fand miles to be hanged, drawn, and quartered. O! this will work admirably!

XVI. If you are told of difcontents in your colonies, never believe that they are general, or that you have given occafion for them; therefore do not think of applying any remedy, or of changing any offenfive measure.-Redress no grievance, left they should be encouraged to demand the redress of some other grievance. Grant no request that is juft and reasonable, left they fhould make another that is unreafonable.-Take all your informations of the state of the colonies from your governors and officers in enmity with them. Encourage and reward these leafingmakers; fecrete their lying accufations, left they fhould be confuted; but act upon them as the cleareft evidence ;-And believe nothing you hear from the friends of the people. Suppofe all their complaints to be invented and promoted by a few factious demagogues, whom if you could catch and hang, all would be quiet.-Catch and hang a few of them accordingly; and the blood of the martyrs fhall work miracles in favour of - your purpose *.

8

[One of the American writers affirms, That there has not been a fingle inftance in which they have complained, without ⚫ being rebuked; or in which they have been complained against, without being punished.'-A fundamental mistake in the minifter - occafioned this. Every individual in New England (the peccant country) was held a coward or a knave, and the diforders which fpread abroad there, were treated as the refult of the too great Tenity of Britain! By the aid of this fhort and benevolent rule, judgment was ever wifely predetermined; to the shutting out redrefs on the one hand, and inforcing every rigour of punishment on the other. E.]

Z z

XVII.

XVII. If you fee rival nations rejoicing at the profpect of your difunion with your provinces, and endeavouring to promote it; if they tranflate, publish and applaud all the complaints of your difcontented colonists, at the fame time privately ftimulating you to feverer measures; let not that alarm or offend you. Why fhould it? fince you all mean the fame thing.

XVIII. If any colony fhould at their own charge erect a fortress to fecure their port against the fleets of a foreign enemy, get your governor to betray that fortrefs into your hands. Never think of paying what it coft the country, for that would look, at leaft, like fome regard for juftice; but turn it into a citadel, to awe the inhabitants and curb their commerce. If they should have lodged in fuch fortrefs the very arms. they bought and used to aid you in your conquefts, feize them all; it will provoke like ingratitude added to robbery. One admirable effect of thefe operations will be, to difcourage every other colony from erecting fuch defences, and fo their and your enemies may more easily invade them; to the great difgrace of your government, and of course the furtherance of your project.

XIX. Send armies into their country under pretence of protecting the inhabitants; but, inftead of garrifoning the forts on their frontiers with those troops, to prevent incurfions, demolish those forts; and order the troops into the heart of the country, that the favages may be

encou

encouraged to attack the frontiers, and that the troops may be protected by the inhabitants: this will feem to proceed from your ill-will or your ignorance, and contribute farther to produce and ftrengthen an opinion among them, that you are no longer fit to govern them †.

XX. Lastly, inveft the general of your army in the provinces, with great and unconstitutional powers, and free him from the controul of even your own civil governors. Let him have troops now under his command, with all the fortreffes in his poffeffion; and who knows but (like fome provincial generals in the Roman empire, and encouraged by the univerfal discontent you have

* [I am not versed in Indian affairs, but I find that in April 1773, the affembled chiefs of the western nations told one of our Indian agents, that they remembered their father, the King of Great Britain's meffage, delivered to them laft fall; of demolishing Fort Pittsburg [on the Ohio] and removing the foldiers with their fharp-edged weapons out of the country;-this gave them great pleasure, as it was a strong proof of his paternal kindness towards them.' (See Confiderations on the Agreement with Mr. T. Walpole for Lands upon the Ohio, p. 9.) This is general history: I attempt no application of facts, perfonally invidious. E.]

+ [As the reader may be inclined to divide his belief between the wifdom of ministry, and the candor and veracity of Dr. Franklin, I fhall inform him that two contrary objections may be made to the truth of this reprefentation. The firft is, that the conduct of Great Britain is made too abfurd for poffibility; and the fecond, that it is not made abfurd enough for fact. If we confider that this piece does not include the measures fubfequent to 1773, the latter difficulty is eafily fet afide. The former, I can only folve by the many inftances in history, where the infatuation of individuals has brought the heaviest calamities upon nations. E.]

[i. e. In the fituation and crifis into which things will now have been brought. E.]

produced) he may take it into his head to set up for himself? If he should, and you have carefully practised these few excellent rules of mine, take my word for it, all the provinces will immediately join him;-and you will that day (if you have not done it fooner) get rid of the trouble of governing them, and all the plagues attending their commerce and connection from thenceforth and for ever.

Intended

Intended Vindication and Offer from Congress to Parliament, in 1775*.

FORASMUCH as the enemies of America in

the parliament of Great Britain, to render us odious to the nation, and give an ill impreffion of us in the minds of other European powers, have represented us as unjust and ungrateful in the highest degree;-Afferting on every occafion,. that the colonies were fettled at the expence of Britain ; that they were at the expence of the fame, protected in their infancy-that they now ungratefully and unjustly refufe to contribute to their own protection, and the common defence of the nation;-that they aim at independence ; that they intend an abolition of the navigation acts; and that they are fraudulent in their commercial dealings, and purpose to cheat their creditors in Britain, by avoiding the payment of their just debts :

[And] as by frequent repetition these groundless affertions and malicious calumnies may, if not contradicted and refuted, obtain farther credit, and be injurious throughout Europe to the reputation and intereft of the confederate colonies; it seems proper and neceffary to examine them in our own juft vindication.

* The following paper was drawn up in a committee of congrefs,, June 25, 1775; but does not appear on their minutes; a fevere act of parliament which arrived about that time having determined them not to give the fum proposed in it.-[It was firft printed in the Public Advertiser for July 18, 1777, No. 13,346. E.]

With