AMERICA. 
the adminiftration of their affairs at home. Whatever could 
conduce to the amelioration'of the foil they pofl*efIed, to 
the progrefs of agriculture, or ,to the improvement of 
their domeftic circumftances, was attended to with fo much 
labour and care, that it may be ftriftly laid, that nature 
had given them nothing of which they did not make file 
molt. In the midfi: of this folicitude and toil in matters 
of bufinefs, the affairs of'government were conduced 
with a fteadinefs, prudence, and activity, feldom experi¬ 
enced, and never exceeded, in the belt regulated countries 
of Europe. 
At the beginning of the war with France, commiffion- 
ers from many of the colonies had affembled at Albany, 
and propofed that a great council fliould be formed by de¬ 
puties from the feveral colonies, which, with a general 
governor to be appointed by the crown, fhould be em¬ 
powered to take meafures for the common fafety, and to 
raife money for the execution of their defigns. This pro- 
pofal was not relifhed by the Britifh miniftry; but, in place 
of this plan, it was propofed, that the governors of the co¬ 
lonies, with one or tf.o of their council, fhould affcmble 
and concert meafures for the general defence ; ereft forts, 
levy troops, and draw on the treafury of England for the 
monies that fhould be wanted;- but the treafury to be re- 
imburfed by a tax on the colonies, to be laid by the Bri¬ 
tifh parliament. To this plan, which would imply an 
avowal of the right of parliament to. tax the colonies, the 
provincial alfemblies objected with unfhaken firmnefs. 
I-Ience it feems that the Britifh parliament, even before 
the war, had it in contemplation to exercife the right of 
taxing the colonies, without permitting them to be re- 
prefented. The colonies, however, with an uncommon 
forefight and firmnefs, defeated thefe attempts, and the 
war was carried on by requifitions on the colonies for fup- 
-plies of men and money, or by voluntary contributions. 
But no fooner was peace concluded, than the Englifh 
parliament refumed the fcheme of taxing America; and, 
in March, 1764, a bill was palled, by which heavy duties 
were laid on goods imported by the coloniffs from fuch 
Weft-India iflands as did not belong to Great Britain ; at 
the fame time that thefe duties were to be paid into the 
exchequer in fpecie : and, in the fame feflion, another bill 
was framed to reflrain the currency of paper-money in 
the colonies themfelves. Thefe afts, coming fo clofe up¬ 
on each other, threw the whole colonies into the utmoft 
ferment. Vehement remonflrances were made to the mi¬ 
niftry, and every argument made ufe that reafon or inge¬ 
nuity could fuggeft, but to no purpofe. The Americans, 
thus finding all arguments vain, united in an agreement 
to import no more of the manufactures of Great Britain, 
but to encourage to the utmoft of their power every thing 
of that kind among themfelves. Previous to this, indeed, 
feveral regulations were palled in favour of the commerce 
of the colonies; but they had now imbibed fuch unfa¬ 
vourable fentiments of the Britifh miniftry, that they paid 
very little regard to any thing pretended to be done in 
their favour; or, if thefe adds made any favourable im- 
preflion, it was quickly obliterated by the news of the 
ftamp-aft. The reafon given for this aft fo exceedingly 
obnoxious was, that a fuiri might be raifed fufficient for 
the defehce of the colonies agginft a foreign enemy; but 
this prefence was fo far from giving any fatisfaftion to 
the Americans, that if excited their indignation to the ut- 
xnoft degree. They not only afferfed that they were abun¬ 
dantly able to defend themfelves againft any foreign ene¬ 
my, but denied that England had any right to tax them 
at all, unlefs they were allowed the privilege of fending 
representatives to the Britifh parliament. 
