. ; and may Encouragement of Non-Competing Colonial Industries (Three out of nearly a dozen Parliamentary Acts of this sort). Supplies for the English Navy, 1704 (continued and frequently enlarged thereafter).-"Whereas the royal navy depends on the due supply of stores necessary for the same, now brought in mostly from foreign ports whereas her Majesty's colonies . . . in America commodiously afford great quantities of all sorts of naval ; be it therefore enacted, . . . That every person that shall . . import . . . into this kingdom, directly from any of her Majesty's English colonies . . . in America any of the naval stores, hereafter mentioned, shall have as a reward or præmium for such importation . . rates as follows. stores . ... Rice, 1730.-Whereas . . .it is reasonable to expect, that the produce . . . [and] exportation thereof [of rice] would be greatly increased . . if . . . liberty to carry the same directly to Europe ing the same first to Great Britain, as the Indigo, 1748.-"Whereas the making of indico in the Brit ish plantations in America would be advantageous to the trade of this nation ; be it therefore enacted, . . . That . . . who shall import directly from any of the British colonies into this kingdom, in America, 9947 any good and merchantable indico, . . . shall have . a reward or Præmium . . . of sixpence for every pound. . . .' Parliamentary Legislation along New Lines (1707-1751). Regulation of Colonial Coinage, 1707.-"Whereas for remedying the inconveniencies which had arisen from the different 46. D. Pickering, British Statutes at Large, X, 256; XVI, 304-308; XX, 99-100. 47. D. Pickering, British Statutes at Large, XI, 109; XVI, 183; XIX, 250-251. to rates at which the same species of foreign silver coins did pass in her Majesty's several colonies ... in America, her Majesty has thought fit by her royal proclamation settle.. the currency of foreign coins in her said colonies, be it enacted, . . . That if any person . . take, or pay any of the several species of foreign silver coins mentioned in the proclamation, at any greater or higher rate, [he] shall suffer six months imprisonment . . forfeit . . . ten pounds for every such offence. Post Office Act, 1710.-"whereas . . and posts have . . England and been established by packet boats between a general post office . be established for and throughout . . Great Britain and Ireland, . . [the] colonies and plantations in North America, and the West Indies, and . . . the revenue arising secured to her Majesty. And . . in order to raise a present supply of money, [a] weekly sum of seven hundred pounds . . . out of all the arising by virtue of this act, shall be paid . . . into the . . . Exchequer. . . . And one third part of the surplus of the yearly produce arising by the said . . duties upon postage of letters and packets Debt-recovery Act, 1732.-"Whereas his Majesty's subjects trading to the British plantations in America lie under very great difficulties, for want of more easy methods of proving, recovering, and levying of debts due them . . . ; be it enacted, That . . . it shall . . . be lawful . . . to verify or prove any matter by affidavit . . . in writing upon oath, made before any mayor of the city . . . in Great near to which the person making such affidavit And .. the houses, lands, negroes [etc.] . . . belonging to any person indebted, shall be liable to and chargeable with all just debts ..owing by any such Naturalization Law, 1740.-"Whereas . . . many foreigners might be induced to come and settle in some of his Majesty's colonies in America, if they were partakers of the advantages and privileges which the natural born subjects of this realm do enjoy; be it therefore enacted, . . . That all persons born out of the ligeance of his Majesty, who have inhabited or resided, or shall inhabit or reside, for the space of seven years or more, in any of his Majesty's colonies in America, and shall take and subscribe the [and] declaration appointed, . . . shall be deemed oaths to be his Majesty's natural born subjects intents, constructions, and purposes, as if they born within this kingdom.. Land-Bank Act, 1741.-"Whereas persons have pre sumed to publish in America a scheme for supplying a pretended want of medium in trade, by setting up a bank on land security, the stock of such bank to be raised by publick subscrip. . ; and sundry other schemes, societies, partnerships or companies, have been and may be set on foot in America, for the purpose of raising publick stocks or banks, and unlawfully issuing large quantities of notes or bills there remedy whereof, said undertakings, attempts, matters and things . . shall be deemed to be illegal and void in his Majesty's dominions, colonies and plantations in America, . . . and shall not there be practiced, or in any wise put in execution. be it... enacted, . ; for That the Paper Money Act, 1751.