The New Hampshire Gazette Newspaper, March 31, 1758, Page 1

i b 4 « E}’}IDAY, MarcH 31. 1758. NeW-Hampfhire Conmim‘ng the Frefbef? Advices From the NEW AMERICAN MAGAZINE, for Janvary 1758. To the AUTHOR, & Sir, X 8§ 1 perceive by the propofals, thal one part of you Magazine is referved for colle@ions or extralts “from eminent authors upon the moft curious fubjells ; - certainly no fubjel¥ can be more interefling, moving, or more deferving a [erious concern and attention, than the prefent miferable flate of the nothern colonies. Newer awas more occafion for the eloguence of a Demofthenes 2o recover the peaple from their political depravity awith avhich thiir fpirits feem fo much affefled, as to difre- gard the dangers which threaten the total ruin and de- Sfolution of their country. At this important crifis, every eye fhould be watchful for the fafety of the Britith go- wernment ; every band firetched out for its preferrvation ; Since upon this bafis the mnfi unarbitrary, and confe- qaently the moft excellent conflitution in the avorid is Sounded. Thercfore 1 have feletted fome fragments from Mpy. Francis's Demofthenes, /o fimilarly agreeing with the prefent period, that was it not desmonfirable they avere. deliver’d in the vogth Olbympiad, avithout any great depth of penetration, we might, imagine them cal- calated for the Britith Colonies, only making the proper didinGion. For which veafon 1pray the privilege of your Magazine, to communicate them to my conntrymen of North-America, by way of addrefs, awith my ar- dent aifberthat by the pungent coercive-arguments there snforced, the prefent indolent difpofition. of the -colonifis may be fo animated and enlivened,as tounite their bearts, pheir councils, and their arms, in the common defence, 1 am, Your hearty Friend, : AGRICOLA. ‘An ADDRESS 1o the feveral Britith Celonies upon vhe ; Northern Continent of America. Felix, quem faciunt aliena pericula cautum. LTHO’ many remonftrances, O my couatrymen, of America, having been madé in almoft every Affembly upon this continent, of the violent atls of ; 2%, hoitility which the French have com- mitted, not againft us only, but againt other parts of his majefty’s dominions in Europe ; altho’ I am fenfible we unanimoufly declare (tho’ we fail to act in purfuance of that declaration) that it becomes the dignity of thefe calonies to fpeak, and in every fin- gle inftance, to behave in fuch 2 manner, that our e- nemies may becheck’d in the progre(s of théir info- lence, and {iffer the chaftifement they mierit ; yet if you are further willing to hear what falutary counfel may be without flattery propofed toyou, I am ready to offer it : However numerous the loffes we have faftained by our indolence and inalion may be, if you will even a& as your interefts demand, every thing may ftill be kappily condufted. et Let it be therefore our firft refolution O my coun- trymen, not to difpair of our prefent fituation, how- ever diftrefled; fince even the worlt circumftances in your paft condut is now become the beft foundation for your future hopes.— What circumftance ?— That your never having afled 4s you ought, hath occafi- oned your misfortanes : For if you bad conftantly pirfued the meafures neceflary for your welfare, and ftill your country had continued thus diftrefled, the-e would not even a hope remain of its ever hereafter being in a happier fituation. _ If you could even now reflolve to form your con- du& upon thefe maxims, (which you have never yet regatded) if every man, dccording to his duty, and in proportion to his abilities, would render himfelf wifeful to the commaonity, and without difguifing or concealing thofe abilities; would a& with vigour and alacrity ; if evety fingle colony. will no longer ex- pect (whilft they themf{elves do little or nothing) that their neighbours will do every thing for them ; then , fhall you preferve (if fuch the will of heaven) what you now poffefs, recaver what you have loft by your inaQivity, and chaftife the French intruders. Bat if we fit indolently at home, hearing cur orators mutu- ally reproaching and accufing each other, never can that fuccefs we greatly want attend us, " Our vigilant and afpiring enemies, wifely confci- ous, that all thefe countries were placed as a com- mon prize of war betwen the contending parties : Thatin the very nature of things, to the prefent be- - Jong the poffeflions of the abfent: To them, who are willing to fupport the labour and attempt the danger, belong