est thanks this instance of your majesty's condescension and goodness, must engage the people we represent to continue to recommend themselves still further, by their dutiful behaviour, to your royal favour and protection.

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"We humbly entreat your majesty will further mit us to embrace this opportunity of expressing the high sense we entertain of the justice and tenderness of your parliament, who, ready to hear and consider the aggrievances of your majesty's subjects, have, upon a just representation of the unhappy circumstances of your colonies, manifested their good dispositions and lenity to us, in our late distressed situation.

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Fully sensible how much the happiness of your people depends on a perfect harmony and connection between Great Britain and her colonies, we assure your majesty, that no care or endeavours shall be wanting, on our part, to promote and establish that union of affections and interests, so essential to the welfare of both, and to preserve that loyalty and affection to your majesty's person and government, which we esteem to be one of their first and most important duties."

To show still further their good will, and the joy which they experienced at this reconciliation, they added to the address a resolution, in which they expressed their readiness to meet in every constitutional way the wishes of the British government." Whenever his majesty's service," they resolve, “shall for

the future require the aids of the inhabitants of this province, and they shall be called upon for that purpose, in a constitutional way, this house, and we doubt not all future assemblies, will think it their indispensable duty to grant such aids to his majesty, as the safety of the colonies requires, and the circumstances and abilities of this province may permit, unless the proprietaries' instructions to their deputy governors, respecting proprietary private interest, shall continue to interfere."

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From this period until the year 1770, Mr. Taylor continued to take his seat in the assembly, and was always placed on the several standing committees of which he had been formerly a member, as well as named on many others of importance. We find him on those appointed to amend the judiciary establishment, regulate the assessment of taxes, investigate the rights of the house, to choose the printer of the public laws, raise loans on bills of credit, prepare a system for improving the navigation of the great rivers of the province, and several others.

In the early part of the year 1768, he exerted himself strenuously in bringing to justice the perpetrators of some horrid massacres of the savages on the frontier, which had nearly involved the province in an Indian war. Thinking that the governor had not acted with all the promptness which the matter demanded, he was appointed by the assembly, with several other members, to draw up an address urging his attention to it. In this manly address they call

upon him, with all the warmth of honourable feeling, to exert the powers of his office to bring the offenders to justice, to avenge the innocent and murdered Indians, and to save the province from the calamities which threatened it. "We are the last persons," they say, "who would advise you to extend your power in any case beyond the bounds prescribed by law. But while we wish to have your authority properly confined, we should be wanting in our duty to the people, if we were not equally desirous to see it exerted to its legal extent, whenever their security demands it; which we are persuaded has not been done on this important occasion. Murders have been long since committed, and the offenders are not yet apprehended, nor, as we have ever understood, has a single warrant been issued for the purpose: murders perpetrated at noon-day, in a populous borough, before a number of spectators, and yet, as it is said, the names of the criminals remain undiscovered. There

is a manifest failure of justice somewhere. From whence can it arise? Not from the laws-they are adequate to the offence. It must then be either from a debility, or inexcusable neglect in the executive part of government, to put those laws in execution. And we hope your honour will excuse us, when we say that it is the peculiar province of a ruler, and, "without violence to the constitution," he may and ought to superintend the administration of the laws, so far, at least, as to see that the magistracy faithfully dis

charge their duty, and to remove those who are neglectful thereof.

"We trust, your honour," they continue, "will not think us too importunate in this momentous affair, in which, we conceive, the future safety of the people, and the honour of the government, are most intimately concerned; for you will be pleased to consider of how much consequence to both it is, that the authors of crimes of so "black a dye" should be strictly punished. It is, in all probability, owing to the encouragement, arising from the impunity with which those criminals have been permitted to escape, that the subsequent murders in this province have been committed. Had exemplary punishment been inflicted on the offenders in the first instance, it is more than probable, that the transgressors in the second, would have been deterred from the perpetration of the like offences. But should men, who have bid defiance to the executive powers of government, and so audaciously trampled on its authority, be allowed to remain in the province longer unpunished; we are very apprehensive, that the persons of the inhabitants will not be safe from their violent attempts, the transition being easy from the murder of Indians, under the protection of government, to the murder of the subject, nor will the colony be secured from the calamities attending a war with the natives, occasioned by these repeated insults offered to the persons of their people.

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Besides, it is undoubtedly the soundest policy to

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do justice to the Indians, without which the government can never, with any propriety, demand a satisfaction from them for the murders we have reason to believe they have lately committed, on several of our people. It therefore behoves the government to exert itself in a matter so interesting to the province; and having done that right to the Indians, which they expect from us, we request your honour would take the necessary steps to obtain the like justice from them, for the outrages they have committed, in violation of the treaties of friendship subsisting between us."

From this period until the year 1775, we do not find the name of Mr. Taylor in the journals of the assembly. He was actively occupied at his new establishment, in carrying on some iron works which he had there erected, and in so doing had associated himself with several other gentlemen, engaged in the same pursuit. Owing, however, to some disadvantages in his present situation, he did not meet with the success which had attended his former efforts, and after some time vainly spent in the attempt, and the loss of a considerable part of his fortune, he returned to Durham, the seat of his former prosperity. During this period, the only public offices which he held were those of a judge of the county courts, over which he presided, and of colonel of militia, from which he derived the title that he was usually addressed by.

In October, 1775, he was again elected a delegate to the provincial assembly, and took his seat therein on the fourteenth of that month. He resumed at once