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TE USRARY 
 OF WE 
 GRIVERSITY OF ILL 
 
ve (p- 
 
 AN 
 
 E S Sahni 
 
 Interefts of Britain, ~ 
 A -M>EOR 1,4G As 
 
 \ * 
 
 O UST LF Nee 
 
 OF THE 
 
 Terms on which Peace may be reftored 
 to the Two CounTRIEs. 
 
 LONDON: 
 Printed for J: Sewetr, in Cornhill. 
 M,DCC.LXXX. 
 
NAOT 
 E313 
 
 WAVEAL SZ 
 
 RE URARY 
 OF EO ree 
 UNIVERSITY OF TLLMBIS 
 
“9 
 P eo 
 
 HARVARD COLLEGE LIBRARY 
 
 EBELING COLLECTION 
 GIFT OF ISRAEL THORNDIKE 
 1213 
 
 ESSAY 
 
 Tiiteretts “Of Britain, 
 
 aN REGARD TO: 
 
 AMERI cA. 
 
 ower 2 HEN we take a oe fur- 
 uae vey of the political fyftem, we 
 
 may obferve, that tho’ the . 
 events which give rife to the caufes are 
 fortuitous, yet that the great revolu- 
 tions of human affairs are founded on’ 
 unerring principles. Tho’ liberty, or 
 abfolute power, in-a nation, is owing, 
 
 Az perhaps, 
 
—s. tne * 1 — 
 
[ 6 J 
 pethaps, to the appearance of a certain 
 “man at-a- particular time; yet a” good 
 
 government never fails to infpire that 
 vigour and activity which make one na- 
 tion fuperior to another, that far exceeds 
 
 her'in population and extent. ree 
 In the earlieft records that ‘deferve the 
 name of hiftory,.Afia. was the principal 
 actor.on the theatre of the world. She 
 was then. indeed’ probably 4 in her ruins; 
 the bore the marks of former grandeur 
 fhe was populous and wealthy, and the 
 arts and {ciences flourifhed in her in a 
 degree fuperior to the reft of the world< 
 ’ ‘but as fhe was arrived at'the laft ftage of 
 great nations—an extenfive defpotifm— 
 it did not require the fpirit of divination 
 to forefee; that fheimuft become 4 prey 
 to Europe, which began to; thew that 
 mafculine fpirit, which i is-the charaéte- 
 riftic of nations emerging from, barba; 
 rifm.. As the conquefts.of Alexander left 
 her iin the fame. fituation; fhe,again fella 
 victim: to: the power,of Rome, Since.the 
 fall of. Afiay Europe,.excepting thejcon- 
 Pr quefts 
 
 > 
 
 Mf 87 3 
 
 quetts “of the’ Saracens-and the ravages’ 
 of the-Tartars, has remained miftrefs of. 
 the: world. She has for fome ages made, 
 the: other parts’ of -it only minifters to, 
 her-greatnefs. But another power, pro= : 
 ceeding from herfelf,. will foon appear, 
 
 if -not to~eclipfe, at leaft. to thare, her. 
 
 glory. The-degree of its grandeur will | 
 
 depend i in a confiderable degree.on fe 
 veral . of’ the nations of Europe, who 
 are deeply concerned in its confequences. 
 
 _ Of thefe, Britain ftands the firft, both in | 
 
 refpect.to her own intereft, and to her 
 influence in the new world: our. paft 
 and future conduét therefore, in refpect 
 to America, demands the eee nature 
 
 : confideration. . 
 
 «The triumphs of lat war. are: “fill 
 frefh in our memery: the bold and 
 daring genius of that great man, whom _ 
 
 _we called upon to’prefide at our coun- 
 
 cils, led-us to glory and victory : the 
 
 ' wounds he. had given our enemy, and 
 
 the fpirit he had infufed into the na- 
 tion,’ continued usin the fame track, till 
 Ge ee his 
 
