Page:Common sense - addressed to the inhabitants of America.djvu/38

30 check over our trade to Europe, we have as large a one over her trade to the Wet-Indies, which, by laying in the neighborhood of the Continent, lies entirely to its mercy.Some method might be fallen on to keep up a naval force in time of peace, if we hould not judge it neceary to upport a contant navy. If premiums were to be given to merchants to build and employ in their ervice hips mounted with 20, 30, 40 or 50 guns (the premiums to be in proportion to the los of bulk to the merchant) fifty or ixty of thoe hips, with a few guard-hips on contant duty, would keep up a ufficient navy, and that without burthening ourelves with the evil o loudly complained of in England, of uffering their fleets in time of peace to lie rotting in the docks. To unite the inews of commerce and defene is ound policy; for when our trength and our riches play into each other's hands, we need fear no external enemy.—In almot every article of defene we abound. Hemp flourihes even to ranknes, o that we need not want cordage. Our iron is uperior to that of other countries. Our mall arms equal to any in the world. Cannon we can cat at pleaure. Salt-petre and gun-powder we are every day producing. Our knowledge is hourly improving. Reolution is our inherent character, and courage hath never yet foraken us. Wherefore, what is it that we want? Why is it that we heitate? From Britain we can expect nothing but ruin. If he is once admitted to the government of America again, this Continent will not be worth living in. Jealouies will be always ariing; inurrections will be contantly happening; and who will go forth to quell them? Who will venture his life to reduce his own countrymen to a foreign obedience? The difference between Pennylvania and Connecticut, repecting ome unlocated lands, hews the inignificance of a Britih government, and fully proves, that nothing but Continental authority can regulate Continental matters.Another reaon why the preent time is preferable to all others, is, that the fewer our numbers are, the more land there is yet unoccupied, which intead of being lavihed by the King on his worthles dependents, may be hereafter applied not only to the dicharge of the preent debt, but to the contant upport of government. No nation under heaven hath uch an advantage as this.

The infant tate of the Colonies, as it is called, o far from being againt, is an argument in favor of independence. We are ufficiently numerous, and were we more o, we might be les united. It is a matter worthy of obervation, that the more a country is peopled, the maller their armies are. In military numbers the ancients far exceeded the moderns; and the reaon is evident, for trade being the conequence of population, men become too much aborbed thereby to attend to any thing ele. Commerce diminihes the pirit both of patriotim and military defene. And hitory ufficiently informs us, that the bravet achievements were always accomplihed in the non-age of a nation. With the increae of commerce England hath lot its pirit. The city of London, notwithtanding its numbers, ubmits to continued inults with the patience of a coward. The more men have to loe, the les willing they are to venture. The rich are in general laves to fear, and ubmit to courtly power with the trembling duplicity of a paniel. Youth