Part 6
[1] In the Year of the Rebellion 1745, and for many Years afterwards, the _London Evening Post_ (now a republican) was then a flaming _Jacobite Paper_: During which Period the Author of these Tracts had frequently the Honour of being abused by him, under the Character of a _low-church, fanatical, Oliverian Whig_. Once in particular (above 20 Years ago) he was complimented in the high-flown Strain of _Josiah ben Tucker ben Judas Iscariot_. The Times are now greatly altered; and so is the Tone of the Abuse. But the Author is perfectly resigned to these Vicissitudes of human Affairs: And he has no other Favour to ask of this, and of all his Brother-Scribblers, whether weekly or monthly, in Sheets, or in Pamphlets, than that they would _never praise him_, because that, and that only, he should look upon to be a _real Disgrace_. But it is not the _London Evening Post_ alone, who from a violent Jacobite has commenced a fierce Republican. Many like Instances may be recollected. And indeed the Transition is natural enough; for if a Man can be so absurd as to think that there is an _indefeasible_ Right in any one Family, when that Family becomes _extinct_, he turns a Republican.
[2] The late Dr. BUTLER, Bishop of _Bristol_, and afterwards of _Durham_ had a singular Notion respecting large Communities and public Bodies;--a Notion which perhaps is not altogether unapplicable to the present Case. His Custom was, when at _Bristol_, to walk for Hours in his Garden in the darkest Night, which the Time of the Year could afford; and I had frequently the Honour to attend him. After walking some Time, he would stop suddenly, and ask the Question, "What Security is there against the _Insanity_ of Individuals? The Physicians know of none: And as to Divines, we have no Data either from Scripture, or Reason to go upon relative to this Affair."--_True, my Lord, no Man has a Lease of his Understanding, any more than of his Life. They are both in the Hands of the Sovereign Disposer of all Things._ He would then take another Turn, and again stop short. "Why might not whole Communities and public Bodies be seized with _Fits of Insanity_, as well as Individuals?" _My Lord, I have never considered the Case, and can give no Opinion concerning it._ "Nothing but this Principle, that they are liable to Insanity, equally at least with private Persons, can account for the major Part of those Transactions, which we read in History." I thought little of this odd Conceit of the Bishop's at that Juncture: But I own I could not avoid thinking of it a great deal since, and applying it to many Cases.
[3] See, for a Proof of this Fact, First, A Message from the General Assembly of _Massachusetts Bay_ to GOVERNOR SHIRLEY, 4th of _January_, 1754. Secondly, A Message from the Council and House of Representatives of ditto to ditto. Thirdly, An Address from the Council of Representatives of ditto to ditto. Forthly, An Address of the Assembly of _Virginia_ to the King. Fifthly, A Representation of the Commissioners met at _Albany_. And Sixthly, Extracts from the Proceedings of the CONGRESS at _Albany_, all in the Year 1754. And all of them antecedent to the Arrival of the two Regiments under GENERAL BRADDOCK. I would here recommend the Perusal of _The Controversy between_ Great Britain _and her Colonies_, printed for ALMON, to those who wish for a fuller Information on these interesting Points; particularly from Page 107 to 136.
[4] Were it not for the _British_ Fleets, and for the Fortresses of _Gibraltar_ and _Port-Mahon_,--and in short for the general Terror of the British Name, all the piratical States of _Barbary_ would immediately seize on _American_ Ships, when carrying Fish, or Rice, or any other _American_ Produce South of Cape _Finistere_, as their lawful Prey. And yet _America_ doth not pay a single Shilling towards the Support of our Fleets, or the Maintenance of our Forts and Garrisons in any Part of the World.
[5] See the Resolutions of the grand Continental Congress, in Opposition to the reconciliatory Proposal of Parliament for permitting each Province to tax itself, according to its own Mode. In these Resolutions they expressly declare, that they will be the sole Judges, not only of the _Mode_ of raising, but also of the Sum or Quantum to be raised, and of the Application of it: And that the Parliament of _Great-Britain_ hath no Right to decide as to either of these Points.
[6] The Princes of the House of STUART took it into their Heads to believe, that all Colonies were their private Patrimony; in respect of which the Parliament had no Right to intermeddle. This Notion, so long ago justly exploded, is now revived, (strange to tell!) even by modern Patriots, and _American_ Republicans: For they are the People at present, and not the King's Ministers, who propose to exalt the Prerogatives of the Crown to the Subversion of the Rights, Privileges, and Liberties of the _British_ Parliament, and the _British_ Nation. Indeed so far, it must be owned, is Fact,--that as the Princes of that House had the first modelling of the Colonies, they introduced a Practice, (still most absurdly retained tho' without any Power to enforce it) of bringing all Appeals before themselves and their Privy Councils, instead of before the Court of King's-Bench or the House of Lords; which is the only regular and constitutional Mode of appealing, and the only one now observed in Appeals from _Ireland_. However, notwithstanding this _Impropriety_, as the King can send no armed Forces to _America_, without Consent of Parliament first had for their Maintenance, and afterwards for authorizing the Use of military Law, and military Discipline among them, it may be justly averred, that the King doth in no other exclusive Sense govern _America_, than as the sole executive Power, which is to enforce and put in Motion the Laws and Decrees of the supreme Legislature of _Great-Britain_. See a very candid and impartial Account of this Matter in a Book entituled, "Remarks on the principal Acts of the 13th Parliament of _Great-Britain_," from Page 38 to 45.
