best birth-rights; that of being free from all taxes but such as they have consented to in person, or by their representatives, and of trial by their peers.

Your petitioners further shew, that the remote situation and other circumstances of the colonies, render it impracticable that they should be represented but in their respective subordinate legislatures, and they humbly conceive that the parliament adhering strictly to the principle of the constitution, have never hitherto taxed any but those who were therein actually represented: for this reason, we humbly apprehend, they never have taxed Ireland, nor any other of the subjects without the realm. -But were it ever so clear, that the colonies might in law be reasonably represented in the honorable house of commons, yet we conceive that very good reasons from inconvenience, from the principles of true policy, and from the spirit of the British constitution, may be adduced to shew, that it would be for the real interest of Great Britain, as well as her colonies, that the late regulations should be rescinded, and the several acts of parliament imposing duties and taxes on the colonies, and extending the jurisdiction of the courts of admiralty here beyond their ancient limits, should be repealed. We shall not attempt a minute detail of all the reasons which the wisdom of the honorable house may suggest, on this occasion, but would humbly submit the following particulars to their consideration :

That, from the nature of American business, the multiplicity of suits and papers used in matters of small value, in a country where freeholds are so minutely divided, and property so frequently transferred, a stamp duty must be eter very burthensome and unequal.

That it is extremely improbable that the honorable house of commons should at all times be thoroughly acquainted with our condition, and all facts requisite to a just and equal taxation of the colonies.

It is also humbly submitted whether there be not a material distinction, in reason and sound policy at least, between the necessary exercise of parliamentary jurisdiction in general acts, and the common law, and the regulations of trade and commerce, through the whole empire, and the exercise of that jurisdiction by imposing taxes on the colonies.

That the several subordinate provincial legislatures have been moulded into forms as nearly resembling that of the mother country, as by his majesty's royal predecessors was thought convenient; and these legislatures seem to have been wisely and graciously established, that the subjects in the colonies might, under the due administration thereof, enjoy the happy fruits of the British government, which in their present circumstances they cannot be so fully and clearly availed of any other way.

Under these forms of government we and our ancestors have been born or settled, and have had our lives, liberties and properties protected; the people here as every where else, retain a great fondness of their old customs and usages, and we trust that his majesty's service, and the interest of the nation, so far from being obstructed, have been vastly promoted by the provincial legislatures.

That we esteem our connection with and dependence on Great Britain, as one of our greatest blessings; and apprehend the latter will be sufficiently secure, when it is considered that the inhabitants in the colonies have the most unbounded affection for his majesty's person, family and government, as well as for the mother country, and that their subordination to the parliament is universally acknowledged. We, therefore, most humbly entreat that the honorable house would be pleased to hear our

That money is already very scarce in these colonies, and is still decreasing by the necessary exportation of specie from the continent for the discharging of our debts to British merchants, that an immensely heavy debt is yet due from the colonies for British manufactures, and that they are still heavily burthened with taxes to discharge the arrearages due for aids granted by them in the late war; that the balance of trade will ever be much against the colonies, and in favor of Great Britain, whilst we consume her manufactures; the demand of which must ever increase in proportion to the number of inhabitants settled here, with the means of purchasing them. We therefore humbly conceive it to be the interest of Great Britain to increase rather than diminish those means, as the profit of all the trade of the colonies ulti-council in support of this petition, and take our mately centre there to pay for her manufactures, as we are not allowed to purchase elsewhere, and by the consumption of which, at the advanced prices the British taxes oblige the makers and venders to set on them, we eventually contribute very largely to the revenues of the crown.

distressed and deplorable case into their serious consideration, and that the acts and clauses of acts so grievously restraining our trade and commerce, imposing duties and taxes on our property, and extending the jurisdiction of the court of admiralty beyond its ancient limits, may be repealed; or that the honorable house

would otherwise relieve your petitioners as in | your province, had unanimously agreed to pro

your great wisdom and goodness shall seem

meet.

And your petitioners shall ever pray, etc. Then the congress adjourned until to-morrow morning, 10 o'clock.

Thursday, Oct. 24th, 1765, A. M.-The congress met according to adjournment.

The congress took into consideration the manner in which their several petitions should be preferred and solicited in Great Britain, and thereupon came to the following determination, viz:

It is recommended by the congress to the several colonies to appoint special agents for soliciting relief from their present grievances, and to unite their utmost interest and endeavors for that purpose.

Voted unanimously, that the clerk of this congress sign the minutes of their proceedings, and deliver a copy for the use of each colony and province.

By order of the congress,

JOHN COTTON, Clerk.

A copy of the proceedings of the province of New-Hampshire, as transmitted to the con

gress.

pose a meeting at the city of New York, of committees from the houses of representatives of the several British colonies on this continent, on the first Tuesday in October next, to consult together on the present circumstances of the colonies, and the difficulties to which they are and must be reduced by the operation of the acts of parliament, for laying duties and taxes on the colonies, and to consider of an humble representation of their condition to his majesty and the parliament, and to implore relief, came to hand at an unlucky season, it being in the recess of the general assembly of this province. Nevertheless, immediately upon the receipt of your letter, I dispatched expresses to the several representatives of this province, acquainting them with the purport thereof, and requesting them to meet at this place without delay.

