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scarcely knew the fcaby report, muft have been hateful and odious in the highest degree.

In thefe difficulties a negotiation is faid to have been fet on foot with the court of Petersburgh for. 50,000 Ruffians, but without effect. A long negoti ation was alfo carried on at the Hague, for the Scotch Brigades, which had for many years been employed in the Dutch service, and always been allowed to be recruited from Scotland. The Dutch, who confider their own cafe once to have been the fame with that of the Americans, avoided falling into an inconfiftency in helping to oppress others by rejecting the propofal. The Dutch confidered this war as extremely impolitical, and, except thofe in the Scotch interest, it was generally condemned over all Holland. It is not to the honour of Great Britain, that in all the countries of Europe, in which public affairs are a fubJect of either writing or converfation, the general voice has been in favour of the Americans. It is faid that Voltaire and Rouffeau, who feldom agreed in any one thing, were unanimous in their opinion in behalf of America, and condemned the meafures of the Bri tish ministry. It has been always affirmed by the friends of the miniftry, that the oppofition of their mea fures was frivolous and unreafonable, and proceeded from difaffection; but even men and philofophers quite uninterested, have had the fame opinion with those that have been fo unjustly charged with difaffection.

After the miniftry were difappointed in their hopes of affistance from Holland and Ruffia, they were obliged to apply to the petty German princes for a fufficient number of their flavifh vaffals to affift in enflaving the colonies. Thefe little tyrants, who fuppofe that their fubjects are made for no other purpufe but to ferve the ends of their ambition, and

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fupply that beggarly dignity which they affect to fupport, were ready to bring their flaves to fo good a market, where they were fecured in a fufficient price for them, whether dead or alive, to uphold the tawdry fplendor of their defpotical courts, The Princes of Heffe and Brunswick, and fome others of inferior fig, nificance, furnished the quotas agreed for, but even these were still infufficient to accompany the fanguinary purpose of a miniftry that thirfted greedily after blood. It was thought alfo neceffary to fend five battalions of his Majefty's electoral troops to the garrifons of Gibraltar, to replace the like number of Englifh forces, with an intention to increase the power of the British army in America. Had the liberties of

all Europe been at flake, or the Proteftant religion been in the utmost danger, the government of Britain could not have fhewn more anxiety, than they did to have the colonists brought to unconditional fubmiffion to the will of minifters. In the midst of all this zeal and diligence to fulfil the end of their schemes, they were dreadfully thwarted by the hand of providence, which though themselves could not or would not perceive it, was obferved by all the world befide, who had opportunity to contemplate the events. After providing 5000 axen, 14,000 fheep, and a vast num, ber of hogs, and large quantities of vegetables, together with 5000 chaldrons of coals, and large abundance of four crout, with near half a million value of falt provifioas, the wind and weather proved unfavourable, The fleet was detained upon our coafts, and toffed about with tempefts, till the greatest part of the fheep and hogs perifhed, fo that the channel was ftrewed with floating carcafes of thefe animals. The four crout fermented too faft, and of confequence perished, The wind and weather did not prove favourable

vourable after they cleared the coaft. In the midfeas, wind and weather were particularly unfavourable, and nearer they approached America the wind grew more contrary and tempeftuous. The periodical winds blew full in their teeth, and drove them from the coast, and several of them were drove to the Weft Indies, where they arrived in great diftrefs. Others which were got entangled with the American coasts, were either taken or feized in those harbours and creeks, where they put in for fhelter. The few that arrived at Boston were prodigioufly fhattered, and their cargoes fuffered greatly. Very little of the vaft provifion, procured at an enormous expence, arrived at the place of its destination.

The account of these disasters rendered the ministry ftill more unpopular, and the nation confidered thefe misfortunes as much to proceed from mifmanagement as from accidental caufes. They perceived that neither the feafon of the year, nor the course of the winds had been taken into the scheme of the ministry; that they had fent away the fleets at an improper fea fon, as if they intended to throw all the provifions into the sea, and wantonly to waste the fubftance of the nation. Their policy had failed in almost every thing, and their schemes were all abortive. Finding that the nation was more and more difgufted with their proceedings, they wanted to turn the views of the people to fome new object. Nothing is more ready to attract the attention, and affect the minds of perfons of any feeling, than objects of diftrefs: the humanity of this country was now addreffed in behalf of thofe who had fuffered in the American war, and a fubfcription was opened about the end of the year, for the relief of the foldiers at Boston, and of the widows and children of thofe that were flain. The

fcheme

fcheme was moft liberally fupported, and feveral thousand pounds were fubfcribed in a fhort time.

That part of the fcheme that related to the foldiers was confidered by no means as an act of charity; for as government had received money to fupply the troops, it was thought fit they fhould be supplied therewith, without begging from the public. Many therefore witheld their bounty both on that account, and alfo out of principle, because they would not have an hand in carrying on fo unjust and unrighteous a war, as they confidered this to be. Others thought too much had been spent already, and there-fore refused to give any fupport to a scheme that only would, in the end, ruin the nation. To move the fympathy of the nation, fome fhips were loaded with maimed foldiers, their wives and children, in the most wretched condition. The prefent was a moft pitiful fpectacle; and exerted the humanity of the benevolent. This was the firft ocular demonstration that we had at home that the Americans could fight. We had been told that the provincials would not ftand, that they run away at the fight of our men; and few of our foldiers were either killed or wounded. now the question was in every one's mouth, who wounded and maimed them in fuch a manner? Hence it began to be believed, even at home, that the colonifts would fight, and that our lofs had been greater than the miniftry had told us. This fubfcription was confidered as a fort of political touch-ftone, and the degree of attachment to government was fuppofed to be measured by the extent of the bounty.

But

The miniftry were now at their laft fhift with regard to the means to be used to keep the spirit of the people in favour of the American war. Confpiracies were contrived to throw reproach upon the lords

and

and gentlemen in oppofition to the measures of government, and the most distinguished noblemen and gentlemen were pointed at. They were charged with being the incendiaries, who by their dark and wicked practices had kindled the war. This kind of ftile was crammed into many addreffes, and the newspapers were induftriously filled with it. It was confidently afferted in these minifterial vehicles of fcandal and abuse, that a very great number of letters from the most confiderable peers and members of parlia ment had been intercepted, and were actually in the hands of government. Thefe it was faid would be laid before the council of the nation, when the tower would be speedily fitted with perfons of rank, and a rich harvest of impeachments and punishments fuc ceed. This fcandal was carried fo far, that it was faid, a number of the members of both houfes who were defcribed and understood, would not venture to attend their duty in parliament at the meeting thereof. Thefe were impotent malicious fhifts, which generally attend a weak caufe, and are never practifed unless by defperate and wicked men. They always fuggeft the crimes which they accufe others of, and fometimes put into the minds of bad men, to do what they never would have thought of.

At the opening of the feffion of parliament, an extraordinary report of a confpiracy went abroad, which at first seemed alarming, but in the end appeared as full of folly as it was of wickednefs. This matter is fo well known, and was fo fully fet forth in the gazette and other papers, that it is needlefs to enlarge upon it. It may fuffice to obferve, that Mr Sayre, a banker in London, and an American by birth was accused of a defign of feizing the perfon of the King, to convey him out of the nation, and then overturn

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