The New Hampshire Gazette And Historical Chronicle

Messrs Edes and Gill, or some of their Hireling Writers,
who are become so accustomed to Libel and Defamation, that
they never take up the Pen without charging it with Poison of
Scandal and Detraction to discharge at their Betters, have been
pleased to gratify their favourite Passion by informing the Pub-
lic in their Paper of Monday last, by Way of Letter from this
Town, though probably from its contents, first conceived in
their dirty Office, or in the Brain of some conceited Son of
Asculapius---

"Notwithstanding the Printers of the
New-Hampshire Gazette, (to please a Little
great Man) have been base and affrontive
enough to couple the infamous and notori-
ous Joshua How, with the honorable Peter
Livius, Esq; a Gentleman, whose character
is too well known to be ever affected with
such dirty & pitiful Invectives; yet, more
than three Quarters of the Inhabitants of
the Province of New-Hampshire. wish the
important Intelligence in Regard to Mr:
Livius's Appointments to be true, for the
very Purposes mentioned in the Paragraph
in your Paper."

What they mean by coupling those Persons together we are
at a loss to guess. The Paragraph respecting Mr. Livius, (a
Gentleman with whom we always had a very good Understanding
during his Residence in this Province, and respected as a
Gentleman of superior Abilities) was copied verbatim from
the Boston Gazette. But the Reflection, in the latter Part of
said Paragraph on some Characters in this Province, too well
known to be ever AFFECTED with such dirty and pitiful In-
vectives, led us to conclude the Letter was written in Boston
or Portsmouth, by some such as the Printers of the Boston Ga-
zette, whose Summum Bonum seems to be to scatter the Seeds of
Strife & Sedition, and occasioned our Remarks at the Bottom of
it. The other Extract respecting How, was sent us by a Gentle-
man, but we were ignorant with what View, and knew not but
that the Intelligence was true. But that this contained any
"dirty or pitiful Invective" on the Character of Mr. Livius,
or can be said to couple him with Howe, will require more
Logic than the Printers of the Boston Gazette, or any of their
Scribblers are, Masters of, to prove, We know of no Conjunction
either copulative or disjunctive there was to couple them,
unless the Position of the Paragraphs may be thought to con-
nect them, which would make sad work if applied to all Par-
agraphs that follow one another in a News Paper. How the
Letter Writer came by his Knowledge, that "more than three
Quarters of the People of this Province, wish the important In-
telligence in regard to Mr. Livius's Appointments to be true
for the Purposes mentioned in said Paragraph," we cannot de-
termine, unless he pick'd it up from some Gossips at a Meeting of
the Worshippers of the Goddess Lucina. The People of this
Province have never that we could learn, met to speak their
Minds on the Occasion, nor to tell their Grievances, which it
is said they labour under.----But to complete the Paragraph and
render the Intelligence more famous, Messrs Edes and Gill,
are pleased to add, that Robert Fowle, Printer, &c. having
thro' the Interest of a Relation, solicited the ----- Honorable
Board of Commissioners. a Place in the Custom-House in Pis-
cataqua, they have appointed him Tidewaiter. In Answer to
which he has only to say, that like most of their other Intelli-
gence, it is premature and founded in a Mistake; that he never
solicited such a Place, and that he does not, and never did hold
any Post in the Custom-House. Though he thinks it more
honorable to hold any Post under the Government, than to
spend his Time in libelling and railing at the Rulers of the
People.