And accordingly they met here on Monday last, to the number of sixteen, being a large majority of the representatives of this province; the whole consisting of twenty-five persons, but his excellency our governor, being applied to, did not think it expedient to call them together on the occasion; which is the reason of not sending a committee as proposed by your

tives on this sentiment can more sincerely concur in the measures proposed, than do the representatives of the province now met together: neither can any people, as individuals, more warmly espouse the common cause of the colonies, than do the people of this province.

Province of New In the house of represen-house, for you may be assured, no representaHampshire, tatives, June 29th, 1765. Mr. Speaker laid before the house a letter from the honorable speaker of the honorable representatives of the province of the Massachusetts Bay, to the speaker of this assembly, proposing a meeting of committees from the several assemblies of the British colonies on the continent, at New-York, to consider of a general, united, dutiful, loyal and humble representation of our committees, and for imploring his majesty and the parliament for relief; which being read,

Resolved, That, notwithstanding we are sensible that such a representation ought to be made, and approve of the proposed method for obtaining thereof, yet the present situation of our governmental affairs, will not permit us to appoint a committee to attend such meeting; but shall be ready to join in any address, to his majesty and the parliament we may be honored with the knowledge of, probable to answer the proposed end.

A. CLARKSON, Clerk.

A copy of a letter received from Georgia, during the sitting of the congress: Savannah, in Georgia, September 6th, 1765. SIR-Your letter dated in June last, acquainting me that the house of representatives of

The gentlemen now present, request it as a favor, you'll be pleased to send me a copy of such representation as may be agreed upon by the several committees at New York, and acquaint me how, and in what manner the same is to be laid before the king and parliament; whether by any person particularly authorized for that purpose, or by the colony agents? The general assembly of this province stands prorogued to the 22d day of October next, which is the time it generally meets for the dispatch of the ordinary business of the province; and I doubt not the representatives of this province will then, in their legislative capacity, take under consideration the grievances so justly complained of, and transmit their sense of the same to Great Britain, in such way as and so as to convince the sister colonies of may seem best calculated to obtain redress, their inviolable attachment to the common

cause.

I am, sir, your most obedient and most humble servant, ALEX. WYlly.

To Samuel White, esqr. speaker of the house of representatives of Massachusetts Bay, in New England.

brethren and fellow subjects, born to no greater stock of freedom than the Americans -the merchants and inhabitants of this city,

The two foregoing letters, are true copies in conjunction with the merchants and inhabifrom the original.

tants of the ancient American colonies, entered into an agreement to decline a part of their commerce with Great Britain, until the above mentioned act should be totally repealed. This agreement operated so powerfully to the dis

ASSOCIATION OF THE SONS OF advantage of the manufacturers of England

LIBERTY

"

that many of them were unemployed. To appease their clamors, and to provide the subsistence for them, which the non-importation had deprived them of, the parliament, in 1770, repealed so much of the revenue act as imposed a duty on glass, painters' colors, and paper, and left the duty on tea, as a test of the parliamentary right to tax us. The merchants of the cities of New York and Philadelphia, having strictly adhered to the agreement, so far as it is related to the importation of articles subject to an American duty, have convinced the ministry, that some other measures must be adopted to execute parliamentary supremacy over this country, and to remove the distress brought on the East India company, by the illpolicy of that act. Accordingly, to increase the temptation to the shippers of tea from England, an act of parliament passed the last session, which gives the whole duty on tea, the company were subject to pay, upon the importation of it into England, to the purchasers and exporters; and when the company have ten millions of pounds of tea, in their ware-houses exclusive of the quantity they may want to ship, they are allowed to export tea, discharged from the payment of that duty, with which they were before chargeable. In hopes of aid in the execution of this project, by the influence of the owners of the American ships, application was made by the company to the captains of those ships to take the tea on freight; but they virtuously rejected it. Still determined on the scheme, they have chartered ships to bring the tea to this country, which may be hourly expected, to make an important trial of our virtue. If they succeed in the sale of that tea, we shall have no property that we can call our own, and then we may bid adieu to American liberty.- -Therefore, to prevent a calamity which, of all others, is the most to be dreaded

