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Mdcclxv. x\ \ \' > ({ ' ••*. ^?!;0 y , •/ .. ,4 '« -4. , CO K S i D E R AT IONS, ¥c. ' ■■■ ■ ■ — ...... ( . V- M® Affkifs of North Amerka, afe of fb much Importance to this _^ . kin^domj that jf liiake no Aplogy fbroffetiilg ^ few Thoiights on this Sutjea, t6 ft« Cdrnia^t^on of the PubBck. )t C-i ' j'of whethi^f we look at the Well-beifig arid Content of near two Million of £n^li]^ Subjedts, on that Continent, defcended frbttt and infeparably conneded with ourfclYjes; or Weigh the Effects which their Difcontent and UnhappinefSj ttluft unavoidably produce on this Country, fcarce a more important Objedl can prefeht itfelf to an EngliJhnU{ny The interefts and Affairs of the neigh- bouring Kingdoms and States in HMtofe^ affe^ lis In a very remote Degree, however v/c may have been accuftbnjed to confider '^' " A 2 them^ [4l ii^itably arifeypFP^^^ I-<»^*«^ iSoft, or. the ti^^ and Itt.-^^^^ sC Part of oiir F|tt^^SaW<#i^^ who are bound to us by Duty^ but whofe Diftance from us, would render it difficult for this Kingdom, to J keep ; them always tinder the Reftfaints of Da/y, fhould they ever find- it their Jw/^r^/? to attempt in Ear- neft, a Diflblutipp. pf that faired, Bbpd 5 and .either concert th ,> [■X TThat tljiis may be the Cafe in ibme future Period, flxHild they think themfelves hardly dealt by, may not be improbable. It there- fore becomes us to forefee and prevent, and by the moft prudent and equitable Means, the Confequences of fuch an Event; Con- fequences the qioft ferious in their Nature, de-» flrudlive in their Tendency to Great Britiiin and her Colonies, who ought to tremble at even J • l5l even at the moit diftant Apprehenfion of fuch a fatal Revolution. Hii ».■ If we enquire into the Condudl of the wifeft States to their diftant Colonies, we Ihall find it always to have been to treat them with Kindnefs, and Indulgence, to engage them to look back to the Mother Country, with Duty , and Affedion^ and to recompence the Pfotedion they have en- joyed, by the Produce of their Labours, their Commerce, and> when needed, their Afliftahce. . j . Y.:, > /.i^ M yWe meet with not many Inftances, com- pataiively, even of;diftant conqiiered. Coun- tries, revolting, till Caufes of ftrong Pifguft ha!d fbwn the Seeds of Difcontent, and fuc- ceeding Ads of OppreiHon and Injuftice, had; ripened theni Into Rebellion. ^ Colonies Iprung from Britain^ will bear much 3 but it is to be remembered, that they are the Sons of Freedom, and what they |xave been earjiy taught to look upon as Virtue in their' Aneeftors, will not Toon be forgot by them. , Nay, they will the fqpner be apt to vindicate their Wrongs, and perhaps in an improper Manner, the more •) I i t 6 J hiore ftrongly thefe rnnciples have beeri inftillcd, and the more diflant they are from the Source of Powers and proper In- formation. i North Amcricay for the molt Part, fince the Time of its being difcovered by Eu-* ropean'Sy has received its Inhabitants from Great Britain and Ireland: Great Numbers, "indeed, / have flocked from Germa?ty, and fbme other Parts of Europe^ from Tyranny and OppreiTion, to oUr Colonies, as a Land of Eafe knd Freedom. Thefe efteem them- felves Britifb Subjedb, eq^ually with thp OfF- fpring o{ Britain: They all look upon this as their Mother Country, intereftthemielves in its Safety and Happinefs, aiid efleiem diem- felves under every Obligation that Society admits of, to contribute to tlie Profptrity of Britain 'y for in this they contribute to their own. • The late Conquefls from France^ are not included in this Accoui^t. The Inhabifents derived their Origin froni France ^ as the In- habitants of our own Colonies (J^rung- from hehce. Yet of thefe, a great' Number are acquiring, and by a juft' and equal Govern- ment, will further acqmre the: like focla Regard '^";^ '% A < \ 1 [73 jRegard for the Intcrcft of this Country, 2& they have done for another. Time and good Treatment ftrangely metamorphofe E* pemies into Friends. If then the reigning Difpcfition in our own Colonies, has always been to confider this as their Mother Country ; the Country vyrhercin their Hopes of Protcftion center ; to which they look with Gratitude and Af- feftion, and ^0 which they chearfully bring ;ill die produce of their Labour and Com^. merce they can fpare, to exchange for its Manufaftures, an Exchange which gives Bread to Thoufand^ Riches to many Indl-^ vjduals, and Vaft Strength to the St^te ; if we conlider them in diis Point of View, and in fuch a Poijrit they have ever been tonfidered, by aU who Jtnew any Thing of Americay till th ] Credit to their Mother Country in Abun- dance of Inftances, by the Wifdom of their Inftitutionji and the Virtue of their Admi- niftrations. How oft have they already fup- plied their Parent with important and effec- tual Aids, both in Peace and War ? Under Providence, it folely depends upon ourfelves, whether t!his Power fhall increafe or diminifh ; whether