by the Restoration of King Charles II. and above all or generous and frank Concurrence with them in the late happy Revolution and Advancement of King William III. We did verily think that all these things deserv'd a better Treatment And to evince that they did we shall beg leave to insist a little upon the first and last The English have no cause to think that we were ignorant of the Reason why their Politick Henry VII chose rather to Match his Eldâ—st Daughter with the King of Scots than with the King of France because he foresaw that if the King of Scots should by that means come to the Crown of England he would remove the Seat of his Government thither which would add to the Grandure and Riches of England Whereas if the King of France did by that means fall Heir to the English Crown he would certainly draw the Court of England to Paris This the Scots were so far from being ignorant of that many of the Nobility and Gentry did express their dislike of the Union of the Crowns as well knowing that it would reduce our Kingdom into a Subjection and Dependance upon England and drain us of what Substance we had and therefore some of them express'd themselves on that occasion That Scotland was never Conquer'd till then Yet such was our Zeal for the Common Welfare of the Island the Interest of the Protestant Religion and of Europe in general which were then almost in as much danger by Spain as they have been since by France that we quietly and freely parted with our King and suffer'd him to accept the English Crown rather than that Nation should be involv'd in War and Confusion and the Protestant Religion endanger'd by another Successor as it must necessarily have been had the Infanta of Spain whose Title was then promoted by the Popish Interest succeeded And all the Reward we had for this Condescension and Kindness was a Contemptuous and Disdainful Refusal on the part of England of an Union of the Nations when proposed tho' the same would visibly have tended to the Benefit of the whole Island the general Advantage of Europe and the Security and Increase of the Protestant Interest And our King was so little thankful on his part that tho' he promis'd solemnly in the Great Church of Edinburgh before his Departure that he would visit his Ancient Kingdom once in three Years he never saw it after but once and that not till Fourteen Years after And by the influence of that same Faction in England who are still our Enemies he made Innovations both in Church and State These were the first Advantages we had by the Union of the Crowns His Son King Charles I. had scarce ascended the Throne when we had new Proofs of the Disadvantages we labour'd under by that Union for he by the Advice of some Enemies to our Nation did in an Imperious and Arbitrary manner send for our Crown tho' the only Monument almost left us of our Independency and Freedom but was generously answer'd by him that had it in keeping That if he would come and be Crown'd in Scotland he should have all the Honour done him that ever was to his Ancestors but if he did not think it worth his while they might perhaps be inclin'd to make choice of another Soveraign or to that effect as recorded in the Continuation of Sir Richard Baker's History Another Disadvantage we had by that Union of the Crown was this That that Unfortunate Prince being inspir'd with an Aversion to the Constitution of our Country by his Education made War upon us to bring us to a Conformity with England in Church-Matters We shall not here offer to debate which of the Churches was best Constituted or most agreeable to the Scripture-Pattern It suffices for our Argument That we were Injur'd in having a Foreign Model offer'd to be obtruded upon us which was the Consequence of the Union of the Crowns and of having our King Educated in another Nation but that was not all another mischievous Effect of the Union was this That whatever King Charles had deserv'd at our Hands yet out of Natural Affection Conscience and Honour we were oblig'd to do what we could to prevent his Illegal Trial and Death and to defend his Son's Title which threw us into Convulsions at Home occasion'd us the loss of several Armies and expos'd our Nation afterwards to Ruine and Devastation by our implacable Enemy the Usurper which together with the Ungrateful Retributions made us by the Government after the Restoration were enough to have wearied any Nation under Heav'n but our selves of the Union of the Crowns ANSWER Our Caledonian as I believe being somewhat mistrustful of the strength of the Scotâ— Title as well as of his Arguments to perswade the English that it is for their Interest to maintain the Scots in their New Settlement thinks it best to take other Measures now and to try whether he can hector them into a Compliance with the Scots he sets the best Countenance upon the Matter and labours very hard to give the World to understand that the English are highly indebted to the Scots for suffering as he terms it their Crown to be United