Anecdote of the War of Independence

It is well known that both in the British Senate and among the British people there were many who disapproved of the War on the part of the mother country and wished success to the colonists. Among the latter was the Rev. Mr. Thom. Minister of the parish of Govan, near Glasgow. In his pulpit orations he sometimes inveighed against the war with a freedom which in those days was allowed to pass unnoticed by “the powers that be,” but which, if similar freedom had been taken at a later period of England’s history, when the tories were endeavoring to retain the unjust encroachments they had made upon the rights of the people, would have been visited with severe “pains and penalties”. The chief occasions chosen by this renowned preacher for giving utterance to those political sentiments, were upon the annual fast days appointed by the King, that prayers might be put up over all the Kingdom for the success of his Majesty’s arms. At such times Mr. Thom was sure to have an overflowing audience, drawn from a circuit of thirty miles round his church. At the Peace, on a day appointed by royal authority to be observed by the whole nation in fasting and prayer, and giving thanks to God for the restoration of the blessing of peace, Mr. Thom, after reading a text to be expounded, thus began his discourse: “My friends we are called here to day by Royal Proclamation, to give thanks to the Lord for the loss of thirteen American Provicnes.– We are also to express our sincere gratitude to God fro the loss of one hundred thousand of our fellow-citizens. And we are further to pour out our devout aspirations of gratitude to the Almighty for the addition of one hundred millions (of pounds sterling) to the national debt.” And after this striking exordium, the Rev. gentleman proceeded with his discourse.