omit your many other grofs provocations and infults, by which the brave Americans have been driven into their prefent ftate. He afferts that they avow a difpofition to be independent. On the contrary, fir, all the declarations both of the late and the prefent congress, uniformly tend to this one object, of being put on the fame footing the Americans were in the year 1763. This has been their only demand, from which they have never varied. Their daily prayers and petitions are for liberty, peace, and fafety. I use the words of the Congress the last year. They juftly expect to be put on an equal footing with the other fubjects of the empire, and are willing to come into any fair agreement with you in commercial concerns. If you confine all our trade to yourselves, fay they; if you make a monopoly of our commerce; if you fhut all the other ports of the world against us, do not tax us likewise. If you tax us, then give us a free trade, fuch as you enjoy yourselves. Let us have equal advantages of commerce, all other ports open to us, then we can, and will, chearfully, voluntarily pay taxes. You will have a free will offering given with pleasure, not grudgingly.

It

It muft give, fir, every man who loves this country, the deepest concern at the naming in the Address foreign troops, Hanoverians and Heffians, who are now called to interfere in our domeftic quarrels, not to dwell this day on the illegality of the measure, the danger and difgrace attending foreign mercenaries. The militia, indeed, are we are told to be now employed, and that noble inftitution is at prefent complimented by minifters, but we know they hate the very name of a militia, and that measure is adopted only because the embodying of thofe forces enables administration to butcher more of our fellow-fubjects in America.

Sir, I disapprove not only the evil spirit of the whole Addrefs, but likewise the wretched adulation of almost every part of it. My wish and hope therefore is, that it will be rejected by the House, and that another dutiful, yet decent, and manly, Addrefs will be presented to the King, praying his Majefty to sheathe the fword, prevent the farther effufion of the blood of our fellow-fubjects, adopt fome mode of negociation with the general congrefs> in compliance with their repeated petitions,

and

and thereby reftore peace and harmony to this diftracted empire.

VOTES of November 27, 1775.

A Motion was, and the Queftion being propropofed, "That an humble Address be presented to his Majefty, humbly requesting, that his Majefty would be graciously pleased to impart to this Houfe, who

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were the original authors and advisers to "his Majefty of the following measures, "before they were propofed in Parliament— "for taxing America, without the confent of its Affemblies, for the purpose of a "Revenue, &c. &c."

Mr. Wilkes faid,

Mr. Speaker,

The Addrefs to his Majefty, which the honourable gentleman has moved this day, is fo effentially different from all other late addreffes to the throne, that I own it meets with my hearty concurrence. I think it, fir, of the utmoft confequence to know the original authors and advisers of this unjuft, pernicious, and

Mr. Alderman Oliver, Member for London.

cal

calamitous war, which has already deluged with
blood a part of America, and spread horror and
devaftation through that whole northern con-
tinent. When fo many provinces of the empire
are already loft, and the reft actually engaged
in a cruel, civil war, we ought not to fit down
in a criminal fupinenefs. It becomes our duty,
as the grand inqueft of the nation, to find out
and punish the delinquents, by whofe fatal
counfels fuch evils have been brought upon this
convulfed, and almoft ruined state.
We owe
it to the people at large, and feveral of us have
it in exprefs charge from our constituents.
We are,
I fear, fir, on the eve of an
eternal, political feparation from the western
world, unless a very speedy reconciliation
fhould take place. If the prefent motion hap-
pily meets with fuccefs, I am fure it will do
more towards a fincere, lafting, and hearty
union with America, than all the captious
and fallacious propofals of adminiftration.
The Americans will then believe we indeed
defire a reconciliation with them, and they
will at length begin to have confidence in our
counfels, when they fee the vengeance of Par-
liament fall on the authors of our common ca-

lamities.

lamities. The principles of violence and injustice, which have hitherto prevailed, they will fee, if the House is really in earnest to treat, yield to equity and moderation; a negociation on fair, equal, and juft terms, may enfue, and a general tranquility be re-eftablished in an empire, which is now fhaken to its very foundations.

I really think, fir, this is almoft the only method now left of extricating ourselves with honour and dignity from our present alarming difficulties. You have voted fleets and armies, and your forces figure greatly in the papers of the Secretary at War, and in the expensive eftimates on your table. But the minifter knows very well they are not equal to the mad project of fubjugating the vaft continent of America, nor do I believe the whole ftrength of this kingdom adequate to fuch an attempt. After a very bloody campaign you have conquered only one hill of less than a mile's circumference, for you were suffered to land as friends in the only fea-port town of any confequence which you poffefs. Would the no

ble

* Lord George Sackville Germain, one of His Majefty's Principal Secretaries of State. [for America] From