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Show Seét. XI. 278 ACTS RELATING TO THE Commas. 279 - Part ll. Confider' the lituation of ai‘fairs both ln this untoward conjunfture it was, that the refolution on which the here and in America, ,at the time the flamp aét was grounded palt in the houfe fiamp at}: was paf't, and there will appear of commons. no great reafon to Wonder at its meeting been, had it met with aequiefcence. We have already noticed the change efFeéted in the lituation of the colonies. Of their reluétance to fubmit to the laws The difappointment given by the peace to thofe fanguine expee‘tations that had of trade and navigation; of their difpofitiom to center": the authority that impof- been generated by the fuccelles of the ed them, we had feen many proofs: but this difpo-fition, how early foever it had been kindled, and how often foever it rica. with rehfiance: the ‘wonder would have war: the enereafe of taxes, 'confequent upon the encreafe of debt: the unpopu- lar nature of one tax in particular, which had flalhed out in occalional acts of dif- it had been thought necellilry to hazard: afi‘eétion, had been damped, and kept the multiplied profecutions of a popular from running into aéts or pretenlions of champion: fieady oppofition, by the fenfe of their weakuefs and their wants. Thole wants eeafing, and that weaknefs being out- all thefe'circumltanees put together had accumulated fuch a prefiiug body of difcoutent, as could not but ap- pear more than fuflicient to bear down any miniflry. I ' In this untoward conjunéture it was that‘Mr. Grenville propofed, and the legiflature pai'r, the firft aét for granting duties to be' raifed in the colonies ofAme- grown, it is not to be wondered at that they greedily laid hold of that opportunity, which prefented itfelf, of firength- ening their force by the aeeeflion of a body of malecontents in the mothercountry. rica. T 4 The |
