Description:
Book titled "Remarks on the review of the Controversy between Great Britain and her colonies. In which the errors of its author are exposed, and the claims of the colonies vindicated, upon the evidence of historical facts and authentic records: To which is subjoined, a proposal for terminating the present unhappy dispute with the colonies; recovering their commerce; reconciliating their affection; securing their rights; and establishing their independence on a just and permanent basis. Humbly submitted to the consideration of the British legislature ..." by Edward Bancroft (1744-1821), printed for T. Becket and P.A. De Hondt, 1769. Massachusetts-born Bancroft believed he was trying to salvage his countrymen from certain disaster and also considered espionage “a brief hiatus” from his scientific research career. He published this anti-British tax policy, pro-American colonies’ rights book in 1769, long before the British government courted him as a spy. "Remarks on the Review of The Controversy Between Great Britain and Her Colonies” responded to a previous publication that argued Britain had the right to tax the American colonists as much and as often as it saw fit. Bancroft reiterated James Otis’s phrase “no taxation without representation,” claiming in his book that man’s natural rights, the British constitution, and British citizens’ self-interests all should convince Parliament to allow the colonies political representation. Bancroft was the only British agent to gain Benjamin Franklin’s complete trust, but it was his already honest interest in the well-being of Britain’s colonies that would make him such an effective spy. In the early 1770's, Bancroft agreed to become a spy for Franklin during Franklin's time in London and then later for Silas Deane. However, he was not a great enthusiast for American independence, and the possibility of a French war against Britain alarmed him. Despite his promise to Franklin and Deane, he had reservations about doing anything that might promote a rift between Britain and the American colonies. In London he met Paul Wentworth, recently recruited by the British Secret Service. Wentworth arranged for Bancroft to meet Secret Service chief William Eden and Lords Suffolk and Weymouth. Bancroft agreed to be a double agent for Britain. Bancroft's actitivity as a double agent remained hidden until 1891, when British diplomatic papers were disclosed to the public.
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