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Most Humjbly Sheweth, JL HAT the inhabitants of thcfc colonie?, nnajii- moufly devoted wiili the wanncft lliitimcnts of duty and afi'c'dtion to your Majff^y's i'acred plmTou and gov(.rnn»cnt, inviolably attached to the pivlcnt happy crtahlilhmc-nt of the proteftant futccflion in your ilKMtrious houfc, and deeply fenfible of your royal attention to their profperity and happincfs, humbly beg leave to approach the throne by reprefenting to your Majcfly, That thcfe colonics were originally planted by fubje^s of thcBritifh crown ; who, animated with the fpirit of liberty, rncoura;^rd by vout* Majefty's royal prcdeceflbrs, and confiding in tht.' publicic faith, for the enjoyment of all the rights and liberties cf- fential to freedom, emigrated from tlicir native country to this continent, and by their fuccefsful perfevcranee in the midfl of innumerable dangers and difliculties, together with a profufion of their blood and treafure, have happily added thefe vaft and valuable dominions to the -empire of Great Britain. That for the enjoyment of thefe rights and liberties, fevcral governments were early formed in the faid colonies with full power of legiflation, a^jreeablc to the principles of the Englifli conftitution. Tha. ( 3 ) T. To tlK KING'S Moft Excellent MAJESTY. fiode Tlie Petition of the General Congrcfs^ held at Philudelpliia in November laft. Mo!iT Gracious Sovereign! W. E your Majefty's faithful fubjeftsof the colonies of North America, Sec. in behalf of ourfelves and the inha- bi tents of thofe colonies, who have deputed us to reprefent them in general congrefs 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 thclate war, without the confent of our afleniblics ; and this army, with a confiderable naval armament has been employed to enforce the collcftion of taxes. The authority of the commander in chief, and under him of the brigadier general, hr.s 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 Nortli America, has in time of peace, been appointed governor of a colony. The charges of ufual offices have bet-n greatly encreafed, and new expenfive and opprcffive otficcs have been multiplied. y^ The ,4>- — " ■ III fT "'• "•"""""' n'mm Mm ' -'■—ry^ni^ f. 111 tX ' k 11-.., 4 T/^f Pitllion of the Americans in 1765. That under thofe governments thefc liberties thus verted in their anccftors, and tranfmitted to their pofterity, have been exercifed and enjoyed, and by the ineftimabic bleflings thereof, under the favour of Almighty God, the inhofpital defaris of America have been converted into floiuKhing countries ; fcience, humanity, and the knowledge of divine truths, diffufed through remote regions of ignorance, infidelity and barbarifm ; the num- ber of Britiih fubjcds wojiderfully incrcafed, and the wealth and power of Grciit Britain proportionably aug- mented. That by means of thefc fcttlemcnts, and the unpa- rallel'd fuccefs of your Aldje/lys armsy a foundation is now laid for rcmlering the Hritim empire the moft extenfive and powerful of any recorded in hiftory. Our connec- tions with this t mpire we efteem our greateft happinefs and focurity, and humbly conceive it may now be fo tftablifhed by your royal wifdom, as to endure to the latcft period of time. This, with moft humble fubmiflion to yciur Majclty, we apprehend will be moft efFedtually ac- conipliihed, by fixing the pillars thereof on liberty and juihce, and fecuring the inherent rights and liberties of your fubjects here upon the principles of the Englilhcon- ftitution. To this conftitution thefe two principles are •fl'ential, the right of your faithful fubiciSls freely to grant to yiur Majelty fuch aids as are required for the fupport of your government over them, and other public exigen- cies, and trials by their peers } by the one they are fecured from unrcafonablc impofitions, and by the other from ar- bitrary decifliojis of tlu executive power. The continua- tion of thefe liberties to the inhabitants of America, we ardently implore as abfolutely necefTary, to unite the feveral parts of yourw'idc extended dominions In that harmony fo cflential to the piefcrvation and happinefs of the whole. Protected in thefe liberties, the emoluments Great Britain icceives from us,howcver great at prefent, are inconfidtrable compared with thofe fhe has the faireftprofpcilof acquir- ing. By this protedion fhe will yir ever fecure to berjelfihc advantage*'6f conveying to all Europe the merchandizes whicl) America furnilhes, afl(l\>f fupplyiiig through the fame I. *■ '*^mi^ ' ■ ■iWiiny i •tts^-Si^' ktM thus crity, mable God, 'crtcd the emote num- thc aug- Pttition ofthi Gtnnal Congrefi />i 1774. 5 The judges of admiralty and \ icc-admiralty courts are impowcrcd to receive their falaries and fees from the cffedts condemned by themfelves ; the ofticcrS of the cui^oms are impowtrtd to break open and enter houfcs, witliout tlic authority of any civil niagiltiatc, founded on legal information. The judgcrs of courts of common law have been made entirely dependant on our part of the legiflature for their falaries, as well as for the duration of their commilFions. Cr-uncellors holding their commi/Tions during pleafure, c.xercife legiflative authority. Humble and reafonablc petitions from the rcprefentatives of the people have been fruitlcfs. The agents of the people have been difcountenanced, and governors have betii inftrudted to prevent the payment of their falaries : AHomblieii have lucn repeatedly and injurioudy didblved : Commerce has been burtheiicd with many ufelels and oppreflive rt(tri(Sl:ions. By feveral ads of parliament made in the fourth, fifth, fixth, fcventh, and eighth years of your prefent Majefty's reign, duties are impofcd on us for the purpofc 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 cur confent, the tryal by jury in many civil cafes is abolifhed, enormous forfeitures are incurred for flight oftenccs, vexatious informers are exempted from paymg damages, to which they are juflly liable, and oppicihve fecurity is required from owners before they are allowed to defend their right. Both houfes of parliament have rcfolved that colonirt may be tried in England for offences all-dgcd to have been committed in America by virtue of Itatute, palFed in the thirty-fifth year of Henry the eighth, and in confequencc thereof, attempts have been made to enforce that ftatute. A ftatute was palFed in the twelfth year of your Majerty's reig;i, directing that perfons coinrjutiin^ any offence therein - f \ t. .. h 6 The Pet'ttlon of the Amtricans in 1765. fnmc channel whatrvcr is wanted from thence : H-tc o)ii.Mis ;i bf)iincili;fs (ourcc of wealth, and naval flrcn^'th ; ytt thc-lt' immcnlcadvanta^'^cs, by the abrid}>;ement of thofe invaluahlc rights and lihcriics, by which our growth has been nourilliid, are in danger of being for ever loft, and (uir fiibordinate legiilators, in efTcdf, nndcrcd iifelcfs by the late Ails of Parliament, inipoling tluties and taxes on thcfc colonics, and extending the jurifdidlion of the courts ot admiralty here, beyond its ancient limits; llatutcs by which your Maiefty's commons in l^ritain un- dertake abfolutely to dilpole of the propf-rty of thrir fel- low fiibjccls in /\merica, without their confent ; for the tiilurein;!; whereot they arc luhjectcd ^o tlic