The New Hampshire Gazette Newspaper, November 14, 1760, Page 2

Caaclufion of the Leiter addrefl'ed to Two GreaT Mew, which was : begun in No. 210 of this Pajer. P’Erhaps my Notions on this Subjeft may feem to border on En- thufiafm ; but, however, I cannot but be perfuaded, that Things are come to that Paft in Germany, that the Rutn of the King of Prufia will be foon followed by the Ruin of the Proteftant Religion in the Empire. The blind Zeal of the bigotted Juftrian Family will have no Check, if the Head and Protectoor of the German Proteftant be deftroyed ; in the End, Be found to be a War that will overturn the Liberties “and Religion of Germany. If, therefore, the noble Perfeverance of the King of Pruffia deferves the Efteem of a generous People ; if his Fidelity to his Engagements, which has contributed to fave Hanover and to ruin France, can demand our Gratitude ; if the Dan- ger of the only Proteftant Sovereign in Germany, able to preferve the Privileges of his Religion from being trampled under Foot, can call forth the warm Suppoit of this Proteftant Nation ; may I not hope, ‘may I not be confident, that our Minifters will di@ate, and our ‘People approve of Terrms of Peace in his be purchafed by relinquithing fome of our Cocquefts ; while the Poffeflion of Canada will be fo reafonable a Bound to the Demands we may make for ourfelves ? o7 . : 1 have ftated this Point, tipon a Suppofitich that the Event of the War may turn out to the Difadvantage of the King of Pruffia. But if the Fortune, the Capacity, the Petfeverance of that Great Prince, thould enable him ( as 1 think we may ftill hope ) to extricate himfelf from the Dangers that furround him—it may be atked, What is to be done with the Congueft which, befides Canada, we fhall be in Poffeffion of when we treat of a Peace ?——My Propofal is honeft, and perhaps will not be treated as chimerical : Employ them to recover out of the Hands of Framee thofe Towns of Flanders, gained for the Aufirian Family by the Valour, and at the Expence of England ; and which have been fo perfidioufly facrificed. A Britifb Adminiftration muft tremble at the Profpet of feeing New- port and Oftend become French Property, and, therefore, thould ufe their utmoft Eadeavours to prevent this at the Peace ; tho' thofe Endeavours may ferve the Court of Vienna, whofe Ingratitude to Britain never will be forgotten ; though, -at the fame Time, I mult own we fhall draw no fmall Advantage from it. We fhall fearn, for the future, to perfer our own Intereft to that of others ; to proportion our Expences on the Continent to the immediate Exigencies of our own Country, and never to affift a new Ally, without remhembering how much we did for our Old.one, and what ~ Return we hdve had ! : 15 e £ : I have, now, nearly executed my principal Defign, in the prefent Addrefs ; which was to give my Thoughts on the important Bufinefs of the approiching Treaty. And if it be conduted with as much Ability, as the War has been carried on with Spirit .and Succefs, there is great Room: for flattering ourfelves, that the Voice of the Public demands no Advantages or Ceflions, in Favour of Ergland, which the Minifters of England are not refolved to infilt upon. But amidft the fignal Succeflcs of our Arms, which give us fo reafonable an Expe&ation of an honourable Peace, and have exalted our Country to the higheft Pinnacle of Glory and Reputation abroad —1[ wifh it could be faid that our Confiitution was not greatly in Dan- ger of being hurt, and almoft loft at Home. I fhall beg Leave to take this Occafion of touching this equally melancholy and import- ant Subie& ; with a View not to blame, but to lament ; not to'bring any railing Accufation againft thofe who are now in Power, butto exhort and to excite them to endeavour, before it be too late, to add to the Services they have done their Country, in faving it from the open Attacks of France,the ftill more important Service of faving our Conftitution, which fome unhappy Circumf{tances of our Prefent Situation have already greatly changed, and feem to threaten with intire Deftruction ;—Nay, [ may fay would have actually deftroyed, if it were not for the good Heart of our gracious Sovereign who fcorns to take Advantage of them. o5 iis Confiderably above an hundred Millions of Debt, the Sum we muft be abliged to fit down with, at the End of the prefent War, is a Burthen which, however immenfe, Experience has taught us, contrary to all Theory, we fhall be able to bear without Bankriptcy. As our Expences have increafed, we have found, contrary to the Predi@ions of gloomy Politicians, that our Abilities to bear them have increafed alfo.—But the’ our Debts be not too great for the Riches of our Country, they are much too great for the Independency of its Conftitution. For, when I confider the infinite Dependance upon the Crown, created by Means of Them, throughout the King- dom, amongft all Degrees of Men 5 when I refle&t on the many Thoufands of Placemen, of every Denomination, who are employed in the Colle@ion of the vaft Variety of Taxes now levied on the Public ; and take a Review of a far greater Number of Servants of the Crown, both Civil and Military,for whofe Support fo confiderable a Share of the public Revenue is fet apart, t00 many of whom, 1 fear, might be tempted to affit in extending the Influence of the Prerogative to the Prejudice of public Liberty 5 when [ confider our valt Load of Taxes, in this Pointof View, I cannot help obferving and the War begun only to wreft Silgfia from him, willy Favour, tho' they fhould agle Ariicle the amazing Revoluticn in our Government which this fi . : ce has brought about ; nor enough lament the unhappy Circumftan of Affairs, and the Neceffities of the War which have forced us tO an annual Expence, unknown to former Times, and which - il almoft be incredible to Pofterity. 