9. Venders of goods are to fell them at the ufual prices, without taking any advantage of the prefent fituation of affairs.-10. This article feems in a certain degree to foften the rigour of the firft, and permits a conditional importation for two months longer, at the option of the owner; who, if he will deliver up any goods that he imports before the firit of February, to the committee of the place that they arrive at, they are to be fold under their infpection, and the prime coft being returned to the importer, the profits are to be applied to the relief of the fufferers at Bolton. All goods that arrive after that day, to be fent back without landing, or breaking any of the packages.--The three following articles relate to the appointing of committees, to prevent any violation of the foregoing, and to publish the names of the violators in the Gazette, as foes to the rights, and enemies to the liberty of British America; they alfo regulate the fale of domeftic manufactures, that they may be difpofed of at reasonable prices, and no undue advantages taken of a future fcarcity of goods. By the 14th and laft article, any colony or province, which thall not accede to, or which fhall hereafter violate the affociation, is branded as inimical to the liberties of their country, and all dealings or intercourfe whatever with fuch colony is interdicted.

This affociation was fubfcribed by all the members of the congrefs; and the foregoing refolutions were all marked, nemine contradicente. They afterwards refolved, that a congrefs fhould be held in the fame place, on the 10th day of the foljowing May, unless the redrefs of

grievances, which they have defired, fhould be obtained before that time; and they recommended to all the colonies to chufe deputies, as foon as poffible, for that purpofe. They allo, in their own names, and in the behalf of all thofe whom they reprefented, declared their molt grateful acknowledgments, to thofe truly noble, honourable, and patriotic advocates of civil and religious liberty, who had fo generoufly and powerfully, though unfuccefsfully, efpufed and defended the cause of America, both in and out of parliament.

They then proceeded to frame a petition to his Majefly, a memorial to the people of Great-Britain, an address to the colonies in general, and another to the inhabitants of the province of Quebec. The petition to his majeity contained an enumeration of their grievances; among which are the following, viz. The keeping of a ftanding. army in the colonies in time of pcace, without the confent of the aflemblies; and the employing of that army, and of a naval force, to enforce the payment of taxes.

The authority of the commander in chief, and of the brigadiers general, being rendered fupreme in all the civil governments in America.-The commander in chief of the forces, in time of peace, appointed governor of a colony.The charges of ufual offices greatly increased, and new, expensive, and oppreffive offices, multiplied. -The judges of the admiralty courts impowered to receive their falaries and fees from the effects condemned by themselves; and the officers of the cuftoms to break open and enter houses, without the

authority

athority of the civil magiftrate.The judges rendered entirely dependent on the crown for their falaries, as well as for the duration of their commiffions. Counfellors, who exercife legislative authority, holding their commiffions during pleafure.Humble and reafonable petitions from the reprefentatives of the people fruitlefs. -The agents of the people difcountenanced, and inftructions given to prevent the payment of their falaries; affemblies repeatedly and injuriously diffolved; commerce burthened with ufelefs and oppreffive restrictions.

They then enumerate the feveral afts of parliament paffed in the prefent reign for the purpofe of raifing a revenue in the colonies, and of extending the powers of admiralty and vice-admiralty courts beyond their ancient limits; whereby their property is taken from them without their confent, the trial by jury, in many civil cafes abolished, enormous forfeitures incarred for flight offences; vexatious informers are exempted from paying damages, to which they are jaftly liable, and oppreffive fecurity is required from owners before they are allowed to defend their right.

They complain of the parliamentary vote for reviving the ftatute of the 35th Henry VIIIth, and extending its influence to the colonifts; and of the ftatute of the 12th of his present majefty, whereby the inhabitants of the colonies may, in fundry cafes, by that ftatute made capital, be deprived of a trial by their peers of the viciage. They then recite the three acts of the preceding feffion, relative to Bofton and the province

of Maffachufett's-Bay; the Quebec act, and the act for providing quarters for the troops in NorthAmerica.

The petition repeatedly contains the ftrongest expreffions of loyalty, of affectionate attachment and duty to the fovereign, of love and veneration for the parent ftate; they attributed these their fentiments to the liberties they inherited from their ancestors, and the conftitution under which they were bred; while the neceffity which compelled, was the apology for delivering them. They at the fame time promifed themfelves a favourable reception and hearing from a fovereign, whofe illuflrious family owed their empire to fimilar principles.

