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$780. addrefs was carried, upon a divifion, by a majority of

212 to 130.

Major Tyler, who ferved formerly in one of the American continental regiments, by his irregular purfuit of pleasure, 'occasioned an information to be lodged against himself and Mr. John Trumbull, who was deputy adjutant general with Gates at Tyconderoga in 1776. Tyler efcaped: but Trumbull was taken and committed to prison on the 21ft of November, being charged with holding a treasonable correfpondence with the enemy. When he was re-examined the next day, three letters were produced and read, one to his father the governor of Connecticut, the fecond from Dr. Franklin's grandson at Paffey, where the doctor refides, and the third from a Mr. White of Lyme in Dorsetshire. Mr. Trumbull in his anfwers to the queftions asked him, faid, that he arrived in England in the beginning of July; and that the profeffion he had in view was that of painting, of which Mr. B. Weft, the historical painter, could inform the bench fully, as well as of the manner how he ufually spent his time. Nothing appeared particularly criminal: but circumftances were fuch, that the bench conceived he was not entitled to his liberty; they therefore figned his warrant of commitment for New Prifon, on account of the unrepaired ftate of Newgate. Confinement will be his chief fuffering; and his relations may difmifs all apprehenfions of any further danger to his perfonal fafety.

Some detached pieces of European intelligence will close the present epistle.

Mr. Jay has been laboring at the court of Madrid to effect a treaty between Spain and the United States of America;

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America; but to no purpose. For particular reafons 1780
that court declines making the treaty with France, the
bafis of one with them. Congrefs was much overseen
in drawing bills upon him. The importance of Spain to
America fhould not have been brought forward, at least
fhould not have been placed in fuch a glaring point of
view. The measure of drawing, in expectation that the
Spaniards would fupply the cash, was confidered by them
as desperate, and as what congrefs were prompted to by
their imbecility. It was in the power of the Spanish
court to have made the loan that was asked: whereas,
instead of furnishing Mr. Jay with 30 or 40,000 1
fterling, the fum requested for immediate fervice, he
was supplied with only about 42001.

On the 29th of September died Maria Theresa, em+ press of Germany, queen of Hungary and Bohemia, and archduchefs of Auftria, and natural fovereign of all the widely extended dominions appertaining to that great house. Her death has occafioned no convulfions in the European fyftem of politics.

Lord George Germain, in his letter to lord Cornwallis of November the 9th, commended Cornwallis's "determination to inflict exemplary punishment on those traitors, who had repeated the violation of their oaths of allegiance, or broken their parole, and taken arms against the king, as wife and promotive of the great object of the war." He added, "I have not the leaft doubt, from your lordship's vigorous and alert movements, the whole country, fouth of the Delaware, will be restored to the king's obedience in the course of the [next] campaign."

The

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1780. The French king this year dignified and for ever rendered his name-day memorable, by a prefent to his fubjects, worthy the humanity and magnificence of a great and enlightened monarch. It was no lefs than abolishing for ever, that relic of barbarifm, fo long the oppro bium of the chriftian name, and a standing difgrace to the most civilized and learned quarter of the worldthe inhuman cuftom of putting the question, as it was called, by torture. It had been fo long established and rivetted, that it feemed to be an original and indivisible part of the constitution of their courts of justice. The French king did alfo, in order to leffen the burdens of his people, make a prodigious reform in his houfhold. In purfuance of the new plan adopted in his court, no léfs than 406 offices in that department were abolished.

The torture having been mentioned, let it be remarked that no one is capitally condemned in Holland, till he acknowledges himfelf guilty; and that the torture is practised, when needful, to produce fuch acknowledgment. But then it must observed, that no one is put to the torture without that evidence, which would hang him in Great Britain. If the accufed has firmness of body and mind to fupport under the rack through the whole process, he is discharged though guilty; but though innocent, if (overcome by excruciating pain) he pronounces himself guilty, to obtain momentary ease, execution follows.

The bounty and kindness extended by the bishop of Lugo to the British prifoners, deferves every degree of praife and gratitude. Although fome of their commanders behaved otherwise, the Spanish nobility and merchants, in general, fhowed extraordinary marks of

friendship,

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friendship, and even of affection, to those British gen- 1780. tlemen who fell in their way, while national hostilities were carrying on. The Spaniards labored hard in pushing on their works against Gibraltar, but had often the mortification of feeing them when nearly completed, destroyed in a few hours by the weight of fire from the batteries. Gen. Elliot would let them proceed to a certain point, and then at once throw all their hopes to the ground. Some judicious and fuccessful fallies were likewise made occafionally, though fparingly, by the garrifon. The vexation of being fo baffled by a handful of men, has at length whetted the invention of the Spaniards to a project, that may afford much trouble to the garrison when perfected, and infinitely increase the difficulties and dangers of the defence.

The conduct of the duke of Modena, in abolishing the inquifition in his dominions, must be enumerated among the remarkable circumstances, that have diftinguished the year 1780. It affords a fresh inftance of the progrefs, which liberal ideas, with respect to toleration and the rights of confcience, are now making throughout Europe. Upon the death of the grand inquifitor at Reggio, the prince immediately ordered that tribunal to be for ever abolished; its revenues to be applied to laudable purposes; and the prifons and other buildings, which could, preferve any memorial of its having ever existed, to be demolished.

In the course of this year a confiderable number of well-fought and defperate actions have taken place between British and French frigates; in which, though the former had almost continually the advantage when upon equal terms, and the latter were frequently taken, yet

there

1780, there were fuch inftances of profeffional fkill, courage and dexterity, conftantly difplayed on the part of the French, as were before unknown in their marine.

The present letter will be kept ready to fend off inftantly, whenever the opportunity of a safe conveyance offers.

LETTER II.

MY GOOD SIR,

781. THE

town.

Roxbury, April 21, 1781.

HE Maffachusetts government was greatly alarmed on the 14th of January, by the unexpected arrival of gen. Knox with an account of the Pennsylvania line's having revolted, and marched off from MorrifGov. Hancock had been prepared to expect an event of that kind, though in a different quarter: for gen. Glover wrote to him on the 11th of the preceding month" It is now four days fince your line of the army has eaten one mouthful of bread. We have no money: nor will any body truft us. The best of wheat is at this moment felling in the ftate of New York for three fourths of a dollar [3s. 4d. fterling] per bushel, and your army is ftarving for want. On the 1ft of January fomething will turn up if not speedily prevented, which your officers cannot be answerable for." Several causes

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