Cabinet," wrote Caracciolo, the Neapolitan Minister to Tanucci, "is not agreed. The Chancellor, the Duke of Grafton, and Lord Shelburne wish to support the Corsicans, these Lords retaining in their minds the manner of thinking of Lord Chatham, of whom they are the creatures; Lord Weymouth and all the Bedford party, on the contrary, are absolutely against taking any steps which may disturb the general tranquillity and peace. In fact Lord Weymouth has made no difficulty in discovering his sentiments, judging it not to interest this nation what may be the destiny of that island. Having, he says, as England has, the superiority at sea, the French will never be able either in war or peace to hinder their entrance into the ports of the Mediterranean; and in effect it was seen in the last war. France had troops in the maritime places of Corsica, and besides that Port Mahon, notwithstanding which the two fleets navigated that sea without any molestation or inconvenience. Lord Shelburne seems on the contrary to consider the affair as a thing of importance."[1]
The affairs of America still further aggravated the position. Events had been marching with rapidity in the colonies, ever since the arrival of the news that Charles Townshend's taxes had received the consent of Parliament. Already on the 28th of October 1767, the inhabitants of Boston, in town meeting assembled, had entered into a non-importation agreement. The two succeeding months were spent in planning how to carry out the agreement. Opposition was determined upon first; the philosophy of opposition was invented afterwards. The distinction between internal and external taxation had been cunningly respected by Townshend, the taxes were port duties and therefore not internal taxation, and the old arguments clearly failed when used against them. It was necessary to look further. In the Farmer's Letters of John Dickenson of Pennsylvania the key-note of a new resistance was struck. "We," he argued, "being obliged to take commodities from Great Britain, special duties on their exportation to us are as much taxes upon us as those
- ↑ Caracciolo to Tanucci, May 27th, June 3rd, 1768.
