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Show Evidence anayon General. Rozen‘rsort. Evidence eleAJOR Grammar Roxanna-son. of expeé‘tation with the Colonies. Exmnfned 5} flfl'. I}10‘er 7mm 9M), 1779. The loyal Provincials in arms, amounted to between five and fix thouland. He did not know the number of the Rebels. The loyal Americans conlifted of corps, fome ofthcm mol‘tly compofed of native Americans, fome moflly compofed of emi. when the vote of independence pails-d, he believes it was about fcvcral Gentlemen, Members of that Houfe, who could give full fatisfaétion on thofe points. The loyalifls though more numerous, were unarmed, and the powers of government had Tm, thirds O{been ufurped. Two thirds of the people, though well alleéled the Americans to the Britifh government, were not a match for the other third 1°i31- if armed, and in poflellion of the civil government. The loyal l'rovincials were good troops, and well difciplined. He believ- ed the Cong-refs did iliue orders for arming all the inhabitants, but thofe who had the power in their hands, difarmed every perfon whom they ftifpcéted, If one third were for Great Britain, another for the Congrefs, and a third partly neutral, the Congrefs part would prevail for the reafon before alligned: not that he thought that an inferior number, and in every refpctl upon equal terms with a fuperior number, could give law to the fuperior number. Taxation was the caufe of the rebellion ; the people in gene- ral fliewing an averfion to be taxed. If taxation had been gi- ven up, no rebellion would ever have happened. The people were zealoufly attached, before that claim was enforced, to the Britifh government. Loyal Ameri. Sir William Howe was earneft, and tool: every method to cans plundered. prevent plunder, but. plunder was committed. The loyal AlDt‘i'iClelS were not properly protected, nor the necelfary means taken for their fafcty. The General had taken every means in his power to protect them, but his endeavours had not always proved fucccfsful. Howc's mm; _ Did not know what promife was held out in the King'3 or pacilicntionlpcech in 1775, for an intended pacification with America, not nctknuwn. what terms the Commillioners were charged to hold 011! to America. The people in general were eager to know the terms. He did notknow them to that inflant. He believed that Great Britain rehnqurfhnig the claim of taxation was the great objeit 0 He believed a great majority of the people were inclined to return to their former {tare of obedience before the vote of in. ..A iven up, that vote would never have pallbd. L" dependence paffed; and he had heard, that iftaxation had been He believed the treaty between France and America was the Treaty with. chief, nay the fole caufe of defeating the intended ell‘eét of the Franc: Tull" conciliatory aft of lall fellion, and the objetfts of the Commif- me" e R e " fion which accompanied thofe aéls. He did not think of a dcfccnt upon the coafl of New England before he left England, nor till he was at fea. He had'no converfation with the American lVIinifter on the fubjeét, though he may have dropped fentiments of a limilar nature to others. There were many of the parts of the coalls of New England New England vulnerable, where a landing might be eflbctcd, and a retreat fe- "'3" """mbcured. He never gave any advice to the noble Lord at the head ofGen. H.hnd full the American department, but in one mltance, refpeéhng the PM" 10 M "5 plan propofed by Sir \Villiam Howe to. Adminillration. Hell" lho‘l'rol'c‘" told the noble Lord, that a plan formed in America, tranfinrtted to England to be confidered, and afterwards returned With or without alterations, would be very improper, becaufe, before the approved plan could reach America, circumfiances might be conliderably changed, and what would be a very wrfe plan of meafures in one fituation, that fituation being changed, would perhaps in another be extremely inapplicable to the eyilling flare of affairs, and he of courfe improper to be carried into execution. The noble Lord left General Howe to his own judgment. Examined 5} Sir Richard Sultan. There was a confiderable quantity of flares left behind at Bof- Great qantit'f of ton, when the royal army evacuated that town. They con- 16/301115; 5:; filled of woollen goods, &c. which were of great fervrcc to the em" '3" "5‘ rebels; woollens: and feveral other articles being extremely dear and fearce in the rebel camp, and throughout the whole province. He could not fay, whether there were means of bringing them off; he underflood that every tranfport, or llup fit to go to fea, was employed in conveying the troops to Haltfax; fome however of the llores, merchandize, See. that had been left behind, might have been brought away aboard the tranfports. A great number of [hips and vellels, none he find. 2 innnedb ~-‘ .v 'i-,«.-.§.g;..£u fence, {0 would Rhode Itland if evacuated. He could not fpeak of the Carolinas, Georgia, Canada, &c. but there were the time of publilhing the Commillion; he could not exactly fay that it was in the beginning of july. .41..h.._ . t vincc of Nova Scotia was very weak in pomt of internal dc- He did not know Is. »‘ *3 grants from Great Britain, Ireland, and other parts of Europe. Ilalfthe Rebel He had heard that full one half of the rebel army was compof"my "'11" ed of Irifh. He did not believe, that if the royal trOOps were withdrawn from within his own government, (New-York) that the loyal Provincial military would be able to maintain their ground againll the ufurped power of the Cohngrefsn The pro. time in America in the following Augult. ‘l h!) Mr. Burke. He did not know when the Parliament met, or the prohibitory bill palfed, or when the Commillion left Great Britain. It was publilhed for the {in} |