47

A. D. 1766.

YEAR OF GEORGE III. 6 & 7.

PARLIAMENT 5 & 6.

Petitions to Parliament respecting America. Declaratory Act, and Repeal of the Stamp Act. - Repeal of the Cyder Tax. - Bill for Free Ports in the West Indies.-Resolution against General Warrants. Dissolution of the Rockingham Administration, and new Ministry. Mr. Pitt created Earl of Chatham.-Riots. - Embargo on the Exportation of Corn. Advance in the Dividend of the East India Company. Opposition of French Parliaments to the Court. Execution of Lally. --Insurrection at Madrid. - Dissensions in Poland. - Insurrection in Sweden. - Death of the King of Denmark, and Marriage of his Successor.- Prince of Orange assumes the Stadtholderate of the United Provinces.

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THE meeting of parliament on January 14th, was opened by a speech from the throne referring almost solely to the dispute with the colonies, now become of so much serious moment. The tables of both houses were soon covered with petitions from the most considerable commercial and manufacturing towns in the kingdom, complaining of the great decay of trade consequent on the new laws and regulations made for America. They stated that large sums were owing to Great Britain from the colonies, which the latter declared themselves unable to pay, on account of the taxes and restrictions laid upon them, that numerous bankruptcies had been the result, and that the utter ruin of many branches of trade was to be feared, unless some alteration were made in the system. A petition was also presented from Jamaica, setting forth the evils which had attended the imposition of a stamp tax, by the assembly of that island, and which had therefore been suffered to expire. Petitions also were transmitted from Virginia and Georgia, relative

to the same subject; the other colonies preserved an ominous silence. This spirit of petitioning was not displeasing to the ministry, who had determined upon the repeal of the obnoxious tax; but the subject was attended with considerable difficulty.

The Grenville ministry who had laid the tax, were of course adverse to its repeal, as a measure of pusillanimity which would encourage the colonies in future resistance to the authority of the mother-country. They who were convinced of the necessity of the repeal, divided upon the principle concerning the right of taxation. Some, who were the smaller number, absolutely denied the existence of such a right where taxation was not accompanied with representation, contending that the two were inseparable in a free constitution, and that the maxim "that no man shall be taxed but by himself or his representative," was fundamental in the plan of British liberty. Of this opinion Mr. Pitt was one of the most strenuous supporters; and in the warmth of debate he did not hesitate to exclaim, "I rejoice that America has resisted; three millions of people so dead to all feelings of liberty as voluntarily to submit to be slaves, would have been fit instruments to make slaves of all the rest." But the greater num ber, among whom were included the ministers, would by no means admit this abstract proposition, and brought many arguments from historical fact to prove that it had not been acted upon, and with respect to the colonies, that they had always been regarded as bound by every regulation of the British parliament, and that the protection they received was a sufficient ground for a right of taxation. So conformable was this idea of superiority to the general sentiments of the members of the House of Commons, that upon the question being put, a declaration of the power of the legislature of Great Britain over her colonies in all cases whatsoever, was carried without a division, the ministers and opposition agreeing upon this point. Upon this resolution a declaratory act was framed and passed, which at the same time condemned in strong

terms the resistance made in America to the orders of government, and annulled all the proceedings of the colonial assemblies derogatory to the authority of parliament. This assertion of supremacy was, however, immediately followed by a repeal of the stamp act, carried by a majority of 275 to 167. The bill being brought up to the House of Lords by above 200 members, it encountered a vigorous opposition in that assembly, but was passed by a majority of 34, and on March 18th received the royal assent. This event was hailed by the general joy of the trading part of the nation; and the satisfaction with which it was received in America was little impaired by the declaratory

act.