with that of England I will not enter into a Dispute with him about the design of Henry VII in Marrying his Daughter to the King of Scots I will allow him to have acted in this Point as much for the Interest of England as our Author would have him but what is all this to their suffering the two Crowns to be United under one Head I hope he will grant me that both the English and Scots Crowns were Hereditary and being such how was it in the Power of the Scots to alter the Succession upon that Score I will further allow him that whenever two Kingdoms or States are United under one Head the less Potent will in some measure be independent on the other But I would also have him grant me this Position That if at that Juncture the Infanta of Spain had succeeded in England the Protestant Interest both in England and Scotland must have been brought into no small Jeopardy and our Author would have had no great occasion at this time to brag of the Soveraignty and Independency of the Scots He makes a large Rehearsal of the Miscarriages in the Reign of King James I. and King Charles I. especially of their Innovations in Church Matters in Scotland but our Author might have remembred if they introduced Episcopacy among them they were not behind hand in furnishing England with Presbytery What he alledges concerning their Sufferings in the Civil Wars for the Defence of K. Charles I. and his Sons Title ought not to be put upon the English Score I wonder how he can be so forgetful as not to remember That the Scots Covenanters were of that Gang that begun the Dance and all the reason in the World they should help to pay the Fidler And
this is so unquestionably true that many of the wiser sort are of Opinion That the Presbyterian Faction would never have carried Matters to that heighth under that unfortunate Prince's Reign if they had not been back'd by the Covenanting Party in Scotland So that England may in a great measure lay the Calamities of the late Civil Wars and its fatal Consequences to their Doors which our Author would fain put altogether upon the English But let us see how he goes on in magnifying his beloved Scots DEFENCE Yet such was our Zeal for the Protestant Interest the Welfare of the Island and the Liberty of Europe that tho' we had a fair opportunity of providing otherwise for our security and the Advancement of our Trade and of forming our selves into a Commonwealth or of bringing England to our own Terms yet we frankly and generously concurr'd with them to settle our Government on the same Persons and in the same manner as they did theirs and all the Reward we had from them is that an Union of the Nations tho' twice propos'd by His Majesty in Parliament hath been rejected To this they have added an opposition to our receiving Foreign Subscriptions at Hamburgh and elsewhere refus'd us a Supply of Corn for our Money to relieve us in our Distress and discourag'd our Settlement at Darien by forbidding their Subjects to Trade with us there If these continued Slights be not enough to make us weary of the Union of the Crowns let any Man judge To discover a little of the unreasonableness of this sort of Treatment we dare Appeal to the calm thoughts of such of our Neighbours in England as prefer the Interest of the Publick to private Animosities and foolish ill-grounded Piques either as to Church or State whether at the time of the Revolution and before we declar'd our selves they would not have been willing to have assur'd themselves of our Friendship at the rate of Uniting with us as one Nation Had we but demurr'd upon forfeiting the late K. James or made but a Proffer of renewing our ancient League with France and joyning with that Crown to keep that Prince upon the Throne of Great Britain they know we might have made what Terms we pleas'd with the late King and Louis XIV on that condition and might have been restor'd to all the Honours and Privileges that our Ancestors enjoy'd in France which were almost equal to those of the Natives and yet that gallant Nation thought it no disparagement to them however we be despis'd and undervalued now by a certain Party in England Had we but seem'd to have made such Overtures the English must needs have foreseen that the natural Consequences of such a Design if it had taken effect must have been these viz. The late King's Adherents in England would certainly have join'd us and our Nation would have afforded them a safe Retreat in case of any Disaster till they could have concerted Matters to the best Advantage The late King would not have yielded himself such an easie Conquest not disbanded his Army in such a manner as he did Ireland had certainly revolted since every one knows that the Revolution was begun and in a great measure perfected there by the Scots of the North so that England must have become the Theatre of the War and been liable to an Invasion from France These must certainly have been the Consequences of our adhering to the late King and the English would have thought they had