it fhall be for us, or againft us. Wife and gentle Methods will ever ftrengthen this Union, will encourage Population, Cultivation, Commerce, whilfl: the Produce of all centers in Britain, Harfh and ungracious Means will as neceflarily weaken the Union, will make them defi- rous of forgetting that they are oi Englijh Defcent, will leffen their Duty and Allegi- ance, and teach them to think hardly of a Country, to which they indeed owe their Original, but which they find difpofed to difinherit them, and to deny them the Pri- vileges of their Birthright. Such Means will infallibly kindle Jcaloufies, fpread Dif- content and Dilaftedlion, and put a Stop to Induftry, and to every virtuous Aim or E- mulation. People l^ M [ 12] People under fuch Circumftances, impa- tiently look forward to that Independency, which their Situation favours -, aad this the more eagerly, in Proportion to the Preju- dices they have early imbibed againft a Go- vernment they think oppreffive ; they grudge to contribute to the Support of a State that threatens to abridge their Liberties ; Dif- content prompts them to enquire by what Means they can moil fafely give Vent to their Revenge. They make a Virtue of their Neceffities, grow frugal, either make a fhift without, or fupply by their own In- duftry, many Articles of Commerce, the Produdt of the Mother Country ; Trade then begins to langui/h at Home : The Mer- chants will firft feel the Effedls of this De- cay, the Manufadturers fufFer next, but with- out knowing the Caufe. The Landed In- tereft then finds itfelf embarrafTed ; yet how few are able to trace up the Caufe of this general Diflrefs ? The remoteft Parts of this Kingdom already feel, and will yet feel more dreadfully, die fatal EfFedts of fuch an unhappy Condudl. % 9 Far from charging the Authors of thefe unhappy EfFedls, with a Defign q^ opprejjing the ^% /■> f ''M [ >3] the Amtricans^ I am only recounting the Effeds enfuing from their Condudt. That the Americans think themfelves opprejjedy or defigned to be opprefled, is moft certain: Witnefs the univerfal Oppoiition to the late intended Regulations on that Continent. Let us view what muft happen amongft them on this Occafion : Children and Youth are difpofed early to imbibe the Language and Sentiments of their Parents : They re- member, during their Lives, and are often ruled by, the paflionate Didates of their Forefathers. What a Piofpecl this for Britain^ One illadvifed, ui^neceflary Aft, has imbittered the Minds of almoft all the Inhabitants of America, The Youth will receive the Tin6lure, and it is needlefs to expatiate on the EfFefts. An Age will not jsxpunge the unhappy Impreflions. Servabit odor em 'Tejla dius He, who by wrong Meafures, and im- prudent Counfels, alienates the AfFedtions of the People from their Sovereign, is the greateft Enemy to the Happinefs of the King, [ «4] King, and the Profperity of his Subjeds : and the more univerfal the DifafFcftion, and the more remote the Subjedt from better Information, the greater is the Detriment. It is laying a fure Foundation for Indepen- dancy in the Colonies ; and involving both them and the Parent in Difcontent and Ruin. in .^ f I II Thoufands of Manufacturers are already turned out of Employ j Multitudes fooi. muft follow. The Landed Intereft muft then fupport them, or they muft perifli. Thus in Hopes to fave a few Pence in the Pound, at the Expence of Jlmerica, have we fiddled ourfelves with an additional Poor's Rate of ten tinies the Amount, and ruined our Commerce, till wifer Meafures. bring it back to its former Channel, Should any ambitious neighbouiing Power embrace the prefent Jundure to revenge their part Difgraces, can we be fure that the ylme- ricans will immediately forget their Animofi- ties againft us, and join with their former Zeal in our Afliftance? To ad againft us they never will, till Oppreflion, grievous Oppreflion, convinces them, that they are no longer deemed the Offspring of Britain^ and i'^SM .'A % 'Mi [ '5 ] and have no longer to expcdt the Inheri- tance of their Anceftors, Britijh Freedom, and a Britijh King for their Sovereign. The Adminiftration of Government In America^ has hitherto, for the mofl Part, been eafy to the Subjedt. Such of the Go- vernors fcnt amongft them, who were ac- quainted with Men and Things, held the Reigns with Eafe and Gentlenefs 3 they faw, that for the moil Part, the early Colonifts were fuch as inclined to republican Senti- ments; they faw that their remote, inde- pendent, unconneded State, favoured thofe Sentiments, and that they fubmitted to Re- ftraint with Impatience. Indeed, if Soils,. Climates, Situations, diipofe Mankind to pe- culiar Habits, the Genius of America feems to favour Freedom. The aboriginal Natives of the Northern Part of this Hemifpherc, are, perhaps, the moft free and unreftraintd of any in the known World. To unveil at once, die moft unfavourable Parts of Mo- narchy, to fuch a People, was certainly the moft unlikely