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almost all people are apt to startle at firft at bold truths:-but it is obfervable, that in proportion as they grow familiarized to them, and can fee and confider them from different points of view, their fears fubfide, and they become reconciled by degrees:-nay, it is not an uncommon thing for them to adopt thole falutary measures, afterwards, with as much zeal and ardor as they had reject ed them before with anger and indigna

tion.

Need I add, That the man who will have refolution enough to advance any bold unwelcome truth (unwelcome I mean as to its first appearance) ought to be fuch one, whofe competency of fortune, joined to a natural independency of fpirit, places him in that happy fituation, as to be equally indifferent to the fmiles, or frowns, either of the Great or the Vulgar.

The Proceedings in the British Parliament, relalative to the three Acts against the Town and People of Bofton in America, are of the utmost Importance, not only to the mercantile Part of thefe Kingdoms, but to the interefts of Liberty and the whole British Empire. As they have been related by Fragments, and in a very unconnected Manner in NewsPapers and Magazines, we thought it would be more agreeable to our Readers, to arrange the whole in a regular Series, and give all the Proceedings and Debates thereon in one point of View, than merely to transcribe the irregular Intelli rence, which, however pleafing to fatisfy temperary Curiofity, is by no Means fit in a Work defigned to tranfmit clear Information to Pofierity.

Friday, March 4

ORD NORTH acquainted the

a defire for the papers refpecting the late unhappy disturbances at Bofton and other parts of America, to be laid before that House, and that he should prefent them on Monday next, and at the fame time move an addrefs to his majefty for his great goodness and condefcenfion in defiring those papers to be laid before the House.

Monday, March 7
Lord North faid, he had a meffage to

the Houfe, figned by his majefty, and he prefented the fame to the House, and it was read by Mr. Speaker. George R.

His majetty, upon information of the unwarrantable practices which have been lately concerted and carried on in North America, and particularly of the violent and outrageous proceedings at the town and port of Boston, in the province of Malfachufett's Bay, with a view of obftructing the commerce of this kingdom, and upon grounds and pretences immediately fubverfive of the conftitution hereof, has thought fit to lay the whole matter before his two Houfes of Parliament; fully confiding, as well in their zeal for the maintenance of his majefty's authority, as in their attachment to the common interest and welfare of all his dominions; that they will not only enable his majesty effectually to take fuch measures as may be most likely to put an immediate ftop to the prefent diforders, but will also take into their most serious confideration what further regulations and permanent provifions may be neceffary to be establifhed, for better fecuring the execution of the laws, and the just dependence of the colonies upon the Crown and Parliament of Great Britain.

G. R.

Lord North then presented a bundle of one hundred and nine papers refpecting America, the heads of which were read over, purporting to be letters to and from Maffachufett's Bay, Boston, New Hampshire, New York, Pennfylvania, &c. letters from Lord Barrington, Lord Hillsborough, Mr. Grey Cooper, directors of the East India company, &c.

Mr. Rice moved, that an addrefs be prefented to his majefty for his great goodness in ordering his meffage, and

papers to be before

that Houfe, and to affure his majesty that his faithful commons would, without delay, exert every means in their power to fee the laws duly executed in America, &c. He prefaced his motion with a long account of the rife and progrefs of the American rebellious proceedings, and was much for ufing fpirited measures to bring them to a compliance.

Lord Clare feconded the motion.
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Mr. Dowdeswell spoke greatly against the propriety of measures that had been heretofore adopted, and faid, let thofe wife heads who brought us into the trouble now extricate us.

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Col. Jennings faid he fhould object to the words " every means,' and fhould move an amendment, that "proper means."

Mr. Ellis was for fpirited measures being used.

Mr. E. Burke defired his majefty's fpeeches from 1768 to 1770, and the anfwers, might be read, (all which tended to America,) and the last anfwer was nearly the fame as the present addrefs propofed, fetting forth, that his faithful commons would, without delay, exert every means, &c. He faid he had looked carefully over the journals, and could not find one measure that Parliament adopted that feffion although their promife to his majefty; he fhould therefore be against their promifing again unlefs he was fure they meant to perform.

Mr. Solicitor General obferved, that the matters that would come before the House, in the examination of this great queftion, were no less than this-Is America any longer to be dependent on this country? How far is it to be connected or dependent? To what degree? In what manner? And among other queftions, it will certainly arife, whether the fubordination of the colonies fhould not be given up? If Parliament cannot enforce obedience, it ought certainly to enquire the confequences of its failure; but at all events, it is what gentlemen fhould attend to in the moft ferious manner. To enter into the confideration difpaffionately, with temper and fobriety that conviction may become the only mother of the refolutions we may come to. He faid, the queftions would be extenfive, complicated, and, perhaps, dubious; it would, therefore, certainly demand the most ardent attention,

Mr. E. Burke, in a fpeech of near an hour and a half, fet forth the abfurdity of the proceedings concerning America heretofore, afking, were we to expect any good from the fame perfons who adopted those measures? He said, we wanted a charge of governors both at home and abroad; and was extremely

severe on the noble lord (North) and adminiftration, and arraigned the whole of their conduct. He faid, before they prefented their addrefs, promifing to redrefs evils, it would be more parliamentary to enquire whether thofe abufes exifted; as to recriminating, it was very proper, as we might then fee and learn from experience what good might be produced.

