Introduction 



in him: yet in neither case can he exempt them from 

 the jurisdiction of the legislature of the kingdom. 



He may grant them, under leases or charters, to 

 individuals or companies, with liberty of making 

 rules and regulations for the internal government 

 and improvement of them; but such regulations must 

 ever be consistent with the laws of the kingdom, and 

 subject to their control. 



On the other hand, I am extremely dubious, 

 whether it be consistent with the general principles 

 of liberty (with those of the British constitution I 

 think it is not) to tax where there is no representation: 

 the arguments hitherto adduced from Manchester 

 and Birmingham, and other great towns, not having 

 representatives, are foreign to the subject; at least 

 they are by no means equal to it; for every in- 

 habitant, possessed of forty shillings freehold, has 

 a vote in the election of members for the county: but 

 it is not the persons, but the property of men that is 

 taxed, and there is not a foot of property in this king- 

 dom that is not represented. 



It appears then, that certain principles exist in 

 the British constitution, which militate with each 

 other; the reason of their doing so is evident; it was 

 never supposed that they would extend beyond the 

 limits of Great Britain, or affect so distant a country 

 as America. It is much to be wished, therefore, that 

 some expedient could be thought of to reconcile them. 



The conduct of the several administrations that 

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