57 
chap, ii.] WEST INDIES. 
rity, exercised the powers of legislature, by in¬ 
troducing an alteration of their former laws, and 
establishing a new system of government over the 
inhabitants. cc No man (observed his lordship, in 
the case of Ireland) ever said, that the change in 
the laws of that country was made by the parlia¬ 
ment of England: no man ever said the crown 
could not do it.” 
With the utmost deference, however, to the 
sentiments of this great and enlightened lawyer, 
I presume to think, that the question was not sim¬ 
ply, whether the crown alone, or the parliament 
of England had the right of exercising the autho¬ 
rity contended for?—I will even admit that the in¬ 
terposition of parliament was unnecessary. Still, 
however, the main question remains to be answer¬ 
ed, which is. To what extent may the royal pre¬ 
rogative in such cases he exerted? Did the noble 
c> 
judge mean to assert, that conquest destroys all 
the rights of the conquered, and that the king, 
in changing their laws and form of government, 
has a right to prescribe to them, not. merely the 
English constitutions —but any other system he 
thinks best? If such was the opinion, it may be af¬ 
firmed, that the cases which his lordship adduced in 
support of his argument warrant no such conclu¬ 
sion. 
The first case was that of Ireland. “ The fuct, 
says the noble lord, comes out clearly to be, that 
Ireland received ike laws of England by the char- 
Vol. IE h 
