PROCLAMATION BY THE GOVERNOUR OF VIRGINIA.

By his Excellency the Right Honourable JOHN, Earl of DUNMORE, His Majesty’s Lieutenant and Governour-General of the Colony and Dominion of VIRGINIA, and Vice-Admiral of the same.

A PROCLAMATION.

As I have ever entertained hopes that an accommodation might have taken place between Great Britain and this Colony, without being compelled by my duty to this most disagreeable, but now absolutely necessary step, rendered so by a body of armed men, unlawfully assembled, firing on His Majesty’s Tenders; and the formation of an Army, and that Army now on their march to attack His Majesty’s Troops, and destroy the well-disposed subjects of this Colony: To defeat such treasonable purposes, and that all such traitors and their abettors may be brought to justice, and that the peace and good order of this Colony may be again restored, which the ordinary course of the civil law is unable to effect, I have thought fit to issue this my Proclamation, hereby declaring, that until the aforesaid good purposes can be obtained, I do, in virtue of the power and authority to me given by His Majesty, determine to execute martial law, and cause the same to be executed throughout this Colony. And to the end that peace and good order may the sooner be restored, do require every person capable of bearing arms to resort to His Majesty’s standard, or be looked upon as traitors to His Majesty’s crown and Government, and there by become liable to the penalty the law inflicts upon such offences—such as forfeiture of life, confiscation of lands, &c., &c.; and I do hereby further declare all indented servants, Negroes, or others, (appertaining to Rebels, ) free, that are able and willing to bear arms, they joining His Majesty’s Troops, as soon as may be, for the more speedily reducing this Colony to a proper sense of their duty to His Majesty’s crown and dignity. I do further order and require all His Majesty’s liege subjects to retain their quitrents, or any other taxes due, or that may become due, in their own custody, till such time as peace may be again restored to this, at present, most unhappy Country, or demanded of them for their former salutary purposes, by officers properly authorized to receive the same.

Given under my hand, on board the Ship William, off Norfolk, the 7th day of November, in the sixteenth year of His Majesty’s reign.

DUNMORE.

GOD Save the King.

Williamsburgh, November 23, 1775.

A copy of the above Proclamation having fallen into my hands, I thought it was necessary, for the welfare of two sorts of people, that its publick appearance should be attended with comments of the following nature. Such as have mixed much in society, and have had opportunities of hearing the subject of the present unnatural contest discussed, will be but little startled at the appellation of Rebel, because they will know that it is not merited. But others there may be whose circumstances may, in a great measure, have excluded them from the knowledge of publick matters, who may be sincerely attached to the interests of their Country, and who may yet be frightened to act against it, from the dread of incurring a guilt which, by all good men, is justly abhorred. To these it may be proper to address a few remarks upon this Proclamation. And as part of the Proclamation repects the Negroes, and seems to offer something very flattering and desirable to them, it may be doing them, as well as the Country, a service, to give them a just view of what they are to expect, should they be so weak and wicked as to comply with what Lord Dunmore requires.

Those, then, who are afraid of being styled Rebels, I would beg to consider, that although Lord Dunmore, in this Proclamation, insidiously mentions his having till now entertained hopes of an accommodation, yet the whole tenor of his conduct, for many months past, has had the most direct and strongest tendency to widen the unhappy breach, and render a reconciliation more difficult. For what other purpose did he write his false and inflammatory letters to the Ministers of State? Why did he, under cover of the night, take from us our powder, and render useless the arms of our publick magazine? Why did he secretly and treacherously lay snares for the lives of our unwary brethren?—snares that had likely to prove but too effectual. Why did he, under idle pretences, withdraw himself from the seat of Government, where alone he could, had he been willing, have done essential service to our Country? Why, by his authority, have continual depredations been since made upon such of our countrymen as were situated within the reach of ships of war and tenders? Why have our Towns been attacked, and houses destroyed? Why have the persons of many of our most respectable brethren been seized upon, torn from all their connexions, and confined on board of ships? Was all this to bring about reconciliation? Judge for yourselves, whether the injuring of our persons and properties be the readiest way to regain our affections. After insulting our persons, he now presumes to insult our understandings also. Do not believe his words, when his actions so directly contradict them. If he wished for an accommodation, if he had a desire to restore peace and order, as he professes, it was to be upon terms which would have been disgraceful, and, in the end, destructive of every thing dear and valuable.

Consider, again, the many attempts which have been made to enslave us. Nature gave us equal privileges with the people of Great Britain; we are, equally with them, entitled to the disposal of our own property; and we have never resigned to them these rights, which we derived from nature. But they have endeavoured unjustly to rob us of them. They have made acts of Parliament, in which we in no manner concurred, which dispose of our property; acts which abridge us of liberties we once enjoyed, and which impose burdens and restraints upon us too heavy to be borne. Had we immediately taken up arms to assert our rights, and to prevent the exercise of unlawful power, though our cause would have been just, yet our conduct would have been precipitate, and so far blameable. We might then, with some shadow of justice, have been charged with rebellion, or a disposition to rebel. But this was not the way we behaved. We petitioned once and again, in the most dutiful manner; we hoped that the righteousness of our cause would appear—that our complaints would be heard and attended to; we wished to avoid the horrours of a civil war, and so long proceeded in this fruitless track, that our not adopting a more vigorous opposition seemed rather to proceed from a spirit of meanness and fear, than of peace and loyalty; and all that we gained was to be more grievously oppressed. At length, we resolved to withhold our commerce from Britain; and, by thus affecting her interest, oblige her to redress our grievances. But in this, also, we have been disappointed; our Associations have been deemed unlawful combinations, and opposition to Government; we have been entirely deprived of our trade to foreign Countries; and even ourselves and fleets and armies have been sent to reduce us to a compliance with the arbitrary, unjust demands of the British Minister and corrupt Parliament. Reduced to such circumstances, to what could we have recourse but to arms? Every other expedient having been tried, and found ineffectual, this alone was left; and this we have, at last, unwillingly adopted. If it be rebellion to take up arms in such a cause as this, rebellion then is not only a justifiable, but an honourable thing. But let us not be deceived with empty sounds. They who call us Rebels cannot make us so; rebellion is open and avowed opposition to lawful authority; but it is usurped and arbitrary power which we have determined to oppose. Societies are formed, and magistrates appointed, that men may the better enjoy the blessings of life. Some of the rights which they have derived from nature they part with, that they may the more peaceably and safely possess the rest. To preserve the rights they have reserved is the duty of every member of society; and to deprive a people of these is treason, is rebellion against the State. If this doctrine, then, be right, which no one, I believe, will venture to deny, we, my countrymen, are the dutiful members of society; and the persons who endeavour to rob us of our rights, they are the Rebels—Rebels to their Country and to the rights of human nature. I repeat it again, let us not be deceived with empty sounds. We are acting the part of loyal subjects, of faithful members of the community, when we stand forth in opposition of the arbitrary and oppressive