had a very good Bargain if they could have bought us off in that case with Uniting both the Kingdoms into one and granting us a joint Trade to their own Plantations whereas now they will not allow us to settle a foreign Colony of our own and treat us as Foreigners in theirs ANSWER Our Author has so entangled himself in pleading for the Scots that he is almost beyond his Senses for what Man who is in his right Wits could propose an Alliance with France which is in effect no less than to make Scotland a Province of France as more advantageous to the Scots than their Concurrence with England in the last Revolution for if they were become so indifferent as to their so much bragg'd of Liberty and Soveraignty and their Religion to Boot what need they have chang'd Masters since King James would have eased them of both and it appears to me as if our Caledonian was rather for the last since he takes so much pains to represent to us the consequences of it in the most passionate manner that could be But if the matter be duly weigh'd he has shot much beyond the mark for supposing the Scots to have stood it out against England for King James tho' I must confess it implies almost an absurdity to suppose it the consequences would not have been half so terrible as he would persuade us for Scotland being by reason of its Situation not easie to be relieved by France as long as the English and Dutch were Masters at Sea they might perhaps have proved troublesome but not so dangerous Neighbours as to make England the Theatre of War and it is I think odds on the English side that they might have served them as Cromwel did that is to bring them under an entire Subjection whereas they now enjoy many Priviledges beyond other Foreigners and have born but a very slender share in those vast Sums expended for the Glory and Interest of the Island in general It is not to be denied but that their ready Concurrence did hasten the Conquest of Ireland but I am apt to believe that their refusal would scarce have appear'd so dreadful to the English as to make them receive Laws from the Scots I cannot pass by in silence here with what Arrogance he is pleased to reflect upon the Measures taken in England on the account of the Scots East-India Company when it is beyond all question That every independent Nation has an inherent Right to secure their Commerce against the encroachments of a Neighbouring Nation which is the true state of the Case which our Author terms Ingratitude and I know not what in the English who did no more than to represent their Grievance to His Majesty's Consideration He runs on further thus DEFENCE To shew that this is not a mere Conjecture that has no other ground but a Vision of the Brain they may be pleas'd to consider the honourable Privileges granted us by their Ancestors and some of the greatest Princes that ever sway'd their Scepter viz. King Edward and William the Conqueror who by the Consent of the States in Parliament assembled Enacted That the Scots should be accounted Denizons of England and injoy the same Privileges with themselves because of their frequent Intermarriages with the English and that they did ever stood stoutly as one Man with them for the common Vtility of the Crown and Kingdom against the Danes and Norwegians fought it most valiantly and unanimously against the common
in England gave the French a fair opportunity of ridding their Hands by degrees from the English but it was not so much for want of such an Union as he would make us believe but because they were glad of any opportunity to supply their Wants at Home by Plundering and Ravaging the Borders of England and because as he himself confesses the French paid them very well besides for their Pains so that we may well apply to Scotland what Jagurtha if I mistake not said of Rome O Romam venalem dummodo emptorem invenisset For the Scots were always for him that did bid most But let us hear his last Argument upon this Head DEFENCE 10. It will be of general Advantage to the Protestant Interest and contribute to the Advancement of pure Christianity without any of the Romish Sophistications Which certainly ought to weigh much with all true Protestants and so much the more that the Pope and the Conclave of Rome have espoused the Quarrel of the Spaniards in this Affair as a Cause of Religion Doubtless the poor Americans will be more inâ—linable to imbrace Christianity when they find the difference of the Morals and Doctrine betwixt Protestants and Papists and see that the former treat them with Humanity and seek their Welfare both in Body and Soul whereas the Spaniards have render'd themselves and the Religion they profess odious by the Inhumane Cruelties and Brutish Lusts which they have exercis'd upon so many Millions of the Natives This is so far from being a Calumny that an unexceptionable Author of their own Don Bartholomew de las Casas Bishop of Chiapa formerly mention'd who was an Eye-witness of their Cruelties gives an Account that they had in his Time