Some Thoughts Upon America, and Upon the Danger from Roman Catholicks There(ca. 1740)
- MS 2011.3
- 1 item (2 pp.)
The author encourages England to rely upon its colonies to supply necessary commodities rather than relying upon foreign countries. This, it is argued, will stimulate the manufacturing sector to the benefit of England. The author applauds the recent bill to encourage foreign Protestants to emigrate to America by allowing them to become naturalized citizens. The author argues that the colonies should adopt the same restrictive laws against Catholics that exist in England to discourage Catholics settling there.
Transcript
Recto
Some Thoughts upon America, and upon the Danger from
Roman Catholicks there.
WE are now arrived at the Time, when the Consequence and Importance of our Colonys
to this Kingdom are generally perceived and understood; and it had been happy for us
if that had sooner happened, and if we had sooner encouraged them and their Produce
of Every Sort, so to have made them of far more Benefit to us than hitherto they have
been, instead of considering, with Partial and Local Views only, the particular and private Interests
of a few Single Persons, in opposition to the General Benefit and Advantage of the Colonys, and of
this Kingdom it self, and the Trade, Navigation, and Commerce thereof, in the immediate and un-
doubted Consequences.
AS I am, in every sense, an ENGLISHMAN, and fixed in this Kingdom, I cannot help wishing,
that our Plantations may be made as secure, and as serviceable and beneficial, as possible, to their
Mother-Country.
INDEED, I have seen the Time when we chose to deal with Foreigners for many of the most
useful Commodities we want, and pay them for the same (when they pleased to let us have them)
in ready Money, rather than encourage, and take the same from, our own Children in the Colonys,
and pay them with our own Home-made Woollen, and other Manufactures.
BUT I have had the Satisfaction, also, to see that most mistaken Policy, at last, corrected and
set right, and our own Colonys so far assisted and encouraged, as to be enabled to supply us with
some few of those Commodities which we used to pay and pray Foreigners to let us have.
AND, as the General Interest of this Nation, and the Colonys dependant thereon, seems to be
taken into the serious Consideration of many Great and Able Genius’s, I am in hopes, very
soon, to see our Colonys much further encouraged, and that we shall take from them Every thing
they can possibly supply us with, which we now take from Foreigners; because such a continual and
considerable Intercourse between us and them, must naturally strengthen their Dependence upon this
Kingdom, unite the mutual Interests, encrease our own Trade and Navigation, and greatly employ
our Manufacturers here.
FOR it is now felt, that our Colonys would deal with us much further, and would take off
vastly more of our Manufactures, which they stand in absolute necessity of, had they but where-
withal to make Returns, and pay for the same.
IN hopes, therefore, that we shall, now in these our Days, see the things which belong to our
true Interest, it has given me great Pleasure to see a Bill brought into Parliament, for naturalizing
Foreign Protestants, who have or shall settle in our Colonys in America: A Scheme so well adapted
to increase the Wealth and Strength of our Colonys, (and consequently of this Nation) that I think
it cannot fail of producing those good Ends; since it is most undoubtedly true, that the Lenity of
our Government, the Purity of our Religion, the Benefit of our Laws, the Advantages of our
Trade, and the Security of our Property, left no Other Inducement wanting, but that, to invite
vast Numbers of Foreigners to stock to our Colonys; and whoever lives a few Years, may reasonably
hope to see an extraordinary Concourse of Foreigners to our Plantations, as the Consequence of that
good and salutary Bill.
I BEFORE told you that I was, in every sense, an ENGLISHMAN, and I will add thereto, if
it be necessary, that I am a Protestant, and, as such, was extremely glad to see, that the Great Pri-
vilege proposed to be given by that Bill, was confined to Protestants only.
BUT I carefully observed, that no Roman Catholick in our Colonies can claim the particular Pri-
vilege thereby allowed to others; and, indeed, no surer Ground-work could be laid for the Loss and
Destruction of our Colonys, than to encourage the Resort of Roman Catholicks thither.
MUCH do I fear, that the other Advantages recited in that Bill, (which Roman Catholicks, as
to be especially considering several concurring Circumstances) powerful Motives and Inducements to
many Roman Catholicks to resort thither, which might be of the utmost Danger to our Settlements
in America, as there are great Numbers of French Roman Catholicks on the back of all our Colonys.
