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Show (52) (53) others. Ial'k, whether it is not our own aé‘tual difii» ‘culties brought on by thefe very taxes, which do now, at this irritant urge us upon our colonies, and which are the caufe of all the prefent contefl and diforder. It is one of the firi't principles in commerce, not to burthen the means and materials of manufafiures. It Would be nipping the fruit in the bud, 'The fame reafoning holds here. Let us keep our hands from their: two great cauies and lources of ur treafure and wealth. They have hitherto wonderfully fupplied and fupported us. r[hey may continue [0 to do, if we will fuller them. ' But it maybe faid, that we have at home great and profitable manuiat‘lures, and our woolen one in particular ; whereby we fiand leis in need of dii'tant affif'» tance. That is very true ; but {0 is it likewife, that 'we have on the continent very many expences and demands for money beiides the interelt of our debt. We which we labour. "We are in the mean time daily liaw ble to be engaged in war. We have now had an uncommon interval of peace. It was but a very few years ago, that we were on the brink of a rupture with Spain, which would undoubtedly have been attended by one with France. How can any miniller fleep in peace, who has on his hands the care of a great government, and the welfare of many millions of people, while public alfairs are in a conditaon to very unprec pared for an event, which may at any moment happen, and which may, in our prefent fituation, bring: with it confequences of an importance hardly to be conceived? Surely they think on there things, whole duty molt demands it oF them. It is impoflible, that fuch con- cerns of ours can be left only to chance, and hazard,or as it Were, to the fortuitous concourle of atoms. One Would think there could hardly be a man in Britain, minilier or any other, not perpetually employed at the {hall be very fortunate, if we can, with the means of plough, but who mull; daily revolve in his mind, the all our richeit refources, make at the year's end an prefent circumfhtnces of his country, our burthens, even accompt. But it may be asked. what are we then to do ? We are prefl‘ed with our domeltic burthens and incontbrances. Thefe put us firlt on the meafitre of {lamps our debts, and our expences, and at the fame time calh ittpporting outlelves under them, whether in war or in peace. There is an illue, which fomc men have in in America, wherein We did not fucceed. view, and which iwill not expreis, we may be ailured, Thefe in« duced us afterwards to make demands on the India 'company, wherein we had rather better fortune. It is thefe, which have again brought us back to our attack on America. How are we either to itand under them, or to march forwards ? Is it fafe to reit as we are ? What courfe are we to take if it is not ? This is, perhaps, as ferious a prepofition, as one Englilhman can put to another. No man laments more than the writer of thefe fheets, that twelve years of peace are now elapfed, without any thing being done, with- out any ei'tablifhmcnt being made, which may enable "us to maintain another war, or perhaps even in peace {up- port long the prefent very heavy preiiure, under -' ‘ ‘ which in his own breal't, what mull be the bell means of our however, that they do but very fuperficially confider the matter, who imagine, that this will, in our cafe, take place Without the utter ruin and coniufion ofevery thing. ' Allis, notwithltanding, as yet tranquility and funlhine with us. We poifefs a great and line coun- try; we have moth noble and beneficial dependencies; we have a "fleet ; we have an army; we have feveral hundred thoufands, and perhaps near a million of men capable of bearing arms in their own defence ; \ve‘have a reve sue, with a lurplus above the interelt ol our debts and expences. Surely there is yet an opportunity to find fome plan ; to lettle {ome eltablilhtnent, where- on things may rel‘t tafely and fecurclyi and {11313115123 ‘ an |