stroyed the Merchants' property; then they began to threaten ruin to the commerce of this country, not in support of liberty, but merely to support their own illicit commerce. He had promoted the repeal of the Stamp Act, but would never have taken the part he did, could he have supposed the Ministers who gave up the advantages would have maintained the principle of taxing America; neither would he have consented to a repeal of the Stamp Act, had he not believed that the Ministers of that time would have made some effectual provision for the security and protection of the Merchants who trade to America: instead of which, the Americans were then taught that they had nothing to do but to threaten our Merchants with ruin and our Manufacturers with famine, and then, upon such threats, the Legislature of Great Britain must submit to their will. Three times, in the space of a few years, they had thrown the whole trade of Great Britain into confusion; that it had better be given up than preserved on such conditions. Life itself, was not worth keeping in a state of uncertainty and fear. Things were now brought to a crisis. The conflict must be borne, and he hoped would never end, but in relinquishing our connections with America, or fixing them on a sure and lasting basis. As to the proposal of stopping the Fisheries, whatever distress it might bring on the Americans, they had no reason to complain. It was no more than they had begun to practise themselves. They had taken a resolution as far as in them lay to ruin our Merchants, impoverish our Manufactures, and starve all the West India Islands. To them, therefore, it can only be said—

—Neclex hâc justior ulla,
Quamnecis artificesarte perire suâ.

Lord John Cavendish and Mr. Townshend replied that they had been in office with the right honourable gentleman who spoke last, when the Declaratory Act passed, and afterwards long continued in intimacy with him, but had never heard publickly or privately of his objections to the Declaratory Act before this year. They thought it very odd that he should have voted for several severe and prescriptive Acts, in order to force the Americans to obedience to taxes, since he thought that we had no right to impose any, and that in this respect he had gone far beyond the most zealous partisans of the rights of this country; as little could they reconcile his voting last year against the repeal of the Tea Duty, with his aversion to the right of taxation.

Lord Beauchamp and Sir Richard Sutton supported the motion on the equity of prohibiting the trade of those who had prohibited ours.

Mr. Burke said that he did not mean to trouble the Committee long, nor to be heard beyond those to whom he immediately applied himself. That by the proposed Bill they had disposed of four of their Provinces. Some were troubled with a concealed rebellion; others were concealers of that concealment; some were infected, others next door to the infection. Provision, too, was to be made by licenses and dispensations, and tests for those in the several Provinces who were more innocent or more in favour. But there was a fifth Province for which no provision at all had been made, which was likely to be as great a sufferer as any of the other four, though not in rebellion, or in the neighbourhood of rebellion. This Province had used no other force, but of one kind, which was not very terrible on earth, though it was said to offer violence to Heaven, the force pf prayers and petitions; that this Province was England, which had now several hundreds of thousands of her property in the four Provinces of New England.

He then shewed that New England was not a staple Colony, and could only pay her debts through the Fishery and the Trades which depended upon it; and that to stop their Fishery would be to beggar the English Merchants and Manufacturers. This he explained by entering into the nature of the New England trade. He further said, it had been asserted, falsely, that the New England people had refused to pay their debts. It had been said, also, truly, that they had no compassion on the English Manufacturers. But had their dishonesty been as true as the want of compassion, both might have been natural to those we called Rebels; but what ought we to think of a British Legislature; disabling the payment of debts, and having no bowels of compassion towards the sufferings of our own innocent constituents.

The question then being taken, the Committee divided: For Lord North's motion, 261; against it, 85.

Mr. Speaker resumed the Chair;

Sir Charles Whitworth reported from the Committee that they had made a further progress in the matters to them referred, and that he was directed by the Committee to make a motion when the House will please to receive the same.

Ordered, That the Report be now received.

Sir Charles Whitworth accordingly reported from the said Committee that he was directed by the Committee to move the House that leave be given to bring in a Bill to restrain the Trade and Commerce of the Provinces of Massachusetts Bay and New-Hampshire, and Colonies of Connecticut and Rhode-Island, and Providence Plantation, in North America, to Great Britain, Ireland, and the British Islands in the West Indies; and to prohibit such Provinces and Colonies from carrying on any Fishery on the banks of Newfoundland, or other places therein to be mentioned, under certain conditions, and for a time to be limited;

And Sir Charles Whitworth moved the House accordingly.

Ordered, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to restrain the Trade and Commerce of the Provinces of Massachusetts Bay and New-Hampshire, and Colonies of Connecticut and Rhode-Island, and Providence Plantation, in North America, to Great Britain, Ireland, and the British Islands in the West Indies; and to prohibit such Provinces and Colonies from carrying on any Fishery on the banks of Newfoundland, or other places therein to be mentioned, under certain conditions, and for a time to be limited: And that the Lord North, the Lord Beauchamp, Mr. Attorney General, Mr. Ellis, Mr. Charles Townshend, Mr. Solicitor General, Mr. Cornwall, Mr. Jenkinson, Sir Charles Whitworth, and Mr. Cooper, do prepare, and bring in the same.

Sir Charles Whitworth, also acquainted the House, that he was directed by the Committee to move that they may have leave to sit again.

Resolved, That this House will, upon this day seven-night, resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole House, to consider further of the several Papers which were presented to the House by the Lord North upon the 19th and 31st days of January last, and the first day of this instant, February, by his Majesty's command.

Ordered, That Mr. Alderman Oliver, have leave to make a motion, it being half an hour after eleven of the clock.

And he moved the House accordingly.

Ordered, That there be laid before this House an Account of the amount of the Duties and Excise, drawn back on all Goods of the West Indies, exported from England, for the last three years; distinguishing the several articles, and each year.

Ordered, That there be laid before this House an Account of the amount of the Duties on all Goods imported from the West Indies to England, for the last three years; distinguishing the several articles, and each year.

Ordered, That there be laid before this House an Account of the amount of the Excise on all Goods imported from the West Indies to England, for the last three years; distinguishing the several articles, and each year.

Ordered, That there be laid before this House an Account of the Tonnage of all Ships and Vessels employed in the trade between Great Britain and all the Colonies in North America, and the West Indies, during the three last years; distinguishing each year, and each Colony; likewise the tonnage of all Ships and Vessels employed in the trade with Africa.

MONDAY, February 13, 1775.

Mr. Royer, from the Commissioners of the Customs in Scotland, presented to the House, pursuant to their orders:

An Account of the value of all Goods, Wares, and Merchandise, exported from that part of Great Britain called Scotland, to the British Colonies in North America, from Christmas, 1768, to Christmas, 1769; distinguishing each Colony; and also,