| OCR Text |
Show Sect. III. 348 ACTS RELATING TO THE COLONIES. 349 Part III. changed, unlefs it were for the worfe; or that that fpirit had been, as was vainly hoped, " extinguifhed," without any meafure having been taken to give that fupport, or to induce that obedience. Now that the colonies had voted the proceedings of the " minions," the words had been " his ma" jefiy's American dominions," the propo- fition might have been more difficult to combat. Howfoever it was in any other part of his majefiy's dominions, in Ame- rica, and on account of America, dlfCOll- tents molt certainly did prevail; difcon- laft fellions of parliament, with refpeé't to tents the molt violent in their degree, and them, to be illegal and unconfiitutional; we hear of unwarrantable meafures to de{troy-what ?--not the dependence on the mother-country, but a certain " commer- " cial conneétion." When the anfwer to this fpeech came to be debated, a propofition was made, in the way of amendment, to intimate an inten- tion of " enquiring into the mafia of the " unhappy difcontents which prevail (lays " the amendment) in every part of his ma" jefty's dominions." Of a propofition thus generally worded, the defign feemed to be full as much to promote the difeontents themfelves, as an enquiry into the caufes of them. If infiead of " every part of his majefiy's dof‘ minions," the molt univerfal in their extent ; difcon- tents in comparifon of which any others that might happen to prevail in the metropolis, or a few counties, fcarcely deferved the name. Difcontents, into the caufes of which, no enquiry, evenin this late period, had as yet been made : an enquiry which has never been yet made, {peaking even of the prefent moment; but which mull be made, and that thoroughly, in order to give any chance for quieting them. . A provident and determined miml'ter, one {hould have thought, might himfelf have propofed the enquiry under fuch a limitation; to, however, it happened, that as the oppofition was content to propofe it in ' illlll I! I'll. |
