1 the Spaniards. They had taken fome prifoners from an Indian belonging to Spain. Mr Archdale, when he heard of this, immediately ordered the king of the Tammafees to repair to Charlestown with his prisoners, which he did, when Archdale commanded him to march to St. Auguftine, where he was to prefent them, with a letter to the Spanish governor. All which the Indian prince moft punctually obeyed; and Mr Archdale received a very polite letter from the governor This act of juftice was the beginning of mutual good offices between the two nations; for the Spaniards foon after made the like return to the English governor of Carolina. in return. His The Earl of Bath came at laft to be palatine, who was an enthusiastic zealot for the church of England; his great ambition was to establish that worship in Carolina, exclufive of all others; the fame doctrine being inforced in England by the bill against occafional conformity. One Moor was at this time governor, a man tractable to the views of the palatine. character in the hiftory of that time is far from being amiable; he was poffeffed of a perfecuting fpirit, which will, on all occafions, tarnish a man's character, even fuppofe it had no other blots upon it. Though it never happens that a man truly good will ever perfecute others for confcience fake. Moor feems to have been a man void of all principle, as his after behaviour teftified; for upon the breaking out of the war with Spain, he carried on a flave trade, which difgraced both the proprietaries and himself. He fold the Spanish Indians to the Britifh jflands, at a lower price than they could purchase African flaves, and by that means made a confiderable advantage to himself. But his violence and injuftice had almoft proved the ruin of the colony. Moor Moor was fucceeded by Johnson, a man of the fame principles and temper, and carried on matters with great violence; under his government a bill was brought in to exclude all perfons from being chofe members of the commons house, who did not conform to the religious worship of the church of England. This was exprefsly contrary to the conftitutions of the colony. By this law all diffenters were difqualified, though legally elected, from fitting in the affembly, and the candidate who had the greatest number of votes, after the difqualified diffenter was fet afide, was admitted. The diffenters were now fadly harraffed, by a fet of tyrannical managers, and left without all redrefs, and many foolish and oppreffive things were done, inconfiftent with the spirit of all good government. Such was the madnefs of the Tories in that colony, that they proceeded from one thing to another till they broke their charter, and were obliged, to furrender it into the hands of the queen in 1705. It is fomewhat ftrange, that in all governments where a tyranny is carried on, they work its diffolution in the end; and where liberty is fupported, that the weakest governments encrease, and at laft flourish. From the many examples of this, in the hiftory of mankind, one would think that fovereigns and rulers would learn to fupport liberty for their own fake, and that of their fucceffors, becaufe they have fo many inftances of the falls of empires and governments, when once they begin to introduce oppreffion. One thing which the oppreffion of the palatine and governors produced was, a rifing of the Indians, whom they proceeded to opprefs as well as the colonists. The power of the proprietaries was now funk to nothing, and fo weak was their adminiftration, that the colonists in Carolina were obliged to apply to the crown to take take them under its protection; which the government of England pretended implied a refumption of their charter. The proprietaries found that they were not able to carry on a war against the Indians upon their own bottom, they therefore refolved to furrender their charter, which they accordingly did, to a number of perfons in truft for the crown. It is plain that the arbitrary principles of the proprietaries and their managers, almoft ruined the colony, and loft them their charter. There is fomething of infatuation, for the most part, that attends people that grafp at unreasonable dominion, for they never can tell when they have enough, and stretch their power so far that they over-reach themfelves. The defire of dominion over others is fweet to the most part of mankind, but there is nothing in nature more unreasonable, nor any thing that argues more a weaknefs of understanding than the defire thereof. In proceeding through the history of the fmalleft colonies, we may fee their ruin infeperably connected with arbitrary government; and that whenever the ideas of liberty are loft, profperity ends, and confufion begins. It is of no fignification whether a few or many exercise tyranny, the effects will be the fame, and will always follow their caufe. Civil and religious liberty are effential to all good government; for there is in fact no government without them; they are the fprings. of both rational rule and obedience. Without thefe two fprings, all forms of government will be tyrannical, and all profeffions of obedience, hypocrify and diffimulation. Unlefs men fuppofe themfelves free, they will never obey from the heart, and legiflators have but a poor hold of mankind, when they rule them only by principles of fear. This may reftrain fome from acts of violence, but it will never ftimulate men men to great and noble actions. There is not a great action recorded in the whole hiftory of flavery, fince. the creation of the world. Although in this and the two preceding years, very little was done in parliament concerning American affairs, yet the progrefs of the miniftry, and the court party in parliament, became more and more alarming to the friends of liberty in the British empire. The moft facred rights of private property, which had been fecured by royal patent, confirmed by the fanction of parliament, were now confirmed by a junto of minifterial puppets, who acted at the nod of the political commander in chief. The Eaft India company, whom experience had convinced of the infidelity of their fervants in the eastern parts of the world, had determined to fend out fome friends whom they could confide in,in the character of fupervifors, to rectify paft abuses, and to direct the affairs of the company in time coming, till things were put in fuch order as the intention of their inftitution required. Though the company had been taken in fome meafure into the hands of adminiftration, and their affairs came under the cognizance of parliament, as early as the year 1767, yet nothing had been done all this time towards their regulation and fettlement, except the reftricting of their dividends, refcinding their acts and the obtaining from them, without any vifible equivalent, immenfe fums of money, which were far beyond their abilities. No order was taken fuited to the change in their condition and circumftances, for the regulation and government of their new acquifitions; nor any new powers lodged in their hands to counterbalance the vaft trufts which they were now under a neceffity of repofing in their fervants; nor to reftrain or prevent thofe evils which ordinarily attend the the fudden tranfition from the direction of a countinghoufe, to the government of an extenfive territory. These disorders had been vifible for fome time past, and if government had merely intended the welfare of the company, they would have applied the benevolent influence of their power, as foon as they perceived the rife and progrefs of that evil, which they now confidered to be fo imminent, and of fuch a dangerous nature. It was alledged that government had voluntarily permitted these disorders to go on, that by fuffering the company to render themfelves odious and ridiculous, through the mifconduct of their fervants, an handle might be made thereof, to fhew its incapacity of governing fuch large poffeffions, and to prepare the nation for the changes that were intended to fucceed. Whether this allegation was true or falfe, it is certain that the bad administration in India, with all its confequences, were fuffered to pafs unnoticed; and it is manifeft in the tranfactions of the year 1772, that though the affairs of the company were alluded to, at the opening of the feffions, in the fpeech from the throne, they were, notwithstanding, fuffered to lie over till near the close thereof, when a bill was brought in by the deputy-chairman, for enlarging the controuling powers of the company, with refpect to their fervants, in the eaftern parts of the world. This bill however came to nothing. But a member in the king's fervice, not indeed connected with the miniftry, whether with or without their advice, at length roufed their attention to this object. This gave rife to a felect committee, which was armed with full powers for all purposes of enquiry,concerning the officers of the company. The whole company were now greatly alarmed, and not only dreaded the rigour of an enquiry, but from |