any part of
Great-Britain, there to be
tried,
whenever it shall be pretended that he has been
concerned in burning or otherwise destroying
any Boat or Vessel, or any Material for build-
ing, &c. any naval or victualling Store, &c.
belonging to his Majesty's . For by this Act all
Persons in the Realm, or in any of the Places
thereto belonging (under which Denomination
we know the Colonies are meant to be in-
cluded) may be indicted or tried either in any
County or Shire within this Realm, in like
manner and form as if the Offence had been
committed in said County, as his Majesty and
his Successors may deem most expedient. Thus
we are not only deprived of our grand Right
to Trial by our Peers in the Vicinity, but any
person suspected, or pretended to be suspected,
may be hurried to
Great-Britain, to take his
Trial in any County the King or
his Successors
shall please to direct; where, innocent or
guilty, he is in great danger of being condemn-
ed; and whether condemned or acquitted,
he will probably be ruined by the Expence
attending the Trial, and his long Absence from
his Family and Business; and we have the
strongest reason to apprehend that we shall soon
experience the fatal Effects of this Act, as
about the Year 1769, the British Parlia-
ment passed Resolves for taking up a
number of persons in the Colonies and carry-
ing them to
Great-Britain for trial,
pretending