destroyed above 40 Millions of the poor Indians tho' they receiv'd them with the greatest kindness imaginable were ready to do 'em all the Friendly Offices that one Man could desire of another and testified their great Inclination to have embrac'd the Christian Religion But the Spaniards aim'd at the Destruction and not at the Conversian of the Indians and are avowedly charg'd with it by the said Bishop who in many places of his Book declares That after they had sent for the Chiefs of the Countries to meet them in an amicable manner which the poor harmless Creatures did without suspicion of any Fraud these merciless Tyrants Murder'd them by wholesale on purpose to make themselves terrible to them This was a Practice so inconsistent with Humanity that all the People â—f the World ought to have resented it as having much more reason to declare the Spaniards to be Enemies to Mankind than ever the Roman Senate had to declare Nero to be such But this sort of Treatment compar'd with what they made others to suffer may well be call'd Mercy For tho' it was Death the Indians were hereby quickly deliver'd from their Misery whereas they put Multitudes of others to lingring Deaths that they might feel themselves die gradually and yet this is not so intolerable neither as the Condition of those poor People that had the Misfortune to survive that Cruelty for the whole time of their Lives under that miserable Servitude is but Death prolong'd or making his Attacks upon 'em by intolerable Labour and continual Hunger the most insupportable of all Plagues those poor Creatures that toil in the Mines and are imploy'd in Pearl-fishing c. having no more Sustenance allow'd them and that too of the coarsest sort than is just enough to keep Soul and Body together in order to prolong their Misery Then let any Man who has but the least remains of Humanity left him judge whether the Scots could be Criminal if they should have actually Landed upon a Spanish Settlement and have seiz'd the same in order to deliver their Brethren the Sons of Adam from such Hellish Servitude and Oppression as the above mention'd Bishop describes and if no Man that has any Bowels of Compassion within him can say they could what shadow of reason is there to blame the Scots for erecting a Colony where the Spaniards never had any footing ANSWER If this could be proved beyond Contradiction I must confess no Body could blame the Scots for settling themselves at Darien but till that be done we must ask our Author'â— Pardon to suspend at least our Judgment as to the legality of their Title to it If I mistake not the matter he does not seem to build altogether upon that Foundation so much as upon their having forfeited their Title by their unheard of Cruelties for to what purpose else this tedious Repetition when he had enlarged himself sufficiently before upon that Theme Which indeed may serve to render the Spaniards odious but in my Opinion is but a slender Addition towards the strengthning of their Title upon Darien since with the same Right not only the Scots but any Nation whatsoever might lay claim to all America as far as it is in the Possession of the Spaniards We will therefore hear what he has to alledge for us Caledonians in the third Head DEFENCE The next thing to be consider'd is Whether the Scots without the assistance of England may probably maintain their footing there which there 's no doubt may very well be determin'd in the affirmative 1. Because the whole Kingdom of Scotland being more zealous for it and unanimous in it than they have been in any other thing for forty or fifty Years past it is not to be doubted but they will use their utmost Efforts to support themselves in it by their own strength or if that will not do by making Alliances with other Nations that are able to assist them with a Naval Force 2. If they meet with no other Opposition but what the Spaniards are able to make to them it will be easie for the Nobility and Gentry and Royal Burroughs of Scotland to raise Money upon their Lands c. to increase their Stock for the American Trade and buy Ships of Force to protect it Nay without that it 's but giving Commission to the Buccaneers to become an over-match for the Spaniards 3. Supposing the French should offer to join with the Spaniards and assist them to drive the Scots from Darien as some say they have already proffered we are not to imagine that the Spaniards will accept their Proffers in this case when they refused them as to the driving the Moors from before Ceuta The Reasons are obvious They declin'd the accepting their Proffers as to Ceuta because they would not thereby give the French an opportunity of possessing themselves of any of their Towns in Africa as it is but too common for Foreign Auxiliaries to do in such cases Then certainly they have much greater reason to refuse their Proffers as to Darien America being of infinitely more value to them than some African Towns And if once the French should get footing there it would be in vain for the Spanish Grandees any further to dispute the
