, a person of some celebrity in his time, as a writer of political
, a person of some celebrity in his
time, as a writer of political pamphlets, was the son of
Isaac Mauduit, a dissenting minister at Bermondsey, and
was horn there in 1708, and was himself educated for the
ministry among the diss.enters. After some time, however, he quitted his clerical employment, and became a
partner with his brother Jasper Mauduit, as a merchant;
and, when that brother died, carried on the business with
equal credit and advantage. His first appearance as aw
author was in 1760, when he published anonymously a
pamphlet entitled “Considerations on the present German war.
” It was intended to shew the impropriety of
involving this nation in continental wars, and obtained
some attention from the public; which the author supported by publishing soon after, “Occasional thoughts oo
the present German War.
” When Mr. Wilkes published
in Observations on the Spanish Paper,
” the credit
of Mr. Mauduit was so far established by the former pamphlets, that many persons ascribed this also to him. In 1763
he was appointed customer of Southampton, and some time
after agent for the province of Massachuset’s, which led
him to take an active part in the disputes between the
American colonies and the mother country. In consequence of this he published, in 1769, his “Short view of
the History of the New- England Colonies.
” In The Case of the Dissenting Ministers;
addressed to the lords spiritual and temporal.
” In the
same year he published “Letters of governor Hutchinson,
”
&c. In Remarks upon
general Howe’s Account of his Proceedings on Long
Island,
” &c. Also “Strictures on the Philadelphia Mischianza,
” &c. And, “Observations upon the conduct of
sir William Howe at the White Plains,
” &c. In Three Letters addressed to lieut-gen. sir William Howe,
” &c. and “Three
Letters to lord viscount Howe.
” In May 1787, he
appointed governor of the society among the dissenters for
propagating the gospel in foreign parts, but died on the
14th of the ensuing month, at the age of seventy-nine, in
Clement’s-lane, Lombard-street, a bachelor, and possessed
of an ample fortune. He is said by some to have been the
author of a letter to lord Blakeney, on the defence of
Minorca in 1757; and some other tracts on political and
temporary subjects, which, whatever effect they might
have produced at the time, are now sinking fast into
oblivion. The historian of Surrey says ofhim, that “his
love of liberty, civil <fnd religious, was tempered with that
moderation which Christianity inculcates in every branch
of conduct. His acquaintance with mankind taught him
that impartiality was the best rule of conduct. In the
contests for civil liberty he distinguished the intemperate
zeal of the Americans, and soon saw the propriety of withdrawing from such as had separated themselves from their
allegiance to Great Britain a fund for propagating the
gospel among the subjects of this crown, in which he was
supported by the opinions of no less lawyers than Scott
and Hill. In like manner he tempered the application of
his brethren in England for toleration.
”