Means of gaining the good Opinion of Subjeds almoft bordering on Republican Madnefs. To reftrid: their Fo- reign Commerce, by which they, fubliited; to % [ i6 ] to impofe domeftic Taxes, without their Concurrence ; whilft they were overloaded with Provincial Debts, contraded to fup- port the BritiJ}^ Caufe to annihilate, inftead of redifying their Medium of Commerce ; to fink them at once, in their own Opinion, from the full Fruition of Liberty, to the loweft State of conquered Countries, was too hardy a Step in a reafonable Admini- ftration ; and thofe who have the Condud: of the Helm at prefent, muft feel the Weight, the baneful Influence of fuch fatal Regulations. A Britijh Parliament has certdnly Power to do many Things, which they have no Right to do. They have Power to enadt what Laws they think fit, refpedling any » Part of the Britifh Subjedts ; but ftill it is to be remembered, that Reafon is the fu- preme Law, and any thing inconfiftent with it, is void in itfelf. The Diflance of Ame-' rica, renders it impoflible for its Inhabitants to be properly reprefented in a Parliament of Great Britain, The very Title of the Par- liament fhews, that die Americans are yet no Part of it ; and confequently to futjedt them to Laws, in the making of which they if: M ■I.'. i"^ ¥<& [ '7] they have no Voice, can have none, is llriicing at the Root of our own Conftitu- tion. Let us look back to the Difcovery of America^ hy EiigliJJj Subjects i view their Rife, Progrefs, Eftab^ilhments, and Con- nexions with their Mother Country, and we ihall foon obfcrve, that thofe who ad- vifed Mcafures of the kind hinted at, have robbed the Croyvj> of one of its moft eflen- tial Privileges, and feem to be guilty of little Ids Aan High Treafon. An Adventurer difcovers an unknown Country, unppfl^iTed by any Potentate, with whoni either Law, or Cuflom, hsis ef- tablifhed any formal Connedtions ; he treats with the native, Inhabitants, purchafes a TraS of Country from them, returns home, and applies to his Sovereign for l^eavc to fettle, and propofes Terms of Cultivation. A Charter granting Poffcffion, agreeable to the Terms of poffefling Englijh Property, and certain Privileges to encpurage the Ad- venturer to fettle in fo remote a Place, ar^ and confirmed. His Family, " C Relatives, u .^y [ »B ] Relatives and Friends tranfport themlelves to the diltant Settlement; confiding in the Right of his Sovereign to grant him the Property, and the Privileges of his Birth- right i Laws for the good Government of the Settlers, confonant to the Laws of thcJr native Country. This Confidence acquires by Time, the full Influence of a ftmda- mental Prinejple, and occupies the Minds of thofe to whom it is gt ^ted, with a I>c*- gree of Force, not eafily to be oblitcratcch!^/ „ .ni; They think that if the Charter* confK--^ tuting thefe Regulations is defective, it may ibon becomd a Dodirliie, that their Proper- t^ is alio pf^ario}is ; and' that e^^eiy At-' tempt to deprive the Americans of any De- gree of tl^at Frecdomf, XVfiich was at (itft granted them j unlcis fbme obvious Ten,-. dency to Milverfation appears, may fbdn be foKowed^, by taking fitom theii^ the Property and PofTeffion they . enjoy by vir- tue of the fame Chaj^er. , , , ^ The ' Americans nevef KJcm to ha^ve'^f- puted the Riffht of thdf wli0 little fuipe^ that the Tenure of their I'sopeity, the p.n)oynient of their Liberties^ dk^ Pofieffion of ev^ry thing they cfteenv TaloaUc, i$ entirely at the Mercy of Men. totally ignorant of th^r Condition, Abili^ tics J nay, many of whoin niay Juftly bcr fuppofed, from what has happened, to be altogether ignorant, that they are the De- fcfndants of EngHflmeriy claim die like Privileges, and look up to the iame Royal §o¥creigJi for Jfrotedlion. '^ m. J c^- / .) "A l«3] Cmada^ and its Dqjcndcncies, a vrtft Country, fupcrior in Extent, equal in Nunt- ber of Inhabitants to Ibmc ancient Empires, that mtke no contcmptibJe Flgwrc m Hif- tory, is a conquered Country j it belonged to the Frenekf was a Thorn \n our fid€S> and was at Length wrcfted from tfaenv bt gj^at mihtary VktuTi. and the PermiffioiL of Providence. Ccodirtons of Sosrcndec wers Aipubeedy, and du:/e Stipukuuioos ace to b€ the Bafis of all Regulations in that Country. If iia eixpreft Agreement was made, riiat they ihouid/ et;^y the Brui^ Privilege, of baiting no Monies jaUed upoA tbenv, h^iC by th« Conient of ibm Repre&ntatives,, the. Brit^. PaifUameat have a^ Rigt^ as> \y^\\^ Power y to laaake what AfTeiTmentK ufKH)} if th^y think fit. But it is apprehended^ thai t^Cafe of Qur Colonies fpriung frbm^omrf fel/ves, and living under Charters expreffl^^ gcantijug thestn p;irticular Exemptions^, is veii^y di/^At Qtherwiie there wouM •:bo':i>0 Adv,antage to have been bora the Sab]^ of Great Bmtairty fince they'piiift 3neWr ff the faiae harftiTerms^, which IVfen-fu^f^^ l^. the SiWjord, have beeu, iibi^d ta Aitin:^;^ tOri be governed/ by Laws^. «nd liieirr pj?