English to assist them with a Naval Force to maintain their Possession The Dutch are known to be a People that seldom or never mistake their Interest They are sensible how useful the Alliance of Scotland may be to them both in regard of their Liberty to Fish in our Seas without controul and of being a Curb upon England in case the old Roman Maxim of delenda est Carthago should come any more to be applied by the English to that Republick as in the Reign of King Charles II. They are likewise sensible of the Advantage it would be to their Trade to be Partners with the Scots at Darien and how effectual it may be to disable the French to pursue their Claim to Spain and by consequence to revive the old Title of that Crown upon their own seven as well as to swallow up the other Ten Provinces These things together with a long continued Amity and Trade betwixt Scotland and Holland and their Union in Religion and Ecclesiastical Discipline are sufficient to evince that the Dutch would become our Partners in America with little Courtship That they are able to assist us in that case with a Naval Force sufficient is beyond contradiction and that they would soon be convinc'd it is their Interest to do it to prevent that monstrous Increase of the French Monarchy is obvious enough from the Part they Acted in the late War But admitting that none of those Considerations should prevail with the Dutch and that they should likewise abandon us it is not impossible for us to obtain an Alliance and Naval Force from the Northern Crowns It 's well enough known that those Kingdoms abound with Men and Shipping and that they would be glad with all their hearts to make an Exchange of these for the Gold and Silver of America which they might easily carry from Town to Town and from Market to Market without the trouble of a Wheel-barrow as they are now obliged to do with their Copper From all which it is evident enough that it is not impossible for the Scots to maintain themselves in Darien without the Assistance of England ANSWER Tho' it may not be altogether impossible yet it appears to me very improbable that the Scots shou'd be able to maintain their Settlement without the Assistance of the English who by reason of their many and considerable Plantations in the West-Indies are the only People from whom the Scots might have seasonable assistance especially with Provisions what our Caledonian says concerning the Alliances with the Dutch or the Northern Crowns are meer Chimera's For first I would ask him how the Scots can enter into any such Alliance in opposition to England But supposing they could the Dutch who as he tells us himself seldom mistake their Interest have the same Reasons that England has to oppose the Scots East-India Company because of their vast Commerce in those Parts and the Spanish Trade is of such consequence to them that they will scarce be perswaded by our Author to break with Spain and consequently to lose the Advantage of their Traffick in that Kingdom for the uncertain hopes of his Darien Mines What he says of the Usefulness of the Scots Alliance to Holland in case of a Rupture with England is said to no purpose at this time of the day and is besides this Founded upon another supposition viz That the Scots must be in a Condition to assist them which they are not likely to do as long as they are united with England under one Head But our Caledonian tells us strange Wonders about the Northern Crowns he takes a great deal of pains to give us to understand that Gold and Silver would be much more convenient for the Swedes and Danes than Copper truly I will not quarrel with him upon this Point but I am apt to believe that they will scarce part with their Men and Shipping before they are better convinced what share they are to have of them and whether the Scots are able to make good their Promises for without that they had better keep to their Copper which yields them good Money in Foreign Countries Besides that their great distance makes their assistance very difficult and uncertain if not quite useless it being the Opinion of most People who have a true insight into this matter that the want of seasonable Supplies which must be sent at so great a distance will oblige the Scots to quit their Settlement of Darien unless they will rather chuse their Graves amongst their imaginary Mines where we will leave them to their own Destiny and apply to them the Epitaph the Poet made upon the Hare-brain'd Phaeton Hic situs est Phaeton currus auriga paterni Quem si non tenuit magnis tamen excidit ausis But we must hear what he further says upon the fourth and last Head DEFENCE The next thing to be discours'd of is what the Consequences may probably be if the English should oppose us in this Settlement We could heartily wish there had never been any ground for this Suggestion and that the Opposition we have met with from England hath been less National than that which we had from both their Houses of