they made was on their young Colonies in America, whom they sought to
burden with heavy taxes laid on exports, or articles of commerce sent
out of the country, and on imports, or articles of commerce brought
into the country. The principal articles thus taxed were paper,
painters' colors, glass, sugar and molasses, and tea. The tax-money or
revenue scraped together from the sale of these articles--and which
made them dearer to him who bought and him who sold, according to the
amount of duty laid on--was to be gathered into the public treasury
for the purposes aforesaid. Another plan for raising revenue, hit upon
by these ingenious kites, was that famous one called the "Stamp Act,"
the design of which was to compel the people of the Colonies, in order
to make their business transactions good and valid, to use a certain
kind of paper, having on it a certain stamp. Each kind of paper had
its own particular stamp, and could only be applied to a certain
purpose specified thereon. Thus there was a deed stamp-paper, the will
stamp-paper, the note-of-hand and bill-of-exchange stamp-paper, the
marriage stamp-paper; and, in short, stamp-paper for every concern in
life requiring an instrument of writing. The paper itself was
altogether a commodity of the government, by whom it was manufactured,
and sold at prices varying from a few pence up to many pounds sterling
of good, hard English money, just according to the magnitude or nature
of the business in hand. Had it gone into effect, it must needs have
borne on the dead as well as on the living: for, if the last will and
testament of a deceased and lamented relative were not written on
paper with the proper stamp, it could not have been good and valid in
the king's eyes; and this would have led to grievous misunderstandings
between the bereaved and affectionate heirs, and perhaps the deceased
himself, in consequence, would have slept uneasily in his grave.

Another oppressive measure--the design whereof, however, was for
saving money, rather than for raising revenue--was that of quartering
troops upon the country in time of peace; by which means they must
needs be supported to a great extent by the people so sponged upon.

But the most brilliant stroke of all was an act forbidding the
Colonies from trading with any foreign ports, and from manufacturing
certain articles, lest the value and sale of the same articles
manufactured in England, and to be sold in America, might be lower