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vent the good effects of a proclamation intended to be iffued for encouraging all waggoners to affift in removing the effects from Bofton with all poffible speed. If your excellency will be pleased to take the matter into confideration, and favor me as foon as may be with an answer, it will lay me under a great obligation, as it fo nearly concerns the welfare of my friends in Bofton. I have many things which I wish to fay to your excellency, and moft fincerely wish I had broken through the formalities which I thought due to your rank, and freely had told you all I knew or thought of public affairs, and I must ever confefs, whatever may be the event, that you generously gave me fuch opening as I now think I ought to have embraced; but the true cause of my not doing it, was the knowledge I had of the vileness and treachery of many perfons around you, who I fuppofe had gained your entire confidence.

I am, &c. &c."

The committee of safety have fent letters to Rhode Island and Connecticut, importuning immediate affiftance; and that as large a number of troops as can be fpared, may be immediately marched forward, well ftocked with provifions and ammunition, and accompanied with as large a train of artillery as can be granted. They express their determination, at all events, to act their parts with firmnefs and intrepidity, knowing that flavery is far worse than death.

The committee appointed to examine into the damages done on the 19th at Cambridge, Lexington and Concord, have reported that by fire, robbery and destruction, the fame are as follows: at Cambridge 901 l,

16s. 5d. ; at Lexington 13201. 16s. od ; and at Concord 2061. 2 s. 5d. 4, in all 24281. 14s. 11d. fterling. The parties exhibited their accounts on oath, and the greatest care was taken, that the state of the damages might be just.

My friend Quincy has facrificed his life for the fake of his country. The fhip in which he failed, arrived at Cape Anne within these two days: but he lived not to get on fhore, or to hear and triumph at the account of the fuccefs of the Lexington engagement. His remains will be honorably interred by his relations. Let him be numbered with the patriotic heroes, who fall in the caufe of liberty; and his memory be dear to pofterity. Let his only furviving child, a fon of about three years, live to poffefs his noble virtues, and to tranfmit his name down to future generations. You have my warmeft acknowledgments for your laft manufcript. See that you embrace every fafe opportunity of continuing your correfpondence; you will find me in that line of conduct.

The fupreme power now extant in the Maffachusetts has given their firft naval commiffion to captain John Derby of Salem, who is intrusted by the provincial congrefs with dispatches for Dr. Franklin, containing an account of the Lexington fight, and an addrefs to the inhabitants of Great Britain. He fails without delay. In the addrefs the congrefs profefs to place much dependence on the honor, wifdom and valor of Britons, from which they hope for their interference in preventing the profecution of prefent meafures. They make great profeffions of loyalty: but declare, that they will not tamely submit to the perfecution and tyranny of a

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cruel ministry; and that they are determined to die or be free. They appeal to Heaven for the juftice of their caufe. Should not an accommodation take place, Heaven muft grant them its special protection, or they will be crushed before the power of Britain, notwithstanding all that the other colonies can do for them: unless the officers, who are employed against them, are not fupplied with an adequate force, or are wretchedly defective in courage, inclination, activity, prudence, or other military abilities: or unless fome foreign power, for its own intereft and to injure the parent ftate, takes them by the hand. Their military ftores are fcarce worth mentioning. They reckon upon fixteen field pieces. It is well if fix of them are calculated for much actual fervice. There are four brafs ones, of a fmall fize, that may anfwer a good purpose. They have a few large iron cannon, two or three mortars and howitzers, cannon ball, and fhells; but they have only eighty-two half barrels of powder belonging to the public ftore; most towns have a small quantity, that however will be foon exhausted. Confidering what ought to be the case, to warrant a reasonable expectation of fuccefs, in a military conteft with a nation that abounds in all the apparatus of war, they may be pronounced deftitute of every article but men; and, though these are not wanting in natural courage, it will take a confiderable time to make them thorough good foldiers. They have neither money nor magazines.

LET

THE

LETTER XIII.

London, June 12, 1775.

HE reftraining and fifhery bill did not pass through the house of lords with lefs oppofition than what it had met with in the house of commons. Upon the motion for committing it after the fecond reading, the marquis of Rockingham oppofed it with great ability; and in the course of his fpeech fhowed, that in 1704 the whole amount of the exports to the New England colonies was only about 70,000l. annually; that in 1754 it had arifen to 180,000l. in the fucceeding ten years to 400,000l. and in the last ten years had nearly doubled that fum.

The bill was carried by a majority of more than three to one; but was productive of a proteft, figned by fixteen lords. It is particularly diftinguished, by the fevere cenfure paffed upon a lord high in office, who in the late debates, moft unadvisedly threw out a charge of general cowardice against the Americans.

The fishery bill had fcarcely cleared the houfe of commons, when Lord North brought in another, "To Mar. restrain the trade and commerce of the colonies of New 9. Jerfey, Pennfylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and South Carolina, to Great Britain, Ireland, and the British islands in the Weft Indies, under certain conditions and limitations." While this bill was in agitation, a long feries

of

20.

of evidence, in behalf of the Weft India merchants and planters, was laid before the house. It appeared, that upon a very moderate computation, the capital in the West India islands, confifting of lands, buildings, negroes, and stock of all kinds, did not amount to less than fixty millions fterling; that their exports of late years to Britain, ran to about 190,000 hogfheads and puncheons of fugar and rum annually; amounting in weight to 95,000 tons, and in value about 4,000,000l. exclufive of a great number of fmaller articles, and of their very great export to North America; that their growth was fo rapid, and improvement fo great, that within a few years, their export of fugar to this kingdom was increafed 40,000 hogfheads annually, amounting to about 800,000l. in value. The probability was apparent, that more than half of the capital of 60,000,000l. was either the immediate property of perfons refident in this country, or owing to them; and also that the revenue gained above 700,000l. a year upon the direct West India trade, exclufive of its eventual and circuitous products, and of the African trade.

Mr. Burke made a number of conciliatory propofitions with respect to the colonies, contained in a fet of refolutions, which he accompanied and elucidated by a celebrated speech. He traced that unconquerable fpirit of freedom, that violent paffion for liberty, by which the colonists are diftinguished from all other people of the world, from the fources of their defcent, education, manners, religious principles, forms of government, and distance from the head of the empire. He made it appear, that the whole exports to North America, the Weft Indies and Africa, in 1704, (from England it

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