[ 8 J 
 
 his fueceffors concluded that infamous 
 peace, in which they facrificed the in- 
 tereft of the nation to the continuance 
 of their own power. But even after 
 fo great a facrifice, they found them- 
 felves unable to retain it; and aban- 
 doned it toa fucceffion, each, if pof- 
 fible, weaker than the former. Un- 
 der adminiftrations of -arbitrary prin- 
 ciples, who, among a free people, could 
 not deny themfelves the pleafure of gra- 
 tifying their private piques, we ‘faw 
 ourfelves, during feven years, infulted by 
 the enemy we had humbled, and ex 
 ' hibited a {cene of -anarchy and confu- 
 fion which every Briton ought to with 
 may never be repeated. Happy was it 
 for Britain, that, during this humiliating 
 era, fhe was not attacked by a ee 
 enemy. 
 - They at laft yielded the helm to a 
 young minifter, who undertook to wea- 
 ther the ftorm they had raifed. “Our 
 domeftic tumults, under a better go- 
 vernment foon fubfided; but their bad 
 
 9 conducé 
 
 HS: | 
 conduct had Jeft a latent flame insour ~ 
 forenfic dominions, which was. not: fo 
 eafily appeafed. 
 
 Our late expenfive wars had aaa 
 raffled our finances to fo great a degree, 
 as to require taxes burthenfome to the 
 people, even in time of peace. Our 
 colonies were already a flourifhing peo- 
 ple, and increafing in a rapid proportion, 
 The adminiftration had demanded from 
 them a quota for the expences of the 
 empiré; but: this the colonifts. refufed, 
 unlefs the reftraints were removed from 
 their trade. ‘They refolved to take by 
 force what they could not obtain: by 
 perfuafion ; but the oppofition was’ 
 violent, that their fueceffors gave it up 
 
 _ without a difpute. The condu& of 
 
 the adminiftrations that fucceeded ; laws 
 enacted and repealed, and impotent in- 
 fults offered the colonies, forwarded 
 the troubles that have fince diftract- 
 ed the empire. The prefent minifter, 
 though much fuperior to his predeceffors, 
 adopted the plan of: bringing America 
 
 to 
 
twa 
 
 toan unconditional fubmiffioh.” This, 
 
 effected the prefent rupture. He has ~ 
 
 fent numerous and well-appointed ‘ar- 
 mies : armies: fully- equal to the pur- 
 pofe for which they were intended, 
 and who might have fucceeded in all 
 their undertakings. To what.then can 
 their want of fuccefs be owing ? It’is 
 becaufe the adminiftration never de- 
 clared their real intentions in ‘refpect 
 
 to America: the colonifts were too wife | 
 
 to throw themfelves on their. mercy. 
 Their armies. wereled: by men who knew 
 that the conqueft of America, by the 
 vaft. undue influence it- would give to 
 the crown, would be as deftructive to 
 the liberty. of Britain, as to that of 
 America: they faw, that no. offers: of 
 accommodation were made, that could 
 promife any permanency: they have 
 therefore protracted the war, till that 
 event is rendered impracticable. 
 
 Let us not any longer amufe out- 
 felves with the thoughts of the conqueft 
 
 of America. It was only poffible while 
 
 fhe 
 
 E nu if 
 
 fhe was unacquainted with’ the art. of. 
 war, ftood fingle without,any fupport, 
 and was divided within -herfelf.., She 
 chas’ now. acquired experience ; fhe. is 
 affifted by powerful. nations, and. the 
 people: look: no longer towards Britain’ 
 ‘The men of fenfe in America. took 
 the lead in the :prefent conteft,. that 
 their government might be fixed on 
 fuch a. bafis, as would enfarevher future 
 greatnefs.; they will never return’ to 
 their. former: conneétion, unlefs their — 
 liberty: is fecured beyond a recall. - 
 
 ‘The fpirit of all our tranfa@tions with 
 America has hitherto been, to preferve 
 our influence over her as'long as we 
 could by force, on the fuppofition, that 
 fhe muft{eparate from’ us. as foon as 
 fhe attained to fufficient power. It is 
 an imputation thrown. by the enemies 
 of liberty.on a free government, that. it _ 
 is incapable‘ of retaining. foreign pof- 
 feffions. Of a republic, it may be true; 
 but, upon examination, it will be found - 
 that ours is the only form of governs ' 
 
 ment ~ 
 
Tae L@RARY 
 ge THE 
 guiverstTy. OF gues 
 
 sh = 
 
{ 12] 
 
 ‘meant that is. capable of uniting diffe. 
 ent dotninions, to the advantage of all 
 the conftituent parts. An arbitrary go- 
 vernment has ‘no tie on them, but fear ; 
 whet that is removed, by an acceffion 
 of ftrength, their revolt is inévitable: 
 Our execttive power is a fufficient bond 
 ‘of union for the greateft and moft dif- 
 tant flations, We have hitherto divided 
 America, to keep her weak ; let us now 
 unite her, to make her great. Let us 
 not fear her ftrength; in augmenting 
 her’s, we thall add to our‘own: we may 
 form out of -her great nations, attached 
 to us by the ftrongeft and moft durable 
 ties ; mutual liberty, affe@tion, and in- 
 tereft. 
 
