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themselves removed from the hand of oppression, to hold undis- turbed, the rights thus acquired at the hazard of their lives and loss of their fortunes. A family of Prices was then on the Bri- tish throne, whose treasonable crimes against their people, brought on them, afterwards, the exertion of those sacred and sovereign rights of punishment, reserved in the hands of the people for cases of extreme necessity, and judged by the constitution unsafe to be delegated to any other judicature. While every day brought forth some new and unjustifiable exertion of power, over their subjects on that side the water, it was not to be expected that those here, much less able at that time to oppose the designs of despoti%m, should be exempted from injury. Accordingly, this country which had been acquired by the lives, the labors and fortunes of indivi- dual adventurers, was by these Princes, at several times, parted out and distributed among the favorites and followers of their for- tunes; and, by an assumed right of the Crown alone, were erected into distinct and independent governments ; a measure, which it is believed, his Majesty’s prudence and understanding would prevent him from imitating at this day ; as no exercise of such power, of di- viding and dismembering a country, has ever occurred in his Ma- jesty’s realm of England, though, now of very antient standing ; nor could it be justified or acquiesced under there, or in any other part of his Majesty’s empire.
That the exercise of a free trade with all parts of the world, possessed by the American colonists, as of natural right, and which no law of their own had taken away or abridged, was next the ob- ject of unjust encroachment. Some of the colonies having thought ‘proper to continue the administration of their government in the name and under the authority of his Majesty, King Charles the first, whom, notwithstanding his late deposition by the Common- wealth of England, they continued in the sovereignty of their State, the Parliament, for the Commonwealth, took the same in high of- fence, and assumed upon themselves the power of prohibiting their trade with all other parts of the world, except the Island of Great Britain. ‘This arbitrary act, however, they soon recalled, and by solemn treaty entered into on the 12th day of March, 1651, between the said Commonwealth by their Commissioners, and the colony of Virginia by their House of Burgesses, it was expressly stipulated by the eighth article of the said treaty, that they should have ‘ free trade as the people of England do enjoy to all places and with all nations, according to the laws of that Commonwealth.’ But that, upon the restoration of his Majesty, King Charles the se- cond,‘ their rights ‘of free commerce fell once more a victim to
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