120 



secured the ancient limits* of their country, its free 

 trarle,f its exemption from taxationj but by their own 

 assembly, and exchision of mihtary force^ from among 

 them. Yet in every of these ]joints vvas this conven- 

 tion violated by subsequent kings and parliaments, and 

 other infractions of their constitution, efjually danger- 

 ous committed. Their general assembly, which was 

 composed of the council of state and burgesses, sitting 

 together and deciding by plurality of voices, was split 

 into two houses, by which the council obtained a sepa- 

 rate negative on their laws. — Appeals from their su- 

 preme court, which had 'ueen fixed by law in their 

 general assembly, were arbitrarily revoked to England, 

 to be there heard before the king and council. In- 

 stead of four hundred miles on the sea coast, they were 

 reduced, in the space of thirty years, to about one hun- 

 dred miles. Their trade with foreigners was totally 

 suppressed, and when carried to Great Britain, was 

 there loaded with imposts. It is unnecessary, however, 

 to glean up the several instances of injury, as scatter- 

 ed through American and British history, and the more 

 esi)ecially as, by [lassing on to the accession of the pre- 

 sent king, we shall find sjjecinjens of them all, aggra- 

 vated, multiplied and crowded within a small con)f)ass 

 of time, so as to evince a fixed design of considering 

 our rights natural, conventional and chartered as mere 

 nullities. The following is an oftitome of the first fit- 

 teen years of his reign. Tne colonies were taxed in- 

 ternally and externally ; their essential interests sacri- 

 ficed to individuals in Great Britain ; their legislatures 

 sus[»ended ; charters aimulled; trials by juries takni 

 away; their f)ersons subjected to transportation across 

 the Atlantic, and to trial before foreign judicatories; 

 their supplications for redress thought beneath answer; 

 themselves published as cowards in the councils of their 

 mother country and courts of Europe ; armed troops 

 sent amongst them to enforce submission to these vio- 

 lences ; and actual hostilities commenced against them. 



♦ Art, 4. t Art. 7. :}: Art. 3. i Art. 8. 



