North Carolina Gazette

              september i 8 1778 t w p t 7 i • l « £ , , ■ , number 446 y 0 r th-car 0 l i n jl g a z e t t e with the lateft advices foreign and domestic semper pro libertate et bono publico ment had in fafl cftabliflied a perfectly good conduct on the fappofed errors or mifbehaviour of the geoeraf he wilhed to af ccrtain the truth mr cornwall faid that as the quefhon was o put in the for mer committee on this tranfaftion of saratoga the fault and a very great and fjrious one it was moil lie either upan the mini tfer fur the colonies or the general ha thought both blamdefs and f raife worihjp the evil lay in the fatality and incertitude of hum in afrairs and the chance of war he th-ugbt it like wife improper on account or the conaflion or the h t , urabie member fram his fairnefs and ho-.ourable fentimen's ro eater en this inqoifition ; yet he thought it improper and uniult to u.ge the honourable gentleman on a fubjedt fo delicate znd'fo import ant to himl'-lf mr cornwall thought the court of enquiry of general officers now named and perhaps a future court martial would be pro per but the ho'ife incompetent to the trial ; it never had been done ; and in;hnced former mifcarriages particularly mathews and letto'.k thirty years ago general tturgovne faid he undcrftood the gentlemen who made the motion would propofe queftions he intended to end with a motion of his own to include the whole of thefe quefti q?n ; but as the debate fesreed to take a difrvrent turn he would be for ih-r amendment fi ■ t.-lt occifion to invoke in the fullelt extent tlie candour of the hoafe for a man whole faculties at all times unequal h.id seen expo fed he tlood unconne&ed and un fnpporred neither charting nor f--arinj par'y on the bafis of trurh and his u(vn honour to anfwer mr wilkes up n ihe i«di an alliance which he had always at beft conii.iered as s nec-ifa ry eyil he determined to go the foldicr of rhe ilai not the ex ccutioner ; upon thefe principles he had conduced bimfelf not withpadding what was alledgcd by his t-nem'tes to the contrary ; he had b en obliged to run a race with the c>ngrefs in fecurinrr the alliance of thefavage they courted aod empted them witii prefents as well as the biitim ; he had in more inltances than one controled the indians lo this town there is now a mr luc formerly in the french fervice now in the fervice of great bri tain who has merit ; he wilhed that gentleman inftead of ac cufing him the genera of barbarities had been called to ihs bar of this boufc — he is an ambitious and a furtunaie man in llead of attacking a general unfortunate and unfashionable he wifhed the oablc lurd at the h«;ad of american affairs with whom mr lac was very familiar would ltate the fubftance of mr luc*a ailegations againft him difcharge the indians he did bat in faci m luc and ihe indians dsferted ha was near putting that man to an ignominious death efpecia'ly on account of tha matfacre ni that unhappy lady mifs ray he folely penned the pr clama;son and to huld cut terrors dot not to carry them into txecution the purport of the convention and other queltions he fhou.'d row anfwer mr vyner handed the lilt of propofed qaeltions which he general read and then mr t^^.^?r fpoke to orde — againjt going into a committee upon this bufinefs much more aj»ainil the houfe going on tho prefent hate of the matter mr burgcyne went on by command of the houfe and a his own defire wifhing for the committee on the amendment made by mr fox becaui's he would produce pa london house may 26 mr alderman wilkes moved that g?;,era eur goyne fhju.'d ghc an account a latge of what had hap-ened within his fervice as a pubi:c man from the time he went to ame rica i.l he left that continent sir vvilliam meredith or.j?£r.ed to nations crifi'.inating the general who had aftej not i men tvhn hr re ignobly and ingloriouily vct-d their country to blood fhed and ddtradion but had ventured his jife and bell fervices ivir wjjkcs riling np to explain jaid i jay no charge to thi hnocorable ener i ; 1 was tiie echo of the public voice which fays the sa.-at^h furrender of a whole britilh army wis igno niaioes and disgraceful to the voica of england and of aii f*,-.i 10 e i theretoic wiih that the honourable general be brought to i fa:r trial mr george grenville wipied to revne the committee rn rt rate of the nation now dill ived fhat tne canada papers might he before them mr charles fox aid fhat the fame papers might be referred ti a new committee which he woe id pre'er becauie he ho*ed ihefime rcf luticns would not be paffed : h was for a tiioiouoh lod complete iovefiigaticn ; he was apprehenfive that jp si icr ain queltions being alkfd the pint of trie bo(iaorabi general would l?ad him to yo into the detail for his own jollification and from his cp»nnefs ar.<i candour he wifhed to ltate the motion io u to take in properly the whole oorefer»ed dtfcutl\on of ihefe in 1 aocholj events the forrender of the army whs as the w r.hy iwermtn had faid ignuruini jus whoever inight be the occaii i rhat ignominy vvietht'r the general or the imniftry lord l\u;;ervi delivered n warm panegynck on run jr^jlantrv of burgoyne and his military talents but at the ame tine cdeavoured to juflify lord george germaiue od to c;t'l to the ccol left ion of the houfe that the ecretary of late for the colo t5 in joftifying his own part of the bunnefs had uniformly a dided faying a fyllable to prejudice the character of mr ur oyne fie was gain(l the ei quiry parritu'arly frcm he «!? tecs of generals howe and car.ctou who might be involved in he matter mr aldfrman wlikes'a motion was trrn rrad by the fpeak*r wweh was to this purport : " that the hoofe go ir.ro a c rr niutee on the ftate and preient iituntion of uie aiirjy which iur jcndercd at saratoga ti j on ivhac conditions general burgoyne re:urncd to great britain an amendment was then mr f ed by mr fox and econded by mr powys t to:i f r all the tranfaclions of rhc brirife army under general burgoyne mr pbwjs wiftied the enquiry hsd been at firft fafpended bat he houfe having before ccme to certain refolutions again 11 the ho 100rable gentleman new en his defence it was clue to the h icurable gentlt-man snd to his country though all parties per aps concerned were not prtfent ; bu the exculpation of the mi iiifr vyas the accutuion of the honourable general he had iftird to have no lharc in this enquiry but finding that govern