P. 19. l. 10. for _Cacus_ read _Polyphemus_.
P. 62. l. 17. after _Labour_ add _and_.
P. 62. l. 19. dele _and_.
P. 65. l. 8. before _Sailors_ add _and_.
P. 72. l. 21. after _Produce_ add _of the Excise_.
Footnotes:
[1] In the Year of the Rebellion 1745, and for many Years afterwards, the
_London Evening Post_ (now a republican) was then a flaming _Jacobite
Paper_: During which Period the Author of these Tracts had frequently the
Honour of being abused by him, under the Character of a _low-church,
fanatical, Oliverian Whig_. Once in particular (above 20 Years ago) he
was complimented in the high-flown Strain of _Josiah ben Tucker ben Judas
Iscariot_. The Times are now greatly altered; and so is the Tone of the
Abuse. But the Author is perfectly resigned to these Vicissitudes of human
Affairs: And he has no other Favour to ask of this, and of all his
Brother-Scribblers, whether weekly or monthly, in Sheets, or in Pamphlets,
than that they would _never praise him_, because that, and that only, he
should look upon to be a _real Disgrace_. But it is not the _London
Evening Post_ alone, who from a violent Jacobite has commenced a fierce
Republican. Many like Instances may be recollected. And indeed the
Transition is natural enough; for if a Man can be so absurd as to think
that there is an _indefeasible_ Right in any one Family, when that Family
becomes _extinct_, he turns a Republican.
[2] The late Dr. BUTLER, Bishop of _Bristol_, and afterwards of _Durham_
had a singular Notion respecting large Communities and public Bodies;--a
Notion which perhaps is not altogether unapplicable to the present Case.
His Custom was, when at _Bristol_, to walk for Hours in his Garden in the
darkest Night, which the Time of the Year could afford; and I had
frequently the Honour to attend him. After walking some Time, he would
stop suddenly, and ask the Question, "What Security is there against the
_Insanity_ of Individuals? The Physicians know of none: And as to Divines,
we have no Data either from Scripture, or Reason to go upon relative to
this Affair."--_True, my Lord, no Man has a Lease of his Understanding,
any more than of his Life. They are both in the Hands of the Sovereign
Disposer of all Things._ He would then take another Turn, and again stop
short. "Why might not whole Communities and public Bodies be seized with
_Fits of Insanity_, as well as Individuals?" _My Lord, I have never
considered the Case, and can give no Opinion concerning it._ "Nothing but
this Principle, that they are liable to Insanity, equally at least with
private Persons, can account for the major Part of those Transactions,
which we read in History." I thought little of this odd Conceit of the
Bishop's at that Juncture: But I own I could not avoid thinking of it a
great deal since, and applying it to many Cases.
[3] See, for a Proof of this Fact, First, A Message from the General
Assembly of _Massachusetts Bay_ to GOVERNOR SHIRLEY, 4th of _January_,
1754. Secondly, A Message from the Council and House of Representatives of
ditto to ditto. Thirdly, An Address from the Council of Representatives of
ditto to ditto. Forthly, An Address of the Assembly of _Virginia_ to the
King. Fifthly, A Representation of the Commissioners met at _Albany_. And
Sixthly, Extracts from the Proceedings of the CONGRESS at _Albany_, all in
the Year 1754. And all of them antecedent to the Arrival of the two
Regiments under GENERAL BRADDOCK. I would here recommend the Perusal of
_The Controversy between_ Great Britain _and her Colonies_, printed for
ALMON, to those who wish for a fuller Information on these interesting
Points; particularly from Page 107 to 136.
[4] Were it not for the _British_ Fleets, and for the Fortresses of
_Gibraltar_ and _Port-Mahon_,--and in short for the general Terror of the
British Name, all the piratical States of _Barbary_ would immediately
seize on _American_ Ships, when carrying Fish, or Rice, or any other
_American_ Produce South of Cape _Finistere_, as their lawful Prey. And
yet _America_ doth not pay a single Shilling towards the Support of our
Fleets, or the Maintenance of our Forts and Garrisons in any Part of the
World.
[5] See the Resolutions of the grand Continental Congress, in Opposition
to the reconciliatory Proposal of Parliament for permitting each Province
to tax itself, according to its own Mode. In these Resolutions they
expressly declare, that they will be the sole Judges, not only of the
_Mode_ of raising, but also of the Sum or Quantum to be raised, and of the
Application of it: And that the Parliament of _Great-Britain_ hath no
Right to decide as to either of these Points.
[6] The Princes of the House of STUART took it into their Heads to
believe, that all Colonies were their private Patrimony; in respect of
which the Parliament had no Right to intermeddle. This Notion, so long ago
justly exploded, is now revived, (strange to tell!) even by modern
Patriots, and _American_ Republicans: For they are the People at present,
and not the King's Ministers, who propose to exalt the Prerogatives of the
Crown to the Subversion of the Rights, Privileges, and Liberties of the
_British_ Parliament, and the _British_ Nation. Indeed so far, it must be
owned, is Fact,--that as the Princes of that House had the first modelling
of the Colonies, they introduced a Practice, (still most absurdly retained
tho' without any Power to enforce it) of bringing all Appeals before
themselves and their Privy Councils, instead of before the Court of
King's-Bench or the House of Lords; which is the only regular and
constitutional Mode of appealing, and the only one now observed in Appeals
from _Ireland_. However, notwithstanding this _Impropriety_, as the King
can send no armed Forces to _America_, without Consent of Parliament first
had for their Maintenance, and afterwards for authorizing the Use of
military Law, and military Discipline among them, it may be justly
averred, that the King doth in no other exclusive Sense govern _America_,
than as the sole executive Power, which is to enforce and put in Motion
the Laws and Decrees of the supreme Legislature of _Great-Britain_. See a
very candid and impartial Account of this Matter in a Book entituled,
"Remarks on the principal Acts of the 13th Parliament of _Great-Britain_,"
from Page 38 to 45.
