters we bear, O pet Ail in
ho;WoUt cfrcis whlih in our ei'imati required only to be
kv wrto be mcft gratefully accepted and we have accoraingly,
excepting rn!y jm dir in chief, who will be detained by
military d.rirf, revived to return to England a fo weeks alter
th date ol trMs Mtsifcto ard Prcdamafi n.
Previous however to ibis r.ecif:ve Uep, we are led by a juft anx
iety fcr the 2reat object of our miffion to enlarge cn lou.e points
Which may not have ben lurncienrly ur,de,lt od, to recapitulate
toonrfel!w-tuDjec'hv bit-Sings whicn we are empowered to
confer, and to wain trtm of the continued train of evils to which
they are at pref. rt blindly and olftiu.uely expofin- themfelves
To the members of t!.'e Ccrrefs th?r, we agam ociare that
we are ready to concur ir. all Jausfactory and jult arrangement
for lecuring 10 them anc! il eir rf furtive conftlt-ents, ihe re et:a
blilhmcn: oi peace, with the exeptin irom any impcfition oi
taxes by the parliament of Great Britain, and the irrevocabl'eii
joyment of every privilege confiftent with that union o interests
and force on which our mutual profperity and the t"afety of out
common religion and liberty d--end. We again aVrt that the
members of the Congrefs were not authorized by th cjr conitituti
on either to rejeift our offers without the previous sconfideratioa
and confent ot the feveral affemblies and ccnv?ntior.,s their con
ilituents, or to refer us to pretended foreign treaties which they
know are delufively framed in the fir it in (lance, and wtjch have
never yet been ratified by the people of this continent. -And we?
once more remind the members of the Congrefs that they a re re.
fponfible to their countrymen, to the world, and to God, for uhe
coneinuance of this war, and for all the mife'ries with which it
mull be attended.
To the General Affemblies find Conventions of the different
colonies, plantations and provinces, above-mentioned, we fiow
fepiirately make the offers which we originally tranfmitted to the
Congrefs ; and we hereby call upon and u-ge them to meet ex
prefsly for the purpofe of confidering whether every motive, po
litical as well as moral, ihould not decid? their refolution to em
brace the occafion of cementing a free and firm coalition with
Great Britain. It has nOt been, nor is it, our wilh, to fee k the
objects which we are coromiifioned to purfuc by fomenting popu
lar divifiuns and partial cabals; we think fuch conduct would be
ill fuited to the generous nature of the offers made, and unbe
coming the dignity of the King and the ftate which makes them.
But it is both our with and our duty to encourage and fupport a
ny men or bodies of men in their return of loyalty to our fbve
rcin and of affection to cui fclljw fubjcdls. ,
To all others, free inhabitants of i.nis once happy empire, we
alfo addrefs ouffelves. Such of them as are actually in arms, of
whatfoever rank or defcription; wiil do well to recolleft, that the
grievances, whether real or fnppofed, which led them, into this
rebellion, have been for ever removed, and that the j u ft occafion
is arrived for their returning to the ciafs of peaceful citizens.
But if the honours of a military life are become their object, let
them feek thofe honours under the banners of their rightful fove
reign, andSnfighting the battles of the United British empire a
gaintt our late mutual and natural enemy. '
To thofe whofe profeffion it is to cxercife the functions of reli- f
gion on this continent, it cannot furely be unknown, that the
foreign power wiih which the Congrefs is endeavouring to con
necl them, has ever been averft to toleration andnveterately op
pofed to the in:erelts and freedom of the places of Wrorlhip which
they ferte; and that Great Britain, from whom they are for the
p relent feparated, mult both from the principles of her con dilu
tion and ol p;o:eltantifm be at all times the belt guardian of reli
gious liberty, and moft difpofed to promote and exrend it.
To all thofe w ho can eftimarc the bl'(Tmgs of peace and its in
Hjence over agriculture, arts and commerce, who can feel a due
anxiety for the education and eftablifhment of their children, or
who can place a juft valne on ddmeilic fecurity, we think it fu In
tent ro obferve, that they are made by their leaders to .continue
involved in all the calamities cf war, without having either a juft
o j cl to purfu-, or a fab-filling grievance which may not inftant
ly be redrefTed.
But if there be any perfons who, diveftcd of miftakeil re fen t
ments, and uninfluenced by felfifh interefts, really think that it
is for the benefit of the colonies to feparate themfelves from Great
Britain, and that fo fparared they will find a conftitution more
mild, more free, and better calculated for their prosperity thaa
that which they heretofore enjoyed, and which we are empowered
and difpofed to renew and improve ; with fach perfons we will not
difpute a pofition which feems to be fufficiently contradiaed by
the experience they have had. Euc wehink it right to leave
i
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