liberty's dear friend; clad with innocence, as in a coat of mail, he is proof against every serpentile whisper. The officers and soldiers, who know him, are riveted to his bosom: when he speaks, all is silence; when he orders, they cheerfully obey; and in the field, under so sensible, so prudent an officer, though hosts oppose them, with shouts they meet their armed foe, the sure presages of victory and success.

Let us, my countrymen, with grateful hearts, remember that he carried off the standard of liberty, and defeated Grenville his favourite Stamp Act.

AN HONEST FARMER.

CATO TO MESSRS. DIXON AND HUNTER.

GENTLEMEN: For any man, or body of men, to fling out general reflections in common newspapers, with an intention to degrade the characters of gentlemen acting in publick stations, is as unmanly as it is disingenuous. True, genuine honour revolts against such conduct; it abhors general accusations, which do not discriminate the persons accused, or point out the crimes for which they are to answer. Such accusations are scarcely to be met with in history of the most barbarous nations; they expose the innocent to the malevolence of the ill-natured, crafty, and designing, and are repugnant to the great duties of moral obligation.

I was led, Mr. Printers, into this way of thinking upon reading two Addresses from some officers to Colonel Henry, published in Purdie's paper, containing many severe and general censures, without distinguishing the persons for whom they were intended. As Colonel Henry, in his answer to the first Address, has not attempted to remove these censures, but seems to admit them to be just, I have taken the liberty to lay before the publick a fair and candid detail of facts, relative to Colonel Henry's appointment as an officer to command in our military establishment, and leave it to the publick to determine whether these censures are just or not.

I have no inclination to enter into a literary controversy; I am willing to give honour to whom honour is due, but I disdain to become the sycophanlick flatterer, or to heap commendations upon any man when I am convinced he does not deserve them, especially, when such commendations may be disadvantageous to the true interest of my country.

The Convention, which met at Richmond in July last, passed an ordinance for raising and embodying a sufficient force for the defence and protection of this Colony. By this ordinance two regiments of regular forces were to be raised, each regiment to be commanded by a Colonel, Lieutenant-Colonel, and a Major, who were to be appointed by the General Convention. The other officers were to be appointed by the Committees of the several districts into which the ordinance divided the Colony. Besides these two regiments of regular forces, Minute battalions, consisting of five hundred men each, were to be raised in the several districts, to be commanded by proper officers appointed by the District Committees; the Militia of the several Counties were to be new regulated, under officers to be appointed by the Committees of the Counties.

Agreeable to the direction of the ordinance, the Convention proceeded to the appointment of field-officers to command the two regiments, and determined the choice should be made by ballot. Mr. Patrick Henry, Mr. Hugh Mercer, Mr. Thomas Nelson, and Mr. William Woodford, were severally recommended to be Colonel of the First Regiment. It was objected to Mr. Henry, that his studies had been directed to civil and not to military pursuits; that he was totally unacquainted with the art of war, and had no knowledge of military discipline; and that such a person was very unfit to be at the head of troops who were likely to be engaged against a well disciplined army, commanded by experienced and able Generals. These objections were answered by one gentleman, who said, that Mr. Henry solicited the appointment, which he supposed Mr. Henry would not have done if he did not think himself qualified to command. Mr. Mercer was objected to for being a North-Briton. In answer to this objection, it was admitted that Mr. Mercer was born in Scotland, but that he came to America in his early years, and had constantly resided in it from his first coming over; that his family, and all his other connexions were in this Colony; that he had uniformly distinguished himself a warm and firm friend to the rights of America; and what was of principal consideration, that he possessed great military, as well as literary abilities. Mr. Nelson acknowledged Mr. Mercer's military abilities, declared he would not oppose his appointment, and hoped that he himself should not be voted for. Mr. Woodford, who was not at that time of the Convention, spoke very largely without doors in favour of Mr. Mercer, declared he was willing to serve under him, as he knew him to be a fine officer.

Upon examining the votes in the ballot-box, the numbers appeared as follows: For Hugh Mercer, Esq., fortyone; for Patrick Henry, Esq., forty; for Thomas Nelson, Esq., eight; and for William Woodford, Esq., one. But as the number of votes upon the ballot, for Mr. Mercer, were not a majority of the whole House, the question, according to rule established by the Convention, was then put, whether Mr. Mercer or Mr. Henry, upon whom the greatest numbers fell, should be appointed to command the said regiment, when a small majority appeared in favour of Mr. Henry; and, thereupon, it was resolved that the said Mr. Henry be appointed Colonel of the First Regiment.

Mr. Henry being thus appointed to the command of the First Regiment, and the other officers chosen according to the direction of the ordinance, a Committee was appointed to draw up and report proper forms of commissions to be granted for the officers of the regular forces, Minute battalions, and Militia. This Committee did not make their report till the last day of the session, when the House, was very thin, and only fifty-five members present. The commission reported by them, as proper to be granted to the Colonel of the First Regiment, began with the following preamble: "Whereas, by a resolution of the Delegates of this Colony, in Convention assembled, it was determined, that you, the said Patrick Henry, Esq., should be Colonel of the First Regiment of Regulars, and Commander-in-chief of all the Forces to be raised for the protection and defence of this Colony." This was certainly a mistake in the Committee, as no determination of the Convention had appointed him Commander-in-chief of all the Forces to be raised for the defence of the Colony, but only Colonel of' the First Regiment. Whether this mistake was attended to by the Convention when the report was made, I do not pretend to know; but let that be as it may, these words could not give him any other command than that of Commander-in-chief of the two regiments, and of such detachments from the Minute battalions and Militia as should be directed by the Convention, or Committee of Safety, to act in conjunction with them, according to the express provision of the ordinance by which they were to be raised, and the express declaration of his commission. The commission itself makes this evident, as it requires him to pay due obedience to all orders and instructions which from time to time he should receive from the Convention, or Committee of Safety appointed and empowered during the recess of the Convention, to superintend and direct the military operations for the defence and protection of the Colony, and this commission was to be held by him during the pleasure of the Convention, and no longer.

The last Convention judged it necessary to augment the two regiments to ten companies each, and to raise six new regiments for the defence of the Colony, each consisting of ten companies, besides a battalion of five hundred men, to be stationed at the Eastern-Shore; the whole to be commanded by a Major-General and two Brigadier-Generals, who were to be appointed by Congress. The great expense which would necessarily be incurred if so large a force, exclusive of the Minute and Militia establishment, were kept up and maintained by the Colony, determined the Convention to direct their Delegates at the General Congress lo endeavour to have them put upon the Continental establishment. In answer to this requisition the Delegates informed the Convention, that "the Congress agreed to take the six new additional battalions into Continental pay, but would not take the two old ones;" and that "Continental officers were to have the command of Provincial officers of equal rank, whenever they might happen to act together." When this information from our Delegates in General Congress was taken under the considera