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impolitick as it has been reprefented), and the mifchiefs it produced, were quite recent. Upon the principles therefore of the honourable gentleman, upon the principles of the minifter himself, the minister has nothing at all to anfwer. He ftands condemned by himself, and by all his affociates old and new, as a destroyer, in the first truft of finance, of the revenues: and in the first rank of honour, as a betrayer of the dignity of his country.

Moft men, especially great men, do not always know their well-wishers. I come to rescue that noble lord out of the hands of thofe he calls his friends; and even out of his own. I will do him the justice he is denied at home. He has not been this wicked or imprudent man. He knew that a repeal had no tendency to produce the mischiefswhich give fo much alarm to his honourable friend. His work was not bad in its principle, but imperfect in its execution; and the motion on your paper prefies him only to compleat a proper plan, which, by fome unfortunate and unaccountable errour, he had left unfinished.

I hope, fir, the honourable gentleman who spoke laft, is thoroughly fatisfied, and fatisfied out of the proceedings of miniftry on their own favourite act, that his fears from a repeal, are groundless. If he is not, I leave him, and the noble lord who fits by him, to fettle the matter, as well as they can, together; for if the repeal of American taxes de

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ftroys all our government in America-He is the man!—and he is the worst of all the repeaters, because he is the laft.

But I hear it rung continually in my ears, now and formerly," the preamble! what will become " of the preamble, if you repeal this tax?”—I am forry to be compelled fo often to expofe the calamities and difgraces of parliament. The preamble of this law, ftanding as it now ftands, has the lie direct given to it by the provifionary part of the act; if that can be called provifionary which makes no provision. I fhould be afraid to exprefs myfelf in this manner, especially in the face of fuch a formidable array of ability as is now drawn up be fore me, composed of the antient houfehold troops of that fide of the houfe, and the new recruits from this, if the matter were not clear and indif putable. Nothing but truth could give me this firmness; but plain truth and clear evidence can be beat down by no ability. The clerk will be fo good as to turn to the act, and to read this fa vourite preamble:

Whereas it is expedient that a revenue should be raifed in your majesty's dominions in America, for making a more certain and adequate provifion for defraying the charge of the administration of juf tice, and support of civil government, in fuch provinces where it shall be found necessary; and toA a 3 wards

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wards further defraying the expences of defending, protecting, and fecuring the faid dominions.

You have heard this pompous performance. Now where is the revenue which is to do all these mighty things? Five fixths repealed-abandoned -funk-gone--loft for ever. Does the poor folitary tea duty support the purposes of this preamble? Is not the fupply there ftated as effectually abandoned as if the tea duty had perifhed in the general wreck? Here, Mr. Speaker, is a precious mockery-a preamble without an act-taxes granted in order to be repealed-and the reasons of the grant ftill carefully kept up! This is raifing a revenue in America! This is preferving dignity in England! If you repeal this tax in compliance with the motion, I readily admit that you lofe this fair preamble. Eftimate your lofs in it. The object of the act.is gone already; and all you fuffer is the purging the ftatute-book of the opprobrium of an empty, abfurd, and falfe recital.

Lt has been faid again and again, that the five taxes were repealed on commercial principles. It is fo faid in the paper in my hand*; a paper which I conftantly carry about; which I have often ufed, and fhall often ufe again. What is got by this

*Lord Hillsborough's circular letter to the governours of the colonies concerning the repeal of fome of the duties laid in the act of 1767.

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paltry pretence of commercial principles I know not; for, if your government in America is deftroyed by the repeal of taxes, it is of no confequence upon what ideas the repeal is grounded. Repeal this tax too upon commercial principles if you please. Thefe principles will ferve as well now as they did formerly. But you know that, either your objection to a repeal from these supposed confequences has no validity, or that this pretence never could remove it. This commercial motive never was believed by any man, either in America, which this letter is meant to foothe, or in England, which it is meant to deceive. It was impoffible it fhould. Because every man, in the leaft acquainted with the detail of commerce, muft know, that feveral of the articles on which the tax was repealed, were fitter objects of duties than almoft any other articles that could poffibly be chofen; without comparison more fo, than the tea that was left taxed; as infinitely lefs liable to be eluded by contraband. The tax upon red and white lead was of this nature. You have, in this kingdom, an advantage in lead, that amounts to a monopoly. When you find yourself in this fituation of advantage, you fometimes venture to tax even your own export. You did fo, foon after the last war; when, upon this principle, you ventured to impofe a duty on coals. In all the articles of American contraband trade, who ever heard of the fmug

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gling of red lead, and white lead? You might, therefore, well enough, without danger of contraband, and without injury to commerce (if this were the whole confideration) have taxed these commodities. The fame may be faid of glass. Befides, fome of the things taxed were so trivial, that the lofs of the objects themselves and their utter annihilation out of American commerce, would have been comparatively as nothing But is the article of tea such an object in the trade of England, as not to be felt, or felt but flightly, like white lead, and red lead, and painters colours? Tea is an object of far other importance. Tea is pèrhaps the most important object, taking it with its neceffary connexions, of any in the mighty circle of our commerce. If commercial principles had been the true motives to the repeal, or had they been at all attended to, tea would have been the laft article we should have left taxed for a fubject of controverfy.

Sir, It is not a pleasant confideration; but nothing in the world can read fo awful and fo inftructive a leffon, as the conduct of miniftry in this business, upon the mischief of not having large and liberal ideas in the management of great affairs. Never have the fervants of the state looked at the whole of your complicated interests in one connected view. They have taken things, by bits and fcraps, fome at one time and one pretence, and

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