The Pennsylvania evening post — Philadelphia, Pa., 1776-05-04 00:00:00, page 1

The SPEECH of Gov. JOHNSTONE, in the House
of Commons, on Thursday the 26th of October, 1775°
[ Continued from page 222.]
WHAT my worthy friend * said last year of their
industry, may now be applied to their warlike
atchievements. Confider the power of such ma
terials in the hands of a minister who knew how
to encourage their industry, and apply their courage to the
purposes of national defence ; but all the secret of our colony
{government is now reduced to mere force, the baneful engine
of deftrudive despotism ; nevertheless it is with pleasure I
perceive the force of this country, when wielded in such a
cause, is totally inadequate; your own army is not fufficient;
your illegal application for foreign mercinaries at the begin
ning of the contest, fufficiently Ihews your weakness ; your
navy is equally incapable of effecting the purposes which are
expeded from it. It may ruin their foreign trade; it may
deiiroy some of their towns (though that is doubtful) but the
lying in their rivers, as some suppose, without a superior mi
litary force to proved them on there ; I fay, as a sea officer,
if the war is throughly kindled, the thing is impossible.—
We are apt to judge from what happened at Quebec, where
the French, never remarkable for naval enterprize, though
naturally brave, quitted their fire raft, and left it to the
chance of the ftream,,_or to be towed off by boats ; but this
I maintain, that any fleet lying in a river where they cannot
command the shore, that such fleet is liable to be burnt if
the people are willing, in that enterprize, to run the fame
rifque of life and danger to which the crew of the ships are
exposed, I mean by flicking by the fire vessel, whatever she
may be, till, with wind and stream, they lay the enemy
Athwart haufe ; and who can doubt that the people in Ame
rica are capable of such exertions of courage when we fee
them refufe quarter, when we find them devoting themselves
to death with such enthusiasm. Another circumstance re
fpeding ships is not generally known. The wonders they
have hitherto performed has been owing to the ignorance of
engineers in placing their batteries; but I am afraid the se
cret is now out as to their power against the shore, without a
military force to assist them; a single gun in a retired situa
tion, or on an eminence, or a single howitzer, will dislodge
a firft rate man of war, and may burn her, to add to the dis
grace. I speak this publicly, that you may not expert more
from the sea service than it is capable to perform. Ruin
their trade you certainly may, but at an expence as ruinous
to this country. Has any of the Ministry considered the im
mense expence of such naval armaments on the coast of Ame
rica, in transports and ships of war? Have we calculated
the chance of deftruftion by those horrid streams of wind
peculiar to that coast, that sometimes sweep all before them ?
Where are the resources on which this country can depend in
case our empire in America is loft. I do not fay you will
feel the disadvantage immediately, I know the various chan
nels to which commerce and industry may divert their dreams;
I am also certain that the wants of America must be supplied
The PENNSYLVANIA EVENING POST-
Price only Two Coppers. Published every Tuesday, Tourfay, and Saturday Evenings.
Vol. lI.J
• Mr. Burke.
SATURDAY, MAY 4, 1776.
225
in some way or other with certain goods from Great-Britain-;
I farther know, that a nation can only trade to the extent of
its capital, and in case one vent is cut off, it will probably
find another, while its manufactures are cheaper and better
than those of other nations. I believe such to be the case
with many branches of our manufacture at present, but is it
possible it can long continue? Must not the fame laws of
nature follow this commercial country that has affected Ve
nice and Genoa, the Hans Towns and ether commercial dates?
The acquirement of wealth must produce dearness in living;
dearness of living must produce dearness of labor; dearness
of labor must produce dearness of manufactures ; dearness
of manufactures must conduct trade to some place where
cheapness of living will give the preference in the mar
kets. Thus the circle of commerce has hitherto run; but the
settlement of North-America under the old establishment,
seemed to defy the powers of those fleeting principles. Ame
rica was bound to take your manufactures only to what ever
price they might rife ; you were bound to take most of her
raw materials, and to give her commerce protection; a com
plete system in the exchange of all commodities was established
within your own dominion, which might last beyond the
views of human calculation, if properly conducted. This is
the great purpose to which I look up to America as a naval
and as a commercial power ; how often have I indulged my
felf in these thoughts, unable to fee the end of our glory from
the fame causes which have destroyed other states, little dream
ing that one infatuated minister could tempt, seduce, and per
suade a whole nation to cut the firings of such harmony. An
honorable gentleman who opened the debate, has remarked
how we recovered from the interruptions of our commerce
during the last war. The honorable gentleman forgets that
we had the free and uninterrupted resources of America during
the last war ; that in seizing the ships of our enemies we ad
ded to the national wealth and increased our own commerce ;
the progress was double, here it runs in an inverse proportion,
no man knows the final effects as yet; like the bursting of a
burning mountain, it is sport and play to the distant fpe&a
tors who think themselves fafe, but the eruption may Spread
to cover this city in ruin.
I come now to confider the consequence of all those mea
sures supposing we should succeed. If national strength is to
be calculated from the fitnefs of every part to preserve and
improve the advantages of their constitution, and to support
their country in pursuit of its objects. If institutions that
secure property and prevent oppreflion, encourage the settle
ment of families, and facilitate the rearing of children, are
the most favorable to mankind and therefore to be protected
and preferred, as the best writer on government has asserted,
surely the establishments of the Englilh colonies, as excelling
all others which have appeared in the history of the world,
deserve to be revered in this refpeft. But a success in the
present war after destroying all the principles which have pro-'
duced those glorious elects in civil society, muftieave the country
desolate, must spread through that wide dominion, forfeitures,
executions, change of property, military oppression, and
every misery that can endanger hatred and diftrad mankind.
[Num. 201.