Representative British Orations Volume 1 (of 4): With Introductions and Explanatory Notes
History
Representative British Orations Volume 1 (of 4): With Introductions and Explanatory Notes
Speeches, addresses, etc., English
colonies are composed, it is easy to foresee there would be no end of
feuds and factions among the several separate governments, when once
there shall be no one government here or there of sufficient force or
authority to decide their mutual differences; and, government being
dissolved, nothing remains but that the colonies must either change
their Constitution, and take some new form of government, or fall under
some foreign power. At present the several forms of their Constitution
are very various, having been produced, as all governments have been
originally, by accident and circumstances. The forms of government in
every colony were adopted, from time to time, according to the size of
the colony; and so have been extended again, from time to time, as the
numbers of their inhabitants and their commercial connections outgrew
the first model. In some colonies, at first there was only a governor
assisted by two or three counsel; then more were added; afterward
courts of justice were erected; then assemblies were created. Some
things were done by instructions from the secretaries of state; other
things were done by order of the King and council; and other things by
commissions under the great seal. It is observable, that in consequence
of these establishments from time to time, and of the dependency of
these governments upon the supreme Legislature at home, the lenity of
each government in the colonies has been extreme toward the subject;
and a great inducement has been created for people to come and settle
in them. But, if all those governments which are now independent of
each other, should become independent of the mother country, I am
afraid that the inhabitants of the colonies are very little aware of
the consequences. They would feel in that case very soon the hand of
power more heavy upon them in their own governments, than they have yet
done, or have ever imagined.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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