No. VII. SKETCH of the POLITICAL STATE of j america _ NUMBER IV. rf HAT temptation to fraud atid fubte.fuge, I which the currency of a fluctuating medium rented had a visible effedt upon the morals of community, and tended to destroy that recip rocal confidence, between the individual members 1 vh forms the great prop and cement of all io is ever productive of vice and immorality, by pre iudicin' the habits, and corrupting the manners of Si • perhaps the reafonin- is no further true than by opening a wider field for exertion, and A race of Tyrants; of Mailers: Their boasted FREE Go vernment ! What was it ? A scene of Ihocking, difgraceful, degrading tyranny, and oppression : Where even their Mechanics, and Laboiers, weie denied the common privileges of men, and in many refpeifts less regarded than the brute creation : And where the wealthy is said to have fed the fiflies in his ponds v>ith the jtejh of his slaves : When I return from contemplating this horrid scene, and survey the no less pitiable condition ot the wretched Slaves at this present day, in the Eng lifh and Dutch colonies, where I behold a petty ty rant of ah Ovfcrfeer, lording "it over his fellow-crea- NOTES. * At'nenaus, lib. 6, cap. 20. + Ibid. t Vedius Pollis—Donat. ad Terentii Phorir.: Ast 2. Scene I. See oblervations concerning the diftinftion Of ran!; sin tociety. B; John Miuaf, Esq. page 2cS ; inf.Ctr lures, with whips oj scorpions, and w:th rods of iron ; glutting by ttirhs his avarice, cruelty and luff ; "with every other hateful pajfion, in wanton, vile exafi, upon those paflive, injured, and defencelefs victims, my foul recoils at the word SLAVERY ; and while I pity the ignorant savage tyrants of Africa, I can not forbear execrating the more enlightened, but more barbarous tyrants in America. Yet these men will pretend to own a comrnonFather of all Man- ■ kind, and ihamelefily deny that we are brethren ; and they have the prefuinptionto affect to believe that the great ft archer of hearts pays a particular rei pecito the colour of the Skin. But it mult be allow ed, that in all focietifes, fubordinanon and fervi. tude are in some degree neceflary—Thefe natural ly imply superiority and power : Power therefore cannot be supposed in itfelf unjust, but only the abuie of that poTrcr : A f. equent change, or rota tion of property, occasioned by the introduction of Commerce into many of the European States, has greatly checked this wanton exercise, or abuf'e of' power; and in many of those States, has by de crees, totally abolished that villanage which exit ed in the primitive ages. Yet, as in all civilized Urates, an cxcefs of poverty will be the inevitable lot of some, it may therefore naturally be expect ed, that the poor in general will experience a cer iain degree of dependence, and servility. And as is not in the power of laws effectually to shield every individual from every species of oppreiiion, so it is to be expected that some masters will mal treat their slaves, and some of the rich will dppreis the poor ; if the state of the poor may be supposed in some respects preferable to that of the Aiiican' Slaves, yet I am of opinion, that in other respects it mayfometimcs be lei's eligible, unless we ffioula allow an equal degree of sensibility to mankind in every state and condition, which opinion I can not think, .either reason, experience, or common observation will warrant : Be that as it may, all Europe evinces, that where there are no Black men, there mull be white men to do the menial, and other servile offices requiiite in society ; or in other words, where there are no black /laves, there must be white slaves. But as slavery, however con venient, or even just, may not appear perfectly compatible with the opinions of Americans, as ad vocates for certain natural inalienable rights e qually appertaining to all mankind, so it may b£ presumed, there are few owners of slaves, who V/ould not freely make a large discount, in order to exchange that species of property, for such as would be more consonant to their feelings, anu principles. But in what manner those slaves when manumitted, are to be supported, is a matter or vast importance t6 be previously considered, and adjuftecl; which will I fear be found to be at tended with insurmountable difficulties, for how ever strange it may appear, it is nevertheless true, as has been proved in various iuftances, thatthere will be but a small proportion of the whole num ber of slaves, who will be able to provide for them selves, and therefore unless retaken into the fame, or limilar service, and'ftate, will become a griev ous burthen to the community ; which in addition, to the present numbers unemployed in America, and the price that justice will require to be paid to the owuers for their manumiflion, will be proba bly more than we iliall speedily be able to oear. E. C. Mr. Fenno, AS many person-: are hot poflefled of any just ideas of the origin of those enormities, which have been perpetrated in the East-IndieS by Englilh ad ventures, the following, taken from an Europeari publication, may be fatisfattory to some of your readers, as it has been to E. Z. 7'he Origin end Progress of the British Power and Oppression in ludia. DURING the time of the Mogul government, the Princes of that race, who omitted nothing for the encouragement of commerce in their .domini ons bestowed very large privileged and immuni ties on the English Eaft-Inuia company, exempted them from feverstl duties to which their natural born fubjec'ts were liable. The company's duftrtut or paflport, secured to them this exemption at all the custom-houses and toll bats of the country. The company not being able, or not chufing to make use of their privilege to the full extent to which it might be carried, i idulged their servants with a qualified use of their paflport; under which, and in the name of the company, they carried on a private trade, either by themselves or in society with natives ; and thus found a compenfktion fov the scanty allowances made to them by their mas ters in England. As the country government was at that time in the fulnefs of i.s strength, and this immunity existed by a double connivance, was naturally kept within tolerable limits. PRI'CE SIX r EJi CE .