ndependence, and that concessions on our part now would be useless,
ridiculous, degrading, and an acknowledgment of weakness, that would
draw down upon England the contempt of her friends and the attacks
of her foes. The motion was supported by the Dukes of Grafton and
Manchester, Lords Camden and Shelburne, and the Bishop of Peterborough,
who reiterated the arguments of the noble mover in its favour. In the
course of the debates Lord Weymouth had expressed some doubt as to
Chatham's real meaning, and later in the evening he thus explained
it:--"I will tell your lordships very fairly what I wish for: I wish for
a repeal of every oppressive act which your lordships have passed since
1673. I would put our American brethren on the same footing they stood
at that period; and I should expect that, being left at liberty to
tax themselves, they would in return contribute to our common burdens,
according to their means and abilities. I will move your lordships for
a bill of repeal, as the only means left to arrest that approaching
destruction which threatens to overwhelm us. I shall no doubt hear it
objected, Why should we submit or concede? Has America done anything on
her part to induce us to agree to so large a ground of concession? But
I will tell you, my lords, why I think you should concede--you have
been the aggressors from the beginning; you have burned their towns,
plundered their country, confiscated their property, and imprisoned
their persons!" A murmur was heard through the house, that the Earl of
Chatham was doing his best to encourage the Americans, and to discourage
the people of England; and it must be confessed that the whole tenor of
his speech was likely to produce such an untoward effect. Moreover,
the sentiments which his speech contained were otherwise not founded in
wisdom. Thus the belief which he expressed, that the Americans would,
if left to tax themselves in their assemblies, contribute to our common
burdens, according to their means and abilities was a fallacy which had
been disproved by matters of fact; for, when in a previous year, and
in the course of the quarrel, this had been proposed to them, not
one assembly would contribute a single shilling. All advances toward
concession, indeed, were met by a louder appeal to arms; and there was
at this time no alteration in their sentiments which could justify a
hope that, even if a repeal of all the taxes were guaranteed to them,
they would now lay down