Dunlap's Pennsylvania packet , The general advertiser — Philadelphia, Pa., 1774-08-08 00:00:00, page 5

% the Printer of the Pennsylvania Packet.
SIR,
Although the fol'owing rules have been published in
ether papers some time age, you are requeued by a
-washer of your friends rad, cuflomers here, to
pubUjb then la,oar next paper.
Baltimore, July 2„\ 17-4.
1U LE S Kuwhich a great E MPIRE me,
be reduced to a small one.
^^Q^ '^ ^ N ancient Sage boasted, that,
£ ^" % though he could not fiddle, he
^^jg ,^ G k°e w how to make a great city
° f a little one. The science that
i& ^^T a modern simpleton, am about
± jto communicate, is the very re
verse&
I address myfelf to all ministers who have the
management of extensive dominions, which from
their very greatness are become troublesome to
govern, because the multiplicity of their affairs
leaves no time for fiddling.
I. In the firft place, gentlemen, you are tocon
fider, that a great empire, like a great cake, is
rood easily diminished at the edges. Turn your
attention, therefore, firft to your remotest pro
vinces; that, as you get rid of them, the next may
follow in order.
11. That the possibility of this separation may
always exist, take special care the provinces are
never incorporated with the mother country; that
they do not enjoy the lame common rights, the
fame privileges in commerce; and that they are
governed byfeverer laws, all otyour enabling, with
out allowing them any share in the choice of the
legislators. By carefully makingand preserving
such diftin^ions, you will (to keep to my simile of
the cake) ad like a wife gingerbread baker, who,
to facilitate a division, cuts his dough half through
in those places, where, when baked, he would
have it broken to pieces.
Iff. These remote provinces have perhaps been
acquired, purchased, or conquered at the sole ex
pence of the settlers or their ancestors, without the
aid of the mother country. If this should happen
to increase her frength by their growing numbers
ready to join in her wars, her commerce by their
growing demand for her manufactures, or her
naval pooler by greater employment for her drips
and feainen, they may probably luppofe some me
rit in this, and that it entitles them to some favour;
you are therefore to forget it all, or resent it as if
they had done you an injury. If they happen to
be zealous whigs, friends of liberty, nurtured in
revolution principles, remember all that to their
prejudice, and resolve to punish it; for such prin
ciples, after a revolution is thoroughly established,
are of no more ufo, they are even odious and abomi
nable.
IV. However peaceably your colonies have sub
mitted to your government, (hewn their affection
toyourinterefts,and patiently bornethqir grievances,
you are to foppofe them always inclined to revolt,
and treat them accordingly. Quarter troops among
them, who by their inlolence may provoke the ri
ling of mobs, and by their bullets and bayonets
suppress them. By this means, like tie husband
who tifes his wife ill from fafpicion, you may in
time convert your ffpicions into realities.
V. Remote provinces mutt have Governors and
Judges, to represent the royal person, and exe
cute every where the delegated parts of his office
and authority. You ministers know, that much
of the strength of government depends on the
opinion of rhe people; and much of that opinion
on the choice of rulers placed immediately over
them. If you fend them wife and good men for
Governors, who study the interest of the colo
nists, and advance their prosperity, they will think
their King wife and good, and that he withes the
welfare of his fubje&s. If you lend them learn
ed and upright men for Judges, they will think
him a lover of justice. This may attach your
provinces more to his government. You are,
therefore, to he careful who you recommend for
those offices.—lf you can find prodigals who have
ruined their fortunes, broken gamesters or flock
jobbers, these may do well as Governors ; for they
will probably be rapacious, and provoke the peo
ple by their extortions. Wrangling prodors, and
pettifogging lawyers, too, are not amiss ; for they
will be forever disputing and quarreling with their
little Parliaments. If withal they should be igno
rant, wrong-headed, and insolent, so much the
better. Atto^nies clerksand Newgate solicitors
will do for Chief Justices, especially if they hold
their places during your pleafare. And all will
contribute to impress those ideas of your govern
ment that are proper for a people you would avijb
to renounce it.
