The New Hampshire Gazette And Historical Chronicle

From the PUBLIC LEDGER.
London, October 7. 1774.

TO LORD NORTH.

My LORD,

To compleat the Designs of Tyranny, when they are levelled against the Rights of a BRAVE & FREE People, requires a stretch of Wisdom far beyond the Compass of your Lordship's Abilities; much, very much, have you yet to learn in the School of Machiavel, before you can be equal to such an Attempt. I doubt not but you'll be convinced of this Truth, long before the Heats you have WANTONLY raised in America are allayed. The Facility with which you have so DARINGLY VIOLATED the Constitutional Rights of this Country has caused you to over-rate your political Capacity: elated with the Vanity of your own Importance, you have proudly supposed your Measures to have been framed with such high trained Policy and Wisdom, that they could not fail of their desired Success.-- On THIS Presumption you have audaciously ventured to attack the LIBERTIES of AMERICA; but the Ruin you are drawing upon yourself in this Attempt must inevitably crush you. You have FALSELY estimated the public Virtue of that Country according to your Knowledge of the Corruption of this: here, my Lord, every Opposition against you has been formed and conducted on such narrow & SELFISH Principles, that it has tended more to assist than to prevent the Execution of your Designs. Our Leaders of Party are so prone to Corruption, that they have not the Resolution to refuse the ensnaring Baits which are offered them; all they contend for is, who shall first seize on the Spoils of their devoted Country: the Men who are loudly professing the Virtues of Patriotism, have hearts incapable of FEELING the generous Sentiments it inspires; well may your Lordship triumph over SUCH Opponents; Men who are ever jarring amongst themselves, and whose Actions are governed by Views of INTEREST ALONE, can never be FORMIDABLE to a Minister, who has the TREASURY of Great-Britain to support him. Adversaries far different from such as these, my Lord, you will now find you have to contend with in America; the Unanimity and GLORIOUS SPIRIT of the Inhabitants of that Part of the British Empire threaten an Opposition much more dangerous than any you have yet encountered; the same NOBLE ARDOR in the Cause of LIBERTY, which Englishmen formerly possessed, the Americans now feel; they, my Lord, will not be deluded by your PLAUSIBILITY. they know their own Consequence, and are determined to assert and maintain their Independency; they are aware of the insatiate Lust of Power which now rages in this Kingdom, and know, that should they in a single Instance submit to any Infringement of their Liberties, PRETENCES would never be wanting to ROB them of their RIGHTS, till, by Degrees, they were deprived of all the solid Advantages they have hitherto, as Freemen, enjoyed.

The contemptible Situation to which we have suffered Ourselves to be reduced, has warned them to be vigilant in the Preservation of their Liberties. From their intimate Knowledge how inseparably the Interests of the two Countries are UNITED, they have wisely chosen a Mode of Opposition which has completely disconcerted all your villainous Schemes of TYRANNY and BLOOD: Your Lordship's Hopes, of FORCING their Submission with the Point of the Bayonet, thank Heaven! are blasted. Should you be SUFFERED to proceed, these Powers of this Country, without any open Act of Resistance on the Part of America, will be so weakened in the Contest as never to be restored. Such, my Lord, is the evil Tendency of your Measures, that, without any one Advantage attending their Execution, every MISCHIEF that can be dreaded this Country must suffer. should you OBSTINATELY and WICKEDLY continue your Attempt to enforce Slavery on the Americans.

I would, my Lord, I could rouse my Countrymen from the State of Inactivity and Corruption in which they are enthralled: could they be prevailed on to join VIGOROUSLY in Opposition with their Brethren in America, they would soon overthrow their Oppressors, send you to a SCAFFOLD, and restore the almost forgotten Liberties of their Country. But THIS is not alas, to be expected: Englishmen seem to have lost all Sense of PUBLIC VIRTUE: the AMERICANS are now the only Subjects of Great-Britain, who DESERVE to enjoy the Rights of Freemen; their spirited Resolutions prove them not degenerated in Principle from their Fathers; it is on their Virtue we must rely for Redress; their noble Behaviour, in so firmly opposing your Lordship's TYRANNY, may be the Means of restoring our lost Privileges, & our Descendants shall gratefully acknowledge that the LIBERTIES of ENGLAND were preserved in AMERICA.

Gracchus.