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THE

POLITICAL REGISTER,

For OCTOBER, 1768.

NUMBER XIX.

For the POLITICAL REGISTER.

SIR,

THE public attention has been engroffed for many weeks
paft, with the paper war between Lucius* and a fet of
minifterial writers, or perhaps only one under different names,
upon a fubject fo tender, and of fo unprecedented a kind for
the courfe of many years, as muft juffly call the resentment
of the people of England, upon the head of the man who ad-
vised and executed it; I mean the difmiffion of general Am-
herft. I will not enter into the critical moment when this
step took place; as a day fooner or a day later, can only af-
fect the politeness that should accompany every action from
one gentleman to another; this is only a particular injury to
the man but the general idea of his difmiffion is the imme-
diate injury done to the public: and when the public be-
comes a plaintiff upon juft and warrantable principles of right;
it muft, it ought, and it will be heard; upon this ground I
have been induced to take up the pen, divested of any parti-
cular regard to Lucius: for though I admire him as a writer,
I do not even guess at the man. The noble L-d, the other
party in the dispute, I know enough of, to lament that power
* See Lucius' letters, page 241.
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VOL. III.

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can have made him fuch a man. Some partiality I am not freefrom; but it is of that kind which I hold, and enjoy in common with many thoufands of my countrymen: A partiality to merit, and fervices rendered to my country. This has endeared the name of general Amherst to me, by too strong a tye to be weakened by the over-grown power of arrogance of office, or the fruitlefs defigns of its temporary Ses to diminish. The virtues of this degraded officer's private life I will not enter into: firft, because they are more the objects of the circle of his intimate friends, than of the public; fé condly, becaufe vice is of fuch M-1 excellence, and confequently fo fashionable under one meridian, that fuch a plea would make me be laughed at, perhaps defpifed, was I to name private virtues as neceffary accompanyments for rank, or O-e. His public virtues are immediately the concern of his country, of which the honourable order he wears, will be an everlafting teftimony, beyond the grafp of a S- -y of Ste to diveft him of: and furely that order fo graci oufly and defervingly beftowed, muft ever haunt the confciences of his enemies who have ftripped him of the means of fupporting it with dignity, merely to gratify the laft will and teftament of an abfconded favourite. But even this treatment, infolent and opprobrious as it is, is not thought fufficient. A M Twriter who calls himfelf Scrutator, has laid violent hands upon that laurel-crown which he wore green and unfaded, by the joint approbation of England and America. In this gift even England and America were united in approbation; but this new L-d in O-ę muft endeavour to fee this mark of honour laid at his own feet, deferve its fellow, my L-d, and wear it, is my fincere wifh. One paragraph in this writer's letter I muft take notice of. Can Lucius produce one military exploit of fir J. A. but what twenty ferjeants in this corps might have performed as well as himself." I will refer the writer to his patron to anfwer that great question. He cert inly knew his merits or he would not in the out-fet of thefe proceedings have diftinguifhed that valuable officer with thofe titles of great abilities, great merit and fo on. I have lived long enough to fee by frequent experience, that M-1 reyenge is of the blackeft caft. It is the firft that injures, and the laft that forgives. I would recommend to this noble --d to write this motto over his office, chi offend: non perdona:" For the advantage of the clerks I will give a tranflation of it. "They never pardon who have done the wrong.'

Another queftion of this writer is, whether fir J. A. is not blamed by his best friends and relations for what he has

done."

done." I af ignorant of the blame or approbation of his best friends or relations, but as one of the public I have ever heard him commended, as he deferves to be, for refufing to be penfioned.-Penfions, or any other more fordid gratification will go down when men are voracious, or starving, but a man of honour confcious of his merits, and too tender in his feeling to put up with perfonal injuries, will ftart at the name of a penfion. lbit qui zonam perdidit-an undone man will take a penfion of a pürfe.

I will not follow this writer into his comparisons between man and man in the army; the tendency is dangerous, and would be ill judged; there are many brave men who deserved well of their country in the last war, and who will always receive that tribute which English virtue gives to bravery and honour. I, for one, will fay that I would as readily ufe my pen in their favour, were they to be borne-down and oppres fed by arrogant power to serve the fordid purpose of a moment, as I now have done in the prefent fingular, fhamefull cafe.I will fay but one word more upon this unpleafing fubject,That as it is a public caufe, it deferves a public inquiry; and I trust that fome men ftill remain unplaced, unpentioned, whofe love to their country and her real friends, will folicit juftice in a proper way and in a proper place in behalf of a man who ferved her without pillage and refufed a penfion, because, like an opiate, it would intoxicate him to fleep, when he wished to be active in her ferviee.

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A LETTER from Mr. FREDERIC, (fon of Theodore, late king of Corfica, and author of the memoirs of Corfica,) to his Grace the Duke of NEWCASTLE, tranflated from the French.

Non fine ufu fuerit introspicere illa primo afpectu levia, ex queis magnarum fæpe rerum motus oriuntur. TACITUS.

My Lord Duke,

TH

HE infurmountable difficulties, which have for a long time prevented my return to Corfica, where I have been importuned by the chiefs to go, oblige me to implore the CC 2

honour

honour of your benevolence; as I find myself unable to undertake that voyage, on account of the misfortunes in which I have been involved by my attachment to the interest of his M -y, during the laft war, when you was at the helm.

You are not ignorant, my lord, of the expenfive measures I have taken to engage the Corficans to fubmit themselves to his majefty. I have fhewn my zeal at a time, which was very critical for England. The fleet commanded by admiral Byng had just been defeated; Minorca had furrendered to the. enemy; the English flag was expofed to infults, and the commerce of the Mediterranean was upon the point of being ruined.

My defign was to immortalize the name of the king, by rendering a people free, who had groaned for many ages under a yoke, the most grievous, and, the moft cruel; to procure ports convenient for the English fleet to careen and refit in; from whence they might be fupplied with provifions and failors; where they were at hand to obferve the Toulon fleet, then formidable in those feas; to keep Spain, and the power of Italy in awe; in a word to re-establish its trade, its ancient luftre, its reputation, and its credit.

Such my lord, were the motives, which engaged me to propofe the acquifition of Corfica, motives authorised by juftice, and prefcribed by intereft: glory, and utility, were in this cafe infeparable.

You did me the honour, my lord, to approve of my project, and to applaud my zeal; and at the fame time you ordered me to encourage the Corficans to perfevere in their good intentions, until effectual measures could be taken to bring a plan into execution, the fuccefs of which appeared to you of importance to Great Britain.

Nothing flatters a man more, who has a natural propenfity to glorious enterprises, than to find himself applauded by perfons, eminent for their dignities, their reputation, and their merit. And your approbation, my lord, gave new ftrength to my inclinations, and gave me room to believe, that my project would not fail to be carried into execution, efpecially as you had honoured it already with your patronage.

In the mean while, the Corficans preffed me to furnish them with arms and ammunition, as foon as poffible. They were obliged to take their precautions against the French; troops, who were preparing to invade that ifland, in order to fhut up the entrance of it from the Englifh. I immediately communicated their demand to you ; but feeing that the affair was delayed, I thought it proper to expedite the fupply, to make ufe of my own credit with the merchants, for fear, left

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