the treafures of the indolent. Afting upon thefe principles, they umiverfally fubdue and take pefledion ; fometimes by right of conquell; fometimes under name of frizndfhip and alliance. If we are convinced they are gur enemies, that they {poil us of our poffefions, that they ~have long in- fulted us, that our laft refource is in ourfelves ; and if we will not refolve to carry the warinto their country, we fhall be compelled to fupport it here in our own ; if we are convinced that thefe refleétions are juflt, we fhall form our degeées with honour and advantage to the common caufe, nor be influenced by frivolous and idle comjeftuses. For itdoth not concern you to look into futurity ; but to be well affured, that whatever is in fatarity will be to you molt miferable, if yoube not more attentive to the adminiftration, apd more a&ive ia the execation of your affairs. Y%u determine nothing of importance for yourfelves with regard to the war, nor ever pra- vide for an approaching event, until you hear fome new invafion hath already been or is immediately attempted. There was once perbaps a time when to have afted in this manner might have been not un- - _pardonable ; bugyour affairs are arrived now ata crifis that no longer allows of fuch condutt. . , | . So very different are:my.fentiments from thofe of yotr advifers, that to my judgsient it appears, we fhould not loofe a momient in deftberating vpon the prefervation of any, part of the Briti/> dominions on this continent of America, butfend immediate fuc- cours to whatever part may be invaded, or in dif- trefs ; and at the fame time, coricert the means of fa- ving the whole from thofe extreameft dangers with which they are furrounded. I advife therefore every colony firft. to compleat their own armaments ; and being prepared to. enter into a&tion themfelves, then [ if they perceive any backwardnefs or delay in their neighbours) to en- force the example, repeatedly inform them of their: danger, ‘and imprefs it upon their underftanding. This condu& will be worthy. a people great and powerful as youare. But if we fic indolently here, each of us withing for what he defires, ;and anxious only that he himfelf may not be compelled to att firlt ; let me pronounce, he never fhall find others who will fupply the ina&ivity ; and then I greatly fear fome ftrong neceflity may oblige us all to att hereafter in a manner moft oppofite to our inclinati- ons. ' In truth, our prefent condu& is abfoclately ridicu- lous ; and I verily believe, our enemies form no o- ther wifh, than that we fhould a& for ever as we do at prefent. We are perpetually too late in cur o- perations, we lavifh away the public treafure, we grow angry, we mutually accufe each other ; were fafe to hear, until apparent and immediate danger as at this time, prefles hard upon us; when the e- nemy is arming to invade us, we indolently negle&t to arm in the {fame manner, and oppafe the invafion, Indeed, when you are informed, that fome place or other is taken or befieged, then you hear ; then you prepare for war : Yetthe time for hearing and de- termining was precifely that which you rejected; and the feafon of entering upon aétion, and,employ- ing the forces you fhiould have raifed, is the time confumed in hearing. From this unhappy difpo- fition it proceeds, that you act in perfect contradicti- on to the reft ©f human kind ; for every other peo- ple are accaftom’d to confult before events ; you alone when they are paft. : You are removed O my countrymen, from that glorious foundation upon which youa were placed by your anceftors. To hold the ballance of power, to have armies ever ready to fuccor the opprefled, (which you efteem a fruitlefs and an idle expence) was their chief emulation and pride ; yours, to pafs dway your lives in indolence and a negleét of almoft évery neceflary duty, to abandon every thing, #nd {uffer others to take poffeflion, and to indulge your- felves in a flate of perfe fecurity. What caufe can be afligned for fuch condué ¢ For not without pow- erfal reafon, withodt juft caule, werethe Britons formerly univerfally ardent for L1serTY, and now prompt to SLavery ! pardon me for fpeaking bold truths ! There was, there affuredly was, a certain principle in the fpirits of our anceftors which no longer exifts. A principle that overcome all temp- tations, that aflerted the common liberty of Englifbmen, 'N('JM'I.".. 