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IV.

BOOK upon a double account, more useful. He approaches more to the condition of a free fervant, and may poffefs fome degree of integrity and attachment to his master's intereft, virtues which frequently belong to free fervants, but which never can belong to a flave, who is treated as flaves commonly are in countries where the mafter is perfectly free and fecure.

THAT the condition of a flave is better under an arbitrary than under a free government, is, I believe, fupported by the hiftory of all ages and nations. In the Roman hiftory, the first time we read of the magiftrate interpofing to protect the flave from the violence of his mafter, is under the emperors. When Vedius Pollio, in the prefence of Auguftus, ordered one of his flaves, who had committed a flight fault, to be cut into pieces and thrown into his fifh pond in order to feed his fifhes, the emperor commanded: him, with indignation, to emancipate immediately, not only that flave, but all the others that belonged to him. Under the republic no magiftrate could have had authority enough to protect the flave, much lefs to punish the mafter.

THE ftock, it is to be obferved, which has improved the fugar colonies of France, particularly the great colony of St. Domingo, has been raised almoft entirely from the gradual improvement and cultivation of thofe colonies. It has been almoft altogether the produce of the foil and of the induftry of the colonists, or, what comes to the fame thing, the price of that produce gradually accumulated by good manage

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VII.'

ment, and employed in raifing a ftill greater CHAP. produce. But the stock which has improved and cultivated the fugar colonies of England has, a great part of it, been fent out from England, and has by no means been altogether the produce of the foil and industry of the colonists. The profperity of the English fugar colonies has been, in a great measure, owing to the great riches of England, of which a part has overflowed, if one may say so, upon those colonies. But the profperity of the fugar colonies of France has been entirely owing to the good conduct of the colonists, which must therefore have had fome fuperiority over that of the English; and this fuperiority has been remarked in nothing fo much as in the good management of their flaves.

SUCH have been the general outlines of the policy of the different European nations with regard to their colonies.

THE policy of Europe, therefore, has very little to boast of, either in the original establishment, or, fo far as concerns their internal government, in the fubfequent profperity of the

colonies of America.

FOLLY and injuftice feem to have been the principles which prefided over and directed the firft project of establishing those colonies; the folly of hunting after gold and filver mines, and the injuftice of coveting the poffeffion of a country whose harmless natives, far from having ever injured the people of Europe, had received the

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firft adventurers with every mark of kindness and hofpitality.

THE adventurers, indeed, who formed fome of the later establishments, joined, to the chimerical project of finding gold and filver mines, other motives more reafonable and more laudable; but even these motives do very little honour to the policy of Europe.

THE Englif puritans, reftrained at home, fled for freedom to America, and established there the four governments of New England. The English catholics, treated with much greater injuftice, established that of Maryland; the Quakers, that of Pennsylvania. The Portuguefe Jews, perfecuted by the inquifition, ftript of their fortunes, and banished to Brazil, introduced, by their example, fome fort of order and industry among the tranfported felons and ftrumpets, by whom that colony was originally peopled, and taught them the culture of the fugar-cane. Upon all thefe different occafions it was, not the wifdom and policy, but the diforder and injuftice of the European governments, which peopled and cultivated America.

IN effectuating fome of the most important of these establishments, the different governments of Europe had as little merit as in projecting them. The conqueft of Mexico was the project, not of the council of Spain, but of a governor of Cuba; and it was effectuated by the spirit of the bold adventurer to whom it was entrusted, in fpite of every thing which that governor, who

foon

VII.

foon repented of having trufted fuch a perfon, CHAP. could do to thwart it. The conquerors of Chili and Peru, and of almost all the other Spanish fettlements upon the continent of America, carried out with them no other public encouragement, but a general permiffion to make fettlements and conquefts in the name of the king of Spain. Thofe adventures were all at the private risk and expence of the adventurers. The government of Spain contributed fcarce any thing to any of them. That of England contributed. as little towards effectuating the establishment of fome of its most important colonies in North America.

WHEN. thofe eftablishments were effectuated, and had become fo confiderable as to attract the attention of the mother country, the first regulations which fhe made with regard to them had always in view to fecure to herself the monopoly of their commerce; to confine their market, and to enlarge her own at their expence, and, confequently, rather to damp and difcourage, than to quicken and forward the course of their profperity. In the different ways in which this monopoly has been exercifed, confifts one of the ..most effential differences in the policy of the different European nations with regard to their colonies. The best of them all, that of England, is only fomewhat lefs illiberal and oppreffive than that of any of the reft.

In what way, therefore, has the policy of Europe contributed either to the firft establishment, or to the prefent grandeur of the colonies

of

400

BOOK of America? In one way, and in one way only,

IV.

it has contributed a good deal. Magna virúm Mater! It bred and formed the men who were capable of atchieving fuch great actions, and of laying the foundation of fo great an empire; and there is no other quarter of the world of which the policy is capable of forming, or has ever actually and in fact formed fuch men. The colonies owe to the policy of Europe the education and great views of their active and enterprising founders; and fome of the greatest and most important of them, fo far as concerns their internal government, owe to it fcarce any thing else.

PART THIRD.

Of the Advantages which Europe has derived from
the Discovery of America, and from that of a
Paffage to the Eaft Indies by the Cape of Good
Hope.

SUCH are the advantages which the colonies
of America have derived from the policy of
Europe.

WHAT are thofe which Europe has derived from the discovery and colonization of America?

THOSE advantages may be divided, firft, into the general advantages which Europe, confidered as one great country, has derived from those great events; and, fecondly, into the particular advantages which each colonizing country has derived from the colonies which particularly be

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