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an union

"It is said there is now a project on foot to form an with Ireland, and that Lord Harcourt is to propose it at the

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next meeting of the Irish parliament. The eastern side of Ireland are averse to it; supposing that when Dublin is no longer the seat of their government it will decline, the harbor being but indifferent, and that the western and southern por ports will rise and florish on its ruins, being good in themselves and much better situated for commerce. For these same reasons, the western and southern people are inclined to the measure, and it is thought it may be carried. But these are difficult affairs, and usually take longer time than the projectors imagine. Mr. Crowley, the author of several proposals for uniting the colonies with the mother-country, and who runs about much among the ministers, tells me the union of Ireland is only the first step towards a general union. He is for having it done by the parliament of England without consulting the colonies; and he will warrant, he says, that if the terms proposed are equitable, they will all come in one after the other. He seems rather a little cracked upon the subject.

It is said here that the famous Boston letters were sent chiefly, if not all, to the late Mr. Whately. They fell into my hands, and I thought it my duty to give some principal people there a sight of them, very much with this view, that when they saw the measures they complained of took their rise, in a great degree, from the representations and recom ́mendations of their own countrymen, their resentment against Britain on account of those measures might abate, as mine had done, and a reconciliation be more easily obtained. In Boston they concealed who sent them, the better to conceal who received and communicated them. And perhaps it is as

Governor Hutchinson's,

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well that it should continue a secret. Being of that country myself, I think those letters more heinous than you seem to think them; but you had not read them all, nor perhaps the council's remarks on them. I have written to decline their agency on account of my return to America. Dr. Lee suc

ceeds me. I only keep it while I stay, which perhaps will be another winter.

I grieve to hear of the death of my good old friend Dr. Evans. I have lost so many, since I left America, that I begin to fear I shall find myself a stranger among strangers when I return. If so, I must come again to my friends in England. I am ever your affectionate father,

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Project to avoid repealing the American tea duty-Pretended

SIR,

ཡཏི

Prussian edict.

London, Sept. 12, 1773. The above is a copy of my last per packet. Enclosed is the original letter therein mentioned. His lordship continues in the country, but is expected (Secretary Pownall tells me) the beginning of next month.

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To avoid repealing the American tea duty, and yet find a vent for tea, a project is executing to send it from this country on account of the East India Company, to be sold in America, agreeable to a late act impowering the lords of the treasury to grant licences to the company to export tea thither, under certain restrictions, duty-free.. Some friends of government, (as they are called) of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, &c. are to be favored with the commission, who undertake by their interest to carry the measure through in the colonies. How the other merchants thus excluded

Their

from the tea trade will like this, I cannot foresee. agreement, if I remember right, was not to import tea, tilk the duty shall be repealed. Perhaps they will think themselves still obliged by that agreement notwithstanding this temporary expedient; which is only to introduce the tea for the present, and may be dropped next year, and the duty again required; the granting or refusing such licence from time to time remaining in the power of the treasury. And it will seem hard, while their hands are tied, to see the profits of that article all engrossed by a few particulars.

Enclosed I take the liberty of sending you a small piece of mine, written to expose, in as striking a light as I could, to the nation, the absurdity of the measures towards America, and to spur the ministry, if possible, to a change of those

measures.

Please to present my duty to the house, and respects to the committee. I have the honor to be, with much esteem, sir, your most obedient humble servant,

B. FRANKLIN.

[Enclosed in the foregoing letter.]

A PRUSSIAN EDICT, &c..

Dantzic, September 5, 1773.

We have long wondered here at the supineness of the English nation, under the Prussian impositions upon its trade entering our port. We did not, till lately, know the claims, ancient and modern, that hang over that nation; and therefore could not suspect that it might submit to those impressions from a sense of duty, or from principles of equity. The following edict, just made public, may, if serious, throw some light upon this matter:

FREDERICK, by the grace of God, King of Prussia, &c. &c. &c. to all present and to come: health. The peace now enjoyed throughout Our dominions, having afforded us leisure to apply Ourselves to the regulation of commerce, the improvement of Our finances, and at the

same time the easing Our domestic subjects in their taxes: for these causes, and other good considerations Us thereunto moving, We here by make known, that, after having deliberated these affairs in Our council; present Our dear brothers, and other great officers of the state, members of the same; We, of Our certain knowledge, full power, and authority royal, have made and issued this present edict, viz.