determination of a Inigle judge, in a court unrcllraincd by the wife rules of the comir.on law, the birthright of Englifhmcn, and the lafeguaidof their perfons and properties. The invaluable right of taxing ourfelvcs, and trial by our peers, of which we implore your Majefty's protec- tion, arc not, we mofl humbly conceive, unconititutional, but confirmed by the great charter of Englifh liberty. On the firft of thefe rights the honourable the Iloufe of Commons found their pradlice of originating money- bills; a right enjoyed by the kingdom of Ireland, by the clergy of England, until relinquilhed by themfelvcs ; a right, in rine, which all other your Majefty's Englifh fubjeds both wiihin and without the realm have hitherto enjoyed. With hearts, therefore, ImprcflTed with the moft in- delible charadteis of gratitude to your Majefty, and to the memory of the Kings of your moft illuirrious houfe, whofe reigns have been fignally diftinguifhed by their aufpicious influence on the profperity of the Britifh do- minions, and convinced by the moft aftedling proofs of your Majelly's paternal love to all your people, however diitant, and your unceafing and benevolent defires to promote their hapincfs : We moft humbly befeech your Majefty, that you will be gracioufly pleafed to take into your royal confideration, the diftrefles of your faithful fubjects on this continent, and to lay the fame before your - • - • Majejifs .:'; '*-^ y,«'»JV IMA- 1#^^ H-.M-e thofe hat and "s by axes the lits ; un- fa- ir the ition 'wife ncn, ;« Petitm of the Gnwal Congrtfi in 1774. 7 therein vli;fcribt<1, in any place out of the rciUm, may be indicted and trycd for the fame in any Ihirc or county within the realm ; whereby the inhabitants of thcfe colo- nics may in fundry cafes, by th.it ftatute made capital, be deprived of a tryal by their peers of the vicin.igc. In the hift fcrtious of Parliament an ad was palFtd for blocking up the harbour of Bofton, another, empowering; thegovciiiurofMairaehiifetL's Bay to lend perfons indicted for murder in that province, to another colony, or even to Great Britain for tryal ; whereby fuch olfcndcrs may cleapc \c'r\\\ punilhment. — A third for altering the char- tered cnnUitiition of government in that province ; and a foiirtli for extending the hmits of Qiiebcc, abolilhing the tnglilh ;:nd rehiring the French laws, whereby great number of Britifh freemen arc fubjedlcd to the lattci, and efhibliihing an abfolutc government of the Roman Catholic religion throughout thofc vaft icgions that border on the weflerly and northerly boundaries (jf the free Proteltant Engllfh fettlements ; and a fifth, for tht: better providing fuitabic quarters for officers and fddieis in his Majefty's fervice in North America. To a fovereign "who glories in the ntime of Briton," the bare recital of thcfe Ails muft, we prefume, juftify the loval fubjecfts who fly to the foot of his throne and implore his clemency for prote<5tion againft them. From this deftrudlive fyftem of colony-adjniniflration, adopted iinca the conclufion of the laft war, have flowed thele diftrcfles, dangers, fears, and jealoufies, that over- whelm your Majefty's dutiful colonics with afflitStions ; and wc defy our moft fubtile and inveterate enemies to have the unhappy differences between Great Britain and thefe colonies from an earlier period, or from otner ciuifes than we have alligned. Had they proceeded, on our part, from a rcjilefs levity of temper, unjufi mpulfts of ambition, or artful fuggejVions of feditious perfons, we fhould merit the approbious terms frequently beftowed upon us by thofe we revere. * _ But * Meaning the K- ■Z' 9 The Petition of the Americans in 1765'. Majfjlyi Parliament ; and to afford them fuch reliefs as in your roytd wiJ'Joni their unhappy circiimjiances Jhall be judged to require. And your petitioners, as in duty bound, will pray. New Tor ky Nov. 1765. c^Joo$oc^.c^oj5|oo$o<^o$3c$ooJ^ I To the Right Honourable the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, of Great Britain, in Parliament eiljcmbled. The Memorial of the Freeholders and other In- habitants of the Maffachul'ett's Bay, &c. Most Humbiy Shews. JL HAT his Majefty's liege fubjeiSls in his American colonies, though they acknowledge a due fubordination to that augujl body the Britijh Parliament, are intitled, in the opinion of your memorial ids, to all the inherent rights and liberties of the natives of Great Britain, and have, ever fince the fettlement of the faid colonies, exercifed thofc rights and liberties, as far as their local circumjhnces would permit. That your memorial ifts humbly conceive one of the moft eflential rights of thcfc colonifts, which they have ever, 'till lately, uninterruptedly enjoyed, to be trial by jury. That your memorialifts alfo humbly conceive, another of thefe elllntial rights to be the exemption from all taxes but M I, ^'•^*'*^|iP!*»WWI Petition of the General Cmgrejs in I J 74. f But fo far from promoting innovations, we have onfy oppofcd them ; and can be charged with no offence, un- kfs it be one to receive injuries and be i'enllble of them. Had. our creator been pleafed to give us exiftttice ifia land of ilavery, the fenfe of our condition might have been mitigated by ignorance and habit ; but thftnks to hU adorable goodnefs, we were born the heirs of fredom, and ever enjoyed our right under the aufpices of your royal anceilors, whofe fkmily was feated on the Britilh throne, to refcue and fecure a pious and gallant nation fmm the popery and defpotifm of a fuperltitious and inciMrabk tyrant. YourMajefty,we are confident, juftly rejoices, thatyous title to the crown, is thus founded on the title of your people to liberty ; and therefore we donb«: not, but your royal wifdom muft approve the fenfibility that teaches your fuDjefts aiixioufly to guard the bleffings they rcce'wcd from 4iv/n£ providence^ and thereby to prove the perfonnance of that compact, which elevated the illuftrious houfe of Brunrwick to the imperial dignity it now pofTeiTes. The apprehcnfion of being degraded into a ftate of ftrvitude, from the pre-eminent caufe of Englifh freemen, while our minds retain the flrongeft love of liberty, and clearly forefec the miferies preparing for us and our pofterity, excites emotions in our breads, which though "we Ci^not defcribe, we fhould not wifti to conceal. Feeling as men, and thinking as fubjedls in the manner we do, filence would be difloyalty. By giving this faith- ful information we do all in our power to promote the great objedls of your royal cares, the tranquility of your government and the v/elfare of your people. Duty to your Majefty and regard for the prefervatlon of ourfelves and our poflerity, the primary obligations of nature and of focicty, command us to intreat your royal attention ; and as your Majefly enjoys the fignal diftinition of reigning over freemen, we appr^ehend the language of freemen t^nnct be difplcafmg. C Your •I io The Petition of the AtHtruam in I76s«^ but fuch as are impofed on the people by the fevcral lirgif, laturcs in thefe colonies, which right thcv have, till of late, freely enjoyed. But your memorialifts beg leave humbly to reprefent to your lordfhips, That the A&- for granting ftamp duties in the Britifh colonic^ in America, &c. rills his Majefty's American fubjedls with thedeepell