^92 A. D. 1776. 



The governor and leglflature of Bermuda, greatly alarmed at the 

 power exercifed in the Turk's iflands by the governor and legiflature of 

 the Bahamas, fent home a memorial, wherein they dated, that thofe 

 iflands, originally difcovered by their anceftors, had been occupied by 

 them for above a century without any interruption, except from hoftile 

 powers ; and that in the reign of Queen Anne the Spaniards, after tak- 

 ing pon^eilion of them, had been driven off by the Bermudians. They 

 reprefented, that, fince they had given up the culture of tobacco, which 

 could be more profitably raifed on the continent, they had no other 

 method of employing their people than in raking fait on Turk's iflands, 

 and that of 800 people, now refiding there for that purpofe, 750 were 

 Bermudians. That the pretenfions of Bahama to the fuperiority of 

 Turk's iflands were quite new, and the interference of any other legif- 

 lature than their own in a bufinefs hitherto carried on folely by them- 

 felves mufl: be ruinous to them and their families, and detrimental to 

 the northern fiflieries and the general commerce of the Britifli em- 

 pire. 



July 4'*^ — The congrefs of America, laying afide all thoughts of a 

 reconciliation with the Britifli government, ifllaed a proclamation on the 

 fourth day of July, whereby they declared The United states of Ame- 

 rica free and independent, with * full power to levy war, conclude peace, 

 ' contradt alliances, eftablifli commerce, and to do all other ads and 

 ' things, which independent ftates may of right do.' This day forms a 

 new sera in America ; and from it the dates of all public papers are 

 dated in fuch a year of their independence, as kings date theirs by the 

 years of their reigns. 



July The people employed by the manufadurers in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Shepton-Mallet in Somerfet-fliire, being offended at the 

 eredlion of fome machinery in that town for the abridgement of labour 

 in the woollen manufadure, afTembled in a riotous manner, and de- 

 ftroyed the obnoxious machinery, before they could be difperfed by the 

 military. 



All enlightened writers on the fubjed of commercial and political 

 economy agree in the great advantage of the abridgement of labour, 

 even to the very people, who feel fome inconvenience on the firft. intro- 

 dudion of it, and have not fufficient fagacity to fee that the extenfion 

 of the manufadure mufl foon find increafed, and more profitable, em- 

 ployment for them all. It is machinery that produces the great works 

 of civiUzed nations with lefs manual labour than favage nations beflow 

 upon procuring a fcanty fubfiflence, which fcarcely keeps them alive. 

 It is machinery that enables the Britifli manufadurer to give higher 

 wages to his workmen than thofe of other nations do, while he fur- 

 niihes his goods fo much cheaper, and alfo better (for machinery works 

 with uniform regularity) that they obtain a decided preference in every 