-"Whereas the act of parliament for ascertaining the rate of foreign coins in . . . America, hath been entirely frustrated . . . by their creating and issuing . great quantities of paper bills of credit . . . and making legal the tender of such bills of credit in payment for debts ; which bills of credit have, for many years past, been depreciating in their value, by means whereof all debts. of late years have been paid . . . with a much less value than was contracted for, which hath been a great discouragement ; therefore . . . be it enacted, . . . That . . . it shall not be lawful for the governor, council or assembly . . . within . . . any of the . . colonies. to make to the trade and commerce shall be . issued. . . That all such called in. as are now subsisting That ... no paper currency, or bills of credit, be a legal tender in payment of any private .. debts. C. British Endeavors to Reduce Colonies to One Uniform Type ("Royal Colony "): Report of Lords of Trade to the House of Commons (Mar. 27, 1701). "We have on many occasions represented to his majesty . the state of such plantations in America as are under the government of proprietors and charters, and how inconsistent such governments are with the trade and welfare of this kingdom. To... introduce such administration as may make them duly subservient and [it is] our opinion that the char. should of government useful to England, ters of the several proprietors and other [s] be resumed to the crown, and these colonies put into the same state of dependency as those of his majesty's other planta Report of Lords of Trade to the King (Sept. 8, 1721). "The Laws & constitution of your Majesty's Colonies might be rendered still more perfect, if your Majesty's Commands met with due obedience in the proprietary & Charter Governments. This is the great obstacle, which has hitherto made it impracticable to put the plantations in general upon a better foot; . . [they] have broken through the laws of trade & navigation; made laws of their own, contrary to those of Great Britain; given shelter to pirates & outlaws, & refuse to contribute to the defence of the Neighbouring Colonies under Your Majesty's immediate Government. It might likewise be further observed, . . . that some of the Proprietary and charter Governments have shewn too great an inclination to be independent of their Mother kingdom, & have carried on a trade destructive to that of Great Britain, wherein they might undoubtedly be more effectively restrained, if they 48. D. Pickering, British Statutes at Large, XI, 412-414; XII, 115-138; XVI, 272-274; XVII, 370-373, 459-463. 49. Edw. Armstrong, Penn-Logan Correspondence (Memoirs Pa. Hist. Soc., IX), I. 379-380. Jeremiah Dummer: A Defence of the New England Charters (A pamphlet published in London in 1721 by the Massachusetts agent in England). "If this [attack] be aim'd at the Proprietary Governments, which however I don't accuse, I have nothing to say, but am sure that the Charter Governments stand clear of it. The Charter Governments are celebrated for their excellent Laws and mild Administration; for the Security oi Liberty and Property; for the Encouragement of Vertue, and Suppression of Vice; for the promoting Letters, by erecting Free-Schools and Colleges; and in one Word, for every Thing that can make a People happy and prosperous. . . I may say without being ludicrous, that it would not be more absurd to place two of His Majesty's Beef-Eaters to watch an Infant in the Cradle that it don't rise and cut its Father's Throat, than to guard these weak Infant Colonies to prevent their shaking of the British Yoke. Besides, they are so distinct from one another in their Forms of Government [etc.] . . . that they can never be suppos'd to unite in so dangerous an Enterprise. . I really think it would be for the Service of the Crown and Nation to incorporate those Governments which have no Charters, rather than Disfranchise those that have. " 51 Edmund Burke: The Change from Charter and Proprietary to Royal Colonies (From his "European Settlements in America," London, 1770). "This is the common form of government, and the best too that is in use in the plantations. This is the manner of government in . . . one province in New England [New Hampshire], and, with some restriction, in another [Massachusetts]; in New York, New Jersey, Virginia, the two Carolinas, and Georgia. This form is commonly called a royal government. The second form in use . . . is called a proprietary government. We had formerly many more governments of that sort, than we have at present. . . The only [ones] which remain, [and they] considerably abridged of their privileges, are Pennsilvania and Maryland. . . . The third 50. J. R. Brodhead, Documents New York Colonial History, V, 627-628. 51. A. B. Hart, American History Told by Contemporaries, II, 133-137. |