concern : It tends to deprive thtni oif the two fundamen- tal and invaluable rights and liberties above-mention^ i and that fcveral other late AAs of Parliament, which ex- tend the jurifdidioq and powers of the courts of admi-» ralty» in the plantations, beyond their limits in Great Britain, thereby make an unneceflary and unhappy dif- tindtion, as to the modes of trial, between us and our fellow-fubjects there, by whom wc iiever have been ex** celled in duty and loyalty to our fovcreign, That from the»7fKr/7/conne(SHon between Great Britain and America, the perpetual continuance of which your memorialifts moft ardently defire ; they conceive that no- thing can conduce more to the intereft of both, than th» colonifts free enjoyment of their rights and liberties, and an affectionate intercourfe between Great Briton and them. But your memorialifts (not wavi ng their claim to thefe rights, of which, with the moft becoming veneration and deference to tht> zui/dom and jujlice of your Lordjhipsy they apprehend they cannot refonably be deprived) hum- bly reprefent, that from the peculiar circumjiances of thefe coloniesy the duties impofed by the aforefaid A6V, and feveral other late A£ts of Parliament, are extremely grevious ajid burthenfomcy and the payment of the faid duties will, very foon, for want of fpecie^ becbvie abfolutely im- praSticable^ and that the reftriftions on trade by the faid a£ts will not only greatly diftrefs the colonies, but muft be extremeiy determental to the trade and true intereft of Great firitain. Your memorialifts, therefore, imprfefTed with a jufl fenfe of the unfortunate circumftances of the colonies, and the impending deftrudtive confequences which muft necplTarilv enfue from the execution of thefe Adts, and (^nijnated \ '.f ■4; . >T ' ' ■/ ■'1.^ Petit iort of tht General Congreft in 1 7 74 . it Vour royal indignation, we hope, will rather fallen thole defigninjj and dangerous men, who daringly inter- poiic theiftdlves between your royal pcrfon and your i'aithful fubjects, and for fcvcral years paft inceliantly imployed to diflblve the banc's of lociety by abufing your Maj«fty'» authority^ mifreprefenting your American (ubjeAs. and proffxruting the moil delperate and irritating projci^sofoppolition, have at length compelled us, by the force of accumulated injuries, too fevere ts be any longer toilerabk^ to diiturb your Majefty's repofe by our complainlst Thefo fcntlthcnts are extorted from hearts that much 'J more vnllingly would bleed in your Majefty's fervice j yet fo greatly have we been mineprefcnted that a lieceffity has been alledgcd of taking our property from us without our confcnt, ** to defray the charge of the adniiniftration bi juilicc, the fupport of civil government, and the defence, protedion, and ftcurity of the colonies." I3ut we beg leave to afTurc your Majefi:yj that fuch provifion has been, and will be made for defraying the two firft articles, as has been andjhall he judged hy the legijlatures of the feveral colonies^ juft and fuitabli: to their refpective circumitances, and for the defence, protedlion, and fccurity of the colonies, their militia?^ if properly regulated, at they earntjlly defire may im- mediately he done^ would be fully fufficicnt, at Icaft in times of peace; and in cafe of war your faithful colonic.- will be ready and willing, as they ever have been, v.-hcn confli- tutionally required to demonftrate their loyalty to your Majefty by exerting their moft ftrenuous efforts in graruing fupplies and railing forees; yielding to no Britifh fubjerts in afFedlionate attachment to your Majefty's perfon, family, and government : We too dearly prize the privilege of exprefling that attachment by thofe proofs that are honour- able to the prince who receives them, and to the people who gives them, ever to reftgn it to atiy body of men upon earth. Had WQ been permitted to enjoy in quiet the inheritance left us by our fore-fathers, we flacuid at this time have been peaceably, chearfully, and ufefuliy employed in re- CQmmc/iding ourfelves by every tsftimoney of devotion t® 7«ur T2 The Petition ef the Amer icons in 1765. animated uith the warvirji fentimenti of filial affeStim fow their mother country, moft earneftly and humbly ihtreat, that your lordjhips will be pleafed to hear their council in fup~ port of this memorialy and take the premifles into your moft ferious confideration, and that your Lordftiips will alfo be thereupon pleafed to purfue fuch meafurcs for reftoring the juft rights and liberties of the colonies, and preferving thcni for ever inviolable, for rcdrefTing their prefent, and preventing future gritvanres, t'-'^rtby promoting the united interefts of Great Britain and America, as to your Lordfhips, in your great wifdom, (hall feem moft con- ducive and cfFcdtual to that important end. And your memorialifts will pray, &c» KnvTork^ Nov. 1 765. «x#3c^|!oo$ocsfce530$oc$oc$ccj^ m m To the Honourable the Knights, Citizens and Burgesses of Great Britain, in Parliament fffefnbkd. The Petition of his Majcftv*s dutiful and loyal Subjefts the Freeholders and other Inhabitartts oi the Maflachufetfs Bay, &c. &c. &c. Most Humbly Shev;eth, X HAT the fcveral late Acbs of Parliament impofmg diVers duties and taxes on the colonies, and laying the trade and commerce thereof under very burthenfome re- ftriiftions j bat above all, the Aft for granting and ap- plying ceruin ftanip duties, &c. in America, have filled them with the deepeft concern and furprvze^ and they hum* Wy conccire the execution of them, will be attended with wifeiiwncii M Uf/'an foP ihtreaty ' in fup- )\xt moft alfobe [ring the ^ferving [nt, and fing the to your ift con- PO$OOJC3<^ Ns and Vliamcnt d loyal tants of ^iiig the bme re- ind ap- 'e filled y hum* ed with ^cquencii ''■SI Pititimoftbt Gtntral C^rtgrtfi »n 1 7 74. 13 yGur Majcfty, and of veneration to the Jfat^e^ from which wc derive our origin. But though now cxpoftd to unex- pedtcd and unnanjral fcenes of dillrefs, by a contention with that nation, in whofe parental guidance^ on all im- portant affairs, we have liftencd to with filial reverence conftantly trufted, and therefore can derive no inJiruSiion in our prei'cnt unh-jjj^iy and perplexinfj circumftances from any former experience ; yet we doubt not the purity of our intention and the integrity of our condudt will juiHfy us at that grand tribunal, before which all mankind muft fubniit to judgement. We allc but for peace, liberty^ and fafety-, wc wllh nbt a dcmunition of the prerogativt, nor do we folicit the grant of any new right in our favour; your royal authority over us and our connefiion with Great Britain we fliali always carefully and zeloufly endeavour to fupport and maintain. Filled with fcntimentS of duty to your Majefty, and Of affeSiion to our parent Jfate, and deeply imprefied by our education, and ilrongly confirmed by our reafon, a«d anxious to evince the flncerity of the/e difpofitions— Wc prefent this petition only to obtain redrefs of grievances and relief from fears and jeaioufie)*, occasioned by th« fyftem of ftatutcs and regulations, adopted fince the clofe of the late war, for raifing a revenue in America ; extend- ing the powers of courts of admiralty, trying perfbns in Great Britain for offences alledgcd to be committed in America, affecting the province of