[7] See De LOLME's _Constitution of England_, the Note of Page 52. The whole is a most excellent Treatise, and worthy the Perusal of all those _Englishmen_, who wish to understand, and to set a just Value on the distinguishing Excellencies of the _English_ Constitution,--a Constitution, as he justly observes, the only one in its Kind, _ponderibus librata suis_.
[8] See his Speech, _March_ 22, 1775, second Edition Octavo.
[9] Queen ELIZABETH sometimes raised this Duty to 20 and 25 per Cent. by Orders and Warrants issued from her Privy Council; that is, by her own sole and absolute Authority. Yet she was _good Queen_ BESS: And her Days were _golden Days_. See also the shocking Number of Monopolies granted in her Reign, set forth at large in TOWNSHEND's _Collection_; or in Sir SIMON d'EWE's _Journal_ of _Parliament_. See more particularly the Debates which past in the 43d Year of her Reign, after a Struggle of upwards of 20 Years for abolishing these Monopolies.
[10] A few shallow, half-sighted Politicians have objected to the Trade with _Russia_, because the Balance, according to their narrow Ideas, is visibly against us. But what Balance do they mean?--Not the Balance of _Industry_, for that is plainly in our Favour; or, in other Words, we export more _manufactured_ Goods to _Russia_, than we receive from it. And as to the Balance of _Money_, they ought to have known, that it is much more beneficial to an industrious, commercial Country to import Raw-Materials (_if it wants them_) than to import Gold and Silver; because there cannot be so many Hands employed in the manufacturing of these Metals, as in the working up of Timber, Iron, Hemp, Flax, &c. &c. to their respective Uses. It is amazing, how little these self-evident Principles have been understood, or at least attended to by commercial Writers of some Note and Character, and particularly by JOSIAH GEE; according to whose Doctrine of the Balance of Trade, this Nation hath not been worth a single Shilling for almost these 100 Years.
[11] I am told, that this Deficiency of the Excise this Year, on Liquors imported into the Out-Ports, is owing to a new Species of Smuggling lately put in Practice, whereby the Revenue is grossly defrauded. If so, the Balance would have been still greater, had all the Duties on Rum, and other Liquors imported into the Out-Ports, been justly and fairly paid; or at least paid as fairly and justly as usual.
_Lately published by the same Author_,
TRACTS Political and Commercial.
1. _A Solution of the important Question, whether a poor Country, where raw Materials and Provisions are cheap, and Wages low, can supplant the Trade of a rich manufacturing Country, where raw Materials and Provisions are dear, and the Price of Labour high._
2. _The Case of going to War for the Sake of Trade considered in a new Light._
3. _A Letter from a Merchant in_ London _to his Nephew in_ America, _concerning the late and present Disturbances in the Colonies._
4. _The true Interest of_ Great-Britain _set forth in regard to the Colonies; and the only Means of living in Peace and Harmony with them._
5. _The respective Pleas and Arguments of the Mother Country and of the Colonies distinctly set forth; and the Impossibility of a Compromise of Differences, or a mutual Concession of Rights plainly demonstrated; with a prefatory Epistle to the Plenipotentiaries of the Congress._
Printed for RIVINGTON, CADEL, and WALTER.
TRACTS Polemical and Theological.
1. _An Apology for the Church of_ England, _as by Law established, occasioned by a Petition to Parliament for abolishing Subscriptions._
2. _Two Letters to the Rev. Dr._ KIPPIS: _Letter 1st. Concerning the Extent of the Claim of the Church of_ England _to regulate the_ external _Behaviour of her own Members; and also to influence their_ internal _Judgments in Controversies of Faith: Letter 2d. Wherein the Question is discussed, whether the_ English _Reformers in the Reign of_ EDWARD VI. _intended to establish the Doctrines of Predestination, Redemption, Grace, Justification, and Perseverance, in the Calvinistical Sense, as the Doctrines of the Church of_ England.
3. _Religious Intolerance no Part of the General Plan either of the Mosaic or Christian Dispensation._
4. _A brief and dispassionate View of the Difficulties respectively attending the Trinitarian, Arian, and Socinian Systems._
To be published in the Course of the ensuing Winter.
_A Volume of select Sermons on interesting and important Subjects._
All by the same Author.
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Transcriber's note:
Text in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_).
The original text includes two blank spaces. These are represented by ____ in this text version.
Footnote markers are placed as in the original text.
The table facing page 49 was in one piece in the original text.
The following misprints have been corrected: "memomorable" corrected to "memorable" (page 13) "for for" corrected to "for" (page 85)
Other than the corrections listed above, inconsistencies in spelling, punctuation, and hyphenation have been retained.