The New Hampshire Gazette And Historical Chronicle

A Letter from London, of the 10th of March, encloses the following Sentiments, as delivered in an august Assembly the 5th of that Month.

R. B--ckf--d urged the Repeal of the whole Act from the Principles of Reason and Justice, that British Commodities ought to be exported free of all Duties to America, as the best Method of preventing Smuggling; he declared, he did not found any thing he said on the Observations of the B--n Merchants on Some Acts of Parliament passed in the Reign of his present Majesty, though he must confess he had read it; that it was an absurd and contemptible Performance ;---these Merchants in the Strength of their Wisdom insisting that if their great Naval Officer and all the other Custom-House Officers were taken away, and a free Trade allowed them to every Quarter of the World, that then, their Trade would greatly increase, and they would grow much richer,--- they would then send all their Money to Britain to purchase our Superfluities ; that however these Declarations of laying out their Money with us, were not much to be credited whilst they boasted so much of their Oeconomy. He then observed, that the B--n Merchants would grow richer if a free Trade was allowed them, nobody could doubt; but such a Plan was contrary to the Interest of Great-Britain, and subversive of the very Intent of permitting Colonization ; the Meaning of which was to increase the Trade of the Mother-Country, by extending her Settlements, and binding and confining the Trade of those Settlements to the Mother-Country.

Mr. P--wn--ll, who spoke next, said, that he agreed with the Hon. and worthy Magistrate, who spoke last, in his Opinion of the Pamphlet entitled Observations, &c. by the B--n Merchants, that he would found nothing he had to say on such ridiculous Ground, that he had indeed seen the Pamphlet, and that the Writer's Name had been mentioned to him, that altho' he was well acquainted in that Town and Province, he had never before heard of the Man, &c. &c.

L--d C--th--m in the upper House said, That he loved America, because it was the Seat of Liberty, but that he was afraid, that the Americans had gone too far,---that whenever he found that they were attacking the Sovereignty of Great-Britain, no Man in that House would be more ready to correct them than he should.