The bumble Address of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal in Parliament affembled. May it please your Excellency, WER ful and loyal fubjects, the lords fpiritual and temporal, in parliament affembled, return your excellency our most fincere thanks for your fpeech from the throne to both houfes of parliament. We beg leave to congratulate your excellency upon your appointment to the government of this kingdom. His majefty, ever influenced by that benevolent fpirit which muft juftly command the affections of all his people, could rot have given us a more diftinguifhed mark of his regard, than by placing at the head of this kingdom a nobleman eminent for his abilities and experience in public affairs, and defcended from an ceftors illuftrious for their know ledge of the laws, and their attachment to the conftitution. And we shall moft cheerfully co-operate with your excellency in every meafure which can promote the improvement, infure the happiness, and cherish the true interests, of this kingdom; fatisfied, that the profperity of his people is the great object of his majesty's wishes, and of your excellency's adminiftration. We rejoice with your excellency on the increase of his majesty's royal family, by the birth of another princess; as every fuch event gives us an additional fecurity to our religion, laws, and liberty. We cannot fufficiently acknowledge our gratitude to your excellency for the kind fatisfaction you exprefs on the improving ftate of agriculture, and of the linen manufactory in this country; objects of the highest confideration to us, and of which we shall exert our utmost efforts to promote and extend the progrefs. The Charter Schools, fo ftrongly recommended to us by your excellency, will ever be a principal object of our care; fully fenfible of the importance of educating the diftreffed children of this nation in found principles, and the early training them to habits of industry. Thoroughly convinced of your excellency's good wishes and intentions for the fervice and profperity of this country, we entertain the fullest and moll pleafing confidence, that your excellency will have the fatisfaction of finding your admini ftration equally beneficial to us, and easy and honourable to yourfelf. W. Watts Gayer, His WE May it please your Excellency, E, his majesty's moft dutiful and loyal fubjects, the commons of Ireland in parliament affembled, beg leave to return to your excellency our fincere thanks for your most excellent fpeech from the throne. Impreffed at all times with the deepest fenfe of his majefty's paternal regard to the welfare of his fubjects, we fee it particularly inflanced in his appointing a chief governor of this kingdom, whofe approved integrity, and whofe cultivated talents, are ornaments to the ftation which he fills; and whofe defcent from ancestors eminent for their learning in the laws, and their zeal for the prefervation of our conftitution, prefage profperity to the country over which he is to prefide. We obferve with pleasure your excellency's early attention to the improvement of agriculture, and the flourishing itate of the linen manufacture; we fhall not fail on VOL. XX. our part to pay them that regard, which matters of fuch great importance deferve. in the proteftant religion, and the As the educating the infant poor training them in habits of industry, are objects of humanity as well as of policy, we are doubly bound to fchools of this kingdom. afford protection to the charter We shall accurately confider the ftate of the public accounts, and chearfully make fuch a provifion as may be fuitable to the circumftances of this country, and the exigencies of the public fervice. We found our hopes of your excellency's administration, upon better omens than thofe of mere affurances; and we are happy in having a chief governor, who chufes rather to reit his character upon his conduct than upon his profeffions. H. } H. Alcock, Cler. Dom. Com. has broke out in the English colonies against the legal conftitution of the mother country, the underfigned ambaffador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the King of Great Britain has had frequent, occafions to addrefs himself to your high mightineffes, in the name of his matter, to engage them, by all motives of national intereft, of good neighbourhood, of friendship, and finally of treaties, to put a stop to the clandeftine commerce which is carried on between their fubjects and the rebels. If the measures which your high mightineffes have thought proper to take had been as efficacious as your affurances have been amicable, the underfigned would not now have been under the difagreeable neceflity of bringing to the cognizance of your high mightineffes facts of the most ferious nature. His The king hath hitherto borne, with unexampled patience, the irregular conduct of your fubjects in their interested commerce at St. Euftatia, as also in America. majefty has always flattered himfelf, that, in giving time to your high mightineffes to examine to the bottom this conduct, fo irregular and fo infufferable, they would have taken measures necef fary to reprefs the abufe, to reftrain their fubjects within bounds, and to make them refpect the rights and friendship of Great -Britain. The complaints which I have orders to make to their high mightineffes, are founded upon authentic documents annexed to this memorial, where their high mightineffes will fee with aftonishment, § and I doubt not at the fame time with difpleasure, that their new governor, Mr. Van Graaf, after having permitted an illicit commerce at St. Euftatia, hath paffed his forgetfulness of his duty to the point of conniving at the Americans in their hoftile equipments, and the permitting the feizure of an English veffel, by an American pirate, within cannon-fhot of that island. And, in aggravation to the affront given to the English nation, and to all the powers of Europe, to return from the fortress of his government the falate of a rebel