^ per4y difpgfed of by Regulations, in the making i r- [ 24 1 Inaking of which they have no Voice; can ^ive no diflent. The publick f rincs inform us fu.^iently of the Difquietude which thefe imprudent Meafures have produced : The Adminiftra- tion^ doubtlefs, have yet more perplexing Accounts. Riotsy Tumults, and every Spe- cies of Anarchy, that People, mad with the Profpedt of Oppreffion, can exemplify. What can be doiie under fuch Circum- ftances ? To reverfe thefe fatal Adts and Re-^ gulations, may feem td encourage a licen- tious Rabble to oppofc every A(5t of Power, however conducive to the publick Good, if it fquared not with popular Opinion. To •pcrfevcrc in a Refolution, to fubjedt fuch untradtable Spirits, even by Force, if it was neceflary, would be next to Diih-adtion. Our wife Neighbours already fee this, and rife in their Demands, increafe in their obflinate Refufal to our Ckims, in Proportion to the Pirofped of tWs Difunion. A dangerous Precedent on otit Hand, as fome may think to revferfe without Trial, an A6I; of the fupreme Legiflatdre : on this other a ruinous . civil ..•»■ [25 J civil Difcord. Thefe are among the un- fortunate Legacies to the prefent Admini- firation. It may perhaps be reply *d, that the jime^ ricam ought to be reduced to Reafon by any Means, rather than the fupreme Au- thority of a Briti/h Legiflature, fhould be treated with Oppofition or Contempt : That they ought to have remonftrated againft Grievances when felt, and not to revolt a- gainfi Government, for imaginary Evils ; all this is granted* But let us for a Moment place ourfelves in their Situation. Many of thefe People fled from Tyranny and Oppreilion, and took all the Care they could in the Charters they obtained, to have as much Freedom, as the Genius of our Conftitution could allow. hi The Sons have been taught to efteem thefe Privileges as the moft facred Depofit, and in Defence of which they ought to rifque every thing. When the Refolutions of Parliament were fent over to America^ and the Inhabitants D found ly [26] » jfound the Privileges which they deemed niolft fttred, wei^e to b'c aboliihed for ever ; what could be expedled from Perfons bred up almoft in Independency, and full of Repub* lican Sentiments ? They were ftruck with the deepest Aftonilhment; they attempted to reiitonfftrate, fome with as much Tem- per as could be expedted from People in diis Situation 5 others, with fuch evident Tokens of Rcfentriietit, as plainly indicated that Rekfon had for the Time forfook th^. • * But when they v/ttt inforriied by thdir Agents, thatt their RemdflftraiTces cOuld 061 be heard ; that the Meafure was finally re- fdlved on, without their being allowed to explain themfelves in any manner ; and that they had no Part left, but to fubmit ; t'heir Rage of the Populace broke all Bounds, and they have proceeded to fuch Lengths, as their warmed Advocates can by no Means L^t it like wife-be remembered, that when the Stamp Duty was laid upon this Nation, it was only one Quarter Part of the prefent. It has rifen by Degrees to what it is, as the Riches of the Country could bear it. jimerica "■■•* ii' i m [ 27 ] j/f/terica was by no Means (o rich as Engknd^ when this Puty comipenced ; ye^ the People are taxed not only as high as the Englijby but as mufh higher, fis a Shilling is more valuable in America thai> in England, which in fome Provinces, I apprehend, is a Third, if not one Half more; that is, a Shilling Sterling in England is equal to is, 6d. or 2s, in the Colonies. So that at one Step, not only a Tax is laid upon them without their Confent; but confidering their Poverty compared with England^ and the Difference of Exchange, the Load is heavier than this Country would ever fubmit to. A convincing Proof, how fieceffary it is that all injternal Taxes (hould every where be raifed, only by the Repre- fentajtives of thofe who pay them. as It has been alledged, and moft weakly alledged, that the Americans are reprefented, as much as Copyholders, many large Towns and populous Communities in this King- dom. Jt is amazing how fuch an Opinion eould poflefs the Mind of any Man of Re- flei^ion. There is not a Man in this King- dom, be his Condition ever fo low in Life, who may not be faid to have an Influence D 2 in ^ [28] in the Choice of our Reprefentatives, though not worth a fingle Shilling. He can at lead make Part of the Mob, Pnd huzza for the Man he likes. But if he has Pro- perty, his Influence rifes in Proportion. There are People in this Capital, who are neither Freemen, nor Freeholders, yet have it in their Power greatly to afFedt the Choice of Reprefentatives, in this City, as well as in many Parts of the Nation. Can an Ame- ricnn do this ? How vain was the Sophiftry ! How flimfy the Deception 1 What an Af- front to the Underftandings of fenlible Peo- ple. 11 ji^ I It has been propofed by fome that the Colonies ought to be reprefented in thp Britijh Senate, by Members choie by the Americans, This indeed proves that they are not