Parliament after the passing an Act for an African Company c. in ours And it were to be wished that so many of the English had not given us such proofs of an alienated Mind and Aversion to our Welfare as they have done since by their Resident at Hambourgh and their late Proclamations in their West-India Plantations And we could have wish'd above all that His Majesty of England had not in the least concurr'd or giv'n his Countenance to that Opposition And we could wish that his English Counsellors who put him upon those things would remember that Strafford and Laud lost their Heads for giving King Charles I. that fatal Advice of oppressing and opposing the Scots ANSWER It is not denied but that those two Lords were by the Presbyterian Party Sacrificed to their Covenanting Brethren in Scotland but what is that to the Point in question since what has been done in opposition to the Scots Settlement is by his own Confession a National Concern back'd by the Authority of both Houses of Parliament in England and it cannot be look'd upon any otherwise than as a most unaccountable Arrogance in our Caledonian who stiles himself a Private Man in his Dedication to call in question and that in so gross a manner what has been done in this Matter by His Majesty and His Parliament for the promoting and maintaining their own Commerce But let us see how he proceeds further upon this Head DEFENCE We did verily think says he that the suffering of our Crown to be United with that of England in the Person of King James their I. and our VI our seasonable coming to the Rescue of their expiring Liberties in the Reign of King Charles I. our being so instrumental to rescue them from Anarchy and Confusion
upon Terms before we had fallen in with England especially considering how ungratefully nay villainously we were treated by Cromwel and his Party after we had sav'd them and the Parliament of England from the Scorpions that the Cavaliers had prepar'd to Chastise them with as is own'd by the said Lord Hollis Nor could we have been any way culpable if we had stood upon surer Terms considering how unthankfully we were used and Enslav'd by our late Kings for whom we had acted and suffered so much And tho' we must own That no less Present than that of our Crown was sufficient to testifie our Gratitude for what the Prince of Orange had done for us yet we were under no necessity of gratifying him in that manner since our Deliverance was effected before-hand and that he himself in his Declaration express'd it to be no part of his Design to come for the Crown so that our Reward was as Frank and Generous Then as to England we were under no manner of obligation to continue the Union with them We might have insisted upon having our King obliged to reside as much amongst us as amongst them That we should be govern'd without any consideration or respect to their Interest any further than it fell in with our own We might have insisted upon an Act that we should not be oblig'd to attend His Majesty at any time at the Court of England about our Affairs but that he should either attend upon our Administration in Person pro râ— nata as he does now upon the Affairs of Holland or lay down Methods to have his Pleasure signified to us at Home in such Cases as it was requir'd which would save a vast deal of Money annually to the Kingdom of Scotland Then as to the Succession we were under no necessity of settling it in the same manner as they did in England For since they had made a Breach in the Line they could not handsomly have blam'd us to have made an improvement of it and either to have limited the Reversion after His present Majesty's Death as we should have thought best for the security of our Civil and Religious Liberties or we might have settled it upon the Prince of Orange and his Issue bâ— anâ— other Wife there being cause enough then to conceive that he was never like to have any by his late Excellent Princess Had we taken any of these Methods it must be own'd that England would have been considerably weakned by it that we should have thereby had an opportunity of making such Foreign Alliances with France as formerly or with any other Nation as would have made England uneasie and perhaps unsafe on occasion and therefore it must be reckon'd highly Impolitick in our Neighbours to treat us continually at such a rate since we have so many open Doors to get out at They must not think that we have so far degenerated from the Courage and Honour of our Ancestors as tamely to submit to become their Vassals when for Two Thousand Years we have maintain'd our Freedom and therefore it is not their Interest to oppress us too much If they consult their Histories they will find that we always broke their Yoke at long run if at any time we were brought under it The best way to assure themselves of us is to treat us in a Friendly manner Tho' we be not so Great and Powerful as they it is not impossible for us to find such Allies as may enable us to defend our selves now as well as