them in cold blood? Is this your courage? Is this your magnanimity? Britain. Oh! you wicked-Whig - Presbyterian -Serpent! Have you the impudence to appear before me after all your disobedience? Surrender immediately all your liberties and properties into my hands, or I will cut you to pieces. Was it for this that I planted your country at so great an expense? That I protected you in your infancy, and defended you against all your enemies? America. I shall not surrender my liberty and property, but with my life. It is not true, that my country was planted at your expense. Your own records * refute that falsehood to your face. Nor did you ever afford me a man or a shilling to defend me against the Indians, the only enemies I had upon my own account. But, when you have quarrelled with all Europe, and drawn me with you into all your broils, then you value yourself upon protecting me from the enemies you have * See the Journals of the House of Commons, 1642, viz. "Die Veneris, Martii 10°, 1642. "Whereas the plantations in New England have, by the blessing of Almighty God, had good and prosperous success, without any public charge to this State; and are now likely to prove very happy for the propagation of the Gospel in those parts, and very beneficial and commodious to this kingdom and nation; the Commons now assembled in Parliament do, for the better advancement of those plantations, and the encouragement of the planters to proceed in their undertaking, ordain, that all merchandises and goods, that by any merchant, or other person or persons whatsoever, shall be exported out of this kingdom of England into New England, to be spent, used, or employed there; or, being of the growth of that kingdom, shall be from thence imported hither, or shall be laden or put on board in any ship or vessel for necessaries in passing or returning to and fro; and all and every the owner or owners thereof, shall be freed and discharged of and from paying and yielding any custom, subsidy, taxation, imposition, or other duty for the same, either inward or outward, either in this kingdom or New England, or in any port, haven, creek, or other place whatsoever, until the House of Commons shall take further order therein to the contrary. And all and singular customers, &c. are to observe this order." made for me. I have no natural cause of difference with Spain, France, or Holland, and yet by turns I have joined with you in wars against them all. You would not suffer me to make or keep a separate peace with any of them, though I might easily have done it to great advantage. Does your protecting me in those wars give you a right to fleece me? If so, as I fought for you, as well as you for me, it gives me a proportionable right to fleece you. What think you of an American law to make a monopoly of you and your commerce, as you have done by your laws of me and mine? Content yourself with that monopoly if you are wise, and learn justice if you would be respected! Britain. You impudent bh ! Am not I your mother country? Is not that a sufficient title to your respect and obedience? Saxony. Mother country! Ha! ha! ha! What respect have you the front to claim as a mother country? You know that I am your mother country, and yet you pay me none. Nay, it is but the other day, that you hired ruffians * and burn my house! to rob me on the highway,t For shame! Hide your face and hold your tongue. If you continue this conduct, you will make yourself the contempt of Europe! Britain. O Lord! O Lord! Where are my friends? France, Spain, Holland, and Saxony, all together. Friends! Believe us, you have none, nor ever will have any, till you mend your manners. How can we, who are your neighbours, have any regard for you, or expect any equity from you, should your power increase, when we see how basely and unjustly you have used both your own mother and your own children? * Prussians. They entered and raised contributions in Saxony. And they burnt the fine suburbs of Dresden, the capital of Saxony. A CATECHISM RELATIVE TO THE ENGLISH NATIONAL DEBT. Question 1. SUPPOSING this debt to be only one hundred and ninety-five millions of pounds sterling at present, although it is much more,* and that was all to be counted in shillings, that a man could count at the rate of one hundred shillings per minute, for twelve hours each day, till he has counted the whole, how long would he take in doing it? Answer. One hundred forty-eight years, one hundred nine days, and twenty-two hours. Q. 2. The whole of this sum being three thousand nine hundred millions of shillings, and the coinage standard being sixty-two in the Troy pound, what is the whole weight of this sum? A. Sixty-one millions, seven hundred fifty-two thousand, four hundred and seventy-six Troy pounds. Q. 3. How many ships would carry this weight, suppose one hundred tons each? A. Three hundred and fourteen ships. Q. 4. How many carts would carry this weight, suppose a ton in each? A. Thirty-one thousand, four hundred and fifty two carts. Q. 5. The breadth of a shilling being one inch, if all these shillings were laid in a straight line, close to one another's edges, how long would that line be that would contain them? At present (1777) it is said to be at least two hundred and thirty millions. A. Sixty-one thousand, five hundred fifty-two miles; which is nine thousand, five hundred seventy-two miles more than twice round the whole circumference of the earth. Q. 6. Suppose the interest of this debt to be three and a half per cent per annum, what does the whole annual interest amount to? A. Six millions, seven hundred and seventy thousand pounds. Q. 7. How doth government raise this interest annually? A. By taxing those who lent the principal, and others. Q. 8. When will government be able to pay the principal? A. When there is more money in England's treasury than there is in all Europe. Q. 9. And when will that be? Never. VOL. V. 16 K PASSPORTS FOR MORAVIAN VESSELS, AND FOR CAPTAIN COOK. At the time of the American war, the Moravian Society in England sent annually a vessel to their missionaries on the coast of Labrador. The Secretary of the Society, Mr. Hutton, applied to Dr. Franklin, then American minister in France, for a passport securing protection to that vessel against American cruisers. It was readily granted, and renewed every year during the war. When Captain Cook was expected soon to return from his last voyage round the world, Dr. Franklin issued a passport of a similar kind for protecting his vessel, in case it should be met by American cruisers. This act was afterwards properly recognised. "When Cook's Voyage was printed," says W. T. Franklin, "the Admiralty Board sent a copy of the work in three volumes quarto to Dr. Franklin, accompanied with the elegant collection of plates, and a very polite letter from Lord Howe, signifying that the present was made with the King's express approbation." One of the gold medals, struck by the Royal Society in honor of Captain Cook, was likewise sent to Dr. Franklin. In the Life of Captain Cook, by Dr. Kippis, the author stated, that Congress disapproved and reversed the orders of Dr. Franklin; but Dr. Kippis became afterwards convinced of the error of this statement, and publicly acknowledged it.-EDITOR. I. PASSPORT FOR A MORAVIAN VESSEL. To all Captains and Commanders of Vessels of War, Privateers, and Letters of Marque, belonging to the United States of America. Gentlemen, The religious society commonly called the Moravian Brethren, having established a mission on the coast of Labrador, for the conversion of the savages there to |