Maflachufctt's Bay, and altering the government and extending the limits of Quebec— By the abolition of which fyftem the harmony between Great Britain and thefe colonies, fo necefiary to the happinefs of both, amd fo ardently defired by the tatter, with the ufu'fil intercottrfety will be reftored. In the magnanimity and juftide of your Majefty, end in the Parliament we confide for fedrefs of our other grievances ; trnjiing that when the cacrfes of our apprchen-^ ftons are removed, our futtu-e condu<5l will prove us not ' unworthy of the regard we Have been accuftomed in our . happier d«ysi ife enjoy. For appealing to that Being, who £earehe$ I!' i;- f \ 14. Tie PetUian of the Americans in 1765. confequencei very injurious to the commercial intereji of Great . Britain and her colonies, and muft terminate in the eventnai ruin of the latter. Your petitioners, therefore, moft ar- dently imphn the attention of the Honourable Houfe, to the united and dutiful reprefentation of their circumftances, and to their carncJl fi-pplications for relief fi'^m thofe regu- lations, that have already involved this continent in anxi- ety, confufion, and diflrefs. We moft finccrely recognize our allegiance to th< crown, and acknowledge all due fubordination to the Parlin- mtnt of Great Britain^ and fhall a/tv/Ty^ retain the moji grate- ful fenje of their ajfi/lance and preteilion } it is from and under the Englifh conftitution, we derive all our civil and religious rights and liberties ; we glory in being the fubje£ls of the beft of kings, and having been born un- der the moji perfect form of government : But it is with moft ineffable and humiliating JorroWy that we find ourfelves, of late, deprived of the rights of granting our own pro- perty, for his Majejly^s fervice^ to which our lives and /or-f tunes are intirely devoted^ and to which, on his royal requi- fitions, we have ever been ready to contribute to the utmoft of our ability. We have alfo the misfortune to find, that all the penal- ties and forfeitures mentioned in the Stamp A£l, and divers late A^s of trade, extending to the plantations, are, at the elcdlion of the informer, recoverable in any court of admiralty in America. This, as the newly ereiled court of admiralty has a general juriOliiftion over all Britifti America, renders his Majefty's fubjeds in thefe colonies liable to be carried at an immenfe expence, from one end of the continent to the other : It alfo gives us great pain to fee a manifeft diftinAion made therein, between the fubje(Sls of our mother country, and tjic colonies, in that the like penalties and forfeitures, recover- able there, only in his Majefty's courts of record, are made cognizable here by a court of admiralty. By this means wc feem to be, in efFedl, unhappily deprived of two privileges eflential to freedom, and which allEng- lifhmen have ever conftdered as their beft birth-rights, that of being free from all taxes, but fich as they have confented 4'- \ 7i' fi rm fat a1 r- to •s. Iri- V- 1 1 '■"*;? > 'm Petition tfthe General Congrefs in 1774.. «5 fcarchcs thoroughly the hearts of his creatures, we folcmnly profcls that cur councils have been injl,'n(ed by n» other motivei than a dread of impending dejhuition. permit us then, Most Gkacious Sovereign! In the name of all your faithful people in America, with the uti^poit humility to implore you, for the honour of Almighty God, whofe pure religion our enemies are undermining J for your glory, which can be advanced only by rendering your people happy and keeping them unitpd; for the interefts of your family, dependant en an adherence to the principle that authorized it\ for the fafcty and welfare of your kingdoms and dominions, thrcatned with almoft unavoidable dangers and diilrelTeS ; that yourMajefty,as the iovingfather of your whole people, connecSted by the fame bands of law, loyalty, faith, and blood, though dwelling in various countries, will not fufFer the tranU:endant relation form'd by thefe ties, to be further violated in uncertain expeei/ live of lofe ^n, or it LETTERS, (Iff. 17 General Ctngrefs, Philadelphia y OSiober 6, 1774. 7*0 P<2«/ tVentworth Efq. Br. Benjamin Franklin j fVilliam BoUen^ Efq. Dr. Arthur Lee •, Thomasi Life Efq. Edmund Burk, Efq. and Cbarkt Gartby Efq. * GENTLEMEN, W E give you the ftrongeft proof of our reliance on tl^ V I happinefs commit of Ar .and attachment iclofcd paper to your care. We dctire you will deliver the petition Into the hands ofhisMajeJiy, and after it has been prefented. We wifh it may be made public through the prefs, together with the lift of grievances : And as we hope for great affUlance frotp the fpirit, virjtue, and Jurtice of the nation, it IS our carneft defire that the moft effc£lual care be talcen, as early as pofllble, iofurnijh the trading cities and 7nanufac- turing towns, throughout the united kingdom^ with our memo- rial to the people of Great Britain. We doubt not but your good fenfe and difcernment will lead you to avail yourfelves of every affiftance that may be derived from the advice and frieiidlhip of all great and good men, who may incline to aid the caufe of liberty and mankind. The gratitude of America expreifed in the indofed vote of thanks, we defire may be conveyed to the deferving objects of it, in a manner that you think will be moft acceptable to them« It is propofcd that another congrefs be held on the tenth of May next, at this place, but in the mean time \ve beg the favour of you, gentlemen, to tranfmit to the fpeakers of the feveral affejnblies the earlieji information of the moji attthen' tick accounts y^u can colleSi of all fuch conduit and defigns of M'nijlry and Parliament^ as it may concern America to. know. We are, &c. By order and in behalf of the Congrefs, , Henry Middleton, "President. * I am informed that only the three laft named gentlemen ' are colony agents. 'I 7i * I il tt The Pfthion of the jtmerlutm in 1765, tp increafe, rather than dipninifh thofe means, as tht profits of all the trade of the colonies ultimately center there, to pay for her manufaSlura^ as we arc pot allowed to purcha(c cllcwherc, ana by the confumption of which, all the advanced prices the Britifh taxes oblige the makers and venders to fct on them, w eventually contribute very largely to the revenue of the crown. That from the nature of American bufinefs, the mul- tiplicity of fuiis ;ind papers, and in matters of fmall value, in a country whu' freeholds are fo minutely divided, and property fo frequently transferred, qjiarrxp duty mujl ever be very lutthenfotue and wuqual. That it is extremely improbable that the Hen. Iloufc of Commons fhou Id at all times be thoroughly acquainted with our condition^ and all fadls requifftc to a juft and equ^l taxation pf the Colonics, It is alfo humbly fubmitted whether there be not a ma^ terial diftinftion, in reofon and found policy at lea/ii between the neceflfary exercifc oif parliamentary jurifdidtipn in gene-, ral aiii for the amendment of the common law, and the regulations of trade and commerce through the whole em- pire, ar.d the exercife of that jurifdidion, by impofmg tuxes on the Colonies. II That the feveral fuhordinate provincial IfgifJaiures have bfcn moulded into forms as near refembline that of tho mother country, as by his Majefty's royal prcdeceflbrs was thought convenient ; and thffe legiflaturcs feem to have been wifely and gracioufly cftabliihcd, that the {ubjtates, appointed by the Icveral Englijh Colonies oF New-Hamp- Jhitty f^c. i^c. i::fc. to confider of their Grievances in General Congnfs, at Philadelphia, Stpt. 5, 1775. yV HEN a hitlbn, led to greatnefs by the hand of Liberty, arid poflefled of all the glory that heroifm, mu- nificence, and humanity can beftow, dcfcends to the un- grateful tafk of forging chains for her Friends and Chil- dren, and inftcad of giving fupjiort to Freedom, turns advocate for Slavery and Oppreffion, there is reafon to fufpeft flie ha? either ceafed to be virtuous, or been ex- tremely negligent in the appointment of her rulers. In almoft every age, iri repeated cdnflidls, in long and bloody wars, as well civil as foreign, apainft many and powerful nations, agairift the open ailaiilts of enemies, and the more dangerous treachery of friends, have the in- habitants of your ifland, your great and glorious anceftors, maintained their independance, and tranfmitted the rights •f men, and the bleflings of liberty, to you their pofterity. Be not furprifed therefore, that we, who are defcendcd fiom the fame common anceftors ; that we, whofe fore- fathers participated in all the rights, the liberties and the* conftitution, you fo juftly boaft, and who have carefully conveyed the fame fiiir inhcritarice to us, guarantied by the plighicd faith of governmv:nt, and the moft foleniii com- padls with Britilh Sovereigns, fhould refufe to furrender them to men, who found thsir claims on no principles of reafon, and who profecute them with a defign, that by having our lives and property in their power, they may with the greater fsicilit'y enflave you. The caufe of America is now th:j object of univerfal at- tention ; It has at length become very feri«us. This un- II M 20 Tfi( PetitliH nf t1)4 AmtrUam in 1765. vice, and the intcrrji $f the nation^ (o fir from belnc; e^ JiriiHf/{^ huvc been vattly promottd by the provincial Ic- giflaturcs. That wcpftfcm ourconnc«5lions with, and dependante on Creat Britnin , as one of our grcattlt blcflings, and appre- hend the Intttr will appear Xohc fufficitntly fecurey when it is confidercd that the inhabitanti in iht Colonies have the moj} ,unbnuiided ajfcttim .or his Majefty's perfon. family, and government, as well as for the mother country, and that their fuhorJination to tin farliament is univerfally acknowledged. We therefore moll humbly /«/rM/, that the Hon. Houfc would bepUadd to hear our Council in fupport of this pe- tition, Jii\A l,\\ic o\xr Ax^Tc^c^ and dtplorabli cafe into their conlldcration, ai\d that the adts and claufes of afts fo grievoufly rejiraining our trade and commerce^ impofing du- ties and taxes on our property, and extending the jurifdic- tion of the court of Admiralty beyond its ancient limits, niay be repealed ; c^rihat the Hon. Houfe would othcnvife re- liroe your petitioturs^ as in your great wifdotn and goodnefs fljalt Jam meet, Aiid your petitioners, as in duty bound, (hall ever pray, N'cwToriy Nov. 1765. '^, ■ '■4 The ftvrral legijlatures in theColonies were very diffident of tht authority of the general congrefs aflembled at New- York in 1765, though appointed by them ; and the follow- ing proceedings, the tenor of which jvill ferve for all the coLnies reprrfentcd at the congrefs, will fhew that its powers were very cautioufly limited. /^;/7n^ oj 1 y^^ ^j^^ Houfe ofRepreJsntativeij Nov. 1765. IVX R- Speaker laid before the houfe the proceedings of the late general congrefs at New York, for the concurrence of this houfc \i if faw fit ', which being read, and canfidcred, Refolved, >■-,■' -A '■^^■ii \ I* - ,W Jddrffi from tht DtUgaUs in 1774. If happy country has not only been opprcfll-d, but abufcd anil milreprcientcd \ and the duty wc owe to ourfclvcs and pofterity, to your intcrcft, and the gcne.al welfare of the britifh empire, leads us to addrcfs you on this very im- portant fubjcd. Know theny That we confider ourfplvcs, and do in- fift, that we arc, and ought to be, as free as our fellow- fubjedls in Britain, and that no power on earth has a right to take our property from us without our confent. That we claim all the benefits frcurrd to the fubjcct by the Englifh conflitution, and particularly that incftimable one of trial by jury. That wc hold it eflential to Enj^liHi Liberty, that no man be condemned unheard, or punimed forfuppofed oft'ences, without having an opportunity of making his defence. . That we think the Legiflature of Great Britain is not authorized by the conititution to cftablifli a religion, fraught with ianguinary and impious tenets ; or to ercdt an arbitrary form of government in any quarter of the globe. Tlicfe rights, wc, as well as you, deem facrcd. And yet facred as they are, they hav«^ with many others, been repeatedly and flagrantly violated. Are not the Proprietors of the foil of Great Britain, Lords of their own property ? can it be taken from them without their confent ? will they yield it to the arbitrary difpofal of any man, or number of men whatever ? — You know they will not. Why then are the Proprietors of the foil of America Irfsi Lords of their property, than you are of yours ? or why fhould they fubinit it to the difpofal of your Parlia^ n^fnt, or any other Parliament, or Council in the world, not of their eled^ion ? Can the intervention of the fca that divides us, caufe difparity in .lights ? or can any reafon be givtj, why Englifh fubjst^s, who live three thoufaud miles from the royal palace, (hould enjoy lefs liberty than thofe who are three hundred miles diitant from it ? Reafon 22 LETTERS, ciff. Rtfolvcd, That this houfe do approve: of, and join in the refolvciJ and petitions agreed to by the ("aid general congrcfs, and do appoint A B and C to be a Committee /«//y impowered to fign the lame in behalf of this houfe. But if the gene- ral petitions are forwarded, and no*: figned by them, that then they caufe the faid petitions to be fairly tranfcribed, that they fign them in behalf of this houfe, and forward them to the Agent, who is hereby authorifod, impowcrjd, and earneftly requefted to prefcnt the faid petitions ; to employ council, if need be, and life his iitmofl: endeavours lo obtain the favour and compajjion oi our nioit gracious Sovereign, and the par. .amenta towards his Majefty's ////- trcjj'ed., but moik faithful and dutiful fubjc(5i:s of his Ameri- can colonics. >0>Oo^>OoOo€>'>0<>OoO>>0«0<*^^0®oO<'0'>0<^Q>oO< The Committee's Letter to the Agent. * i S I R, Dated A. A, Nov. 1765, B Y order of the general ajfemhly of this province, we forward to you the inclofed petitions to the beft of Kings, ard both Hotiies of Parliament The dijlrsfjtd iituation of ^he colonies muft foon be followed by their ruin, if the Stamp and fome other Afts, relating to lUir trade^ which are the caufe of our calamity., ai*e not repealed. We therefore defire you will join the agents for the other colo- nies, for the fame end appointed, to obtain the pity atta compajfion of our mofl- gracious Sovereign, and the Parlia- f/icnty towards his moit faithful and dutiful fubjedb, over- liurthened -with debts contraifcd in the late war., and by his Majclty's requifitions, are left without money enough to pay the Stamp Duties one year; and as thefe aits of Parliament ^ow