It Would be fuperfluous to enter into any of the argu¬ 
ments ufed by .the contending parties on this important 
ocCafion. The ftamp-aft, after a violent oppofition, was 
palfed, and its reception in America was fuch as might 
have been expefted. The news, and the aft itfelf, firft 
arrived at Bolton,, where.the bells were muffled and rung 
a funeral peal. The aft was firft hawked about the ftreets 
VdL. I. No. 2i>. 
with a death’s head affixed to it, and ftyled the u Folly of • 
England, and the ruin of America and afterwards pub¬ 
licly burnt by the enraged populace. The damps them- 
felves were feized and deftroyed; thofe who were to re¬ 
ceive the (lamp-duties were compelled to relign their offi¬ 
ces; and fuch of the Americans as fided with government 
had their hotifes plundered and burnt. 
It was now found abfolutely necelfary either to yield to 
the Americans, by repealing the obnoxious flatutes, or to 
enforce them by arms. The ferment had difttiled itfelf uni- 
verfally throughout the colonies. Non-importation agree¬ 
ments were every where entered into; and it was even 
refolved to prevent the fale of any more Britifh goods 
after the prefent year. American manufaftures, though 
dearer, as well as inferior in quality to the Britifh, were 
univerfaliy preferred. An aifociation was entered into 
againft eating of lamb, in order to promote the growth of 
wool; and the ladies with chcerfulnefs agreed to renounce 
the ufe of every fpecies of ornament manufaftured in Bri¬ 
tain. Such a general and alarming confederacy determi¬ 
ned the miniftry to repeal fome of the moll obnoxious 
ftatutes; and to this they were the more inclined by a pe¬ 
tition from the firft American congrefs, held at New York 
in October 1765. 
The ftamp-aCt was therefore repealed, to the iiniverfal 
joy of the Americans, and indeed to the general fatisfac- 
tion of the Englifh, vvhofe manufaftures had begun to 
fuft'er very feverely in confequence of the American afib- 
ciation againft them. The. miniftry were confcious, that, 
in repealing this obnoxious aft, they yielded to the Ame¬ 
ricans ; and therefore, to fupport, as they thought, the 
dignity of Great Britain, it was judged proper to publifli 
a declaratory bill, fetting forth the authority of the mo 
ther-country over her colonies, and her power to bind 
them by laws and ftatutes in all cafes whatever. This much 
diminifhed the joy with which the repeal of the ftamp-aft 
was-received in America. It was confidered as a proper 
reafon to enforce any claims equally prejudicial with the 
ftamp-,aft, which might hereafter be fet up; a fpirit of 
jealoufy pervaded the whole continent, and a ftrong party 
was formed, watchful on every occafion to guard againft 
the fuppofed encroachments of the Britifh power. 
It was not long before an occafion offered, in which the 
Americans manifefted a fpirit of abfolute independency; 
and that, inflead of being bound by the Britifh legiflature 
in all cafes, they would not be controuled by it in the molt 
trivial affairs. The Rockingham miniftry had patted an 
aft, providing the troops ftationed in different parts of (he 
colonies with fuch accommodations as were neceffary for 
them. The affembly of New York, however, took upon 
them to alter the mode of execution prefefibed by the aft: 
of parliament, and to fubftitute one of their own. This 
gave great offence to the new miniftry, and rendered 
them, though compofed of thofe who had been aftive 
againft the ftamp-bill, lefs favourable to the colonies than 
in all probability they would have otherwife been. An 
unlucky circumftance at the fame time occurred, which 
threw every thing once more into confufion. One'of the 
new miniftry, Mr. Charles Townfhend, having declared 
that he could find a way of taxing the Americans without 
giving them offence, was called upon to propofe his plan. 
This Was"by impofing a duty upon tea, paper, painters* 
colours, ahdglafs, imported into America. The unduti- 
ful behaviour of the New York affembly, and that of 
Bolton, Which had proceeded in a fimilar manner, caufed 
this bill to meet with lefs oppofition than it otherwife 
might have done. As a punifhment to the refraftory af- 
femblies, the legiffative power was taken from that ot 
New York, until it fhould fully comply with the terms of 
the aft. That of Bofton at laft fubmitted with reluftance, 
The bill for the new ta^es was quickly palled, and fent to 
America in 17 65 J. 
A ferment much greater than that occafioned by the 
ftamp-aft now tyok place, which was further augmented 
by the news that a number of troops had been ordered to 
5 T .repair- 