73 GAZETTE. Foreign and Dbmq/}icé.. - that never either in our engigements at fea, or our battles upon land, fhewed any abatement of its vi- gour : The.lofs of it hath thrown our whole affairs into confufion. . What therefore was this principle ? A conftant, univerfal deteftation of whoever recci- ved a bribe from thofe who aimed at arbitrary pow- er, or the deftrultion of our conftitution. Corruption awas then efleemed a crime of! enormous, and the feve- reft jultice punifhed it. No interceffion then for mercy ! no pardon.. . I perceive the progrefs in which our affairs are advarcing to their period ; and while ‘1 fincerely with my conjectures may prove falle, I greatly fear this unhappy . period is already too near us. For whillt you cbftinately purfue the fame deftrullive meafures, our encmies are fortunate, great and for- midable ; tho’ not fo much by their own proper firength are they grown to this exceeding greatnefs, as by your indolence and inadlivity ; Sumptuous you are indeed, in your mercantile riches, and the abun- dance of Provifions .in.your Markets ; but in your military operations, objeéts even of laughter and ri- dicule, .. When therefore you can no longer, with your ufual infenfibility, difregard events and conjec- tures, and fuch defigns as are form’d againft you ; when you fhall yourfelves behold and be fenfible of them by your own experience, I am purfuaded you will exert yourfelves; butit is greatly tobe feared it will then be too late. . Thefe aflertions are zll indifputably true : They are pronounced with perfe&t freedom, fimplicity, and affe@tion. . This difcourfe is not filled with adula- tion, mifchief, and deceit ; or calculatedto bring gold to the fpeaker, and to deliver up. the country into the hands of its éenemies. Either then alter your whole condu&, or when diffolation’ and mifery lay wafte your whole .country, blame only and accufe yourfelves... Sufficient therefore hath been faid, to make you recolleét your prefent dangers; that yoa thould ever prove them more clearly by experiance, O heaven ! may. it never come to pafs. For I would not, my countrymen, that any man, howe- ver juftly meriting deftrution, fhould be punifh’d, if his punifhment muft be attended with univerfal danger and puglic calamity. .. There newer was a more fruitful lealos of colleftions and extralls relating to the prefent controverfial dif- putes about the manners and principles of the times : And therefore the following extralls from a pamphlet, entit - led, The Real Charalter of the Age, ferms /o peculiar- by adapted as an impartial amywer to our kind correfpon - dent’s addrels, that we might imagine it calculated for that purpofe. o8 F Ryt . ; : € € < 70U bave with elegance and _Jpirit delineated the manners of the times 5 but the queflion is avbether muith equal impartiality. . “We_fuppife fome few in power only to hawve beer infelted 5 you fancy the contagion in the whole. We perfuade ourfeves, that the peaple in general are movo as brave, as boneft, and as wije as at any other period ; and that the fbocks ave bave Jfelt, ard thofe we Jear, bawe rifem, and can rife only from the faults of thofe few too much intrufled.” : *“ In urging the general difirefs, [furelyyou charge the body of the people too_fewerely, To bave bad a fhare inproducing our prefent misfortunes, they muft hawe ac-, guiefced in thofe meafures which immediately occafioned them ; but it is far otherwife, they have been neither blind to the fad incidents, nor dumb jpeSRaiors of thé rain : Words are all they hawe, and they bawe ufed thefe freely. They bawe fbevied that this effeminacy bas reach- ed neither their underflandings nor their bearts: They hawe difce* ned the caule and conlequences of things, and their remonfirances bawve been the real woice of liberty.”” ““ Thus flands the argument, and it muft be candidly acknowledged, that tis to the miftondutt of individuals, and to that alone, awe owe the prefent ruinous condition of the colonies. The body of the people hawe nor thefe wices or theje follies. Virtuods in themjelves, they di- Slingui/b, and to their power, reward the wirtues of fa- perior chara&ers, It is mot to themlelwes, the people; if they muft fall, will owe their fate ; but *tis to thole, of whom their oxen generous. fentiments taught them to Sorm too favourable an opinion ; to thofe avho are entr- fled avith their prefervation and defence. cgototcloolodo bt ltcRodotatok bt ¢ Newsury LOTTERY TICKETS 1o be Sold by the Printer bereof for New Hamphhire Bills of Credit ar 3 {iNew Ten. per Ticket, as wwelias for Doilds.