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Show tional character, it can fcarcely be our with, that terms of accommodation never {hould be propOIed to our enemy, except when they mull be attributed folely to our fears. It has happened, let me fay unfortunately, that we read of his Majefiy's commifiion for making peace, and his troops evacuating his lal't town tional lubmiflion. There was a moment, fa- vourable to the king's arms, when if any powers of concefiion had exifled, on the other lide of the Atlantick, even after all our errors, in the thirteen colonies at the fame hour, and peace in all probability might have been reftored. But calamity is unhappily the ufual in the fame Gazette. It was fiill more unfor- feafon of reflexion; and the pride of men will tunate, that no commiflion went to America not often fufi‘er reafon to have any {cope until it can be no longer of fervice. to fettle the troubles there, until feveral months after an aét had been pafl‘ed to put the colonies out ofthe proteé‘tion of this government, and to divide their trading property Without a'pollibility ofrefiitutionms fpoil among the feamen of the navy. The molt abjeétfub- million on the part of the colonies could not redeem them. There was no man on that Whole continent, I have always wilhed, that as the difpute had its apparent origin from things done in Parlia- ment, and as the afls pafl'ed there had provoked the war, that the foundations of peace fhould be laid in Parliament allo. I have been allonifhed to find, that thofe whofe zeal for the or within three thoufand dignity of our body was {0 hot, as to light up miles of it, qualified by law to followr allegiance with proteé‘tion, or fubmifiion with pardon. A proceeding of this kind has no example in hil'tory. Independency, and independency with an enmity (which putting our.{elves out of the quef'tion would be called natural and much provoked) was the inevitable con- the flames of civil war, fhould even publickly declare, that thefe delicate points ought to be fequence. wholly left to the Crown. l'oorly as I may bethought affeé‘ted to the authority of Parliament, Ifhall never admit that our conflitutional rights can ever become a matter of minifierial negociation. How this came to pafs, the nation may be one day in an humour to enquire. I am charged with being an American. All If warm alfeétion, towards thole over whom I ,Claim any {hare of authority, be a crime, I am ‘rt-UA... _ "a , Whatever changes have happened in the na- All the attempts made this feflion to give fuller powers of peace to the commanders in America, were fiifled by the retail CCzl'li'idCDCe of victory, and the wild hOpes of uncondi- :- ‘--‘"\' 9w; «In 22-!- -- moraywA !»143:1Cl-\fr¥1 = "A"... "1:19;: r [45] honour or advantage? - ‘r': a: war-""3" i'flfi‘vfi-r‘gg‘a-‘xL-t 23'"; t, for treating with " "W'Mummmgfirr"savvwvemxwr< ,. [44] |