trying such persons in any other manner, than by the ancient and long established courfe of proceedings; for how truly deplorable must be the cafe of a wretched American, who having incurred the displeasure of any one in power, is dragged from his native home and his dearest domeftic connections, thrown into a prison, not to wait his trial before a court, jury or judges, from a knowledge of whom he is encouraged to hope for speedy justice, but to exchange his imprisonment in his own country for fetters among ftrangers, Conveyed to a distant land, where no friend, no relation will alleviate his diftreffes, or minister to his neceffities, and where no witness can be found to teftify his innocence, fhunned by the reputable and honeft, and configned to the fociety and converfe of the wretched and abandoned, he can only pray, that he may foon end his mifery with his life." We have been reviewing the noble and animated proceedings of the Virginians and others, in behalf of liberty; and cannot but regret, that the existence of flavery and its effects among them, fhould adminifter the leaft occafion for any one's writing concerning them. The last refolves of the Virginia burgeffes deserve a very hard name. It is indeed laughable, to see a few diffipated bashaws, tyrants over a parcel of wretched negro flaves, meet together and give themselves airs against Great Britain upon the fubject of liberty-this applies to all the fouthern colonies. The fpirit of independency in New England is more confiftent and characteristic of the people; but Virginia and the Carolinas are but petit maitres in the bufinefs *." * Mr. M. H's letter to Mr. Hutchinfon It is time to cross the Atlantic, and advert to what was doing in Britain. An attempt in the house of commons, to bring on a repeal of the obnoxious act before the feffion closed, proved ineffectual. It was objected from every quarter, that it was not a proper time. Lord North's language upon the occafion was, "However prudence or policy may hereafter induce us to repeal the late paper and glass act, I hope we fhall never think of it, till we fee AMERICA proftrate at our feet." When the feffion was over, the ministry, with a view, it might be, of foothing the Americans into a better temper, managing their respective affemblies, and bringing them to retract their refolutions and open the trade as before, gave out, that at the next feffion the American grievances should be redreffed; and Lord Hillsborough wrote May a circular letter to every colony, mentioning " their intention to propose, in the next feffion of parliament, taking off the duties upon glafs, paper and colours, upon confideration of fuch duties having been laid contrary to the true principles of commerce;" and affuring each, that his majesty's minifters, " at no time entertained a defign, to propofe to parliament, to lay any further taxes on America, for the purpose of raising a revenue." Lord Bottetourt, following the directions he had received, fo to explain meafures as might re-establish mutual confidence and affection between Great Britain and her colonies, made the matter known to the Virginia house of burgeffes in a fpeech, and then declared, "It is my firm opinion, that the plan which I have ftated to you will certainly take place, and that it will never be departed from. I fhall exert every power with which I am or ever may be legally invested, 13. in order to obtain and maintain, for the continent of America, that fatisfaction which I have been authorized to promife this day, by the confidential fervants of our gracious fovereign, who to my certain knowledge rates his honor fo high, that he would rather part with his crown, than preferve it by deceit." The house in their address to him, expreffed their hope and confidence in a manner that implied fear and diftruft; but willing to make the best improvement of what his lordship faid, clofed with" We efteem your lordfhip's information, not only as warranted, but even fanctified by the royal word." The conduct of miniftry contained the idea of a public renunciation of all further future taxation. of America for a revenue; and the house appeared to view it in that light. But the circular letter was far from fatisfying the American fons of liberty in general. The evident exception of the duty on tea, and the profeffed defign of repealing upon commercial principles, excited their apprehenfions, and confirmed them in the opinion, that the ground of present grievances was not to be abandoned, but to be referved for a future opportunity of making fresh effays for the impofition of internal taxes. The merchants and traders therefore, of Bofton, foon after the knowledge of it, called a meeting, and unanimously voted, that the taking off the duties on the articles of glass, paper, and colours, would by no means relieve the trade from the difficulties it was under. They then confirmed their former agreement, to fend for no goods contrary thereto, unless the revenue acts were repealed. Though 25. Though the teftimony of the Pennsylvania affembly, against the resolves of parliament, and in favor of the Virginia refolves, the repeal of all the revenue acts, and a redress of all grievances, was wanting; yet the Philadelphia committee of merchants, whofe character and influence in the present business weighed more than that of the affembly, failed not to express their minds fully to the committee in London, long after the circulatory letter was a matter of notoriety. They thus Nor, wrote" Though we are not favored with an answer to our letter of the eighth of April laft, yet as the liberty of America is at stake, and the minds of the people here are much agitated, and as the continuation of the unhappy difpute between the parliament and the colonies must not only affect your and our interest, but the general intereft and happiness of both countries, we think it our duty to apply to you again, and earnestly request you would use your best endeavours with those in the administration, to reftore tranquillity, and re-efta> blish the colonies in the enjoyment of their ancient rights and privileges. We are very fenfible, that the profperity of the colonies depends upon their union and connection with Great Britain. In this fentiment all the Americans concur, yet they cannot bring themfelves to think, that for this reafon they ought to be divested of liberty and property. Yet this must be the cafe, if the parliament can make laws to bind the colonies in all cafes whatever can levy taxes upon them without their confent, difpofe of the revenues thus raifed without their control, multiply officers at pleasure, and affign them fees to be paid, without, nay, contrary to and in direct violation of acts of affembly regularly paffed paffed by the colonies and approved by the crown-can enlarge the powers of admiralty courts, divert the ufual channels of juftice, deprive the colonists of trials by a jury of their countrymen, in fhört, break down the barriers which their forefathers have erected against arbitrary power, and enforce their edicts by fleets and armies. To fuch a fyftem of government the Americans cannot tamely fubmit; not from an impatience of fubordination, a spirit of independence, or want of loyalty to their king; for in a quiet fubmiffion to just government, in zeal, affection and attachment to their king, the people of the colonies dare to vie with any the best of their fellow fubjects; but from an innate love of li berty and the British constitution. In our last we intimated our fears, that the ministry were greatly abused, and the people of America grossly mifreprefented, by fome who did not wish well either to Great Britain or the colonies. The letters of one of our American governors, (Bernard) and the memorials of a board lately erected among us, not to mention other documents laid before the public, evince that our fears were but too well grounded. From thefe it is apparent, that every fly art has been used to incenfe the ministry against the colonies; every argument that malice could invent has been urged to induce them to overturn the ancient foundations of liberty. Nay, to compass their bafe ends, they have declared in express terms, and taken uncommon pains, to make the miniftry believe, that "there has been a long concerted and extensive plan of refiftance to the authority of Great Britain in all the provinces, and that a seizure made |