T1IE W K A E I'll OE NATIONS.

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first, and wliat are those which ought last to be taken away ;or in what maimer the natural system of perfect liberty andjustice ought gradually to be restored, we must leave to thewisdom of future statesmen and legislators to determine.

Five different events, unforeseen and uuthought of, havevery fortunately concurred to hinder Great Britain from feel-ing, so sensibly as it was generally expected she would, thetotal exclusion which has now taken place for more than ayear, (from the first of December 1774) from a very importantbranch of the colony trade, that of the twelve associated pro-vinces of North America . First, those colonies, in preparingthemselves for their non-importation agreement, drainedGreat Britain completely of all the commodities which werelit for their market: secondly, the extraordinary demand ofthe Spanish Flota has, this year, drained Germany and theNorth of many commodities, linen in particular, which usedto come into the competition, even in the British market, ^with the manufactures of Great Britain ; thirdly, the peacebetween Russia and Turkey has occasioned an extraordinarydemand from the Turkey market, which, during the distressof the country, and while a Russian licet was cruizing in theArchipelago , had been very poorly supplied : fourthly, thedemand of the North of Europe for the manufactures of GreatBritain has been increasing from year to year for some timepast: and, fifthly, the late partition and consequential paci-fication of Boland, by opening the market of that great coun-try, have this year added an extraordinary demand fromthence to the increasing demand of the North. These eventsare all, except the fourth, in their nature transitory and acci-dental, and the exclusion from so important a branch of thecolony trade, if unfortunately it should continue much longer,may still occasion some degree of distress. This distress,however, as it will come on gradually, will be felt much lessseverely than if it had come on all at once ; and, in the meantone, the industry and capital of the country may find a newemployment and direction, so as to prevent this distress fromev m, risiu h r to any considerable height.

1 he monopoly of the colony trade, therefore, so far as ithas tin ned towards that trade a greater proportion of the ca-pital ot Great Britain than what would otherwise have goneto it, has in all cases turned it, from a foreign trade of con-sumption with a neighbouring, into one with a more distantcountry; in many cases, from a direct foreign trade of con-