The Connecticut courant — Hartford, Conn., 1774-05-17 00:00:00, page 1

Extracts of private Letters from London, dated
April 7 and 8, to Perfont in Are York and
^Pbitade 'phia.
WITH the most anxious and deep concern,
I fit down to give you forae account of
the bitter things that are meditated against A
mcrica arid thro' her against England itfelf, and
that confutation, by which it has long been dif
singuifhed among the nations, as a land of free
dom f, happiness, and an afyluas against ty
ranny^d oppreffioo—A diftiu&ion, alas ! that
now fulfills no more ! and must be forever loft
—uolcfokind Providence Ihoald interpefe, to
favews from that slavery and darkoefs, which
gas well nigh overspread the face of the whole
earth. America, the last resort of retiring
Freedom, is now to be invaded, and the fugitive
driven from her peaceful recedes there, that fa
the may find notching place on this fide Heaven.
A plan of d<fpptifm and arbitrary power,
has inufanriy been purfocd, during the prefect
reign ; thro' all the miciftcria! changes and ma
litres, that has Bill been the grand object in
view ; and may explain all those intricate move
ments of government, which otherwise appear
quite myttcrioas and unaccountable ; especially
with regard to the colonies, it may account for
shat obHioate petfeveraoce io meafurts palpably
incobfiflent with every principle of she Rogiili
conflation, of jalfice, and of common feofe ;
which bare been attended with almost infinite
expense, trouble and difficulty both to the co
logics and Great Britain itfclf ; when at the
fame time a plain, easy & certain way to peace,
harmony and preTpcfity lies so open before us,
tbM none Cao mistake it, and yet offers itfetf io
fain. An absolute, arbitrary government, has
infinite charms for a multitude of haughty lux
utiout parasites and flatterers that ever forrouad
a throne and hope to (hare with it in tyraaciz
ing over the people and rioting on thei- spoils.
No wonder that fuels as theft ih mid prevail on
if young Monarch to be pleafcd with, to coco,
teoance and adopt their plan. Uolimitted pow
er is generally a matt deGrable objd efpeciAlly
to youth and inexperience —and few are dis
fruitful of themselves, or imagine that it would
he unfafe in their h^nds.
'[MAY, M.dcc^lxxH: i^WMSER 4g{;
'CONNECTICUT
(yawning the jrdbtfi and mart inputtans .. ; ;' , n „.
; CT -.~tt_tmreqCTraMtßmifflmotroaßEmtewtl— *w~ 4
In England almost every ob4ru&ion to the
execution of this plan, is removed ; places of
high tru^ and importance, are bellowed upon
those who will a& in fabfietviency to the views
of the court ; those who aright impede those
views are dircAed of power, and disabled from
any eff dual oppoGtioo. Experience has fh:wo,
rhat the peefions and places in the gift of the
Crown have as great an i lueoce on the Nobi
lity, whofc estates might set them above dc^
pendaoce, at upon common men —for luxury is
boaod^fs. and can render the poff.ffjr of the
greatest eflate as needy ss a beggar, and, as tu.
ratable to the influence of a bribe. As for the
Com nous, those natural guardians of the liber
tier and properties of the peop c, tho' there are
many worthy men smuag them, who do their
uts^ft to stem the torrent of corruption and
pref-rre their counry ; yet their number is too
small to answer the end : The ckq leoce of Ci
cero, them^ft consummate knowledge of the
mterefls of their country, and zeal for its fcr
fice, the greatest abifrics and integrity, are all
render'd entirely ufclcfs by a corrupt majority
of mrinKlerial tools, who vote jell at they sie
drifted: This House, therefore, which vkd
trbe the bulwark ofthe people's security ferret
D^ only togirc th< form ar appearaue^ of 1^
From TUESDAY, MAY 17, to TUESDAY, May 24 1774
6 What a farce are such tranfeaioos, when
6 the liberties of the people arc thus played a
-4 way at a game, wherein the corrupt govern
' meat, and an ambitions covetous ^ndlord are
' the only gainers t All thinfe_Ljr thus ripe
io England for the open introduction of arbitra
ry power, n othiog feemi to have prevented it,
but the ftroggics of the Americans to prefer+c
their liberties. These druggies have been dou
bly mortifying to the miaiftry, as they have
thereby been not only prevented from levying a
revenue upon America, but from executing their
scheme, in its full extent upon England, r. nd
uplift that scheme be very fora executed, it is
in danger of be ng blown up entirely ; for mat
ters have risen to foch a crifii, the une^Goefs and
diftrefi of the nation are become so general,
that soma violent commotion farms inheritable,
and near at hand ; and if a revolution fhou d
happen and fail to cftablffi defeotifm in Eng
land, it would probably be fatal to those who
have attempted to introduce it. The mdft ftre
scour efforts therefore will DOW be made, both
by force and fraud to reduce the Americans to
a conformity with the measures of the rainidry,
who are engaged and diflra&d at the obfttu&i
ons they meet with from that quarter.
I therefore earned!, warn you to firmoefi and
vigilance, every art will be afed, both to inti
midate, and to deceive you, may God dired
you to be wife and faithful to yourftlves and to
your country, sod crown your endeavours with
success. You have every thing at flake that
can be dear to rtafonable creatures ; your free
dom, your property, yoQr poflerity yotir honour.
