High Mightineffes the S ate General have already made known, by their confenting to open a negociation for peace.' If fuch are the inclinations of that Monarch, which ought not to be doubted, it appears that a fufpenfion of hoftilities would be the moft effential prelude to their accomplishment, as military operations accompanying a negociation of that nature, can only ferve to embarrass and retard the matter, whift the allied courts with for nothing more than to be able to accelerate it by every method that may tend to the advantage and fatisfaction of the two belligerent powers. In the fincerity and rectitude which animate his majefty and his two all es, he cannot conceal the apprehenfion which he feels from the report of the continuation of the war, which may be productive of the most fatal confequences, and may revive a variety of controverfies and difputes. This mo. tive, and more particularly a deBre to prevent a farther effution of blood, are contiderations which ought to operate on the mind of the King of Great Britain; and in the entire confidence which his majefty places in thofe circumftances, he would receive the trueft fatis mont, on the 18th of September, to the Baron de Nolken, the Swedish Envoy. HE prefervation of public THE The king made very great fa crifices to humanity, to procure that blefling, and he had reafon to flatter himfelf that, by fuch móderation, in the midft of victory, he should fecure the public quiet, upon the most folid and durable foundations; but those hopes have all proved fallacious, and thofe foundations have been flaken by the ambitious politics of the Court of Verfailles. This court, after having fecretly fupported the rebellion kindled in America, openly joined his majefty's rebellious fubjects; and on account of this violation of public faith, and this direct act of hoftility, he com menced the prefent war. The conduct of the Republic of Holland, through the whole courfe of the prefert war, has excited a general indignation.-This nation prefents itfelf under a very different afpect from that of a nation faction, if, by his interpofition and merely commercial; it is à refpectmediation, joined to that of his able power, for a long time bound allies, he should fucceed in termito Great Britain by the clofeft alnating the differences which have lance. The principal object of taken place between Great Bri- that alliance was their common tain and the United Provinces. fafety, and exprefsly the mutual (Signed) protection of each other againft The BARON de NOLKEN. the ambitious defigns of a danger ous neighbour, which their united efforts have fo often defeated, to their reciprocal advantage, and to that of all Europe. Copy of the Anfaer given to the foregoing Paper, by Lord Stor The The defertion of all thefe principles of alliance, which the king, on his part, conftantly adhered to; an obftinate refufal to fulfil the moft facred engagements; a daily fofraction of the most folemn treaties; affiftance given to thofe very enemies, against whom he had a right to demand fuccour; an afylum 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 justice and fatisfaction for the affront offered to his majesty's crown, by a clandeftine league entered into with his rebellious fubjects; these accumulated canfes of complaint, 'made it impollible 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 reasons 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, justly merited, declined expofing her imperial majefty to a fruitless negociation: but now that there are fome marks of STORMONT. prefence, with hearts full of the warmest 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 founer taken place, than the Weft-India planters and merchants humbly reprefented to your majetty, and to both houfes of parliament, their apprehenfions 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, thofe 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-lodia islands were expofed, from fo powerful a combination. Every effort was, therefore, early niade, and invariably continued, by your petitioners, to urge your majefty'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 those Islands has afforded a melancholy proof of thofe timely and unremitted applications. Confider, however, that the remaining islands must be confidered as objects deferving the most serious attention, your peti tioners did not yield to despair, but, trufted that the unhappy experience of past loffes would excite your majesty's minifters to adopt fuch meafures, as might effectually fecure thofe iflands, which ftill remained. But it is with the utmost concern, that your petitioners are compelled to declare, that the remaining iflands are still fo unhap pily deftitute of protection, that at no moment of the war have they been exposed to more imminent danger, than in the prefent awful conjuncture. Your petitioners, therefore, alarmed by the inefficacy of their former applications to your majefty'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 sent out, fo that, by the bleffing of Providence, thofe moft valuable poffeffions may ftill be preferved to the British empire. And your petitioners fhall 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 fplendour 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 Brunswick, 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 fpeech 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 a free and injured people. We feel the refpe&t 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 majesty 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 valuable branches are declining, and their fupply of materials rendered precarious, by the inferiority of your majesty's fleet to that of the enemy in almost every part of the globe. The landed property throughout the kingdom has been depreciated to the moft alarming degree. The property of your Majefty's : VOL. XXIV. subjects vested in the public funds, has loft above one third of its value. Private credit has been almost wholly annihilated by the enormous 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 majefty's ftandard, have been furrendered by your majesty's armies to the mercy of their victorious countrymen. Your majefty'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 difgraceful, if our acceffion of dominion had been as fortunate as the difmemberment of the empire has been cruel and difaftrous, could not in itself be confidered but as a great and grievous calamity. We do, therefore, moft humbly and earnestly implore your majesty to take all these circumstances into your royal confideration, and to compare the prefent fituation of your dominions with that uncom mon ftate of profperity to which the wifdom of your royal ancestors, the fpirit and bravery of the British people, and the favour of Divine Providence, which attends upon principles of juftice and humaniy, had once raised this happy country, the pride and envy of all the civilized world! [X] We We befeech your majefty no longer to continue in a delufion from which the nation has awakened; and that your majefty will be graciously pleafed 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 profecuted 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 still 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 gracioufly pleafed to difiifs from your prefence and councils all the advifers, both public and fecret, of the meafures we lament, as a pledge to the world of your majefty's fixed determination to abandon a system 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 Congrefs, 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 preferve 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 fubject 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 Quietifts, as well as to British prifoners of war, very ample proofs of which he can produce. That he was captured on the American coaft, firft 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 practifed in America. That he was committed to the Tower on the 6th of October, 1780, being then dangeroufly 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 un if not |