VI. To confirm these impressions and strike them
deeper, whenever the injured come to the capital
with complaints of mal-adminiftration, oppreflion,
or injustice, punish such suitors with long delay,
enormous expence, and a final judgment in favour
ofthe oppressor. This will have an admirable effeft
every way. The trouble offuture complaints will
be prevented, and Governors and Judges will be
encouraged to further ads of oppression and inju
stice; and thence the people may become more
difaffefted, and at length desperate.
VII. When such Governors have crammed
their coffers, and made themselves so odious to the
people, that they can no longer remain among them
in fafety to their persons, recall and reward them
with pensions. You may make them Baronets, too,
if that refpe6lable order should not think tit to re
sent it. All will contribute to encourage new Go
vernors in the fame practices, and make the' su
preme government detefable.
VIII. If, when you are engaged in war, your
colonies should vie in liberal aids of men or money
against the common enemy, upon your simple re
qudition, and give far beyond their abilities, re
flect, that a penny taken from them by your pow
er, is more honourable to you than a pound pre-
P OSTSCRIP Tto the PennJyhania Packet. No. 146#
fented by their benevolence. Despise therefore
their voluntary grants, and resolve to harrafs them
with novel taxes. They will probably complain
to your Parliaments, that they are taxed by a bo
dy in which they have no representative, and that
this is contrary to common right. They will pe
tition for redress. Let the Parliaments flout their
claims, rejed their petitions, refufe to fuffer even
the reading of them, and treat the petitioners with
the utmost contempt. Nothing can have a better
effed in producing the alienation proposed; for
though many can forgive injuries, none ever for
gave contempt.
IX. In laying these taxes, never regard the
heavy burthens these remote people already under
go, in defending their own frontiers, supporting
their own provincial governments, making new
roads, building bridges, churches and other pub
lic edifices, which in old countries have been done
to your hands by your ancestors, but which occa
sion constant calls and demands on the purses ofa
new people. Forget the refraints you lay on
their trade for your croon benefit, and the advan
tage a monopoly of this trade gives your exacting
merchants. Think nothing of the wealth those
merchants and your manufacturers acquire by the
colony commerce; their encreafed ability there
by to pay taxes at home; their accumulat
ing, in the price of their commodities, most of
those taxes, and so levying them from their con
suming customers; all this, and the employment
and flipport of thousands of your poor by the co
lonists, you are inrtrel, to forget. But remember
to make your arbitrary tax more grievous to your
provinces, by public declarations importing that
your power of taxing them has no limits ; so that
when you take from them without their consent
one Filling in the pound, you have a clear right to
the other nineteen. —This will probably weaken
every idea of security in their property and con
vince them, that under such a government, they
have nothing they can call their own ; which can
scarce fail of producing the happief con equences !
X. Possibly, indeed, some of them might still
comfort themselves, and fay, ' Though we have
' no property, we have yet something left that is
' valuable; we have constitutional liberty both of
' person and of conscience. This King, these
' Lords, and these Commons, who, it seems, are
' too remote from us, to know us, and feel for
‘ us, cannot take from us our Habeas Corpus right,
' or our right of trial by a jury of our neighbours ;
' they cannot deprive us of the exercise of our re
‘ ligion, alter our ecclesiastical constitution, and
' compel us to be Papists if they please, or Maho
' metans.' To annihilate this comfort, begin by
laws to perplex their commerce with infinite re
gulations impossible to be remembered and observ
ed; ordain seizures of their property for every fai
lure ; take away the trial of such property by ju
ry, and give it to arbitrary Judges of your own
appointing, and of the lowest characters in the
country, whose salaries and emoluments are to
arise out of the duties or condemnations, and whose
appointments are during pleasure. Then let there
be a formal declaration of both Houses, that op
position to your edicts is treason ; and that any
person fufpe&ed of treason in the provinces may,
according to some obsolete law, be seized and sent
to the metropolis of the empire for trial; and pass
an aft that those there charged with certain other
offences shall be sent away in chains from their
friends and country to be tried io the fame manner
for felony. Then erect a new Court of Inquisition
among them, accompanied by an armed force,
with inftr^aions to transport all such fufpeded
persons, to be ruined by the expence if they bring
over evidences to prove their innocence, or be
found guilty and hanged if they cannot afford it.
