"thods, it is STUBBORN and LITIGIOUS. Ab eunt ftudia in mores. This Study renders "Men acute, inquifitive, dextrous, prompt in "Attack, ready in Defence; FULL OF RE"SOURCES.

"

SIR, you fay, In no Country perhaps in the World is the Law Jo general a Study. True: And you might have added, That in no Country perhaps in the World are there so many Law Suits, or fo much open and bare-faced Chicane. An American Gentleman of great Difcernment and good Senfe affured me about the Time of the Stamp-Act, that if that Act would make the Going to Law fo dear, as to leffen the Number of Law-Suits (but of that he doubted) it would become in the Event, tho'~ not by Defign, the greatest Bleffing that ever could befal America. He obferved further, that in one small District of about 800 taxable Perfons, the Number of Law-Suits was fo great in one Year, that I am afraid to repeat it after him; for nothing but the Character you give of the perverse Litigiousness and chicaning Dif pofition of this People, could make his Account appear credible. But leaving their own pettyfogging Tricks and Quirks to themselves, we will now confider this wrangling unhappy Turn of Mind, as it affects the Trade and Commerce, the Peace and Profperity of Great-Britain.

SIR,

SIR, the Trade to North-America (which, after all your pompous Accounts, I take upon me to aver, and DISPROVE IT, IF YOU CAN,) * is much less than that to Holland and Germany; yet this Trade alone has made more Bankrupts, and ruined more Merchant Exporters, for these fifty

D2

*The Amount of the Value of the Exports (extracted from the CustomHouse Books) from England to Holland and Germany, for nine Years, viz. from

Christmas 1763, to Christmas 1772, was 30,294,126 11 3 The Amount of the Value of the Exports (taken from the fame Books) and for the fame Length of Time, from England to the prefent revolted Provinces of America, was only

According to this Account it appears, that Holland and Germany were better Cuftomers to England than the revolted Provinces of North-America, during these nine Years, by the Sum of

20,061,023 38

10,233,103 7.7 Before a Comparison was drawn between the Trade to North-America, and the Trade to other Countries, where we have no Colonies, the general Cry of the Mal-contents was, Let us appeal to the Custom-Houfe Books, and there you will find, that the Trade to our Colonies is worth all other Trades befides. This was the Language which Dr. FRANKLIN held, in my Hearing, about twenty Years ago. But, as I never believed him in any public matter, excepting in his Electrical Experiments, I was refolved to fee with my own Eyes, whether what he advanced was true or not; having a ftrong fufpicion that he fibbed defignedly, like Sir HENRY WOTTON's Embaffador, patriæ caufa. The Extract which I then obtained, is now mislaid. But I remember perfectly well, that the Balance was at that Time much greater in Favour of Germany and Holland, even than it is, at prefent, as given above. Nay, I think that the Exports

to

Years laft paft, than almost every other ExportTrade befides. This is a Fact, which I am well perfuaded, could have been no Secret to Mr. BURKE; yet, as he has ftudiously concealed it from his Hearers, or his Readers, I will, in Juftice to them, endeavour to explain it in the best Manner I am able.

to Holland alone were then equal, or nearly equal, to the
Value of all the Exports to North-America.
And it is rea-
fonable to fuppofe, that at that Juncture, the Cafe was not
far diftant from this State of it; for then we had not altoge-
ther spent 70,000,000l. Sterling in Defence of that Country;
which Circumftance, as it greatly enriched the Americans,
enabled them proportionably to extend their Trade, and to
purchase much greater Quantities of Goods than they had
done before. And we had not then drained ourfelves of
Men as well as Money, to fight their Battles, and to 'fettle
among them, to their Gain, but to our irreparable Lofs:-
Nor lastly, had the Emigrations from the different Parts of
Europe, and efpecially from Germany, Ireland, and Scotland,
then taken Place to the Degree they have fince done; all
which Circumftances confpire to fwell the prefent Account
in Favour of America, much beyond its due Size and real
Value, and to leffen both the Confumption at Home, and
our Exports to other Countries. For it is evident to a
Demonftration, that if our old Customers will remove from
Germany, Ireland, Scotland, &c. or from among ourselves,
to fettle in North-America ;-they cannot be European, 'and
American Cuftomers at the fame Time: So that what we
get in one Refpect, we must lofe in the other. And yet,
with all thefe Advantages, and taking the American Trade
at its most flourishing Period, viz. from the Year 1763 to
the Year 1772, as above stated ;-what is it to make fuch
a mighty boast of? And why is our Commerce with other
Countries fo much vilified and degraded, if brought into
Comparison with the Trade of North-America ?-But I
throw out these Reflections only as Hints at prefent, and
referve to myfelf a more full Confideration of the Matter
in the Treatife that is to follow, viz. An Address to the
Landed Intereft of Great-Britain and Ireland.

:

THE

THE People of other Countries, Holland, Ger-. many, France, or Spain, &c. &c. are, generally Speaking, afraid of giving Orders for a greater Quantity of Goods, than they can fee a Prospect of paying for. Not fo in North America. For if you will give them Credit, they will give you Orders to what Amount you please. [I speak this in general, for undoubtedly there are numerous Exceptions.] And then, when the Time' of Payment approaches, they are the very People you have described, dextrous, prompt in Attack, ready in Defence, and FULL OF RESOURCES: Some of which Resources, as practifed between forty and fifty Years ago, I will lay before the Reader.

FIRST, after they had run fo far in Debt, that they could be no longer trufted;- they required that the English Creditor fhould make his Appearance in their Courts of Law, or before fome of their Magiftrates, in order to prove his Debt. Now it is easy to fee, that in many Cafes, it would be better for the English Merchant to compound his Debt at any Rate, or even totally to relinquish it, than to profecute the Recovery of it after this Manner. Then, fecondly, they infifted, that their Lands, Houses, and Slaves were not liable to the Payment of Commercial or Book Debts, because they were not Affets;-though thefe Poffeffions were purchaf ed, or procured by that very Credit, and those

very

very Capitals, which they had obtained from England. The Merchants of Great-Britain, finding themselves thus fhamefully cheated of their Property, petitioned the Parliament for a Redrefs of Grievances; and obtained an Act the 5th of G. II. C. 7. Anno 1732, entituled, "An "Act for the more easy Recovery of Debts in

t

his Majefty's Plantations and Colonies in "America." In which A&t there are special Claufes inferted for defeating both thefe Schemes of your ingenious Friends, the Americans. However, a People fo full of Refources, as you have defcribed them to be, foon recovered themfelves from this Overthrow: For in a very few Years, they contrived another fuccefsful Mode of cheating their English Creditors: And the four New England Provinces, now in actual Rebellion, were particularly concerned in this Confpiracy. The Trick was, to iffue out a Paper Currency, and to oblige the English Creditor to accept of it as a legal Tender, in full Discharge of all Demands. The Englishman, who, in Great-Britain, is not obliged by Law to accept even of a BankNote, as a Tender of Payment, was fhocked and alarmed to the laft Degree, at this repeated Attack upon his Property: And therefore applied again to the Legislature for Affiftance and Protection. Nor did he apply in vain: For in the Year 1751, viz. 24th of G. II. C. 53, an Act was paffed, entituled, " An Act to regulate " and