The Connecticut courant and Hartford weekly intelligencer — Hartford, Conn., 1775-01-30 00:00:00, page 1

;fra Meeting of the Committees of Observation in the
) $ 'foveral Towns in the County of Hartfoid, to consult
find refine on the most effeßual and uniform Mea
' fares for carrying the Association of the Continental
Congress into Execution, held at Hartford the 25th
Da, of January, A. D. 1775°
William Wolcott, Efa; Chairman.
qr^HOUGH this colony are happy in the most
unanimous approbation of the proceedings
bf the late continental Congress, and in a calm Btt
fixed refolutien ftrialy to adherre thereto, yet to
avoid the ill confcquences that may arise from a
difiimularity of practice in different towns, on par
ticular articles of the Association, We think it pro
per to express our understanding of, and rciolu
tions refpe&ing them. And,
Y First, To avoid every appearance of precipi
tation or partiality, in our poceedings,—-
Resolved, That we will vigilantly difeharge
our duty as Committees of observation, and will
use our utmost influence to prevent any violation of
the Association, in our Several diftri&s; but if any
person, contrary to our hopes and Wishes, Shall be
accused of any wilful breach of said Association
in any particular, we do agree, that the process a
gainst him, Shall be carried on in an open, candid
and deliberate manner; as follows, to wit,---a Sum
mons or notice in writing, signed by one of the Com
mittee, of observation for that town, Shall be Serv
ed upon him, expressing the nature and circum
stances of the matter laid to his charge, and invit
ing him if he fee cause to appear before the Com
mittee of observation in that town in which he re
sides, at a certain day and place to exculpate him
felf, if he is able; (which day Shall be at least fix
days after Service of such summons) at which day
and place, the Committee Shall proceed to examine
such charge, and the person accused, and his ac
cuser, Shall be openly, fairly, and fully heard, with
their witnesses and other proofs; and upon such
hearing, the Committee will proceed, deliberately
and cooly to determine the question, whether the
person accused hath violated said association or not.
And in case any one or more of the Committee Shall
be an accuser or witness, he or they Shall not in that
case, vote in condemning or acquiting the accused;
nor Shall any one be condemned, but upon the
fulleft, cleared and most convincing proo£---And
any person found guilty of a wilful and deliberate
violation of said Association, in the calm and regu
lar manner aforefaid, may assuredly expeft that we
will hold him up to public view as an enemy to the
liberties of his country.
Secondly, That the resolution of said Con
gress, for improving the breed, and increasing the
number of Sheep, may be carried into execution in
the most effectual manner at present in our power,
we do earnestly recommend to the inhabitants of this
county, to use their bell endeavours to improve and
increase their Sheep, and particularly not to kill for
their own use, or for market, any ewe under five
years of age, any fneep under four years old, nor
any lamb whatever; and in order to difeourage the
needless deftrudion of this necessary animal, we will
use our utmost influence with the Farmers and o
thers through the country, to prevent the sale of
any Sheep, ewe or lamb to the Dutchers, as well as
their bringing any to market themselves, from this
time forward; (excepting as before excepted) at the
fame time, it is not the intent of this body to pre
vent the sale of dore Sheep, to any person in this or
the neighbouring colonies, for the purpose of keep
ing and increasing the fame.
Thirdly, Whereas ' certain venders of goods
think they Shall be excusable for advancing their
prices of certain articles, if they are obliged to give
a higher price for them to the importer, than they
did lift year.
Resolved, That although the importer Should
violate the said Association, by railing his prices,
it can by no means exculpate those who deal with
him, and that no more certain and intelligible rule
can be fixed on this fubjed, (as the consumers are
not, and from their fituatiou cannot be acquainted
with the original coll) than the known and accus
tomed prices for twelve months next before the fit
ting of said Congress.
Fourthly, Resolved, As our opinion, that it
' The true intent and meanirg of Aid Association,
% ?ry importer of goods liable to be Stored, fold,
ipped, ought immediately on importation
. quaint both the committee of the port, town
or mry, intowhigh they are firft imported, and also
Containing the Freshest ADVICES,
MONDAY, January 30, 1775.