And, left the people should think you cannot pos
sibly go any farther, pass another solemn declara
tory a&, that 6 King, Lords, and Commons had,
‘ hath, and of right ought to have, full power and
' authority to make statutes of fufficient force and
' validity to bind the unrepresented provinces in
‘ all cases whatsoever.' This will include
Jpiritual with temporal ; and, taken together, must
operate wonderfully to your purpose, by con
vincing them, that they are at present under a
power fometbing like that spoken of in the fenip
tures, which cannot only kill their bodies, but damn
their Jouls to all eternity, by compelling them, if
it pleases, to worfpip the Devi'.
XI. To make your taxes more odious, and more
likely to procure refinance, fend from the capital
a board of officers to superintend the collection,
composed of the most indifereet, illbred, and inso
lent, you can find. Let these have large salaries
out of the extorted revenue, and live in open
grating luxury upon the sweat and blood of the in
dustrious, whom they are to worry continually
with groundless and expensive prosecutions before
the above-mentioned arbitrary revenue Judges, all
at the cofl of the party prosecuted, though acquitted,
because the King is to pay no cfs. —Let these men,
by your order, be exempted from all the common
taxes and burthens of the province, though they
and their property are protested by its laws. If
any revenue officers are JufteCed of the leaf! ten
derness for the people, discard them. If others
are justly complained of, protest and reward them.
If any of the under officers behave so as to pro
voke the people to drub them, promote those to
better offices : This will encourage others to pro
cure for themselves such profitable drubbings, by
multiplying and enlarging such provocations, and
all will work towards the end you aim at.
XII. Another way to make your tax odious, is
to misapply the produce ofit. It it was original
ly appropriated for the defence of the provinces,
the belter support of government, and the admini
stration of justice where it may be necefery, then
apply none of it to that fy&/ce,but bettow it where
it is not necefary, in augmented salaries or pensi
ons to every Governor v ho has distinguished him
felf by his enmity to the people, and by calumni
ating them to their Sovereign. This will make
them pay it more unwillingly, and be more apt
to quarrel with those that collect it, and thole
that impefed it, who will quarrel again with them,
and all shall contribute to your main purpose of
making them iveary of your government.
XIII. If the people of any province have been
occuftomed to support their own Governors and
Judges to fatisfadion, you are to apprehend that
Inch Governors and Judges may be thereby influ
enced to treat the people kindly, and to do them
justice. This is another reason for applying part
of that revenue in larger salaries to such Gover
nors arid Judges, given, as their commission are,
during your pleasure only, forbidding them to take
any salaries from their provinces; that thus the
people may no longer hope any kindness from
their Governors, or (in crown cases) any justice
from their Judges. And as the money thus mis
applied in one province is extorted from all, pro
bably all will resent the mifappUcation.
XIV. If the Parliaments of your provinces
should dare to claim rights, or complain of your ,
administration, order them to be harraffed with
repeated dilutions. If the fame men are conti
nually returned by new elections, adjourn their
meetings to some country village where they can
not be accommodated, and there keep them du
ri^gp'eafure ; for this, you know, is your Pre
rogative ; and an excellent one it is, as you
may manage it, to promote discontents among the
people, diminish their refped, and increaJe their
difafcaion.
XV. Convert the brave honest officers of your
navy into pimping tide waiters and colony officers
of the Customs. Let those who, in time of war,
fought gallantly in defence of the commerce of
their countrymen, in peace be taught to prey up
on it Let them learn to be corrupted by great
and real smugglers ; but (to Ihew their diligence)
scour with armed boats every bay, harbour, river,
creek, cove, or nook, throughout the coast ofyour
colonies ; stop and detain every coaler, every
wood-boat, every fifherman, tumble thei r cargoes,
and even theirballaft, inside out, and upside down;
and if a penn'orth of pins is found unentered, let
the whole be seized and confifeated. Thus shall
the trade of your colonists fuffer more from their
friends in time of peace, than it did from their
enemies in war. Then let these boats crews land
upon every farm in their way, rob the orchards,
steal the pigs and the poultry, and insult the in
habitants. Ifthe injured and exasperated farmers,
unable to procure other justice, should attack the
aggrefTors, drub them and burn their boats, you
are to call this high treason and rebellion, order
fleets and armies into their country, and threaten
to carry all the offenders three thousand miles to be
hanged, drawn, and quartered. 0! this will work
admirably !
