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ing, many raW materiais; but they are so situ aled, their numbers si increassed, their martialabilities so weli linown, as to give vast additionto the consequence of Great Britain. The maritime powers well know this; theyste, they seel our growing influence; and that is
we enco trage and protect our Colonies, as me have done, the enem ies of Britain have every
s rom the wise management of the power We possessi: hom eastly are fleets or armies recruited soran American or West Indian expeditiora, from
what expedition and secrecy can an armament be
the remembrance, that the Americans are sons, and conceive a design to ens lave and fetier a freepeople, ali these glorious prospecis vanish as adream. Is they prove refractory, and submit un-willingly to restrainis, Whicli they thinii subver- C c et sive
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Constrations relative to the sive of their liberties ; and should we aim, bysorce, to bring them to our ternas ; is not thehou se indeed divi ted against itself, the hingdomsplit 8 and inste ad os possessing a force cap ableos supporting ourselves and consederates, against ali human opposition, and of awing into good
When the first Englisa adventu rers arrived in America, the laiads were Os no Use, no advantageto us. What litile Was added to the commonstocli, was prodi aced by barter With the natives, and this was but an inconsiderable acquisition. When the Englisti began to setile, to clear and cultivate, thera began the real acquisition ofwealth to the common nationaI stocli. Every acre Was an addition of substantiat value, as the
produce, Or the greatest part of ii, was destin ed
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ser the mollier country, in return sor her Pro duce and manufactures. From single plantations, they have in creassed ro colonies and provinces ; governments respectabie in thenaseives, and which have done credit to their mollier Country in abundarice of instances, by the wissidona of their institutions, and the virtve of their administrations. How ost have they al ready sup
plied their parent milli important and effectu alalds, both in peace and wari Under Providence, it solet y depends uponourseives, whether this power mali increasse ordiminissa ; whether it shali be for iis, or againstus. 'Vise and gentie methods Will ever strengthen this lanion, Will enco trage popUlation, culti vation, Commerce, Whilst the produce of ali centers in Britain. Harsh and Ungraciotas means will as necessarily weal en the union, wili mal e
toti sies, spread discontent and dis affect on, and put a stop to industry, and to Gery Virtuous alm
Peopte under such circumstances, impatientlylook sorWard to that independen cy, whicli their siluation favours ; and this the more eagerly, in proportion to the prejudices they have carly im
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39 a Considera tons relat e to the bibed against a govertament they thinii oppressive; they gi Udge to contribute to the supportos a state that threatens to abridge their liberties; discontent prompis them to en quire by What means they can most sesely give vent to theirrevenge. They malle a virtve of their necess1-ties, grow frugal, either malle a s hist without, orsupply by their own industry, many articles of Commerce, the produlfh-of the mollier country; trade then begins to languissi at home : the mer-chants will first seel the est edis of this decay, the manufacturers suffer nexi, but without knowing the cause. The tanded interest then finds itself embarrassed; yet how seW are able to traceup the cause of this generat distressi The re molest paris of this kingdona atready feel, and will y et feel more dreadfully, the fatal essedis offucii an uia happy conduci. Far frona charging the authors of these Un-happy effecis, With a design os oppressing the
Americans, Ι am only recolanting the essedis en- suing frona their conduet. That the Americans thin k thenaseives oppressed, or designed to be oppresse l. is most certain: witnesis the Universalopposition to the late intended regulations onthat continent.
