It is manifeft, my lord, what practices and arts have been used to mislead administration, both in the firft propofal of American revenue acts, and in the continuance of them; but when they had loft their force, and there appeared, under the influence of your lordship, a difpofition in parliament to repeal thofe acts, his excellency Gov. Hutchinson, in his speech at the opening of the last feffion of the general court, was pleafed to throw out new matter for contention and debate, and to call on the two houses, in such a preffing manner, as amounted to little thort of a challenge, to answer him; into fuch a dilemma were they brought by the fpeech, that they were under a neceffity of giving fuch anfwers to it as they did, or having their conduct conftrued into an acquiefcence with the doctrines contained in it, which would have been an implicit acknowledgment, that the province was in a ftate of fubjection differing very little from flavery. The anfwers were the effects of neceffity, and this neceffity occafioned great grief to the two houses. The people of this province, my lord, are true and faithful fubjects of his majesty, and think themfelves happy in their connection with Great-Britain; they would rejoice at the restoration of the harmony and good will that once fubfifted between the parent ftate and them; but it is in vain to expect this happiness during the continuance of their grievances; and while their charter rights, one after another, are wrefted from them. Among thefe rights is the fupporting of the officers of the crown by grants from the affembly; and, in an eípecial manner, the fupporting of the judges in the fame way, on whofe judgment the province is dependent in the most important cafes of life, liberty, and property. If warrants have not yet been, or if they already have been issued, we earneftly beg the favour of your lordship's interpofition to fupprefs or recal them. If your lordship should condefcend to ask, “What are the means of restoring the harmony fo much defired?" we fhould answer in a word, that we are humbly of opinion if things were brought to the general ftate in which they stood at the conclufion of the late war, it would reftore the happy harmony which at that time subfifted. Your lordship's appointment to be principal fecretary of ftate for the American department has given the colonies the highest fatisfaction: they think it a happy omen, and that it will be productive of American tranquillity, confitient with their rights as British fubjects. The two houfes humbly hope for your lordship's influence to bring about fo happy an event; and in the mean time they can with full confidence rely on your lordship, that the machinations of Sir Francis Bernard, and other known enemies of the peace of Great Britain and her colonies, will not be fuffered to prevent or delay it. This letter, which has been agreed on by both houses, is in their name, and by their order, figned and tranfmitted to your lordship, by, My Lord,' Your Lordship's most obedient, the letter wrote to the Right Hon. the Earl of Dartmouth. (Attefted, Thomas Flucker, Sec.) Petition Petition of the American Congress to the King. To the King's moft Excellent Majefty. Moft gracious Sovereign, E your majefty's faithful and enter houfes, without the authority of any civil magiftrate founded on legal information. The judges of courts of common law have been made entirely dependent on one part of the legislature for their falaries, as well as for the W fubjects of colonies of duration of their commiffions. New Hampshire, Maffachufett's Bay, Rhode Ifland and Providence plantations, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennfylvania, the counties of Newcastle, Kent and Suffex on Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, in behalf of ourfelves and the inhabitants of those colonies, who have deputed us to reprefent them in general congress, by this our humble petition beg leave to lay our grievances before the throne. A ftanding army has been kept in thefe colonies ever fince the conclufion of the late war, without the confent of our affemblies; and this army, with a confiderable naval armament, has been employed to enforce the collection of taxes. The authority of the commander in chief, and under him of the brigadiers-general, has in time of peace been rendered fupreme in all the civil governments in America. The commander in chief of all your Majefty's forces in North America, has in time of peace been appointed governor of a colony. The charges of ufual offices have been greatly increased, and new expenfive and oppreffive offices have been multiplied. The judges of admiralty and vice-admiralty courts are impowered to receive their falaries and fees from the effects condemned by themfelves; the officers of the cuftoms are impowered to break open Counsellors holding their commiffions during pleafure, exercife legiflative authority. Humble and reasonable petitions from the reprefentatives of the people have been fruitless. The agents of the people have been discountenanced, and governors have been inftructed to prevent the payment of their falaries: affemblies have been repeatedly and injurioufly diffolved: commerce has been burthened with