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Show 374. ACTS RELATING Part Ill, Sect. V. TO THE COLONIES. 275 been liable to be feized, and f0 landed by jnilified refillanee, they could not well the oilicers of the cufloms, it was public- ly and openly defiroyed ; defiroyed by have done lcfs than what they did. But the quellion before us is not concerning perfons in difguife indeed, but aéling to the propriety of what was done, but con- all appearance under the guidance of thefe ccrning the ground there was for being public meetings z-All thefe were circum- perfuaded that it was done; whether the fiances that appeared from accounts pub- violences alledged were fufhciently au- thenticated for parliament to proceed ei- lilhed by order of their meetings; in pa~ pers under their own direction. Thcfe accounts indeed {peak of tholb who defiroyed the tea, as of perrons who by a difguife they had allumcd had rendered themfelves undiliinguifhable: but this was a veil too thin to conceal, nay we may venture to fay, was never meant to conceal ther to acts of indemnification, if it was thought proper to give up its authority; or to aéts of vindication, if it was thought proper to maintain it. Let us put the cafe of a foreign prince: fuppofe the king ofSpain. He thinhs fit to interpret an article of treaty, as if it ex- The outrage committed, cluded Britifh {hips from trading to any if to they will have it, by unknown in- given port, or in any given commodity: dividuals, was adopted by the public : to which port, and in which commodity, the treaty, according to our interpretation, the real authors. and the delirufiion of the odious w ‘ed was gave us a full right of trading:=-a fecre- openlyjullificd, as the only means which now remained to prevent its landing. tary of {late receives intelligence that the In truth, if the a€t impofing the duty Spaniards had acted precifely in the fame on this commodi y, was in their opinion manner, as the Bollonians have done: fuch an infringement on their liberties as this account juflified comes B b 4. to him from the owners |