commodated by spring, enlarge the quantity of your flax and
hemp. You will experience the benefit of it. All those articles
will be very much wanted: they will bring a great-deal higher
price than they used to do. And while you are supplying the
wants of the community, you will be enriching yourselves.

Should we hereafter, find it necessary to stop our exports, you
can apply more of your land to raising flax and hemp, and less
of it to wheat, rye, &c. By which means, you will not have
any of those latter articles to lie upon hand. There will be a
consumption for as much of the former as you can raise, and
the great demand they will be in, will make them very profitable
to you.

Patience good Mr. Critic! Kill them sparingly, I said, what
objection have you to the phrase? You'll tell me, it is not classi-
cal ; but I affirm it is, and you will condescend to look into
Mr. Johnson's dictionary, you will find I have his authority for
it. Pray then, for the future, spare your wit, upon such occa-
sions, otherwise the world will not be disposed to spare its ridi-
cule. And though the man that spares nobody does not deserve
to be spared himself, yet will I spare you, for the present, and
proceed to things of more importance.

Pardon me, my friends, for taking up your time with this
digression ; but I could not forbear stepping out of the way a
little, to shew the world, I am as able a critic, and as good a
punster as Mr. Farmer. I now return to the main point with
pleasure.

It is insinuated, "That the bustle about non-importation, &c.
has its rise, not from patriotism, but selfishness;" and is only
made by the merchants, that they may get a high price for their
goods.

By this time, I flatter myself you are convinced, that we are
not disputing about trifles. It has been clearly proved to you,
that we are contending for very thing dear in life, and that the
measures adopted by the congress, are the only ones which can
save us from ruin. This is sufficient to confute that insinuation.
But to confirm it, let me observe to you, that the merchants have
not been the foremost to bring about a non-importation. All
the members of the congress were unanimous in it ; and many
of them were not merchants. The warmest advocates for it,