entertain fo weak an imagination, as that your registers and your bonds, your affidavits and your fufferances, your cockets and your clearances, are what form the great fecurities of your commerce. Do not dream that your letters of office, and your inftructions, and your fufpending clauses, are the things that hold together the great contexture of this myfterious whole. These things do not make your government. Dead inftruments, paffive tools as they are, it is the spirit of the English communion that gives all their life and efficacy to them. It is the fpirit of the English conftitution, which, infufed through the mighty mafs, pervades, feeds, unites, invigorates, vivifies, every part of the empire, even down to the minuteft member.

Is it not the fame virtue which does every thing for us here in England? Do you imagine then, that it is the land tax act which raises your revenue? that it is the annual vote in the committee of fupply, which gives you your army? or that it is the mutiny bill which infpires it with bravery and difcipline? No! furely no! It is the love of the people; it is their attachment to their government from the fenfe of the deep stake they have in fuch a glorious inftitution, which gives you your army and your navy, and infufes into both that liberal obedience, without which your army would be a base rabble, and your navy nothing but rotten timber.

All

All this, I know well enough, will found wild and chimerical to the profane herd of thofe vulgar and mechanical politicians, who have no place among us; a fort of people who think that nothing exists but what is grofs and material; and who therefore, far from being qualified to be directors of the great movement of empire, are not fit to turn a wheel in the machine. But to men truly initiated and rightly taught, these ruling and master principles, which, in the opinion of fuch men as I have mentioned, have no substantial existence, are in truth every thing, and all in all. Magnanimity in politicks is not feldom the truest wisdom; and a great empire and little minds go il together. If we are confcious of our fituation, and glow with zeal to fill our place as becomes our station and ourselves, we ought to aufpicate all our public proceedings on America, with the old warning of the church, Surfum corda! We ought to elevate our minds to the greatnefs of that truft to which the order of Providence has called us. By adverting to the dignity of this high calling, our ancestors have turned a favage wilderness into a glorious empire; and have made the most extenfive, and the only honourable conquefts; not by deftroying, but by promoting, the wealth, the number, the happiness, of the human race. Let us get an American revenue as we have got an American empire. English privileges have made

it

1

it all that it is; English privileges alone will make it all it can be.

In full confidence of this unalterable truth, I now (quod felix fauftumque fit)—lay the first stone of the temple of peace; and I move you,

"That the colonies and plantations of Great "Britain in North America, confifting of four"teen feparate governments, and containing two "millions and upwards of free inhabitants, have "not had the liberty and privilege of electing "and fending any knights and burgeffes, or others, "to reprefent them in the high court of parlia"ment."

Upon this refolution, the previous question was put, and carried;—for the previous question 270, against it 78.

As the propofitions were opened separately in the body of the fpeech, the reader perhaps may wish to see the whole of them together, in the form in which they were moved for.

"MOVED,

"That the colonies and plantations of Great Bri"tain in North America, confifting of fourteen

"separate

"feparate governments, and containing two mil"lions and upwards of free inhabitants, have not "had the liberty and privilege of electing and fending any knights and burgeffes, or others, to re"prefent them in the high court of parliament."

"That the faid colonies and plantations have "been made liable to, and bounden by, feveral "fubfidies, payments, rates, and taxes, given and

granted by parliament; though the faid colonies "and plantations have not their knights and bur"geffes, in the faid high court of parliament, of "their own election, to represent the condition " of their country, by lack whereof, they have been oftentimes touched and grieved by fubfidies given, "granted, and affented to, in the faid court, in a man"ner prejudicial to the common wealth, quietness, rest, "and peace, of the fubjects inhabiting within the "fame."

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That, from the distance of the said colonies, " and from other circumstances, no method hath "hitherto been devised for procuring a represen"tation in parliament for the faid colonies."

"That each of the faid colonies hath within it"felf a body, chofen, in part or in the whole, by "the freemen, freeholders, or other free inhabi"tants thereof, commonly called the general af"fembly, or general court; with powers legally "to raise, levy, and affefs, according to the feve

ral

“ral ufage of such colonies, duties and taxes to*wards defraying all forts of publick services."*

"That the faid general affemblies, general courts, "or other bodies, legally qualified as aforefaid, "have at fundry times freely granted several large "fubfidies and publick aids for his majesty's fervice,

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according to their abilities, when required thereto "by letter from one of his majesty's principal fe"cretaries of ftate; and that their right to grant "the fame, and their chearfulness and sufficiency "in the faid grants, have been at fundry times "acknowledged by parliament."

"That it hath been found by experience, that "the manner of granting the said supplies and aids, *by the faid general affemblies, hath been more "agreeable to the inhabitants of the faid colonies, " and more beneficial and conducive to the publick "fervice, than the mode of giving and granting "aids and fubfidies in parliament to be raised and paid in the faid colonies."

"That it may be proper to repeal an act made "in the 7th year of the reign of his present ma

* The first four motions and the last had the previous queftion put on them. The others were negatived.

The words in Italicks were, by an amendment that was carried left out of the motion; which will appear in the jour nals, though it is not the practice to infert such amendments in the votes.