sidered him as a banker to the treasury for the pension-money, and thence, as having an interested connexion with administration, that might induce him to act by direction of others in harassing me with this suit; which gave me if possible a still meaner opinion of him, than if he had done it of his own accord.

What further steps he or his confederates, the ministers, will take in this cause, I know not: I do not indeed believe the banker himself, finding there are no profits to be shared, would willingly lay out a sixpence more upon the suit; but then my finances are not sufficient to cope at law with the treasury here; especially when administration has taken care to prevent my constituents of New England from paying me any salary, or reimbursing me any expenses, by a special instruction to the governor, not to sign any warrant for that purpose on the treasury there.

The injustice of thus depriving the people there of the use of their own money, to pay an agent acting in their defence, while the governor, with a large salary out of the money extorted from them by act of parliament, was enabled to pay plentifully Mauduit and Wedderburn to abuse and defame them and their agent, is so evident as to need no comment.-But this they call GOVERNMENT!!

Here closes the tract, as written by Dr. Franklin.

It plainly appears by the foregoing lucid statement, and the faithful account of the unwarrantable proceedings before the lords of the privy council, (Appendix No. 5.) now particularly referred to, that when Dr. Franklin, as agent for the province of Massachusetts Bay, presented the petition for removing the governor and lieutenantgovernor, the ministry made the cause of those gentlemen their own; and Wedderburn, in defiance of the common law and custom of the realm, was ordered to change the object of the court; and, instead of entering into the merits of the question, to abuse a man who had offended them:

"Search earth, search hell, the devil could not find,
An agent like LOTHARIO to his mind."

Churchill.

This, like all atrocious proceedings, raised the indignation of the people, and a transient glow was seen in every countenance. In the first transports of it, even corruption and venality spoke the sentiments of virtue. Wedderburn was everywhere mentioned with detestation, which was doing him too much honor; a little troublesome genius, with words enough to be plausible, and cunning enough to be a tool, can never be an object for any thing but contempt. It was as generous in the public to be angry with him, as it would be in a child to detest a brick-bat or a stone which had been made use of to injure its benefactor. Those who were somewhere behind the scenes, and who ordered the exhibitions which the osten

sible people were only acting, were the proper objects of indignation; and if there had been virtue enough in the nation, they would have been dragged into light, and sacrificed to the liberties of the people.

Administration having at this time succeeded in their plans in the east, turned their views westward, where alone liberty seemed to have any refuge, and where therefore their principal efforts must be directed. The same art and the same chicane had been practised there; but it was not likely to be attended with the same success. America was not disposed to become, like the East Indies, an appendage to administration. It had raised itself into wealth by a kind industry, which produced virtues of which administration had little or no concep-. tion; they therefore denominated them vices.

It was evident that the contest with America was merely an affair of administration, with a view to increase the number of places at its disposal, and to facilitate the only method they knew of to govern the people. It will not be wondered at, therefore, that those persons who appeared in behalf of the Americans, should undergo all the rage and malice of administration. Dr. Franklin had been the most distinguished of those, and would long before have been sacrificed to their resentment, if he had not been protected by real integrity and by very superior talents. He was sent over to England to oppose the stamp act; and the virtuous and noble

VOL. I.

2 €

strain of all his answers at his examination before the house of commons, in February, 1766,' seemed to reproach the times: they were like the sentiments of an Aristides, and they left deep impressions on the minds of men. For that very reason he was watched, tried, and tempted. Cunning, allied even with power, cannot commit wickedness in a manly manner. At last, something like an occasion arose, and the whole wisdom of government was employed to make the most of it. Dr. Franklin had got into his possession the letters of Governor Hutchinson and Lieutenant-Governor Oliver, in a manner which he has shown to have been very consistent with the highest honor and honesty. These letters, which Wedderburn called private and confidential ones, were used by public men to produce public measures. Dr. Franklin thought it his duty as an agent, to send them to Boston, to remove the misapprehensions of his friends there concerning all the motives of government, and to direct their resentment to its proper objects. A further use was made of the letters than he intended; and they produced the petition which he was ordered to present. The conduct of administration on the occasion was most extraordinary. The rulers of a great people might have been expected, even with any principles, to have had some regard to decency. The petition of a large and im

See Appendix, No. 4.

portant province was going to be considered; administration thought fit to turn it into a pastime; they invited their friends in great numbers to partake of the entertainment. This serious business was converted into a bull-baiting; the noble creature was to be taken by surprise, to be secured from assistance, and to be yelped and bit at by a little noisy cur. This was proper matter of diversion for a solemn committee of the privy council, and a large audience of the wise and virtuous senators of the country!!

But it served to amuse. The Boston petition had the appearance of a hearing; and some noise was made about virtue, and truth, and honor, in illgrounded invectives against Dr. Franklin. That truly great and good man beheld the childish tricks with thorough contempt; resolved himself not to break in upon the proper decorum of public business; and as he had not come there to squabble with Mr. Wedderburn, and was not, like him, a wrangler by profession, he thought it would be greatly letting himself down to take any notice of him. He therefore let the diversion go on; and went home fully determined to make his appeal to a higher and more competent tribunal.

But cunning deals in something like plans and schemes of mischief, which Franklin did not suspect from the talents of his abusers; and if he had, he could not have provided against them. On the first rumor of a petition from Boston,