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Cooper, at the Ghhe, in Pater' nofter Row, I755. [Price Sixpence] ','> \ ii[ /> '%:., ::C.ii> :-.;., ■■:;:, ■r ■ A LETTER FROM A Member of Parliament, ^c. My Lord Duke, F])@C)^3T this Period, when all Europe ^ ^ has its Attention fixed upon the kMMjH^ Condu6l of the Miniilers of Greaf Bj'ifain-y when the Meafures that fhall be taken after his Majefty's Return, are what will decide a Point of the great- ell Importance to all the Potentates of our Hemifphere 5 I thought I might without Offence, addrefs this Epiftle to your Grace, wherein, I flatter myfelf, you will find fome Obfervations, which in the Hur- ry of Affairs might efcape your Grace's Notice, and at the fame time, not only be worthy of Attention, but facilitate the B Execu- ■'"^ ■ [2] Execution of thofe Mcafurcs, which may be judged the mofc expedient. After a Twelve-month's ineelTant Pre- paration, we find ouifclves every Da\ nearer approach towards the open Gates of 'Jcmus.' — Mars, who has lately made a Journey to the new World, feems haflening back to his ancient Seatj and Minerva, wlio has only efpicd from far the Conflia, and little afTifted with her Councils, prefides (according to the bcft Accounts of that Goddefs) at Whitehall. My Lord, it were trite to acquaint your Grace, who undoubtedly has the heft In- formation, as well as the earhcft, with the Situation of Affairs in America : par- ticularly at this Crlfis, when every Shoe-, boy is fo far an Adapt in American Poli- tics, as to tell you we have taken the Al- cide and the Lvj, ^n^Bcaiipjcur, and Baye- njerte,^ and Braddoclis beat- nay killed, Yet I cannot be perfuaded, but that the Meafures taken upon this Head, may ap- pear in a very different Light to your Grace, i I V \ [3 J Grace, than what they do to nic— ^altho^ the Gazette never fails to let us have the rnofl ear/y, nmiiite, and i???partial Intelli^ gence which the Miniftry receives, and which regards the Nation. It feems ftill to be a Matter of great De- bate, and certainly will remain fo, with- out your Grace, or fome other at the Helm, has Indulgence enough to fet us, the Populace, right in this Point ; whether Admiral Bofcawen had peremptory Orders in his Infl:ru61:ions to feize upon any French Ships he fliould meet with in his PalTage to America provided they did not acl in a manner to be efteemed Ene-- mies Ships, either by landing their Troops upon our Poirefiiions, or intercepting us in our Voyage ? Or, whether the Capture of thefe Ships, was made in Confequenc« of the French Commanders not paying the Compliment to the Eritijii Flag ? And although this may appear a Matter of ve- ry little Confequence to many unacquaint-^ ed with the Punftilios of maritime Af- B fairs. [ 4 1 fairs, permit me to fay, my Lord, this makes a very eflemial Difterence, not on- ly in Regard to the Legality of thePrizes, but alfo in the Juftice there may be in the French making Reprifals on us. I am not unapprifed of the Anfwers every Ignoj-amus^ in the prefent Syflem of Politics, will make to thefe Queftions nay I will anticipate them. Have not the French feized on our juft Pofleffions in North America, built Forts along the Ohio, though running through our Provinces oi Carolina, Virginia^ &c. Have they not ufurped five Sixths of No^'a Scotiay which they ceded to us by Treaty ? • Yes, they have done this, and a great deal more but what then ? My Lord, what then ? 