Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

412

PRIVATE CORRESPONDENCE

PART 11.

[ocr errors]

instead of terrifying into a compliance with his measures, dof served only to exasperate and sour the minds of people throughout the continent, make frugality fashionable when the consumption of British goods was the question, and determine the inhabitants to exert every nerve in establishing manufactures among themselves.

J.

Boston having grievously offended his lordship, by the refractory spirit they had shown in re-chusing those representatives, whom he esteemed the leaders of the opposition there, he resolved to punish that town by removing the assembly from thence to Cambridge, a country-place about four miles distant. Here too his lordship's English and Irish ideas seem to have misled him. Removing a Parliament from London or Dublin, where so many of the inhabitants are supported by the expence of such a number of wealthy Lords and Commoners, and have a dependance on that support, may be a considerable prejudice to a city deprived of such advantage; but the removal of the assembly, consisting of frugal honest farmers, from Boston, could only affect the interest of a few poor widows, who keep lodging-houses there. Whatever manufactures the members might want, were still purchased at Boston. They themselves indeed suffered some inconvenience, in being perhaps less commodiously lodged, and being at a distance from the records; but this and the keeping them before so long prorogued, when the public affairs required their meeting, could never reconcile them to ministerial measures, it could serve only to put them more out of huthem more

[ocr errors][ocr errors]

House, with drums beating and fifes playing while the members were in their debates, and had cannon planted and pointed at the building.

31 15.1

404305018600 ATAV

[ocr errors]

mour with Britain and its government so wantonly exercised, and to so little purpose. Ignorance alone of the true state of that country, can excuse (if it

excused) these frivolous proceedings.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

be

[ocr errors]

to

To have good ends in view, and to use proper means to obtain them, shows the minister to be both good and wise. To pursue good ends by improper means, argues him, though good, to be but weak. To

and a role bed pursue bad ends by artful means, shows him to be wicked though able. But 20049 90 to 21ghest adi hamj29 90 CON when his ends are bad, and the means he uses improper Aurwoman yd (wo que o bavl0207 0915 801 to obtain these ends, what shall we of such a minister? has what shall we say

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

Every step taken for some time past in our treatment of America, the suspending their legislative powers, for not making laws by direction from hence; the countenancing 5000 12500 g mind to robno mor their adversaries by rewards and pensions, paid out of the A SANS

[ocr errors]

I ad ་་་་

[ocr errors]

revenues extorted from them by laws to which they have -nager Read, bus promo bas ebio view to 190 not given their assent; the sending over a set of rash inert anchurate side shiitos, & 90s, oggetto discreet commissioners to collect that revenue, Cat revenue, who, by insolence of behaviour, harassing commerce, and perpetually accusing the good people (out of whose substance they are supported) to government here, as rebels and 91900 29204-Cur9001 9994 traitors, have made themselves universally odious there, notes # basco UTB SISW JHOW Jigit €150SURSIT with the

www.h 00

but here are caressed and encouraged; together sed arbitrary dissolution of assemblies, and the 563 699 quartering troops among the people, to menace all onsult them; these steps, if intended to provoke them to rebellion that we might take their lives and confiscate their estates, are proper means to obtain a bad end: but if they are intended to conciliate the Americans to our government, restore our commerce with them, and secure the friendship and assistance which their growing strength, wealth, and power, may, in a few years, render extremely valuable to us, c

[ocr errors]

can

any thing becconceived more injudicious; more absurd!2 His lordship may have in generalu a good understanding,” his friends say he has ; but in the political part of it, there must surely be some twist, some extreme obliquity.cani A well-wisher to the King and all his dominions.

TO THE PRINTER OF THE PUBLIC ADVERTISER.

