Page images
PDF
EPUB

peace is to cut off the cause of those difputes, otherwife they will return the moment the terror is over; or perhaps rigour may rather provoke than terrify; and then you fall from tad to worse. They afked, whether the acts of rigour of the laft feffion had produced any of the effects which were expected from them?

The queftion being called for late at night, the motion for bring ing in the bill was carried upon a divifion by a majority of more than three to one, the numbers being 261 to 85 only.

In the further progrefs of the bill, a petition from the merchants and traders of London, who were interefted in the American commerce, was prefented against it, upon fome of the commercial principles mentioned in the foregoing debate; and particularly on the danger, even to our own fisheries; from fuch prohibition.

A motion being made, that the petitioners fhould be heard by them felves or their counfel against the bill, and in fupport of their allegations, it was agreed to; in confequence of which a long train of witneffes, confifting of merchants and captains of fhips, who refided in England or North America, and who had been long verfed in the trade and fisheries of both, were examined at the bar of the Houfe, the evidence being conducted by Mr. David Barclay, who was appointed agent to manage this bufinefs by the committee of American merchants.

In the course of this evidence, (among a vast quantity of other interefting matter) it appeared, that fo long ago as the year 1764, the four provinces of New England employed, in their feveral fisheries,

no less than 45,880 ton of shipping, and booz men; and that the produce of their fisheries in the foreign markets for that year, amounted in fterling money to the fum of 322,220 l. 16 s.-It alfo appeared, that the fisheries had increased very much fince that time; that the New-England fith was much better than that taken by fhips fitted out from Great-Britain; that all the materials ufed in the fisheries, except falt, and the timber of which the veffels are built, were taken from this country; and that the nett proceeds of the fish were remitted here.

It was alfo given in evidence, that neither the whale nor the cod fifhery could be carried on, to any degree of equal extent and advantage, either from Newfoundland or Great-Britain, as from North-America; that there were feveral local circumftances, and fome natural advantages in favour of the latter, which could neither be counteracted or fupplied; that with refpect to transferring the fifheries to Nova Scotia or Quebec, were government even to furnish them with à capital, they had neither vessels nor men; nor could they procure them from any other place than New-England; that in any cafe, the ftopping of one fifhery, and the creation of another, muit take up much time, and that in the interval the trade would be inevitably loft; and that the people belonging to the American fifheries had fuch an abhorrence of the military government eftablished at Halffax, and fo invincible an averfion to the loofe habits and manners of the people, that nothing could induce them to remove thither, even fuppofing them reduced to {*F] 2

the

the neceffity of emigration. It alfo appeared, that there was nearly a million of money owing from New-England to the city of London only.

They alfo ftated to the Houfe, that the calamities confequent of the bill must fall, in a marked and particular degree, upon people who, from the nature of their occupations, must be innocent; for as the people belonging to the fisheries pals the greater part of the year at fea, they could have no fhare in the disturb ances or crimes which were imputed to others. The cafe of the inhabitants of Nantucket was particularly hard. This extraordinary people, amounting to between five and fix thousand in number, nine tenths of whom are Quakers, inhabit a barren ifland, fifteen miles long by three broad, the products of which were scarcely capable of maintaining twenty families. From the only harbour which this fteril ifland contains, without natural products of any fort, the inhabitants, by an aflonishing industry, keep an 140 veffels in conftant employment. Of thefe, eight are employed in the importation of provifions for the ifland, and the reft in the whale fishery; which, with an invincible perfeverance and courage, they have extended from the frozen regions of the Pole to the coafts of Africa, to the Brazils, and even as far fouth as the Falkland iflands; fome of thofe fishing voyages continuing for twelve months.

A petition, from the merchants, traders, and principal inhabitants of the town of Poole, in Dorsetfhire, was prefented, being in avowed oppofition to that from London, and in fupport of the

[ocr errors]

principles of the fishery bill. This petition (which has fince been dif claimed and condemned, by an other from the town, corporation, and principal inhabitants) fet forth, that the reftraints upon the colonies would not by any means be injurious to commerce; that the foreign markets might be amply fnpplied, by extending the Newfoundland fifhery from England; that the faid fishery already exceeded half a million annually, all which centers in this kingdom, whereas the profits of the colony fitheries go elfewhere; that the fithery from the mother country is a constant nursery for feamen for the navy; but that the American feamen are not compellable to ferve their country in times of war. They concluded by foliciting, no lefs for their own immediate advantage than for the univerfal benefit of their country, fuch encouragement to the British fishery to Newfoundland, as parliament fhould think proper.

