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Show t 46 I! [47] and to put the orificnding provinces under the ban. Will not this, Sir, very foon teach the provinces to make no diflinétions on their part? I fee the fame party, at once a CiVil litigant Will it not teach them that the Government, aéts of his, whole moral quality is to'be .de- cided upon the merits of that very litigation. Men are every now and then put, by ‘the com- againf't which a claim of Liberty is tantamont to high-treafon, is a Government to which fiib- againlt me in a ponit of right;.and'a1culprit before me, while I fit as a criminal Juoge, on mifiion is equivalent to flavery? It may not always be quite convenient to imprefs dependent communities with fiich an idea. plexity of human affairs, into {trange lituations; We are, indeed, in all difputes with the Colonies, by the necefiity of things, the judge. There is, Sir, alto a circuinflance which convinces me, that this mode of criminal proceeding It is true, Sir. But, I confefs, that the character of judge in my own caule, is a thing that is not (at lealt in the prefentfiage of our contefi) altogether expedient; which is nothing lefs than the conduét of thofe very perfons who have feemed to adopt that mode, by lately declaring a rebellion in Mafiiichufet's Bay, as they liadtormerly addrefled to have Traitors brought hither under an aét of Henry the Eighth,_for Irlal. frightens me. Inf'tead of filling me with pride, I am exceedingly humbled by it. I cannot proceed with a Item, afiiired, judicial confidenc e, until I find myfelf in {omething more like a judicial charaé'cer. I muft have thefe hefita tions as long as I am compelled to recolleét, that, in my little reading upon fueh contells as thefe, but Juf'tice is the fame, let the Judge be in what fituation he will. For though rebellion is declared, it is not pro- Sir, let me add too, that the opinion of ceeded againl‘t as fuch ; nor have any fteps been taken towards the apprehenfion or convrétion of any individual offender, either on our-late or our former addrefs; but modes of public coerCion my having {nine ahflra‘i‘r right in my favour, have been adopted, and fiich as have much more fentence; unlefis I could be fure, that there were refemhlance to a fort of qualified hOfillltY‘tOwards an independant power than the punifh- the fenfe of mankind has, at leall, as often de- cided againft the fiiperior as the fubordinat e power. would not put me much at my cafe in palling no rights which, in their exercife under certain circumflances, were not the molt odiou s of all wrongs, and the molt vexatious of all injufiice. Sir, thefe confiderations have great weig ht with me, ment of rebellious fubieéls. All this leems ra- ther inconfillent; but-it {hews how difficult it is to apply thefe juridical ideas to our prefent cafe. when I find things to circumllanced; that I fee In |