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Show 196 Ae'rs RELATING Part II. To 'rnE CoLONIrs. 197 of the cramz denied the competence of No ; we are told *‘, till the prelhnt reign, parliament to interfere. Now the fervants " the policy of Britain towards her colo- " ,ues was purely commercial; and the of the crown appeal to parliament as alone having the power of regulating the colonies : and lo ! the colon/fl; deny the com- petence of parliament to interfere. \Ve have feen that, before the civil var, bills were carried through both houfes for "commercial fyllem wholly refiric‘tive. " it We: a fyl'teni of monopoly.-That " from hence alone fhe propode to make " the colonies contribute; direCtly, Imean, regulating the trade of the colonies, and for limiting their internal rights ; to thele bills the king refuted his content. There " (lays the gentleman) and by the opera" tion of her liiperintending legiflative " power, to the firength of the empire." The gentleman ventures t0 fay, " that were no bills for taxation, becaufe the co- " from the year 1660, to the unfortu- lonies feem to have afforded nothing taxable. During the civil wars the two efiates went farther, ordinances were made for taxing the colonies; to theft: the con« fent of the king was not afl<ed. Since the Refloration the three efiates have acted in concert, and feem to have exercifed when, and as they {aw fit, over the colonies, the fame power which, during the civil wars, had been exercifed by the lords and commons alone. " nate period of 1764, a parliamentary " revenue from thence was never once in " contemplation. That this nation never "thought of departing from this fyllern " of its own chooling, unzil the period "immediately on the clofe of the lal'c " war." 1 am not a very venturous man, yet here, I think, I may ream/re to fay fome- thing : I may venture to fay, that gentle- i‘ SLC 371‘, Burke's {peech on American taxav tam, p. 58,, 39, 44. ‘ No, \ ~ r \' . O 3 men |