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For the London Evening Poft.To Lord NORTH.Fly Lord,Administration, ifind, piomethem-felves as much upon the late difpatches from the Howes) which crept into a Gazette Ex-traofdinar'v. as if the whole continent of Ame-tica was fubdued ; but they reckon without their hoft, the1 Provincials are juft as far from being -conquered as ever. This long and formal difplay of military atehievements, this mighty detail of a little fitirmiGi, is ferved up ta the nation with all the pomp of an almoft decifive viQory j but men of reafon and found judgment, wbofc fp.inds are not to be fnbdued by minifteriaPpi^gpice, fee nothing to boaft of. Imprimis, The fetters from the negotiating brothers have undergo#*^ rs ufoal, a-very learned, critical,.and political ih^uion, by tjie Scotchifiod Secretaries, and. the'Caledonian Gazette writer. Perhaps, if the great warriors (hoald return, their Ipirits may be fo reduced by the naufeoos vapours of America, that they Will have r.o power to refent the affront offered to their literary abilities; yet, notwithftanding the detention of every fpecies of neceflaiy information for the public, and the fuppreffion of the publication of the impartial 'a!fti real Hate of fads, meti will comment upon the crude account, as dreffed op by adminiftratiOn ; for the public, to be fure, have no great caufe to complain of being kept in the datk, when even the reprefeutatives cfthe people vote the fupplies blind-folded.My Lord, from thezzd of Augaft till the 20th, the Regulars, twenty-two thouland in number, with a very heavy artillery, were combating a body of Provincials fcaree four thoufand in number ; the odds in favour of the former almoft fix to one; therefore, what but the advantage on Z,ong Ifland could Mr. Howe expedl? Let me tell yoo, my Lord, that if their four thoufand men, oppofed to our twenty-two thoufand, do always make fuch a ftand as they have done on Long Ifland, our army will be pretty well trimmed. As to the great difference in the numbers killed on the fide of the Provincials, I am not much furprifed, pfpedally if the account be true as printed in the American Bews-papers, that many hundred of them were killed by the bayonet, after having laid down their arms. If this is authentic, it is the moft murderous and barbarous treatment I ever beard; it is more than fa rage, and refleds fhe greateft dilhonour upon thofe in command ; but they, no doubt, had previoufly received their full orders, or, like Guy Carleton, though not pofieifed of his J'upcrior qualities (for he knew when to flay the fword) they fohnd themfelves a little fliQrt of provifions, and fo determined to getrid of tbeir pri oners eftedually.My Lord, fome little particles of intelligence, in. fpite of fete, will fly over from the continent,, no matter by what means, but fo it happens. Now, my Lord, it is effentiaUy neceflary for the public to be informed, .through the channel of the Gazette, how many men were left when marching by the woods, before the army properly began the attack, the country not admitting, you . will recoiled, two columns to march: And it is alfo neceflary for the public to be informed, how many of their beft friends, the guards, were loft' upon this glorious occafion, as Howe’s letter pub-lilhed gives no account of them, furtherihan Earl Pefcy, that incomparable foldier, marched with the main body of the army, of which the guards cojn-pofed a part; and alfo that two companiesof them joined Colonel Doaop’s corps at the attack of the hill. .My Lord, throughout the whole of the two letters, the opprobrious appellation of cowards is not bellowed upon the Americans, becaufe our army, to their coft, have fully experienced their courage and bravery, and they beft can judge. We are alfo informed in the grofs, that General Putnam made good his retreat; that the enemy is ftill in pofleffion of the town and ifland of New-■ York-in force, and making demortftrationsof op-pong us in their works on both fldes of KingV Bridge.' So much'for this magnified piece of victory, intended to gratify the wilhes or the people, previous to the meeting of the Grand Senate of the nation; that unanimity, difpatch, and liberality, may accompany each other, fo that buli-nefs may go on finely. But before I have done, I muft remind your Lordfhtp of the great progrefs •made this fummer towards the fubjedtion of Amenta, notwithftanding the extraordinary fuppliesand additional taxes voted the laft feffion.On tit one fide :Howe is upon Long Ifland with about fit* and twenty thoufand men, having beat off the enemy.Carleton in Canada, with about feven thou-fand men.O/i the other :Sir Peter Parker’s fquadron moft miferably mauled off Charles-Town, South-Carolina.Walhington, with about forty thoufand men, upon New-York ifland in force.Bofton llrongly fortified, and guarded with fivethoufand men.. .Twelve or fourteen thoufand men marched towards Hallifax.A confiderable body gone to reinforce the army in Canada.And finally, the French every where carrying on a moft prodigious trade with America, and giving them all aftiftance..Now, to fupport this war of polls, for it is nothing elfe, twelve million at leaft, I fuppofe, will be aflced for, and may be, without an account, granted ; and before the fpring Mr. Howe, in all probability, though he ffiould be in pofleffion of New-York, will be obliged 16 remove, with a confiderable diminution of his forces, to fome other town upon the coaffo to change die air, very likely to Halifax again, and this is the way to conquer the rebels in America. Oh, upright, learned men ! how fit you are *9 direft the affairs of this once flouriftiing, happy ifle . Pro-
Newspaper Details
London Evening Post
London, Middlesex, GB
Sat, Oct 19, 1776
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Frank L.
NY, USA 27 Jul 2017
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