Third Edition. Printed in the same year as the first edition, “Thoughts on the Letter of Edmund Burke, Esq; to the Sheriffs of Bristol, on the Affairs of America” was written by Willoughby Bertie, 4th Earl of Abingdon, who was a leading supporter of American colonial rights. The work was a reply to Edmund Burke’s “A Letter from Edmund Burke, Esq; One of the Representatives in Parliament for the City of Bristol, to John Farr and John Harris, Esqrs. Sheriffs of that City, On the Affairs of America.” Abingdon attacks Burke for his temporizing, but also discusses other topics including the suspension of habeas corpus, the authority of Parliament, religion, and the American Revolution.

“Thoughts” was widely popular and went through several editions, including four English editions and reprints in Dublin and Newry in Ireland and two reprints in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1780.