Itand, we are uvabic to find a remedy in our commerce abroad^ or Xo fiippat ourjelves. Wc think, it will be proper. and Vide page 17. Jaurefs from the Dclrgam in 1 7 74. «1 Rcafon looks with indignation on fuch diitindions, and freemen can sicvcr perceive their propriety. And yet, how- ever chimerical and unjuft fuch difcriminations arc, the Parliament aflert, that they have a right to bind us in all cales without exception, whether we conftnt or not ; that they may take and ul'c our property when and in what manner they plcafe ; that we are penfioners on tht ir bou|Uy for all that wc poll'efs, and can hold it no longer thaji they vouchfafe to permit. Such declarations we confider as hcrefies ii> Englilh politics, and which can no more ope- rate to deprive us of our property, than the interdidtsof the Pope can diveft Kings of fceptrss, which the laws of the land and the voice of the people have placed in their hands. At the conclufion of the late war — a war rendered glo- fious by the abilities and integrity of a * Minijier^ to whofe ffforts the Britijh empire owes its fafety and its fame ; At the conclufion of this war, which was fucceedcd by an inglorious peace, formed under the aufpices of a Minifter of principles, and of a family unfriendly to the protcf- tant caufe, and inimical to liberty. — We fay at this period, and under the influence of that man, a plan for enflaving your fellow-fubjedts in America was concerted, and has ever fmce been pertinacioufly carrying into execution. Prior to this aera you were content with drawing from us the wealth produced by our commerce. You reltrained our trade in every way that could conduce to your emolu- ment. You exercifed unbounded fovereignty over the fea. You named the ports and nations to which alone our mer- chtmdize fliould be carried, and with whom alone we frould trade ; and though fome of thefe reftriitions were grievous, we neverthelefs did not complain ; we looked up vo you as to our parent fbate to which we were bound by the Ihorigeft ties ; and were happy in being inftrumental to your profperity and your grandeur. We call upon you, yourfelves, towitnefs our loyalty and attachment to the common intereu of the wholeempire. Did wc not, ii. the iaft war, add all the ftrength of this vaft con- tinent to the force whiwn repelled our common enemy ? Did • Why then do the American reprobate the fiifi: aft--(the very jFft aft) of the fiift )'t;ar of the fetond reign cf this minifter ? . ■• ^. t « * ft 1 ' t u LETTERS, l^e. end^ if ym apprgzv of ii^ defire you will fign in our behalf the petitions of ihe fame tenor^ now lodged with, and un- der the care of, Richard Jackfon, E^. in order to be prcfented, and which we underftand arc authoretativelf Jitrned by more Committtes * than any others, though wu believe the greateft part, if not all the colonies on the continent, have forwarded petitions of this icind, with very little variation. We in this province have not been fo boi/ierous and irregular as fnme others^ not bccaufe we were infcnfible of our diftrcfTes, but bccaufe tue thought ihe prefent method moji likely to obtain relief. We are, &c. , . • The General Congrefs, was compofed of co 11111111668 froin fcvetal legiflatures in the colonies. >©sxg>o<2x>0<>€^'>QoO«0<>G»00'>0 >OoQ'»Q< ||.: The Gentleman who wrote the Letter from which the foUawing ExtraHs are taken., will not^ it is hoped, impute to the pub" lifl)er a want of regard to private intercourfcs, as they have already pajjcd through very many hands in America. Ti London, July 25, 17; 4., __ H I b being tiie tinie of recefs from public bufi- ncfs, little is Itirring in the political hem i fphere j but to Ibew that your friends are not idle, a pamphlet * is in-, clofed, which is now circulating in this kingdgm. Th* fpirit which hath appeared in all America has given much uneafmefs to our wicked minlfters, and 1 conjecture they will, by their cmiflaries, try every expedient to bring about a difunion among you, when the Congrefs meets i therefore with much circumfpeilion you fnould watch their motions and take all poffible precaution to defeat their attempts. It appears to me the greaieft Jiake that ever was • The Ajppeal, &c. by Almon, flayetf Addrefs from the Delegates m 1774. 25 Did we not leave our native fhores, and meet difcafesand death, topromote the i'ucccfs of Biitifh arms in foreign cli- mates ? Did you not thank us for our zeal, and even reim- burfe us large fums of money, which, you confelTed, we had advanced beyond our proportion, and far beyond our abilities ? You did. \ To what caufes, then, are we to attribute the fuddcn change of treatment, and that fyftem of flavery which was prepared for us at the rellojation of tiie peace ? Before we had recovered from the diftreflcs which ever attend war, an attempt was made to drain this country of all its money, by the oppreflive Stamp A6t. Paint, glafs, and other commodities, which you would not permit us to purchafe of other nations, were taxed ; nay, although no wine is made in any country fubjecSl: to the Britifh itate, you prohibited our procuring it o{ foreigners, withoi^t paying a tax, impofed by your parliament, en all wc im- ported. Thcl'c and manv other impofitions were laid upon us moft unjuiUy and unconltitutionally, for the cxprcfs purpofeof raifmg a revenue — In order to lilcnce complaint, it was, indeed, provided, that this revenue Hiould be ex- pended in America, for its protedtion and defence. Thefe exadions, however, can receive no jufhfication from a pretended neceflity of protefting and defending us. They y.re lavifhly fquandercd on court favourites, and minifterial dependants, generally avowid enemies to America, and cm- ploying themfelves, by partial leprefentations, to traduce and embroil the Colonies. For the necelVary fupport of governnient here, we ever were and ever fhall be ready to provide. And whenever the exigencies of the ftate may require it, we fhall, as we have heretofore doni , chcir- fuUy contribute our full proportion of men a;ui uion-v. To enforce this unconftitutional and unjiiit fcheme .. taxation, every fence that the vvifdomof our Britiih an- ccftors had carefully ercdtcd againlt arbitrary power, has been violently thrown down in America, and the inelU- mable ngiit of trial by jury taken awav, in cafes that touch both life and property. It was ordained, that when- ever offences Ihould be committ'-d in tiie Colonics againlt particular Ads impofing various duties and rtHridtions £ upoa hi 26 h K T V K R S, b\. puned for, no Icfs than, luhcthcr the Jmericam and tljeU' fiidUfs gaieratiom /I}nll enjoy the co?nmon rights of mankind, br be worfc than cafttirii fla\'i;s ! The trial mtijl novo come to ijjui't as o/)^« tw?r is declared by the Bofton port-bill, the other for altering your charter, and licenfmg the foldiery and cuftom-houle officers in murder and bloodihcd, and above all by the Quebec bill. Thefe are the fruits of the feeds that have been fowing ever fuice 1764, therefore it will be neceflary in forming your bill of rights, to fpecify every opprejfwe ASi of Parliament fwa that period, and if this is done xvith manly ficrcewfsl have reafon to think that Lord Chatham and his friends will i'upport it, though it is by no means prudent to rely over much on any fupport on this fide the water ; your chief