Page images
PDF
EPUB

Pro.-I not only think it, but am in a manner affured of it, from fuch as are acquainted with his inftructions in thefe points; to understand which is the bufincts of our frequent conferring with fome of the gentlemen of the other houfe, whofe intereft differs in no point from ours, whatever they may appear in their public capacity; and when we come to reafon things together, wherein the good of the ifland is concerned, you will find them to be the fame with us, and that we all aim at the fame end, though fon.etimes we may differ in the means of obtaining it; in the arguing where of I have always obferved them to be as ready to yield unto us, when reafon hath fo required, as they can defire we thould be to condefcend unto them, when the firength of argument fhall be on their fide.

Con-Now I perceive you are one of the cabal, and pretended to be a manager thereof. I will have nothing more to fay to you, only that, n twithstanding all the arguments you can bring, I am and fhall be as much against the feven years bill as you can be for it, and fo farewel to you.

Pro.-Pray be not fo hafty. Hear me first. firft. I am none of those you mean, nor was I with them you call caballers laft night, which by the way is but an ill term upon men of fuch a good intention towards the public. For my part, I have been inclined to the fame opinion I now am of a good while, and am the more confirmed in it the more I confider of it. They that were there of our house last night are fuch as have all along been of the contrary opinion, who like men of prudence and good confcience, before they would proceed upon the material point which feems fo much to influence the future good or hurt of Jamaica, were willing to hear the reasons of fuch as differed from themselves in opinion, though not in interest, that, by comparing them with their own, they might afterwards refolve upon that which fhould carry with it the faircit probability of advancing the common good.

Con-And they came away without doubt very good converts?

P›0.—I hear nothing like it, only that they were not so positive as they were before; which I take to be the reafon that fome moved for putting off the debate a day or two longer, for further confiderations, though this morning was appointed fit.

Con.-I know not what their reafons may be, but I believe I shall hardMy depart from my first opinion.

Pro,

Pro.-For my part, I am never fo wedded to my own sense but I cas hear another man's and embrace it, if he can fhew me better reafons for the maintaining his opinion than I give for mine; and, therefore, fince you feem to be fo pofitive against the feven years bill, I defire you would let me know the realons why you are fo.

Con. Because, when once we have fettled the revenue-bill for feven years, the governor will have no more occafion to call us together again; fo we fhall never get any more laws paffed, or have any grievances remelied within that time, unlefs we pay or compound for the fame.

Pro.-It is to be supposed that, before the paffing that bill, the whole body of laws is to be fettled, cfpecially all thofe between the prerogative and the fubject; which being done, there will not be the fame occafion for public affemblies as there hath been. But in cafe it thould be thought needful to make or alter any temporary law which concerns ourselves, the matter of it will always be of fuch indifference to the king, that we can have no reason to fufpect his governor will refufe to pafs it, when it shall come before him in a parliamentary way from both houses. opinion to offer a bill, or put in a claufe in the revenue-bill, to this effect, to have an affembly called once in two years at least (de die in diem), to confider of what fhall come before them.

I am of

Con. But, fuppofe the governor fhould not call the affembly by the time appointed by the act, what remedy have we then?

Pro.-That may be provided for by the act, as thus, that if the governor do not iffue out the king's writ by fuch a time for calling a new affembly, then the affembly that was laft in being thall be revived, and fit and act for fo many days, with the fame authority as they did when they were first convened.

[ocr errors]

Con. But what affurance can we have that any grievance will be remedied in that time, in cafe they fhould fit and take cognizance of any fuch, when we have neither money nor bribe to procure it?

-

Pro. For that we must trust to the governor's prudence and juftice, which will oblige him to give us a convenient remedy; for, fhould he refute

refufe to do it, we fhall have opportunity whilft we fit to addrefs and remonftrate, which no prudent governor will ever give occafion for.

you

Con. But, do think that if fuch a bill or claufe for the meeting of assemblies were offered by us, would it be confented unto by the governor?

[ocr errors]

