ation of
his _knowledge_ of _something_ of the situation and state of things in
America, and what, from some _little_ occurrences, that have already
really happened, he can very easily _figure_ to himself what may and
_will_ certainly happen, if not prevented in time:--We say, that as the
Governor has not mentioned what these _little_ occurrences are,--we
cannot pretend to judge, whether what he _figures_ to himself, is any
ways relative to the object under consideration, or, indeed, what else
it is relative to.

But as the Lords Commissioners for Trade and Plantations have thought
proper to insert in their _Report_ the above-mentioned letters from
General Gage and Governor Wright, it may not be improper for us to give
the opinion of his Majesty's house of burgesses of the dominion of
Virginia, on the _very point_ in question, as conveyed to his Majesty
in their address of the 4th of August 1767, and delivered the latter
end of that year, to the Lords Commissioners for Trade and Plantations,
by Mr. Montague, agent for the colony.--The house of burgesses
say,--"We humbly hope, that we shall obtain your royal indulgence,
_when we give it as our opinions_, that it will be _for your Majesty's
service, and the interest of your American dominions in general, to
continue the encouragements_" (which were a _total exemption from any
consideration-money whatsoever, and a remission of quit-rent for ten
years, and of all kinds of taxes for fifteen years_) "for _settling
those frontier lands_." By this means the house observed, "_New_
settlements will be made _by people of property, obedient subjects to
government_; but if the present restriction should continue, we have
the strongest reason to believe, _that country will become the resort
of fugitives and vagabonds, defiers of law and order, and who in time
may form a body dangerous to the peace and civil government of this
colony_."

We come now to the consideration of the 9th, 10th, and 11th paragraphs.

In the 9th, the Lords Commissioners for Trade and Plantations observe,
"That admitting the settlers over the mountains, and on the Ohio, to be
as numerous as _report_ states them to be," [and which we shall from
undoubted testimony, prove to be not less than five thousand families,
of at least six persons to a family, independent of some thousand
families, which are also settled _over_ the mountains, within the
limits of the province of Pennsylvania] yet their Lordships say, "