CHAP. try; on the contrary, it was looked upon, by the genera VIII. lity, to have been a minifterial scheme to fruftrate any innquiries into their own tranfactions. They retrieved their 1770. Negocia tion with the court of Spain. character, however, in some measure, by their activity, in making preparations for war, and their filence with regard to the pacific intentions of Spain. Indeed, the conduct of that court had been fuch, as left very little room for any declaration of its friendly difpofition. Twelve days before the arrival of the Favourite floop, a letter had been received from Mr. Harris, the British minifter at Madrid, with information, that a fhip had arrived from Beunos Ayres, giving a particular account of the intended expedition against Port Egmont; and about the fame time Prince Maferano, the Spanish ambaffador at London, acquainted lord Weymouth, that he had reafon to believe the Spanish governor had made use of force in difpoffeffing the British fettlers at Port Egmont; but whatever might have been the cafe in that quarter, he wished that no interruption might be thereby occafioned in the friendfhip fubfifting between the courts of London and Madrid. In answer to this, a difavowal of the proceedings of M. Buccarelli, governor of Beunos Ayres, was required, and notice fent to Mr. Harris to confer with M. de Grimaldi, the Spanish minifter of ftate, on the fubject. These negociations produced at last a favourable answer from the court of Spain, which was announced to the public, and was the last transaction with regard to Falkland's Islands, which administration thought proper to publish. All that we are further acquainted with, is, that the negociation. was at first broken off, and afterwards fecretly renewed. Falkland's Iflands were apparently given up by the court of Spain, repoffeffed, and afterwards evacuated by the British; the advantages fuppofed to be derivable from a fettlement there, vanished in a moment; the climate was reprefented as altogether intolerable; the whole country as a confused mass of iflands and broken rocks; the foil barren and boggy, with horrid craggy mountains, beat with perpetual storms; the feeds which had been brought from Europe fprung up, indeed, but never arrived at any perfection, not even the fir tree being capable of bearing the rigour of this inhospitable climate. On the other hand, the accounts of the French were much more favourable, exceeding even thofe given by commodore Byron. They owned, indeed, that the corn they fowed had never come to maturity, but this they attributed to want of proper culture. From the accounts of later navigators, particu larly of the ingenious Mr. Fofter, who failed with captain 1770. Cook, it appears, that in high fouthern latitudes, there is CHAP. no proper distinction of seasons; winter prevails even in VIII. the middle of fummer; and though, at fome seasons of the year, the weather may prove moderate, or even agreeable, fo that to fuch as vifited the Ilands at that time there might be a flattering appearance of spring, there is very little probability of the heat encreafing to fuch a degree, as to bring any European fruits or grains to perfec tion. It is unneceffary to take up the attention of the reader with an account of the debates confequent on the acceptance of the Spanish convention with regard to Falkland's Islands. It is certain, that the pufillanimous behaviour of the miniftry was by no means agreeable to the public: they were confidered as betrayers of the national honour and intereft, regardless of every thing but the oppreffion of the people, and depriving them of their just and lawful privileges. The kingdom was imagined to fwarm with fpies; and a fire which happened in the dock-yard at July 27. Portsmouth confirmed the fufpicion. This fire was fupposed to have destroyed naval ftores to the value of 500,000l. though more moderate accounts reduced it to 150,000l. The only other affair of a public nature which merited Expedition the attention of parliament, was the fettlement of the against St. ifland of St. Vincent's, in the Weft-Indies. This ifland Vincent's had been ceded to Britain by the treaty of 1763. Its original inhabitants were called Caribs, and were of two different colours, black and yellow. The latter were the original poffeffors; the blacks were originally a crew of flaves brought from Guinea by an English fhip, bound to Barbadoes, which happened to be wrecked on this coaft. The blacks having escaped, and having among them women of their own country, formed a colony by themselves, with little intermixture of the yellow Caribs, whom they, by degrees, had almost worn out; while they themselves, by continual acceffion of their runaway countrymen from the neighbouring iflands, were become very numerous and ftrong. Both these colonies lived in the manner usual with favage nations, viz. by hunting and.fishing, without agriculture or any of the arts of civilization. The French, though they made a fettlement on St. Vincent's, always acknowledged the independency of these people, who, upon the establishment of the former, had removed to another part of the island; and when the country was at laft ceded to Britain, they ftill continued to affert their li berty, and that they were independent both of the king 1772. April 18. CHAP. of France and Britain. The fertility of that part of the VIII. ifland, to which they had