“To the King’s Most Excellent Majesty.

“GRACIOUS SOVEREIGN: We, your Majesty’s dutiful and loyal subjects, the Lord Mayor, Sheriffs, Commons, and Citizens of the City of Dublin in Common Council assembled, conceive it would be highly improper in us at this alarming crisis of affairs to observe a criminal silence and an unfeeling indifference.

“We see the horrours and calamities of civil war raging in America, the hands of fellow-subjects imbrued in the blood of each other, and without searching for, or investigating the cause, we cannot hesitate to pronounce its effects destructive to the British Empire at large, and particularly and essentially ruinous to the limited commerce of this Kingdom.

“At a period of time when every political eye is intent on the movement of the armament fitted out by the Court of Spain, our natural and hereditary enemy, when that powerful force has been frustrated in its first attempt, and when this Country may with reason think, that such great preparations will not be suffered to become entirely abortive; we are naturally led to inquire into our means of defence against any sudden invasion, but have the mortification to find the military force drained from this Kingdom, to enter into an unnatural conflict with Protestant subjects of the same Empire.

“Your Majesty will be pleased to consider how much our trade, credit and manufactures are connected with peace in America, and that we cannot but feel the most lively distress and apprehensions at a continuance of a war which must necessarily involve in ruin our staple commodity, almost the only source of wealth to your faithful subjects of Ireland.

“It is not the intention or wish of us, your Majesty’s dutiful subjects, to pretend to determine from whence the evils complained of have originated, or what has introduced your Majesty and your subjects into a situation unprecedented, delicate, dangerous, and distressing.

“Permit us to apply to your Majesty’s wisdom and virtue, and to implore your parental interposition in promoting such means as will at once quiet the fears of your subjects in America, and preserve the constitutional rights of your Majesty and the British Legislature.

“Then may we expect the return of that peace so long a wanderer, an unnatural separation of the Colonies from the Mother Country prevented, the British Constitution throughout your Majesty’s wide and extended Empire established on the firmest basis, and its necessary attendants, civil liberty and political security.

“The sword of discord once sheathed, Great Britain shall recover her wonted unanimity and importance; commerce shall again revive, and those torrents of your people’s blood now flowing in the cause of civil commotion, be reserved for the noble purpose of asserting the just prerogative of your Majesty’s crown, and the liberty of your People, in support of which we are ever ready to sacrifice our lives and fortunes.”

Resolved unanimously by the Committee.

And whereas the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor and Board of Aldermen have this day put a negative on the said Address:

Now we, the Sheriffs and Commons, anxious to preserve our reputations from the odium that must remain to all posterity on the names of those who in any wise promote the acts now carrying on in America, and feeling the most poignant grief, as well on account of the injured inhabitants of that Continent, as on that of our brave countrymen sent on the unnatural errand of killing their fellow-subjects, have

Resolved, That it is the duty of every good citizen to exert his utmost abilities to allay the unhappy disputes that at present disturb the British Empire.

Resolved, That whoever would refuse his consent to a dutiful Petition to the King, tending to undeceive His Majesty, and from which it could be hoped that the effusion of one drop of subject blood might be prevented, is not a friend to the British Constitution.

Signed by order:

ALFRED HOWARD.

The Lord Mayor and Board of Aldermen put a negative on the Petition and Address.

EXTRACT OF A LETTER TO A GENTLEMAN IN PHILADELPHIA, DATED CHARLESTOWN, SOUTH-CAROLINA, AUGUST 20, 1775.

Every thing here is suspended but warlike preparations. It is said that there are scarce two hundred men in town not enrolled. The country is unanimous. Our two regiments of foot are every day training, and almost complete. About a week ago a small sloop from this Town boarded a snow from England, in Augustine Bay, and carried off between twelve and fourteen thousand pounds of powder, mostly belonging to the King. She had been sent privately with thirty resolute men well armed by our Committee, in order to intercept the vessel on the coast, but was disappointed, being rather too late, for there were forty thousand pounds landed, with four brass field-pieces, the day before our sloop boarded her. There were twelve soldiers sent from Augustine to assist and defend the snow, to whom our people gave ten guineas for helping them out with the powder, and being so modest as not to resist. A man-of-war was in sight, but fortunately aground the few hours our people stayed. We spiked up the snow’s guns, and then went off triumphant, although attacked by three boats full of armed men. One got within a hundred and fifty yards, it being quite calm, but that moment a fresh gale sprang up. Our people brought their booty safe to Beaufort, a town on the coast, about seventy miles S. W. of this place. It was reported they were pursued by the armed vessels from Augustine, to which place, on hearing of this, our Council of Safety despatched fifteen Artillerymen and fifteen Grenadiers, by water, and a company of our Provincials to Beaufort, to assist the country people in the defence of the acquisition. We are putting the Town in a posture of defence, and are all determined to oppose whatever Troops may come here. Yesterday a negro was hanged and burnt for intended sedition, and burning the Town, &c.

REV. WILLIAM TENNENT TO HENRY LAURENS.

Bullock’s Creck, August 20, 1775.

DEAR SIR: We expect to write you a publick letter next Wednesday, but opportunity offering I must inform you, that after visiting the upper part of Col. Richard-son’s regiment, and the High Dutch in the fork between Broad and Saluda Rivers, the former with great success, the latter with very little, we have at length visited the great and mighty nabob Fletchall. We found him surrounded by his court, viz: Cunningham, Brown and Robinson, who watch all his motions, and have him under great command. We soon found the unchangeable malignity of their minds, and the inexpressible pains they are at to blind the people, and fill them with bitterness against the gentlemen, as they are called.

General Gage’s pamphlet is raging through the District, and greedily read. The. readers have taken the same methods with the Romish church, to keep the people ignorant; and in general they firmly believe that no man that comes from below, and that no paper printed there, can speak the truth. This was necessary in order to prevent any thing we can say from taking place. We soon found that reasoning was vain with those who were fixed by royal emoluments; but perceiving that Fletchall affected to play between, we let him know that we had discovered things which he thought were a profound secret, and surprised him much. He confessed receiving a letter from the Governour within five days last, and offered to swear there was no harm in it, and that he would not take arms against the country. But we surprised him into a promise to assemble the regiment next Wednesday, which highly affronted Cunningham and the rest of the Upper House; some of whom treated us with insolence upon it. We expect to meet the regiment accordingly, and many of our friends, whom I have advertised of it, will be there; some having intimated a design to put some trick upon us.

In the mean time Mr. Drayton has gone up to his iron works, and to the people about Lawson’s Fork, where he will do something. I turned my course into the New Acquisition, where I am to have a meeting from day to day, in Colonel Neel’s regiment. I think I shall fix this District in the right cause. I discovered on my way a scheme to