To [George Brent?]

Dear Sir                                                                         Gunston—Hall, 6th. Decemr. 1770.

I have your favor of the 7th July, which is the third you have obliged me with since you left Virginia: That I have not answer’d them sooner, I hope you know is not oweing to Want of Friendship ; it will always give me pleasure to hear of your Welfare, & a young Fellow of twenty must not stand upon Ceremony with an old one of five & forty.

I am much obliged to you for the Pamphlets you sent me; we have had them in detach’d Pieces in the public papers; but there is no judging of such Performances by Scraps. Junius's letters are certainly superior to anything of the kind that ever appeared in our language: The two most remarkable periods for party-writing were about the Change of the Ministry in Queen Ann's time, & the latter end of Sir Robt. Walpoles Ministry in the late King's reign, and altho’ the ablest Men in the nation then entered the lists, their performances fall short of Junius. Most of our best writers have imitated the florid Ciceronian Style, but this author is really an Original; Learned and elegant without the vanity of seeming so, his manner of expression, though new and almost peculiar to himself, is yet free from the Affectation of Singularity; bold and nervous, like the Genius of the nation he writes for.

The non-importation associations here are at present in a very languid state, most People seem’d inclined to try what the Parliament will do this winter towards redressing the American grievances, as they shew’d some inclination last session to a reconciliation. We are not without hopes that, when men's passions have had time to cool, & reason takes its place, this most desirable end may be attain’d, & that happy harmony restored which for more than a century produced such mutual benefits to both countrys. Perdition seize the Man whose arbitrary maxims & short-sighted policy first interrupted it! But shou’d the oppressive system of taxing us without our consent be continued, The Flame, however smothr’d now, will break out with redoubled Ardour, & the spirit of Opposition (self-defence is its’ proper name) wear a more formidable shape than ever—more formidable, because more natural and practicable.

The Associations, almost from one end of this continent to the other, were drawn up in a hurry and form’d upon an erroneous Principle; it was imagined, that they wou’d occasion such a sudden stagnation in trade, & such murmurs among the manufacturers of Great Britain that the Parliament wou’d feel the necessity of immediately repealing the American Revenue Acts. One year wou’d do the business, & for one year or two we cou’d do without importing almost anything from Great Britain. Men sanguine in an interesting subject easily believe that must happen which they wish to happen, & thus the Americans enter’d into Agreements which few were able to perform even for the short time at first thought necessary. Many circumstances have concurr’d to frustrate such a Scheme, particularly the unusual demand for British goods from the northern parts of Europe, & more than anything else the impracticability of the scheme itself, & the difference between the plans adopted in the different provinces. Time has pointed out our mistakes, & errors well known are more than half corrected.

Had the subject been well digested, & an association entered into which People wou’d have felt themselves easy under, persevered in, had one general plan been form’d exactly the same for all the colonys (so as to have removed all cause of jealousy or danger of interfering with each other) in the nature of a sumptuary law, restraining only articles of luxury and ostentation together with the goods at any time taxed, and at the same time giving all possible encouragement to American manufacturers & invitations to manufacturers from Europe to remove hither & settle among us, & as these increased from time to time still decreasing our Europian imports; an association then form’d upon these principles wou’d have gather’d strength by execution, & however slow in its operation it would have been certain in its effects. It may perhaps be thought that the trade of Great Britain wou’d be little affected by such a restriction, but luxury and ostentation are comprehensive terms & I woul’d venture to affirm that it immediately wou’d lessen the imports to this continent from Great Britain £300,000 per Annum & the government wou’d lose more in one year on two articles only (manufactured tobacco and malt liquors) than it wou’d gain in ten by the American Revenue Acts. Such a plan as this is now in contemplation, God grant we may have no cause to carry it into practice. Had the colonies any intention of throwing off their dependence? Was the sovereignty of Great Britain really in dispute as the Ministry affect to believe, Administration wou’d be right in asserting the authority of the mother country; it wou’d be highly culpable if it did not do so, but the wildest chimera that ever disturbed a madman's brain has not less foundation in truth than this opinion. The Americans have the warmest affection for the present Royal Family, the strongest attachment to the British government & constitution; they have experienced its blessings and prefer it to any that does or ever did exist; while they are protected in the Injoyment of its advantages they can never wish to change, there are not five men of sense in America who would accept of Independence if it was offered. We know our own circumstances too well; we know that our own happiness, our very being, depends upon our connection with our mother country. We have always acknowledged, we are always ready to recognize, the sovereignty of Great Britain, but we will not submit to have our own money taken out of our pockets without our consent; because if any man or any set of men take from us without our consent or that of our representatives one shilling in the Pound we have not Security for the remaining nineteen. We owe our mother-country the duty of subjects but will not pay her the submission of slaves. So long as Great Britain can preserve the vigour & spirit of her own free happy constitution so long may she by a mild and equal government preserve her sovereignty over these Colonies. What may be the effect of violence & oppression no man can answer; but any man may venture to pronounce that they can never be productive of good.

In answer to your question about the subscription for Mr. Wilkes, there was a subscription set on foot to ship that gentleman 45 Hhds. of Tobo. as a small acknowledgment for his sufferings in the cause of liberty which I believe would have been filled up, but for the very Mr. Miles whom you mention; He very officiously contrived to get the subscription into his hands, & after collecting some of the tobacco & applying it to his own use; as soon as the matter took wind, fearing a little American discipline upon the occasion, he scamper’d off with the subscription-paper and has never been heard of since. I do not tell you this of my own knowledge (for I never saw Miles), but I believe there is no doubt of the truth of the fact.

I received a letter from my kinsman, Colo. Mercer, dated the 24th of July speaking very doubtfully of the Ohio Company's affairs in England; This is only the third letter from him which ever came into my hands since I saw him in Virginia until this very day, when I received a small packet from him containing some interesting intelligence, but of a very old date, so long ago as the 2d of last January from what he says of the many letters he has wrote me, and from what I know of the number I have wrote him I am convinced some s—l who knows our hand-writing must have intercepted them, tho I can't pretend even to guess at any particular person. He tells me in his letter of the 24th of July that he shall leave England in September, otherwise Mr. McPherson's going to London wou’d have afforded me a certain opportunity of assuring him that a few years absence has neither erased him out of my memory or affection; As to the Ohio Company's affairs here I could have given him no satisfaction or information. It is absolutely more difficu’t to procure a meeting of our members than it is to assemble a German Diet —notwithstanding appointments & advertisements without number, I verily believe there has never been a meeting of the Company since he went from Virginia.

As your brother Robert goes to London in the same ship by which I write, he will inform you of the situation of our relatives and friends in Virginia and Maryland. All at Gunston Hall join in wishing you Health and Happiness with, Dear Sir, Yr. Affection. kinsman & hble Sert.

G. Mason

Source: (Rutland, The Papers of George Mason,Vol. I, p. 127-130 (1970)).