The New Hampshire Gazette

Continuation of the Letter addressed to Two Great Men, begun in our last but one.

And you have any Dealings with a Power, who, if he refuses this, at the very Time he is treating, affords you such manifest Proof, that his Word is not to be relied upon, and that you cannot trust to the Execution of any Promises ever so solemnly made?

Perhaps France may think it a Disgrace to them, to comply with any thing previous to the beginning of a Negociation.

Tell them, that acting honourably, and doing what Justice requires, can never be disgraceful. But if it be a Disgrace, tell them, with the Spirit of honest Men, that we owe it them, for the greater Disgrace they put, not long ago, upon us, by requiring us to send two Peers of this Realm to remain in France as Hostages, till we surrendered Louisburg?

An Indignity which I cannot call to mind, without Pain; and which, I always thought, was submitted to without Necessity.

It is now our Turn to vindicate the Honour of our Nation; and as Dunkirk was put into our Possession before the Treaty of Utrecht, as a Pledge of the French Sincerity, and to continue in our Possession, till the Demolition should be completed; let some such Expedient be now agreed upon; with this Difference only, that instead of five Months after the Peace, the Time fixed for the Demolition, at Utrecht, let no Peace be signed, at present, 'till this Right acquired to us by former Treaties, and of which we have been so perfidiously robbed, be actually carried into full Execution.

However, if any insuperable Difficulties should attend the doing ourselves Justice, on this Head, before the Peace; if, for Instance, which perhaps may be the Case, it should be found that it cannot be complied with, unless we consent to a Cessation of Arms, during the Time of Negociation: rather than give France that Opportunity of recovering from its Distresses, and of being protected from the Superiority of our Arms, before we have finally obliged them to accept of our own Terms of Peace (which was one Cause of the Ruin of our Negociation at Utrecht) I would wave insisting upon the Demolition of Dunkirk, before the Treaty, and think it sufficient to demand Hostages from them, as a Security that it shall be faithfully complied with, within a limited Time after the Treaty shall be concluded. The Parisians had two English Milords to stare at, upon the last Peace; and I do not see why the Curiosity of our Londoners should not be gratified, in the same Way; and two Dukes & Pairs of France be sent as Hostages to England, till Dunkirk cease to be a Port.

I know well, that political Opinions concerning the Importance of any particular Object, are as frequently dictated by Whim and Fashion, as built on solid Reason and Experience. Perhaps, some may think, that this is the Case, with Regard to the Necessity of demolishing Dunkirk. But, tho' it may not at present be so favourite an Object of National Politics, as it was in the Queen's Time; this has not been owing to any real Change of Circumstances; but to another Cause, to the American Disputes between the two Nations, which have been the great Object of the present War, and scarcely permitted us, hitherto, to reflect, in what other Instance, the Infidelities of France must be checked at the ensuing Peace.---But as this desirable Event now approaches, we cannot forget, or forgive the behaviour of our Enemies with Regard to Dunkirk: and it will be equally necessary for the Honour and for the Interest of this Nation, to make no Peace, without obtaining full Satisfaction on this Head.

It will be necessary for the Honour of the Nation to insist upon this, if it were only, to shew to Europe in general, and to France in particular That we have too much Spirit not to resent Injuries; and too much Wisdom not to take Care, when we have it happily in our Power, to prevent them for the future. -- But the Demolition of Dunkirk, is also necessary, if we would take Care of the Interest of the Nation. Such hath been our Success, in destroying the Navy of France; and so unable doth that Kingdom now appear, to carry on its ambitious Projects by Land, and to vie at the same Time, with England, for Dominion on the Sea; that we may reasonably suppose, there is an End of Brest and Toulon Squadrons, to face our Fleets; and a future War with England, will leave the French no other Way of distressing us by Sea, than to lie in watch for our Merchant Ships, with numberless Privateers. In such a piratical War, Dunkirk, if its Harbour be not now destroyed, will, too late, be found to be of infinite Consequence; and we shall fatally experience it again, what it was in the Queen's Time, and in the Language of her Parliament, a Nest of Pyrates, infesting the Ocean, and doing infinite Mischief to Trade.

For these Reasons, therefore, I am so old fashioned as to expect that our Plenipotentiaries will have this Point properly stated to them in their Instructions, and that Delenda est Carthago, Demolish Dunkirk, will be a Preliminary Article in the ensuing Negociation.

The War having begun, principally, with a View to do ourselves Justice in North America, the Regulation of Matters, on that Continent, ought to be, and no Doubt, will be, the capital Article relating to England, in the coming Treaty. It will be necessary, therefore, to give you my Sentiments, on this Head; and while I do it, with all becoming Diffidence, I shall, at the Same Time, support what I may offer, with Reasons appearing so strong to me, as may perhaps recommend it to your farther Consideration, though it should fail of producing Conviction.

[To be continued.]