diftrefs like men, but they muft
also feel like men, and speak thefe,
feelings like Englishmen. If the
language of complaint is warm,
let it be attributed to the dread of
future injuries, from a keen fenfi-
bility of what is paft. Your pe-
titioners claim a trial by jury as
their birth-right; and they folicit
to be relieved from the other great
grievances they labour under. To
a British Houfe of Commons they
appeal, with the firmeft reliance
on its wifdom, juftice, and huma-
nity; and in appealing to fuch a
tribunal, they perceive their ap-
prehenfions yield to the most
flattering hopes of afpeedy redrefs.

"Your petitioners therefore humbly pray, that you will be pleafed to take into confideration the following requests:

"To grant a trial by jury in all cafes where it is by law eftablifhed in England.

"To limit the retrospective powers of the court to the time of its eftablishment in Bengal.

"To define, beyond the pow

To their Excellencies, the Commanding Officers in Chief of bis Britannic Majefty's Army and Navy in the Welt Indies.

May it pleafe your Excellencies,

permit us in the name and

er of difcretional diftinction, the Tou the behalf of ourselves and

perfons who are and who are not amenable to the jurifdiction of the court.

"To declare what ftatutes fhall, and what statutes fhall not be in force in Bengal.

"To direct and circumfcribe the power of the court in the admiffion and rejection of evidence, fo as that all rejected evidence may accompany the appeal by way of affidavit or otherwife.

To appoint diftinct and feparate judges for the law and equity fides of the court.

"To restore the ancient and conftitutional power of hearing appeals in the first inftance, to the

on

others of the people of the Hebrew nation, refidents in the island of Saint Euftatius, humbly to approach your excellencies, and with heartfelt anguifh, to lay our grievances before you, and fay: that it was with the utmoft concern and aftonishment, we have already, not only received your excellencies afflicting order and fentence, to give up the keys of our ftores with an inventory thereof, and of our household plate and furniture, and to hold ourselves in readiness to depart this ifland, ignorant of our deftination, and leaving our be loved wives and helpless children behind us, and our property and

effects

effects liable to feizure and confifcation; but also find, that these orders are for the major part car-, ried into execution, a number of our brethren having, on Tuesday the thirteenth inftant, been fent on board a fhip, and have not fince been heard of. Such unexpected orders as thefe from British conmanders, whofe principal characteristic is "mercy and humanity," have not only been productive of the most horrid and melancholy fcenes of diftrefs and confufion, that ever British eyes beheld under the fatal confequences of a rigid war, but numbers of families are now helpless, difconfolate, and in an abfolute fate of indigence and despair.

Unconscious of deferving fo fevere a treatment, we flatter our felves that your excellencies will be pleased to hear this our humble petition, and not involve in one complicated fcene of diftrefs and mifery, our helpless women and innocent babes; confidently relying upon, and earnestly hoping that, through your excellencies juftice and humanity, we fhall not fupplicate in vain.

It is the peculiar happiness of thofe who live under a British conftitution, to be indulged with their own fentiments in matters of religion, when these principles of religion are not incompatible with, or fubverfive of the conftitution in church or ftate; and it is the peculiar happiness of the Hebrew nation to fay, that their religion teaches peace and obedience to the government under which they live: and when civil diffentions have threatened to fubvert the conftitution, the Hebrew nation have ever preferved a peaceful demeanour,

with true loyalty to the King, and a firm and steady attachment to the laws and conftitution.

For what reafon, or from what motive we are to be banished this ifland, we are at a lofs to account. -If any among us have committed a crime for which they are punishable, we humbly beg those crimes may be pointed out, and that fuch perfons may be purged from among us.-But if nothing can be alleged against us but the religion of our forefathers, we hope that will not be confidered a crime; or that a religion, which preaches peace, and recommends obedience to government, should point out its fectaries as objects of your excellencies rigour, and merit exclufion from a British ifland, by the exprefs orders of British commanders. A moment's reflection must discountenance the idea, and leave us in perfect confidence of your excellencies favourable anfwer.

Permit us then to affure your excellencies, that we ever have, and ftill are willing, to give every confcientious teftimony of obedience to government; and thofe of us in particular, who claim to be natural-born subjects of Great Britain, moft humbly intreat your excellencies to order us before you, or before fuch perfon or perfons as your excellencies fhall please to appoint, there to prove our loyalty and fidelity,' and to repeat and take our oaths of allegiance.

May the God of all mercies incline your hearts to liften to the prayers and fupplications of your petitioners, and in this confidence, we humblyfubmit ourselves to your excellencies determination, hoping that you will pardon us for the in[7] 3

trufion

3107 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1781.

trufion of this addrefs; and that he has fome reason to think that
through your excellencies lenity
and humanity, your excellencies
will be pleafed to grant us fuch
favourable terms, as you in your
judgment and wildom fhall think
moft advantageous to his majefty's
intereft, and the honour and glory
of his fuccefsful arms.

And your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray, Saint Eustatius, Feb, 16, 1781.

