project of hedging-in population to be neither prudent nor practicable.

To impoverish the colonies in general, and in particular to arreft the noble courfe of their marine enterprizes, would be a more easy task. I freely confefs it. We have fhewn a disposition to a fyftem of this kind; a difpofition even to continue the réftraint after the offence; looking on ourselves as rivals to our colonies, and perfuaded that of courfe we must gain all that they fhall lofe. -Much mischief we may certainly do. The power inadequate to all other things is often more than fufficient for this. I do not look on the direct and immediate power of the colonies to resist our violence, as very formidable. In this, however, I may be mistaken. But when I confider, that we have colonies for no purpose but to be ferviceable to us, it seems to my poor understanding a little prepofterous, to make them unferviceable, in order to keep them obedient. It is, in truth, nothing more than the old, and, as I thought, exploded problem of tyranny, which proposes to beggar its fubjects into fubmiflion. But, remember, when you have completed your fyftem of impoverishment, that nature ftill proceeds in her ordinary course; that discontent will increase with misery; and that there are critical moments in the fortune of all states, when they, who are too weak to conVOL. III. tribute

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tribute to your profperity, may be strong enough to complete your ruin. Spoliatis arma fuperfunt.

The temper and character, which prevail in our colonies, are, I am afraid, unalterable by any human art. We cannot, I fear, falfify the pedigree of this fierce people, and perfuade them that they are not fprung from a nation, in whofe veins the blood of freedom circulates. The language in which they would hear you tell them this tale, would detect the impofition; your fpeech would betray you. An Englishman is the unfittest përfon on earth to argue another Englishman into flavery.

I think it is nearly as little in our power to change their republican religion, as their free defcent; or to fubftitute the Roman Catholick, as a penalty; or the church of England, as an improvement. The mode of inquifition and dragooning is going out of fafhion in the old world; and I fhould not confide much to their efficacy in the new. The education of the Americans is also on the fame unalterable bottom with their religion. You cannot perfuade them to burn their books of curious fcience; to banish their lawyers from their courts of law; or to quench the lights of their affemblies, by refufing to choose those perfons who are best read in their privileges. It would be no less impracticable to think of wholly annihilating

annihilating the popular affemblies, in which these lawyers fit. The army, by which we must govern in their place, would be far more chargeable to us; not quite fo effectual; and perhaps, in the end, full as difficult to be kept in obedience.

With regard to the high ariftocratick spirit of Virginia and the fouthern colonies, it has been proposed, I know, to reduce it, by declaring a general enfranchifement of their flaves. This project has had its advocates and panegyrifts; yet I never could argue myself into any opinion of it. Slaves are often much attached to their mafters. A general wild offer of liberty, would not always be accepted. Hiftory furnishes few inftances of it. It is fometimes as hard to perfuade flaves to be free, as it is to compel freemen to be flaves; and in this aufpicious fcheme, we fhould have both these pleasing tasks on our hands at once. But when we talk of enfranchifement, do we not perceive that the American mafter may enfranchise too; and arm fervile hands in defence of freedom? A measure to which other people have had recourfe more than once, and not without fuccefs, in a desperate fituation of their affairs.

Slaves as these unfortunate black people are, and dull as all men are from flavery, must they not a little fufpect the offer of freedom from that very nation which has fold them to their prefent mafters? From that nation, one of whofe caufes of quarrel

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quarrel with thofe mafters, is their refufal to deal any more in that inhuman traffick? An offer of freedom from England, would come rather oddly, fhipped to them in an African veffel, which is refused an entry into the ports of Virginia or Carolina, with a cargo of three hundred Angola negroes. It would be curious to fee the Guinea captain attempting at the fame instant to publish his proclamation of liberty, and to advertise his fale of flaves.

But let us fuppofe all these moral difficulties got over. The ocean remains. You cannot pump this dry; and as long as it continues in its present bed, fo long all the causes which weaken authority by distance will continue. "Ye gods, annihilate "but space and time, and make two lovers happy!"-was a pious and paffionate prayer; -but just as reasonable, as many of the serious wishes of very grave and folemn politicians.

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If then, Sir, it feems almoft defperate to think of any alterative course, for changing the moral caufes (and not quite eafy to remove the natural) which produce prejudices irreconcileable to the late exercise of our authority; but that the spirit infallibly will continue; and, continuing, will produce fuch effects, as now embarrass us; the fecond mode under confideration is, to profecute that fpirit in its overt acts, as criminal.

At this propofition, I muft pause a moment.

The

The thing feems a great deal too big for my ideas of jurifprudence. It fhould feem, to my way of conceiving fuch matters, that there is a very wide difference in reafon and policy, between the mode of proceeding on the irregular conduct of scatter. ed individuals, or even of bands of men, who disturb order within the state, and the civil diffentions which may, from time to time, on great questions, agitate the feveral communities which compofe a great empire, It looks to me to be narrow and pedantick, to apply the ordinary ideas of criminal justice to this great publick contest. I do not know the method of drawing up an in, dictment against an whole people. I cannot infult and ridicule the feelings of millions of my fellow creatures, as Sir Edward Coke infulted one excellent individual (Sir Walter Raleigh) at the bar. I am not ripe to pass sentence on the gravest publick bodies, entrusted with magistracies of great authority and dignity, and charged with the fafety of their fellow-citizens, upon the very fame title that I am. I really think, that for wife men, this is not judicious; for fober men, not decent; for minds tinctured with humanity, not mild and merciful.

Perhaps, Sir, I am mistaken in my idea of an empire, as diftinguished from a single state or kingdom. But my idea of it is this; that an empire is the aggregate of many states, under one common head; whether this head be a monarch,