confidence muft be in your own virtue, unanimity, fteadinefs, and refolution. When your biJ] of rights is agreed on, the great confideration will be how to get it confirmed here. Was the congrefa tompofed of deputies regularly authorized by the ajfemblies of tach province, it might be propel to have it piefentcd to the King by a deputy as an aribaffador, from every colony, but as tlie Congrejs ivill not be Jo conjliinted your bill will not be received tiuough fuch a medium, thcrelore fuppof* it muft go through the old channel of the agents. But this I would have you rely on as a thing ofabfolute certainty, that your bill or petition wrll not be in the leaji regarded, unlefs you can cotiipel the merchants, inanufaHurers, and people of England to join you. For this end, I know of no poJJibU ?neans, but to flop all commerce xvith this country, both exports and imports, which plan rnu(t be fteadily and with the ftridteft f.iith adhcied to ttll you have obtained redref, Ihe want of Americaji naval ftore?, particularly pitch, tar, and turpentine, would be moft fenfibly felt here imme- uintelv, and tob-'cco alone yields about 500,000 to the re- venue, which dificicncy it ivill puzzle the minijlers /;; the extreme X.O rviT^io. good. Tour province will furely be wife enough not to enter into violent meafnres without iheJlriSleJi cmccrt with the ether colonies, particularly Maryland, Vir- ginia, and the Carolinas, becaufeon them chiefly depend tile tvhole effc5l of the American non-extporation, The Northern colonies have the Europian markets aimoft lor their chiff exports, but thofe colonies have hardly any but the Enrjifh markets for their chief exports oftohacco and navai llores, therefore it ivill require your great'jl addrcfs n^ gel ihcm tc j-jin in thensn-exporta'itr^ as u-di as mn-importa- tiouy Addrefs fr^m the Delegates /// 1774. 27 upon trade, the prollcutor might bring his ailion for the jjcijalfies in the Courts of Admiralty ; by which means the fiibjetSt loft the advantage of being tried by an honeft uninfluenced jury of the vicinage, and was fubjei5ted to the fad neceflity of being judged by a finglc man, a crea- ture of the Crown, and according to the courfe of a law which exempts the profecutor from the trouble of provin;^ his accufation, and obliges the defendant either to evince his innocence or to fuffer. To give this new judicatory the greater importance, and as, if with dcfign to protect falfe accufers, it is further provided, that the Judge's cer- tificate of there having been probable caufes of feizure and profecution, fhall protect the profecutor from adtions at common law for recovery of damages. By the courfe of our law, offences committed in fuch of the Britilh dominions in which courts are cftablifhed and juftice duly and regularly adminiitered, Ihall be there tried by a jury of the vicinage. There tho offenders and the witnefles are known, and the degree of credibility to be given to their teftimony, can be afccrtained. In all thefe Colonies, juftice is regularly and impartially adminiltered, and yet by the conftrudtion of fome, and the directions of other Adts of Parliament, offenders are to be taken by force, together with all fuch perfons as may be pointed out as witnefles, and carried to England, there to be tried in a difl:ant land, by a jury of ftrangers, an4 (ubjecl to all the difadvantages that refult from want of Iriends, want of witneffes, and want of money. When the dcfign * of ralfmg a revenue from the duties impofed on the importation of tea into America, had in great meafure been rendered abortive by our ceafing to im- port that commodity, a fcheme was concerted by the Mi- niftry with the Eaft-India Company, and an adt paffcd enabling and encouraging them to tranfport and vend it in the Colonies. Aware of the danger of giving fuccefs to this infidous manceuvre, and of permitting a precedent of taxation thus to be eftablifhed among us, various methods were adoped to elude the ftroke. The people cf Bofton, jhen ruled by a Governor, whom, ab well as his predeccf- E 2 for, ♦ Lord Chatham's adminiftralion. "«<"»»>-* J, ■• h hr 0.3 LETTER S, i^c. tion^ for I am well convinced the latter without the former will not avail, nor indeccl will they both do unlefi foon put intj prarUce: J nori'conjwtiption ajjociation v/owXa indeed be an fFcCtual guaranty oi tht- other two, I lee great difficulty in the way of t^e attainment. If you looje the prefent crifis^ the new Houfe of Commons will b-; modled in a year's time to the rninillerial mouid, and General Carlton will have forwarded the plan of the Quebec bill, fo that any rcfijiance you can make then zvill be fruitlefs. Whereas if all the commerce is fooii Hopped, the intelligence will be known over the whole kingdom, in the winter whet, the 7nannfcMurcr is needy, and we in the heigth of a gen<., I eleiiion, and then will be the bejl time that can be wifhedy for the people at large to convince the candidates to ferve in Parlia?ttcnt of the ncceflity there js to repeal all the late wicked adts ; and I think it more than probable, that in fucli an event, /"/ would be tnade ajiipulation with the candi' dates that they would ufe their utmod efforts to obtain a total repeal of all the opprejftve a^s that you complain of. You muft make the mcrcnantsj^^/ before they will /^/r for you, as tbcir condu^ lately fufficiently evinces, &c. i-h i F. ^i r'^'^'wsmm n >r Addrefs '^pm the Dfl^j^ales in 1774. i() for, Sir Francis Bcrn;ml, all America confidcrs as her enemy, were exceedingly cinbarraflld. The Ihips, which had arrived with the tea, were by his management pre- vented from returning. — The duties would have been paid } the cargoes landed and expoled to fale; a Governor'* influence would have procured and protcdted many pur- chafe. s. While the town was fufpendcd by deliberations on this important fubjedi:, the tea was deftroyed. Even fuppofing a trefpafs was thereby committed, and the Pro- prietors of the tea entitled to damages. — The Courts of Law were open, and Judges appointed by the Crown pre- fided in them. — The Ealt-India Company however did not think proper to commence any fuits, nor did they even demand fatisfaiSlion either from individuals, or from the community in general. The Miniftry, it feems offi- cioufly made the cale their own, and the great council of the nation defcended to intermeddle witha difpute about private property. — Divers papers, letters, and other unauthenti- cated ex parte evidence were laid before them ; neitherthe perfon who deftroyed the Tea, or the people of Bofton, were called upon to anfwer the complaint. The Miniftry incenfed by being difappointed in a favourite fcheme, were determined to recur from the little arts of fineiFe, to open force and unmanly violence. The port of Boftou was blocked up by a fleet, and an army placed in the town. Their trade was to be fufpended, and thoufands reduced to the neceffity of gaining fubfiftance from charity, till they (hould fubmit to pafs under the yoke, and confent to become flaves, by confcfling the omnipotence of Par- liament, and acquiefcing in whatever difpofition they might think proper to make of their lives and property.