216 HISTORY OF THE [book vi. 
bute, at the same time, to the augmentation of its 
own riches and power. And such, before the late 
unfortunate divisions, was the commercial system 
adopted by Great Britain and submitted to by her 
American colonies. To discriminate the several 
parts, properties, and effects of this great arrange¬ 
ment of restriction and monopoly; to shew that it 
secured every degree of authority in the parent 
over the child, which is consistent with the happi¬ 
ness and freedom of mankind, (the ends of all just 
government); and finally, that it might have an¬ 
swered, in the fullest degree, even the objects of 
revenue and contribution, if Great Britain had hap¬ 
pily confined her pretensions to the limits origi¬ 
nally prescribed by herself-for these purposes 
it would be necessary to enter into a large and com¬ 
prehensive discussion, to which the design of my 
work does not extend. How far the British sugar 
islands constituted a part of, and were comprised 
in, the general system, I shall endeavour to point 
out in the subsequent chapters. 
