Four tracts, on political and commercial subjects

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152 POLITICAL AND COMMERCIAL SUBJECTS. the molt fuperficial Obferver, if his Knowledge extends beyond the Limits of a Newfpaper, not to know, 7714! 112i: is entirely falflz. And if he is at all converfant in the Hiltory of the Colonies, and has attended to the'Accounts of their original Plantation, their Rife, and Progrefs, he mult know, that almol't from the very Beginning, there were mutUal Difcontents, mutual Animofities and Reproaches. Indeed, while thefe Colonies were in a mere State of Infancy, dependent on their Mother Country, not only for daily Protection, but almolt for daily Bread, it cannot be fuppofed that they would give themfelves the fame Airs of Self-quiciency and Independence, as they did afterwards, in Proportion as they grew up to a State of Maturity. But that they began very early to thew no other Marks of Attachment to their ancient Parent , than what arole from VieWs of Self-lnteref‘t and Self-Love, many convincing Proofs might be drawn from the Complaints of, and the Inl‘tructions to, the Governors of the refpeétive Pro- vinCes ; from the Memorials of our Boards of Trade, prelented from Time to Time to his Majelty's Privy Council againf't the Behaviour of the Colonills -, from the frequent Petitions and Rernonfb‘ances of our Merchants and Manufacturers to the fame Elfect; and even from the Votes and Refolutions of feveral of their Pro~ vincial AfTemblies againl't the Interelli, Laws, 15 and Government of the Mother Country; yet Iwill wave all thefe at prefent, and content my{elf with Proofs {till more authentic and unex- ceptionable; I mean the public Statutes of the Realm: For from them it evidently appears, that long before there were any Thoughts of the Stamp~A€t, the Mother Country had the following Acculittions to bring againlt the Colonies, 112. Ill. That they refuted to fubrnitto her Ordinances and Regulations in Regard to Trade.---2dly, That they attempted to frame Laws, and to erect Jtii‘ililiftions not only independently of her, but even in direct ()ppofition toher Amhority.-~-And 3dly, That many of them took unlawful Methods to ficreen them- lelves from paying thejt ft Debts they owed to the Merchants and Manufac‘lurers of Great-Brilaz'n. THESE are the Objections of the MotherCountry to the Behaviour of the Colonies long before their late Outrages, and their prclentConduct-«For even as early as the Year 1670, it doth appear, that MANY COIVII'LAINTS (the very Words of the Act) had been made againl‘r the American Proprietors of Ships and Vefitls, for engaging in fichemes of 'l raflic, contrary to the Regulations contained in the an of tutti gation, and in other Statutes ofthe Realm made for confining the Trade of the Colonies to the Mother Country. Nay, fo fenfible was the Parliament, above an hundred Years ago, that and Pro- .,