John Osly, Pawnbroker of Bethnal Green, was indicted for assaulting Jonathn. Boldsworth on the Highway, putting him in fear and taking from him one Silver Watch, value £5 5s. The Prisoner pleaded, thus having sold the Watch to the Prosecutor, and being immediately after informed by a Person who knew him that he was not likely to pay for the same, he had only followed him and taken the Watch back again. But it appearing on the Trial, that, presuming he had not been known when he committed the Robbery, he had afterwards said the Prosecutor for the Debt, on his Note of Hand; he was found Guilty. Death. Old Bailey Sessions Paper, 1747.

I chose the above Extract from the Proceedings at the Old Bailey in the Trial of Criminals, as a Motto or Text, on which to amplify in my ensuing Discourse. But on second Thoughts, having given it forth, I shall, after the Example of some other Preachers, quit it for the present, and leave to my Readers, if I should happen to have any, the Task of discovering what Relation there may possibly be between my Text and my Sermon. During some Years past, the British Newspapers have been filled with Reflections on the Inhabitants of America, for not paying their old Debts to English Merchants. And from those Papers the same Reflections have been translated into Foreign Prints, and circulated throughout Europe, whereby the American Character, respecting Honour, Probity and Justice in commerical Reansactions, is made to suffer in the Opinion of Strangers, which may be attended with pernicious Consequences.

At length we are told that the British Court has taken up the Complaint, and seriously offer’d it as a Reason for Refusing to evacuate the Frontier Posts according to Treaty. This gives a kind of Authenticity to the Charge, and makes it now more necessary to examine the Matter thoro’ly; to enquire impartially into the Conduct of both Nations, take Blame to ourselves where we have merited it; and, where it may be fairly done, instigate the Severity of the Censures that are so liberally bestow’d upon us.

We may begin by observing, that before the War our mercantile Character was good. In Proof of this (and a stronger Proof can hardly be desired) the Votes of the House of Commons in 1774-5, have recorded a Petition signed by the Body of the Merchants of London trading to North America, in which they expressly set forth, not only that the Trade was profitable to the Kingdom, but that the Remittances and Payments were as punctually and faithfully made as in any other Branch of Commerce whatever. These Gentlemen were certainly competent Judges, and as to that Point could have no Interest in deceiving the Government.

The making of these punctual Remittances was however a Difficulty. Britain, acting on the selfish, and perhaps mistaken Principle of receiving nothing from abroad that could be produc’d at home, would take no Articles of our Produce that interfer’d with any of her own; and what did not interfere she loaded with heavy Duties. We had no Mines of Gold or Silver. We were therefore oblig’d to run the World over in search of something that would be receiv’d in England. We sent our Provisions and Lumber to the West Indies, where Exchange was made for Sugars, Cotton, &c to remit. We bought Mollasses from thence, distill’d it into Rum, with which we traded in Africa, and remitted the Gold Dust to England. We employ’d ourselves in the Fisheries, and sent the Fish we caught, together with Quantities of Wheat, Flour, and Rice to Spain and Portugal, from whence the Amount was remitted to England in Cash or Bills of Exchange. Great Quantities of our Rice too, went to Holland, Hamburgh, &c and the Value of that was also sent to Britain. Ad to this, that contenting ourselves with Paper, all the hard Money we could possibly pick up among the Foreign West India Islands, was continually sent off to Britain, not a Ship going thither from America without some Chests of those precious Metals.

Imagine this great Machine, of mutually advantageous Commerce, going roundly on, in full Train; our Ports all busy, receiving and selling British Manufactures, and equipping Ships for the circuitous Trade that was finally to procure the necessary Remittances; the Seas covered with those Ships and with several hundred Sail of our Fishermen, all working for Britain; and then let us consider what Effect the Conduct of Britain in 1774 and 1775 and the following Years, must naturally have on the future Ability of our Merchants to make the Payments in question.

We will not here enter into the Motives of that Conduct; they are well enough known and not to her Honour. The first Step was shutting up the Port of Boston by an Act of Parliament; the next to prohibit by another the New England Fishery. And Army and a Fleet were sent to enforce these Acts. Here was a Stop put at once to all the mercantile Operations of one of the greatest trading Cities of America; the Fishing Vessels all laid up, and the usual Remittances by way of Spain, Portugal, and the Straits render’d impossible. Yet the Cry was now began against us, These New England People do not pay their Debts.

