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THE ROYAL GEORGIA GAZETTE. SPEECH of Lieutenant Governor Bruere to the AfTcmbly of Ber muda the 19th of June last. Gentlemen of the Council, Mr. Speaker and Gentlemen of the Ajfemhly , and educated in the freed empire the world I’ B | ever knew, I never S-j* conceived the lead tax cd F . and rrr^r,! nf it could have wished to change such happiness for any other fyflem, We have lived to fee the ma chinations of the artful,* redlef?, wic ked, and ambitious, prevail so far on ci I’&iiti If M . I? take up arms againd the bed of Sove reigns and the milded government; though, could it be flippofed that the leaders might prevail in their mad at tempts, the multitude had nothing to expetfb but tyranny, wounds, and death. Here, indeed, those who had influ ence chose to and did a did Rebellion more effectually than they could by open force or per final p rowel’s •, the retro r pedt is neccdTiry, as our situation requires every individual to think*. The delusion exposed, 1 trud the dc luders wiltmeet-•-with- the jud resent ment of,their much injured country; that the hontd and loyal will have honour, indead of being pointed out as the enemies of Bermuda. It is too well known the leading people here manifeded a predileftion in favour of the Rebel colonies, by causing Delegates to be chosen from the several parjfhes, and when rhat il legal Aflembly was met, adJrtfiing that other illegal AfTcmbly the Ame rican Cong refs; and it is a fad of publick notoriety that the King’s ma gazine of these islands was broke open in the night, and one hundred barrels of gunpowder conveyed from thence to the Rebels, there being the dronged presumption, from circumdances at tending, that it was not effected with out the aflidanee and privity of many of the inhabitants. Has not Tophi (try almod generally edablifhed here the doflrine, that supplying the enemy with fait,-correfponding and trading with Rebels, aie not tieafuns and trea sonable ? To what date have wicked designing men brought these isles ? Indead of fitting out armed vessels, enriching themfelvcs, and perhaps even being indruments in diortening a cruel, bloody civil war, they have caused a mifgiiided-andLdtluded people ** to do a.l they could to ferye the Americans.” Have not those, who dare to oppose their di. bolirai lydem v bfen threatened, abused, opprtfjed, tfffociatcd againd*, and has not the law even been perverted* to aid those ends? THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 1781. What in return have the Americans done? What hftory (hews has ever been the return of Rebels ; they lovrd the treason, but when the lupphes fell short they chele to confifcate the monies in their hands, and itlerved the additi onal purpole of cheering their droop ing pirates, by the chance of plunder ing your unarmed vessels. Was I to enumerate the illegal meet ings and rising in/orce to compel Bri t sh privateers to give up their legally captured Bermuda vessels, or to oblige Crown Officers to relirqmfh their duty, I should take up time I wish employed in providing for defence and our many parficul r]y the rumo-us. condition of the GovernmentTToufe and,offices, not fit for the reception of his Majedy's Repre Tentative. The, laws want to be enforced, new enabl- I wish may be such as are consonant to my duty and inilru&ions to pass. Every one cries out againd the wretchedness of our Police, the indudrious are difeouraged by the de pre ationsof the idle, who prefer th.eft to labour. The revenue differs, and has long fuffered, by the almod general edab -1 iHied pradlice of smuggling ; * and though St. Euftatius is no longer a medium, St. Thomas and othe? neu tral ports are becoming repositories for the Rebels, their confederates and se cret friends here and elsewhere. There never was yet any place, where order, good government, and the general weal fLurifhed, that j.ur fued illicit trade. A ned of smugglers is a disgrace to a country, an abuse of a high nature that requires to be reme died; the clipping and falfely milling half Jqhanneles mud infallibly hurt the fair and honed trader. Is there a man who can maintain that it is not fraudu lent to fell any commodity as of more weight than it actually is; and if so, is not a dandard of coin to be kept up ? It is in every well regulated commu nity. I mud observe, that, however wil ling and interested in getting forward your fortifications, those chosen from your joint committees are not diffid ently assiduous and publick spirited in forwarding them ; theie are more dif ficulties in carrying on works here than I ever observed elsewhere. At the requed of your Speaker, the Committee of*Council and Affemblv, that were to have met the fiid Wed nesday in May, was put off to the firft AVednefday in June, at which time the Speaker and Committee of your Houfc were required punctually to attend, to tax several ptfblkk bills, but did not. This,, Gentlemen,- is followed with very bad consequences, as those who ferve the publick ought to be paid, more especially as 1 take it there is now 15001. or upwards in the Treasury. Your country loudly calls upon you to provide for defence ; the moment of atrack should not be the tnoment*of preparation. * > It is my opinion a tax such as yous ancedors laid for labour and materials 1 . _ y each parish would be the speediest and ra-jft efFcdluai means of fortifying these isles. The Friends of Government will Ibew themselves such by giving notice of any intercourse whatever with the Rebels, which, according toinftru'Ti ons, as well as for the fafety of Go. yernrnent, I am obliged and determiri ■td, to tfreutmo/t W toy poWer,. to prc vent, and to bring to puniihment such as dare violate that law cf nations. I (hall by meflage acquaint you with what has been done, and what may be further neceflary. ‘ Gevt, einert of the Council and Gentlemen • of the Ajfmbly, I (hall be happy to concur and co operate with you in any meafurea for the publick good. I wish peace and unanimity; I have reprobated mea lures, not men; when~a subaltern I ever resolved to do my duty; in my prtitnt difficult situation have, and am’ determined to do it; and will, in every other I may happen to be in; allured thereby to gain the applause of the ho ntft and loyal, careltfs of the enmity and malice of the wicked, difaffcdltd, and rebellious. Charlefitncn, September r. After having indis criminately plundered this unhappy ptovince without regard either to friend or foe, the Rebels hive at length thought fit to difehtim such proce dures ; with this view, and perhaps more from the idea of impliedly vindicating their past, than re claiming their future conduit, Mr. Rutledge, the titular Governor of South Carolina, has published the following Proclamation ; “ t ■ South Carolina. 1 y Joyfe Rutledce, Esq. Go vernor and Commander in chief of the’faid State A PROCLAM ATI O N. *’ W n f rc f s many P crfons * raking advantage of * * the late disturbed and* Qhfettled condition of the Hate, and hoping, in the confufion and disor der occanOned by the calamities of war, to efcapo puniihment, have committed the moil wanton and rapacious ails of plundering, fome under colour of indemnifying themselves for losses which they have iufl.iined, others under pretence that the persons to whom such property belonged are Tories or ene mies of the state; and others from a wicked and inordinate desire of acquiring wealth by any means, however unjuftifiable, and from any persons, whe ther friends or foes: And whereas the publick faftty requires that the moil effedlual meafurea ihould be taken for suppressing such an unwarrant able and pernicious prailice, inasmuch as good and faithful fubjeas ihould be secured and protefted in the full and free enjoyment of their property, and no man, although criminal, ihould bedefpoiled of his estate but by due course of Jaw: I have therefore thought fit to issue this proclamation, Hri&ly forbidding all perfom - from - plundering,- taking, or holding, the property of others, under any pretence, or for any cause whatever; warning persons possessed of such property of the danger Which they will incur by continuing to withhold it, and charging them immediately to restore factor [N 0 . 135.]