The defertion of all thefe prineiples of alliance, which the king, on his part, conftantly adhered to; an obftinate refufal to fulfil the moft facred engagements; a daily infraction of the moft folemn treaties; affiftance given to thofe very enemies, against whom he had a right to demand fuccour; an afyJum and protection granted in the Dutch ports to the American pirates, in direct violation of the moft clear and precife ftipulations; and, to complete the whole, a denial of juftice and fatisfaction for the affront offered to his majefty's crown, by a clandeftine league entered into with his rebellious fubjects; thefe accumulated caufes of complaint, made it impoffible for the king to take any other measures than thofe which he has done, though with the most fincere regret. In explaining to the public the reafons which rendered this rupture inevitable, he afcribed the conduct of the republic to the true caufe, namely, to the fatal influence of a faction, who facrificed the national intereft to their own private views; but the king expreffed, at the fame time, the moft earnest defire to bring back the Republic to that fyftem of clofe union, efficacious alliance, and mutual protection, which has fo much contributed to the profperity and glory of the two ftates. When the Empress of Ruffia tendered her good offices, to effect areconciliation by a feparate peace, the King, in expreffing the gratitude which that fresh proof of a friendship which ever appeared to him fo valuable, juftly merited, declined expofing her imperial majefty to a fruitless negociation: but now that there are fome marks of a change in the difpofition of the Republic, fome indications of a defign to return to those principles, which the wifeft part of the Batavian nation have never deferted, a negociation for a separate peace between the king and their High Mightineffes may be opened with fome hopes of fuccefs, under the mediation of the Emprefs of all the Ruffias, who has been the firft to propofe her good offices in this falutary work-If his majesty did not immediately avail himself of that offer, it was because he had every reafon to believe that the Republic only fought at that time to amufe him by an infidious negociation; but the king would think that he made an ill return to the fentiments which prompted those first offers, and would be wanting in the regard so juftly due to her imperial majefty, and to the confidence which the infpires, if he affociated to her mediation any other, even that of an ally the moft refpectable, and for whom the king entertains the most fincere friendfhip. (Signed) STORMONT. prefence, with hearts full of the warmeft attachment to your majefty's perfon and family, and to the happy conftitution of this kingdom. The unhappy breach between Great Britain and the colonies of North America, had no fooner taken place, than the Weft-India planters and merchants humbly reprefented to your majefty, and to both houfes of parliament, their apprehensions of the diftrefs and danger, that would probably enfue therefrom. When the colonies of North America formed an alliance with the ancient enemies of this kingdom, those apprehenfions of your majefty's petitioners were greatly encreased; and they fhould have confidered themselves as deficient in every duty to your majefty, as well as regard to the great interefts of this kingdom, had they not reprefented to your majefty's minifters, the additional danger to which all the British Weft-India iflands were exposed, from fo powerful a combination. Every effort was, therefore, early made, and invariably continued, by your petitioners, to urge your majesty's minifters, to provide effectual reinforcements for their protection, and particularly to induce them to keep a permanent fuperiority of naval force in the Weft-Indies, as being the natural, and only certain fecurity of thofe poffeffions. The lofs of feveral of thofe Iflands has afforded a melancholy proof of thofe timely and unremitted applications. Confident, however, that the remaining islands must be confidered as objects deferving the most serious attention, your peti tioners did not yield to defpair, but trusted that the unhappy experience of past loffes would ex cite your majesty's minifters to adopt fuch measures, as might effectually fecure thofe iflands, which still remained. But it is with the utmost concern, that your petitioners are compelled to declare, that the remaining iflands are still so unhap pily deftitute of protection, that at no moment of the war have they been exposed to more imminent danger, than in the present awful conjuncture. Your petitioners, therefore, alarmed by the inefficacy of their former applications to your ma jefty's minifters, humbly implore your majefty to enforce and extend the prefent affurances they have given us, and to direct, that without delay, reinforcements, naval and military, adequate to the permanent defence of your majesty's Weft-India islands, may be fent out, fo that, by the bleffing of Providence, thofe most valuable poffeffions may ftill be preferved to the British empire. And your petitioners shall ever pray, &c. &c. and our pofterity anxious for the glory of a country hitherto as much renowned for the virtues of juftice and humanity, as for the splendour of its arms, we approach your throne with fentiments becoming citizens at fo alarming an hour; at the fame time with that refpect which is due to the monarch of a free people, and a prince of the illuftrious houfe of Brunfwick, to which we feel ourselves in a peculiar manner attached, by all the ties of gratitude and affec tion. It is with inexpreffible concern that we have heard your Majefty declare, in your speech to both houfes of parliament, your intention of perfevering in a fyftem of measures which has proved fo difaftrous to this country. Such a declaration calls for the voice of à free and injured people. We feel the refpect due to majefty: but in this critical and awful moment, to flatter is to betray. Your majesty's minifters have, by false affertions and fallacious fuggeftions, deluded your majefty and the nation into the prefent unnatural and unfortunate war. The confequences of this delufion have been, that the trade of this country has fuffered irreparable loffes, and is threatened with final extinction. The manufactures in many va luable branches are declining, and their supply of materials rendered precarious, by the inferiority of your majefty's fleet to that of the enemy in almost every