1 do not forget I am writing to an able Statefman, unprejudiced by po- pular Clamour, who has Knowledge enough to form a juft Judgment, and Refolution enough to abide by it : there- fore, my Lord, it is from your Grace I fhould I II ^ ^ ■* [ 5] flioukl be fortunate in having an Anfwer to thefe Quellions. As long as the War was bounded to the Continent of America, Fallacy and the moft fophifticated Arguments, could never have made us appear the Aggref- fors : for notvvithftanding the falfe Repre- fentations of the French Court, in all thofe of Europe, every impartial, unpre- judiced Perfon, muift be com^nced of our juft Pretenfions to Acadia, or No- *va Scotia j not only according to its anci- ent, but Its modern Limits j and in fpite of the equivocating Interpretation of the Difference between ceding and rejloring^ the Treaty of Uirccht poffeffes Great Bri- tain of Acadia^ or No'-oa Scotia, not only to the full Extent of its anciv^nt Limits, but alfo of all the Lands and Appurte- nances generally underftood to belong to Acadia, or Nova Scotia-, and upon which the King ofFr^;/^^ could claim any Right, either by Treaty, or any other Way what- foever. So that there can remain no Doubt [ 6 ] Doubt of Frances having not tlic leaft Title or Claim, to any of the Lands that go under the Appellation of Nova Scotia or Acadia » As to our back Settlemcr s, which the French have incroached upon, the difintere/led Part oi Europe muft needs be equally conclufive in our Favour -, for laying afide the different Grants or Charters, which the French pretend are of no Validity, and even the firft Difco- very of thofe Lands, we muft needs have a very juft Title to them, fmce we have either bought them of the Natives, or had the French to own the Inhabitants of them our lawful Subjeds. Therefore, my Lord, there cannot be the leaft Doubt, but allE//- rope muft be appiifed of the Juftnefs of our Caufe, and that wlien the French built Forts upon any Part of thefe our PofTef- fions, I juft mentioned, they ufurped our Property, and that according to the Law of all Nations, we had a juft Right to drive them off". 1 4 I .1 But, f I. I [7] But, my Lord, wlien we began Jlofti- lities by Sea, the Scene fhiftcd France notified to all Europe we were the Aggref- fors ; Spain was immediately called upon to make good her Engagements with France. Holland was told, if fhe took Part in a Rupture between Engla7id and France, her Frontiers would be demolifli- ed, and her Towns facked (this was the Englljlj of it though it may run more glib in French.) Genoa was fummoned to keep herfelf in Readinefs, in Cafe of any extraordinary Operations in the Me- diterranean and as to the King of Na^ pies, we may very well fuppofe, he is not backward of improving the moft P:rewd Hint, fquinted from the Court of Madrid, Indeed we were told, on the other Hand, that the King of PniJIia was fafl very faft in our Alliance (but the tighteft Knot is the fooneft apt to break) that a Treaty with the King of Sardinia was up- on the Point of being concluded, where- ? by IF [S] by he would engage to furnifh a ^lota of Troops, to oppofe the Meafures of the Houfe of Bourbon in Italy • that 8000 Heffians, and 6000 Saxe Gothians, were engaged in the Evglijh Service which, with the Quotas of the Elector of Bavaria, the jMperialip, and Hanoverians, would make a very pretty Figure in the Empire efpecially when joined by that numerous Set of Ruffians, to the Number of 70000, that the Czari- na furniflies to the King of Great Britain, in Confequence of a late Convention. This, my Lord, is what the Public has been told, by reiterated Articles in the public Papers ; the Truth of which your Grace is the befl Judge. As we have not been initiated in this Ar- canum of prefcnt Politics, by any fupreme Authority ; I hope, my Lord, my making a few Comments thereon, will neither give OiTence to your Grace, nor any other Perfon in or out of Power. The 1^ , Qf p we are to look upon as I % I 1^= as [9] as an Ally, as well as the K- — of aS*— -J and yet the fiift has refufed a Paflagci tlu'o' his Dominions to our other Allies the RiiJIiain, when th«y were going to march' in the Empire to preferve a certain facred Spot, which Ihall be here anonymous; and his ^ n M has amicably adjuftcd his Difference with France^ for the Violation of the Laws of Nations,- infeizinga Criminal upon his Territories, when the King of Sm-dinia had fo fine ail Opportunity of breaking with the Court of France, in order to engage in the Al- liance