Lord Germaine faid, in his opinion, our repealing the Stamp Act had made the Americans think we had no right to tax them, and in a great measure was the cause of our prefent misfortunes.

Mr. Edm. Burke, faid, as to what feveral honourable gentlemen had thrown out, that the queftion was now, "Whether America belonged to us, or not," was ridiculous; for God forbid that what heaven had fent us, fhould be taken away by the devil. He said, they had found that it was impolitic to impofe a ftamp duty, yet to enforce it they had fent over foldiers, who were laughed at; not that it was any dif grace to the men, but to those who sent them. He recapitulated the whole proceedings on the Stamp A&t; said, that when that was repealed, harmony reigned again in the colonies, and if we found we were not able to govern our councils at home with decency or prudence, could we expect to do it in America? No the Americans faw how incapable we were of enacting laws, and they wifely made laws of their own: He faid, we were in no danger of lofing them, for we always had fuperior force to make them comply; but he was certain they had too much good fenfe ever to hazard fuch an undertaking: he agreed we ought to go through this bufinfs with coolness and deliberation, but there was power, and wisdom in that Houfe, which he was terribly afraid never would join; He faid, the Treafury Bench had plenty of power, but little wifdom; and the other fide of the House had much wifdom, but little power; if they could once make a marriage between both parties, they might expect some good, but while they lived fingle, no good could enfue.

General Conway fet forth the whole mismanagement of our councils at home, which he said was the reafon of the difturbances abroad, As for the Stamp- act,

he

he would venture to fay, had it not been repealed, America at this inftant would not have belonged to us; the question now to be fettled was, whether we had a right, or not a right, to tax America? the latter was his opinion; he said, they had made no laws against our government, all the laws they had made were for ther own protection, they had never hinted a defire to rebel; and he thought, with proper regulations, they would be a loyal and ferviceable people.As might be feen by their former conduct. Colonel Barredeclared the proceedings of the Americans were not fo inconfiftent as ours; they had been uniform in their conduct throughout, which would never be the cafe with us: he faid, we talk of using spirited measures; did we confider that already our expences of the army and navy were more than we could fupport we had no money to fquander away; let us unite our power and wisdom together, and make fome falutary laws for them, and he would be bound they would obey.—And if they were now factious, it proved more strongly that they were bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh.

Mr. W. Burke spoke alfo in favour of the Americans.

Lord North faid, the time allotted for the reading the papers was Thursday, but as there were more of them than he first imagined, he had no objection to poftponing the reading of them until Friday, and on Monday next to refolve upon them.

The question concerning the addrefs was put and carried: "To affure his majesty, that this House will, without delay, proceed to take into their most ferious confideration his majesty's most gracious message, together with the papers accompanying the fame; and will not fail to exert every means in their power, of effectually providing for objects fo important to the general welfare, as maintaining the due execution of the laws, and fecuring the juft dependence of his majesty's colonies upon the crown and parliament of Great Britain.

(To be continued in our next, illuftrated with a new and accurate Map of the Coaft of Bofton, with an exact Plan of the Town; and alfo of the new Port of Salem.)

POETRY.

An imperfect and very incorrect Copy of Doctor Goldsmith's poetical Answer to the different Witticisms produced on each Member of the Literary Club at

the St. James's Coffee-house, having been published under the Title of "Retaliation, a Poem, &c." and this Poem having been re-printed, with additional Errors, in several of the News-papers, we are defired to prefent our Readers with an authentic Copy, as it was read to the Club at their meeting.

The following Lines form but a Part of the Author's Defign: had he lived, he meant to bave corrected what he had written, and to bave added to it the Characters of many others of the Literati who belonged to the Society.

For the fake of making the Poem more generally intelligible, we have ventured to fubjoin fuch explanatory Notes and

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Here lies the good Dean ¶re-united to earth,

has left us in

Who mixt reafon with pleasure, and wifdom with mirth: If he had any faults, he doubt, ['em out; At least, in fix weeks, I could not find Yet fome have declar'd, and it can't be denied 'em, [hide 'em. That fly-boots was curfedly cunning to

A relation of the abovementioned gentleman, member for Bedwin. § Mr. Edmund Burke's brother.

The author of the comedies of the Brothers, the West Indian, and the Fafhionable Lover.

