We beg leave however to observe to this Honourable House, that it does appear, that the greatest Part, if not all, of the extraordinary Expences incurr'd during the late War in in the Islands of Barbados and Jamaica, were defrayed by Taxes raised within the Year; and which extraordinary Expences do, upon a State of the Amount of the Taxes raised in each Year from the Commencement to the Conclusion of the late War, compared with the same Number of Years during the Peace immediately preceding that War, amount in the Island of Jamaica to about 50,000£ and in the Island of Barbadoes to about 30,000£, a great Part of which Expence was incurred in the Year 1761 on Account of the Assistance given by that Island to the Expedition then undertaken for the Reduction of the Island of Martinique, and as a Compensation for which the Parliament did last year grant the sum of £10,000. All which is humbly submitted

SOAME JENYNS

GEO: RICE.

PALMERSTON

J. DYSON.

W FITZHERBERT.

The attitude of the Lawyers of New Jersey toward the Stamp Act.

[From the New York Gazette; or the Weekly Post-Boy, No. 1201, Thursday, January 30th, 1766.]

TO THE PRINTER -Sir; Your publishing the following Piece in your next Paper, will oblige many of your Readers, particularly your humble Servant,

A. B.

Sir; The strange and alarming Lethargy into which we have fallen, and still continue with Regard to all judicial Proceedings, must I am sure give real Pain to every one who has Sense to distinguish, and a Heart

*

*

*

* * *

to feel for the Interests of his Country. * * Some laudable Attempts have been made in yours as well as other Papers, to wake the Gentlemen of the Law, and make them listen to the Voice of the People; but whether their Hour is not yet come, or their Slumber is of so deep a Kind, as to require the more animated Exertion of the Power of that respectable Body; they are still snoring over the Liberties and Properties of their Fellow-Subjects in the most supine Indolence. Many sensible Arguments have been urged on this Head, which still remain unanswered; and if there is any Alteration since, it has been to add to their Strength and Conviction. I would ask those Gentlemen what they propose, or expect from their present Conduct? Do they think it will tend to procure a Repeal of the Act? They cannot say this, for it appears most probable, that the stopping Business at all, will discover our Timidity, and induce the Favourers of the Act to wait, and see whether it will not by these Means inforce itself but surely the continuing to do it can be of no Use, even in the Article of Respect; for the Question will be decided long before the News of the Resumption of Business can reach England, and the doing it, or not doing it, will make no Difference when the Orders are once given: So that we stop up the Channels of Justice, and do ourselves a manifest Mischief without there being the least Hope of advancing the Remedy we so much desire. But perhaps the Gentlemen of the Law are afraid of the Forfeitures:-tho' they may not choose to acknowledge this Reason.-But do they expect to escape safe and unhurt, amidst the general Shipwreck of their Country and its Liberties? Would they desire so ignominious a Distinction? If they do not,-let them generously and nobly embark on the same Bottom with others, who have ventured all the Pains and Penalties of this terrible Act, under the Auspices of

* * *

the Publick. But perhaps it may be said, that this Stagnation is not owing to them: That Judges and other Officers of Government have equal Scruples on this important Point.-To this I answer, that the first Stage of all Law Business, and even the active Part of it in every Stage, rests at the Bar, and it is impossible Judges can give Relief upon Complaints never made, or make Orders upon Subjects never brought before them so that at present it clearly lies at the Door of the Profession, and it may justly be charged with all the fatal Consequences that may ensue, if the Gentlemen of it, do not take Care to exculpate themselves, and do their Parts in their respective Spheres.