many useless and oppreffive restrictions. By feveral acts of parliament made in the fourth, fifth, fixth, feventh, and eighth years of your prefent majefty's reign, duties are impofed on us for the purpose of raifing a revenue, and the powers of admiralty and vice-admiralty courts are extended beyond their ancient limits; whereby our property is taken from us without our confent, the trial by jury in many civil cafes is abolithed, enormous forfeitures are incurred for flight offences; vexatious informers are exempted from paying damages, to which they are justly liable, and oppreffive fecurity is required from owners before they are allowed to defend their right. Both houfes of parliament have refolved that colonists may be tried in England for offences alledged to. have been committed in America, by virtue of a ftatute paffed in the thirty-fifth year of Henry the VIII. and in confequence thereof, at tempts tempts have been made to enforce that ftatute. A ftatute was paffed in the twelfth year of your majefty's reign, directing that perfons charged with committing any offence therein described, in any place out of the realm, may be indicted and tried for the fame in any fhire or county within the realm; whereby the inhabitants of these colonies may, in fundry cafes, by that ftatute made capital, be deprived of a tryal by their peers of the vicinage. In the laft feffion of parliament an act was paffed for blocking up the harbour of Bofton; another, empowering the governor of Maffachufett's Bay to fend perfons indicted for murder in that province to another colony, or even to Great Britain for tryal, whereby fuch offenders may escape legal punishment; a third for altering the chartered conftitution of government in that province; and a fourth, for extending the limits of Quebec, abolishing the English and reftoring the French laws, whereby great numbers of British freemen are fubjected to the latter, and establishing an abfolute government and the Roman Catholic religion throughout thofe vaft regions that border on the wefterly and northerly boundaries of the free Proteftant English fettlements; and a fifth, for the better providing fuitable quarters for officers and foldiers in his majefty's fervice in North-America. To a fovereign" who glories in the name of Briton," the bare recital of these acts muft, we prefume, juftify the loyal fubjects who fly to the foot of his throne, and implore his clemency for protection againft them. From this deftructive fyftem of co lony administration, adopted fince the conclufion of the laft war, have flowed thofe diftreffes, dangers, fears, and jealoufies, that overwhelm your majesty's dutiful colonies with affliction; and we defy our most fubtle and inveterate enemies to trace the unhappy differences between Great-Britain and thefe colonies from an earlier period, or from other caufes than we have affigned. Had they proceeded on our part, from a reftless levity of temper, unjust impulses of ambition, or artful fuggeftions of feditious perfons, we should merit the opprobrious terms frequently beftɔwed on us by those we revere. But fo far from promoting innovations, we have only oppofed them; and can be charged with no offence, unless it be one to receive injuries and be sensible of them. Had our Creator been pleased to give us exiftence in a land of flavery, the fenfe of our condition might have been mitigated by ignorance and habit; but thanks to his adorable goodness, we were born the heirs of freedom, and ever enjoyed our right under the aufpices of your royal ancestors, whofe family was feated on the British throne to refcue and fecure a pious and gallant nation from the popery and defpotifm of a fuperftitious and inexorable tyrant. Your majefty, we are confident, juftly rejoices, that your title to the crown is thus founded on the title of your people to liberty; and therefore we doubt not but your royal wifdom muft approve the fenfibility that teaches your fubjects anxioufly to guard the bleffing they received from Drvine Providence, and thereby to prove the perform. ance of that compact, which ele vated the illuftrious house of Brunfwick to the imperial dignity it now poffeffes. Thefe fentiments are extorted from hearts that much more willingly would bleed in your majefty's fervice; yet fo greatly have we been mifreprefented, that a neceffity has been alledged of taking our pro.perty from us without our confent, The apprehenfion of being degraded into a state of fervitude, from the pre-eminent rank of Englifh freemen, while our minds retain the strongest love of liberty," to defray the charge of the adand clearly foresee the miseries pre- miniftration of justice, the fupport paring for us and our pofterity, ex- of civil government, and the decites emotions in our breafts, which, fence, protection, and fecurity of though we cannot defcribe, we the colonies." But we beg leave fhould not wish to conceal. Feel- to affure your majesty, that fuch ing as men, and thinking as fub- provifion has been, and will be jects in the manner we do, filence made for defraying the two first would be difloyalty. by giving articles, as has been, and thall be this faithful information we do all judged by the legislatures of the in