fame to all mankind. The addrefs and petitions are. fo effentially different in their nature, that by the one you would determine the nation to be in the most flourishing condition, and in a state of the greatest happinefs, and by the other you would be led to believe, that it was upon the verge of utter ruin, and on the very brink of deftruction. Perhaps neither the cafes, as ftated in the one or the other are strictly true, nor is it poffible that they could be both true; but one thing is certain, that neither the one nor the other Сс medium fine, four fhillings and fix pence. For every ream of paper called Genoa medium, one fhilling and ten pence halfpenny. For every ream of paper called fecond writing medium, three fhillings. For every ream of painted paper not made in Great Britain, fix fhillings. For every ream of paper called fine large poft, one shilling and ten pence halfpenny For every ream of paper called fmall poft, one fhilling and one penny halfpenny. For every ream of paper called fine Genoa pot, fix pence three farthings. For every ream of paper called fecond Genoa pot, fix pence three farthings. For every ream of paper called Superfine pot, not made in Great Britain, one fhilling and fix pence. For every ream of other paper called fecond fine pot, not made in Great Britain, one fhilling and one penny halfpenny. For every ream of paper called ordinary pot, not made in Great Britain, fix pence three farthings. For every ream of paper called fine pot, made in Great Britain, aine peace. For every ream of paper called were fecond pot; made in Great Britain, four pence halfpenny for every team of paper called fuper royal fine, nine fhillings. For every ream of paper called royal fine, fix fhillings. For every ream of paper called fine Holland royal, two fhillings and five pence farthing. For every ream of paper called fine Holland fecond, one fhilling and fix pence. For every ream of paper called fecond fine Holland royal, one fhilling and fix pence. For every ream of paper called ordinary royal, nine pence. For every ream of paper called Genoa royal, two fhillings and five pence farthing. For every ream of paper called fecond writing royal, four fhillings and one penny halfpenny. For every ream of paper called fecond writing fuper royal, fix thillings. For every hundred weight avoirdupois of paste-boards, mill-boards, and fcale-boards, not made in Great Britain, three fhillings and nine pence. For every hundred weight avoirdupois of pafte-boards, mill-boards, and feale-boards, made in Great Britain, two fhillings and three pence. And for and upon all paper which fhall were really the voice of the nation. For as the miniftry and the court party ufed their utmost efforts to procure addreffers, fo leading men in the oppofition did all they could to procure petitioners, who knew as little about the grievances, as the addreffers did about the happiness of the nation. Both were the occafion of great noife and confufion; people were taken off their bufinefs, and idle difpofed men went rioting for feveral days together, without doing any thing except drinking and making noife in the streets of towns and cities. The number of petitioners was by far the greateft, and fhewed that among thofe who pretended fhall be printed, painted, of stained, in Great Britain, to ferve for hangings or other uses, three farthings for every yard fquare, over and above the duties payable for fuch paper by this ac, if the fame had not been printed, painted, or ftain ed, and after thofe rate refpectively for any greater or less quantity. DECLARATORY ACT. 'Whereas feveral of the houfes 'of Representatives in his Majefty's colonies and plantations in America, have of late, against law, claimed to themfelves, or to the general affemblies of the fame, the fole and exclufive right of impofing duties and taxes upon his Maje'fty's fubjects in the faid colonies and plantations; and have, in purfuance of fuch claim, paffed certain vote, refolutions, and orders, derogatory to the legislative authority of parliament, and in confiftent with the dependency of the faid colonies and plantations upon the crown of Great Britain: May it therefore pleafe your most excellent Majefty, that it may be declared, and be it declared by the King's most excellent Majefty, by and with the advice and confent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this prefent parliament affembled,_and by the authority of the fame, That the faid colonies and plantations in America have been, are, and of right ought to be, fubordinate unto, and dependent upon, crown and parliament of Great the imperial Britain; and that the King's Maje fty, by and with the advice and confent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Comnions of Great Britain, in parliament affembled, had, hath, and of right ought to have, full power and authority to make laws and ftatutes of fufficient force and validity to bind the colonies and people of America, fub jects of the crown of Great Britain, in all cafes whatsoever. II. And be it further declared and enacted by the authority aforesaid, That all refolutions, votes, orders, and proceedings, in any of the faid colonies or plantations, whereby the power and authority of the parliament of Great Britain, to make laws and ftatutes as aforesaid, is denied or drawn into question, are, and are hereby declared to be, utterly null and void, to