The Ships of the Fleet employ’d themselves in Cruising separately all along the Coast. The marine Gentry are seldom so well contented with their Pay, as not to like a little Plunder. They stopp’d and seiz’d, under slight Pretences, the American Vessels they met with, belonging to whatever Colony. This check’d the Commerce of them all. Ships loaded with Cargoes destin’d either directly or indirectly to make Remittance in England were not spared. If the Difference between the two Countries had been then accommodated, these unauthoriz’d Plunderers would have been call’d to account, and many of their Exploits must have been found Piracy. But what cur’d all this, set their Minds at ease, made short Work, and gave full Scope to their Piratical Disposition, was another Act of Parliament, forbidding any Inquisition into those past Facts, declaring them all lawful, and all American Property to be forfeited whether on Sea or Land, and authorizing the King’s British Subjects to take seize, sink, burn or destroy whatever they could find of it. The Property suddenly and by Surprize taken from our Merchants by the Operation of this Act is incomputable. And yet the Cry did not diminish, These Americans don’t pay their Debts!

Had the several States of America, on the Publication of this Act, seiz’d all British Property in their Power, whether consisting of Lands in their Country, Ships in their Harbours, or Debts in the Hands of their Merchants, by way of Retaliation, it is probable a great Part of the World would have deem’d such Conduct justifiable. They it seems thought otherwise, and it was done only in one or two States, and that under particular Circumstances of Provocation. And not having thus abolish’d all Demands, the Cry subsists that the Americans should pay their Debts.

General Gage being with his Army, (before the Declaration of open War) in peaceable Possession of Boston, shut its Gates, and plac’d Guards all around to prevent its Communication with the Country. The Inhabitants were on the Point of Starving. The General, though they were evidently at his Mercy, fearing that while they had any Arms in their Hands, frantic Desperation might possibly do him some Mischief, propos’d to them a Capitulation, in which he stipulated, that if they would deliver up their Arms, they might leave the Town with their Familes and Goods. In faith of this Agreement, they deliver’d their Arms. But when they began to pack up for their Departure, they were inform’d, that by the Word Goods, the General understood only Houshold Goods, that is, their Beds, Chairs and Tables, not Merchant Goods; those he was inform’d they were indebted for to the Merchants of England, and he must secure them for the Creditors. They were accordingly all seized, to an immense Value, what had been paid for not excepted. It is to be supposed, tho’ was have never heard of it, that his very honourable General, when he returned home, made a just Dividend of those Goods, or their Value, among the said Creditors. But the Cry nevertheless continu’d, These Boston People do not pay their Debts!

The Army having thus ruin’d Boston, proceeded to different Parts of the Continent. They go possession of all the capital trading Towns. The Troops gorg’d themselves with Plunder. They stopp’d all the Trade of Philadelphia for near a Year, of Rhodeisland longer, of New York near eight Years, of Charlestown in South Carolina dn Savanah in Georgia, I forget how long. This continu’d Interruption of their Commerce ruin’d many Merchants. The Army also burnt to the Ground the fine Towns of Falmouth and Charlestown near Boston, New London, Fairfield, Norwalk, Esopus, Norfolk the chief trading City in Virginia, besides innumerable Country Seats, and private Farm Houses. This wanton Destruction of Property operated doubly to the Disabling of our Merchants who were Importers from Britain in making their Payments, by the immediate Loss they sustain’d themselves, and also the Loss suffer’d by their Country Debtors, who had bought of them the British Goods, and who were now render’d unable to pay. The Debts to Britain of course remain’d undischarg’d, and theClamour continu’d, These knavish Americans will not pay us!

Many of the British Debts, particularly in Virginia and the Carolinas, arose from the Sales made of Negroes in those Provinces by the Yet if one were disposed to recriminate, it would not be difficult to find sufficient Matter in several Parts of their Conduct. But this I forbear. The two separated Nations are now at Peace, and there can be no Use in mutual Provocations to fresh Enmity. If I have shown clearly that the present Inability of many American Merchants to discharge their Debts contracted before the War, is not so much their Fault as the Fault of the crediting Nation who by making an unjust War on them, obstructing their Commerce, plundering and devastating their Country were the Cause of that Inability I have answered the Purpose of writing this Paper. How far the Refusal of the British Court    to the Treaty in delivering up the Frontier Posts may on account of this Deficiency of Payment be justifiable is chearfully submitted to the World’s impartial Judgment.