despotism, and arbitrary power; and no person who attended in the least to the present bill, but must see at the first glance it was a compound of them all, and, consequently, like its parent, the very reverse to the laws of England, and totally repugnant to the glorious Constitution which gave them birth. Without pretending to the gift of prophecy, he might venture to foretell that the bill now under consideration would bring destruction on this country; and, applying to the noble Lord in the blue ribbon, asked him, if he was so misled or mistaken, as to imagine that one hundred and twenty or two hundred servile associates would be a sufficient protection to him in the hour of trial, when the nation, finding itself ruined, would rise, almost as one man, to avenge themselves on the guilty authors and advisers of such destructive measures.

Sir Richard Sutton said, that this country had numerous channels for its trade and commerce, and great consumptions within itself; but America had neither. Their rice, tobacco, corn, lumber, indigo, &c., must go to other markets; he therefore thought the bill the most effectual means to restore the people of that country to their senses.

Governour Johnstone opposed hurrying the bill on in such a disgraceful manner; which, he said, was one of the most oppressive and tyrannick measures that could possibly enter into the mind of man to conceive. He observed, that you might put the Americans to the torture, you might starve, proscribe, or do anything which malice or despotism could suggest, but you would never prevail upon them to consent to taxation.

Mr. Fox. I have always said, that the war carrying on against the Americans is unjust, that it is not practicable; but admitting it to be a just war, that it is practicable, I say that the means made use of are by no means such as will obtain the end. I shall confine myself singly to this ground, and show that this bill, like every other measure, proves the want of policy, the folly and madness, of the present set of Ministers. I was in great hopes that they had seen their errour, and had given over coercion, and carrying on war against America by means of acts of Parliament. In order to induce the Americans to submit to your legislature, you pass laws against them, cruel and tyrannical in the extreme. If they complain of one law, your answer to their complaint is, to pass another more rigorous than the former. But they are in rebellion, you say; if they are, treat them as Rebels are wont to be treated. Send out your fleets and armies against them, and subdue them; but let them have no reason to complain of your laws. Show them that your laws are mild, just, and equitable, that they therefore are in the wrong, and deserve the punishment they meet with. The very contrary of this has been your wretched policy. I have ever understood it as a first principle, that in rebellion you punish the individuals, but spare the country; in a war against the enemy, you spare individuals, and lay waste the country. This last has been invariably your conduct against America. I suggested this to you when the Boston Port Bill passed. I advised you to find out the offending persons, and to punish them; but what did you do instead of this? You laid the whole town of Boston under terrible contribution, punishing the innocent with the guilty. You answer, that you could not come at the guilty. This very answer shows how unfit, how unable you are, to govern America. If you are forced to punish the innocent to come at the guilty, your Government there is, and ought to be, at an end. But, by the bill now before us, you not only punish those innocent persons who are unfortunately mixed with the guilty in North-America, but punish and starve whole islands of unoffending people, unconnected with, and separated from them. Hitherto the Americans have separated the right of taxation from your legislative authority; although they have denied the former, they have acknowledged the latter. This bill will make them deny the one as well as the other. What signifies, say they, your giving up the right of taxation, if you are to enforce your legislative authority in the manner you do. This legislative authority so enforced, will, at any time, coerce taxation, and take from us whatever you think fit to demand. It is a bill which should be entitled, a bill for carrying more effectually into execution the resolves of the Congress.

Lord North had not the most distant intention of distressing the inhabitants, or hurting the trade of the Sugar Colonies, Nothing could be further from his thoughts. If, therefore, any of the provisions of the present bill should affect the West-India planters, he was sorry for it: but as things were now circumstanced, he feared it was not to be avoided. In civil convulsions of this kind, it was plain that many must suffer; it was a necessary consequence of such a state of things; but still, if the measure was a good one, or the best, on the whole, that could be devised, it must be taken with all its consequences. Parliament have thought fit to adopt it, and till they think proper to alter their opinion, it is absurd to object that this body of men, that island, or such and such places, will feel the temporary effects of it; but, said his Lordship, till it is made manifest that the inconveniences complained of are shown to outweigh the general interest we have in preserving the depend ancy of America on this country, every argument maintained on the ground of temporary or local inconvenience must be nugatory and absurd.

Mr. Burke said, the noble Lord’s argument came fairly to this: first, determine on your measure, bring it, (or, to use the noble Lord’s usual word,) propose it, or submit it to Parliament; and if any one offers to reason, inquire, or ask questions concerning its propriety, let the adviser, or proposer, or submitter, rise, and very gravely assure his auditors, that all such inquiries, reasons, questions, or objections, are totally nugatory and absurd; for we are not come to argue on it, the measure itself being already determined on. This was a new kind of logick; but very well calculated for expediting publick business, and every way worthy of its noble author and teacher.

Lord George Germaine contended, that the Americans brought the troubles on themselves, by resisting the laws and authority of this country. The gentlemen on the other side say, why did not the Government of Massachusetts-Bay discover the first rioters at Boston, and punish them, and let the matter rest there? I will tell them why. Because the Council refused to co-operate or act with Governour Hutch-inson on that occasion, who did everything in his power to persuade them. Whatever may be urged against this bill, and its advisers, it is, in my opinion, the readiest and surest way to make the Americans submit to the supremacy of this country, and return to their duty; for as soon as any Province submits, its ports will be opened, and its trade and commerce from that moment restored. Whenever peace shall be restored, if I have been in the least instrumental in effecting so desirable an end, I shall feel the. greatest pleasure and happiness from it: and whatever ill-natured interpretation may have been put on my conduct, 1 can assure the House that I never sought nor asked for the office I have the honour to fill, nor wished for it, further than I flattered myself I might be serviceable to my country. I was in a situation which could leave me no temptation to seek emoluments; my fortune had put me above such a wish. His Lordship, after proceeding to enumerate some other circumstances, to show that he took the publick part he did purely from disinterested motives, adverted to something which had fallen, in the course of the debate, relative to one Walker, who, he said, had promoted disturbances in Canada. He informed the House, that the Governour had notice given him of Walker’s intrigues, and had sent to seize him; that he defended himself, and had wounded some of the soldiers that attacked his house; and thus having enraged the soldiers, they set fire to it, and took himself and family prisoners; and that he was now in irons. On the whole, that what the Governour had done was no more than his duty; and had he acted otherwise, it would have been a breach of it. He added, that by the arguments used by the opponents of the bill, they seemed desirous to protract the war; but for his part, he was of opinion, that this bill, backed by the naval and military armaments that would be sent out to enforce it, would be the best means to shorten it; and as there was nothing for which he so ardently wished, as to see the present disputes speedily terminated, he would give the present motion his hearty assent

The House then divided. The noes went forth:

So it was resolved m the affirmative.