now obliged them to, provided they continued in the discharge of their office. The gentlemen of the law alfo declared that they would lay down their offices rather than be obliged to practice upon ftamp paper. This is an inftance of patriotifm rarely to be met with, and to which the mother country cannot afford a parallel. Thofe that are acquainted with the general character of a people of that profeffion in Great Britain, will be ready to conclude, that the lawyers in Virginia have had a very different education, or that they are not defcendants of the natives of this country. How far they may have been in the right or in the wrong in this particular I will not pretend to fay; it however argued a great degree of self-denial, to give up their bufinefs for the fake of the public intereft. Before the ift of November, when the act was to take place, there was not a sheet of stamp paper to be had throughout the feveral colonies of New England, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, or the two Carolinas, except a parcel at New York, which the government, through fear was obliged to furrender to the corporation, upon condition that they would not destroy it like the reft. Thus, all bu finefs that could not be carried on without stamps, was put to a stand, except newspapers, which the printers, for fear of the populace, were obliged to continue without ftamps. But in Canada, where ftamps were made ufe of, the printers were in a worse fituation, for few or none would buy a newspaper on account of its being ftamped, and the whole lay upon their hands. The courts of justice were now shut up as well as the ports; and even in those colonies where ftamps were ufed, the people of the best rank fubmitted to be called in the churches rather than take out licenfes for private private marriages. This fhews us how far the Enge lish miniftry have deceived themfelves and the public, in reprefenting that where any colony had not totally joined with the rest in oppofition to government, that they were all fatisfied and unanimous. In thofe places where fome leading people had rule, matters were for fome time fmoothed over, and kept in a temper; when at the fame time the far greater part were wholly dif❤ fatisfied with the public measures. The evil confequences of fuch a stagnation in bufinefs began to be felt feverely, and would have cooled a moderate zeal for liberty, where diftrefs was fo manifeft. The friends of government raised their hopes, that from feeling fuch inconveniences, the deluded multitude would return to a due fenfe of their duty, and in a fhort time oppofition would totally fübfide. Men who fet no value upon liberty, are ready to ima gine that all others view it in the fame light, and that in general mankind mean no more by oppofition to power, and by the name of liberty, than to worm themfelves into preferment or places of profit and emo. lument: This may be the cafe with a few, or with fome defigning politicians; but when a whole country catches the flame, there is always more than the hope of court preferment in the cafe. Demagogues may on a particular occafion, miflead fome unthinking people, but it requires more than is in the power of any human addrefs, to lead a continent, unless they have fome rational principle to proceed upon. It is a very common thing for both parties on each fide of a quef tion, to impute the worst defigns to their antagonists, but wherever truth and wisdom are purfued, whatever names may be afcribed to the agents, time will determine both the nature of the caufe, and the principles of the actors. During During this interruption of public bufinefs, fome fruitful expedients were tried to evade the influence of this new law, and among others, the bark of a tree was discovered, which anfwered for a fucedaneum instead of paper, and was fent to the printers at Bofton for their approbation; and as it was neither paper, parchment, nor vellum, the difcoverer wanted to know whether deeds written upon this bark might not be valid though they were not ftamped. In this cafe he was ready to ferve with good writing bark, all those whofe confciences were bound by the late act of parliament. This invention was certainly ingenious, but the propofal was not altogether honeft; for fuch as were free to ufe this vegetable paper, without fcruple of confcience, ought not to have laid a fnare before the confciences of others.* While thefe tranfactions were going on, the affembly of South Carolina, whofe lieutenant-governor refused to tranfact bufinefs without ftamps, addreffed him to knew through what channel the stamp act had been tranfmitted to him. His anfwer was, that he had it first from the attorney-general, and next from Mr Boone, governor of that province. They faid, as F that The writer of the Annual Register lays," At laft the governors of fome of the provinces, though bound by the act to swear to see it obferved, under the fevereft penalties, thinking the total stoppage of all ⚫ public bufinefs, of fuch bad confequence to the community, as to fender lawful the non-compliance with any injunctions laid on them, or ⚫ even the breach of any oath taken by them, in confequence of injunctions, merely for the fake of that community, thought proper to difpeafe with the ufual ftamps, grounding their difpenfation on the impoffibility of procuring any veffels to protect them from the penalties of the act in the other parts of his Majesty's dominions." Though the act bound the governors to fee it obferved upon fevere penalties, yet while they had not worn, they only broke the ftatute, but not their oath. Their making ufe of paper even without ftamps, would have been disobedience to the law, but could be no breach of their o ath, that was the cafe, he had not received it legally, nor were thofe true notifications of the act, as the governor when out of the province, and the attorney-general when in it, could not, with regard to this communication, be confidered in any other light than as private perfons. They gave feveral inftances of the province having fuffered from the accidental detention of government information, fufficient to prove that certain forms were abfolutely to be used in all matters of government, especially fuch as related to authenticating new laws of fuch immenfe confequence to that province. It is highly probable that they had received many laws through channels not more authentic than this now mentioned, but as this was more contrary to their inclination, they were difpofed to make the more objections to it. But the colonists devised a better method to avoid the stamp act. The merchants throughout all these colonies entered into the most folemn engagements to each other, to order no more goods from Great Britain, whatever should be the confequence, and to recal the orders they had already given, if not executed before the 1st of January, 1766; and they refolved further, not even to difpofe of any British goods fent them upon commiffion, that were not shipped before that day; or if they confented to any relaxation from these engagements, it was not to take place till the stamp act, fugar act, and paper money acts were repealed. The people of Philadelphia also refolved by a large majority, that till fuch a repeal should happen, no lawyer fhould put in fuit for a demand for money, owing by a refident in America to any one in England; nor any perfon in America, however indebted in England, make any remittances there. This refolution was adopted by the retailers, who unanimoufly agreed agreed not to buy any more English goods fhipped contrary to these refolutions, Ages to come will be amazed that separate governments, and fo many celonies diftin&t from each other, fhould have united fo speedily in one interest, notwithstanding the influence of government agents among them, who both oppofed all their measures, and endeavoured to fruftate all their defigns. Ideas of freedom, when people are not too much vitiated through the power of venality and dif. fipation, will produce marvellous effects on the behaviour of a people. This controverfy between the mother country and the colonists was for a feafon of great fervice to Ireland. What goods the Americans could not poffibly want they ordered from that country, in exchange for their hemp and flax feed, of which they fent yearly a great quantity. But in the mean time they pursued every rational method to free themselves from that dependance. A fociety of arts, manufactures, and commerce, was inftituted at New-York in imitation of that of London,' and markets were opened for the fale of home-made manufactures. It foon appeared that neither the natives nor thofe manufacturers which they had invited from Britain and other nations, were idle; they gave good encouragement, and they found workmen in abundance. They made progrefs in the woollen and linen manufactures, in feveral fpecies of coarfer iron ware, malt, fpirits, and paper hangings. These were fhewn to the fociety and approved, and when brought to the market were greedily purchased and to furnish materials for the woollen work, most of the inhabitants came to a refolution to eat no lamb; and to extend this defign. more universally, they determined not to deal with any butcher that should kill or expofe any lamb to fale for a |