They declare, that from the deftructive fyftem of colony adminiftration, adopted fince the conclufion of the last war, have flowed thofe diftreffes, dangers, fears and jealoufies, which overwhelm the colonies with affliction; and they defy their moft fubtle and inveterate enemies to trace the unhappy differences between Great-Britain and them from an earlier period, or from other caufes than they have affigned. That they afk but for peace, liberty and fafety; they wish not for a diminution of the prerogative, nor do they folicit the grant of any new right in their favour; the royal authority over them, and their connection with Great-Britain, they shall always carefully and zealously endeavour to fupport and maintain. That, "appealing to that Being who fearches thoroughly the hearts of his creatures, they folemnly profefs, that their councils have been influenced by no other motive than a dread of impending deftruction."

They

They conclude by imploring his majefty, in the name of all America; and a folemn adjuration by all that is facred and aweful; that, "for the glory, which can be advanced only by rendering his fubjects happy, and keeping them united; for the interefts of his family, depending in an adherence to the principle that enthroned it; for the fafety and welfare of his kingdoms and dominions, threat ened with almoft unavoidable dangers and diftreffes; that, as the loving father of his whole people, connected by the fame bands of law, loyalty, faith, and blood, though dwelling in various countries, he will not fuffer the tranfcendent relation formed by thefe ties, to be further violated in uncertain expectation of effects, which, if attained, never can compenfate for the calamities through which they must be gained."

This petition was fubfcribed by all the delegates.

In the memorial to the people of this country, they pay the highest praise to the noble and generous virtues of their and our common ancestors; but they do it in a manner, that inftead of reflecting any comparative honour on the prefent generation in this ifland, rather reproaches us with a fhameful degeneracy. They afterwards fay, that born to the fame rights, liberties, and conftitution, tranfmitted to them from the fame ancestors, guarantied to them by the plighted faith of government, and the most folemn compacts with British fovereigns, it is no wonder they should refute to furrender them to men, whofe claims are not founded on any principles of reafon," and who profecute them

"with a defign, that, by having "their lives and property in their

66

power, they might with the greater facility enflave us." They complain of being oppreffed, abufed, and mifreprefented; and fay, that the duty they owe to themfelves and to their pofterity, to our intereft, and to the general welfare of the British empire, leads them to addrefs us on this very important fubject.

After complaining of grievances in the ftyle and fubftance of the petition, they recall the happy itate of the empire on both fides of the Atlantic, previous to the conclufion of the late war; and ftate the advantages which we derived, and to which they willingly fubmitted, from the fyftem of colony government then pursued; they fay, they looked up to us as to their parent ftate, to which they were bound by the ftrongest ties; and were happy in being inftrumental to our profperity and grandeur. They call upon ourselves to witness their loyalty and attachment to the common interests of the whole empire: their efforts in the last war: their embarking to meet disease and death in foreign and inhospitable climates, to promote the fuccefs of our arms; and our own acknowledgments of their zeal, and our even reimburfing them large fums of money, which we confeffed they had advanced beyond their proportion, and far beyond their abilities.

They ask to what causes they are to attribute the fudden change of treatment, and that fyftem of flavery, which was prepared for them at the restoration of peace; they trace the hiftory of taxation from that time, and affert, that those

exactions,

exactions, inftead of being applied to any ufeful purpose, either for this country or that, have been lavishly fquandered upon court favourites and minifterial dependants; that they ever were, and ever shall be ready to provide for the neceffary fupport of their cwn government; and, whenever the exigencies of the state may require it, they fhall, as they have heretofore done, chearfully contribute their full proportion of men and money. They then proceed to flate and examine the measures and the feveral acts of parliament, which they confider as hoftile to America, and fubverfive of their rights; or, in their words, the progreffion of the mini. terial plan for enflaving them. They reprefent the probable confequences to this country of a perfeverance in that scheme, even fup. pofing it attended with fuccefs; addition to the national debt; increafe of taxes; and a diminution of commerce, must attend it in the progrefs; and if we are at length victorious, in what condition fhall we then be? What ad. vantages, or what laurels fhall we reap from fuch a conquest ? They artfully endeavour to render eirs a caufe common to both countries, by fhewing that fuch fuccefs would in the event, be as fatal to the liberties of England as to thofe of America. They accordingly put the queftion, May not a minifter with the fame armies that fubdued them enflave us? If to this it be answered, that we will ceafe to pay thofe armies, they pretend to fhew, that America reduced to fuch a fituation, would afford abundant refources both of men and money for the purpofe; nor fhould we have any reafon to