with the Court of Great Britain^ to oppofe the Meafures of the Houfe of Bourbon in Italy, If this be the Cafe, as it really appears, by feveral different Accounts received ; what Reafon can we have to beHeve that his P—n M will a6l in favour of Great Bri- tain hereafter, v/hen a Rupture fhall break out, in cafe he enters into no Alliance with hts M during his Stay at Han-- over, and as the Foundation c " that A.U C liance' mesm . [ lo ] liance (eems to be entirely fap'd, by the Breaking off the Negotiation that was upon the Tapis, for the Marriage of the Prince of Wak^ with a Niece of his P n M y ? Indeed fome may imagine, that a Ceffion on the Part of his Britannic Majefty of all his Pre- tenfions to the Province of Eajl Frife- landi in Favour of the K — of P ^, may induce the latter to take Part in the Quarrel on the Side of England. But fup- pofe it fhould not, *tis believed the Relin- quifliing any further Right to the Refidue of the Silefia Loan, with the Intereft due thereon, may go a great Way towards foft- ening: his P •n M. •'s Behaviour at leaft prevent his aflifting France with above 100,000 Men. And as this Silefia Loan is but a Trifle for the Sub- )e6ls of Great Britain to lofe, efpecially when it is for the Benefit of the common Caufe, I fee no Reafon why this Meafure Ihould not be followed. As to any felf- interefted Visw preventing it, I am fure, upon § % w f II] upon proper Application to our H ■, the Sufferers might be indemnified their Lofs, efpecially at this Time when England does not owe above 80,000,000 /, and has not engaged to pay Subfidies to foreign Potentates, to the Value of above one hun- dred and fifty Thoufand Pounds yearly. But, my Lord, to be ferious, can you devifc any Hopes of engaging the K of P in our Alliance, as long as French Louis-d'Ors and H -r excite him to Arms? My Lord, they have too many Charms for any ambitious, po- litic Prince to withftand. And though fome deep retrofpe^live Politicians, who judge of the future by the paft, aflure us very emphatically, that the K of P as Syftem of Politics will be in this War as inthelaft -and that he will prefer holding the Scales to be put in the Balance; everyone acquainted with pub- lic Affairs, knows the Change the Syflem of Europe has underwent fince the Treaty of Jix, will never permit this Prince to be C2 z 7 i" H' [ 12 ] a inere Spe^lator and indeed it were idle to imagine It, when one takes a View of his numerous Arny, fu much augment- ed and fo well difcipjlned. As to the King of Sardinia, Probahility tells us he will be neuter, as long as the Situation of Affairs does not obli2:e him to openly fide with either Party- — -then, indeed, perhaps he may become our Ally, becaufe Britijh Fleets in the Mediterrane- an arc looked upon as great Safeguards to his PodefTions. Stain undoubtedly has affured our Mi- niftry ('tis faid) that fhe will take no Part in the Mifunderftanding between England and Trance — \ as long as 'tis confncd to America Vv^hat can be more explicit ? • and yet we feem to build upon this AfTurance, as if Europe was added to jime- rica. While England and France contend about fettling their Limits in the new World, and the only Conqueft either makes \s a fmall Fort or two, and then lofes its Advantage in the Lofs of as many, there is *? ! - 1 II [ 13 ] IS no Danger of either France or England!^ entirely polTefling the Continent of North America \ notwithftanding what fome of our Outrcc-rodomontade Journalifts may conje6lure There is nothing fo eafy as conquering Empires with Pen and Ink and yet we find a great DifRcul* ty in difpofTeffing the French of a fmgle Fort, with jive and twenty Hundred Men z%2Cix\^ fifteen I I cannot help obferving in this Place, that I very much fear thefe ex- travagant, pretended, patriot Journalifts, in- ilead of rendering their Writings of any real Service, produce very bad Effe6ls-— A Parcel of raw young Officers read thefe Excrcfcences of the Prefs with much greater