form other alliances, and on principles honourable and beneficial to these states. INFATUATED as your enemies have been from the beginning of this contest, do you imagine they can now flatter themselves with a hope of conquering you, unless you are false to yourselves? WHEN unprepared, undisciplined, and unsupported, you opposed their fleets and armies in full conjoined force, then, if at any time, was conquest to be apprehended. Yet what progress towards it have their violent and incessant efforts made? Judge from their own conduct. Having devoted you to bondage, and after vainly wasting their blood and treasure in the dishonourable enterprize, they deigned at length to offer terms of accommodation, with respectful addresses, to that once despised body, the congress, whose humble supplications ONLY for peace, liberty and safety, they had contemptuously rejected, under pretence of its being an unconstitutional assembly. Nay more; desirous of seducing you into a deviation from the paths of rectitude, from which they had so far and so rashly wandered, they made most specious offers to tempt you into a violation of your faith given to your illustrious ally. Their arts were as unavailing as their arms.-Foiled again, and stung with rage, imbittered by envy, they had no alternative, but to renounce the inglorious and ruinous controversy, or to resume their former modes of prosecuting it. They chose the latter. Again the savages are stimulated to horrid massacrees of women and children, and domestics to the murder of their masters. Again our brave and unhappy brethren are doomed to miserable deaths, in goals and prisonships. To complete the sanguinary system, all the “EXTREMITIES of war" are by authority denounced against you. PIOUSLY endeavour to derive this consolation from their remorseless fury, that "the Father of Mercies" looks down with disapprobation on such audacious defiances of his holy laws; and be further comforted with recollecting, that the arms assumed by you in your righteous cause have not been sullied by any unjustifiable severities. Your enemies despairing however, as it seems, of the success of their united forces against our main army, have divided them, as if their design was to harrass you by predatory, desultory operations. If you are assiduous in improving opportunities, Saratoga may not be the only spot on this continent to give a new denomination to the baffled troops of a nation, impiously priding herself in notions of her omnipotence. ROUSE yourselves therefore, that this campaign may finish the great work you have so nobly carried on for several years past. What nation ever engaged in such a contest under such a complication of disadvantages, so soon surmounted many of them, and in so short a period of time had so certain a prospect of a speedy and happy conclusion. We will venture to pronounce, that so remarkable an instance exists not in the annals of mankind. We well remember what you said at the commencement of this war. You saw the immense difference between your circumstances, and those of your enemies, and you knew the quarrel must decide on no less than your lives, liberties, and estates. All these you greatly put to every hazard, resolving rather to die freemen than to live slaves; and justice will oblige the impartial world to confess you have uniformly acted on the same generous principle. Consider how much you have done, and how comparitively little remains to be done to crown you with success. Persevere; and you insure peace, freedom, safety, glory, sovereignty, and felicity to yourselves, your children, and your children's children. ENCOURAGED by favours already received from Infinite Goodness, gratefully acknowledging them, earnestly imploring their continuance, constantly I VOL. II. endeavouring to draw them down on your heads by an amendment of your lives, and a conformity to the Divine will, humbly confiding in the protection so often and wonderfully experienced, vigorously employ the means placed by Providence in your hands, for compleating your labours. FILL up your battalions-be prepared in every part to repel the incursions of your enemiesplace your several quotas in the continental treasury-lend money for public uses--sink the emissions of your respective states――provide effectually for expediting the conveyance of supplies for your armies and fleets, and for your alliesprevent the produce of the country from being mo. nopolized- -effectually superintend the beha. viour of public officers-diligently promote piety, virtue, brotherly love, learning, frugality and moderation--and may you be approved before Almighty God, worthy of those blessings we devoutly wish you to enjoy. DONE in congress by unanimous consent, this 26th day of May, one thousand seven hundred and seventy-nine. Attest, JOHN JAY, PRESIDENT. CHARLES THOMSON, Secretary. |