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Show 64; THE RIGHTS OF BRITAIN But fucceeding events have demonflrated, that the Americans were not fincere, in any one of" their declarations, in favour of. an amicable accommodation. The Propofi- tions voted, on the zoth of February, came up to their own former demands; yet they evaded them, by treating them as infidious.‘ AND CLAIMs or AMERICA. 65' hf their reliz'tance to Parliament. The ma- nufaéturers and merchants of this Country have been long no {hangers to this Ameri-can policy; yet the Congrefs have the Cf:frontery to expefl, that the mercantile in-= terei't of Great Britain Will efpoule their caufe. The American Congrefs, having in a The truth is, they knew their own demerits towards this Country, and they could not loofe, curlory, and {uperficial manner, ad- believe, that propofals to highly favourable vanced {ome pretended arguments to jufiufy‘ could have been, on her part, fincere. One their web llion, dicend to the mfrcprefen- good, however, has refulted from the Propofitions. The Colonies, by rejeé‘tingthem, tation of facts, with the fame detrgn. have left no doubt remaining concerning " occupied Batten as a garrilon, {cut out a. " laroe detachment of his army, on the 19th their real intentions. They confine no longer their claims to the exclufive privilege of taxing themfelves. They aim, evi- The. affirm, " That General Gage, who had " of April, who made an unprowked af- " fault on the inhabitants of the Province On this alle- dently, at a total independence in all mat- " of Bolton, at Lexington." ters whatfoever 5 and more particularly with gation of the Congreft, it may be remark- regard to the A61 of Navigation. They have long made {ecret but molt dangerous encroachments on this Palladium of ed, that the rebellhns conduct «.f the town; of Bolton, where all the authority of legal government had been long extinguilhed by our Commerce. They now publicly avow their refolution to pay no regard to any Parliamentary reliriétions, whether ancient the tyranny ofa rabble iriltigtted by fattious ieaders, had rendered a force necefliiry in or recent, on their Commerce. They now openly trade all over Europe ; and the obtainintbr the privilege, which they have, at ltngth, ulur'ped, has been the primary caufe of that place, to refiore order and tranqurlttv, to protect the innocent, at d to reltrain the excefl'es of the turbulent and guilty. That the military preparations made in all parts of the Province, and elpecialiy at the Town. of Of Concord, with the avaed intention H oppofing |
