Mr. Otis's humour and satire were not idle upon this occasion, but his wit served only to increase the effect of a subsequent, very grave and serious remonstrance and invective against the detestable principles of the foregoing passages, which he read with regret, but which it was his duty to read, in order to shew the temper, the views and the objects of the knight, which were the same with those of all the acts of trade anterior and posterior, to the writing of this book: and those views, designs and objects were, to annul all the New England charters, and they were but three, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut; to reduce all the colonies to royal governments, to subject them all to the supreme domination of parliament, who were to tax us, without limitation, who would tax us whenever the crown would recommend it, which crown would recommend it, whenever the ministry for the time being should please, and which ministry would please as often as the West India planters and North American governors, crown officers and naval commanders should solicit more fees, salaries, penalties and forfeitures.
Mr. Otis had no thanks for the knight for his pharisaical compliment to New England, at the expense of Virginia and other colonies who for any thing he knew were equally meritorious. It was certain the first settlers of New England were not all godly. But he reprobated in the strongest terms that language can command, the machiavilian, the jesuitical, the diabolical and infernal principle that men, colonies and nations were to be sacrificed, because they were industrious and frugal, wise and virtuous, while others were to be encouraged, fostered and cherished, because they were pretended to be profligate, vicious and lazy.
But, my friend, I must quit Josiah Child, and look for others of Mr. Otis's authorities.
JOHN ADAMS.
TO THE HON. WM. TUDOR.
Quincy, July 27, 1818.
DEAR SIR,
ANOTHER author produced by Mr. Otis was, "The trade and navigation of Great Britain considered," by Joshua Gee. "A new edition, with many interesting notes and additions by a merchant," printed in 1767. This new edition, which was printed no doubt to justify the ministry in the system they were then pursuing, could not be the edition that Mr. Otis produced in 1761. The advertisement of the editor informs us that "This valuable treatise has for many years been very scarce, though strongly recommended by the best judges and writers on trade, and universally allowed to be one of the most interesting books on that subject." "The principles upon which it was written continue, with little variation." But I am fatigued with quotations, and must refer you to the advertisement in the book, which will shew, past a doubt, that this was a ministerial republication. The "feelings, the manners and principles," which produced the revolution, will be excited and renovated by the perusal of this book, as much as by that of sir Josiah Child. I wish I could fill sheets of paper with quotations from it; but this is impossible. If I recommend it to the research, and perusal, and patient thinking of the present generation, it is in despair of being regarded. For who will engage in this dry, dull study? Yet Mr. Otis laboured in it. He asserted and proved, that it was only a reinforcement of the system of sir Josiah Child, which Gee approved in all things, and even quoted with approbation the most offensive passage in his book, the scurrilous reflections on Virginia and Barbadoes.
Another writer produced by Mr. Otis was "Memoirs and considerations, concerning the trade and revenues of the British colonies in America; with proposals for rendering those colonies more beneficial to Great Britain. By John Ashley, Esq."