392 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1817. 



even al)Sur(J. All sects here, and 

 we have a great variety, have ex- 

 perienced uiy good will in assist- 

 ing tkem with subscriptions for 

 the building their new places of 

 worship, and as I have never 

 opposed any of their doctrines, I 

 liope to go out of the world in 

 peace witli them all. 



To THE Honorable Thomas 

 CuSHI^fG, Esft. 



Project to avoid repealing the Ame- 

 rican Tea Duty. — Pretended 

 Prussian Edict. 

 Sir, London, Sept. 12, 1773. 



To avoid repealing tlie American 

 tea duty, and yet tind a vent for 

 tea, a project is executing to sen<l 

 it from this country on account of 

 the East India Company, to be 

 sold in America, agreeable to a late 

 act empowering the Lords of the 

 Treasury to giant licences to the 

 company to export tea tliitlier, 

 under certain restrictions, duty 

 free. Some friends of govern- 

 ment, (as they are called) of Bos- 

 ton, New York, Philadelphia, &c. 

 are to be favoured with ihe com- 

 mission, wlio undertake by their 

 interest to carry the measure 

 through in the colonies. How the 

 other merchants thus excluded 

 from the tea trade will like this, I 

 cannot foresee. Their agreement, 

 if I remember right, was not to 

 import tea, till the dut;- shall be 

 repealed. Perhaps they will think 

 themselves still obliged by that 

 agreemei\t notwithstanding this 

 temporary expedieiit ; wliich is 

 only to introduce the tea for the 

 present, and may be drop])ed next 

 year, and the duty again required; 

 the granting or refusing such li- 

 cense from time to tinae remaining 



in the power of the treasury. And 

 it will seem hard, while their 

 hands are tied, to see the protits 

 of that article all engrossed by a 

 few particulars. 



Enclosed I take the libeity of 

 sending you a small piece of mine, 

 written to expose, in as striking a 

 light as 1 could, to the nation, the 

 absurdity of the measures towards 

 America, and t(» spur the ministry, 

 if possible, to a change of those 

 measures. 



Please to present my duty to the 

 House, and respects to the com- 

 mittee. I have the honour to be, 

 with much esteem, Sir, your most 

 obedient humble servant, 



B. Franklin. 



\_Eiiclosed in the foregoing Letter.'] 



A PRUSSIAN EDICT, &C. 



Dantzic, Sept. 5, 1773. 



We have long wondered here at 

 the su|)ineness of the English na- 

 tion, under the Prussian imposi- 

 tions upon its trade entering our 

 port. We did not, till lately, know 

 the claims, ancient and modern, 

 that hang over that nation ; and 

 therefore could not suspect that it 

 might submit to those impressions 

 from a sense of duty, or fiom 

 principles of equity. The follow- 

 ing edict, just made public, may, 

 if serious, throw some light upon 

 this matter: — 



" Frederick, by the grace of 

 God, King of Prussia, &c &c. &c. 

 to all present and to come : health. 

 'J"he peace now enjoyed throughout 

 our dominions, having alforded us 

 leisure to apply ourselves to the 

 regulation of commerce, the im- 

 provement of our finances, and at 

 the same time the easing our do- 

 mestic subjects in their taxes : for 



these 