XVI. If yon are told of difeontents in your co
lonies, never believe that they are general, or that
you have given occasion for them ; therefore do
not think of applying any remedy, or of changing
any offensive measure. Redress no grievance, left
they should be encouraged to demand the redress
of some other grievance. Grant no request that
is just and reasonable, least they sh mid make ano
ther that is unreasonable. Take all your inform
ations of the date of the colonies from your Go
vernors and offices in enmity with them. Encou
rage and reward these leafing makers; secrete their
lying accusations, left they should be confuted;
but aft upon them as the cleared evidence, and
believe nothing you hear from the friends of the
people : Suppose all their complaints to be invented
and promoted by afew 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 shall work miracles in fa
vour of your purpose.
XVII. If you fee rival nations rejoicing at the
prpfpe& of your disunion with your provinces,
and endeavouring to promote it ; if they translate,
publish, and applaud all the complaiirts of your
difeontented colonists, at the fame time privately
stimulating you to severer measures; let not that
alarm or offend you. Why should it? since you
all mean the fame thin?.
XVIII. If any colony should, at their own
charge, erect a fortrefs to secure their port against
the fleets of a foreign enemy, get your Gover
nor to betray that fortrefs into your hands. Ne
ver think of paying what it cofl the country, for
that would look, at least, like some regard for jus
tice; .but turn it into a citadal to awe the inhabi
tants and curb their commerce. If they should
have lodged in such fortrefs the very arms they
bought and used to aid you in your conquers,
seize them all; it will provoke like ingratitude
added to robbery. Ore admirable effed of these
operations will be to difeourage every other colo
ny from erecting such defences, and so your ene
mies may more easily invade them, to the great
disgrace of your government, and, of course, the
furtherance of your projeß.
XIX. Send armies into their country under
pretence of protesting the inhabitants ; but instead
of garrisoning the forts on their frontiers with
those troops, to prevent incursions, demolish those
forts, and order the troops into the heart of the
country, that the lavages may he encouraged to
attack the frontiers, and that the troops may be
protested by the inhabitants: This will seem to
proceed from your ill-will or your ignorance, and
contribute farther to produce and strengthen an
opinion among them, that you are no longer ft to go
vern them.
XX. Laflly, invest the General of your army
with great and unconstitutional powers, and free
him from the comroul of even your own civil Go
vernors.—Let him have troops enow under his
command, with all the fortreffes in his peffeffion ;
and who knows but (like some provincial Gene
rals in the Roman empire, and encouraged by the
uuiverfal difeontent you have produced) he may
2. Refolded, That if the other colonies, with
hold their assistance, until Mafia.hufetts is crush
ed, and deprived ofher liberty, by the high and
dangerous arm of Parliamentary power, now
stretched forth over her for that purpose ; they
may, with good reason, expert Toon to share the
fame fate.
3. Refolded, That we are of opinion the most
proper and effectual aid Mafla'chufetts can receive
from the other coloni s, would natu ally, and
even necessarily result from their coming into a
total cessation of trade with Great-Britain and the
British Weft Indies,* until the oppressive and ar
oiuary ads under which she so heavily groans,
are totally and effectually repealed, and the town
of Boston restored to her ancient rights and pri
vileges.
4. RefoKed, That if we fuffer the Parliament of
Great-Britain to tax us without our consent, they
may then establish over us, at ourexpence (which
they would never be able to do at their own) a mi
litary force fufficient completely to fu6je& us to
the arbitrary will of the Minister; or, in his own
words, to lay us at his feet.
5. Refolded, That we are of opinion the mea
sures are already begun, that will, st e p by step, at
Ic-Ogtli fix us in the deplorable hiudtion; unless we
are virtuous enough to unite, and, at all events,
keep the hand of the British Parliament out of
our pockets.
