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two or three mobs in some of the provinces, nor to any other particular class of people; but that the censure is designed for ALL the inhabitants of these colonies who were any way concerned in the opposition that has been given, and consequently that the modes of that opposition are thereby condemned. Two considerations therefore have induced me to undertake their defence. First, to vindicate the honour of my country, which I think grossly and wantonly insulted. Secondly, to refute opinions, that in unfortunate times, may, if adopted, be injurious to liberty.

Many good pieces, have been published in these colonies, to shew their title to the rights claimed by them; the invasion of those rights by the Stamp Act; the other hardships imposed on them, and the bad consequences that probably would follow these measures; but nothing has appeared, at least I have seen nothing that I recollect, in defence of the principle on which the opposition has been made, and of the manner in which it has been conducted. These are points entirely new; and the consideration of them is now rendered necessary, by the public reproach that has been thrown on the people of this continent.

A

LETTER

FROM THE

COMMITTEE OF CORRESPONDENCE

IN

BARBADOES,

TO THEIR AGENT IN LONDON.

SIR,

IN compliance with the united resolution of "the two branches of our legislature, of which we "have severally the honour to be members, and to

compose their committee of correspondence, we are now to desire you to lay our complaints be"fore his majesty and the parliament, on the hard

ships which this community labours under, by "the imposition of the stamp duties, lately put "in force amongst us. We have, indeed, sub"mitted, with all obedience, to the act of parli"ament; yet our submission has, by no means, "arisen from any consciousness of our ability to "bear the burden of these taxes, or from the want

"of a due sense of the oppressive weight of them "in all its parts, but from a principle of loyalty "to our king and mother country, which has carri"ed us above every consideration of our own dis"tresses: yet, if we have suffered without resist

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ance, we have learnt by it to complain with rea66 son; and, since we have raised no clamours from our own fears, we must surely have the better ti"tle to remonstrate from our feelings. But, with respect to the manner in which our grievances "in this case, along with so good a proof of our "obedience to the laws of our mother country, are "to be reported to his majesty and the parliament, we must refer ourselves to your good judgment "and discretion; so much better circumstanced

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as you are on that side of the water to judge for (6 us, than we can do at this distance for ourselves; "and so perfectly assured as we are also of your "ability and zeal, in the conduct of every matter "of importance that can be intrusted to your

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agency for this country's service. To you, sir, "therefore we give the power, in the name of our "council and assembly, to present such a memo

rial, or memorials, to his majesty, and the two "houses of parliament (if to all be necessary) as "to yourself shall seem most proper and advise"able; setting forth the anxiety and distresses of

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our country, under this new and extraordinary "burden of taxation, by which we not only find

"ourselves loaded with a charge more than is "proportioned to our circumstances, but deprived "also of a privilege, which renders the oppression beyond measure grievous. We see two of the

"most important objects to such a colony as ours, "trade and justice, crouching under the load of "these new duties; and by the manner in which "the duties have been imposed, we find too the "most valuable of all our civil rights and liber"ties sinking along with them. The design of "this new and extraordinary charge upon our

country is, towards defraying the expences of "defending, protecting and securing, the colonies "of AMERICA. But what new and extraordinary

expence has this colony put the nation to, for "the expence of maintaining of troops quartered "in the several provinces of NORTH-AMERICA, "for the protection and security of those parts of "the British dominions? This is just as reason

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able, and just as merciful too, as it would be to impose a heavy mulct on the inhabitants of this place, by way of a punishment for the present “REBELLIOUS opposition given to authority, by our fellow-subjects on the northern continent. "But if we are to be subject to the power of the

parliament of Great-Britain in our internal "taxes, we must be always liable to impositions, "that have nothing but the will of the imposers

to direct them, in the measure, since we have

"there no representatives to inform them of the "true state of our circumstances, and of the degree "of our strength to bear the burdens that are im"posed. How far, indeed, we are intitled, by the "constitution of ENGLAND, or our own peculiar "charter, to an exemption from every other inter"nal tax, than such as may be laid upon us by the "representatives of our own people, in conjunction "with the two other branches of our legislative "body, we cannot positively say; but this is certain, that we have enjoyed that privilege, that

seeming birth-right of every BRITON, ever since "the first establishment of a civil government in "this island, to the present time. And why we "should at this period be condemned to the loss "of so inestimable a blessing of society, we can "see no cause; since the present period has af"forded some instances of loyalty and affection "to our king and mother country, which might "rather have intitled us to new favours from the "crown and nation, than have left us exposed to

any deprivation of our old and valuable rights. "Yet how far it may be prudent and necessary to

press this last consideration in your memorial "to our superiors, must be referred to your good judgment; for as we mean to obtain a redress of

our grievances by a dutiful representation only "of our case, so would we have any thing avoided "in the stile and substance of that representation,