30. Aa Attempt to corredt a Miftake of the late Dr. Robertfon. [Jan 
attempts been made to promote free en- 
quiry with reipect to revigioz, and to pro- 
pagate the knowledge of pure Chriftianity ? 
Ef any of your correfpondents will favor 
the public with intelligence in anfwer to 
fuch queftions, 'doubt not that the pub- 
fic will be gratified. It will be peculiar- 
ly acceptable to Vv. W. 
PEE ET. 
ee ee ee eae 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
T would be acceptable to many of your 
readers, if you could give them any 
fnformation relative to a fociety of Jefuits 
which met at Avignon about Mine years 
fince; a fociety, which Mirabeau, m his 
<¢ Hiftory of the Illuminees,” conjectured 
had fome dark politieal fchemes in agita- 
tion. Rumour afferts, that any princes 
of Europe were conne@ed with them, that 
their ichemes are involved in almoft impe- 
netrable obfcurity. - Perhaps the Abbe 
Barve, who, if I am informed tight, 
ts the only perfon in England who pof- 
fefles the work of Mirabeau, before alluded 
to, may be able to inform you more of 
their defigns than he deems prudent to do, 
efpecially as he afferts that moft of the 
prevailing infidelity in Europe arifes from 
the fuppreffion of the order of the Jefuits. 
Lam, Sir, your’s, SCRUTATOR. 
Sate ; . 
Tothe Editor o the Montély Magazine. 
SIR, 
BEG. leave, through the channel of 
A. your liberal and mo valuable mif- 
<ellany, to make a few obfervations upon 
the following paffage in Dr. Robertfon’s 
é¢ Fiiflory of America,” lately publithed. 
After enumerating feveral inftances of the 
eddrefs and ambition of the colonifts in the 
northern provinces, the hiftorian goes on: 
‘< Thefe were followed by an indieation 
fii]l lefs. ambiguous of the afpiring fpirit 
prevalent among the people ef the Mafiachu- 
fetts.. Under every form of government the 
right of caning money has been confidered es a 
prerogative peculiar to fovereignty, and whica 
na fubordinate member of a {tate is entitled 
to claim. Regardlefs of this eftablithed 
Maxim, the general court ordered a coinage 
~of filver money at Bofton, ftamped with the 
mame of the colony, and a tree, as an apt 
fymbol of its progreffive vigour. Even this 
ufurpation pafied without notice.” 
From the above paffage, it feems to be 
the opinion ef Dr. Robertfon, that the 
people ot the Maffachufetts aflumed this 
“¢ peciiliar prerogative of fovereignty,”” in 
éefance of, or at leaft in oppofition to the 
royal authcrity. But it ought to be par- 
ticularly noticed, that the firft coinage 
was made in the year1652. Inftead there- 
fore of afcribing this meafure to ‘the 
afpiring {pirit ” of the people of Maffa- 
chufetts, the Doétor might juftly have 
faid, that the colonifts being nearly de- 
ferted at this time by the rulers at home, 
_on account of the civil wars, and the va- 
rious forms of government which after- 
wards fellowed, were obliged to coin 
money from abfolute neceffity. The fol- 
lowing extraGt from the Memoirs of the - 
Jate truly patriotic Thomas Hollis, will 
prove this to have been the principal, if 
not the only caufe, and confequently point 
out the miltake which Dr. Robertfon has. 
inadvertently fallen into. 
«¢ Sir Thomas Temple, brother te Sir 
William Temple, refided feveral years in New - 
England duringthe interregnum, After the re-. 
ftoration when he returned to Engtand,the king 
fent for him, and difcourfed with him on the 
fiate of affairs in the Maffachufetts, and dif. - 
covered great warmth againft that colony. 
Among other things, he faid they had in- 
vaded his prerogative by coining money. Sir. 
4 
i 
Thomas, who was areal friend to the colony, 
told his majefty that the. colonifts had but. 
little acquaintance with law, and that they _ 
thought it ho crime to make money for their 
own ufe. In the courfe of the converfation, 
Sir Thomas took fome of the money out of 
his pocket, and prefented it tothe king. On 
one fide of the coin was a pine-tree, of that 
kind which is thick and bufhy at the top. 
Charles afked what tree that was? Sir Tho- 
mas informed him it was the royal oak, 
which preferved his majefty’s life. 
count of the matter brought the king inte 
good humour, and difpofed him to hear what 
Sir Thomas had to fay in their favour—call- 
ing them a ‘¢ parcel of honeft dogs.” 
The jocular turn which Sir Thomas 
gave to the ftory, was evidently calculated 
to amufe the monarch in bis own ways 
and -had the defired effect, in difpofing 
him to hear with good humour that juit 
detence of the colonies which Sir Thomas 
was fo well qualified to make. We find 
he pleaded that the colonifts thought it 
no crime to make money for their own 
ufe—at a time too when the confufions in 
the mother country prevented them frona 
receiving thofe occafional fupplies of coin 
vhich were abfolutely neceflary for com- . 
mon cireulation. Such an uncommon ex- 
igency required an uncommon expedient ; 
and this will account for the proceedings 
of the people of Maflachufetts in a much 
more rational manner than Dr. Robertion - 
has done: forit is highly improbable that 
they fhould afpire after independence at a 
time 
This ac- - 