Attention than they do any good Treatife upon the military Art Fortification, or Geography {if at all) ; and by forming their Opinions, in Confequence of thefe diurnal Gafconades, they imagine the French Troops a cowardly, ftarved Set of Bandit- ti^ that will run away at the Smock of the fii'ft Britijh Canfjon^ and by giving no At- tention 3 t H] tention to a Plan of Operations, requifite to be pLirfuedj in Cafe they iliould not be quite fuch Poltroons, we are defeated—- where nothing but the greateil Want of Forefight could prevent the Enemy's Fall. I hope your Grace will forgive this Di- grelTion, which forced itfelf upon me, and which I wifh found no Place in this Let- ter for Want of Foimdation. But, my Lord, to refume. While the Conteft, or rather War, between England and France is confined to America^ I readily believe neither ^pain or any other Euro- fean Power will meddle in the Broil; it would be impolitic in them to do other- wife, as well as not endeavour to continue this Mifunderftanding to that Part of the World only, as long as pofTible ; and the Reafon is evident: England and France are, undoubtedly, the two greateft Mo- narchies in the World ; not only confi- dered as maritime Powers, but as King- doms in regard to their Commerce, Pow- er, Wealth. Every Thing combines to make t I I n :i i ! : ■ ' 1' i [ 15] make them not only envied by all the other Potentates of the Globe, but alfo feared. . Jealo'^fy is a clofe Attendant upon Fear, as well as Love. This premifed, France^ ever ambitious of extending its Commerce as v^ell as Dominion, vi^ill never fail to ufe every Artifice of accomplilhing both. England^ the only Power which keeps France in awe, is as ready to prevent her Incroachments. Therefore Europe, Afri^ cay Afia or America, muft ever be the Quar- ter where thefe jarring Powers contend. As to Afia and Africa the PofTeffions of both are there fo fmall, and only as Efta- bhfhments under the Aufpices of the Po- tentates of thofe Spheres; that there ne- ver can occur any Broils in thofe Climes which can affea the Tranquillity of Eu- rope direaiy, or fufficiently attrad the Attention of both Powers, as to fecure that Tranquillity which muft ever be in Danger when France and England have not fome remoter Object to contend for. America then remains the only Point (be- fide M m i . . isv [ ,6] fide Europe) that can fufficiently animate them to be earneltly ferious about the Con- fequence. And indeed, my Lord, it is no Wonder it fhould, when all its Ad- vantages are confidered 1 could write Volumes upon th-^m, without exhaufting the Subje6t .n a Word, my Lord, America (I mean the Continent called North America ) is divided between the E77glifiy French and Natives j the latter pofTening very little, as to Power, Riches but much as to Extent of Land * a natural Confequence of their Strength being abforbed by the other two potent Adverfaries. It is, my Lord, the only real Seminary of Commerce and Naviga-^ tion, in the Univerfe. The Powers of Europe^ therefore, will be very well fatisfied, when the Con- tinent thereof is not to be made the Theatre of Action for the Contenti- on of the commercial Interefts and Glo- ry of Great Britain and France, The Fable of the earthen and brafs Pots failing together. '% •I I i tl- o- he ng ■.a I ■A' i - "t t '7 3 together, has for Moral the Danger there is of having too potent Neighbours * Wliat mufl the Danger be then for In* feriors, where two, ♦"he mofl potent Neigh- bours, quarrel? It is very well if the firft do not receive many Blows in the Conflift from both Sides, and at laft have the Battle ehded at the Price of their Pro- perty, which mull be applied to aflWagc their Opponents. The mod refined Poli- tic then for all the fubordinate European Powers, is to prevent as much as pofTible flie War in America from reaching to Eu- rope or even of its difcontinuing in America. But fuppofe, my Lord, in fpite of all their Efforts, the Hydra War fliould fwim acrofs