Knowingly deceiving their neighbours, and wickedly selling their Country, have practised every art, fraud, and misrepresentation, to raise in this Colony an opposition to the voice of America. To oppose this hellish plan, the honourable the Council of Safety for this Colony commissioned the Rev. Willam Tennent and myself to make a progress through the disturbed parts of this Colony, “to explain to the people at large the nature of the unhappy disputes between Great Britain and the American Colonies.” Thousands heard and believed us; they owned their full conviction; they expressed their concern that they had been misled; and they most sincerely acceded to the Association formed by the authority of our late Congress. Such a proceeding did not accord with the designs of these men, betrayers of their Country, or the wishes of his Excellency the Governour, who, by letters, instigated them to strengthen their party. To prevent a further defection, the leaders of the party resolved, by the din of arms, to drown the voice of reason. For such an infernal purpose, by the instigation of Moses Kirkland, on or about the 29th of August last, men did assemble in arms, and with hostile intentions. My immediately assembling and marching with a part of the Militia caused these men to disperse; but now other leaders of the same malignant party, correspondents of his Excellency the Governour, have assembled men in arms on the north side of Saluda River, who are now actually encamped, at a charge and expense which his Excellency the Governour has promised to pay; and these men threaten to attack the Troops under my orders. Wherefore, to prevent the effusion of civil bloodshed, I think it my duty to issue this declaration, in order that I may leave no moderate step untried, to recover a few of our unhappy countrymen from those delusions, by which they have been drawn on to lift their arms against their injured Country, gloriously struggling to enjoy the rights of mankind.

And whereas his Excellency the Governour has issued private directions that all Magistrates and Militia Officers be required to take the oaths of allegiance, under the penalty of dismission from their several stations: I do hereby declare that, in point of law, his Excellency has no authority to make such requisition from persons who have already sworn according to law, when they were invested in offices civil and military; and that it is not only highly unbecoming in His Majesty’s representative to threaten His Majesty’s subjects, in order to induce them to do things not warranted in law, but such a conduct is of a most destructive tendency to the good of the King’s real service, inasmuch as it tends to convince the people that His Majesty’s servants in high trust in America, as well as in Britain, equally conspire to act without authority in law, to the destruction of their just rights and privileges.

And whereas the leaders of our unhappy and deceived countrymen, now assembled in arms against the liberties of America, have drawn them into this dangerous and disgraceful situation, by filling their minds with fears and apprehensions that their lives and properties are in danger from the designs of Congress, the honourable the Council of Safety, the General Committee, and the Troops under my orders, because they, our said countrymen, have not acceded to our Association: wherefore, to remove all such illfounded apprehensions, in the name of and by the authority vested in me by the honourable the Council of Safety, I solemnly declare that all such apprehensions are actually groundless. And I also declare, in the name of the Council of Safety, that our said unhappy and deceived countrymen may, in perfect safety of their lives, persons, and properties, repair to and continue to dwell and abide at home, so long as they shall choose to behave peaceably. We shudder even at the idea of distressing them in any shape; we abhor the idea of compelling any person to associate with us; we only with sorrow declare that any person who will not associate with and aid and comfort us, in this arduous struggle for our liberties, cannot by us be considered as friendly to us; and therefore that we cannot aid and comfort such person, by holding that intercourse and communication with such person as is usually held between friends.

And thus having, in the name of this Colony, declared the terms upon which peace and safety may be had and enjoyed by our unfortunate countrymen as aforesaid, it is my duty also to declare that I shall march and attack, as publick enemies, all and every person in arms, or to be in arms, in this part of the Colony, in opposition to the measures of Congress; and having with the utmost patience and industry gently endeavoured to persuade men to a peaceable conduct, I now shall, with equal patience and industry, prosecute military measures with the utmost vigour; and I make no doubt but that, with the assistance of the Almighty, witness of our endeavours to avert the calamities of war, we shall speedily obtain the wish of every virtuous American —peace, safety, and security to our rights.

Given under my hand, this 13th day of September, at the camp near Ninety-Six.

WILLIAM HENRY DRAYTON.

GLOUCESTER COUNTY (VIRGINIA) COMMITTEE.

At a Committee meeting, held for Gloucester County, at the Court-House of the said County, on the 13th day of September, 1775: Present, the Chairman, and thirty-two Members.

Agreeable to the Ordinance of the Convention, the following gentlemen were nominated Officers in the Militia for the County of Gloucester:

Warner Lewis, Esq., County Lieutenant Sir John Peyton, Baronet, Colonel; James Whiting, Gentleman, Lieutenant-Colonel; James Boswell, Gentleman, Major.

Captains: Gibson Cuverius, John Camp, Richard Matthews, George Booth, Jasper Clayton, John Hubbard, John Whiting, John Billups, Sen., Benjamin Shackelford, John Willis, Robert Matthews, William Buckner, John Dixon, Richard Billups, and William Smith.

Lieutenants: Samuel Cary, Richard Hall, John Foster, James Baytop, Thomas Buckner, George Green, William Sears, James Bently, Edward Matthews, John Billups, Jun., Dudley Cary, Hugh Hayes, Churchill Armistead, Philip Tabb, John Foster, Jun., and Robert Gayle.

Ensigns: Henry Stevens, William Dawes, William Haywood, Thomas Baytop, John Fox, James Laughlin, William Bently, Christopher Garland, Peter Bernard, John Hayes, Samuel Eddis, Thomas Tabb, Richard Davis, Josiah Foster, George Plummer, and John Gale.

Mr. Purdie is desired to publish the above in his Gazette.

JASPER CLAYTON, Clerk.

Fredericksburgh, Virginia, September 13, 1775.

At a meeting of the Commissioners appointed by the Convention, for superintending the manufactory of Small-Arms, at Fredericksburgh, on Monday the 13th of September, 1775:

The Commissioners intend to meet on the 10th day of October next, at Fredericksburgh, for the purpose of engaging a further number of Gunsmiths, and other artists, capable of managing that business in its various branches. All persons who are willing to enter into the service for a year at the least, and can come well recommended for skill and sobriety, are desired to attend; if agreed with, they will have good encouragement, according to their merit, and, at all events, be paid for their attendance and travelling. Good Locksmiths are much wanting.

THE COMMISSIONERS.

TO THE FREEMEN OF THE PROVINCE OF PENNSYLVANIA.

“As you love your liberties, exercise your virtue; they depend
upon it.”

The time is now approaching, when a period will in course be put to the present House of Assembly in this Province.

The duty of a Representative of the people, in the ordinary routine of business, is simple and easy; but when extraordinary incidents occur, when questions of the greatest magnitude and of the highest importance to the interests and welfare of the community are offered and discussed in that branch of the Legislature, it is highly necessary we have an eye to men of a liberal way of thinking, of great firmness of mind, of property, weight, and influence, for our Representatives.

But it is not even sufficient that a candidate be possessed of all these qualities: he may possibly have a wrong