[7] See De LOLME's _Constitution of England_, the Note of Page 52. The
whole is a most excellent Treatise, and worthy the Perusal of all those
_Englishmen_, who wish to understand, and to set a just Value on the
distinguishing Excellencies of the _English_ Constitution,--a
Constitution, as he justly observes, the only one in its Kind, _ponderibus
librata suis_.
[8] See his Speech, _March_ 22, 1775, second Edition Octavo.
[9] Queen ELIZABETH sometimes raised this Duty to 20 and 25 per Cent. by
Orders and Warrants issued from her Privy Council; that is, by her own
sole and absolute Authority. Yet she was _good Queen_ BESS: And her Days
were _golden Days_. See also the shocking Number of Monopolies granted in
her Reign, set forth at large in TOWNSHEND's _Collection_; or in Sir SIMON
d'EWE's _Journal_ of _Parliament_. See more particularly the Debates which
past in the 43d Year of her Reign, after a Struggle of upwards of 20 Years
for abolishing these Monopolies.
[10] A few shallow, half-sighted Politicians have objected to the Trade
with _Russia_, because the Balance, according to their narrow Ideas, is
visibly against us. But what Balance do they mean?--Not the Balance of
_Industry_, for that is plainly in our Favour; or, in other Words, we
export more _manufactured_ Goods to _Russia_, than we receive from it. And
as to the Balance of _Money_, they ought to have known, that it is much
more beneficial to an industrious, commercial Country to import
Raw-Materials (_if it wants them_) than to import Gold and Silver; because
there cannot be so many Hands employed in the manufacturing of these
Metals, as in the working up of Timber, Iron, Hemp, Flax, &c. &c. to their
respective Uses. It is amazing, how little these self-evident Principles
have been understood, or at least attended to by commercial Writers of
some Note and Character, and particularly by JOSIAH GEE; according to
whose Doctrine of the Balance of Trade, this Nation hath not been worth a
single Shilling for almost these 100 Years.
[11] I am told, that this Deficiency of the Excise this Year, on Liquors
imported into the Out-Ports, is owing to a new Species of Smuggling lately
put in Practice, whereby the Revenue is grossly defrauded. If so, the
Balance would have been still greater, had all the Duties on Rum, and
other Liquors imported into the Out-Ports, been justly and fairly paid; or
at least paid as fairly and justly as usual.
_Lately published by the same Author_,
TRACTS Political and Commercial.
1. _A Solution of the important Question, whether a poor Country, where
raw Materials and Provisions are cheap, and Wages low, can supplant the
Trade of a rich manufacturing Country, where raw Materials and Provisions
are dear, and the Price of Labour high._
2. _The Case of going to War for the Sake of Trade considered in a new
Light._
3. _A Letter from a Merchant in_ London _to his Nephew in_ America,
_concerning the late and present Disturbances in the Colonies._
4. _The true Interest of_ Great-Britain _set forth in regard to the
Colonies; and the only Means of living in Peace and Harmony with them._
5. _The respective Pleas and Arguments of the Mother Country and of the
Colonies distinctly set forth; and the Impossibility of a Compromise of
Differences, or a mutual Concession of Rights plainly demonstrated; with a
prefatory Epistle to the Plenipotentiaries of the Congress._
Printed for RIVINGTON, CADEL, and WALTER.
TRACTS Polemical and Theological.
1. _An Apology for the Church of_ England, _as by Law established,
occasioned by a Petition to Parliament for abolishing Subscriptions._
2. _Two Letters to the Rev. Dr._ KIPPIS: _Letter 1st. Concerning the
Extent of the Claim of the Church of_ England _to regulate the_ external
_Behaviour of her own Members; and also to influence their_ internal
_Judgments in Controversies of Faith: Letter 2d. Wherein the Question is
discussed, whether the_ English _Reformers in the Reign of_ EDWARD VI.
_intended to establish the Doctrines of Predestination, Redemption, Grace,
Justification, and Perseverance, in the Calvinistical Sense, as the
Doctrines of the Church of_ England.
3. _Religious Intolerance no Part of the General Plan either of the Mosaic
or Christian Dispensation._
4. _A brief and dispassionate View of the Difficulties respectively
attending the Trinitarian, Arian, and Socinian Systems._
To be published in the Course of the ensuing Winter.
_A Volume of select Sermons on interesting and important Subjects._
All by the same Author.
* * * * * *
Transcriber's note:
Text in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_).
The original text includes two blank spaces. These are represented by
____ in this text version.
Footnote markers are placed as in the original text.
The table facing page 49 was in one piece in the original text.
The following misprints have been corrected:
"memomorable" corrected to "memorable" (page 13)
"for for" corrected to "for" (page 85)
Other than the corrections listed above, inconsistencies in
spelling, punctuation, and hyphenation have been retained.