The very mioiffry who arc driving to eofhrc
you, in fpight of themselves, both honour and
soar you ; but if they fuccecd agaiuft you will
despise and spurn you.
about a fortnight ago so a& of Parliament
es a most extraordinary kind, to shut up the
port of BoGoo. was puffed in a most extraordi
nary manner, being fmugg'ed thro' the House,
io 17 days only from its inirodu&icn. The
Evidence before the Privy Coaccii was foppref
fed, the agents refund a hearing at the bar, god
no members for B0&00 or America in cither
House. Nor bad the merchants and marafac
turers io England, who will be deep y sffeaed
by the execution of this al^, any proper notice
of it, or opportunity ta remoofirate igaioft it-
Indeed it i, openly, kid t^t ^y a &ak@&
galit, to ids of red tyranny ^cd ©ppre^jn,
by which they are deprived of th^r liberty and
property. A great majority of the house are
return'd by little venal Burroughs, bribed by
the nation's own money, to eled fuck men as
the Miniftty choofc, and afterward eommandto
vote at they picric. A friend well acquainted
with the internal Bate of Great Britain, allures
me, 'that many burroughs io the kingdoms
' have fcaree 10 persons qualified to vote for a
6 representative in parliament, and that all who
' are qualified are under the influence of feme
6 Noblemao or Squire, who, if he has no per
-6 son of his own family to put in, transfers the
' clc&iod, or rather nomination to such adven
' turers as choofc to purdufe a feat as a means
' of climbing the hili of preferment. In some
6 places there is not even the (hadow of an c
' le&iou or town meeting. The fivereigo, bai=
' hff or rather returning officer, with two or
6 three burgesses, go privately to the feffien
'houfe, and io a moment name fu.h a one, as
' duly eledcd, without the appearance of a
6 Candidate.
pounds were issued from the Treafafy to obtain
a majority in the House, and harry it through
before there sh old be time for oppofnion ; Set
that when a body of merchants, trading to B.f
ton and America, waited on L rd Nor<h with
a rrqbeft that a petition might be heard again st
the bill, before it puffed into a law ; they had
the mortification to find they were too late,
and that the bill had already passed As his
Mijefty has, by the ad, a conditional power to
suspend its operation, io case the tea destroyed at
Boflon ffiould be paid for, the merchants offered
Lord North £ j,OOO, or a security to the In
dia Company, to pay for the tea, if that fu'pen
fion of the ad might be procured from bis Ma
jesty. But these offers were refufed, and the
merchants went away much diffw isfied< at
thinking people are in general, apinft the pro
ceeding of the Ministry, cfpccially in refpea to
this law, and the manner of getting it palled,
which was with as much privacy and hade as'
poffiVc so that it is hardly yet known in the
manufiauring towns which will be hurt by it.
It is expected to raise great clamour rod uo&a,
fioefs as loon as it comes to be generally koown a
and felt, by the labouring people, and the trade,
the ftoppsge of which, it is imagined, in a few
months wilUconviace the Miaiffry they hav^
>4?d wrong.
Another new bill, as extraordinary as the
Boftoo bill only more general io its operation, h
in agitation, in the Privy Council ; and like the
Hollon bill it is intended to be fmoggled 'bro"
the House. God grant it may be flopped io ito
progress, or defeated of its design It is ex
pc&ed here that America will be surprised ok
frightened into a compliance with it by the in
tended alarming clauses in it, and the spirited
manner of enforcing it.
God give you vigilance, fortitude, and wi r>
dem to avoid the faarci laid for yen, and enable
you to escape them.
General Gage is appointed Governor and
Commander in Chief of Maffacbofetts Bay, with
verydxtenfirc powers. Voder him arc to be a
set of officers, approved by the Mioiftry, to be
made Coonfcllors, and enforce the parliamenta
ry laws, with tlu: (apparent) content of th&
faffi , r , „
In fhbrt, every art will be nfed to deceive
you, and either cheat or frighten yon out of
your freedom and property : However, I can
adore you the commanders have private orders
not to fight, uoirfs they can provoke you (0 ap
pear the aggrefTors —nay they have orders not
to commence hoflilities, without further orders.
But how food that reftriaion may be taken off,
God only knows; net do f think that it was
from any regard to justice, or tenderness to you,
that such a reftraiot was laid ; but purely from
fear of the cooleqaenees of fanguicary orders ;
Therefore I think, if you are firm and prudent,
yea have no ocesGoo at this time, to tear any
tragical confeqoences from a refafal to be taxed
by the British parliament, who have really 00
right at all to tax you ;—not that I would per
suade you to this refafal merely upon a fuppoG
tioo, that the thiniftry will not proceed to hos
tile and fanguioary measures— for my opinion
is, that there is nothing too absurd or wicked
for them to do ; but tbit if they should proceed
to such meafates, it will be better for you to
die than submit to them : However, as your
Cause it just, and all the world mud fee that yog
are injured and oppuffed, yoor opptefLrs will
be GUndcaned by all ^ world, both at home