A. D. 1766 Extract from the general bill of all the christenings and burials within the city of London, from December 10, 1765, to December 11, 1766. Amfterdam,-births, 4,547; deaths, 7,271; marriages, 2,936. Ifles of Zealand, Bornholm, and Ferro,-births, 7,256; deaths, 6,363; marriages, 1,853. The whole kingdom of Pruffia,-births, 31,129; deaths, 22,570; marriages, 2,936. 1767 At this period, the dispute between Great Britain and its colonies appeared to have obtained an happy termination.-Their defires had been gratified in the most reasonable manner, and the parent state had teftified, by its conduct, the fincereft intentions to remain on the most friendly terms with its American dependencies. But, in a very short time, the predictions which had been made by many, that the conceffions of Great Britain to America, would eventually increase, inftead of annihilating the turbulent difpofition which the Americans had discovered, began to find a justification in many inftances of their conduct. During the late troubles, a spirit of faction had been conjured up in America, which was not in the leaft mollified by the conceffions of the British government; on the contrary, it feemed to have enlifted under its banners a party of men who were determined to feize every opportunity to diminish the power and influence of the mother country, and whofe talents were equal to their enmity; while that enmity was the more dangerous, as it was cloathed in the fpecious garb of refpect and attachment to Great Britain. When the stamp act was repealed, the miniftry who propofed and adopted that measure, thought themselves obliged to fave, in fome degree, the national honour, to pafs a bill, declaratory of the fupreme fovereignty of Great Britain over all her colonies, and of her right to bind them, by her laws, in all cafes whatever. By the fame declaration, they annulled all the refolves and proceedings of the provincial affemblies, that tended to claim any authority in their refpe&tive districts independent of that of Great Britain, especially the fole and exclufive privilege of impofing taxes and levying money. This declaratory act, which was confidered at home as neceffary to maintain the dignity of the British government in the midst of fo much conceffion, was regarded by the Americans as a refervation of claims which were to be enforced whenever a favourable opportunity occurred. VOL. IV. O This A. D. 1767 This idea, therefore, which was propagated with no common zeal in the colonies, prevented fo large a portion of their late ill-humour from dying away, that the affembly of New York, in direct oppofition to an act of the British Parliament, for providing the troops cantoned throughout the colonies, with fuch neceffaries in their quarters as were indifpenfable for their comfortable subsistence, passed an act, by which these provifions were regulated and fettled in a mode of their own, without manifefting the leaft regard to that prescribed by Great Britain. When this extraordinary and unexpected tranfaction was brought before the House of Commons, much debate took place, and fome severe measures were proposed; but the general opinion being more disposed to acts of moderation, a bill was paffed, by which the governor, council, and affembly of New York were prohibited from paffing or affenting to any act of affembly for any purpose whatever, till they had, in every respect, complied with all the terms of this act of the British Parliament. At Boston, the fame refractory fpirit prevailed; and notwithstanding the juftice of granting due compenfations to those who had suffered from the licentiousness of the populace, during the riots on account of the stamp act, the general affembly was not eafily perfuaded to acquit itself of that duty. All these proofs of a disobedient temper in the colonies, at length roused the spirit of the British government; and an act of Parliament was paffed, which imposed duties on tea, paper, painters colours, and glass imported into the British plantations in America. This act was received in the colonies with as much disapprobation as that which imposed the stamp duties: the populace renewed its abufive behaviour, and the fuperior order of people determined to give it fteady oppofition. The inhabitants of Boston fet the example on this occasion: and, at a public meeting of its freeholders, and other inhabitants, on the 28th of October, in this year, feveral refolutions were voted, all of which were levelled at their commerce with Great Britain. From fome of these votes, which were paffed with an unfortunate unanimity, we shall give the following extracts : “That effectual methods should be taken to prevent the unneceffary importation of European commodities. "That all prudent and legal measures fhould be adopted to encourage and produce home manufactures, and to leffen the use of fuperfluities, particularly the following articles; viz. . loaf-fugar, cordage, anchors, coaches, chaises, and carriages of all forts; horfe furniture, men's and women's hats, ready-made apparel, household furniture, gloves, fhoes, foal-leather, fheathing and deck nails, gold and filver thread lace of all forts, gold and filver buttons, wrought plate of all forts, diamonds, stone and paste ware, fnuff, mustard, clocks and watches, filverfmiths and jewellers ware, broad cloths that coft above 10s. per yard, muffs, furs, and tippets, and all forts of millinery ware, ftarch, women's and children's ftays, fire-engines, china ware, filk and cotton velvets, pewterers hollow ware, linfeed oil, glue, lawns, cambrics, filks