contribution to the exigencies, whatever they may be, of the British empire; but they make this participation of the publick burthen a duty of very uncertain extent, and imperfect obligation, a duty temporary, occafional, and elective, of which they referve to themselves the right of fettling the degree, the time, and the duration, of judging when it may be required, and when it has been performed.

They allow to the fupreme power nothing more than the liberty of notifying to them its demands or its neceffities. Of this notification they profefs to think for themselves, how far it fhall influence their counfels, and of the neceffities alledged, how far they fhall endeavour to relieve them. They affume the exclufive power of fettling not only the mode, but the quantity of this payment. They are ready to co-operate with all the other dominions of the king; but they will co-operate by no means which they do not like, and at no greater charge than they are willing to bear.

This claim, wild as it may seem, this claim, which fuppofes dominion without authority, and fubjects without fubordination, has found among the libertines of policy many clamorous and hardy vindicators. The laws of nature, the rights of humanity, the faith of charters, the danger of liberty, the encroachments of ufurpation, have been thundered in our ears, fometimes by interested faction, and fometimes by honeft ftupidity.

It is faid by Fontenelle, that if twenty philofophers fhall refolutely deny that the presence of the fun makes the day, he will not defpair but whole nations may adopt the opinion. So many political dogmaM 2

tifts

tifts have denied to the Mother-country the power of taxing the Colonies, and have enforced their denial with fo much violence of outcry, that their fect is already very numerous, and the publick voice fufpends its decifion.

In moral and political questions the contest between intereft and justice has been often tedious and often fierce, but perhaps it never happened before, that juftice found much oppofition with intereft on her fide.

For the fatisfaction of this inquiry, it is neceffary to confider how a Colony is constituted, what are the terms of migration as dictated by nature, or fettled by compact, and what focial or political rights, the man lofes, or acquires, that leaves his country to establish himself in a diftant plantation?

Of two modes of migration, the history of mankind informs us, and fo far as I can yet difcover, of two only.

In countries where life was yet unadjufted, and policy unformed, it fometimes happened that by the diffentions of heads of families, by the ambition of daring adventurers, by fome accidental preffure of diftrefs, or by the mere difcontent of idleness, one part of the community broke off from the rest, and numbers, greater or smaller, forfook their habitations, put themselves under the command of fome favourite of fortune, and with or without the confent of their countrymen or governors, went out to fee what better regions they could occupy, and in what place, by conqueft or by treaty, they could gain a habitation,

*

Sons

Sons of enterprife like thefe, who committed to their own fwords their hopes and their lives, when they left their country, became another nation, with defigns, and profpects, and interefts, of their own. They looked back no more to their former home; they expected no help from thofe whom they had left behind; if they conquered, they conquered for themfelves; if they were deftroyed, they were not by any other power either lamented or revenged.

Of this kind feem to have been all the migrations of the early world, whether hiftorical or fabulous, and of this kind were the eruptions of thofe nations which from the North invaded the Roman empire, and filled Europe with new fovereignties.

But when by the gradual admiffion of wifer laws and gentler manners, fociety became more compacted and better regulated, it was found that the power of every people confifted in union, produced by one common intereft, and operating in joint efforts and confiftent counfels.

From this time independence perceptibly wafted away. No part of the nation was permitted to act for itself. All now had the fame enemies and the fame friends; the government protected individuals, and individuals were required to refer their defigns to the prosperity of the government.

By this principle it is, that ftates are formed and confolidated. Every man is taught to confider his own happiness as combined with the publick profperity, and to think himself great and powerful, in proportion to the greatnefs and power of his go

vernors.

Had the Western continent been difcovered between the fourth and tenth century, when all the northern world was in motion; and had navigation been at that time fufficiently advanced to make fo long a paffage eafily practicable, there is little reafon for doubting but the intumefcence of nations would have found its vent, like all other expanfive violence, where there was leaft refiftance; and that Huns and Vandals, instead of fighting their way to the south of Europe, would have gone by thousands and by myriads under their feveral chiefs to take poffeffion of regions fmiling with pleasure and waving with fertility, from which the naked inhabitants were unable to repel them.

Every expedition would in those days of laxity have produced a distinct and independent ftate. The Scandinavian heroes might have divided the country among them, and have spread the feudal fubdivifion of regality from Hudson's Bay to the Pacifick Ocean.

But Columbus came five or fix hundred years too late for the candidates of fovereignty. When he formed his project of discovery, the fluctuations of military turbulence had subsided, and Europe began to regain a fettled form, by established government and regular fubordination, No man could any longer erect himself into a chieftain, and lead out his fellow-fubjects by his own authority to plunder or to war, He that committed any act of hoftility by land or fea, without the commiffion of fome acknowledged fovereign, was confidered by all mankind as a robber or pirate, names which were

now

t

now of little credit, and of which therefore no man was ambitious.

Columbus in a remoter time would have found his way to fome difcontented Lord, or fome younger brother of a petty fovereign, who would have taken fire at his propofal, and have quickly kindled with equal heat a troop of followers; they would have built fhips, or have feized them, and have wandered with him at all adventures as far as they could keep hope in their company. But the age being now past of vagrant excurfion and fortuitous hoftility, he was under the neceffity of travelling from court to court, fcorned and repulfed as a wild projector, an idle promiser of kingdoms in the clouds: nor has any part of the world yet had reason to rejoice that he found at laft reception and employment.

In the fame year, in a year hitherto difaftrous to mankind, by the Portuguese was discovered the paffage of the Indies, and by the Spaniards the coast of America. The nations of Europe were fired with boundless expectations, and the difcoverers pursuing their enterprife, made conquests in both hemispheres of wide extent, But the adventurers were contented with plunder; though they took gold and filver to themfelves, they feized islands and kingdoms in the name of their fovereigns. When a new region was gained, a governor was appointed by that power which had given the commiffion to the conqueror; nor have I met with any European but Stukeley of London, that formed a defign of exalting himself in the newly found countries to independent dominion.