the wide Atlantic Sea and land up- on the Continent of Europe, Can any one then imagine the fubordinate Powers will not for their ownSafety (at Icaft the Expedaton of it) join in the then common Caufc, and fide with the moil powerful or moft advantageous Party? No, my D Lord, 1, [ i8] Lord, we mufl then expe6l to fee a Scene in Europe^ not only the moft bloody, but the moft general, that the Annals of our iEra can produce. Spain s Neutra- lity vanifhes inftantaneoully ; Naples and noa will not long be idle Speculators, no more (I very much fear) than the K of P and which Side thefe Powers will declare of, I have no Need to inform your Grace, fmce their Opponents will be Britons^ Iwperialijisy Saxons^ Hejpansy Ruf- ^^w,— — may I not add, my Lord, Dutch? no, I forgot, the French Court has impof- cd a Neutrality upon them, which they will to be fure obey, in Oppofition to all their Leagues with us, ofienfive and de- fenfive. Now image to yourfelf, my Lord, the Theatre of War in Eiirope a Diftribu- tion of hfipcrialijls and HeJJians in Italy, to oppofe Neapolitans and Genoefe\ and Bri" tonsy Saxonsy and RuJJians in the Empire, and the Low Coimtriesy to oppofe French andSpaniarJs, The Ottoman Porte may per- chance, i I I -sr 'i m [ '9 ] chance make a Divcrfion on the Con^ fines of Rujpa, by the AlTiflance of the Crim Tartars^ in Favour of France ^ and then the Rtijj'uim are fummoncd to their native Clime to keep the Turks in Awe, which may prove fatal to Germany as may a Diverfion in ^cotland^ in Favour of the Chevalier (which Lord protecfl us from !) by recalling our own Troops to af^ fift their fellow Countrymen. Suppofe, my Lord, we fucceed upon the Continent to the utmoft Extent of our Ge- nerals Wiflies, will your Grace take the Pains to inform me, if Great Britain will thereby gain the Advantage of a fmgle Acre to reimburfe her the hundred and fif- ty thoufand Pounds, Ihe pays in- Subfidies to foreign Potentates, to carry on the War ? I hope your Grace may not, by what I have advanced, mifconftrue the Drift of this Letter. I would not be underftood to recommend the pocketing of Affronts from France^ nor connive at her Encroachments ; but I fhould be glad our Admirals and D 2 Com- fi-n ■I T» [ so ] Commanders a6lcd conformable to their Inftiu£lions, and that no precipitate Mea^ fares were taken, which in the End might prove fatal to Great Britains true Inter» efts. With this View, my Lord, I hope the ParUament will be affcmbled foon af- ter his Majefty's Return, and that we may then be informed of the Meafures that have been purfued, with their Succefsj that after they have been maturely exa-^ mined in the Lords and our Houfe, fome Attention may be paid to our Deliberar. tions thereon, anteriorly to any Declara* tion oi War. That this Declaration of War" will then have Place, nemine con^ tradicente^ is my firm Opinion, according jto the little I am acquainted, at prefent, with public Affairs. But would to tlie Gods ! that War were a Sea War and an jfmericiin War onlyf and that the Con- tinent of Europe were as little know© to Ti^, in that Rcfped, as the Contm«nt of tli^ npw World was 3.09 Years agQ» •t .V M Ibe> I of be- [2. ] I believe I need not take mu'^h Pains to convince your Grace, how little England is concerned in the Affairs of the Continent, {b long as France's Power is not fwclled beyond the Bounds, which limit the Safe- ty of Europe, Nor need I afTurc you, that when her Marine docs not exceed the Number or Force of the Ships, which com- pofed it at the Beginning of the lafl War, England need no Way fear her being ri- valed in the Dominion of the Seas; or that when France is hemmed within her juft Limits of America^ our Strength there will not always countcrpoife her's in Eu- rope, Now according to the beft and moft authenticated Accounts that we have had of the French Fleet, it confirts at prefent of 92 Ships, of which 63 are of the Line : our Fleet is compofed of 336 Ships, of which. 