6. Resolved, That if there are any amongst us,
so destitute of the generous extensive feelings of the
human heart; so void of every true idea of the
real advantages of liberty; or so sordidly attach
ed to what they may think their prefenr particular
interest; or even so delu led with hopes of futu e
promotion from those arbitrary invaders of our
rights, in case they succeed against us, as to refufe
to unite with their Brethren, in such lawful ways
and means, as shall be generally deemed necessary,
effectually to guard our pockets against them;
they will, totheir eternal disgrace, demonstrate to
the wor.d, that they are really endowed with but
a very small portion of the most lovely and noble
qualities of the human mind. In short, such con
dud, will even disgrace the very form they bear,
and cause their fellow men to blush, on beholding
such meanness in creatures of their ovn sh; pe. °
# 7. Reformed, That if we do not acquit our'eives
like men, on this important occafion/our truly ge
nerous arid patriotic friends, on the other fide of
the water, will have just cause to be alhamed that
they ever flood forth in our behalf. We shall de
monstrate to them and the world, that we do not
really deserve their aid or friendfhip ; that the,
did wrong in endeavouring to preserve us free;
because we are only worthy to be flakes.
8. Refolded, I hat as the fare of Boston must,
Under providence, greatly depend upon the part the
other colonies shall rake, in this, most important
of all temporal causes; every day flie is kent in
suspense, refpeding their resolutions. must be to' her,
a day of great anxiety and keen distress ; there
fore, and as she is fuffering bitterly from another
quarter, and in the general cause, they seem to be
in duty and honor bound, to form their resolutions
as speedily as possible. Unnecessary delays, in this
case, would indeed be cruelty.
^ Resolved, I hat if a general non importation
does not take place, we are of opinion that a ge
neral non-consumption ought; and in this public
manner declare, that we are heartily disposed, in
flexibly to engage therein.
10. Refolded, That we the inhabitants of Clou
cefter county aforefaid, do, with pleasure and
sincerity, profefs and acknowledge ourlelves to be
truly, loyal, and dutiful fubjefts of George the
Third, King of Great-Britaio, &c. and that we
will, to the utmost of our power, adift in carrying
into execution, any general, legal, well-concerted
measure, for the fuppoit and preservation of Bri
tish Liberty, in its genuine and primitive purity,
throughout all these his extensive, and (till ver's
lately) happy dominions in America.
If. Rejoiced, 1 hat as a general Congress of
Delegates, fion each refpe^ive Colony, is pro
posed to be held at Philadelphia, in order 10 /di
berate ten some general legal plan of oppAitrn
to the arbitrary measures of the British Parliament,
* What here relates to the Weft-Todies, being ob
jeßed to by fine ; their reasons were heard aml con-
Jide>ed; and then, on the quef/.n luting put, the re
solve was paged by a ver, great majority.
To the Printer of the Pennsylvania Packet.
SIR,
AS the three Several copies of the Gloucester
county resolves, published in the Packet, Gazette,
and Journal, were, through hurry, and error of
the Clerk in tranferibing, rendered very incur
red, and consequently diffatisfadory to the peo
ple of the county; no two being exadly alike ;
you are therefore desired to publilh the following,
which is a true copy.
Kt a general meeting of the Magifrates, Lawyers,
Freeholders and other refpedtable inhabitants of
the county of Gloucester, in New-Jersey, held
at the Court-House in the said county, on the \Sth
°f July T 774> the following reflations were read,
mature!, Conjsdered, and unanimously agreed to ;
the third only excepted.
Robert Friend Price, Esq; Chairnian.
I. Refolded, rtHATßofton is now (offering
in the common cause of all
British America; and therefore merits the most
speedy and effectual aid in the power of the whole
to give.
take it into his head to set up for himfelf. If he
should, and you have carefully praftifed these few
excel ent rules of mine, take my word for it, all the
provinces will immediately join him, ard you will
that day (if you have not done it foonti) gt rid
Of the trouble of governing them, and all inc .plagues
attending their commerce and connection, front
thenceforth and for ever. Q. E. D.