interest of the loan already wanting, and which it would be annually necessary, under increasing difficulties and disadvantages, to raise, in order to establish a claim which was now declared to be the object of the contest.

In the course of this month (Nov. 1775) a feries of motions made in the Upper House by the • Duke of Grafton, for estimates to be laid before the House respecting the state of the army in America, and the addition of force neceffary for the service of the enfuing campaign, were negatived without a divifion. Parliament was left to wander in darkness and uncertainty, on pretence of the danger of giving any information that might reach the enemy. On the day succeeding this rejection, Mr. Burke moved for leave to bring in a bill " for quieting the present troubles in America," which was professedly founded on the famous statute passed in the 35th year of Edward I. known by the name of Statutum de tallagio non concedendo. He justly observed, that Sovereignty was not in its nature an idea of absolute unity, but was capable of great complexity and infinite modifications, according to the temper of those who are to be governed, and to the circumstances of things; which being infinitely diversified, Government ought to be adapted to them, and to conform itself to their nature, instead of vainly endeavoring to force that to a contrary bias; that the

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the Grand Seignior himself could not exercise his authority in the fame manner, or the fame degree, at Algiers or Tunis as at Constantinople; and that circumstances not in our power to alter or control, made conceffion on the subject of taxation indispensably essential to the attainment of peace. Nothing worse, said this famous Parliamentary Orator, happens to you than to all nations poffeffing extensive empires. In large bodies the circulation of power must be less vigorous at the extremities. Despotism itself is compelled to truck and buckster. Three thousand miles of ocean is a powerful principle in the natural constitution of things for weakening Government, of which no contrivance can destroy the effect. Spain in her American provinces submits to this immutable condition, the eternal law of extensive and detached empire. A power steps in which limits the arrogance of the raging paffions, and says, Hither shalt thou go, and no farther. Who are you, that you should fret and rage, and bite the chain of nature? Such effects are incident to all the forms into which empire can be thrown. The great object of the present bill, he said, was a renunciation of the exercise of taxation without at all interfering with the question of right; it preserved the power of levying duties for the regulation of commerce; but the money so raised, agreeably to an excellent idea suggested by the conciliatory motion of Lord North, was to be at the disposal of the several General Affemblies. The tea duty of 1767 was to be repealed, and a general amnesty granted." This was a wise, fimple, and rational plan of conciliation; and it met with a less unfavorable reception from the House than any hitherto attempted: but on a division upon the previous question, the numbers were 210 against 105 who voted in support of the original motion.

In a few days after this, the Minister brought in his famous Prohibitory Bill, interdicting all trade and intercourse with the Thirteen United Colonies. By this bill, all property of Americans, whether of ships or goods, on the high feas or in harbor, are declared forfeited to the captors; fo that it amounted in fact to an absolute declaration of war. This, the Opposition justly affirmed, was cutting off at the root all hope of future accommodation; and they pronounced it to be a formal ACT OF ABDICATION of our Government over the Colonies; it drove the two countries to the fatal extremity of absolute conquest on the one hand, or absolute independency on the other. The offers of pardon, by which the bill was accompanied, were faid to be ridiculous when offered to men who acknowledge no crime, and who are confcious not of doing, but merely of fuffering, wrong. The repeal of the Boston Port, Fishery, and Restraining Acts being included in this Bill, as entirely superseded by the operation of it; Mr. Fox moved an amendment, to leave out the whole title and body of the Bill excepting the parts relative to fuch repeal. This produced a warm debate, which continued till midnight, when the amendment was rejected by a majority of 192 to 64 voices.

In the House of Lords, the Bill was again combated on every ground of policy, humanity, and justice. Lord Mansfield in the course of the debate remarked, "that we had passed the RUBICON, and were not now at liberty to confider the queftions of original right or wrong, justice or injustice. We were engaged in a war, and we must use our utmost efforts to obtain the ends proposed by it; quoting in illustration the laconic speech of a gallant officer serving in the army of Gustavus Adolphus, who, pointing to the enemy, faid to his men, "See you those lads? KILL them, or they will KILL you."-Such were the abominable arguments now used to reconcile the minds of men to this unjust, cruel, and bloody war, by venerable and learned sages wearing the robes and holding the balance of Justice. The Bill, after much objection and oppofition, passed by a great and decifive majority.

The only notice taken of the conciliatory proposition of the Minifter was by the Assembly of NOVA SCOTIA, which had tranfmitted a Petition VOL. II.

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to Parliament, presented to the House on the first day of the Session by the Speaker, founded on the basis of that proposition; and it was now moved by Lord North, that the proposal of a poundage duty ad valorem upon all commodities imported, not being the produce of the British dominions in Europe or America, to be disposed of by Parliament, should be accepted, and the duty fixed at eight per cent. in lieu of all other taxes; and in reward of this dutiful overture, the Act of Navigation itself was in part dispensed with in their favor, and they were allowed to import ORANGES and LEMONS, and some other articles of equal importance, directly from the place of their growth and produce. But as this barren province was notoriously unequal to the support of its own civil government, the offer of a revenue feemed to carry with it so ludicrous an appearance, that no Bill was ever in the sequel brought forward in consequence of the resolutions now paffed.

A very extraordinary propofition had been recently made by the Earl of Harcourt, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, to the Parliament of that kingdom, on the part of his Majesty, who had pledged his royal word that twelve thousand regular troops on that establishment should always remain stationary in that country; requesting four thou sand of the faid troops to be employed in the fer-.

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