A merchant of Poole, who had long traded to Newfoundland, was examined in fupport of the bill. He endeavoured to fhew, that if the New-England fishery was flopped, the foreign markets might notwithstanding be fufficiently fupplied, and in fupport of that pofi. tion afferted, that the fishery might be extended to any degree from Great-Britain, as we bad men, money, and fhips fufficient for the purpofe. He, however, cautiously evaded anfwering any questions that might lead to conclufions different from those which he wished to establifh. Being afked, whether the fhips fitted out for the Newfoundland fishery from Great-Britain, were not fitted out at one third more expence than thofe from NorthAmerica)

America? he anfwered, that he was no judge of that matter; and the question being put, How many men were employed to an hundred ton of shipping, on an average? he had not confidered that fubject. This evidence did not appear fufficiently fatisfactory to overthrow the whole weight of the former teftimony.

In other matters, this witnefs was fufficiently informed. It ap peared that about 400 fhips, of about 36,000 tons burthen, 2000 fishing fhallops, of 20,000 tons burthen, and 20,000 men, were employed in the British Newfoundland fishery. That above 600,000 quintals of fish were taken annually, which upon an average of feven years, were worth 14 s. per quintal, and with the other amounts, confifting of falmon, cod oil, feal oil, and furs, exceeded half a million annually. And that of the 20,000 men, from Great-Britain and Ireland, employed in that fishery, 8000, neceffarily continued in Newfoundland all the winter.

A petition was delivered from the Quakers, in behalf of their brethren and others, the inhabitants of Nantucket, in which they ftated their innocence, their induftry, the utility of their labours both to themfelves and the community, the great hazards that attended their occupation, and the uncertainty of their gains; and fhewed that if the bill paffed into a law, they muft in a little time be expofed to all the dreadful miferies of famine. The fingular ftate and circumstances of thefe people, occafioned fome attention to be paid A gentleman on the fide of administration faid, that on a principle of humanity he would

move, that a clause should be added to the bill, to prevent its operation from extending to any whale fhips, which failed before the first of March, and were at that time the property of the people of Nantucket.

On this petition, and indeed in every ftage of the bill, the debate rekindled; and at each revival burned more intenfely than before. It was attacked upon every ground of policy and government; and with the greateft ftrength of language and height of colouring. The minority made amends for the fmallness of their numbers by their zeal and activity. They contended, that though the avowed object of this bill was the fupport of the legislative authority of Great-Britain, over America, its real tendency was finally to root up and deftroy whatever ftill remained of it; that it feemed calculated to convince the colonies, that there was no one branch of fupreme authority, which parliament might not abuse in such a manner, as to render it reasonable to deny, and neceffary to refift the whole. That when at first it was thought wisdom to overthrow established privileges, and to combat the prejudices of whole nations, (which however founded, were rendered refpectable from their antiquity and extent) by ftarting up the new claim of taxation, the Americans went no further than to deny our right of internal taxation; having gained the point of urging them to question one right, we foon convinced them, both by argument and practice, that an external tax might be made to answer all the purpofes, and to produce all the mischiefs of internal taxation. They then denied our right of taxing for [*F13

fupply.

fupply. Parliament then proceeded violently to deprive them of their charters, and to change the course of justice and of trials. Then they were pushed to deny the power of internal legislation. But fill in the midst of all their violence and all their provocation to it, they never hitherto had formally reject ed the power of parliament to bind their trade. But we are now to convince them, that if but a fingle branch of legislative power is left to this country, we can diftort that branch in fuch a manner, that it fhall include all the purposes of an unlimited tyranny.

