Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1808-09-23
Extract from an Grafton, by JOHN PACE
Esq delivered at Gloucester Courthouse,
sp July the fourth, 1894.
(coSrIxugD)

Tho British e oppressed Nv their Parlia-
rnent could Det;tion and remonstrafe, 50 as Tn
be heard and so ,s 10 awaken either the com
Passion or fear. of their representatives, and
executive hut we, with the Atlantic ocean be-
tween us, WHOM oppressed snA irsulted by that
Parliament, VII erein were not Represented,
could neither excite pity or any idea ofincon-
rcniercc 20 that omnipotent body, and the AL
sufficient nation i governed We had the NOR
tifcation Of seeing our petitions received with
indifference and orr Inconsistencies treated
with contempt; and &c knowing that this was
the natural consequence OF that OPPRESSION Il
gainst which VIC complained For by loading
the colonies with taxes. the Parliament hoped
to diminish in time, that Of their con-tituents ;
and by insulting and depressing colon:sts which
was grateful 20 British pride, they Thought they
aggrandized their country, srHA secured the de-
perdence OF their colonies.
II was no. enough for thc Unsuitable anbiti.
on and pride of Britain, that her colonies were
restrained. by every possible means, from iniu-
rintr her =, the;r Legislative acts that they
were satisfied with the small share Of British
freedom W i'ch they retained, imperfect that
boasted Freedom was--that they even glorled
I'm promoting her interest, as If she really were
the aheciionate indulgent parent OF them all
not enough that her merchants received the
produce OF the coIoniats ON the most sdvanta-
in return on their own condtions--it was not
enough that we imported from them the whole
Of furniture Of our houses orr carriages ;
our wearing apparei; implements ut husban-
dry even scythe handles a most all the cheese
and malt liquors which they could spare and
in short, that VIC took Of them almost every or
ticle of their manufactures which they had for
expectation !: no all this was not enough. Bril-
tain WAS so ungcnerous as 20 oblige us TO take
fon Ter alone, several articles which her cold
climate could not produce-and was so iealOns
of the few manufactures which we then had,
ard WAS de crmined that we should ne res
trained from manufacturing At sll that the IA
nous Pitt, one o. the most liberal her states
men, and one supposed TO be u good friend to
America, declared in Parliament that he would
never consent that The colonies should manu-
faoture n single hob.nail \" and indeed although
our country sbouudcd IN iron. we had been,
and then were prohibited, by an act Of Parlia-
ment from erecting Sitting mills, or machines
for facilitating the manufacture of nails-and
althO igb our country abnunded also IN filrrs,
and particularly in that Of the Beaver, tho most
excellent in tho composition Of hats, we were
restrained from making hats for expectation
eve 10 n sister colony.
Our situation was 50 Notifying, and our con-
dition so degraded, that it Is evident, to me At
least, that our opprc ssOrs thought, not wtbstan.
ding our sincere and solemn declaration to the
contrary, that we must have considered IL as
intoerablc and that therefore, we must have
resolved to shake OF their woke, as sonu as we
could--they resolved therefore TO put our dis
position as TO independence to the test and to
make bold experiment OF our patience, loyal.
ty, and 'tschmen 10 the mother country--ii
these exceeded Our love Of liberty, then the
precedent which our opprcssors wished for,
was TO BE- established and If we, seeing no
hope OF IT,. 60 iron oppres non, bus IN open re-
sistsnecJ should resist, tney saw, Git was tho't,