CHAPTER FOURTH.

GENERAL HISTORY.

FROM THE PEACE OF 1763, TO THE PEACE OF 1783.

THE period embraced in this chapter, is one of the most important and interesting in American history. The war which ended in 1763, disclosed the military strength of the British colonies, and inured them to the toils and privations of the camp. They acquired military skill, and became accustomed to military discipline, under the experienced commanders which were sent here by the mother country. Instead of being exhausted, they were enriched by this war. Many valuable prizes, the product neither of their industry nor care, were taken from the enemy and brought into their ports. The mother country paid them large sums for their personal services, and much of the money expended on her own troops in the service, centred here. All that Great Britain gained, were splendid victories, a vast accumulation to her national debt, and jurisdiction over provinces, which all experience since, has shown to be more costly than valuable to her.

These circumstances, with others, induced the British government to attempt raising a revenue from her colonies, by enforcing her navigation acts, which had always been a dead letter, and by imposing stamp and other duties. The colonists had riot

ed too long in the full enjoyment of liberty, to submit tamely to these burdens. They insisted that they were entitled to all the rights of native born Englishmen; among which, and, by no means the least valuable, was the right of taxing themselves. However the colonies differed in their origin, or in their political or religious constitutions, they all agreed in this, that the right of imposing taxes resided in the colonial legislatures and not in the British parliament. The stamp duty was felt by every individual, in the common and ordinary transactions of life, and thus it aroused the whole mass at once, to resistance. Long before the stamped paper arrived the people had determined that it should not be used. Those appointed to distribute it, were generally compelled to resign their offices. In some places, they suffered personal indignities, and in others, their houses and property were destroyed, by the populace. No open act of violence occurred in Providence. A special town meeting convened on the 7th day of August, 1765, to consider what steps were necessary to be taken. They appointed Stephen Hopkins, Nicholas Cooke, Samuel Nightingale, jr. John Brown, Silas Downer and James Angell, a committee to draft instructions to their representatives in the General Assembly. At an adjourned meeting on the 13th of the same month, they reported the following instructions which were adopted unanimously.

"As a full and free enjoyment of British liberty and of our particular rights, as colonists, long since precisely known and ascertained by uninterrupted practice and usage from the first

settlement of this country down to this time, is of unspeakable value, and strenuously to be contended for, by the dutiful subjects of the best frame of government in the world, any attempts to deprive them thereof, must be very alarming and ought to be opposed, although in a decent manner, yet with the utmost firmness.

We conceive that some late resolutions of the Parliament of Great Britian, for taxing us without our consent, have a tendency to divest us of our most valuable privileges as Englishmen ; and that the measures adopted by the ministry and the Parliament, in this behalf, if carried into execution, will be a manifest infraction of our inherent rights as members of the British government and unspeakably injurious in the present distressed and involved state of the colony.

The ministry, in justification of this encroachment upon the incontestible rights of his Majesty's liege subjects in these parts of the world, have pretended that the colonies are represented in Parliament by the British members; the contrary is so evident, that a bare denial is sufficient to refute it.

The refusal of Parliament to hear the humble petitions of the colonies against the Stamp-Act, the enlargement of the admiralty jurisdiction and the burdening of trade, we look upon as a great grievance, and directly against our rights, as subjects.

With the utmost concern and dread, we consider the extension of the powers of the court of admiralty, and must freely declare to the whole world, that we look upon our natural rights to be diminished in the same proportion, as the powers of that court are extended; and in this particular, we are unhappily distinguished from our fellow subjects in Great Britian.

We think it needful in this critical conjuncture, to give unto you who are our deputies, some instructions to be by you observed in your representation of us in the General Assembly.

In the first place, we recommend it to you, in the most express manner, to use your utmost endeavors that commissioners be appointed by the Assembly to meet with the commissioners from the other colonies on the continent, at New-York on the first day of October next, agreeably to the proposals and request of the province of the Massachusetts Bay, signified to this colony, in order to unite in a petition to the King, for relief from the Stamp-Act and other grievances.

In the choice of these commissioners, we are assured from our knowledge of your virtue, that you will pay more attention to merit, skill in public business and zeal for the welfare of the colonies, than to any other consideration.

We likewise request you to do all in your power, consistent with our relation to Great Britian, toward postponing the introduction of the Stamp-Act into this colony until the colonies may have opportunity to be heard in defence of such just rights as they will be deprived of by an execution of it. And to this end that you endeavor to procure our essential rights and privileges to be asserted in General Assembly, by votes or resolves to the following effect, to wit.

I. That the first adventurers, settlers of this his Majesty's colonyand dominion of Rhode-Island and Providence Plantations, brought with them and transmitted to their posterity, and all other his Majesty's subjects since inhabiting in this his Majesty's colony, all the privileges and immunities, that have, at any time, been held, enjoyed and possessed by the people of Great Britian.

II. That by a charter granted by King Charles the second, in the 15th year of his reign, it is declared and granted unto the Governor and company of this colony and their successors, that all and every subject of his said Majesty, his heirs and successors, which were then planted within the said colony, or which should thereafter go to inhabit within the said colony, and all and every of their children, which had been born there, or which should afterwards be born there, or on the sea, going thither, or returning from thence, should have and enjoy all the liberties and immunities of free and natural subjects within any of the dominions of his said Majesty, his heirs or successors, to all intents, constructions and purposes whatsoever, as if they and every of them were born within the realm of England.

III. That his Majesty's liege people of this colony have enjoyed the right of being governed by their own Assembly in the article of taxes and internal police; and that the same hath never been forfeited, or in any other way yielded up, but hath been constantly recognized by the King and people of Britian.

IV. That therefore, his Majesty or his substitutes, together with the General Assembly of this colony, have in their representative character, the only exclusive right to lay taxes and

imposts upon the inhabitants of this colony; and that every attempt to vest such power in any person or persons whatever, other than the General Assembly aforesaid, is unconstitutional, and hath a manifest tendency to destroy British, as well as American, liberty.

V. That his Majesty's liege people, the inhabitants of this colony, are not bound to yield obedience to any law or ordinance designed to impose any internal taxation whatsoever upon them, other than the laws and ordinances of the General Assembly aforesaid.

And inasmuch as it hath lately been drawn into question, how far the people of this his Majesty's dominion of Rhode-Island, have the right of being tried by juries, we earnestly recommend it to you, to procure an act to be passed, if it may be done, declaring that the courts of common law only, and not any court of admiralty, have and ought to have jurisdiction, in all causes, growing or arising in this colony on account of levying or collecting any internal taxes, or of any matters relating thereto.— And that such process and way of trial, shall hereafter be had and used in such matters, as have been usual and accustomed, time out of mind; and further, that no decree of any court of admiralty, respecting these matters, shall be executed in thiscolony.

We think that an address of thanks ought to be voted by the General Assembly to those gentlemen who distinguished themselves at the last session of Parliament, in defence of liberty and the colonies; in particular to General Conway and Colonel Isaac Barre.

As to other matters, not of such general concernment as the foregoing, we leave their management to your prudence and judgment, in which we put the greatest confidence."

The first four of these resolutions are couched in nearly the same language with those passed by the house of Burgesses in Virginia. They were introduced there by the celebrated Patrick Henry, and were adopted with some slight amendments. He also offered there the fifth, which was rejected. They were introduced into the General Assembly of this