yet reprefented there, in the Opinion of thofe who make the Propolition, and this is fome Palliation to the prefent Ex- travagancies : But the Writsr thinks they never fhould be ; and that it is the mutual Intereft of the Colonies, and Great Britain, that no Deputies from North America fhould ever have a Seat in the Britijh Senate. Cai^ i I! at ■t 1*9] Can they fend any Deputies who will at BO time give up their own, or the Briti(h Li- berties, for a Place or a Penfion ? The more diftant they are from their Conftituents, the more they arc expofed to Temptation. The lefs Pjroperty tjiefe Deputies have, the lef$ will be the Purchafc of theif Votes. Will Americans^ who are able to itxst their Country, and of independent Fortunes, be at all times willing to rifque their Lives acrofs the Ocean in this Service ? Will the Diflance admit them to confult their Conftituents, during the Seffions ? Muft we have an aux- ^iary Army oi American Penfioners, in Con* jundion >yith fome other diftant Members, pot lefs purchaie^ble, to bear down the Sons of Freedom and Independance in the Bri" tijh Senate, when perhaps the whole Fq^- tune of Liberty is at Stake? No. W^itia enough of the EfFedts of venal Poverty at Home, without adding to its Influence from our Colonies* In forming our Opinions of the Degree- pf Subjection to bie expedjed from ^t Ame- ricansy we ihould place qurfelves in their Situation, and confult Reafon^ the Laws of NaturiS and Nations, To form our Ideas of this i\ 1 '\^ k ' * % !■ ii hH i' [30] this Point, from Precedents to be found in Englijh Hiftory, is vain. England never had a like Precedent. When Magna Charta was firft eftablifhed, where were her Colo-, nies ? When the People ufed to meet them- felves, to tranfadl their own Bufinefs, but found it neceflary to choofe Reprefentatives in Parliament, what was America^ The Wifdom of thofe who firft granted Charters of Colonization, faw the Impoffibility of the Colonies being reprefented in the BritiJIs LegiflaturCj by any other dian the King's Perfon, who as a Part of the LegiflaturC| was liable to have his Advifers caHe4 tq Account, if the Britijh Subjects whom he therein reprefented, were not govemic4 ^ Aej' ought to be. A Governor, the King^s Rjeprefcntathre, refides in every Province. No Laws can be pafled without his Confentj nor are diefe Laws valid till they have received the Royal Approbation at Home. Thus the Allegi- ance of the Americans is at once fecured to die Mother Country, and Care is taken that no Ad; fhall be pafled in any one Govern- ment, that (hall be detrimental to anotheri to the Whole, or to Gt^at Britain^ fay forming *' :i ■^'i' [3'1 any legal Confederacy amongft themfelves to her Difauivantage. It is weh knowil, that the Powers of the King's Reprefditativcs are fuch, that if any Colony proves itfradory to the juft De- iircs of the Grown, there are many legal Expedients by which a Governor can awake the People to Reafon. Suppd(^ ifee King s Minifters had advifed him td inftrti^ the American Governors, di^ k Sttarip A^ would be ufeful to the i^^di^t Govei'nfnilents, and to apf4y t^ their fever&l H6itf6s of Reprefentadtes oft this ddcafion, laying before each the ge- neral Pkh upon which they were to proceed. Would this have been refufed? moft pro- bably not. They w^ould have {t^a their own Security, and the Good of the State united in a Stamp Adl, conduded by Perfons ac- quainted with the State of the Country, and Ability of its Inhabitants j wliich, per- mit me to fay, are not fo generally, fo fully undei^ftood in this Country, as is ne- oeflary for our own fake, as well as theirs : This I afTert not. at Random, or mere Con- jedure, but from daily Obfervatibn ^nd Ex- V^id periencc. w ll ■ '• It perience. Should America in Proccfs of Time, become the greater Couiitry, and the Refidence of a Monarch of its own, fhould a Parliament there be formed bf Repre- fentatives wholly jhtericam j fliould this Le- giflature take upon them to tax Great Bri^ tain^ and have the Power in their Hands to compel its Submidionj or to reduce it to extreme Diftrefs, how would this Country like fuch Treatment? They would pay Obedience no longer than they could help it; would think of the Americans^ precifely as they think of us; that we at fuch a Diilance mufl be wholly unacquainted with their real State j that the Adts made con-» cerning them gave evident Proofs of it, and that it would become them either to iland by themfelvesj or look out for leis rigorous Mafters. I am not ignorant that Endeavours arc ufed, to prompt thofe who are to decide on thefe important Affairs, to exert what they call Autborily, and to inforce the A& that have given fuc^ i univerfal Difcontent through America, and opened a Profpedt of Ruin to Thoufands in this Country, who defervc a Ipetter Fate. Let t 'J '[ 33 ] Let US trace the EfFcdls of this Counfel. The AmericanSy they fay, will foon fubmit lo thisi and every otfier Adl the Britijh Par- liameht think fit to prcfcribe. But are they fure this will be the Refult ? Admit however that thefe Gentlenien are in the right, that the Americans quietly fubmit to Parliamen- itary Authority ; yet they muft likewife ad- miti that the Americans in general are dif- gufted with a Law, that deprives them of ivhat they plainly tell us they think their Birthright. Whether they think right or Wrong is nothing to the Argument* it is e- hough that this Perfuafion is general : Force may prevail upon them to a6t againfl their Perfhafion, but will it follow that Force will change their Opinion ? By no means : i?