1774

Britain to bind America in all cafes whatever; CHAP. the impofition of taxes for the purpofe of raif- XXIII. ing a revenue; the establishment of a board of commiffioners; the extenfion of the jurifdiction of the admiralty; the alteration of the establishment of judges; the revival of the obfolete ftatute of Henry VIII.; the three acts of the late feffion relative to Maffachuffet's Bay, and that for eftablishing the government of Quebec; the diffolution of affemblies, and the difregard fhewn by minifters to petitions for redrefs. Under thefe circumstances, the good people of the twelve colonies, juftly alarmed at the arbitrary proceedings of parliament and adminiftration, had appointed deputies to a general congrefs, in order to obtain fuch an eftablishment as would fecure their religion, laws, and liberties from fubverfion. Therefore the deputies did, in the firft place (as Englishmen, their ancestors, had ufually done in like cafes) form a declaration, for the purpofe of afferting and vindicating their rights and liberties.

THEY claimed their RIGHTS as founded on the immutable laws of nature, the principles of the English conftitution, and their feveral charters or compacts. From these latitudinarian, and incongruous fources, they principally affumed for themselves an abfolute title to life, liberty, and property, which no fovereign power could difpofe of without their confent. Their ancestors, they faid, poffeffed, and had not forfeited by emigration, all the rights, liberties, and immunities of Englifhmen, and their defcendents were therefore intitled to them, fo far as circumftances would admit. The foundation of all free government, being a right to participate in a legiflative council, and the circumftances of America rendering it impoffible

for

CHAP. for them to be reprefented in the British parXXIII. liament; they claimed a right to free legislation 1774. in all cafes of taxation and internal polity, fub

ject only to the king's negative: they were will-
ing, however, to confent to the operation of
British acts of parliament, bona fide restricted
to the regulation of commerce, but excluding
every idea of taxation, internal or external.
The refpective colonies were intitled to the
common law of England, and to the benefit
of all ftatutes which exifted at the time of
their colonization, and particularly to the in-
eftimable privilege of a trial by their peers, and
in their own vicinage. They were alfo intitled
to all the immunities and privileges granted
by their charters, and fecured by the provincial
laws. They had a right to affemble to confider
of their grievances; and all profecutions, pro-
hibitory proclamations, and commitments, on
that account, were illegal, as was the keeping a
ftanding army in any of the colonies in time of
peace, without confent of the people.
finally, the exercife of legislative power in
feveral colonies, by a council appointed dur-
ing pleasure, by the crown, was declared uncon-
ftitutional, dangerous, and deftructive to the
freedom of American legiflation. Thefe rights,
they afferted, could not be legally taken from
them, altered, or abridged, by any power what-
ever, without their own confent, by their repre-
fentatives in their feveral provincial legifla-
tures. Then recapitulating their grievances,
to which they could no longer fubmit, they
declared their adoption of the prefent meafures
to be founded on the hope that their fellow-
fubjects in Great Britain would reftore the
Americans to that ftate in which both coun-
tries had found happiness and profperity.

And

XXIII.

Non-con

THEIR first propofition was an affociation, or CHAP. agreement, againft importation or confumption of any articles of British commerce, and against 1774. the exportation of their own produce to Great fumption Britain, Ireland, or the Weft Indies, except aflociation. rice to Europe. A committee was to be chofen in each colony, to fuperintend the execution. of the agreement, and the committees of correfpondence were directed frequently to inspect the entries at the custom-houfes, for the purpofe of informing against fuch merchants as violated the affociation, with whom the congrefs, for themfelves and their conftituents (who were bound by their fignature) agreed to have no commerce or intercourfe, but to confider them unworthy the rights of freemen, and inimical to the liberties of their country. The agreement was to continue in force till the repeal of all the acts of parliament which conftituted their grievances; but some of the articles would in their effect be perpetual, particularly that for encouraging the growth of wool, and one for abolishing the flave-trade.

Addrefs to

ANOTHER of their measures was to addrefs 21ft 08. the people of Great Britain; thofe of their own the people colonies, and of Canada feparately. In each of Great of thefe productions, great artifice was ufed in Britain. directing appeals to feeling and prejudice, and in citing fuch circumftances as were calculated, through hope or fear, to gain adherents to their caufe. The people of Great Britain were reminded of the ftruggles maintained by their ancestors in the caufe of liberty, and told that the project of minifters in endeavouring to enflave the Americans, derived from the fame ftock, tended only to the more cafy introduction of flavery at home. They claimed a participation of British rights, and flattered the national

1774.

CHAP. national pride, by affecting to make the freeXXIII. dom of Englishmen the model and fcope of their wishes. They recapitulated their fervices in the former war, and proceedings of parliament fince that time, extenuating the plunder of the tea fhips, which they defcribed as a perfonal, not a public affair, the remedy of which ought to have been fought by the fufferers in the courts of law, without an appeal to parliament. They endeavoured to excite national indignation against the late acts, and directed the fevereft invectives against the new fyftem in Quebec, as being intended to overthrow the liberties of the British colonies by a vaft influx of Catholics, fwelled by emigrations from Europe: "We cannot fupprefs our aftonishment," they fay, "that a Britif parliament thould ever confent to establish a religion which has deluged your island in blood, and difperfed impiety, bigotry, perfecution, murder, and "rebellion through every part of the world." Declaring that the view of minifters in endeavouring to tax America at pleafure was merely to draw fuch immenfe fums into the royal coffers as would render the king independent of parliament, and that a fuccefsful conteft would be attended with no other confequence; they demanded, as the means of reftoring harmony, to be placed in the fame fituation they were at the clofe of the laft war.

Addrefs to the colonies,

66

THE addrefs to the colonifis contained a recapitulation of all the acts of the British government, againft which exceptions were taken; a review of the conduct of the American governors; a vindication of the proceedings at New York and Bofion; and a general rehearfal of late grievances. The act for the government of Quebec was ftigmatized, and every political

and

XXIII.

1774.

and religious prejudice invoked against it. CHAP. From this detail, as well as from authentic intelligence received, the congrefs inferred, as an indubitable pofition, that a refolution was formed, and then carrying into execution, to extinguifh the freedom of the colonies by fubjecting them to a defpotic government. Though the ftate of affairs, they proceeded to obferve, would justify other measures, yet weighty reafons induced the preference of thofe they had adopted. Then recapitulating the refolutions they had taken, they enforced the neceffity of obferving them, and frequently alluded to the probability of forcible refiftance; advifing the people to extend their views to the moft unhappy events, and to be prepared for every contingency. The addrefs concluded in the genuine ftyle of puritanical cant, by an earnest entreaty that the people would, above all things, with devotion of fpirit, penitence of heart, and amendment of life, humble themfelves, and implore the favour of Almighty God; whofe divine goodnefs was fervently befought to take them into his gracious protection.

AFTER the abufe lavifhed in the foregoing Addrefs to addreffes on the Canadians, and the malevo- of Quebec. the people lence employed in raifing prejudices against their religion and laws, it appears furprizing to find them invoked as friends and fellow ci- 26th O&. tizens to join the colonies, and fend deputies to the next congrefs. They were told that the conftitution beftowed on them by parliament was a violation of the king's promife at the peace; that British rights ought to have been in juftice fubftituted for gallic jurifprudence. Liberty of confcience in religion was ftated to be a right of nature, for which they

VOL. II.

M

were