of all kinds for garments, malt liquors, cheese, &c. &c. "That divers new manufactures be immediately established in America; and, in particular, for the making of glass and paper; and that all prudent means be employed to encourage the confumption of glass and paper made in America, &c. "That no gloves be used at funerals but fuch as are manufactured in America; and that no new garments be procured on fuch occafions but such as shall be abfolutely neceffary, &c." The state of American affairs engaged, as it had demanded, the attention of Parliament; but the A. D. 1767 the bufinefs which more immediately occupied the public attention, at this particular period, was that of the Eaft India Company. A parliamentary committee had been appointed, early in the feffion, to examine into the ftate of the Company; and it was fome time after ordered, after much animated debate, that copies of the Company's charters, their treaties with, and grants from the country powers, together with their letters and correfpondence to and from their fervants in India, the state of their révenues in Bengal, Bahar, Orixa, and other places, fhould all be laid before the House of Commons: alfo an account of all expences incurred by government on the Company's account, whether in the naval, military, or other departments. In the courfe of this rigorous enquiry, which was agitated with uncommon violence, an order was made for printing the Eaft India papers; but, on a petition from the court of directors, it was agreed, that the private correfpondence between the Company and its fervants fhould not be committed to the prefs. Among other important matters, which, though not formally brought into debate, were rather fully difcuffed, was the right of the Company to its territorial acquifition. But though this great subject was frequently taken up, the Houfe of Commons appeared to poffefs no very forward inclination to determine on a queftion pregnant with fuch important confequences. The miniftry, though difpofed to affert the right, with a view to relieve the burthened state of the finances, and a large party of the proprietors of India ftock, who were equally inclined to deny it, poffeffed the fame opinion with refpect to the prudence of a reasonable compofition between government and the Company. In the maen time, and fo late in this parliamentary feffion as the 6th of May, a general court of the East India proprietors was held, when the Midfummer dividend was declared to be 6 per cent.; and, about the fame time, a scheme of propofals for an accommodation was agreed to. These were laid before the miniftry, but the members of it were at this time fo divided, that they declined taking any part in the negociation but in Parliament: a petition was therefore prefented to the House of Commons by the Eaft India Company, which contained two fets of propofals for a temporary agreement, which was to laft during the period of three years. By the first of these proposals, government was to grant the Company fome advantages with refpect to the inland duties on their teas, and a draw-back on the exportation of them to Ireland and the colonies; and fome others refpecting raw filk, calicoes, muflins, the recruiting service, and military ftores. That, in return, after deducting 400,000l. per annum, in lieu of the Company's former commercial profits, the nett produce of all the remaining revenues and trade, after deducting all charges, were to be equally divided between government and the Company; provided that the Company's property in the new acquifitions continued for three years. By the second proposal, the Company offered, upon the fame terms, to pay the specific sum of 400,000l. per annum for three years, by half-yearly payments; and to indemnify the public for any lofs the revenue might fuftain by granting the advantages which they acquired in the tea trade, if the advanced confumption of it, taken at an average of five years, did not answer that end. Of these, the latter propofal was accepted by the Houfe, with this fole difference, that the agreement was limited to two, inftead of three years; and a bill was accordingly paffed upon these terms. A meffage from the ministry had been read at the general court which declared the last increase of dividend, recommending to the Company to make no augmentation of it, till their A. D. 1767 affairs had undergone a further confideration. This meffage not producing the effect defigned by it, two bills were brought into the Houfe; one for regulating the qualifications of voters in trading companies, and the other for regulating the making of dividends by the Eaft India Company. By the last of these bills, the late act of the Company was refcinded, and they were reftrained from raifing their dividends above 10 per cent. till the next meeting of Parliament. The Company petitioned against this bill; and made a proposal, if it was laid afide, that they would bind themfelves from any further increafe of dividend during the temporary agreement; but the petition and the propofal were equally ineffectual, and the bill was carried against a very violent, numerous, and able oppofition through both houses. It appears to us, that in a matter of fuch importance as this minifterial meafure, we should not fulfil our duty were we to be wholly inattentive to the principles on which this bill was founded, and the leading arguments that were advanced against it. To prevent the payment of an higher dividend than the circumstances of the Company could afford, without endangering their credit; to