1 believe I can venture to fay npon Memory, that the Expences of the War, for all King Wailian's Reign, about 13 Years, were not, at Medium, above three Millioos and a halfa Year; and Queen Anwe's, tho’ the lalt Years were ekorbitant, were little more than five Millions. What they are how I figh to think en, T'weive or Fourteen Millions are dernanded with- out Referve ; and, what is ftill more, voted without Oppofition. Nay, of fo little Confequence is it now thought, by our Reprefenta- tives, to deliberate on the weighty Bufine(s of raifing Money on the Subjed, thatfcarcely can Forty of them be got together, to hearthe Elftimates for at leaft One bundred and fourfcore Thoufand Men, for fo many we have now in our Pay ; and to borrow Eighs Millions, the- Sum by which our Expences exceed our Income. Thefe are alarming Confideratiols; but another Objett, threatening the Ruin of our Conffitation, alfo prefents itfeif. 1 am old enough to remember what Uhneafinefs and Jealoufies difturbed the Minds of true Patriots, with regard to ftanding Armies, and military Eftablifaments. Principles of Liberty in general, and, in particular, Whig Principles, excited this Uneafinefs and produced thofe Jealoufies, which, from Time to Time, have been a fruithil Source of Parliamentary Debate. It was no longer ago than the Jate King's Time, that the vefting Coarts Martial, in Time of Peace, with thePower of punithing Mutiny and Defertion with BPeath, was carried in the Houfe of Commons by a fmall Majority *. Nay, that a Court Martial, however limited in its Jurifdiction, was inconfiftent with the Liberties of a free People, in Time of Peace, was the Doétrine of - Whigs in thofe Days ; it was the Dodrine,in particular, of SirRober? Walpole then in Oppofition ; whofe re markable Expreffion, in this great Debate, * That they who gave the Power of Blood, pave Blood,”’ never can be forgotten. And though afterwards when he came to be a Minifier, he was better reconciled to flanding Armics and Mutiny Bills, in Time of Peace, fiventeen thoufand Men, was all the Army he dwfafk ; yeteven that Demand produced an anmual Debate 5 and the annual Reafon, on which he founded the Neceflity of his Demand being the Danger from the Pretender and the Jacobites ; was the ftrongeft Proof that even in Sir R. Waelpole's Opinion, the Reduétion in the Army fhould take Place, when this Danger from Difaffeétion fhould ceafe. But how are Things chang- ed ? I own indeed that arhidft the Dangers of this War, and the Threats of an Invafion, the vatt Army now on our Eftablifhinent, is necefary : But what I Jament is to_fee the Sentiments of the Na- tion fo amazingly reconciled to the Profpeét of having a far more numerous Body of regular Troops, kept up, after the Peace, than any true Lover of his Country in former Times thought, could be al- Jowed without endangering the Conflitution. Nay, fo unaccounta- e fond are we becorie of the military Plan, that the Eretion of Barracks, which, twenty Years ago, would have ruined any Minifter who fhould have ventured to propofe it, may be propofed fafely by no lefs " our Minifters now-a days, and, upon Trisl, be found to bea favourite Meafure with our Patriots, and with the Public in general, But what I Jament as the greateft Misfortune that can threaten the public Liberty, is to fee the Eageroefs with which our Nobility, born to be the Guradians of the Conftitution againft Prerogative, follicit the Badge of ilitary Subjeétion, not merely to ferve theif Country, in Times of Danger, which would 'be commendable, but in ExpeQation to be continued Saldiers, when Tranquility fhall be reftored, 2nd to be under military Comriand, during Life. When I fee this ftrange, but melancholy Infatuation, fo prevalent, I almoft defpair of the Conflitution. 1f it fhould go on in Propottion as it has of late, I fear the Time will, at laft, come, when Independence on the Crown, will be exploded as unfafthionable. Un.k:fs another Spirit poffefs our Nobility ; unlefs they lay fide their Military Trap- pings 3 and think they can ferve their Country more effeCtually as Senators than as Soldiers, what can we expeét but to fee, the Syftem of military Subordination extending itfelf throughout the Kingdom, univerfs] Dependance upon Governtent influencing every Rank of Men, and the Spifit, nay the very Form of the Conftitution deftroy- ¢d 3 We have generally beaten the French, and always been foolifh enough to follow their Fafhions 5 I was in Hopes we fhould never have taken the Fafhion of French Government 3 but from.our nu- merous Armies, and the military Turn of our Nobility, Iam afraid we are running into it as faft as we can. And, unlefs fomething can be done, to bring back our Conflitution to its firlt Principles, we fhall find, that we have triumphed, only to makeourfelves as wretch- éd as our Enemy 3 that our Conquefts ate but a poor Compenfation for the lofs of our Liberties ; in a Word, that, like #olfe, falling in the Arms of Vi&ory, we are moft glorioufly undone ! But though T have drawn fo melancholy -a Piure, of the Dangers which threaten us with the Lofs of our Liberties, itis with no other Defign, than to exhort thole who are placed at the Helm, o fet about the Repairs of our fhattered Veffel, as foon as fhe can be b;“o;c ate ® n 1717 18 the Nambers on the Divifiin were 247 10 249.