 Though a liberal turn of thinking is 
 
 a diftinguithing charatteriftic of ouf 
 countrymen, yet a moft fordid attach- 
 merit to prefent advantage has beer the 
 line of our condué as a nation. “Though 
 we know that magnanimity is a moft 
 bewitching attractive, we ac as if wé 
 thought that nations of freemef ean ‘on+ 
 ly 
 
 (43 3 
 ly be influenced ‘by fear. Buried in’ 
 our immediate, we lofe “fight of ‘our? 
 future and great interefts,- The’ ‘very! 
 
 conception: that an ‘ifle can preferve, for* 
 any length of ‘time, an® ‘inflyence’ ‘by: 
 
 force over a vaft continent beyond ' ‘the! 
 
 _ Atlantic, is abfurd ;° the taking’ ads’ 
 
 vantage of her prefent fituation, would’ 
 
 _ only be fhewing her an example; which 
 
 fhe would not fail to imitate when ‘the 
 became our fuperior in power. If. We 
 fecure her to ourfelves, it muft be by i 
 a confederation on equal and generous 
 terms, that will be for the advantage of 
 all, let what branch foever of the cons 
 federacy become the moft powerful, 
 No offers from Britain have been in any 
 degree adequate to fa great an objet ; 
 but let us propofe fuch as are, and I’ 
 am perfuaded America will break the 
 alliance the has contra¢ted. The colo~ 
 nifts know, that their prefent eftablifh- 
 ment is unequal to the views that Ame- 
 rica ought to entertain; that their a 
 ture fate depends on the iffue of the 
 prefent 
 
[ <4 } 
 prefent diftractions ;,that they ¢annot of: 
 themfelves fornia -good .government,., 
 nor effect the. neceflary: changes, on- they, 
 face of the continent, that, there is 
 no other. nation. that, cam give.them,.. 
 good conftitution; nor with which they 
 can be. clofely: or. advantageoufly con 
 netted, + 4 . - 
 
 ‘Its a happinefs which has never yet. 
 
 ¢ 
 
 any great empire, after the cool .delibera- 
 tion of years, totally to alter and new mo-, 
 del their political conftitution : = this,. 
 with the confent of America,.is now in; 
 
 qur power. We havea vaft continent be- 
 
 fore.us, to which we may not only. 
 give laws, but model its government, 
 and affign the limits of the nations, of, 
 which it fhall be compofed. . Let us, 
 on fo. great an occafions act becoming. 
 o have been diftinguifhed. 
 by the: names of men and. of free-. 
 
 a people wh 
 
 men. : 
 
 _ . The original end of government, is. 
 \ to promote the happinefs of mankind ; 
 
 10 this, 
 
 falien. to, the lot of any nation, much lefs.. 
 
 ee Pe * 
 this, not conftitutions or precedents ‘is 
 the touchftone by which it ought ‘a be 
 tried. , The’ effential, qualitiesyto, this 
 purpofe, .are- liberty, ftabitity, and vi- 
 gout. ; ‘Experience has, fhewn,, that, the 
 two extremes, of popular poverament 
 and ‘abfolute--power, are almoft equally 
 remote from; true liberty,:. to. produge 
 true liberty, the different ranks my: people 
 muft each ‘have a check on the other:.. 
 The Britith conttitution is the bet that 
 has hitherto been’ devifed, and will with 
 the: greatelt. facility be adopted in- Ames 
 tica ; it, ought therefore to: be sdevths 
 Lesh é i rofors ta. be made’ the 
 . A too fmall, ora too large domuninn 
 are_ equally - deftructive of » liberty,. | In 
 the firit, the fabject isharrafled by every 
 petty tyrant ; the Jatt aian cate 
 abfolute power. The fate of ancient 
 nations may-have thewn us,.and expe- 
 rience has. taught. the _Americans, that i 
 final governments cannot have any fta~ 
 bility, Ituis.in the power. of every den 
 magogue, ,who..can inflame ‘the minds 
 of 
 
