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dered by adminiftration, and his blood lies at their door. Such a war, I fear, fir, will draw down the vengeance of heaven upon this devoted kingdom.

I think this war, fir, fatal and ruinous to our country. It abfolutely annihilates the only great fource of our wealth, which we enjoyed unrivalled by other nations, and deprives us of the fruits of the laborious industry of near three

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The Speech of the LORD MAYOR, Mr. Wilkes, from the Huftings at Guidhall, to the COMMON HALL, April 5, 1775.

Gentlemen of the Livery;

It would ill become me on this important day to take up much of your time. I very readily complied with the request of feveral refpectable Citizens to call this Common Hall, from every feeling of justice and humanity to our perfecuted brethren in America, and the fatal confequences I forefee of the violent proceedings now carrying on, which muft fo deeply affect the profperity, not only of this, the first commercial city in the world, but likewife the whole kingdom. I will only, gentlemen, beg leave to read to you from your own records on this fubject, the words of a petition from this Metropolis to both Houfes of Parliament, long before the prefent unhappy contest between the Mother Country and her American Colonies began, fo long ago as the year 1739.

"The Citizens, of London are too deeply interested in whatever affects the trade of this nation not to ex

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three millions of fubjects, which centred here. That commerce has already taken its flight, and our American merchants are now deploring the confequences of a wretched policy, which has been purfued to their deftruction. It is, fir, no lefs ruinous with regard to the enormous expence of the fleets and armies neceffary for this nefarious undertaking, and of confequence the tenormous fupplies to be raised,

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"prefs the utmost anxiety for the welfare of that only fource of our riches. The petitioners apprehend, that the trade from thefe His Majesty's kingdoms to His "American Colonies, is of the utmost importance, and almoft the only profitable trade this nation now enjoys unrivalled by others."

If, Gentlemen, the trade to our American Colonies near forty years ago was, according to the declared opinion of this Metropolis, of fuch importance, the amazing entries for several late years made in the books of the Cuftom-houfe, which are a moft daily before your eyes, will beft demonftrate to what an immenfe maguitude it is fince grown, and that such an object calls for our moft earnest, unwearied attention and regard. Whatever your determinations may be, you may be affured of the hearty concurrence of your Chief Magiftrate.

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In the Speech from the Throne on the fame day His Majesty declared, "among the many unavoidable ill confequences of this Rebellion, none affects me more fenfibly * than the extraordinary burthen which it must create to my faithful fubje&ts." This paffage is a clear demon

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fo that we are wafting our present wealth, while we are destroying the fources of all we might have in future. An humane mind must contemplate with agony the dreadful calamities and convulfions, which are the confequence of every civil war, and efpecially a civil war of this magnitude and extent.

I fpeak, fir, as a firm friend to England and America, but ftill more to univerfal liberty, and the rights of all mankind. I trust no part of the fubjects of this vast empire will ever fubmit to be flaves. I am fure the Americans are too high fpirited to brook the idea. Your whole power, and that of your allies, if you had any, even of all the German troops, of all F 3

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ftration, that the Speech from té Throne muft be confidered as the Speech of the Minister, not of the Sovereign. The Minifter, who controlls the finances of a state, would naturally dwell on the great expence of a rebellious war, but a good and humane King, who loved his people, would be more fenfibly affected by the idea of the cruel effusion of the blood, and the lofs of the lives, of many thousands of his fubjects.

En 1744, Menin eft attaqué par les François. On dit à Louis XV, qu'en brufquant une attaque qui coûtera quelques hommes, op fera quatre jours plutôt dans la ville. “Eh bien,” dit le Roi, "prenons"la quatre jours plus tard ; j'aime mieux perdre quatre jours devant une place, qu'un feul de mes fujets." Journal de Louis XV.

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the ruffians from the north, whom you can hire, cannot effect fo wicked a purpofe. The conduct of the prefent adminiftration has already wrefted the fceptre of America out of the hands of Your Sovereign, and he has now scarcely even a poftmafter left in that whole northern continent. More than half the empire is already loft, and almost all the reft in confufion and anarchy. The miniftry have brought our Sovereign into a more difgraceful fituation than any crowned head now living. He alone has already loft, by their fatal counfels, more territory than the three great united powers of Ruffia, Auftria,and Pruffia have together by a wicked confederacy robbed Poland of, and by equal acts of violence and injuftice from administration.

England was never engaged in a conteft of fuch importance to our most valuable concerns and poffeffions. We are fighting for the fubjection, the unconditional submission, of a country infinitely more extended than our own, of which every day increafes the wealth, the natural ftrength, the population. Should we not fucceed, it will be a lofs never enough to be deplored, a bofom friendship foured to hate and refentment. We fhall be

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confidered as their maft implacable enemies, an eternal feparation will follow, and the grandeur of the British empire pafs away. Succefs, final fuccefs, feems to me not equivocal, not uncertain, but impoffible. However we may differ among ourselves, they are perfectly united. On this fide the Atlantic party-rage unhappily divides us, but one foul animates the vaft northern continent of America, the general congress and each provincial affembly. An appeal has been made to the fword, and at the clofe of the last campaign, what have we conquered ? Bunker's Hill only, and with the loss of 1200 men. Are we to pay as dearly for the reft of America? The idea of the conqueft of that immenfe continent is as romantic as unjuft.

The honourable gentleman, who moved the Addrefs, fays, "the Americans have been "treated with lenity." Will facts juftify the affertion? Was your Boston port. Bill a measure of lenity? Was your fishery Bill a measure of lenity? Was your Bill for taking away the charter of the Massachuset's Bay a measure of lenity, or even juftice? I

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* John Dyke Acland, Efq; Member for Callington in Cornwall,

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