22 lony, and that the refolution of that houfe in the laft feffion of parliament, might not be carried into execution, by a bill for impofing ftamp duties on the colonies. William Middleton, Efq. Daniel Hughes, Efq. and Jofeph Nitt, Efq. alfo offered a petition in behalf of themfelves, and the rest of the inhabitants, owners of property, in his Majefty's province of South Caro lina, praying that the houfe fhould not approve of any bill that might be offered, charging ftamp duties in the province of Carolina. A motion was made with refpect to each of these questions, that they fhould be brought in, but upon each of the questions refpectively a negative was put. Upon a divifion it was car ried by 245 against 49 that the petitions fhould not be heard. The bill, after going through all its ftages and forms, was at laft paffed, and received the royal fane. tion. It fheet. [23] Probates, letters of adminiftration or guardianship, in other parts of America, 10s, per fleet. [24] Bonds for any fum not exceeding 10l. on the continent and iflands of Bermuda and Bahama, 6d. per fheet. [25] Bonds for any fum above rol. and not exceeding 20l. within the faid places, 1s. per fheet. [26] Bonds for any fum above 20l. and not exceeding 40l. within the fame places is. 6d. per fheet. [27] Warrants for forveying or fetting out any lands not exceeding 100 acres, 6d. per fheet. [28] Warrants for furveying and fetting out any land above 100 acres, and not exceeding 200, 15. per fheet. [29] Warrants for furveying or fetting out any lauds above 200 acres and not exceeding 300, 18. 6d. per fleet. [30] Original grants, or deeds, mefie conveyances, &c. of lands not exceeding 100 acres upon the continent or iflands of Bermuda and Bahama, is. 6d. per fheet, [31] Original grants, &c. of lands above 100 acres, and not exceeding 200 in the faid places, 2s. per fheet. [32] Original grants, &c. of land above 200 acres, and not exceeding 300 in the faid places, 2s. 6d. per fheet. [33] Original grants, &c. of lands not exceeding 100 acres within all other parts of America, 35. per sheet. [34] Original grants, &e. of lands above 100 acres, and not exceeding 300 acres, 45. per fleet. [25] Grants, appointments, or admiflions to any pub lic beneficial office, not before charged, above 20l. per annum value, or exemplifications thereof army, navy, and Juftices of the peace excepted upon the continent, or Bermuda and Bahama Ilands, It must be acknowledged to the honour of the Britifh parliament, that this bill did not pafs without oppofition; the friends of liberty, and of the conftitution, the fincere lovers of the Brunfwick family, oppofed it, in all its stages, and offered fuch arguments against it as their opponents were not able to anfwer. The jurifdiction of parliament over the colonies, was combated with arguments, which every fober perfon, under no influence except truth, muft confefs in their hearts to be forcible and conclufive. It was argued in behalf of the colonies, that those who first planted them, were driven from their native country by violent perfecutions, and had left their mother country for confcience fake, at their own rifque and expence; that being both perfecuted and forfaken by her, all ties, except what are common to mankind, were diffolved between them. That as England had ceafed to give them 41. per fheet. [36] Grants, or admiffion to fuch offices in any other part of America, 61. per fheet. [37] Indentures, leafes, conveyances, contracts, ftipulations- -f fale, charter-parties, protests, articles of apprenticefhip or covenants, except for the hiring of fervants, and other matters before charged, 2s. 6d. per Theet. [38] Warrants for atditing public accounts, heneficial warrants, orders, grants, certificates, under the public feal or fign manual of the governors, &c. not before charged, [paffports, furrenders of offices, policies of affurances, warrants for the navy or army, or grants of offices under 20l. per annum value excepted] 5s. per fheet. [39] Notorial acts, bonds, deeds, letters of attorney, procuration, mortgage, release, or obligatory in Itrument, [not charged before] 25. 3d per fheet. [40] Regifters, entries or inrolments of grants, deeds &c. (before charged) 3d. per Theet. [41] Regifters, entries or inrolments of grants, deeds, &c. [not before charged] 25. per fheet. [42] Duties payable upon cards and dice, viz. on cards. rs. per pack, dice 103. per pack. [43] Duties on pamplilets, newspapers, viz. pamphlets, half a fheet or lefs, one half-penny on every printed copy; larger than half a fheet and not exceeding a whole fheet. Id. for every copy; being larger than one sheet and not exceeding 6 in octavo or under, or not exceeding 12 fheets in quarto or 20 fleets in folio, Is. per fheet for one printed copy; for every advertise. ment in any gazette or other paper 125. for every almanack, &c. to ferve for one year 4d. for every almanack to ferve for feveral years, duties to the fame amount respectively for each year; on inftruments, proceet ings, them legal protection, they were abfolved from all duty of obedience to her. That their charters only bound them to the common duty of fubjects, to the fovereign, as the fupreme head of the empire, but did not oblige them to fubmit to the dictates of the legiflature, in which they had no fhare. That it was unreafonable that the people of