SIR,

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

Your Correspondent Britannicus inveighs violently against Dr. Franklin, for his ingratitude to the ministry of this nation, who have conferred upon him so many favors. They gave him the Post-office of America, they made his son a Governor, and they offered him a post offive hundred a year in the Salt Office, if he would relinquish the interests of his country; but he has had the wickedness to continue true to it, and is as muchTM an American as ever." As it is a settled point in govern ment here, that every man has his price, 'tis plain they are bunglers in their business, and have not given him enough. Their master has as much reason to be angry with them as Rodrigue in the play, with his Apothecary, for not effectually poisoning Pandolpho, and they must probably make use of the Apothecary's justification, viz.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors][ocr errors]

་་་་་་

SCENE IVS 19šteż o

Rodrigue and Fell the Apothecary

[ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors]

Rodrigue. You promised to have this Pandolpho upon bas bier in less than a week; 'tis more than a month since, and he still walks and stares me in the face.

[ocr errors]

Fell. True; and yet I have done mys best endeavours In various ways I have given the miscreant as much poi93

[ocr errors]

son as would have killed an elephantǝvi Heobas swallowed s dose after dose; far from hurting him, he seems the bet!{ ter for it. He hath a wonderfully strong constitutions Ind find I cannot kill him but by cutting his throat, and that, as I take it, is not my business 3 of 19delw-lleur A. Rodrigue. Then it must be mine.

яervatÅ J₫¶ SнT 10 HUMI¶ SHT OT TO THE PRINTER OF THE PUBLIC ADVERTISER.

SIR, Tom ausinnsti taobaoges110 TOY

2

ima Nothing can equal the present rage of our misol nisterial writers against our brethren in America, whoin have the misfortune to be whigs in a reign when higgiamm is out of fashion, who are besides Protestant dissentersd: and lovers of liberty, One may easily see from zovhat q quarter comes the abuse of those people in the papers a w their struggle for their rights, is called REBELLION, and d the people: REBELS; while those who really rebelled, in Scotland tland (1745) for the expulsion of the present reign, ing family, and the establishment of popery and arbitrary, o power on the ruins of liberty and protestantism, who en-T tered England, and marched on, as far as: Derby to the astonishment of this great city and shaking the public. credit of the nation; have now all their sins, forgiven on co account of their modish principles, and are called not rebels, but by the softer appellation of insurgents! These angry writers use their utmost efforts to persuade us that this war with the colonies (for a war it will be) is a national cause, when in fact it is merely a ministerial one. Administration swarts American revenue to dissipated in corruption. The quarrel is about a pulted!amébipenny s duty const There is reallashing of interests between Britain and America. Their commerce is to theiral

1

mutual advantage, or rather most to the advantage of Britaiu, which finds a vast market in America for its manu factures; and as good pay, I speak from knowledge, as in any country she trades to upon the face of the globe. But the fact needs not my testimony, it speaks for itself, for if we could elsewhere get better pay and better prices, we should not send our goods to America.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

The gross calumniators of that people, who want us to imbrue our hands in brothers' blood, have the effrontery to tell the world that the Americans associated in resolutions not to pay us what they owed us unless we repealed the Stamp Act. This is an INFAMOUS FALSEHOOD; they know it to be such. I call upon the incendiaries who have advanced it, to produce their proofs. Let them name any two that entered into such an association, or any one that made such a declaration. Absurdity marks the very face of this lie. Every one acquainted with trade knows, that a credited merchant daring to be concerned in such an association, could never expect to be trusted again. His character on the Exchange of London would be ruined for ever. The great credit given them since that time, nay the present debt due from them, is itself a proof of the confidence we have in their probity. Another villainous falsehood advanced against the Americans is, that though we have been at such expence in protecting them, they refuse to contribute their part to the public general expence of the empire. The fact is, that they never did refuse a requisition of that kind. A writer who calls himself Sagittarius (I suppose from his flinging about, like Solomon's fool, firebrands, arrows, and death) in the Ledger of March 9th, asserts that the " Experiment has been tried, and that they did not think it expedient to return

4

« ZurückWeiter »