It was faid to be evident, that this bill was intended merely to exafperate the colonies into open and direct rebellion. For though the minifters would be readily acquitted, from having the fmalleft difpofition to military atchievement or glory; yet, as by the abfurdity of their conduct, and the oppreffiveness of their defigns, they had thrown the colonies into a ftate of difobedience, diforder, and confufion, which it would require the greatest abilities to manage or reftore to order, and yet did not come within any legal defcription of treafon, they found themfelves bewildered, and utterly incapable of conducting government in fo nice and critical a fituation. But if they could bring things to the length of rebellion, the courfe of proceeding, however ruinous and defperate, would be fimple and obvious; and it might be hoped, that paft error would be forgot, and prefent inability pafs unobferved, in the tumult. Upon this principle, and no other, it was faid, the bill could anfwer its purpose; for by cutting off from the Americans

all means of acquiring a livelihood, or receiving provifions, no 'alternative was left but ftarving or rebellion.

They faid that the pretence of relaxing the vigour of this act bý powers given to certain governors and the majority of certain councils, was not a corrective but an aggravation of its ill principle. What was it but leaving the fubfiftance of whole provinces to the arbitrary difcretion of thofe men? That arbitrary power, of lefs extent, committed to good and tried men would be too great a trust; but the extravagant power of this bill, was to be lodged in the hands of two governors whom the House did not know, (as it was impoffible for them to know who might be governors, when the act took place) and to the majority of two coun cils, every one of whom were equally unknown to them. But if it fhould even happen, that one of both of thefe governors and their council fhould be difpofed to mercy, and that the people fhould submit to the hardest impofitions which the very minifters could with to lay upon them, fill the conditions of redemption were clogged with fuch difficulties, às fcarcely left a poffibility of its being ob tained, until a new law was paffed for the repeal of the prefent. To compleat (as they faid) the climax of abfurdity, deception and cruelty, in this pretence to clemency and juftice, the two whole provinces of Connecticut and Rhode island, were cut off from even those means of redemption, futile as they were; for by this act their governors had no power of relieving them. They must go to the governor and council of another, and it might be rival

and

and adverse province, for their defiverance from this reftraint. For this extraordinary provifion no reafon could be known; but that by the conftitution of thofe provinces, the governors were chofen by the people, inftead of being appointed by the crown. Thus the crime for which 200,000 people were to be famished, confifted in the form of government which they received from this country. And it was infifted, that the inevitable operation of this bill must be, to fix fo indelible an hatred of this country and its legislature in the minds of the Americans, as would alienate them from us for ever, and render all future plans of reconciliation hopeless.

It was faid, that the prefent par. liamentary fcheme of preferving its authority by destroying its do minions, was new, and unheard of in the history of civilized nations. That in all other cafes of rebellion, the established practice was, to punish the rebels, but to fpare the country. In foreign wars the country of an enemy was frequently weakened and wafted, because by fo doing the ftrength of an adverfe power was impaired; but the fovereign ought never to forget, that the ftrength of his country, though a rebellion may for a time exift in it, is ftill his own ftrength. Here we have inverted the order of things, and begin by destroying the country and rooting up its commerce in fuch a manner, as to render it ufelefs to its future poffeffors. That evil principles were prolific; the Bofton Port-Bill begot this NewEngland Bill; this will beget a Virginia Bill; and that again will become the progenitor of others; antil, one by one, parliament has

ruined all its colonies, and rooted up all its commerce; until the ftatute book becomes nothing but a black and bloody roll of profcriptions; a frightful code of rigour and tyranny; a monstrous digeft of acts of penalty, incapacity, and general attainder; and that wherever it is opened, it will present a title for deftroying fome trade, or ruining fome province.

On the other fide, the contumacy, rebellious acts, and treasonable defigns of the Americans, were brought to answer all objections. They firft provoked penalties by their disobedience, and then denied the right of the power which had been put under a neceffity of inflicting those penalties. Some gentlemen on that fide, acknowledged the harfhnefs of the measure, and faid that they adopted it with the greatest reluctance; but they lamented, that the neceffity of the times, and the conduct of the Americans, had rendered harsh measures indifpenfably neceffary. A much greater number contended that the bill was in every refpect proper and juft, and confidering the offences of those who were its objects, in a high degree merciful. They contended, that though the New-England provinces did not produce wheat fufficient for their confumption, they had great plenty of Indian corn, and did not want other refources to prevent a real famine; and that though their fisheries were fhut up by fea, they did not want fish in their rivers. A few went fo far as to regret, that the bill did not convey punishments adequate to the crimes of the Americans; and dreaded that the famine, which had been fo ftrongly prognosticated,

[F] 4

« ՆախորդըՇարունակել »