 4 
 
i 8 | 
 of the people, to bid defiance to the 
 government. They lie at the mercy 
 ef every powerful neighbour ; their 
 views, like their power, are contracted} 
 confequently bury the moft exalted fa- 
 culties of thé foul. ; 
 The principles of : commerce have 
 been fo long obfcured, by the multitude 
 of falfe fhades thrown over it, that it 
 38 difficult to revert to thofe on which 
 it ‘is originally founded ; but I believe, 
 when it is analyzed, the advantage it is 
 of to a nation will be found to confift 
 folely in the increafe of induftry. I will 
 venture to affert, that in the prefent 
 confederation, no reftraint is neceflary, 
 but to give the commodities of the dif- 
 ferent branches of the empire a prefe- 
 rence in the others, by a duty on fo- 
 reign commodities. 
 We have laid the foundation of a 
 yaft empire, let us not alienate it from 
 us, by an attack on that liberty we taught 
 
 them to revere. Have we forgot that - 
 
 freemen cannot be governed by fear, that 
 they 
 
 ™ eee 
 
 Go eal oie 
 they mutt be led by affeétion ? Have we 
 forgot that the colonifts are the defcen- 
 dants of thofe men whofe blood pro- 
 cured us the liberty we enjoy? I fee 
 feen them in the loweft ebb of their 
 fortune, and their fpirit was worthy of 
 their anceftors. If we profecute the 
 war with them, we effectually promote 
 the ends of our enemies. We {hall 
 
 ‘cement America with them. We find ~ 
 
 her fufficient to employ all the forces 
 we ‘can {pare from a defenlive war on 
 our own element ; fo that they are left 
 at liberty to make ufe of every oppor- 
 tunity that accident or mifcondu@ ma 
 give them. We thall be gradually uf 
 tally exhaufted, and deprived of our fo- 
 reign dominions; and retain only ‘le 
 mortifying reflexion, that we are butthe 
 fhadow of our former glory. If we ef- 
 feét an union with America, we thall fix 
 our power upon a foundation that aun 
 not he fhaken ; fhe will lay open to us 
 the mines of Potofi, and fet free thofe vaft 
 ceuntries where the Houfe of Bourbon ° 
 
 hee exercife 
 
RE UBRipy 
 
 ; at Ti 
 UNIVERSITY ag 9 
 
 ‘hia 
 
 Pa, ee ee Sere a gl ae Pt Mele lee 
 
foes] 
 
 exercife. their tyranny, to furnith an 
 
 endlefs fource of wealth to Britain while ‘ 
 
 fhe remains a nation. _ 
 
 The true caufe of the decline of na- 
 tions, that frivolous {pirit of over-re- 
 finement, the fource of effeminacy and 
 mediocrity, and enemy to the great, 
 has already infected the court, and even 
 appeared in the camp; but the genius 
 of our people is yet untainted ;—if the 
 
 prefent minifters are unequal to the | 
 
 taik, affume your native fpirit, and call 
 forth thofe men who will lead you togran- 
 deur. Never, fince the commencement 
 of the annals of mankind, was fo great 
 an object under their confideration. The 
 time is nearly arrived, when a great part 
 of the world muft put on a new face; 
 
 it remains with you to determine, whe- - 
 
 ther the new world {hall raife you to 
 a degree of power you have not yet 
 known, or deprive you of the fources 
 of wealth you now poffefs, Let me 
 conjure you to throw afide that trifling 
 and narrow fpirit which muft inevitably 
 
 end 
 
 OU Leiigas 
 end in your ruin: follow the track that 
 the intereft and glory of Britain require, 
 and when, in the revolution of human 
 affairs, fhe fhall pafs away, empires of 
 freemen fhall rife from her afhes, to 
 convey her fame to the lateft pofterity. / 
 
 The following, which we are well 
 
 affured would be received by America, 
 
 is fubmitted to the confideration of the 
 
 ‘public, as the bafis of an union. © 
 
 I. That the Britifh empire, as well 
 eaftern as weftern, fhall be one 
 people, and mutually entitled to 
 all liberties, immunities, and pri- 
 vileges whatfoever. 
 
