Mr. President reported the draught of an answer, which he had been desired to prepare, to Capt. Thornbrough's letter of the 1st instant.
And the said draught being taken into immediate consideration, was amended, and agreed to:
In Congress. Charles Town, South-Carolina, Nov. 3, 1775.
To Edward Thornbrough, Commander of the Tamer Sloop of War.
Sir, Col. [Henry] Laurens, the late President, yesterday laid before us, your letter of the first instant. Before we make any answer to it, we must intimate to you, that as, by your verbal answer to a public messenger, who carried you a letter dated 28th ult. from Col. Laurens, as President, you promised a written answer to that letter, relative to an information received, that a run-away negro, the property of John-Allen Walter, Esq; was harboured on board the sloop of war under your command ー so your unexpected silence on this head, at once is a breach of the rules of propriety, and a negative confession, that the negro, if not on board the Tamer, is actually harboured on board the Cherokee, the residence of Lord William Campbell, or some other vessel under your command.
The public, Sir, are too well acquainted with the arbitrary and irritating style peculiar to Lord William Campbell's Secretary, for us to have the least room to imagine, that you are the framer of the letter you sent to Col. Laurens, dated 1st instant. However, we cannot but declare, that we know of no "unprovoked insults" the King's servants have received from any assembly by authority of the people; and we wish we could say, that the conduct of the King's principal servant hath not made him an object of the just resentment of the public. Having declared these things, it may not be improper that we just hint to you, that we are not destitute of means enabling us to take vengeance, for any violence you may think proper to perpetrate against the shipping bound to, or out from this port.
You ought, Sir, for very obvious reasons, to have been well assured, that Walker, the late gunner, is a prisoner at the barracks, before you, in absolute terms, declared, that he is "now a prisoner" there, and threatened to detain a coasting vessel until he should be thence discharged and sent on board the Tamer. We declare, that Walker is not in confinement at the barracks, and has not been in confinement there, since his discharge from thence on his parole several weeks ago. We do not know where he is: But, from the strictest enquiry we have been able to make, we have no reason to think he is within this colony. On the contrary, we learn, that Lord William Campbell dispatched him (and that you are privy to his departure) to St. Augustine, with a letter, as Walker himself has declared, to desire that a military force might be sent against the good people of this colony. Walker was landed at Savannah, and we have not heard of him since.
By the last sentence in your letter, we find you have been deceived into a belief, that Lord William Campbell shewed great humanity to Capt. [John] Wanton of Rhode-Island, who unfortunately fell into his hands, and that it was, bona fide, Capt. Wanton's interest to employ Walker, on board his vessel. We have strictly inquired of Captain Wanton touching these points, and from this examination we are able to say, that if Lord William Campbell's declaration to Captain Wanton that his vessel was seized under a late act of parliament; and his sending the Captain, his crew and vessel to proceed to St. Augustine, under an armed force on board, in order there to be condemned, are acts of humanity; it was certainly "ungrateful" in the Captain and crew, on the passage, to overpower the armed force, and to rescue the vessel from an arbitrary seizure: But as Walker was, by Lord William Campbell, armed, and contrary to the interest of Captain Wanton, put on board his vessel to command, and to conduct her to St. Augustine, and for the purpose of condemnation too, we cannot understand, that in the execution of such a business, he was in the service of Captain Wanton; or that Captain Wanton was guilty of any impropriety in getting rid of him as soon as he could by landing him at Savannah.
These things, Sir, having the greatest appearance of being facts, the most positive declarations to the contrary, short of absolute proof, from on board the Cherokee, will not alter our determination, or the opinion of the public on those points.
By order of the Congress.
[William Henry Drayton, President.]
