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Show [21] l 20 l and rebellion, a tax for any thing but benefit to the impofers, or fatisfaétion to the fubjeé'c. VVelll but whatever it is, entlemen will force the Colonifis to take t e Teas. You will force them? has feven years firuggle been yet able to force them? 0 but it feems " we " are in the right. --The tax is trifling-in " elfeé‘tit is rathergan exoneration than an im" polition; three-fourths of the duty formerly " payable on teas exported to America is " taken off; the place of collection is only " fhifted; inf'tead of the retention of a fhilling " from the draw-back here, it is three-pence " cuflom paid in America." All this, Sir, is very true. But this is the very folly and mifchief of the act. Incredible as it may feem, you know, that you have deliberately thrown away a large duty which you held fecure and quiet in your hands, for the vain hope of getting one three-fourths lefs, through every hazard, through certain litigation, and poflibly through war. The manner of proceeding in the duties on paper and glafs impoled by the fame act, was exactly in the fame fpirit. There are heavy excifes on thofe articles when ufed in England. On export thefe excifes are drawn back. But inflead of withholding the draw-back, which might have been done, with eafe, without charge, without poflibility of fmnggling; and inflead inflead of applying the money (money already in your hands) according to your pleafure, youbegan your operations in finance by flinging away your revenue; you allowed the whole draw-back on export, and then you charged the duty, (which you had before difcharged,) payable in the Colonies; where it was certain ' the colle€tion would devour it to the bone; it any revenue were ever fuffered to be collected at all. One fpirit pervades and animates the whole mafs. Could any thing be a fubjeét of more juft alarm to America, than to fee you go out of the plain high road of finance, and give up your molt certain revenues and your clear-cit interefis, merely for the fake of infulting your Colonies? No man ever doubted that the commodity of tea could hear an impolition of threepence. But no commodity will bear threeence, or will bear a penny, when the general feelings of men are irritated, and two mil- lions of people are refolved not to pay. The feelings of the Colonies were formerly the feelings of Great Britain. Theirs were formerly the feelings of Mr. Hampden when called upon for the payment of twenty (billings. W'onld twenty {hillings have ruined Mr. Hampden's fortune? No! but the payment of half twenty lhillings, on the principle it was demanded, would have made him a Have. It is. the weight of that preamble, of which you B 3 are |