2

expect, that after making flaves of them, they fhould refufe to af fift in reducing us to the fame abjec ftate.In a word (they fay) "Take care that you do not fall "into the pit that is preparing " for us."

After denying the several charges, of being feditious, impatient of government, and defirous of independency, all of which they affert to be calumnies; they, however, declare that, if we are determined, that our minifters fhall wantonly fport with the rights of mankind; if neither the voice of juftice, the dictates of the law, the principles of the conftitution, nor the fuggeftions of humanity, can reftrain our hands from the fheding of human blood in fuch an impious caufe, they muft tell us,

That they never will fubmit to be hewers of wood, or drawers of water for any miniftry or nation in the world."

They afterwards make a propofa!, which it were much to be wifhed had been more attended to, as it affords at leaft no unfavourable bafis for negociation. "Place us" fay they, in the fame fituation that we were at the clofe of the laft war, and our former harmony will be restored."

They conclude this memorial, by expreffing the deepeft regret for the refolutions they were obliged to enter into for the fufpenfion of commerce, as a meafure detrimental to numbers of their fellowfubjects in Great-Britain and Ireland; they account and apologize for this conduct, by the over-ruling principles of felf-prefervation; by the fupineness, and inattention to our common intereft, which we had fhewn for several years; and

by

by the attempt of the miniftry, to influence a fubmiflion to their meafures by deftroying the trade of Bollon. "The like fate," they fay," may befall us all; we will endeavour therefore, to live without trade, and recur for fubfifience to the fertility and bounty of our native foil, which will afford us all the neceffaries and fome of the conveniencies of life." They finally reft their hopes of a refteration of that harmony, friendship, and fraternal affection, between all the inhabitants of his majefty's kingdoms and territories, fo ardently wished for by every true American, upon the magnanimity and juftice of the British nation, in furnishing a parliament of fuch wisdom, independency, and public fpirit, as may fave the violated rights of the whole empire from the devices of wicked minifters and evil counsellors, whether in or out of office.

Of all the papers published by the American congrefs, their addrefs to the French inhabitants of Canada, discovers the most dextrous management, and the moft able method of application to the temper and paffions of the parties, whom they endeavour to gain.. They ftate the right they had, upon their becoming English fubjects, to the incftimable benefits of the English conflitution; that this right was further confirmed by the royal proclamation in the year 1763, plighting the public faith for their full enjoyment of thofe advantages. They impute to fucceeding minifters an audacious and cruel abufe of the royal authority, in withholding from them the fruition of the irrevocable rights, to which they were thus justly en

titled. That as they have lived to fee the unexpected time, when minifters of this flagitious temper have dared to violate the most facred compacts and obligations; and as the Canadians, educated under another form of government, have artfully been kept from difcovering the unspeakable worth of that, from which they are debarred, the congrefs think it their duty, for weighty reafons, to explain to them fome of its moft important branches.

They then quote paffages on government from the Marquis Deccaria and their countryman Montefquieu, the latter of whom they artfully adopt as a judge, and an irrefragable authority upon this occafion, and proceed to specify and explain, under feveral diftin&t heads, the principal rights to which the people are entitled by the English conftitution; and thefe rights, they truly fay, defend the poor from the rich, the weak from the powerful, the induftrious from the rapacious, the peaceable from the violent, the tenants from the lords, and all from their fuperiors.

They ftate, that without these rights, a people cannot be free and happy; and that under their protecting and encouraging influence, the English colonies had hitherto fo amazingly flour:fhed and increafed. And, that these are the rights which a profligate ministry are now ftriving by force of arms to ravish from themfelves; and which they are, with one mind, refolved never to refign but with their lives.

They again remind the Canadians that they are entitled to these rights, and ought at this moment to be in the perfect exercife of

them.