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Show Ir V [it '; fill"? .'-' W155}? (QC/"1)" a (21) manner Britain has done, and fending to a dif'rant world colonies which have there, from {mall beginnings, and under free legiflatures of their own, increafed, and formed a body of pow~ erful Hates, likely foon to become fuperior to the parent Rate. ---This,is a cafe which is new in the hif'tory of mankind; and it is extremely improper to judge of it by the rules of any narrow and partial policy; or to confider it on any other groun d than the general one of reafon and julliee. Thofe who Will be candid enough to judge on this ground, and who can divell themfelves or national prejudices, will not, Ifancy , remain long unfatisfied. ----- But alas l Matters are gone too far. The difpute probably mull be fettled another way; and the {word alone, I am afraid, is now to determine what the rights of Britain and Afr/rarity are. ----- Shocking; fituation l---Detd{led be the meafurcs which have brought uls'into it: And, if we are endeavouring to enforce injull‘ice, curfed will be the war. ...... A retreat, however, is not yet impraéticable. The dut we owe our gracious lovereign obliges us to rely on his dif- pofition to {lay the favor-d, and to promote the happin efs of all the different parts of the Empire at the head of which he is placed. l/Vith lome hopes, therefore, that it may not be too late to rcafon on this fubjtzél, I will, in the follow ing Seélions, enquire what the war with flmrrim is in the follow ing refpeéts. I. In refpeél ofjullice. 2. The Principles of the Conftitution. 3. ln refpect of Policy and Humanity. 4. The Honour of the kingdom. C T I O N guage; and for faying no more than, that the united legiflau tures of England and Scat/and have of right power to tax the Colonies, and a fupremacy of legiflation over flmerira. But this comes to the fame. If it means any thing, it means, that the property, and the lcgiflitions of the Colonies, are fubjeet to the abfolute diferetion of Grant Briana, and ought of right to be fo. The nature of the thing admits of no limitation. The Colonies can never be admitted to be judges, how far the authority over them in thefe cafes {hall extend. This would be to del'troy it entirely.-------lfmly part of their property is fubjeét to our difcretion, the tuba/a mull be fo. If we have a right to interfere at all in their internal legiflations, we have a right to interfere as far as we think proper.-- It is felf-evidcnt, that this leaves them nothingr they can call their own.-----And what is it that can give. to any peOpIC fuch a fupremacy over another people .9- l have already examined the principal anfwers which have been given to this enquiry. But it will not be amifs in this place to go over fome of them again. And laltly, The Probability of fuceeeding in it. S E ~~-Dreadful power indeed l I defy any one to exprefs {lavcry in flronger language. It is the fame as declaring " that we have " a right to do with them what we pleafe."»--I will not wafte my time by applying to fuch a claim any of the preceding arguments. If my reader does not feel more in this cafe, than Words can exprefs, all reafoning mull be vain. But, probably, molt perfons will be for ufing milder lan- I. Of Me Err/lice of [be War wilb Amarita. HE enquiry, whether the war with the Colonies is ajufl war, will be belt determined by flating the power over them, which it is the end of the war to maintain: And this cannot be better done, than in the words of an aél of parlia ment, made on purpofe to define it. That tuft, it is well known, declares, " That this kingdom has power , and of " right ought to have power to make laws and llatut es to bind ‘_‘ the Colonies, and people of flmerica, in all cafes whatever." ---Dreadful it has been urged, that fuch a right mull be lodged fomewhere, " in order to prefcrve the UNITY of the Britifh Empire." . Pleas of this fort have, in allages, been ufed to juflify tyranny-They have in RELI'GioN given rife to num» berlefs oppreflive claims, and llavifh Hierarchies. And in the Nomi/72 Communion particularly, it is well known, that the Pop]: claims the title and powers of the lupreme head on earth of the Chrif'tian church, in order to preferve its UNITY. ----- W'ith refpec‘t to the Britifl) Empire, nothing can be more prepof'rerous than to endeavour to maintain its unity, by letting up fuch a method ofcftablilhing unity, which, like the fimilar method in religion, can produce nothing but mifchief. ----- The truth is, that a common relation to one fupreme ex'ecutive head; an exchange of kind offices, tyes of intereft and affeétion, and [Oilfpa'ti‘fo' are fuflicient to give the Britilh Empire "tr-53:1»..-m. "he. - |