cipal inhabitants of fome places, who inftructed their reprefentatives not to agree in any meafures for the protection of the stamp papers, or ftamp officers. They granted there had been some tumults and difor ders on that account, but that thefe must be laid to the charge of those who wanted to urge unconftitu tional laws upon them, contrary to their charters, and their rights as English fubjects, who ought to enjoy the equal privileges of the empire in making their own laws, and taxing themselves. They alfo cautioned their representatives against all unconstitutional drafts on the public treasury, for fear that the governors fhould endeavour to strengthen their hands by that means, without their confent. Thefe were proceed. ings which, though at firft view they may appear pres cipitate and too determined, argued yet a political fore fight, which fhewed they were not difpofed to trifle."

The general affemblies proceeded still further. In ftead of winking at the oppofition of the people, they began to patronize it, and in exprefs terms, affirmed that the British legiflature had no right to tax them. This had been often afferted, and even proved by the ftrongest arguments, to be founded in reafon and the British conftitution. It was granted that they were fubjects of the empire under one fovereign, or one executive power; but that they had as good a right to make their own laws as the fubjects at home, and that none but themfelves had a right to give away their pro perty. They came at last to a refolution to petition the legislature of Britain against the ftamp act, and pleaded their incapacity to pay any fuch tax as was now impofed upon them; but at the fame time they afked the favour, they did not acknowledge that they were dependent upon the parliament of Britain. This

was

was confidered as only afking a favour of equals, with out making the fubmiffion the parliament required, which rendered their petition offenfive to the majority of the legislature. From the manner of their proceedings, fome wife men forefaw what would be the confequence of the mother country's afferting a right of legislation over the colonists; they opposed the stamp act because they confidered it both unconstitutional in its nature, and detrimental to the real intereft of the empire.

On this trying occafion the colonists were not wanting to themselves in any measure that might promote unanimity of defigns and execution in the dif ferent colonies: They formed affociations, and appoint ed committes, for the fake of a general correfpondence in carrying on the common affairs of the whole body. From these committees deputies were appointed to meet in congrefs at New-York; and what fhewed the unanimity of their fentiments in this general caufe, and that they were all of one mind is, that when the deputies met at New-York, they were fo well agreed, that they had little more to do than to congratulate one another, and set their hands to one general declaration of their rights, and the grievances they laboured under, and to a petition expreffing a fenfe of thefe grievances to the king, lords, and commons of great Britain. It was not long till the magiftrates fubordinate to the king began to join the legiflative part. The justices of Westmoreland in Virginia, gave public notice under their hands, that they had refigned their office, and declined acting in that capacity; that they would not any longer be inltrumental to the deftruction of their country, which their oath as juftices of the peace

now

now obliged them to provided they continued in the difcharge of their office. The gentiemen of the law alfo declared that they would lay down their offices rather than be obliged to practice upon ftamp paper. This is an inftance of patriotifm rarely to be met with, and to which the mother country cannot afford a parallel Thofe that are acquainted with the general character of a people of that profeffion in Great Britain, will be ready to conclude, that the lawyers in Virginia have had a very different education, or that they are not defcendants of the natives of this country. How far they may have been in the right or in the wrong in this particular I will not pretend to fay; it however argued a great degree of felf-denial, to give up their business for the fake of the public interest. Before the 1st of November, when the act was to take place, there was not a fleet of ftampt paper to be had throughout the feveral 'colonies of New England, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, or the two Carolinas, except a parcel at New York, which the government through fear was obliged to furrender. to the corporation, upon condition that they would not deftroy it like the reft. Thus, all bu finefs that could not be carried on without ftamps, was put to a stand, except newspapers, which the printers, for fear of the populace, were obliged to continue without lamps. But in Canada, where, ftamps were made ufe of, the printers were in a worfe fituation, for few or none would buy a newspaper on account of its being ftamped, and the whole lay upon their hands. The courts of juftice were now fhut up as well as the ports; and even in thofe colonies where ftamps were ufed, the people of the best rank fubmitted to be called in the churches rather than take out licenses for private

private marriages. This fhews us how far the Engr lith miniftry have deceived themfelves and the public, in reprefenting that where any colony had not totally joined with the rest in oppofition to government, that they were all fatisfied and unanimous. In those places where fome leading people had rule, matters were for fome time smoothed over, and kept in a temper; when at the fame time the far greater part were wholly difs fatisfied with the public measures.

The evil confequences of fuch a ftagnation in bufiness began to be felt feverely, and would have cooled a moderate zeal for liberty, where diftrets was fo ma nifeft. The friends of government raised their hopes, that from feeling fuch inconveniences, the delud. d multitude would return to a due fenfe of their duty, and in a fhort time oppofition would totally fubfide.Men who fet no value upon liberty, are ready to ima gine that all others view it in the fame light, and that in general mankind, mean no more by oppofition to power, and by the name of liberty, than to worm themfelves into preferment or places of profit and emolument: This may be the cafe with a few, or with fome defigning politicians; but when a whole country catches the flame, there is always more than the hope of court préferment in the cafe. Demagogues may on a particular occafion, miflead fome unthinking people, but it requires more than is in the power of any human addrefs, to lead a continent, unless they have fome rational principle to proceed upon. It is a very common thing for both parties on each fide of a quef tion, to impute the worst defigns to their antagonists, but wherever truth and wifdom are purfued, whatever names may be afcribed to the agents, time will determine both the nature of the caufe, and the principles of the actors.

During this interruption of public bufinefs, fome fruitful expedients were tried to evade the influence of this new law, and among others, the bark of a tree was difcovered, which anfwered for a fucedaneum instead of paper, and was fent to the printers at Bofton for their approbation; and as it was neither paper, parchment, nor vellum, the difcoverer wanted to know whether deeds written upon this bark might not be valid though they were not ftamped. In this cafe he was ready to ferve with good writing bark, all those whose confciences were bound by the late act of parliament, This invention was certainly ingenious, but the propofal was not altogether honeft; for fuch as were free to ufe this vegetable paper, without fcruple of conscience, ought not to have laid a fnare before the confciences of others.*

While thefe tranfactions were going on, the affembly of South Carolina, whofe lieutenant governor refused to tranfact bufinefs without ftamps, addreffed him to know through what channel the stamp act had been tranfmitted to him. His anfwer was, that he had it first from the attorney-general, and next from Mr Boone, governor of that province. They faid, as

F

that

The writer of the Annual Regifter fays, "At laft the governors of fome of the provinces, though bound by the act to fwear to fee it obferved, under the feverest penalties, thinking the total stoppage of all public bufinefs, of fuch bad confequence to the community, as to ren der lawful the non-compliance with any injunctions laid on them, or even the breach of any oath taken by them, in confequence of injunc tions, merely for the fake of that community, thought proper to dif pence with the ufual ftamps, grounding their difpenfation on the impor fibility of procuring any veffels to protect them from the penalties of the act in the other parts of his Majesty's dominions." Though the act bound the governors to fee it obferved upon fevere penalties, yet while they had not worn, they only broke the ftatue, but not their path. Their making nfe of paper even without ftamps, would have been difobedience to the law, but could be no breach of their oath,