"We have every thing good and great to hope from our gracious sovereign, his ministry and his parliament; and trust, that when the services and sufferings of the British American colonies are fully known to the mother country, and the nature and importance of the plantation trade more perfectly understood at home, that the most effectual measures will be taken for perpetuating the British empire in all parts of the world. An empire built upon the principles of justice, moderation and equity, the only principles that can make a state flourishing, and enable it to elude the machinations of its secret and inveterate enemies."
Excuse errors, for I cannot revise and correct. I hope your patience will never be put to the trial of another letter so long and dry. One or two more, much shorter, will close the subject of writs of assistance, and relieve you from ennui, as well as your friend,
JOHN ADAMS.
TO THE HON. WM. TUDOR.
Quincy, September 10, 1818.
DEAR SIR,
THE charters were quoted or alluded to by Mr. Otis frequently in the whole course of his argument: but he made them also a more destined and more solemn head of his discourse. And here, these charters ought to be copied verbatim. But an immense verbiage renders it impossible. Bishop Butler somewhere complains of this enormous abuse of words in public transactions, and John Reed and Theophilus Parsons of Massachusetts have attempted to reform it. So did James Otis; all with little success. I hope, however, that their examples will be followed, and that common sense in common language will, in time, become fashionable. But the hope must be faint as long as clerks are paid by the line and the number of syllables in a line.
Some passages of these charters must however, be quoted; and I will endeavour to strip them as well as I can, of their useless words. They are recited in the charter of king William and queen Mary, dated the seventh day of October, in the third year of their reign, i. e. in 1691.
"Whereas king James the first, in the 18th year of his reign, did grant to the council at Plymouth, for the planting and governing New England, all that part of America, from the 40th to the 48th degree of latitude, and from sea to sea, together with all sands, waters, fishings, and all and singular other commodities, jurisdictions, royalties, privileges, franchises and pre-eminences, both within the said tract of land upon the main, and also within the islands and seas adjoining: to have and hold, all, unto the said council, their heirs and successors and assigns forever: to be holden of his said majesty as of his manor of East Greenwich, in free and common socage, and not in capite, or by knights' service.—Yielding to the king a fifth part of the ore of gold and silver. For and in respect of all and all manner of duties, demands and services whatsoever."