- Let juftlce and humanity ceafe to be the boaft of your nation ! confult your hiftory, examine your records of former tranfadtions, nay turn to the annals of the many ar- bitrary ftates and kingdoms that furround you, and ihew us a nngle inftance of men being condemned to fufter for imputed crimes, unheard, unqueftioned, and without even the fpecious formality of a trial ; and that too by laws made exprefsly for the purpofe, and which had no cxiftence at the time of the fad: committed. If it be difli- fult to reconcile thcfe proceedings to the genius and tem- per A#- \,» 1 ■ V ^ ^1 <. i I 'i. k t ^ 1,1 l^i . hf I 30 Jfddrejs fnm the Delegates in 1 774. j)cr of your laws and cnnftitution, the tnfk will Hecomo more aid nous when we call upon our miniflcrial enemies to juilify, n(jt only condemning men untried, and by hearfay, hut involving the innocent in one common punifhment with the guilty, and for the a£k of thirty or forty, to bring poverty, diflrefs, ajid calamity on thirty thouland fouls, and thofe not your enemies, but your friends, brethren, and fcllow-fubjcits. It would be fome confolation to us, if the catalogue of Anicrican opprelHon ended here. It gives us pain to be induced to the neccfTity of reminding you, that under the conHdencn repofi:d in the faith of government, pledged in a royal charter for a Britifh Sovereign, the fore-fathers of the prefent inhabitants of the Mall'achufett's Bay left their tormer habitations, and ellablifhed that great, flourifhlng, and loyal Colony. Without incurring or being charged with a forfeiture of their rights, without being heard, without being tried, without law, and without juftice, by an Ait of Parliament, their charter is dcftroyed, their Jiberties violaied, their conftitution and form oi govern- ment changed : and all this upon no better pretence, than bccaufe m one of their towns a trefpafs was committed on fome mcrc'iandize, faid to belong to one o/the Com- panies, and becaufe the Miniftry were of opinion, that fuch high political regulations weic neceffary to compel due fubordination and obedience to their manoates. Nor are thefe the only capital grievances under which we labour. We might tell of dillolute, weak and wick.(jd Governors haying been fet over us ; of Legiflatures being iitfpended for afTcrting the rights of Britifh fubjecls — of needy and ignorant dependents on great meji, advanced to the feats of juftice, and to other places of truft and impor- tance ; — of hard rcllrid^ions on commerce, and a treat variety of lefilr evils, the recolledlion of whicl\ is almofi: loit under the weight and prefllire of greater and more, poignant calamities. Now mark the progrcfllon of the minifterial plan for enllaving us. Well aware that fuch hnrdv attempts to take our pro- perty from uj 3 to depiive us of that valuable right of trial 1!;' if. ' ^ m Add.efi from the DcUgatet in 1 774. 31 trial by jury; to ftize our perfons, and carry us for trwJ to Great Britain ; to blockade our ports ; to deftroy our Charters, and change our forms of governm'jnt, would occafion, and had already occafioned, great difcontcnt in all the colonies, which mi^ht produce oppofition to thefc mcaiures ; An adt was puilcd to protect, indemnify, and fcrecn from punifhment fuch as might be guilty even of murder, in endeavouring to carry their oppreflivc edid-s into execution : And by another Ai-t the dominion of Ca- nada is to be io extended, rr.oJtlled, and governed, 11$ that by being difunitcd from us, detached from our interclts, by civil as well as religious prejudices, that by their num- bers daily fwelling with Catholic emigrants from Europe, and by their devotion to Adminiftration {^-i friendly to their religion, they might become formidable to us, iuid! on occaiion, be fit inltruments in the hands of power, to reduce the ancient free Proteflant Colonies to the fanie itatc of itavcry with themfelves. This was evidently the object of the AcV : — And in this view bein^ extremely dangerous to our liberty Hf>i quiet, we cannot forbear complaining of it, as holUlc xs* iiritilh America. — Superadded to thefe conliderations, wc cannot help deploring the unhappy condition to which k has reduced the many p^nglifh fettlers, who, en- couraged by the Royal rroclamation, promifing thecn- joynicnt of all their rights, have purchafed edates in tha^ country. — They are now the fubjedts of an arbitrary go- vernmt:nt, deprived of tryal by jury, and when iinprifoned .c-nnot claim the beneht of the habeas corpus adt, thajt geat bulwark and palladium of Englifh liberty : — Korean wc fiipprcfs OH}- aiiomjh'nent, * that a Britiln Parliament ihould everronlcnt to cllablifli in that country a religion that has delugfil your Illand in blood, and difperfed impiityy . bigotry, perfi£:Jijt!, itiurder, and rdelliin thrcugh every part . cf the Lvorld. This being a true flate of fadls, let us befecch you to confider to whatejid they lead. Admit * Was the Roman C.ithdic reliijion unknown in the prac- tice amonp the Eiiglilh colonies till this wtX pafied? hi Mary- lanc'---Viryinia---Periiylviini;i, &:. anf.ver— -its prottftion v/as the primary clj'dt of the tJianer and the proprietor oi Mary- land. \ f- * .5. ^< '( I : I r !|i i •■I 17. . i; . \ ' {%' i ') f •^ 1 j ¥ ■4, 'I .^r i. ->i;-*i ,•,': ■- ■.-//:<-.^ ., i«-ii>'?/*' ■^^'-■^.L / JJdi.Js from the Dtltgattt in 1 7 74. JJ But if you arc determined that your Minifters fliall wantonly iport with the rights of mankind — If neither the voice of jufticc, the dictates of the law, the principles of the con*Htution, or the fuggeftions of humanity cart rellrain your hands from (hcdding humari blood in fuchan impious caufc, wc muft tijen tell you, that we never will fubmit to be hewers of wood of drawers of water for any miniftry dr natidn in the world. i Place lis in the fame fitUation thjit we wei"eat the clofe ©f the laft war, and our former harmony will be rejlored. But Icfl the fame fupinenefs and the fame inattentiori to our common intcreft, which you have for feveral years fliown, Ihouid continue, wc think it prudent to an- ticipate the con»equences. By the dcltrudlion of the ti'ade of Bofton, the Miniftry have endeavoured to induce fubmiflion to their meafures; The like fate may befall us all, we will endeavour there- fore to live without trade, and recur for fubfiftence to the fertility and bounty of our native foil, which will afford ys all the neceirarics and fome of the conveniences of lifffi .' We have fufpended our importation from Great Britain and Ireland ; and in Icfs than a year's time, unlefs our crievances fhould be redrcfled, fhali difcontinue our ex- ports to thofe kjiigdoms and the Weft-Indies. Itis with the utmoft regrethowever, that we find our- ielves compelled by the over-ruling principles oi felf-prtfer- vation., to adopt meafures detrimental in their confequenceal to numbers of our fellow fubjefts in Great Britain and Ireland. Btit we hope, that the magnanimity andjuftic« of the Britifh Nation will furnifh a Parliament of fuch wifdom, in dependancc on public fpirit, as may fave the violated rights of the whole empire from the devices of wicked Minifters and evil coi«nfellors, whether in or out of oflice,and thereby reftore that harmony, friendfhip, and fraternal afFedion between all the inhabitants of his^Ma- jefty's kingdoms and territories, fo ardently wiflied f»r by evdry true and hvneft American. B I N I S. ^.-:..^ ...^.ffl^Ai:. .. i.^.y,y,jn^-,f|,-|- i-^ttojmt *Mi^i, L ..■■-«*'