part of the globe. The landed property through out the kingdom has been depreciated to the most alarming degree. The property of your Majefty's VOL. XXIV. subjects vefted in the public funds, has loft above one third of its value. Private credit has been almost wholly annihilated by the enor mous intereft given in the public loans, fuperior to that which is allowed by law, in any private contract. Such of our brethren in America as were deluded by the promifes of your majefty's minifters, and the proclamations of your generals to join your ma jefty's standard, have been furrendered by your majesty's armies to the mercy of their victorious countrymen. Your majesty's fleets have loft their wonted fuperiority, Your armies have been captured, Your dominions have been loft, And your majefty's faithful subjects have been loaded with a burthen of taxes, which, even if our victories had been as fplendid as our defeats have been disgraceful, if our acceffion of dominion had been as fortunate as the difmem berment of the empire has been cruel and difaftrous, could not in itself be confidered but as a great and grievous calamity. We do, therefore, most humbly and earneftly implore your majefty to take all these circumstances into your royal confideration, and to compare the present fituation of your dominions with that uncom mon ftate of profperity to which the wisdom of your royal ancestors, the fpirit and bravery of the British people, and the favour of Divine Providence, which attends upon principles of justice and humaniy, had once raised this happy country, the pride and envy of all the civilized world! [X] We 1 We beseech your majesty no longer to continue in a delufion from which the nation has awakened; and that your majefty will be graciously pleased to relinquifh entirely, and for ever, the plan of reducing our brethren in America to obedience by force; a plan which the fatal experience of paft loffes has convinced us cannot be profeeated without manifeft and imminent danger to all your majefty's remaining poffeffions in the western world. We wish to declare to your majefty, to Europe, to America itself, ourabhorrence of the continuation of this unnatural and unfortunate war, which can tend to no other purpose than that of alienating and rendering irrecoverable the confidence of our American brethren, with whom we ftill hope to live upon the terms of intercourse and friendship, fo neceffary to the commercial profperity of this kingdom. We do, therefore, farther humbly implore your majefty, that your majefty will be graciously pleafed to difmifs from your prefence and councils all the advisers, both public and fecret, of the meafures we lament, as a pledge to the world of your majefty's fixed determination to abandon a fyftem incompatible with the intereft of your crown, and the happiness of your people. Signed, by order, WILLIAM RIx. a native of South Carolina, fome time recognized by the British Commiffioners in Ainerica by the ftyle of his Excellency Henry Laurens, Prefident of Congress, now a clofe prifoner in the Tower of London; Moftrefpectfully fheweth, That your reprefenter for many years, at the peril of his life and fortune, evidently laboured to preserve and ftrengthen the ancient friendship between Great Britain and the colonies; and that in no instance he ever excited on either fide the diffenfions which feparated them. That the commencement of the prefent war, was a subject of great grief to him, inasmuch as he forefaw and foretold, in letters now extant, the diftreffes which both countries experience at this day. That in the rife and progrefs of the war, he extended every act of kindnefs in his power to perfons called Loyalifts and Quietists, as well as to British prifoners of war, very ample proofs of which he can produce. That he was captured on the American coaft, first landed upon American ground, where he faw exchanges of British and American prifoners in a course of ne gotiation; and that fuch exchanges and enlargements upon parole are mutually and daily practised in America. That he was committed to the Tower on the 6th of October, 1780, being then dangerously ill; that in the mean time he has, in ing deprived (with very little exmany refpects, particularly by beception) of the vifits and conful tations of his children and other relations and friends, fuffered under a degree of rigour, almost, if not not altogether, unexampled in modern British history. That from long confinement, and the want of proper exercife, and other obvious caufes, his bodily health is greatly impaired, and that he is now in a languishing ftate: And, Therefore your representer humbly prays your Honours will condefcend to take his cafe into confideration: and, under proper conditions and restrictions, grant him enlargement, or fuch other relief a as to the wisdom and benignity of your Honours hall feem fitting. HENRY LAURENS. the names of all perfons who are receivers of public money raised upon the fubject by taxes or duties, and who pay the fame into the Exchequer." We have examined into the manner in which the public revenue is collected, received, and paid into the exchequer in all these offices, and by all these receivers. In the customs, the receiver general, William Mellifh, Esquire, certified to us, that upon the 10th of September laft, there was in his hands, exclufive of the current weekly receipt of the duties of the customs, the fum of four thousand four hundred and twelve pounds three fhillings and ten pence; which fum was the amount of certain collections transmitted to him, either from the plantations, or particular out-ports; and was to continue in his hands no ler-general, as to fome parts of it, longer, than until the comptrol and the commiffioners, as to other parts, fhould direct under what heads of duties the feveral items, of which this fum was compounded, should be arranged, and paid into the exchequer, or otherwife difpofed of. Mr. Mellifh has informed us, that part of this fum has been fince paid by him, according to orders of the commifhoners and comptroller-general; and that the other part thereof, amounting to three thousand twohundred eightyeight pounds fourteen fhillings and eleven pence farthing, was remaining in his hands the 20th in * This petition was prefented to the Houfe in the form in which it came out of Mr. Laurens's own hand, it being written by him in the Tower with a leaden pencil. year. The first report was given in the Annual Regifter for the preceding |