The Virginia Gazette

LONDON, September 29.

The favourite court doctrine in the reign of James the II, and all the succeeding Stuarts was, that all the liberties, franchises, and privileges which the people enjoyed, proceeded from original grants of the crown.

This bland doctrine rendered James the II odious and contemptible, occasioned the civil wars in the reign of Charles the first, brought that Monarch to the block, and banished James the second and his posterity.

At the revolution, the boundaries between the King and the people were settled. During the last four years of Queen Anne the ridiculous doctrines of passive obedience and non resistance were revived; and to the eternal disgrace of our country Gentlemen, they did all that lay in their power to lend them the arbitrary measures of the court, by giving countenance to such ridiculous tenets.

In the beginning of the present reign, the favourite plan of Government was to extend prerogative, and to depress privileges. The enormous and absurd proportion that the people were made for the King, and not the King for the people, was revived under the influence of a blessed Stuart, aided by all the skill and encouragement of a Lord Bute but the great engine to bring this blessed scheme of absolute dominion to perfection has hitherto failed.

The behaviour of the gallant Admiral Barrington, and the ships of his division in the action off Grenada, on the 6th of July, justifies the courage and fortitude of our British sailors, who dare stare death in the face without dismay, when the honour and glory of their country calls for their exertion.

The courage and intrepidity of Capt. Fanshawe, of the Monmouth, during the action, does him immortal honour, and brings to our mind the never to be forgotten names of Russel, Blake, Benbow, &c. names celebrated in history as worthies of this country, and among whom Captain Fanshawe is truly worthy to be ranked.

Mr. Stephens, Secretary to the Admiralty, in a letter to the Lady of Admiral Byron now at Bath, dated Sept. 9, says, he has the pleasure to acquaint her, that the reports she may have heard to the prejudice of Admiral Byron are malicious, scandalous, and void of all foundation; that he has the satisfaction to learn from Mr. Byron's despatches, that he did every thing that could be done to bring the whole squadron into action, but that the French as industriously avoided it, and consequently the brunt of the battle fell upon the van, which was Admiral Barrington's division.