Address of the Gentlemen

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Address of the Gentlemen, Clergy, Merchants, Manufacturers, Incorporated Trades, and principal Inhabitants of the Town of Dundee, transmitted to the Earl of Suffolk

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Most Gracious Sovereign:

We, your Majesty' s most dutiful and loyal subjects, the Gentlemen, Clergy, Merchants, Manufacturers, Incorporated Trades, and principal Inhabitants of the Town of Dundee, highly sensible of the happiness of our situation under your mild and most gracious Government, beg leave, in the most respectful manner, to address your Majesty with the utmost gratitude for the many blessings we enjoy. Zealous for the preservation of our most excellent Constitution, it is with pleasure and admiration we review the wisdom of your Councils, ever since your Majesty' s accession to the throne.

Sensible that your Majesty' s goodness reached the remotest corner of this extended Empire, it raised our indignation and surprise when first we heard of the ungrateful conduct of many of our American subjects; we never could have thought that they so soon would have forgot the hand that saved them; or that they, so lately at the expense of much blood and treasure, freed from the insults of a foreign power, and blessed with British freedom, would have dared to raise the standard of rebellion against your Government

We would still fondly hope that they would yet return to their duty, and spare the further effusion of blood. But should they still continue in their obstinacy, we hope more vigorous methods will be adopted and continued, until they shall appear sensible of their crimes, content with their just rights, and atone for their offences by their submission to the laws of this Kingdom.

While we disapprove of the rebellious conduct of your Majesty' s subjects in America, we are sorry to think, that even some of our own countrymen, by their practices, rather appear the aiders and abetters of their treason. These, notwithstanding their specious pretences, we consider as the enemies of their Country, and view their endeavours to raise disturbances amongst us with abhorrence.

It is with pleasure we can assure your Majesty, that our trade hath as yet suffered nothing by the American ports being shut against us.

We are happy under your Majesty' s reign, and will most cheerfully, to the utmost of our power, exert ourselves, upon all occasions, to support the dignity of the crown and the true interest of Great Britain.