tices; in the place of this, iffued paftoral letters which almoft were generally difregarded. The nobleffe alone, who were chiefly confidered in the Quebec act, fhewed a zeal against the English colonists; but as they ftood feparated from the great body of the people, they fhewed no formidable degree of ftrength. These proceedings fully fhew the real intention of this popifh, abfurd, and unconftitutional law; that it was formed with no other defign than to make popery, as far as its profeffors would comply with the orders of state, fubfervient to arbitrary government. It was by no means to eafe the confciences of catholics, nor to ferve the purposes of their religion, nor thofe of any other form of godlinefs, but to ferve the ends of the minifter in fubduing and enflaving the colonies. -The catholics in Canada perceived the defign, and were far from thanking government for the new favour that was pretended to be conferred upon them; they defpifed the idea, and inferred, that government would make the fame ufe of all religions to ferve the ends of their ambition. This was fuch a coarfe fpun thread of human policy, that it was eafily perceived by every eye, and the miniftry greatly expofed both their weakness and malice in fabricating fuch an ab furd law. It will in fome after ages be confidered as a ftrange political phænomenon, to find that a British parliament fhould have given fanction to a law fo exceedingly contrary to the conftitution of the empire. As this act was publicly complained of, and expofed in the feveral publications, the friends of the miniftry fet their hirelings to work to defend it; that if they could not altogether lick it into the form of truth, they might as far as was poffible conceal, or varnish its deformity. His Majefty's promife in his declaration declaration at the peace 1763 was infifted upon as a reafon for this new law; but it was affirmed that there was a wide difference between the promise of permitting the free exercife of any religion, and ingrafting it upon the ftates as a legal establishment: that the government had now established popery, and left the proteftant fubjects of the empire no more than a precarious toleration, depending upon his Majefty's will and pleasure, while popery was not only fecured by law, but its clergy fupported by the authority of parliament. This bill, like many other things which proceed from evil principles and fprings of action, neither answered the defign of the contrivers, nor pleafed any party that was concerned in it. This endeavour, which was expected to have great efficacy, not fucceeding according to the wifhes of the contrivers, the ministry proceded to another, equally abfurd, cruel, and pernicious. Agents were employed who were fuppofed to have influence among the Indian tribes, which border upon the back fettlements of the colonies, to ftir them up to war, and make them fall upon the colonists with that fury that is peculiar to them when they engage.—~—But neither prefents nor perfuafions were capable of producing this effect. From whatever cause it proceeded, thofe favage warriors, who had at other times been ready to take up the hatchet, without fupport or engagement, now turned a deaf ear to all propofals and folicitations, and declared for a neutra lity. They ufed much the fame reafons that the Capadians had done: they faid they did not underftand the subject, and were forry for the prefent unfortunate difputes; but it was not fit nor becoming for them to take any part in quarrels between English meng men, for all of whom, on both fides of the water, they had a great affection. This reply might have been fufficient to have made an impreffion upon confciences that were not altogether hardened;-it was a plain teftimony that the Indians did not imagine that the claims of the miniftry were a fufficient foundation for war, and that the difpute ought not to have been determined by the fword. The congrefs on this occafion did not neglect their own intereft, nor lofe an opportunity of fo much confequence to their cause; -they accordingly employed proper perfons to cultivate the favourable opinion of the Indians, and by degrees took fuch measures as made the agents for government think it proper to provide for their own fafety. It is faid that fome of the Indians made proposals to take up arms on the other fide; but the colonists only requested them to obferve a ftrict neutrality. Candour must oblige an historian to confefs that this was a very different temper from that of the miniftry, who wanted the Indians by all means to fall upon the colonists: it would have had fome appearance of reafon for the colonists to have defired the Indians to have taken up the hatchet, because the government had fhewn an intention to employ them in that manner; for it could only have been accounted felf-defence to have made ufe of their enemies inftruments against them. But this they did not do, which must be confidered as a wife and prudent part of their conduct. It is a moft difagreeable task in going over this part of our history, to be obliged to determine in many inftances against the conduct of our government, which in former times has been fo remarkable for justice, mercy, and benevolence. General Gage's late proclamation tended much to increafe crease the animofity, indignation, and rage, which were already fo prevalent in the colonies; and brought forth a declaration from the congrefs, which in the nature of these appeals that are made to mankind, as well as Heaven, in a declaration of war, fet forth the caufes and neceflity of their taking up arms. Among the long list of the causes which they offer, befides the late hoftilities, they ftate endeavours used to stir up the Indians and Canadians to attack them, and feverely reproach General Gage for what they call his perfidy, cruelty, and breach of faith, in breaking the conditions which he had engaged to obferve with the inhabitants of Boston; they also freely cenfure the army, whom they charge with the burning of Charlestown wantonly and unneceffarily. When they state their refources, they confider foreign affiftance as undoubtedly attainable if it were neceffary. They however fay, that left this declaration fhould difquiet the minds of their friends and fellow fubjects in any part of the empire, they affure them that they meant not to diffolve that happy union which had fo long subsisted between them, and which they earnestly wished to fee reftored: and neceffity had not yet driven them to that desperate measure, or induced them to excite any other nation to war against them; they had not raised armies with ambitious deLigns of feparating from Great Britain, and establishing independent ftates; they fought not for conqueft or glory. This declaration was read with great ferioufnefs, and even religious folemnity to the different bodies of the army who were encamped around Bofton, and was received by them with loud acclamations of applause and approbation. This declaration was followed by an addrefs to the inhabitants M inhabitants of Great Britain; another to the people of Ireland; and a petition to the King. All these writings were drawn up in a very mafterly manner, and in refpect to art, address, and execution, equal to any public declarations made by any powers, upon the greatest occafions. The congrefs had in their decla ration, without mentioning it particularly, reprobated the principles of Lord North's conciliatary propofition, which they called an infidious manoeuvre, adopted by parliament. They fometime afterwards took thể resolution more formally into confideration. It had been communicated to them by direction, or at least by permiffion of the minifter, in the hand writing of Sir Grey Cowper, one of the two principal fecretaries of the treasury. In the courfe of a long and argumentative difcuflion, they condemn it as unreafonable and infidious: that it is unreafonable, becaufe, if they declare they will accede to it, they declare without refervation, that they will purchase the favor of parliament, not knowing at the fame time at what price they will eftimate their favour: that it is infidious, because, individual colonies having bid and bid-' den again, till they find the avidity of the feller too great for all their powers to fatisfy, are then to turn into oppofition divided from their fifter colonies, whom the minifter will have previously detached by a grant of easier terms, or by an artful procraftination of a defenfive treaty. They conclude upon the whole; that the propofition was held up to the world to deceive it into a belief, that there was nothing in difputé except the mode of levying taxes; and that parliament have now been fo good as to give up that, the colonies must have been unreasonable in the highsft degree if they were not perfectly fatisfied. The |