WILLIAMSBURG, September 5, 1777.
A Letter from a member of Congress to a Gentleman in this State, says Lord Chatham has taken his seat in the House of Lords, and in a most elegant speech recommended an immediate reconciliation with America, which alone he said could save his sinking country; that they had no more prospect of conquering America than he should have of conquering Great Britain with his old crutch, holding it up to them at the same time; that all the powers of Europe were ready to take advantage of their distracted weak state.
Virginia Gazette (Dixon &Hunter) September 5, 1777
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William Pitt, first Earl of Chatham (1708-1778), had long been an advocate of American rights. He spoke strongly against the Stamp Act in 1765. Tthough weak and ill, he appeared in Parliament on May 30, 1777 to make the speech here described.
Sources: DNB, v45
