crown, without reprefentatives, particular colonies may as well or better be fo governed; a táx may be laid on them all by act of parliament for fupport of government, and their affemblies may be difmiffed as an useless part of the conftitution.

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"That the powers propofed by the Albany plan' of union, to be vefted in a grand council reprefenta tive of the people, even with regard to military matters, are not fo great as thofe the colonies of Rhode Ifland and Connecticut are truffed with by their charter, and have never abused; for by this plan, the prefident-general is appointed by the crown, and controuls all by his negative; but in thefe govern. ments the people chufe the governor, and yet allow him no, negative.

That the British colonies bordering on the French are properly frontiers of the British empire; and the frontiers of an empire are properly defended at the joint expence of the body of the people in fuch empire: It would now be thought hard by act of parliament to

Britainige the Cinque ports or fea-coafts of

Britain to maintain the whole havy, because they' are, more immediately defended by it, not allowing them at the fame time a vote in chufing members of the parliament; and if the frontiers in America muft bear the expence of their own defence, it Teems hard to allow them no fhare in voting the money, judging of the neceffity and fum, or advising the meafures.

"That befides the taxes neceffary for the defence of the frontiers, the colonies pay yearly great fums to the mother-country unnoticed: For taxes' paid in' Britain by the landholder or artificer, must enter into and increase the price of the produce of land and of manufactures made of it; and great part of this is

paid by confumers in the colonies, who thereby pay a confiderable part of the British taxes.

"We are restrained in our trade with foreign nations; and where we could be supplied with any ma nufacture cheaper from them, but must buy the fame dearer from Britain, the difference of price is as a clear tax to Britain. We are obliged to carry great part of our produce directly to Britain, and where the duties there laid upon it leffen its price to the planter, or it fells for lefs than it would in foreign mar kets, the difference is a tax paid to Britain.

"Some manufactures we could make, but are for bidden, and must take them of British merchants; the whole price of thefe is a tax paid to Britain.

"By our greatly increafing the demand and con. fumption of British manufactures, their price is confi derably raised of late years; their advance is clear profit to Britain, and enables its people better to pay great taxes; and much of it being paid by us, is a clear tax to Britain.

"In fhort, as we are not fuffered to regulate our trade, and restrain the importation and confumption of British fuperfluities (as Britain can the confump-tion of foreign fuperfluities) our whole wealth centers finally among the merchants and inhabitants of Britain, and if we make them richer, and enable them better to pay their taxes, it is nearly the fame as being faved ourselves, and equally beneficial to the

crown.

"Thefe kind of fecondary taxes, however, we do not complain of, though we have no fhare in the laying or difpofing of them; but to pay immediate heavy taxes, in the laying, approabation, and difpofition of which we have no part, and which perhaps we may know to be as unncceflary as grieve."

ous, muft feeni a hard meafure to Englishmen, who cannot conceive, that by hazarding their lives and fortunes, in fubduing and fettling new countries, extending the dominion and increasing the commerce of their mother nation, they have forfeited the native Tight of Britons, which they think ought rather to be given them as due to fuch merit, if they had been before in a state of flavery.

"These, and fuch kind of things as thefe, I ap: prehend, will be faid and thought by the people, if the proposed alteration of the Albany plan fhould take place. Then the adminiftration of the board of governors and councils fo appointed, not having any reprefentative body of the people to approve and unite in its measures, and conciliate the minds of the people to them, will probably become fufpected and odious; dangerous animofities and feuds will arise between the governors and the governed, and every thing go into confufion.

Perhaps I am too apprehenfive in this matter; but having freely given my opinions and reafons, your excellency can judge better than I whether there be any weight in them, and the fhortness of the time allowed me, will, I hope, in fome degree, excufe the imperfections of this fcrawl.

"With the greatest refpe&t and fidelity, I have the honour to be, your excellency's moft obedient and most humble fervant."

SIR,

Bofton, December 22, 1754,

Since the converfation your excellency was pleafed to honour me with, on the fubject of uniting the colonies more intimately with Great Britain, by allowing them reprefentatives in parliament, I have

fame.

fomething further confidered that matter, and am of opinion, that fuch an union would be very acceptable to the colonies, provided they had a reasonable number of representatives allowed them; and that all the old acts of parliament reftraining the trade or cramping the manufactures of the colonies, be at the fame time repealed, and the British subjects on this fide the water put, in those refpects, on the fame footing with thofe in Great Britain, till the new parliament, repre fenting the whole, fhall think it for the intereft of the whole to re-enact fome or all of them: It is not that I imagine fo many reprefentatives will be allowed the colonies, as to have any great weight by their num bers; but I think there might by fufficient to occafion those laws to be better and more impartially confidered, and perhaps to overcome the private in. tereft of a petty corporation, or of any particular fet of artificers or traders in England, who heretofore feem, in fome inftances, to have been more regarded than all the colonies, or than was confiftent with the general intereft, or beft national good. I think too, that the government of the colonies by a parliament, in which they are fairly reprefented, would be vaitly more agreeable to the people, than the method lately attempted to be introduced by royal inftructions, as well as more agreeable to the nature of an English conftitution, and to English liberty; and that fuch laws as now seem to bear hard on the colonies, would (when judged by fuch a parliament for the beft ins tereft of the whole) be more chearfully fubmitted to, and more easily executed.

"I fhould hope to, that by fuch an union, the people of Great Britain, and the people of the colonies, would learn to confider themfelves, not as belonging to a different community, with different in

terests,

f

terefts, but to one community with one intereft, which I imagine would contribute to ftrengthen the whole, and greatly leffen the danger of future feparations.

"It is, I fuppofe, agreed to be the general intereft of any state, that its people be numerous and rich; men enough to fight in its defence, and enough to pay fufficient taxes to defray the charge; for thefe circumftances tend to the fecurity of the ftate, and its protection from foreign power: But it feems not of fo much importance whether the fighting be done by John or Thomas, or the tax paid by William or Charles. The iron manufacture employs and enriches British fubjects, but is it of any importance to the ftate, whether the manufacturers live at Brimingham or Sheffield, or both, fince they are ftill within its bounds, and their wealth and perfons at its com mand? Could the Goodwin Sands be laid dry by banks, and land equal to a large country thereby gained to England, and prefently filled with English inhabitants, would it be right to deprive fuch inhabitants of the common privileges enjoyed by other EngJifhmen, the right of vending their produce in the fame ports, and of making their own fhoes, because a merchant, or a fhoemaker, living on the old land," might fancy it more for his advantage to trade or make fhoes for them? Would this be right, even if the land were gained at the expence of the ftate? And' would it not feem lefs right, if the charge and labour' of gaining the additional territory to Britain had been borne by the fettlers themfelves? And would not the hardship appear yet greater, if the people of the new country fhould be allowed no reprefentatives in the parliament enacting fuch impofitions? Now I look on the colonies as fo many counties gained to Great Britain, and more advaatageous to it than if

they