Pro. Who can tell that? But I never heard he had any inftructions against it, and, from the nature of the bill, can judge of no reason he can have to refuse it; however, if we think it a good bill, it is our duty to offer it, and, provided we pafs the other for feven years, we need not doubt the paffing of that; but for us to part with our money for fo long time together, and have our forts neglected and fall to ruin, as by fad experience we have found almoft in all governors' times, will accufe us of too much eafinefs and too little circumfpection into the country's concerns. It is to provide against fuch evils that makes me be for the feven years bill, becaufe under that condition we hall have liberty of applying a thousand pounds per annum certain to the forts, befides the body of laws that depends upon it; and we fhall not only have all the money we raise by that act fecure to the public ufes of the ifland but the quit-rents alfo, which is as much more, and the king might give it away to whom he pleafed; whereas, in any of our two years bills, no fuch conditions could be ever granted; and you know how that from two years to two years we have gone on giving without any fcruple, or care how to have it applied, and fo fhould proceed ad infinitum, not confidering how much better it would be for us to give a feven years bill under fo many cautions and conditions as now we may. Befides, a two years bill hath naturally this evil in it, that being fhort lived and very uncertain in its raifing again, so that once in two or three years it frequently happens we have none at all for fix or nine months together, the governor, though he thould have one year's money to fpare, and of himfelf be well enough inclined towards the forts, yet he durft not lay it out for fear of wanting it himself the next; whereas when the revenue is fettled for a longer time, and money applied to that ufe, he will have no reafon upon like apprehenfion to go about to divert it, becaufe that, if money fall thort one year, he may expect

it will come in the next.

Con-But you know the forts have always been made the pretence for raifing of money, and never any laid out upon them for divers y cars; and

[blocks in formation]

how do we know that, having paffed this bill for feven years, we fhall not be forced to repair and keep up the forts ourfelves?

Pro.-Because we intend to provide against it in the bill itself as ftrono ly as words can bind it, by the applying of a thousand pounds per annum to that ufe, which if laid out accordingly may fufficiently fecure us from that fear.

Con. But fuppofe it should not be laid out upon the forts, notwithftanding our applying of it, who fhall fue the governor, or what remedy hall we have?

[ocr errors]

Pro. That we must provide for as well as we can; but at least we have this remedy, that it will come under the cognizance of our two years affembly, if that bill be paffed, and fo be reprefented as an agrieve ance; befides which, we fhall be furnished with a very good excufe to deny the giving of any more money in cafe it thould be afked of us; but, however that happens, thus much we may conclude from it, that the feven years bill is in all probability the best provifion we can make for the fupport of the forts, and if we have no feven years bill there is all the probability in the world that they muft and will fall to ruin, in regard there will not be money to maintain them; for you know very well it muft be a seven years bill or none at all.

Con.-But, whilst a seven years bill is fo much infifted upon, that none under that time will be accepted, is it not an impofing upon the freewill of the subject, who uses not to be directed what or how to give?

Pro. I cannot imagine any fuch intention as impofing upon us in it, and they must be prejudiced in it that take it fo; for molt certainly it is for nothing else but that the king and the minitters, having found as well as ourselves fo much trouble in the frequent occafions of new inftructions and orders concerning this government, upon every meeting of affembly, they propofe this method only for their eafe; and concerning which I think will be as much our own, and the several advantages we thall receive thereby are too confiderable, I hope, for us to fuffer any fuch objections to take place against it.

Con.-But why might not a lefs time than feven years do?

Pro

Pro. Because the governor's inftructions are fuch, and he cannot vary from them, and which the governing minifters will not alter, concluding we have all the reafon in the world to comply therewith for our own fakes, as well as in duty and gratitude to the king, after his majefty hath, upon our humble addrefs, been graciously pleased to restore us to our beloved form of making laws, wherein we enjoy beyond all difpute all the deliberative powers that the house of commons in England does; and hath further condefcended to our applying the very quit-rents, which is as much money given out of his purfe, to the public ufes of the ifland; especially when it fhall be confidered whofe the money is that we do give, and to what ufes it is given; the money is not the country's, but foreigners, but the ufes it is given to is the inland's, and the advantages thereof our own; fo that certainly we fhall be a very happy people, if thus, by the help of other men's purfes, we can fupport the government, maintain our forts, and fecure our eftates, without any charge to ourfelves; a condition that hardly any other nation in the world can boaft of; and all indifferent men in the world would think us either mad or bewitched, thould we lofe fo good an occafion as this is of establishing our happiness, when it is to be done upon fuch easy terms.

Con. But it is believed the new governor that is coming may bring other orders with him, fo that a bill for a fhorter time may be ac cepted, and we have all the fame advantages with it.

Pro. Of that I am fully affured to the contrary, by a letter I have feen from him of the latest date of any that came by the laft fhips, wherein he writes, that, having laboured and done all that was poffible for him to do or fay, for the obtaining of fome alteration in that point, he could not find that any one of the lords of the council could be perfuaded to advise the king unto it, but were all of them very positive that the bill ought to be for seven years at least.

Con.-But fuppose, for all this, that we fhould not confent to it for feven years, what then?

Pro.-It is impoffible for me to reckon up all the inconveniencies that may attend us by it, for who knows what measures will afterwards be taken with us; but of this we are but too well affured, that feveral of our most beneficial laws cannot be paffed here, and the forts must unavoidably Z 2

ge

« PreviousContinue »