the annals of the many arbitrary ftates and kingdoms that furround you, and fhew us a fingle inftance of men being condemned to fuffer for imputed crimes, unheard, unquestioned, and without even the fpecious formality of a trial; and too, by a law made expressly for the purpose, and had no exiftence at the time that the fact was committed. If it be difficult to reconcile thefe proceedings to the genius and temper of your laws and conftitution, the task will become more arduous when we call upon our ministerial enemies, to justify condemning men untried, and by hear-fay, but involving the innocent in one common punishment with the guilty, and for the act of thirty or forty, to bring poverty, diftrefs, and calamity on thirty thoufand fouls, and thofe not your enemies, but your friends, brethren, and fellow citizens. They make ufe of feveral other arguments and topics, which they urge home with all the force of language and warm zeal, and the impartial world in fome ages hence, when the -mift of prejudice is removed from their eyes, will be obliged to confefs that there is much reafon in what they fay, What has greatly darkened this controverfy betwen Great Britain and the colonies, is the difference of political reasoning on different fides of the question. The advocates for the dominion of parliament, draw their arguments from myftical fubtleties, grounded upon obfelete laws that were never conflitutional, and which few, unless men learned in the law, can understand. From these they draw pofitive conclufions, as if their first principles were telfevident, and conclude that nothing except obftinacy, or real want of understanding, can hinder all others from perceiving the juftnefs of their arguments, The colonies and their friends: eftablish their arguments upon common fenfe; and the conftitu

A. D.1774

tional laws of the empire, which, as they are plain and felf-evident, are calculated to affect all minds that are not warped by prejudice, or biaffed by private intereft.

There is no queftion but men's prejudices and in. terefts are concerned on both fides, but the extreme appears to be more on the one fide than the other, provided we confine our views to the evidence upon the face of the arguments. The rights of mankind

are not mysteries to be lodged in the hands of a few, as articles of faith are in fome countries, but like the common falvation, are expofed to the view of every individual perfon, and the privilege of all to know, as well as to enjoy. When doctrines of ftate are fo deep, as to be beyond the reach of men of common understanding, they are not fit to be put in practice. Whatfoever men are bound to obey ought first to be made a plain object of their understanding, otherwife obedience is not a reasonable service. All honeft men will ever defire to have thofe defigns they pro fefs to be for the good of fociety, made as manifest to the members thereof as poffible, and will never want to impofe their authority, except under the divine light of reason and truth.

But it will be neceffary to take a view of the management at home, which gave rife to this fpirited and violent oppofition of the colonies. This will naturally lead us to take a view of the arguments made ufe of by the parties at home in fupport of the different fides of the question in which they were engaged. It has often been affirmed by people at home, that the colonists deduced their arguments from fpeeches made in the parliament of Britain, and from writings fent from this country to America. Upon this fuppofition, the patriots as they are called in derifion

are

are principally blamed for the oppofition and re fiftance which the colonists have made. But fuch as confider their petitions, refolves, and apologies impar tially, will toon perceive that they needed no affif tance from the mother country, in any matter of argu ment. There is a clearness and precifion in their writings, united with a warm zeal for truth and liberty, that is not to be met with in any of thefe venal performances which have been published against them. In fome future period of time, when men read this controverfy with calm impartiality, they will give judgment freely on the fide of the colonifts, and ftand in amazement that there fhould have been the fmallest difpute in a cafe fo clear and obvious.

The ftate of parties were this year much the fame as before, except that the general ftrength of the oppolition was much declined. The Rockingham party continued unbroken, and confiftently purfued its first original line of public conduct. Though it was often overpowered by numbers, it notwithstanding continued formidable, and gave some severe checks to the prevailing influence of the court. The fame difference of opinion and affections, and the fame occafional union among others, took place between them and that party which was attached to the Earl of Chatham. This appearance of the want of true union, very much enfeebled the oppofition.

While matters were in this fituation at home, an incident took place which kindled into a volent flamej of difcontent and rage in the colonies. The infigni. ficant duty of threepence the pound on tea, which had been fingly left behind in the year 1770, when all other articles enumerated in the fame bill, for the purpose of raising a revenue, had been repealed, was now determined to be made the fatal bane of conten

tion between the mother country, and her colonies. It had been foretold by thofe who ftruggled hard for the repeal of the whole, and who always declared against every notion of an internal taxation of America; that the leaving of one duty, and the difcharging of the others, could anfwer no other purpofe than the leffening of that fcanty revenue, which was fcarcely fufficient, in its whole amount,, to answer the expence of the collection; that by this means, inftead of profit, a new charge to fupply the deficiency would be thrown upon the ftate at home, while all the other evils, which were then acknowledged as the motives of a partial repeal, would be continued in their utmost extent.

Thefe political predictions in the end proved to have a real foundation, and were but too well verified by after events, The difcontents of the colonies encreafed from the meafures of government, and an univerfal fpirit of oppofition to the tea, act, prevailed among them all. The measures of the miniftry, and the prevailing party in parliament, fo irritated the colonifts, that they formed, the affociation which has been already mentioned, and paffed the fpirited refolutions which have been taken notice of, to fhew the miniftry that they were not ready to comply with fuch unrealonable demands. In this ftate of affairs there was one thing which greatly increafed the divifion be tween the mother country and the colonists; the governours of most of the colonies and the people, were in a continual state of warfare; and fuch was the op pofition between them, that what the one propofed the others were always determined to contradict. It has been generally believed that, this evil had its rife at home in the mother country, and that the governours. had their inftructions how to behave from the miniftry, which they fervilely executed, without con

fidering

fidering either the reafonablenefs of the commands, or the temper of the colonifts. It is, however, manifeft, and fad experience has proved, that the governours have not understood, or they have willfully perverted the ftate of the colonies in their accounts thereof to the miniftry; for it is hardly poffible that government would have proceeded fo far as they have done, provided they had not received falfe informa tion from their fervants. The variances between the governours and the people put an end to all regular proceedings; the affemblies were repeatedly called, and fuddenly diffolved. When they were fitting they were employed in repeating grievances, and framing, remonftrances, and in the midft of their difputes new matters fprung up, befides the duty on tea and the custom-house, which encreafed the general difcontent. A measure which had been lately adopted of rendering the governours and judges dependent on the crown, by having their falaries paid by government, and to be removed at the pleasure of the fov-. ereign, gave the colonies great offence. They confidered this measure as an attempt of the crown to, render all offices of government fubfervient to arbitra-. ry purposes, that they might employ them at their, pleasure, to fupprefs the liberties of the people., Whether this was the defign of government or not,, it was certainly the opinion of the colonists concerning this measure. In an ordinary courfe of affairs it would probably have been over looked, but in fuch a violent collifion of parties it was the mean of kindling a most violent flame of oppofition and refentment.

It is not to be expected in fuch a state of agitation, when the laws were in a great meafure fufpended, and men left to purfue the dictates of their paffions and refentment, that every thing would proceed in an Ddd orderly