Britain fhould pretend to exercise rights over their brethren in America, which they themselves declare to be oppreffive and illegal at home, when claimed by others among them. ! It was further urged that it could not reasonably be imagined that, when the people of Great Britain contended with the crown, for the fake of their own rights, that they confidered it might be lawful for the fovereign to ufurp a power over others, which they denied could be lawfully exercifed over themfelves. And that however binding their charters might have been, yet as they had been deprived of them by an arbitrary exertion of government, which the people at home would not fuffer, they ought to be ftill confidered as entitled to them, and the benefits arifing from them; that as their charters gave them full privilege to make their own laws, provided they did not make any contrary to the fundamental principles of the English conftitution, and as they had not been ings, &c. aforefaid, engroffed, written, or printed, in any other thair the English language, double the amount of the refpective duties before charged thereon. -On clerks fees, or apprentices, not exceeding 60l. a duty of 6c. for every 20s fo paid, ard is. on every 20s. exceeding sol. The penalties in cafe of non-obfervance of this act are heavy and grievous, like the act itself All perfors who fhould fign, write, or feal any thing that was liable to be ftamped, before being stamped, was to be fined vol. and no inftrument could be admitted in evidence, in any caufe, unless stamped. It was made death to counterfeit a flamp, inrolling any deed unftampt, the fine zol Confeilors or others, neglecting to file or record in due time any matter for which duty is paya ble, the forfeit 50l. been charged with any fuch misdemeanours, they were undoubtedly entitled to their original chartered rights, of which the bill, then in agitation, was a manifeft perverfion. It was added that it was the birth-right of Englishmen, and their dependants, not to be taxed by any except their reprefentatives; but that the colonies were fo far from being reprefented in the parliament of Great Britain, that they were not virtually reprefented, as the meanest inhabitants of the mother country were. That the people of Ireland, were more virtually reprefented in the parliament of Great Britain, than it was poffible for the colonies to be; that many Irish gentlemen and peers poffeffed estates in England, and Englishmen in Ireland, fo that there were numbers of Irish noblemen and gentlemen, in both houses of par liament, and the parliament of Britain never claimed a right to tax the people of Ireland, in confequence of this virtual representation. It was objected that the mother country had given great affiftance to the colonies, expended great fums of money in protecting them, and that it was reafonable to tax them for the fake of being reimbursed for that expence. To this it was anfwered, that Britain either affifted the colonies from principles of humanity, or with a view of being repaid; if from principles of humanity and brotherly affection, their liberty was too dear a price for fuch a favour; and provided they expected to be repaid, they ought firft to fettle accompts, and fee how much the balance was that was due to Great Britain. That as the colonies had frequently affifted the mother country, and fuffered great lofs by giving Britain an exclufive trade, by which they were prevented from felling their goods to others, at a much higher price than they could fell. them to her, and were obliged to buy from her what D they they could have purchased much cheaper from others, it was prefumed, that, upon a fair reckoning, the accompts would appear nearly even, and there would be little to pay. On the fide of government, it was urged, that the colonies had fubmitted to laws made by the mother country for their internal government, and that the British parliament had now a prefcriptive right of legiflation. It was answered that this could no more be brought as a precedent against the colonies, than against England, which tamely fubmitted to the arbitrary dictates of King Henry, and the authority of the ftar-chamber; the tyranny of many being as grievous as that of a fingle perfon. That if freedom was due to those who had fenfe enough to value it, and courage to expose themselves to every danger and fatigue to acquire it, the defcendants of those who had fuffered fo much in the wilds of America from dreadful enemies, were better entitled to it, than their brethren in Great Britain. But it was urged against the arguments drawn from their charters, that - all the corporations in England might plead the privileges of their charters, to be exempted from parliámentary taxation. But this, of all other arguments was the most frivolous and infignificant. The corporations in England fend members to parliament, and are reprefented, and many of them received their charters for that very purpofe; they therefore make their own laws, which makes the cafes very unlike to one another. There is one argument which the writer of the hiftorical part of the Annual Register offers against the claim of the Americans, to be reprefented in the British parliament, which, at firft view, has more force than feveral others, and it is founded upon their keeping of flaves. He imagines it would not be fafe |