our power to promote the great feveral colonies, juft and fuitable to objects of your royal cares, the their respective circumstances; and tranquillity of your government, for the defence, protection, and and the welfare of the people. fecurity of the colonies, their militias, if properly regulated, as they earnestly defire may immediately be done, would be fully fufficient, at leaft in times of peace; and, in cafe of war, your faithful colonists will be ready and willing, as they ever have been, when conftitutionally required, to demonftrate their loyalty to your majefty, by exerting their most strenuous efforts in granting fupplies and raifing forces. Yielding to no British subjects in affectionate attachment to your majetty's perfon, family, and government, we too dearly prize the privilege of expreffing that attachment by thofe proofs that are honourable to the prince who receives them, and to the people who give them, ever to refign it to any body of men upon earth. Duty to your majefty, and regard for the prefervation of ourselves and our pofterity, the primary obligations of nature and of fociety, command us to intreat your royal attention; and as your majefty enjoys the fignal diftinction of reigning over freemen, we apprehend the language of freemen cannot be difpleafing. Your royal indignation, we hope, will rather fall on thofe defigning and dangerous men, who daringly interpofing themfelves betweenyour royal perfon and your faithful fubjects, and for feveral years paft inceffantly employed to diffolve the bands of fociety by abufing your majefty's authority, mifreprefenting your American fubjects, and profecuting the most desperate and irritating projects of oppreffion, have at length compelled us, by the force of accumulated injuries, too fevere to be any longer tolerable, to disturb your majesty's repofe by our complaints. Had we been permitted to enjoy in quiet the inheritance left us by our forefathers, we should at this time have been peaceably, cheerfully, and ufefully employed in recommending ourfelves by every testimony teftimony of devotion to your majefty, and of veneration to the state from which we derive our origin. But though now expofed to unexpected and unnatural fcenes of diftrefs by a contention with that nation, in whofe parental guidance, on all important affairs, we have hitherto with filial reverence conftantly trufted, and therefore can derive no inftruction in our present unhappy and perplexed circumftances from any former experience; yet we doubt not but the purity of our intention, and the integrity of our conduct, will justify us at that grand tribunal before which all mankind muft fubmit to judgment. We ask but for peace, liberty, and fafety; we with not a diminution of the prerogative, nor do we folicit the grant of any new right in our favour; your royal authority over us, and our connection with Great Britain, we fhall always carefully and zealously endeavour to fupport and maintain. Filled with fentiments of duty to your majefty, and of affection to our parent itate, deeply impreffed by our education, and ftrongly confirmed by our reafon, and anxious to evince the fincerity of thefe difpofitions - We present this petition only to obtain redrels of grievances, and relief from fears and jealoufies occafioned by the fyftem of ftatutes, and regulations adopted fince the clofe of the late war, for raising a revenue in America; extending the powers of courts of admiralty; trying perfons in GreatBritain for offences alledged to be committed in America; affecting the province of Maffachufett's Bay, and altering the government, and extending the limits of QuebecBy the abolition of which fyftem, the harmony between Great Britain and thefe colonies, fo neceffary to the happiness of both, and fo ardently defired by the latter, with the ufual intercourses, will be im mediately reftored. In the magnanimity and justice of your majefty, and the parliament, we confide for a redrefs of our other grievances; trufting, that when the causes of our apprehenfions are removed, our future conduct will prove us not unworthy of the regard we have been accustomed in our happier days to enjoy. For, appealing to that Being who fearches thoroughly the hearts of his creatures, we folemnly profess that our councils have been influenced by no other motive than a dread of impending deftruction. Permit us then, Moft gracious fovereign, In the name of all your faithful people in America, with the utmost humility to implore you, for the honour of Almighty God, whose pure religion our enemies are undermining; for the glory, which can be advanced only by rendering your fubjects happy, and keeping them united; for the interefts of your family, depending in an adhe rence to the principle that enthroned it; for the fafety and welfare of your kingdoms and dominions, threatened with almoft unavoidable dangers and diftreffes; that your majefty, as the loving father of your whole people, connected by the fame bands of law, loyalty, faith, and blood, though dwelling in various countries, will not suffer the tranfcendent relation formed by thefe ties, to be further violated in uncertain expectation of effects, which, if attained, never can com penfate |