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and liberties shall all be taken away, if we do not submit to that claim.

"They are not content with the high prices at which they sell us their goods, but have now begun to enhance those prices by new duties, and, by the expensive apparatus of a new set of officers, appear to intend an augmentation and multiplication of those burdens, that shall still be more grievous to us. Our people have been foolishly fond of their superfluous modes and manufactures, to the impoverishing of our own country, carrying off all our cash, and loading us with debt; they will not suffer us to restrain the luxury of our inhabitants, as they do that of their own country, by laws: they can make laws to discourage or prohibit the importation of French superfluities: but though those of England are as ruinous to us as the French ones are to them, if we make adlaw of that kind, they immediately repeal it. Thus they get all our money from us by trade; and every profit we can anywhere make by our fisheries, our produce or our commerce, centres finally with them;-but this does not satisfy. It is time then to take care of ourselves by the best means in our power. Let us unite in solemn resolution and engagements with and to each other, that we will give these new officers as little trouble as possible, by not consuming the British manufactures on which they are to levy the duties. Let us live frugally, and let us industriously manufacture what we can for ourselves: thus we shall be able honourably to discharge the debts we already owe them; and after that, we may be able to keep some money in our country, not only for the uses of our internal commerce, but for the service of our gracious sovereign, whenever he shall have occasion for it, and think proper to require it of us in the old constitutional manner. For, notwithstanding the reproaches thrown out against us in their public papers and pamphlets, notwithstanding we have been reviled in their senate, as rebels and traitors, we are truly a loyal people. Scotland has had its rebellions, and

England its plots against the present royal family; but America is untainted with those crimes; there is in it scarce a man, there is not a single native of our country, who is not firmly attached to his king by principle and by affection. But a new kind of loyalty seems to be required of us, a loyalty to parliament; a loyalty, that is to extend, it is said, to a surrender of all our properties whenever a House of Commons, in which there is not a single member of our choosing, shall think fit to grant them away without our consent, and to a patient suffering the loss of our privileges as Englishmen, if we cannot submit to make such surrender. We were separated too far from Britain by the ocean, but we were united to it by respect and love; so that we could at any time freely have spent our lives and little fortunes in its cause: but this unhappy new system of politics tends to dissolve those bands of union, and to sever us for ever.'

"These are the wild ravings of the, at present, half-distracted Americans. To be sure, no reasonable man in England can approve of such sentiments, and, as I said before, I do not pretend to support or justify them; but I sincerely wish, for the sake of the manufactures and commerce of Great Britain, and for the sake of strength, which a firm union with our growing colonies would give us, that these people had never been thus needlessly driven out of their

senses.

"I am yours, &c.

"F. S.*"

Mr Strahan, the king's printer, and Dr Franklin had been intimate for many years, a circumstance which induced the former to endeavour to ascertain from Franklin the best method of bringing these disputes to an amicable conclusion. He therefore sent him a series of queries, to which Dr Franklin very promptly and candidly replied. The importance of this document in regard to the whole of the matters

Meaning it is supposed, "Franklin's seal," as it is well known the amphlet was written by him,

and liberties shall all be taken a
submit to that claim.

"They are not content with the hi they sell us their goods, but have hance those prices by new duties, a sive apparatus of a new set of office tend an augmentation and multip burdens, that shall still be more gri people have been foolishly fond of modes and manufactures, to the imp own country, carrying off all our ca with debt; they will not suffer us luxury of our inhabitants, as they d country, by laws: they can make l or prohibit the importation of Fre but though those of England are a the French ones are to them, if we kind, they immediately repeal it. our money from us by trade; and e anywhere make by our fisheries, on commerce, centres finally with them not satisfy. It is time then to take by the best means in our power. solemn resolution and engagements other, that we will give these new trouble as possible, by not cons manufactures on which they are t Let us live frugally, and let us in facture what we can for ourselves: able honourably to discharge the de them; and after that, we may be money in our country, not only for internal commerce, but for the ser Sovereign, whenever he shall ha and think proper to require it of tutional manner. For, notwithstan thrown out against us in their pamphlets, notwithstanding we their senate, as rebels and trai loyal people. Scotland has h

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anklin, that once or twice privately, and finally, evée day, his porter was instructed to refuse to Dr Franklin's coachman, when numerous ges were at the door. The Doctor however was ... on his removal from office, by a party high in avour, whether he could recommend a succes

would be more acceptable to the Americans, hhe nominated lord Dartmouth, who was a vourite in the colonies, and it is singular, but soon after appointed.

s were at this period entertained in both s, of an adjustment of the differences between nies and Great Britain; and Dr Franklin had oughts of returning to America in 1773, to is good work; but an affair of a most singular ton suddenly involved him personally with the ment, and exasperated the public mind, in usetts in particular, to the utmost degree. ovince considered itself more deeply aggrieved stationing of a permanent military force there, avowed design of enforcing submission. As March 1770, a quarrel had taken place beThe towns-people, and the soldiers, in which of the former were killed. This event was morated for two or three years with great ty, when the ablest popular leaders harangued the horrors of slavery and arbitrary power. course of this period the judges of the proto preserve them in the interest of the motherwere made independent of the people, and tirely by the crown. This the assembly, who erto voted them an annual income, resented and of bribery, and in 1772 impeached chiefOliver as receiving corrupt and illegal fees. or Bernard could find no mode of defeating easure, but the dissolving the assembly. this province the popular leaders had not the tion and good-humour of Franklin, but persoanimosities exasperated the public discontents,

in dispute, in addition to its characteristic exposition of the information and sagacity of Dr Franklin, entitles it to an admission in the APPENDIX*.

The earl of Hillsborough was appointed an additional secretary of state in 1769, entirely with a view to colonial affairs; one of the first acts of whose administration was to write to all the colonies, expressing his majesty's displeasure at the general congress, But these circulars as an unlawful combination. produced nothing but insolent replies: governor Bernard insisted upon the assembly at Boston rescinding their act respecting this circular, or he should dissolve the house, and send their transactions for the inspection of the British parliament.

The new secretary and Franklin had frequently had conferences upon American affairs, and it was even rumoured at this time, that the latter would be offered the under-secretaryship of state, but such a design, if even entertained, was never carried into effect, and the only issue of these conferences was to produce some conciliatory instructions from that minister to the governors of the colonies. It is supposed that about this time Dr Franklin delivered to the new minister his celebrated and often-quoted "Rules for reducing a great empire to a small onet."

On the whole there seems to have been much insincerity in his lordship. Under his auspices commissioners were sent out to enforce the new taxes, and general Gage, who was strengthened with two regiments from Ireland, was directed to quarter one of them in Boston, to assist the levying of these imposts. Franklin's knowledge of the colonies, and experience of their general dispositions, convinced him of the utter folly and inexpediency of these measures. He particularly deprecated the sending troops at this time to Boston, which he foresaw would be to precipitate the explosion that so soon followed.

In 1772 lord Hillsborough was dismissed. Affairs had finally proceeded so unpropitiously between him *See Appendix, No. 3.

+ See Appendix, No. 4.

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