 II. That the Britifh wefern empire 
 ' fhall hereafter be divided into four 
 great governments, as follows : 
 The government of Canada, to be 
 bounded by the prefent limits of 
 that government, from the bay of 
 Chaleur to near Lake Champlain ; 
 there by a line running between 
 
 B. 2 Crown | 
 
UAIYES 
 
[ 20 ] 
 
 Crown Point and Ticonderoga, 
 
 and from thence along the middle ~ 
 
 of the Allegany ridge, till it touches 
 an eaft and weft line run through 
 Sandofki; from thence by that lme 
 to Sandofki; from Sandofki by a 
 line to touch the moft fouthern 
 part of Lake Michigan, to run 
 from thence along the middle of 
 that lake to the falls of St. Mary’s ; 
 from thence by a true north line, 
 till it touches the northern ridge, 
 and from thence by it to the fea. 
 
 The government of New England, 
 bounded by Canada ’till it touches 
 the prefent Penfylvania line; from 
 thence to be bounded by the pre- 
 fent limits of Virginia and Mary- 
 land, to the fea. 
 
 The government of Virginia, bounded 
 by New England, the middle of 
 the Alleganies, and the river Apa- 
 lachicola. 
 
 The government of Virginia Ultra, or 
 
 Florida, 
 
 { 21 ] 
 Florida, bounded by Virginia, the 
 Miffiffippi, Ilinois river, Canada, 
 and New England. 
 
 III. That the Britifh conftitution 
 fhall be the bafis of that of all 
 thefe nations, and fhall be in every 
 re{pect conformable to it, except 
 where by the act of confederation 
 declared to differ ; to confift, like 
 ours, of the King, Lords, and Com- 
 mons. 
 
 IV. Each ftate to make. fuch laws as 
 they think proper, for their inter- 
 nal government ; provided they are 
 not inconfiftent with a free repre- 
 fentation, the habeas corpus, trial ' 
 by jury, and a free toleration of 
 religion ; which, being unalterable 
 principles of the conftitution, are 
 guarantied by every member of the 
 confederacy. } 
 
 VY. That a war entered into on ac- 
 count of one ftate, fhall' be con- 
 2 ‘ fidered 
 
a) 
 
 i, 
 
 OF THE ; 
 UNIVERSITY AF 1 1HAHe 
 
[ 22 ] 
 fidered as the caufe of the whole, 
 and profecuted accordingly. 
 
 VI. That the contingencies of the 
 different ftates be fixed by a proper 
 valuation, to increafe according to 
 their improvement. The revenue 
 to be paid into the Exchequer of 
 each ftate, and the executive of- 
 ficers to be anfwerable for its be- 
 ing applied to the ufes for which 
 it was granted. 
 
 VII. That as it is the intereft of the 
 confederate ftates to promote the 
 greatnefs each of the others; the 
 weftern empire fhall allow the im- 
 portation of the produce and ma- 
 nufactures of Britain, duty free, 
 and lay a duty of 15 per Cent. on 
 all foreign goods imported, to be 
 increafed as they {hall fee fit; 
 likewife a duty of 15 per Cent. on 
 all dyes, raw materials for manu- 
 
 fagturese and a high duty on naval 
 7 ftores, 
 
 [ 23 §) 
 ftores, exported other than to Great 
 Britain: and as Britain, from the 
 embarraflinent of her finances, can- 
 not allow the importation of all 
 
 articles duty free, thofe that are 
 
 taxed fhall be at 15 per Cent. lefs 
 than from any other nation, 
 
 VIII. When any acceffion is made 
 
 to the confederacy, by conqueft or 
 confent, fuch acceffion is to be 
 formed into a new ftate or ftates, 
 of the extent of from two to three 
 hundred thoufand fquare miles 
 each, having refpect tonatural boun- 
 daries, and to be put under the 
 fame government, and received as 
 another member of the confede- 
 ration. 
 
 FINIS. 
 
ae 
 
 are 
 
 TRE LIBRARY 
 Wwe | 
 URIVERSITY OF iLciMets 
 
aS 
 PAMPHLET BINDER 
 
 Syracuse, N. Y. 
 Stockton, Calif, 
 
3 0112 108313930 :