flag. In return to the amicable reprefentations made by the prefident of the neighbouring ifland of St. Chriftopher, on these facts of notoriety, M. Van Graaf has anfwered in a manner the most vague and unfatisfactory, refufing to enter at all into the subject, or into an explanation of the matter with a member of his majefty's council of St. Chriftopher's, difpatched by the prefident for that purpose to St. Euftatia. After exhibiting the documents annexed, nothing remains with me but to add, that the king who had read them, not with lefs furprize than indignation, hath ordered me to exprefsly demand of your high mightineffes, a formal difavowal of the falute by Fort Orange, at St. Euftatia, to the rebel fhip, the difmiffion and immediate recall of Governor Van Graaf, and to declare further, on the part of his majefty, that until that fatisfaction is given, they are not to expect that his majefty will fuffer himfelf to be amufed by mere affurances, or that he will delay one inftant 1 inftant to take fuch measures as he thall think due to the interefts and dignity of his crown. (Signed) Jos. YORKE. Given at the Hague, Feb. 21, 1777. Memorial delivered by Order of the States General, to the Court of Great Britain, in answer to the above Memorial, by the Envey Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of their High Mightinees. SIRE, IT is with the most profound refpect, that the under-figned envoy extraordinary and plenipotentlary of their high mightineffes, in confequence of the orders, which he hath received, hath the honour to represent to your majefty, that the memorial which your ambaffador hath prefented to their high mightineffes on the 21ft of laft month, has touched them very fenfibly; that they find themselves obliged to make complaint of the reproaches which are contained in it, as if their high mightineffes were to be fufpected of a will and intention of amufing your majefty by amicable affurances, which they have falfified by their acts; alfo of the menacing tone which reigns in that memorial, and appears to their high mightineffes too highly ftrained, beyond that which is the accorded and, accustomed manner, and that ought to take place between two fovereign and independent powers, and efpecially betwo neighbouring powers, which have been, of fo many years continuance, united by the ties of good harmony and mutual friendthip. tween Their high mightineffes truft that on all occafions, and parti cularly in respect to the unfortunate troubles of your majefty's colonies in America, they have held a conduct towards your majesty, which has been expected from a good neighbour, and a friendly and affectionate power. Their high mightineffes,, Sire, hold your majefty's friendship in the highest eftimation, and with to do every thing in their power (as far as the honour and dignity of their state will permit them to go) to cultivate it ftill more and more; but they cannot at the fame time fo far reftrain themfelves, as to difguife the very poignant fenfation, with which that memorial hath impreffed them. It is alone from the motive of demonftrating to your majefty every poffible regard, and to prove that their high mightineffes will not neglect any thing which may ferve to inveftigate properly the truth of the facts, from whence the complaints made to them feem to have arifen, that they have refolved to inftitute an enquiry in a manner the most fummary, and cut off all trainings of delay. To this end their high mightineffes, paffing by the ordinary and ufual form in like cafes, requiring a report in writing from their officers and others employed in their colonies, have already dispatched their orders to the commandant of St. Euftatia, to render himself within the republic without delay, and, as foon as poffible, to give the neceffary information of all that has paffed within the island of St. Euftatia, and that which hath come to his knowledge relative to the American colonies and their veffels, during the period of his command, and to lay his con[T] 2 duft, du, touching this matter, before the eyes of their high mightineffes. The under-figned is charged by his orders to bring the information of this refolution to your majefty, as also that their high mightineffes make no difficulty of difavowing, in the most exprefs manner, every act or mark of honour which may have been given by their officers, or by any of their fervants, to the veffels of your majefty's colonies of North-America, or that they may give hereafter, fo far as thofe acts or marks of honour may be of fuch a nature, as that any can conclude from them that it is intended thereby, in the leaft degree, to recognize the independence of those colonies. in North-America, and having the honour to be by his majefty conftituted one of his commiffioners for reftoring peace to his colonies, and for granting pardons to fuch of his fubjects therein, as fhall be duly follicitous to benefit by that effect of his gracious indulgence; I take the earlieft opportunity to inform you of my arrival on the American coaft, where my firft object will be an early meeting with General Howe, whom his majefty hath been pleafed to join with me in the faid commiffion. In the mean time, I have judged it expedient to iffue the inclofed declaration, in order that all perfons may have immediate information of his majefty's most gracious intentions: and I defire you will be pleafed forthwith to cause the faid declaration to be promulgat ed, in fuch manner, and in fuch places, within the province of as will render the fame of the most public notoriety. Affured of being favoured with your affiftance in every measure for the fpeedy and effectual restoration of the public tranquillity, I am to request you will communicate, from time to time, such information as you may think will facilitate the attainment of that important object in the province over which you prefide. I have the honour to be, with great refpect and confideration, Sir, your most obedient humble fervant, How |