342 THE WAR OF SEPARATION CHAP. 



much sterling reason still left, as I hope will quiet thy doubts 

 on these affairs. 1 



In other letters at this period to the Friends in America, 

 Fothergill counsels circumspection, calmness, keeping in 

 unity, minding their own business, neither to " lean to 

 the violent, nor to join the obsequious." "But," he goes on 

 to tell them, " all is at stake, life, liberty and property." 

 " If America relaxes, both you and we are all undone. 

 Submission to the prevailing power must be your duty. 

 The prevailing power is the general voice of America." 2 

 Fothergill 's counsels did not meet with full acceptance, 

 as we shall see presently. On July 8 one more American 

 petition was sent to the king, the " olive branch " : they 

 resolved it should be their last : the terms were still 

 loyal, but " your Majesty's ministers," so it ran, " have 

 compelled us to arm in our own defence." It was drawn 

 up by Dickinson, signed by Franklin, and delivered by 

 the Proprietary, Richard Penn, who sailed home for the 

 purpose. 3 In the meantime the war was proceeding. A 

 new British army had gone out, though some of the 

 ablest military and naval leaders declined to serve. 4 

 Press-gangs were active in English towns ; and Indians 

 were employed as allies on both sides, giving to the 

 unnatural strife an added horror. 



1 MS. Letter, J. F. to W. Logan, 18.3.1775, J. M. Fox MSS. Supply 

 " Administration " for the hiatus purposely left in the original. Letters were 

 often opened in the post. A part of Fothergill's very characteristic letter, 

 for the use of which thanks are due to the generosity of Mr. Joseph M. Fox, 

 is here reproduced from a photograph. 



The letter speaks also of " our very valuable friend Rachel Wilson. She 

 came up [to London, with her husband] under much suffering for the oppressive 

 measures taken against America and wanted admittance to the K. [king] ; 

 every avenue was barred against her. She was seized with an inflammation 

 of the liver " and died. R. Wilson was the wife of Isaac Wilson of Kendal, 

 and mother of three sons and of " the seven beautiful sisters." She became 

 the ancestress of many families Whitwell, Pease, Braithwaite, Savory, 

 Messer, Wright, Stacey, Albright, etc., eminent among the Friends since those 

 days ; including also Elizabeth Priestman, the first wife of John Bright. 

 Rachel Wilson had been for 36 years a minister among Friends, having 

 travelled as such in America, when she gave the last efforts of her life to seek 

 for justice on behalf of that land. See also Piety Promoted, iii. 92 ; Pedigree 

 of Wilson of High Wray, etc. 



3 Quoted by Sharpless, op. cit. p. 118. 

 8 Geo. III. op. cit. i. 230 note. 



4 E.g. Lord Howard of Effmgham, Admiral Keppel, and Lord Chatham 

 for his son. Idem, ii. 10. 