For surely the Captain's Cowardice in a Day of Battle is no Excuse for the Centinel's sleeping upon Guard; at this Rate one Fault would be productive of Ten Thousand-As every Gentleman of the Law I dare say at this Time has a leisure Hour, perhaps these Observations' may take a Part of it-To them I would offer an Argument drawn from no less Authority than Lord Coke, who lays it down as an undeniable Maxim, Lex non cogit ad impossibilia-The Law forces no one to impossibilities. Now in this Province and several others, these Impossibilia are required of us, and as we have no Stamp'd Papers, nor I hope ever shall have; because we cannot do Impossibilities, we must do nothing! Or rather we are attempting an Impossibility of another Kind, which is to live in a State of general Outlawry, as to civil Property. The Profession is called a learned one, I hope it will not forfeit its Claim to this Title, by falling into Absurdities so glaring-I shall not, Sir, repeat those Arguments founded upon constitutional Principles, which have already been made use of; but will offer you one Remark that seems obvious on this Head.-Either the Stamp Act will be repealed or inforced-There can be no Medium unless our own Conduct has hinted it in

England,-if it should be repealed, or if we could have positive Assurances of it, there can be no Difficulty; and I make no doubt we shall wonder at our own Fears.-Upon the other Hand, if it is resolved to inforce it, do we not by our present Conduct concur in the Resolution? Nay we do more, we strengthen the Hands of its Advocates. We cannot continue long in this Posture-it is determined never to make Use of Stamps, what can, what ought to be done then, but immediately to shake off this cowardly Indolence, and the sooner the better.-The Gentlemen of the Law have in most Ages laboured under the same Imputation with Bishops, that they are the ready Tools of arbitrary Power, either meanly shrinking at Danger, or ambitiously striving for Dignity and PrefermentLet not these Aspersions ever reach America,-rather let it appear, that those who live by the Laws, are the most forward is asserting them: They are supposed to be best acquainted with the Nature of Government, and the English Constitution, how amiable will they appear in the Eyes of their anxious Countrymen, if their Zeal is equal to their Knowledge. I mentioned my Lord Coke a little before, as he is their Oracle in the Mazes of the Law, so ought he to be their Pattern in the Cause of Liberty.-In him the drudging Lawyer not only brightened into the eloquent Orator, but the zealous Patriot.-He resolutely opposed the undue Exertion of the Prerogative of the Crown, and could he now revive in the Person of an American, I make no Doubt he would with the same Ardour oppose the undue Exertion of Parliamentary Power over the Inhabitants of this Country; or at least he would be willing to share the general Fate of his Country, and stand or fall with the common Cause.

I am, Sir Your very humble Servant,

A. B.

NEW JERSEY, January 21, 1766.

[From the New York Gazette; or The Weekly Post-Boy, No. 1207, Thursday,

LIBERTY and

STAMPS.

I

ON ⱭINV

PROPERTY

N your Gazette of the 30th of January last, I took Notice of a Piece signed A. B. and dated from N. Jersey, wherein the Author has laboured to raise a popular Clamour against the Gentlemen of the Law, because of their having declined Business, since the memorable First of November; and with a Spirit equally factious uncharitable and absurd, imputes this voluntary Sacrifice of their Interest, to the base and ignoble ends of arbitrary Power and Preferment.

All the lucrative Professions, it must be confessed, are indiscriminately charged with lucrative Motives; however individual Professions may be distinguished for their Integrity and publick Spirit. And therefore it was with the greatest Pleasure, that the Friends of American Liberty, upon this Continent, in general, beheld the Lawyers stand forth, as the most determinative Opposers of the late Acts of the British Parliament, so justly esteemed unconstitutional and oppressive; and to the lasting Honour of the Lawyers of New Jersey, in Particular (with whom our Author seems especially to quarrell) it has been, and will be said, that they sat the Example. I therefore think it the Duty of every honest Man, as far as it is in his Power, to endeavour to counteract the pernicious Tendency which all such enflammatory Discourses must necessarily have upon the Minds of the Ignorant and Inattentive; for this Purpose, I shall briefly consider whether the Gentlemen of the Law, in declining their Practice from the First of November, did not thereby take the most effectual Measure in their Power, or in the Power of any single Body of Men upon the Continent, to prevent the Execution of the Stamp-Actwhether such Step was not equally calculated to injure