regulate the dividend in fuch a manner, as to put an end to the fluctuation of that stock, which, if allowed to proceed, might not only introduce a pernicious spirit of gaming, but would alfo tend to deprefs the other ftocks; and to prevent any encroachment that might be made, by any dividend of the Company, upon the revenue of its lately acquired territory, fo that the claim of the public might suffer no lofs, till that affair was finally decided, were the principal grounds on which the authors and promoters of this bill refted their fupport of it. The leading arguments in oppofition to it were:-That by the state of the Company's affairs laid before Parliament, it was evident that they were in a condition to make a much greater increase of dividend, without affecting their credit; and that if they were allowed to be in circumstances to pay government 400,000l. per annum, there could be no doubt of their being well able to divide 80,000l. among themselves.-That the short period to which the reftriction of the dividend was confined, would tend to encourage, instead of checking the infamous practices of the Alley; and that the propofal made by the Company, of fubmitting to a restriction of the dividend of 12 per cent. during the temporary agreement, would have obviated all the mischiefs, and fecured every good end which might be purpofed, but could not be attained by the bill in question, without being liable to the objection of violence or injuftice. That if a fuppofition that the right to the territorial acquifitions in the Eaft Indies was not vested in the Company, fhould be admitted as one of the grounds of this bill, a precedent would be established very dangerous indeed to the property of the fubject; and that if a legislative interpofition was permitted to controul the dividend of a trading company, to whom no blame was imputable, and who had lent their money to the public upon the express stipulation that they might exercife their difcretion with regard to the dividend, provided that their undivided effects were fufficient to answer their debts, fuch a measure might be attended with confequences very alarming indeed to public credit. Of two hundred and nine bills which received the royal affent in this feffion of Parliament, we shall make particular mention of the following, as more immediately relating to our fubject. A bill to continue, for a further limited time, the free importation of wheat, and wheat meal, from any part of Europe, and to discontinue the duties payable on the importation of barley meal and pulfe. A. D. 1767 For difcontinuing the duties on the importation of tallow, hogs-lard, and grease. For granting an aid to his Majefty by a land-tax for the fervice of this year. [The taxes with which the neceffaries of life were charged, in confequence of the expences produced by the late war, bore fo hard upon the laborious and manufacturing part of the nation, that it had been determined, fince the conclufion of the peace, to continue the land-tax at four fhillings in the pound. Indeed, from the circumftances of the times, the whole landtax began to be confidered as a part of the fettled revenue, which must look to the contingencies of a future, and perhaps diftant ftate of public profperity, to be diminished. But the landed intereft was of a different opinion, and, in oppofition to the miniftry, carried the refolution of reducing the land-tax to three fhillings in the pound, by a confiderable majority.— This, we believe, was the first inftance of a minifter being in the minority on a money bill. fince the Revolution.] For raifing 1,800,000l. by loans on Exchequer bills, and a lottery for the fervice of the present year. For laying an additional duty on baft or chip, ftraw, cane, and horse-hair hats or bonnets. imported. For making the river Ure navigable, from its junction with the river Swale to the borough of Rippon, in Yorkshire. For raifing 1,500,000l. by annuities, &c. for the fervice of the present year; to be charged on the finking fund. For redeeming certain annuities, in refpect of navy, victualling, and tranfport bills, and ordnance debentures. For redeeming part of the joint stock of annuities, charged on feveral additional duties on wines imported, and alfo on cyder and perry. For granting additional duties on certain linen cloth imported. For allowing the free importation of rice, fago dust, and vermicelli, for a limited time from the American colonies.' For improving and extending the navigation of the river Hull, from Frodingham Beck to Driffield, in the East Riding of Yorkshire. For making Codbeck brook navigable from the river Swale to Thirfk, in Yorfhire. For preventing the wear of cambrics. For extending the window act to Scotland. For altering the duties on policies, and leffening the allowance for prompt payment of certain ftamp duties. For granting certain duties in the British American colonies. For regulating the dividend of the Eaft India Company. For establishing an agreement between government and the East India Company. For regulating the manufactures, &c. in the ifle of Man.. For empowering his Majefty to permit the importation of corn duty free, for a further limited time, &c. [The quantity of corn brought into the port of London, between the 3d of March and the 2d of July, in confequence of the different acts paffed for the importation of that necessary article, amounted to 115,497 quarters.] For taking off the duty of one fhilling per pound on all black and finglo tea, and for granting a drawback on teas exported to Ireland and America. For |