formerly None of these things are suggested with an ill design to raise Animosity betwixt the Nations or to perswade to a Separation of the Crowns but merely to shew those of our Neighbours who use us so unkindly that they are bound in Gratitude and Interest to do otherwise and particularly to support us in our American Settlement and not to discourage us in that Undertaking as they have hitherto done and continue still to do in their American Colonies by their Proclamations against having any Commerce or Trade with the Scots at Darien tho' they be settled there according to the Terms of an Act of Parliament in Scotland ANSWER It is a most unaccountable piece of Insolence not to say worse in our Caledonian to make use of such harsh Expressions for no other reason but because the English Parliament represented to His Majesty in a most Humble Address the Danger the Commerce of England was likely to be exposed to by the Encroachments of the New Scots Company and His Majesty's Answer to their Address might have been a sufficient Warning to our Scots Polititian that he was sensible of the Justice of their Request and that as he had shewn himself a good King to the Scots in granting them His Letters Patents He thought it reasonable not to deny His English Subjects any legal means to relieve themselves against that Danger But our Author is so much overcome with the Conceits of his own Politicks that he spares the Scots Convention as little as the English Parliament whom he boldly accuses for want of Conduct at the Time of the late Revolution because they did not make better Terms with the English before their Concurrence with them But those Wise Patriots who compos'd that great Assembly were too sensible of the Danger that threatned them if in lieu of Uniting their Strength with ours they should miss this Opportunity of Rescuing themselves from the Weight of those Oppressions they had groan'd under for some Years before and spend their Time in insisting upon such Trifles as are mentioned here by ouâ— Caledonian and don 't deserve any Answer I will only insist upon one Point I believe there is scarce any Body but what will grant me that considering they had a considerable Party Headed by the Lord Dundee who were their Enemies within their Bowels it was impossible for them to stand Neuter and considering how dangerous an Alliance with France might have proved at that Juncture nay how useless it must have been to them when the English and Dutch were Masters aâ— Sea what other way had they left for their own Preservation than to settle the Government upon the same Bottom as they did which being most conformable to the true ancient Constitution of an Hereditary Monarchy did free them from the danger of falling into new Dissentions at Home in case of any sinister Accident He goes on in his Plea DEFENCE We are not insensible that the present Juncture of Affairs obliges the Kingdom of England to carry fair with Spain and may admit that in part as an Apology for some of that Opposition we have met with from them but the questioning our Act of Parliament at first and their hindring our Subscriptions at Hamburgh afterward before ever they knew what our design was make that Excuse of little weight But allowing it all the force they would have it to bear it may be worth their while to consider whether it be more
with a dangerous Aspect upon all the English Plantations in America and may be more justly esteemed an Incroachment upon Spain as being in the Bay of Mexico than our Plantation in Darien which argues the Humour of that Nation to make such an Out-cry against the Scots who have invaded no Man's Property when they themselves are so notoriously guilty of it and therefore it would seem to be the Interest of England rather to strengthen themselves by our Friendship and to look after the French than to provoke us to look out for other Allies by their opposition and neglect ANSWER I am apt to believe our Caledonian begins to have but a very indifferent Opinion of the success of their New Settlement and so like a desperate Gamester who is reduced to the 〈◊〉 Stake throws at all and is for Sacrificing the â—â—rien Settlement nay their own Religion and 〈◊〉 as well as that of Europe rather than to 〈…〉 â—hare in it For what he says of security to be gâ—â—â—n by the French for the Enjoyment of the Protâ—â—â—â—nt Religion are nothing but Chimerical Notions as indeed are all the rest For supposing the French should be so fond of the Possession of Darien which they don't seem to be as has been demâ—â—strated before it is only a vain Speculation thâ—â—â—â—â—â—eby they would become so Potent as to become an over-match for England and its Allies who are so nearly concern'd in its Preservation and it is more than probable that the Scots in such a case would pay the Fidler since considering the Situation of Scotland its want of good Harbours and Barrenness in many Places it would be very difficult for the French to send them any considerable Supplies of