1 country will in time become the the greatest and most profperous empire that perhaps the world has ever feen. The earth is well known to contain abundance of mines, and probably of every fpecies that can be faid to enrich a country; fo Jikewife, in time, all products whatever may be expected from the foil. Its feas. banks, bays, coafts and rivers, we alfo know have the most abundant fisheries, fo that their can be no natural impediment to its becoming greatly powerful and profperous. "The leaft computation of white inhabitants, at prefent, is two millions of fouls: and if thereto are -added the Indian tribes, Negroes and Mulattoes, perhaps the whole number of inhabitants lately mentioned in the public papers, may not be an exaggeration, - in their being eftimated at five millions. But in confidering the progrefs of population, Ifhall confider the white inhabitants only; because in proportion is they increase it may probably be conjectured, that thofe of the other colours will diminish! The American writers all agree in acknowledg ing, that from the encouragements which are given to early marriage," from the facility of acquiring fettlements on lands, and the temptations there are to make them, in the inexhauftible fources of improve ment in those kinds of property, that the numbers of white inhabitants become doubled in five and twenty years. Let us then confider, upon the bottom on which the colonies ftand at prefent, at how rapid á rate their population muft increase. In twenty-five years their numbers will probably have grown from two millions to four, in fifty years, eight, in feventyfive years to fixteen, and in an hundred years to thirty-two millions; which is fuch a striking profpe& of increafing population in thofe regions, as fhould induce induce us to defert the idea of being long able to fubject them by our power, and make us adopt, as its fubftitute, true policy, for that purpose which, perhaps, for many ages may preferve what mere power might fail to fecure for a few years. “There are no fubjects fo frequently handled as "thofe of government, policy, and trade, but in which there is difcoverable much ignorance and prepoffeffion, and thofe often among fuch as fhould beft understand them; for many judgments are continually feen to be framed, without right information, and too many falfe ones are often obtruded on government, and the world, -from felf-interefted motives; fo that dishonesty and ig-norance appear co-operating together, to our great national injury, Some late unfortunate tranfactions that have proved greatly irritating to our colonjfts, have fet them, as we fee, upon eftimating for themfelves; and that turn, which has perhaps been injudicioufly given to their contemplations, has ferved to convince them of their utility to us, which they seem inclinable to rate at its very utmost estimation, and accordingly thereon fet a value on themselves; and we ought to be aware how very ftrongly the estimations of their own utility, will, on all occafions, operate on the minds of individuals, or bodies of men. L.S “The North-Americans now fay and write, that they have ever been toiling for the benefit of the mother country, in which, if they are not confidered as children, their treatment is that of flaves; and therefore, if attempted to be oppreffed, they muft unite in their own defence. They accordingly cry out for union; and we even fee, by the public papers, that there is to be a conference,, or congrefs of deputies for that purpose, which is firft propofed for repre fentation fentation only; but should they not therein fucceed, ought we not to be aware of what they next may proceed to confult on, and what may prove the consequences of either rooted hatred, or rafh defperation ? "I, who was never in the colonies, nor have any particular connections with them, do not take upon my self to vindicate their opinions or proceedings, or to plead partially in their behalf; but have endeavoured to regulate my thoughts by the principles of right po.. licy, when I venture to cenfure thofe, who are preffing for a rigid exertion of authority; because I am well convinced, that there are occafions when every kind of authority may find it prudent to yield upon critical exigencies, as every intelligent man muft know, is occafionally the cafe in all countries upon earth. The highest authority has often done it with true wifdom in this kingdom, as I need but inftance in the year 1733, with regard to the propofed excife on wine and tobacco, and in the year 1755, with refpect to the law for allowing the naturalizing of Jews; concerning the utility or propriety of which state mea. fures, any more than of thefe regarding America, I deliver no opinions of my own; but I must applaud' every relaxation for the fake of reftoring harmony, or preventing desperation. "From true principles of policy and commerce,I, however, venture to pronounce, that whatever reftrictions tend to prevent our colonists, either of NorthAmerica, or the Weft-Indies, from enriching themfelves by other states, are of prejudice to the mothercountry, because ail the riches which they acquire, muft, in one fhape or another, finally center among us, for which conviction, I defire no better authority, than those barometers of balances the courses of ex change; change and how immenfely they are against every one of our colonies, muft by all men be known. If therefore, from whatever they are capable by any means to get, they only fubfift themfelves, with being kept in a state of deep debt to us, what have we to defire more, and whom can we so much injure by reftrie tions as ourselves? Reftraints on their trade must then, in their nature, be impolitic; or whatever trade they carry-on, if they get but a balance in their favour, which one? way or other they must do, it will turn out to our advantage; and furely, of all inftruments for fuppreffing trade, if otherwife, the military and marine are the last to be employed, because their arbitrary laws and principles are quite incompatible with commerce, which can never flourish but with mildness and encou agement; nor ought vice-admiralty-courts to be entrufted with powers over commerce; fo likewife, in proportion to the remoteness of the scene of tranf actions from the feat of government, will ever be the degrees of the danger from trusting them therewith. So, with regard to a medium of traffic, what could we defire more, than that our colonies fhould content themselves with a paper currency; in order to be enabled to fend all the bullion they could poffibly acquire, in payments to us? Was not this contenting themfelves with working for ney, or effects, to purchase manufactures, and commodities of ? And fhould not we have been contented with getting all their real wealth, and leaving them with fuch a fubstitute as a paper currency? "With regard to their taxes likewife, if they have not money to pay them, and alfo to purchase our maufactures whatever is gained in one way, muft be loft to us in another: and furely it need not be remarked, how ruinous the lofs of that trade of our fupply to them, must prove to us. It furely would be time enough for us to think of taxing the Americans, when they had found the means of getting more money than they wanted to pay us in the way of trade, but the demanding it of them while they had it not, was reducing them to the branded Egyptain flavery, of making. bricks without ftraw... "In fhort, our great object, with regard to North America, is that of vending our manufactures, which the more they are enabled to buy, fo much the bet ter it must be for us, in the employment of our people at home, and in the returns we receive and the more we adhere to this general fcheme of common intereft, and the lefs we perplex ourselves with particular and intricate ones, the fafer and more advantageous will be the courfe we fhall take, as well for the peace, as the profperity of both countries. 1 "But I am afraid the true fact is, in this country of felf-interested bodies and individuals, all pursuing their own good to the hurt and danger of the com munity, that we are more jealous of the trade than of the power of the North Americans, which is a folecism in policy that is founded in short-fighted felfintereft, to which, in the end, it will be found to prove fatal. "To form a right judgment concerning the state of the colonies, we fhould, in the first place, confider the produce of their agriculture in enumerat modities; which, with all their other products, fent to Britain are well known, both from the accounts of the custom-houfe, merchants, and planters; all which have been carefully examined for many years paft, and from these it appears, that the value of all M Pretent State of Great Britain and America, their 1 |