The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1804-11-03

injury.
| Accordingly that country, which had been
acquired by the lives, the labours, and the for
! tunes, of individual adventurers, was by theft.
princes, ut ieveral times, parceled out and DIFF
| sribUted among the fdvourtes and Ia follow
ers of their fortunes, and, by an affirmed right of
| the crown alone, was erected into dittinet and
independent governments a meafiire which il
! IS believed his m3jetty's prudence and under
Handing would prevent him from initiating at
this day, as no excrciie of fuch power, of di-
viding and difinembering a country, has ever
occurred in his maieity's realm of England,
though now of very anticnt tanding nor could
IT be fulfilled or acquiefced under there, or in a.
| ny other part ofiis maielty's empire.
That the exercife of free trade with all parts
| OF the world, poGefied by the American colo
| niits, as Unnatural right, aud which no law of
| their own had taken away or abridged, was next
the object of uniutt encroachment. Some of
the colonies having thought proper to CONT
nue. the Administration of their government in
, the name and under the authority of his mactty
king Charles the firf, whom, notwithstanding
! his late depoiition by the commonwealth of
| England, they continued in the foveregnty of
their fate; the parliament for the common
wealth took the fame in high offence, and aiIum-
ed upon themtclves the power OF prohibiting
their trade with all other parts OF the world, ex-
! cept the fland of Great Britain. This arbitra-
| ry act, however, they foon recalled, and by To-
! Tenn treaty, entered into ON the 18th day of
! March, 1861, between the faid commonwealth
| by their commissioners, and the colony of Vir-
ginia by their houfe of burgeffes, it was expreil-
iy stipulated, b. the 9Th article of the faid trea.
! ty, that they ihould have " free trade rs the
people of England do enjoy to all places and
with al nations, according to the laws OF that
commonwealth" But that, upon the reftora-
| ton of his naictty king Charles the fecond,
their rights OF free commerce fell once more
victim to arbitrary power ; and by feveral
acts (6) of his reign, as we'll as of fome of
his iucceiiors, the trade of the colonies was
lad under iuch retri6tions, as thew what hopes
they might form from the iuftce of Britilh
parliament, were its uncontrolled power ad-
, mitted over theie ftates. Hittory has informed
US that bodies of men, as well rs individuals,
are tuiceptibic OF the fpirt oftyranny. A view
ct thefc acts OF parliament for regulation, as il
has been afecfcd!y called, of the American trade,
II Ill other evidence were removed out of the
cafe, would undeniably evince The truth of this
obiervation. Be6des the duties they irnpote
on our articles of export and import, they pro-
biblt our going to any markets northward of
Cape tineiterre, IN the kingdom of Spain, for
the fa!e OF commodities which Great Britain
Wi! not take from US, and for the purchafe of
others, with which fhe cannot fupply us, and
that tCr no other than the arbitrary purpofe of
purchaHng for themfelves, by facrifice of our
rights and interets, certain privileges in their
commerce with an allied fate, who in conf
dence that their executive trade with America
viii be continued, while the principles and
power or the Britfl parliament be the Game.
nave INDUCED themfelves in every exorbitance
winch their avarce could dictate, or our neceifi-
ties extort have raifcd their commodities, cal
led tor IN America, to the double and treble of
what they fold for before fuch executive priyile
ges were given them, and of what better COM
mobiles of the fame kind would cof Us elE.
where, and at the fame time give us much lefs
TOR what we carry thither than might be had at
more convenient ports. That thefe a9s prohi-
bit us from carryngin quei of other pnrcha-
iers the nrplus OF our tobaccoes remaining af-
ter the contumption of Great Britain is fuppli-
ed 10 that we mutt leave them with the Birth
merchant tor whatever he will piesfe TO allow
us, to be by him reihippeG to foreign markets.
where he will reap the benefits of making EaIe
OF them for full value. That to heighte1 ftilI
the idea OF parliamentary juftice, and to thew
with what moderation they are like to exercife
power, where themielves are to feel no part of
Its weight, we take leave to mention to his ma
Jelty certain other acts of Bri,iih parliament, By
which they would prohibit us from man,fac
turing for our own ufe the articles we raf. on
our own lands with our own labour. By an atf
(cJ pa!!ed in the 5th Year of the reign of his
late maiefy king George the fecond, an Ameri-
can iu5iect is forbidden to make hat for him.
leIf OF lie fur which he has taken perhaps on
his own foil an intauce of defpotifin TO which
no parallel can be produced in the mott arbitra-
ny ages of Britifh hiitory. By one other atl.
ID. Paiied in the 2sd year of IA. fame reign.
the iron which We make we are forbidden TO
manufacture, and heavy as that st.icle is. and
neceiiary in every branch of huiba Liry, beGdes
ccomm'iiion and inflirance, we are TO pay freight
Tor 1t to Great Britain, and freight for il back
again. TOR the purpofe of supporting rot men,
but machines, in the illand of Great Britain.
IN the fame ipirit of equal and impartial legi1a-
tion rs to be viewed the act of parliament, (eJ
paiied III The 5th year of the fame reipn. Nv
winch American lands are made fnbied to the
demands of Bfitiif creditors, while their own
lands were fill continued unanfwerable for their
debts from which one of thefe concluions
mutt necetariIy follow, either that iuiice is not
the tame IN America as in Britain, or elG. that
the Br1tiih parliament pay lefs regard to it here
than there. But that we do not point on. 10
his Inajeily the iniufce of thefe acts with nten.
to rei ON that principle the caufe OF their multi
ty hnt to ihew that experience confirms ,he
propriety oftbofe political principles which ex-
eTnPt us from the jurisdiction of the Britifl par.
lament. The true ground on which we de-
clare theie acts void is, that the Drtifh parlia.
ment has TO right 60 exercife authority overus.
hPf e r.