Men or Provisions when the English and Dutch are Masters of the Channel which was the reason that the French never so much as attempted the Relieving of my Lord Dundee who gave them the fairest opportunity in the World of getting a footing in Scotland if they had either thought it practicable or worth their while But we must go on to see how he winds up the thread of his Arguments DEFENCE We shall conclude this matter with one or two more Arguments to prove That it is the Interest of England to joyn with us in this Affair by which also it will appear that there is nothing advanc'd in these Sheets out of any ill Design against the English Nation or to persuade to a disuniting of the Crowns but on the contrary that a stricter Union is absolutely necessary that both Nations may have but one Interest which will render us less liable to Convulsions and intestine Commotions at home and put us out of danger of being attacked by Enemies from abroad The first Argument is this That by incouraging our Settlement at Darien English Ships that have occasion to pass by those Coasts will there be certain of a place of Retreat in case of attack either by Enemy or Tempest without danger of being confiscated by the Spaniards and having their Men condemn'd to be perpetual Slaves in the Mines 2. If we be incouraged in our American Colony it will contribute much to heighten the Consumption of the English Product since what we have not of our own or wherein we are wanting either as to quality or quantity we shall supply our selves for the use of our Plantation in England which may be of great benefit to the Northern Counties especially whence we may conveniently furnish our selves with Beeves for Victualling our Ships our own Cattel being for the most part too small for that use besides many other things that we shall have occasion to export from England for the use of the Plantation and to maintain a Commerce with the Natives 3. By joining with us in this Colony and securing a Post on the South-Sea which the Princes of Darien will no doubt very readily agree to they may shorten their Voyages to the East-Indies and by that means be able to out-do all their Rivals in that Trade but if they will be so far wanting to themselves as to suffer those advantages to fall into the Hands of others who are Enemies to our Religion and common Country they cannot blame the Scots who have made them such fair Offers 4. If after all the English should continue in their Opposition to us as their late Proclamations in America and other Passages would seem to imply they have a mind to the World cannot blame the Scots to provide for themselves by such other Alliances as they shall think meet since the English are so unkind especially since the Restoration of K. Charles II. to which we did so much contribute that without our Concurrence it could never have been effected This will appear to be incontrovertibly true if we consider that in the time of K. James I. we were under no Restrictions as to matters of Trade more than they except as to the Exportation of Wool and a few other Things of English Product and so we continu'd till the Restoration when K. Charles II. and the English did very ungratefully lay such Preclusions and Restrictions upon us contrary to the Laws relating to the Postnati by the 12 Car. II. For the incouraging and increasing Shipping and Navigation and the 15 Car. II. For the Encouragement of Trade by which we are put in the same Circumstances as to Traffick with France and Holland and in a worse Condition than Ireland that is a Conquest which is so much the more unreasonable since we are always involv'd and ingag'd in the Wars betwixt England and other Countries And those with whom they have most frequent Wars being Holland and France the only two Nations with whom the Scots have almost any Commerce our Trade must of necessity sink during such Wars whereas England hath still a great Trade to other parts of the World and by this means we are forc'd to be sharers in their Troubles tho' they will not allow us to partake of their Profits nor suffer us to take any measures to procure such as we may call our own It is plain from the Instance of Darien and the Proclamations in the English American Colonies against their Subjects entertaining any Commerce with our Settlement there that we are in a worse condition than ever for when any thing happens wherein the Interest of England seems to be contrary to ours it is certainly carried against us so that in this respect we are in a worse condition than any Foreigners with relation to England for if a foreign People discover any thing that may be of Advantage to them they are at liberty to pursue it by themselves or to take in the Assistance of others and if they find themselves aggriev'd by England they have their respective Governments to make Application to for Redress To let them see that it is their Interest as well as ours it should be so we shall only desire them to consider how fatal it may be if by any