|
of Admiralty in that Kingdom? and can an Inhabitant of West
Florida or even of this Province better attend to make good his
Onus probandi at Halifax Is it necessary that Britons should be
Indemnified by Recovery of Damages and Costs for wrongful Seiz-
ures and that Americans should have no Redress for such Injuries
Or will British Officers act with more Tenderness towards Ameri-
cans than towards Britons Is it generous or just that Odious Distinc-
tions should be made between the Subjects of the same State?
Americans as Men are intitled to Justice as Subjects to protection
and as British Subjects to Tryals by Juries they know their Rights
and are grieved at the Infraction whilst America languished under
an almost insupportable Load of Debt to her Mother Country Her
Trade her first Hope equally advantageous to both crampt and
almost ruined by the Act mentioned before and the Number and
Severity of hovering Guarda Costas came the tremendous Stamp
Act armed with all its excessive Penalties big with the entire Ruin
of more than two Millions of Subjects Our Trade is now at an End
Our Specie is drained by Remittances Projects and Enterprizes have
ceased amongst us Our Vessels our Lands are to be sold but there
are no Purchasers We want the British Manufactures but cannot
pay for them What would Great Britain have She had every Thing
by her Trade the Colonists could command She cannot have it by
her Trade and Taxes both By her Trade she allways had the Ballance
gained by the Colonies from Foreigners by her Taxes she throws
the Trade of the Colonies into the Hands of Foreigners nor can she
thereby get Gold and Silver for we have no Mines contrary to the
Conclusion formed on the Silence of this province with Respect to
the Stamp Act by a late Political Writer whose Degree of Reputa-
tion is not known here Every sensible Man amongst us from the
first Intimation we had of the Projects being entertained was of
Opinion that such an Act would be subversive of the Rights of the
Inhitants of this province and that it would be ruinous to the Colonies
and in its Consequences greatly prejudicial to the Interests of Great
Britain But this Province had no Opportunity of remonstrating ag.t
the Measure no Assembly having been called by the Governor (who
has the Power here of convening & proroguing Assemblies) since
the Month of October 1763 'till last September and the first Oppor-
tunity the House of Delegates had of remonstrating against these
Acts was unanimously laid hold of the Materials of which you will
|