It is essential to the freedom and security of a free people, that no taxes be imposed upon them but by their own consent, or their repre- | sentatives. For what property have they in that which another may, by right, take when he pleases to himself? The former is the undoubted right of Englishmen, to secure which they expended millions and sacrificed the lives of thousands. And yet, to the astonishment of all the world, and the grief of America, the commons of Great Britain, after the repeal of the memorable and detestable stamp-act, reassumed the power of imposing taxes on the American colonies; and, insisting on it as a necessary badge of parliamentary supremacy, passed a bill, in the seventh year of his present majesty's reign, imposing duties on all glass, painters' colors, paper and teas, that should, after the 20th of November, 1767, be" 'imported from Great Britain into any colony or plantation in America."- This bill, after the concurrence of the lords, obtained the royal assent. And thus they who, from time immemorial, have exercised the right of giving to, or withholding from the crown, their aids and subsidies, according to their own free will and pleasure, signified by their representatives-slavery, and its terrible concomitants— in parliament, do, by the act in question, deny us, their brethren in America, the enjoyment of the same right. As this denial, and the execution of that act, involves our slavery, and would sap the foundation of our freedom, whereby we should become slaves to our

we, the subscribers, being influenced from a regard to liberty, and disposed to use all lawful endeavors in our power, to defeat the pernicious project, and to transmit to our posterity, those blessings of freedom which our ancestors have handed down to us; and to contri

bute to the support of the common liberties of | being separately put on each of them, they America, which are in danger to be subverted, were passed without one dissentient. do, for those important purposes, agree to associate together, under the name and style of the sons of New York, and engage our honor to, and with each other faithfully to observe and perform the following resolutions, viz.

our readiness and determination to co-operate | of liberty, and deeply interested in the expiring with our sister colonies, for the relief of our commerce of the empire, you necessarily comdistressed brethren of Boston, as well as for the mand the most respectful attention. The security of our common rights and privileges. general committee of association, for the city 7th. Resolved, nem. con. That it is the and county of New York, beg leave, therefore, opinion of this meeting, that it would be proper to address you, and the capital of the British for every county in the colony, without delay, empire, through its magistrates, on the subject to send two deputies, chosen by the people, or of American wrongs. Born to the bright inherfrom the committee, chosen by them in each itance of English freedom, the inhabitants of county, to hold in conjunction with deputies this extensive continent, can never submit to for this city and county, a convention for the the ignominious yoke, nor move in the galling colony (on a day to be appointed) in order to fetters of slavery. The disposal of their own elect a proper number of deputies, to represent property, with perfect spontaneity, and in a the colony in the general congress: but that, if manner wholly divested of every appearance the counties shall conceive this mode impracti- of constraint, is their indefeasible birthright. cable, or inexpedient, they be requested to give This exalted blessing, they are resolutely detheir approbation to the deputies who shall betermined to defend with their blood, and transchosen for this city and county, to represent | fer it, uncontaminated, to their posterity. the colony in congress.

You will not then, wonder at their early jealousy of the design, to erect in this land of liberty, a despotism scarcely to be paralleled in the pages of antiquity, or the volumes of

8th. Resolved, nem. con. That a subscription should immediately be set on foot, for the relief of such poor inhabitants of Boston as are, or may be deprived of the means of subsist-modern times; a despotism, consisting in ence, by the operation of the act of parliament power, assumed by the representatives of a for stopping up the port at Boston. The money part of his majesty's subjects, at their soverwhich shall arise from such subscription, to be eign will and pleasure, to strip the rest of laid out as the city committee of correspondence their property :-and what are the engines of shall think will best answer the end proposed. administration to execute this destructive pro9th. Resolved, nem. con. That the city com-ject? The duty on tea; oppressive restraints mittee of correspondence be, and they are on the commerce of the colonies; the blockade. hereby instructed to use their utmost endeavors of the port of Boston; the change of internal to carry these resolutions into execution. police in the Massachusetts, and Quebec, the establishment of popery in the latter; the extension of its bounds; the ruin of our Indian commerce, by regulations calculated to aggrandize that arbitrary government; unconstitutional admiralty jurisdiction throughout the colonies; the invasion of our right to a

Ordered, That these resolutions be printed in the public newspapers of this city, and transmitted to the different counties in this colony, and to the committees of correspondence, for the neighboring colonies.

New-York, July 7, 1774. On Monday evening the committee met and nominated five gentlemen as delegates at the grand congress on the first of next September, who are to be proposed to the citizens summoned to assembly this day at 12 o'clock, at the city hall, for their approbation; or to make such alterations as may be agreed upon.

LETTER,

From the committee of New York, to the lord mayor, aldermen, and common council of London, laid before the court of common council by the mayor, on the 23d of June, 1775.

COMMITTEE CHAMBER,

TRE CHOME, May 5, 1775. }

My Lord and Gentlemen-Distinguished as you are, by your noble exertions in the cause

trial, in the most capital cases, by a jury of the vicinage; the horrid contrivance to screen ministerial vengeance; and not to mention the from punishment the bloody executioners of rest of the black catalogue of our grievances, the hostile operations of an army, who have already shed the blood of our countrymen. The struggles excited by the detestable stamp act, have so lately demonstrated to the world that Americans will not be slaves; that we stand astonished at the gross impolicy of the minister. Recent experience had evinced, that the possessors of this extensive continent would never submit to a tax, by pretext of legislative authority in Britain; disguise, therefore, became the expedient. In pursuit of the same end, parliament declared their absolute supremacy in attempting to raise a revenue, under the specious pretence of providing for their good government and defence. Admin