Let Us vlew What muli happen amongst themon this occasion: children and youth are dissiposed early to imbibe the langu age and senti-ments of their parenis : they re member, during their lives, and are osten ruled by, the passio nate
dictates of their fores athers. What a prospectiliis
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this for Britaint One ili advised, unnecessaryaei, has imbittered the minds of almost ali the inhabitants of America . The youth Will receive the tincture, and it is needless to expatiate on the effects. An age Will not expunge the unliappy
Tota diu. He, Who by Wrong meas Ures, and imprudent couni eis, alienates the affections of the peos lesrom their fovereigia, is the greatest enemy to the has pinesse of the king, and the prosperity of his subjects: and the more universat the dis affection, and the more remote the subject fronabetter information, the greater is the detriment. It is laving a sure foundation .sor independency in the colonies, and involving both them and the parent in discontent and ruin. Thous an is os manufactu rers are at ready turnedout os employs multitudes soon mus: follow. The tanded interesst must then support them, orthey musto peristi. Thus, in hopes to save a feopence in the poUnd, at the expence of America, have we saddled ourselves With an additionalpoor's rate of ten times the amount, and ruinedour commerce, till Wiser meas ures bring it backto iis former Channei. Should any ambitious neighbouring powerembrace the present junctUre to revelage theiri asst dis graces, can We be sure that the Americans
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39 a Considerations relat e to the
oppression, grievous oppression, Convinces them,
that they are no longer deemed the offspring of Britain, and have no longer to expedi the inheritance of their ancestors, Britis si freedom, and a Britim hing for their fovereign. The administration of govern ment in America has hi therio, sor the mos pari, been easy to thesu est. Such of the governors sent amongst
them, Who mere acquainted with men and things, held the re ins With easse and gentieness ; theysaw that, sor the mosio pari, the early Colonis smere fuch as inclined to republican sentimenis; they sam that their remote, independent, UnCOnnected state, favo ured those sentimenis, and thatthey submitted to restraint with impatience. In deed, is solis, climates, si tuations, disposse man-kind to peculiar habiis, the genius of America seems to DVOur Deedom. The aboriginal natives of the northeria part of this hemisphere,are, perhaps, the mos free and uiarestrat ned ofany in the known worid. To Unveil at oncethe most: tinfavourable paris of monarchy to sucha people, Was certain ly the mos unlikely means
of gaining the good opinion os subjects almost
hordering on republican madness. To restri et
their soreigia commerce, by whicli they subsiste lueto impote domestic taxes, without their Conchar-
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Cause; to an nihilate, instead of rectisting, their medium os commerce ; to sinii them at once, in their own opinion, Dona the fuit fruition of liberty, to the lowest state os conquered countries, was too hardy a step in a reas nable administration ; and those who have the conduct of the helm at present, must feel the weight, the bane- fui influence of such fatal regulations. A Britisti parti ament has certainly po er to domany things, whicli they have no right to do. They have poetver to en adt What laws they thinlafit, respecting any part of the Britim subjects ;but stili it is to be remembered, that reason is the supreme law, and any thing inconssistent withit, is void in il l . The distance of Americarenders it impossibi e sor iis inhabitanis to beproperly represented in a partiament of Great Britain. The very tiue of the parti ament shews, that the Americans are yet no part of it ; and consequently to subjeci them to laws, in thema ing of whicli they have no voice, and canliave none, is striking at the root of our own
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39 Considerations rela ιυe to theianpossessed by any Potentate, With whom ei therlaru or custom has established any formal connections ; he treais With the native inhabitanis, purchases a tradi of COUntry from them, returns home, and applies to his foverei gn for leave tosetile, and proposses ternas of cultivation. A charter granting possession, agreeable to theternas os possessing Englissi property, and certain
siding in the right of his fovere igia to grant hi milie property, and the privileges of his birili right
This confiden ce acquires by time the fuit influence of a fundamental principie, and occupies the minds of those to Whom it is grante J, witha degree of force not easi ly to be obliterated. They thinii that is the charter constitutingthese regulations is defective, it may soon be- come a doctrine, that their property is also pre cariolas ; and that every attempt to deprive the Americans of any degree of that freedom, whichwas at first granted them, uniesse s me obvious tenden Cy to malVersation appears, may soon be
The Americans never stem to have disputed the right of the Britissa partiament, to regulate
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thstir trade and aTairs, so as to preverat them Domintersering with the a luantage of the mollier coUntry. They consider thenaseives as a part of that great stabola, o ver Whicli the Britisti partiament presides. and in every reason able instance yield to iis authority. They pay duties, imposts, taxes laid upon their commerce agreeableto the laws of navigation. They trade to sime places, omit trading to Others ; they export goods to one part of the worid, and not to another,
just as the laws estabit med for the good of the whole direct ; and this is but their rea nable
The parti ament of Great Britain has, most un- doubtedly, a right to direct ait this; and every transgressor against regulatioris, calculated forthe good of the whole, and to res train one partos the communi ty si om availing thenaseives of any circumstances in their sit ration that might
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396 Coni derations relative to ite
in What manner they think convenient. Andought our colonies to be Placed in a morse situ a-tion, than countries subdued by the force of arm s 8 deprived of the privilege of rai sing money eX- pected from them, for the aid of govertament, in the manner most easy to the individuals who
both of the rea nablenesi and necessity os leavingiliis power With the colonies, Whereuer the right may be lodged, than the adis that have occa sioned a discontent through the colonies, nexi tomadness, a Universat stagnation os commerce, and the ruin os a multitude os industrious BritissimanufactUrers. A trifling instance wili sufficeto demonstrate this assertion; to enter into a fullde tali os ali mould exceed my leis ure and abi lities.
rican, Who nee is it most, has it least in his powerto recover his substance, through this eas' and effectu al