&C.

Memorial from the Empress of Ruffia, to the States General. Hague, March 3, 1781.

the overtures made by her have
been favourably received. In con-
fequence whereof, her Imperial
majefty does not hesitate to give a
fresh proof of her good intentions
for bringing about a reconciliation
between the two powers, whom he
equally fupports, and who have
lived fo long in that natural and
perfect harmony which beft fuits
their refpective interests, by of-
fering them, in form, her fervices
and mediation, for the purpose of
putting an end to that difcord and
war which has lately broke out
between them.

While Monfieur de Simolin, her
IS Excellency Prince Gal- Imperial majefty's minifter at the

Hitzin, Envoy Extraordinary Court of London, is fulfilling her

from Ruffia, held a conference on the firft inftant with the Prefident of the States-General, and prefented the following memorial from the Emprefs of Ruffia:

High and Mighty Lords! No fooner had her Imperial majesty been informed of the Britifh ambaffador's fudden departure from the Hague; than, without waiting for any further explanation, guided only by the friendfhip and good-will the bears to the two contending powers,and aw akened by the alarming tendency of a meafure fo detrimental to their mutual welfare and tranquillity, the directed her minifter in London to make the most earneft reprefen.ations to that court, to prevent, if poffible, the matter being carried to any extremity, and to recommend the moft conciliating measures; offering at the fame time to promote them as far as was in her power. Although her majefty has not yet heard of any andwer from the faid court,

commands on this head; the un-
derwritten has the honour to ac-
quit himfelf of the fame task here
with their High Might ineffes, and
to affure then of the zeal and rea-
dinefs he wishes to have an oppor-
tunity to display, in forwarding
the defirable work of reftoring the
faid ftates to their wonted peace
and tranquillity. That dinte
reftedefs, in partiality, and be-
nevolen e, which have hitherto
ftamped every action of he Im-
perial majetty, are equally con
fpicuous in the prefent inftance.

The wisdom and prudence of
your High Mightinefies will eafily
diftinguifh thofe facred character-
iftics, and dictate the anfwer
which the underwritten thall
tranfmit to his Imperial mistress,
as a proof of his having executed
her commands.

[Signed]

LE PRINCE DE GALLITZIN.'
Hague, March 1, 1781.

Hague, March 7. Their noble
and great Mightineffes, the fiates

of

T

of Holland and Weft Friefland, having examined the above memorial, have accepted of the mediation offered by the emprefs of Ruilia.

Memorial of the States General, to

Baron V

the Cour of S ockholm. Stocholm, March 6, 178r. Lynden, Envoy Extra. ordinary from the States-General of the United Provinces at bis Court, bas lately held a Co ference with Count Ulrich Scheffer, Minifter and Secretary of State for the foreign Lepartment, to whom he delivered the following

Memorial.

HE underwritten Envoy Ex

the part of the belligerent powers. But their High Migh:ineffes have declared in favour of this acceffron and declaration, in relying impli citly on the fentiments of their imperial and royal majefties, whom they alfo acquainted in due time, of the measures taken in confequence thereof.

That the event has alfo juftified their requifition, in regard to the Britif court; fince the minister of the latter, after his fruitlefs endeayours to thwart the acceffion to the alliance, took the refolution, on the first notice he had of it, to speak in a train truly unprecedented, and ill fuited to the mu tual regard which the respective fovereignsoweto each other: with out fo much as granting to the

Tab under tiden La Republic a fufficient time to con

Mightmeffes the States General of the United Provinces, to his majefty the King of Sweden, in parfuance of an exprefs order from his masters, has the honour to propofe to his Swedish Majefty, That their High Mightinelles having acceded,, by their refolution of the 20th of November, 1780, to the treaty ofasthed neutrahty, in conformity to the invitation of the northern powers; and placing the moft perfect confidence in the power, magnanimty, and fidelity of their imperial and royal majefties, for the fulfilling of their engagements, and the maintaining of their diguity, by accomplishing a work fo glorioully undertaken, namely, the liberty of the feas, and freedom of navigation for all neutral nations, were not deterred by the confideration of the confequences, which that accellion and declaration might be productive of to the Republic, from

fider on the matter, according to
the political fyftem of the Repub-
lic, which his Britannic majefty is
fully acquainted with: the Eng-
lifh minifter infifted, nevertheless,
upon an immediate and speedy
fatisfaction, and the punishment of
a pretended offence, occafioned by
the difcovery of a negociation with
North America, without receiv
ing as an ample atisfaction, the
provisional anf nor the formal
difavowal of High Mighti-
netles of a negociation, of which
(as acknowledged even by his
Britannic majefty) they had not
the leaft hare, or knowledge: of
anegociation relating to a pretend-
ed treaty, which, in itfelf, fuffi-
ciently denores, from its terms,
only the fketch of an eventual
treaty entered into by private per-
fons, without being formally au-
thorifed thereto by the body of
the magiftrates of Amfterdam, or
by the ftates of the province of
[U] 4
Holland,