Dr. Douglas, Canon of Windfor. A character too well known to need defcribing.

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An Irish Barrister. Sir Joshua Reynolds, Prefident of the Royal Academy.

§ An eminent Attorney refiding in St. James's-street.

The Dean was admired among his friends equally for the foftnefs of his manners, the philantropy of his conduct, and the readiness of his literary abili

ties.

Here lies our good Edmund, whose genius was fuch, [too much;

We fcarcely can praise it, or blame it Who, born for the Universe, narrow'd his mind, [for mankind. And to party gave up, what was meant Tho' traught with all learning, yet ftraining his throat, [him a vote; To perfuade Dickey Whitworth to lend Who, too deep for hi, hearers, ftill went on refining,

And thought of convincing, while they thought of dining;

Tho' equal to all things, for all things unfit,

[a wit: Too nice for a statesman, too proud for For a patriot too cool; for a drudge, difobedient, [the expedient. And too fond of the right, to pursue In fhort, 'twas his fate, unemploy'd, or in place, Sir, [with a razor. To eat mutton cold, or cut blocks with

Here lies honeft William, † whofe

heart was a mint,

While the owner ne'er knew half the good that was in't;

The pupil of impulfe, it forc'd him along, His conduct ftill right, with his argument wrong;

roam,

Still aiming at honour, yet fearing to [drove home; The coachman was tipfey, the chariot Would you ask for his merits, alas! he had none, [faults were his own. What was good was fpontaneous, his

This is one the clofeft drawings in the Doctor's groupe; every one knows the boundless icope of Edmund Burke's genius, and many wonder that he should ever contract it to the carrow views of party.

This gentleman has a remarkable mixture of good humour, good sense, and diffidence.

No man was ever more happy in his farcafms, nor more good humoured in his fatirical obfervations than Mr. Richard Burke. In a convivial meeting he has the happy knack of eternally raifing a laugh at the expence of one or other of the company, but he does it with fuch cafe to the object of laughter, that the party can hardly diftinguish between laughing with, or being laughed at, by. thofe prefent.

Here

Here lies honeft Richard,

Quite fick of pursuing each troublesome elf,

whofe fate I muft figh at, [quiet! Alas, that fuch frolic fhould now be fo What fpirits were his, what wit and what whim, [a limb ||; Now breaking a jeft, and now breaking Now wrangling and quibbling to keep up the ball, [ing at all? Now teazing and vexing, yet laughIn fhort, fo provoking a Devil was Dick, That we with'd him full ten times a day

at Old Nick,

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In this line the author alluded to Mr. Richard Burke's having frequently fractured his limbs.

The character of this dramatift is one of the trueft and feverest descriptions in the whole poem. The Doctor records the most glaring faults of Mr. Cumberland, but he does it in fuch a manner, that on a fuperficial reading it is not difcernable whether he meant to pay him a compliment, or to reprehend his errors. Such a deception, for the fake of preferving fome thiew of civility, the public will perceive was neceffary when they read the laft line a fecond time, and come at the Doctor's meaning, viz. that Cumberland drew his characters of folly and coxcombry from himself.

[felf? He grew lazy at laft and drew from himHere Douglas ¶ retires from his toils to relax, [quack : The fcourge of impoftors, the terror of Come all ye quack bards, and ye quacking divines, [tyrant reclines, Come and dance on the spot where your Where Satire and Cenfure encircl'd his throne, [own; I fear'd for your fafety, I fear'd for my But now he is gone, and we want a detector, [fhall lecture; Our Dodds fhall be pious, our Kenricks And blockheads write bombast, and call it a ftyle, [fhall compile; Our Whitworth make fpeeches, and I New Lauders and Bowers the Tweed fhall cross over, [cover; No countryman living their tricks to difDetection her raper fhall quench to a fpark, [cheat in the dark. And Scotchman meet Scotchman and

Here lies David Garrick defcribe me who can,

[man; An abridgment of all that was pleasant As an actor, confeft without rival to ihine, [line, As a wit, if not firft, in the very first Yet with talents like these, and an excellent heart, [his art; The man had his failings, a dupe to

¶ Dr. Douglas is known to the literary world as the detector of Lauder's impudent forgery in Milton, and Archibald Bower's pretended History of the Popes.

It is to be obferved that few authors ever thought more highly of their own productions than Dr. Goldfmith! as a dramatic writer he would allow no man to be his equal: this vanity was without doubt egregioufly ill-founded: from the character he has given of Mr. Garrick, we are led to imagine that the Manager's better judgment militated against fome of the Doctor's dramatic ideas; this contradiction in opinion (however juftifiable) when it acted in oppofition to the author's fentiments, was, we know, in his mind, unpardonable; we wonder not, therefore, that the Doctor chose to load Mr Garrick's epitaph with a record of his foibles, rather than a recital of his virtues.

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