148 are of the Line of Battle ——a Fleet fufiiciently powerful to make Head againfk that of France , though much augmented, even if it were joined by that of Spain. Our [22] Our American Colonics arc peopled with Inhabitants, not only rich ana powerful,^ but numerous, when compared to the French in thofe Parts, as the Proportion of- twenty to one. Our Settlements there fo finely fituaied along the Coaft, that no Fewer on Earth can prevent our landing and embarking what Number of Troops, Ammunition, ^c, we pleafe ; which is not the Cafe with thofe oi France^ which have/ no other Communication with the Ocean, ihan by the River St. Laurence th. ough the Gulf of the fame Name, and by the River Mijjifipi through the Bay of Mexico^ both which Communications might, with . Facility, be blocked up. In this Situation, my Lord, what can prevent our i educing the Marine oi France ^ to the Standard it was at the Beginning of the laft War ; or circumfcribing the Bounds of the French in America with- in their legal Limits ? I will anfwer, for your Grace;, nothing but the Want of a pro- per Regulation in Regard to our maritime and ' 1 [23 ] and American Affairs. Let the moft ex- perienced Sea- Officers (whofe Names I ve- nerate) have the Command of our glori- ous Fleet, which when manned with able, true Britijh Tars (fure of their Wages and Prize-money, without being left the Prey of Purfers and petty Agents) muft bear away every Thing that oppofes it. Let the Power and Authority of American G rs be properly circumfcribed, fo that they may be rather diminifhed, than the Liberties of the People : then we ihall not hear of Money-Bills being refufed Af- fent a Twelvemonth together, while pub- lic Affairs demanded their being im- mediately pafTed, through the Caprice, or fomething worfe, of a G r. This, my Lord, will go far towards eftablifhing Unanimity in our Colonies, fo much want- ed, and fo little there endeavoured at, by thofe who ought the moft to promote it. And in this Cafe, I cannot fee why the legi- flative Power is not to interfere, as (we are to fuppofe) every other has failed : but as I am wm r',r ;'; [H] am Informed, from good Hands, this is to come very foon under the Infpedtion of our H c, I fhall add only this, that great Circumfpeclionflioiild be obferved in the Choice of that Officer who is to be in- verted with the Command in Chief of our Troops in that Part : for as a good Intel- ligence between tlie different Provinces, and in particular between the Affemblies and Governors, will diligently plan and provide for the Safety of our Pofleflion^ ; fo the Execution of thefe Plans, by Offi- cers who have Heads as well as Hearts, wil^ leave little Room for future Pam" phkteers^ pretended Geographej^s, and News^ Writers, to animadvert upon the Incroach- ments of the French in North America, This, my Lord, is what I, and every Briton ftiould, wiih to fee take Place ; and if, by thefe Means, the War might be pre- vented from reaching the Continent of Europe, we might very reafonably expefl: to fee it terminated very foon, to the Glo*- ry and Advantage of Great Britain and 2 her I! \ ^6 her American Colonies. Then, my Lord, that fagacious Adminiftration, which fo fortunately fleers at the Helm, would be enabled to continue the Redu6lion of the national Debt j which, in Spite of all fo- phijiicated, venal y and f elf winter eft ed Argu- ments, can never be beneficial to the State^ but, on the Contrary, *iiufl necefTitate the Continuation of thofe Taxes, which I fear the Indigent (which in every Country are the Multitude) but too hea,!ly feel. If I were not afraid to engrofs too much of your Grace's Time, which is fo preci- ous to the Nation, as well as yourfelf, particularly at this Period, I very likely might have fwelled this Letter with a few more Pages j but at prefent I fliall take Leave of your Grace, with only adding, I have the Honour to be, I i I % My Lord, September i, »7S5- Tour Grace's very humble Servant* /•i ■ /