I UTTERLY detest Persecution, on account of Private Sentiments in Religion; but there is a
wide Difference between that and nursing up a Set of People who are infatuated till they believe it
their Duty to cut our Throats, in return, and that ’tis meritorious, and even doing Honour and Ser-
vice to the All-merciful God, for them so to do.
THE tender Mercies of the Roman Catholicks towards Hereticks, (when in power) are known to
be very Cruelties: Their Priests and infallible Guides eternally watch all Opportunities, with ran-
corous Hatred, against Hereticks; their Religion consists in Politicks; and, such Politicks; as are in-
consistent with our happy Constitution, and, indeed, destructive of Civil Society it self.
YET, even these Men, many of whom I would hope may be unhappily mistaken, I would not
have Persecuted for such their Mistakes, or for their private religious Opinions—But, nevertheless,
I most heartily wish it may be kept out of their power to extend their Talons to destroy our Colonys
and the Protestants therein, and which I hope is not any Breach of Christian Charity.
I AM not sufficiently acquainted with the Laws of all our Colonys, to say upon what foot Roman
Catholicks stand in our several settlements; but I have always understood it to be a Fundamental Point,
that the Constitutions in all our Colonys should be, as nearly as possible, agreeable and not repugnant,
to the Laws of this Kingdom.
BUT, considering the Number of our separate Provinces in America, each distinct form, and
independent of, the others, (and which very thing, in other respects, may be of great benefit to this
Kingdom) ’tis scarcely to be expected that any one, regular System, with regard to the Roman Ca-
tholicks, should be established or observed throughout all those distinct Provinces, unless the restrictive
Laws,
Verso
Laws, made in Great Britain with respect to Roman Catholicks, were, by one short and general Law
to be passed here, extended to all our Colonys and Plantations in America, which always were in-
tended to be, and in such fundamental Points always ought to be, just upon the same Footing.
THIS Nation has found it absolutely necessary to restrain Roman Catholicks by Law, from sitting
in either House of Parliament, from voting for Members of Parliament, from holding any Office
or Place of Trust or Profit, from publick Schools and Mass-houses, has made it very penal for their
Priests to perform their Office here, has disabled them to keep Horses and Arms, and has obliged
them to pay double Taxes for the Support of the Government, &c.
BUT I greatly fear no one of those Laws extends to our Colonys in America, where they would
be more necessary than even here.
AGAIN; a neighbouring Kingdom, (and which may, very properly, be considered as the First
of our Colonys) has fell upon a Method to remove those People from amongst them, by degrees,
and in process of time, by that most happy Scheme of erecting Protestant Working-Schools there,
(may the Inventors and Encouragers thereof be ever blessed!) and have been obliged at several times,
and even just now, to fall upon Other, more restrictive, Means, for Self-Preservation.
BUT, with great Submission, these Provisions, tho’ highly proper and necessary, do not reach far
enough; they may answer the Ends proposed just within these Kingdoms, but then they only serve to re-
move Roman Catholicks from hence, into another Quarter, more defenceless against them: into our
Colonys, where they enjoy the Benefits of our Constitution, and are not under all those wholesome
Restrictions; where, from the Situation of their Neighbours, their Company is the more dangerous.
FOR no one can believe, that a Roman Catholick forgets his in-bread Inveteracy, by going to America;
or will fail to exert it, when Numbers of the same Religion afford an easy Opportunity.
AND it’s a Fact most undoubtedly true, that great Numbers of Irish Papists have, of late Years,
gone into our Colonys.
AS a private Person I have had more leisure to consider this important Matter than ’tis possible for
those in elevated Stations and Employments to have done; and the more I have considered it, the
stronger have my Apprehensions grown. Had I Opportunities of communicating this to His Maje-
sty’s Ministers, there can be no possible doubt of their Zeal and Affection for the Cause of Our King
and the Country; but as I thought this an exceeding proper time, when the Affairs of our Colonys
are so much the Subject of publick and private Consideration, and while we are at War, already,
with one Roman Catholic Power in America, to submit my private Thoughts hereon to the Public,
I desire you’ll Print this, and shall esteem my self very fortunate, if any Hints which I have undi-
gestedly offered, shall be wrought up by abler Persons, into the Means of any Safety or Security for
His Majesty, and His Protestant Subjects, and the Country.
[Written sideways]
SOME
THOUGHTS
UPON
AMERICA,
AND UPON
The Danger from Roman Ca-
tholicks there.