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Show (522) (<53) they-both of them mol't exceedingly well defcrves \whether of the government, or of the people of bug- r‘edrel‘s. Surely the more credit is loft the deeper that" land. people are plunged into tnifchiel'. The Welfare and happinefs of five or fix millions of mankind, or more, is a prodigious object. Whoever puts himlelf at the} helm ofour llate, undertakes ina manner For that. We are all mortal and fallible. One in {itch a fituation had need to march with the unmoll caution, circnmfpeétion and forelight; {hould he make an unlucky flop, it is It is {ometimes made a claim on the Americans, that weincurred on their account a great expence in the late war. On whole account have we not finte the Revolution incurred a- great expence? Our whole hillory from that time .to this, is little elle, but a fcene 0F ,prodigality in the fervice of drillerent l'eoplc, or Princes, for which no man can give any good reafon. However, I anfweron this ttccafion with the fac‘t. Weditl not engage in the late war at the requelfi of the Americans, nor upon any delire or inclination of theirs. The language, at the fame time was on the contrary, that the lel‘s concerned the inhabitants of our colonies appeared to be about the incroachments of the French, the more reafon we had to be jealous on the fubjt't‘t. I believe, that 1 may, in {up- port of whatl am laying, venture to appeal tothole, who are the bell acquainted with that period. Had it been otherwife, we fhonld no doubt have heard enough of it. Subflantial reafons might be given, that the Americans judged better in the cafe, than we. There may be ground for us to condemn ourt‘elves, for not having confulted them more on the (Lib? jeél, than we did, before that we were (0 hat‘ly: to take up the hatchet. However, there is not the leall: pretence for charging to their account the confequen(es of a War, which we undertook without any in;fiance and application from them, and entirely of our own tnonon. But the honour of Government is concerned. That is certainly an unaccountable reafoning, though not perhaps very uncommon ; that if government or . in plain Englilh, the minillier and thole about him, do ‘a thing which (hall be wifhed to be undone, they are his highelt dtny to endeavour inl't‘ttntly to retreat and r str‘i'eve it. A late minifier repealed an'aét'limilar to the one in queltion, and that flatefman well knew what to do and what to avoid. In the prefent cafe 3 gulph * is before us, which will not admit many Preps forward, but that the government and the public will both go headlong. But their outrages. I prelume thefe to be an chief's of‘difcourfe, as well as any other fubjeé‘t'; how can they otherwife be difculled and confidered? However 1 (MIL without declaring any opinion of my own take them up only in the light, as they may appear to an Amerieam He will certainly fay, that thefe receivetheir complexron from the claim of the colonies not to be taxed by us, and accordingly as that (ball be grounded or not. If that is not well founded, that then their oppofition is unlawful, whether only: con~l cert and combination or force and violence. That the latter indeed may be produc'l-ive of more milchief than the former, but that they are on fucha'fuppolitton both ofthem entirely unwarrantable. I would tn this cafe willingly fpealt freely but without oflence; he Would therefore certainly add, that {honld the Americans on the other hand have a real right not: to be lo taxed, they are undoubtedly intitled likewife to the iteceflat'y means of uling and enjoying that right; That this is a rule of the law of nature as well as of therefor-etc proceed inthe fame road and do many more the law or" the land, or rather that the latter has only {31611. until at length'the cafe titay perhaps be beyond borrowed it from the former. redt‘els, I {peak with great finbmlfiion; but he.» would without doubt procefid, t at |