An Humble Address and Earnest Appeal to Those Respectable Personages in Great-Britain and Ireland, Who, by Their Great and Permanent Interest in Landed Property, Their Liberal Education, Elevated Rank, and Enlarged Views, Are the Ablest to Judge, and the Fittest to Decide, Whether a Connection with, Or a Separation from the Continental Colonies of America, Be Most for the National Advantage, and the Lasting Benefit of These Kingdoms

The author addresses British landed elites, evaluating three responses to the American dispute: coercive parliamentary enforcement of imperial supremacy; a conciliatory plan that recognizes colonial legislative autonomy while preserving royal sovereignty; and his preferred option of complete political separation coupled with commercial treaties. He weighs each against practicability, expense, prospects for preventing future conflicts, and the security of domestic institutions. He criticizes vested interests—court officials and factional pseudo-patriots—for biasing judgment toward policies that serve patronage or perpetual opposition. Concluding that permanent separation with diplomatic and commercial arrangements best serves national advantage, he urges pragmatic consideration rather than rhetorical flourish.