removed, having tempted the avarice of the British planters, fchemes were formed for the total extermination of these innocent people, or their removal to Africa, or fomé defert ifland on the African coaft. Every method, therefore, was taken to provoke them to hoftilities, and the most violent complaints were fent home, though it appeared that there was not the leaft foundation for them. They prevailed fo far, however, that a confiderable force was fent thither on purpose to reduce them, and the scheme of transplantation feemed to be feriously adopted, though the place of deftination was never determined. The Caribs defended themselves vigorously, and with so much effect, that in two months time the British troops had been able to penetrate no farther into their country than four miles. The expedition also appeared exceedingly unjuft, as well as cruel to the offcers employed in carrying it on. The caufe of the Caribs was taken up by oppofition; but while both parties were preparing for the ufual fury of debate, intelligence arrived of the fubmiffion of the Caribs, they having owned the fovereignty of the king of Britain, and ceded a large tract of country, which promifed to be of the utmost impor tance to the interefts of this ifland. CHAP. IX. Difcontents of the Americans-Acts of Parliament refpec- CHAP. nies. IX. 1769. E have thus feen the iffue of the contest betwixt the British miniftry and the people, in every article of which the former had proved victorious, while the latter had only rendered themselves contemptible by their unavailing clamours. The Eaft-India company had Affairs in tamely refigned their title to their poffeffions in the eaft; the colobut with the American colonifts it was far otherwise: Whatever they looked upon to be their right, they contended for with the utmoft violence; and from the very beginning feemed determined to come to the last extremities, rather than yield up the leaft article to which they imagined themselves intitled. We have already related the diforders and tumults confequent upon the paffing of the ftamp-act, which were renewed, after its repeal, by the laying on of duties upon glass, tea, painters'-colours, &c. To their non-importation agreements with refpect to tea, the diftrefs of the India company had been, in a great measure, attributed, and indeed, apparently with juftice, if the reprefentation made at that time was founded in truth, viz. that the colonies had ufually taken that commodity from the company to the amount of no lefs than 600,000l. annually; and this confideration, in all probability, along with the apparent refolution of the colonists 1769. Petition revenue Laws. CHAP. to come to the worst extremities rather than submit, proIX. bably at laft produced the repeal of fome of these obnoxious acts. This repeal, however, was not obtained until every method confiftent with peace had been first tried. Jan:25. In the month of January, 1769, a petition against the reagainst the venue-acts was prefented to parliament by the majority of the council of Maffachusetts Bay, and figned by Mr. Danforth as prefident; but, as it appeared that this was not done in a legal affembly of the council, the petition was refufed under that title, and accepted only in behalf of Mr. Danforth, and the individuals who had figned along with him. The petition infifted upon the violation of the charter immunities and privileges of the colonies, and the general rights of the colonists as English subjects, for which a fecurity in time to come was requested: It was regretted, that the diffolution of the general affembly had rendered it impoffible for the whole colony to petition: The difficulties and hardships of the firft fettlers in America, were painted in the moft lively colours; and it was inferred, that they not only had dearly purchased their settlements, but had acquired an additional title to the charterprivileges they enjoyed. The great fervices of the colonists, on many occafions, were also set forth; the old ones had been established without any expenfe to the mother-country; they bore a great fhare of the taxes of the country virtually, though they were altogether unable to pay heavy duties, the impofition of which was not only extremely prejudicial to them, but also to the mother-country; for which reafon a repeal of them was folicited. Refolutions ment again the Americans. This petition, though delivered in very refpeAful of parla- terms, and without exprefsly denying the right of taxation, met with no favourable reception. Refolutions on the American affairs originating in the house of lords, were tranfmitted to the commons, by which the late tranfactions in Malachusetts Bay, calling in question the power of the British legislature to bind the colonies in all cafes, were declared to be illegal, unconftitutional, derogatory to the rights of the crown and parliament of Great-Britain; the circular letters wrote by that colony to the reft, were declared to be proceedings of the most unwarrantable and flagitious nature, calculated to inflame the minds of the people, and create illegal combinations to the prejudice of Great-Britain. The town of Boston was declared to have been for fome time in a state of diforder, riot and confufion; the officers of revenue prevented by violence from the discharge of their duty; the riots had not been reftrained either by the council of the province |