/- ^o»r and enforcing may poflibly oblige them to fubmit^ till it is in their Power to eman- cipate themfelves, not from internal Taxes only, but from all foreign Jurifdidtion ; arid this Event will undoubtedly approach the fafter, as the means employed to force thtm to Obedience, are more difguftful and compulfory. How much more advantageous would it be to this Nation, could the Legiflature unite - E in ii / Ul'l :: ( [ 34 I in this fingle Confidcration. By what mcaii* can Great Britain moft cfFcdually render it the Intercft and Inclination of her Colonics, to continue not only dependant upon,, but inviolably attached to her. It is hard to gain a difpaflionate Hearing, againft Prejudices that flatter at once our Vanity and our Avarice. If the Stamp Adl is repealed, we encourage the Americans to fhake off all Dcpendance : This is the ge- neral Language I own, and am forry for our own Sakes that it is fo, becaufe it betrays our Vanity and Selfiflinefs. The moil fan- guine Abettors oi enforcing cannot vindicate the Adl itfelf, nor urge one Plea for its Ne- ceflity ; at leaft I have neither feen nor heard any reafonable Arguments on this Head. If then an Adt lias been paffed by the Britijh Legiflature, that carries evident Tokens of Impropriety, would it not be more prudent to refcind fuch an Adt, and to convince the Americans^ that they will ever meet with Juftice in the Britijh Senate, ihould they at any time be in Danger of Opprellion by im- prudent Conduct ; than perfift in a Miftake, becaufe it has once been adopted, and hold out to them an Example of injudicious Adhe*- rence [351 teiice to Errors once committed ? What /liould we think of fuch a Condiidl in pri- vate Life? Yet Juftice, Equity, Modt.ition, and good Scnfe, are the fame, whether they relate to the Concerns of private Men, or of States and Empires. In refleding on this Subjed, one can- not but regret, that the Geography and Hiftory of our Colonies, is fo little attended to. It is not among the Vulgar only, that we meet with Pcrfons who are totally un- acquainted with the Situation, Produce, In- habitants, their Condition, manner of Life, their Traffick and Cdnnedlions. ' ij And this is the more inexcufable, as there are not wanting many ufeful Treatifcs upon thefe Subjedls, and were the Publick, or that Part of the Publick which ought to be inquilitive after proper Information, as liable to become a Part of the Britijh Senate, and empowered by the Britijh People, the grand Source of Power, to decide on Queflions of the utmofl Importance to America ; I fay was this Part of the Publick felicitous after Jnformation, in refpedt to thefe important E 2 Objeds^ ; I 111 ft n f1 I ! I; ,:; u [36] Objcdts, numerous Occafions of it, would daily prefcnt thcmfelvcs. J' ■ How many People are there, and thofe too of no fmall Figure, who know no Dif- ference between the Inhabitants of North jimerica^ and thofe of the JVefl-India Wands ? They form their Ideas of all, by the Man- ner and Appearance of a Few, who have no Refemblance to them in Manners, Way , of Life, or Fortune. The Britijh Inhabi- tants of North America are of two Sorts; thofe who live in the northern Part of the C6ntinent,and thofe who inhabit theSouthern. No"ja Scotia^ New England and its Depen- dencies, New Torky the Jerfeys and FenfiU *vamay belong to the former Divifion : Mary» land may be divided between both ; Virginia^ the Carolina^ and Georgia^ are the other Part. Of the late fouthern or northern Acguifitions I fay nothing, as they are yet very light in the Scale of Power, The Inhabitants of the northern Par*, live like our lower Englifh Farmers ; they plough, fow, reap, and vend different Kinds of Grain, as the Land they occupy and the Climate permits ; Maize, Wheat, Barley, Oats, Peafe, and the like rural Prpduce. They rdfe Cattle, Hogs, and Id lif- 'th IsP in- ive II f 37 1 and other Domefiick Animals for Ufe ap4 iSalc J alfo Hemp, Flax, Naval Stores, but yet in fmall Quantities. Their Summers are hot, their Winters fevere, and their Lives are paiTed with the likeLabour and Toil, and with the fame Impoflibilities of acquiring more than is fuificient to maintain their Families juft above Want, as the little Farmers in England. This they, have in their Favour. As Land is for the moil Part cheap (a moil certain Sign of Poverty) the young People c^ marry without much Rifque of main- taining