The repeal of the cyder-tax was another sacrifice made by the present ministry to the desire of rendering their administration popular. It was followed by a bill for opening free ports under certain restrictions in different parts of the West Indies; by regulations taking off some of the impediments to which the commercial system of the colonies had been subjected; by a modification of the window-tax, rendering it easier to the lower and middle classes; and (what was more important in a constitutional view) by a parliamentary resolution declaring the illegality of the seizure of persons and papers by general warrants, except in cases prescribed by direct statutes. The ministers had the further merits of concluding an advantageous commercial treaty with Russia; of settling a long contest with the French court relative to bills issued in Canada, the payment of which had been refused; and of making a progress in bringing to a termination the matter of the Manilla ransom, which the subterfuges of Spain had thrown into neglect. It appeared, however, that the spirit of their administration, approved as it was by the nation at large, by no means concurred with the sentiments of those whose favourable opinion is essential to the stability of men in office. Overtures were made by the confidential cabinet to some leading persons for the formation of a new ministry; and on

July 30th the public was surprised by the announcement of the following changes: the Duke of Grafton at the head of the Treasury, in the room of the Marquis of Rockingham; the Earl of Shelburne one of the Secretaries of State, in the room of the Duke of Richmond; Lord Camden (Pratt) Lord Chancellor, in the room of Lord Northington; Right Honourable C. Townshend Chancellor of the Exchequer, in the room of the Right Honourable W. Dowdeswell; and the Right Honourable William Pitt (now raised to the title of Earl of Chatham) Lord Privy Seal. It was to the honour of the retiring ministers that they bargained for neither place, pension, or reversion, for themselves or their friends; and the public esteem for the character and conduct of the Marquis of Rockingham was testified by numerous addresses presented to him on his resignation. Of the new ministry, Lord Chatham was regarded as the former and head; and it was no small diminution of his popularity, that he had lent his influence to the overthrow of an administration which had hazarded their seats by the support of principles similar to those professed by himself.

In the autumn, tumults and riots broke out in various parts of the kingdom, in consequence of the high price of provisions, and it was found necessary in several places to call in military aid for their suppression. Many lives were lost, and a special commission was issued for the trial of the apprehended rioters, which acted with all the lenity that the case would allow. Government at the same time took measures for remedying the evil, one of which was the laying of an embargo on the exportation of wheat, by the royal authority, parliament at that time being in a state of prorogation. When that assembly met, a bill of indemnity was brought in for the protection of all persons who had acted in obedience to the act of council ordering the embargo, from any prosecution which might be instituted against them on that account. It being remarked as an omission in the bill, that no indemnity was provided for the advisers of the measure, but only for its

executors, an amendment was proposed for the purpose. This occasioned warm debates, especially in the House of Lords, where it appeared very extraordinary to see Lords Camden and Chatham taking the high ground of prerogative, and arguing for a suspending power in the crown, whilst Lord Mansfield took the contrary ground of the law and constitution. The arguments of the latter preponderated, and the bill passed in its amended form.

The augmentation of the revenues of the East India Company, consequent upon the treaties with the native princes concluded in the last year, produced long debates during the summer and autumn between the directors and the proprietors of India stock, relative to the expediency of an increase of dividend; and it was at length voted by a great majority, that it should be raised from six to ten per cent. A great advance in India stock was one result of this measure; and another was, that a message was sent from government to the Company, intimating an intention of taking its affairs into public consideration.

This year was marked by internal commotions in various parts of Europe. In France, the rising spirit of liberty, so conspicuous in the late proceedings of the parliaments, still maintained a contest with the arbitrary power of the court, though supported by no other strength than that of opinion. In March, the parliament of Rouen sent a grand deputation to the King for the purpose of remonstrating against the treatment of the parliament of Britany. Having in their remonstrance reminded the king of his coronation oath, in terms insinuating a compact between sovereign and people, his Majesty, in his answer, alluding to it, disclaimed their interpretation, by saying, "The oath, which I have taken, not to the nation, as you take upon you to assert, but to God alone -" In Britany itself, the spirit of resistance continued unsubdued. The counsellors of parliament refused to obey the King's express order that they should resume their functions; alleging that the oath which they had