Whereas it is well known to all the world, that the first German settlements made in the island of Britain, were by colonies of people, subjects to Our renowned ducal ancestors, and drawn from their dominions, under the conduct of Hengist, Horsa, Hella, Uffa, Cerdicus, Ida, and others: And that the said colonies have florished under the protection of Our august house, for ages past; have never been emancipated therefrom; and yet have hitherto yielded little profit to the same: And whereas We Ourself have in the last war fought for and defended the said colonies, against the power of France, and thereby enabled them to make conquests from the said power in America; for which We have not yet received adequate compensation: And whereas it is just and expedient that a revenue should be raised from the said colonies in Britain, towards Our indemnification; and that those who are descendants of Our ancient subjects, and thence still owe Us due obedience, should contribute to the replenishing of our royal coffers; (as they must have done, had their ancestors remained in the territories now to Us appertaining:) We do therefore hereby ordain and command, That, from and after the date of these presents, there shall be levied, and paid to Our officers of the customs, on all goods, wares, and merchandises, and on all grain and other produce of the earth, exported from the said island of Britain, and on all goods of whatever kind imported into the same; a duty of four and a half per cent. ad valorem, for the use of Us and Our successors. And that the said duty may more effectually be collected, We do hereby ordain, that all ships or vessels bound from Great Britain to any other part of the world, or from any other part of the world to Great Britain, shall in their respective voyages touch at Our port of Koningsberg, there to be unladen, searched, and charged with the said duties.

And whereas there hath been from time to time discovered in the said island of Great Britain, by Our colonists there, many mines or beds of iron-stone; and sundry subjects of Our ancient dominion, skilful in converting the said stone into metal, have in time past trans

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ported themselves thither, carrying with them and communicating that art; and the inhabitants of the said island, presuming that they had a natural right to make the best use they could of the natural productions of their country, for their own benefit, have not only built furnaces for smelting the said stone into iron, but have erected plating-forges, slitting-mills, and stecl-furnaces, for the more convenient manufacturing of the same; thereby endangering a diminution of the said manufacture in Our ancient dominion; We do therefore hereby farther ordain, That, from and after the date hereof, no mill or other engine for slitting or rolling of iron, or any plating-forge to work with a tilt-hammer, or any furnace for making steel, shall be erected, or continued in the said island of Great Britain: And the Lord Lieutenant of every county in the said island is hereby commanded, on information of any such erection within his county, to order, and by force to cause the same to be abated and destroyed; as he shall answer the neglect thereof to Us at his peril. But We are nevertheless graciously pleased to permit the inhabitants of the said island to transport their iron into Prussia, there to be manufactured, and to them returned; they paying Our Prussian subjects for the workmanship, with all the costs of commission, freight and risk, coming and returning; any thing herein contained to the contrary notwithstanding 1195

We do not, however, think fit to extend this Our indulgence to the article of wool; but meaning to encourage not only the manufacturing of woollen cloth, but also the raising of wool, in Our ancient dominions; and to prevent both, as much as may be, in Our said island, We do hereby absolutely forbid the transportation of wool thence even to the mother-country, Prussia-And that those islanders may be farther and more effectually restrained in making any advantage of their own wool, in the way of manufacture, We command that none shall be carried out of one county into another; nor shall any worsted, bay, or woollen-yarn, cloth, says, bays, kerseys, serges, frizes, druggets, cloth-serges, shalloons, or any other drapery stuffs, or woollen manufactures whatsoever, made up or mixed with wool in any of the said Counties, be carried into any other county, or be water-borne even across the smallest river or creek; on penalty of forfeiture of the same, together with the boats, carriages, horses, &c. that shall be employed in removing them. Nevertheless, Our loving subjects there are

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