themfelycs and their Offspring. The Parents can give a few Cows, Swine and perhaps a few Moveables, and help them to build a Log Houfe. Here the young Couple fit dovvn contented, they labour as their Parents have done, are coi^tent with hard Fare and mean Cloathing. If they get cnoygh to fupport them, they are fatisfied, and if they can afford to have an %r^tjh Utenfil, or £«^///^ Cloathing, they are rich. Here and there one applies to commerce, and fetdes in the next Town, as in England, Fortune, aided by Capa- city and Induftry, raifes him above the Level, and he acquires the Reputation of '1 I If \\ \ \ '\ i,Kl f 1 »■. il: l:!;> #5f a confiderable Merchant, oti a Capital that would not furnlfh a Chandler's Shop in London, He is however, a moft ufeful Member of Society, he imports all the Bri- tijh Manufactures he can, and vends them amongft his Compatriots. The Grower of the Produdt, fuppofe it Wool, the Manu- fadurers, for there are many ; the En^lijh Merchant, the Navigators, the American Me^rchant, all are Gainers by a poor Wil- dernefs American^ the Confumer. What a pleafmg Profpedt for Brhain, who will every Day more fenlibly feel the Advantages of this Commerce, unlefs by fhall I call it their evil Genius, they are goaded on, to acceLrate their own undoing, by oppreffing the Americans, Such is the Way of Life cf t;he JSforth Americans of the Northern DiftricJ, The Inhabitants of the Southern approach nearer to the JVeJi Indians, The Land is capable of producing Riches of another Nature j To- bacco, which has been the pleafing Intoxi- cation of many Nations, is produced in Ma- rylajid and Virginia, chiefly by the I abour of Nesroes. Rice is the Product of the Caro- linaSy a happy Succedaneum for Bread 5 the proper, the moft fuitable Support of hot Countries J ■^^ I ( 39 I Countries ; this likewife is raifed, cultivated, drcfs'd by the Labour of Negroes. The Wifdom of Providence k 6very where confpicuous to the attentive Obferver j and perhaps in nothing more, than in the the different Degrees of Fertility of the dif- ferent Parts of the GlobC; molt v^^ifely ad- juftcd to the Neceffities of the refpedtive In- habitants. In the colder Regions, the Earth produces its Stores with Difficulty. Strength and Labour here are requifite to unlock the little Treafure that the Earth contains. But the bracing Cold, the whetted Appetite, the ftrong Powers of Digeftion, derived from Cold and Penury, render Labour eafy, and the Confequences pleafureable. Thus the dreary Waftes of Siberia^ the mountainous jilps^ the bleak Highlands, the Cumbrian IWs the Torkjhire Woulds, and Wekl Mountains, breed as hardy as contented, and as ufeful a Set of Mortals, as the Unl- verfe produces. - ■J£.'.l i A few Acres in Barbadoes, or others of the Weft India Iflands, properly cultivated, ycild a Crop, in Value fuperior, perhaps, to one hun- dred times the Extent, either in I^orth Amt» rica or in England. And it is jufl that they flioul'd ^^ T i :;!iii II '.■?: [40] ihould do fo. In thefc hot Climates, If the Author of Nature had not defpenfed the Means of Sobfiftence ivith a more Kbcral Hand than in the North*5m Regions^ tvhd could have fubfifted there ? ^' .ivagance, than the Northern Inhabitants, and has added to the general Mif-^ take in this Country, that the Americans zxq rich. The Condud: of the IVeft Indians^ has perfeded this Idea. Bred for the moft Part F at* li! [4^1 at the Breaft of a Negro Slave j furroundcd in their Infancy with a numerous Retinue of tbefe dark Attendants, they are habituated by Precept and Example, to Senfuality, Seliifhnefs, and Defpotifm. Of thofe fent over to this Country for their Education, ifew totally emerge from their firft Habi-. tudes ; view them as Sons, Hulbands, Far thers ; as Friends, Citizens, and Men, v^rhat Examples ! Splendor, Drefs, Shew, Equi- page, every thing that can create an Opinioa of their Importance, is "rerted to the utmoft of their Credit. They thought rich, and they are (o indeed at the Expence of the poor Negroes, who cultivate their Lands, could they be contented with Mediocrity. m ^ If People of Quality and Conditipu woul4 Study the Geography and State of our Co-r lonies ; would they give themfelves the Trouble of diftinguifhing their different Si- tuations, it would prevent theip froin con-r founding together, Circumftances extremely oppbfite ; from inferring, that becaufe an op- ulent Weji Indian vies in Glare with a Noble- man of ' - ^-fl Piftindlion, therefore a. poor. American. K rnier is able to bear the fame heavy Load of Taxes, or ought tq be placed in the fame Scale of Ability. ' li^ led of ited h. lent m, Ibi- [43] In a Word, the Inhabitants of the ^e/l India Iflands, are in general the Reverfe of the Northern North Americans: Whilft thefc are poor, laborious, contented with a little. Examples of Diligence and Fruga- lity, the befl Riches of a State ; the Weft Indians are too often the Reverfe. Much indeed is to be allowed for the different