all intents and purposes whatsoever. pretended to have a right to intermeddle in thofe matters, the majority was on the fide of the oppofition, The great number of petitions that were fent to the throne, gave great offence to the ministry, and they were treated with the utmost contempt. This provoked the petitioners to the highest degree, and made many of them both speak and write many fevere things against the miniftry. Thus the parties irritated one another, that charity and love among men became a very rare thing. Thofe on the fide of the court being in general the more wealthy and fubftantial part of the nation, looked with contempt upon the other fide, and despised them, as not worthy of being con. fulted in any affairs of government; while the others confidered them as oppreffors and enemies of their country. The debates both in and out of parliament run high. The court party cried out for fevere measures, They faid the authority of parliament had been trampled upon, the fovereign had been infulted on the throne, by the most abfurd and provoking proceedings and infolent peritions. A diffolution of parliament was requested, for no other reason than becaufe they had complied with the King's minifters, whom the King himself had appointed. How could the King expect to be obeyed in fuch critical emergencies, that must occur in any plan for aggrandizing the crown; when the minifters who formed fuch plans were given up, and the parliament, who had acted under their influence was difolved? This kind of reafoning was, by the other fide, confidered as partial, felfish, and inconclufive; they looked upon fuch arguments as the shifts of guilty perfons to cover their iniquities, rather than the reafoning of true and good politicians. To threaten the nation for petitioning the fovereign, which was a right that belonged to A every individual, was looked upon as an infolence which none but defperate men would have been guilty of. The arguments on this occafion went much against the miniftry, which did not a little provoke them; and as ufually happens in the time of controverfy, many indecent reflections were thrown forth against individuals, which were a difgrace to the cause they were fupporting. Magiftrates, however many errors they may be guilty of, as long as they continue in office, perfons in oppofing their misconduct, ought always to obferve decency. It adds no luftre to any caufe to fupport it with fcandal and perfonal reflections. fpecies of writing was now become fashionable, wherein all the private foibles of men's lives were drawn into the argument, and their private infirmities painted with the most uncharitable colourings. This wantonnefs of the prefs provoked the court and the miniftry exceedingly, fo that they were determined to make examples of offenders as foon as they could have a proper opportunity. This was a very weak refolution; for the offence was mutual, and neither fide could plead innocent. The writers on the fide of the court were often as illiberal as thofe on the fide of the oppofition; but where men of power are irritated, it requires much wifdom to make them restrain their power within the bounds of right reafon and juftice. The miniftry were fadly galled, and felt the ridicule of their opponents, which was often very fcurrilous. When the parliament met this year, upon the 9th of January, the nation was in great expectations concerning the manner how the ftate of public affairs would be introduced in the speech from the throne; when, to the amazement of all, the chief contents thereof, were filled up with a distemper among the borned horned cattle! It was expected that notice would' have been taken of the domeftic commotions in the nation at home, and of the difturbances in America, but with regard to all these there was a perfect filence. The fpeech became an object of ridicule over all the nation, as the distemper it referred to was fcarcely known to have any existence, and had not become an object of ferious reflection among the people who were more immediately concerned. The cold referve in the fpeech from the throne, was not imitated by thofe in oppofition to the meafures of the miniftry. When the addrefs was read, a motion was made for an amendment, in the following terms; that they would immediately enquire into the caufes of the prevailing difcontents throughout his Majesty's dominion. This introduced fome long debates, that were carried on with great heat and acrimony of expreffion, unknown before in parliament, and in which many fevere animadverfions were made upon the feveral parts of the fpeech from the throne. The affair concerning the petitions was agitated with great violence, and the grievances of the nation painted in the strongest colours by the oppofition, while the other fide openly denied their existence, and feemed to threaten thofe who fet them. forth. There was a party on the fide of the miniftry that were more moderate; thefe admitted the exiftence of the grievances alledged, but affirmed they were exaggerated beyond all bounds. They acknowledged the difcontents in the nation, and declared themselves willing to confider them at a proper season, as well as to reconfider the election of Middlefex, which was now a great bone of contention; they faid they were willing to listen to methods of redrefs foberly propofed, and at a time when they had leifure; but they objected |