Climates. Heat enervates, it creates Senfu- ality, and urges to contiive every Means of Gratification. Another Circumftance has likewife con* tributed not a little to eflablifh an Idea of the Riches o{ North America -y which is, the known Hofpitality of thefe People in gene- ral, to all Britijh Strangers. Vying with each other who fliall afford their Guefl the mofl hofpitable Entertainment, they have unfortunately rivetted an Opinion in Travellers, that they arc rich, only be-i caufe they are generous to Excefs. ^> But leaving this ample Field to others, who have more Leifure, and greater Abi- lities, I fliall here remark that there are too few, who have Hearts fufficiently dilated to con9e:ve, that a Conduct founded on noble. Fa generous, 11 Si^^i :i 1» t [ 44 1 generous, upright Principles, is Ac Glory of Man, and invariably procures him every Bleff- iiig compatible with his Situation. A F^dt of fufficient Autlienticity, will perhaps iUuftratc this Affeition, and at the fame Time point out the Mark we fhould aim at, in th^ prcr fent interelling Situation of our Affairs. When the Rman Army was /hut up in the Caudine Forks, the wife Sammies with it thorough Senfe of this Principle, adYtfed hi& Son to permit the Romans, without Injury, to retreat from the Danger in whiiJb tRey faw themfelves irretrlcyablv involved-^ vjrfv '.I This difpleafed the haughty Generalj^andr his Army ; the . wife okt Man then adviftdr the tOJal DeftrudliOfl pf the i?ow»«^ Acmyi Neither of thefe Altenmtives we»e pur- iiied : Sclfifhncfs and Pride prefcnted a mid- dle Way, that ended in the Deftrud Whoever fuffers, the Kinj^ by that lofcs ai Sabjedfc, and tNe Affections liktwifc of many more. To fufpend the Adl feems to be holding a Y«>ke of Difgrace over them, which though they m^y bear at prefent, without Marks of Irrtpatience, will only prompt them to make Ae quicker Strides to afcfohite Ittdependency. A Repeal [46] A Repeal of the Stamp A&^ will coii- vince the Americans fo fully of our Equity and Moderation, that they will no longer fufpedt us < I^eLjPS againft their Freedom, theii Privi^..-■' vi;a' Remember, my Countrymen, thit the; Americans are not a conquered, btit a fite^ People 1 defcended from freeborn Bngiifi^ men for the moft Part, and thofe who arc of another Progeny, have acquired the like SentimentSi by Proximity and Acquaintance. They are People of the like Paffioris trtth* ourfblves, and look upon oppreflive PoWet^' with the &mc Spirit of Intolerance $ white their Generoi&ty and ASedion, to thofe who treat them kindly, is like the Region they inhabit, vaft, and whofe Limits are hi«^ therto unknown. The Wifilom of Parliament may never- thelefs, in Time, difcover fuch Means of perfedt and ftable Connexion with the Co* lonies, as may fecure a jufl Authority over them, and at the fame Time, preferve inviolable, •^»% [47 3 Jnviolable, the Privileges and Immunities, purchafed by our Brethren in America^ ajt the Expence of cultivating a Wildernefs for our Advantage, * And indeed by the prudent Policy of thofe who planned or granted the feveral Charters, the Tafk of fecuring the Depend- ance of the Colonies, is. rendered much lefs difficult to Government, than it might have been, had the Charters bpen uniform, But by granting diftindt Privileges apdEftablifli- ments to the feveral Provinces, each has ac- quired an Opinion, that its ovsrn is the mofl perfed, and w^ould not willingly exchange its Condition, or communicate its Peculiar^ with any other Colony. Thus they are, and muft long remain, not only uncomedied^ }3ut in fome Cafes Oppofites^ till the Profpedl pf fome comrnon Danger appears, and forces them to unite in their common Deftnce, and build up a potent and formidable Con- federacy. If we permit the Americans to trade as they have done ; if we permit them to raife every Kind of raw Materials, of which we have need, either for Ufe or Commerce 5 if Y^e render it their Intereft, by fuch Means, I iP^ ..*>5,-/ 1* m ^i 1! to he depcndarit upon usj^ they will be fo CDtttinually. ' . ' . ' * w .. ■■ ■ If we promote Scholarfliips for j4mencans in our Uniyerfities ; give Pofts and Benefits In America f to fuch Afnmcsns who havfi 'ftudied her?, prefer^ibly to others. If the ICoyernnient permits fuch Youth as come to Europe f on acx:ount of their Studies, to cootie over in the King's Ships gratiiy we ihall ftill unite them naojre firmly. Tlic Americans^ by mixing with our own Youth at the Vniverfity, will diffufe a Spirit of En^ quiryr after America^ and its . Affairs 5 they wiH cement Friendfhipson botkSjdes, which will be of Qvore lafting Benefit to^botKCoun- 1trie% .th^^n ^l the Aoiiies xhaxBntm ^u If fUdi f)e the Condttdl of this Nation to* wards J>er Colonies, (he will ever pofle^ their AffeAions ; the Produft of their La^ hours will center here 5 their Power will be fubfgrvient.tp our Command, and a- Force will be generated, Providence permittingi jfuperior to wh^tany Country now pofTeffge, *»•■. r, liain t./ I