CONNECTICUT
AND
WEEKLY
Open to all PARTIES not under the influence of ANY.
of the town to which he himfrif belongs, and take
and submit to their directions, refpeding the fame;
and that their being paged unnoticed by the Com
mittee, where they may firft rive or be landed,
ought by no means to exempt them from the in
fpeftion and disposition of the town or place in which
they may be opened. ~
Fifthly, Whereas the promoting agriculture,
arts and the manufactures of this country, are re
commended to us by said Congress, with an ear
neftnels worthy of their importance, we have taken
the fame into consideration, and upon receiving the
date and progress of agriculture, arts and manu
factures, in this colony; we notice with pleasure,
the rapid improvements thathave been made there
in for many years past, and do recommend it to all
farmers, artificers and tradesmen, not only to im
prove their Several arts and businesses, to the uty
most they can, but also, carefully to observe the'
means whereby such improvements use made, and
freely communicate them to the public for the be
nefit of others.—And as this fubjed is of great ex
tent and variety, and requires experience, conflant
observation, and unremitted efforts to conduct it to
the happy issue we defiie. 1,. ^^
It is our earned wish, that a society of gentlemen
ofleifure and ability in different parts of the colony
may be chosen and incorporated, for the purpose of
collecting and diffufing that knowledge in agricul
ture, arts and manufactures, which is necessary to
carry them to the highest pitch of improvement they
are capable of. And as we art sensible this measure,
to give it the greatest efficacy, will require the u
nited wisdom and experienc of the colony, we hope
for indulgence, whilst we earnestly request the other
counties to join with us in pursuing and perfecting
this'plan, if it Shall appear in the fame important
light to them. And we do appoint Titus Hoffner
Esq; and Col. Thomas Seymour, our Committee, to
join with such Committees as the other counties Shall
appoint for the purpose of deliberating upon, and
adjusting the particular rules under which such a
society Should be formed and established; and to ap
ply to the general Assembly for a charter of incor
poration for the fame.
Sixthly, As sundry pamphleteers, and writers
who make use of the press and news-paper of a cer
tain printer in New-York, have laboured with
matchiefs impudence and falfehood, to Slander the
membets of the late continental Congress, their
proceedings, New-England in general, and this co
lony in particular; with the express design to sub
vert the said Association, and frustrate every mea
sure we have taken to defend and Secure the common
liberties of America. To obviate their aspersions
as far as they relate to us, we think not impertinent to
the design of our meeting, and hope it may be of use
to fatisfy the candid and impartial, though the
writers themselves are unworthy of notice, and if
they are not pensioned and venal, want the faireft
excuse for their shameless and unnatural perfidy and
prostitution, to this purpose, we take the liberty to
declare our real Sentiments on the subjects of inde
pendance, government and toleration, which they
have particularly, wickedly, and designedly mis
represented. And,
Fiest, We declare we neither aim at, nor wish
for independance, we desire only to enjoy our ancient
dependant constitution in the fame manner as we
received it from his Majesty's royal progenitors, as
it hath always been understood and pradifed upon
before the late innovations.
Second, Though the government established by
royal charter in this colony is elective, and the peo
ple have a greater Share of power than in fume other
colonies, yet we declare we have no desire that even
this form of government (however defircable we
eftecm it) Should be extended to any other colony,
much less that the ancient constitutions of the other
colonies fliould be dissolved, and a new re public
erected on their ruins ; on the contrary it is the ut
most limit of our wishes, that the ancient constituti
ons of all the colonies may be preferred or restored
and quietly enjoyed in the manner they always, till
lately, have been.
Thirdly, To the objection of intolerance the
laws of this colony are a fufficient refutation ; by
those laws every denomination of chriltians are pro
tc&ed in the full enjoyment of their own religious
worship and principles. The road to honors and
preferment is open to men of every leligious fed,
and no one is fubjeded to any, even the lowest kind
of persecution on account of religion. In such a
Till.
ll^iMh^l^CT^^
government as this, every one must be fenfiblc that
the laws will conform to the general sense of the
people, and are a true picture of their prevailing
fentitr>cnts; we dare appeal to the candid of every
denomination in this colony for the truth of the a
bove declaration;---and we do not thinly curfelves
any more answerable for the intolerance of our an
cestors one hundred years ago, than the worthy
BiShops and Clergy of the Church of England of
the present day,, are for the intolerance of their pre
decessors, which forced our ancestors into this wil
derness, and provoked them too hazily to retaliate
upon them, when they followed after them.
Such are our sentiments on these fubjeds, and
. such to the best of our knowledge, are the fen-'
timents of this colony, and New-England in ge
neral, :> '
Seventhly, While contending for the liberties
.of British America in general, we would by no
means encourage or countenance any measure that
may be construed in any degree to infringe that of
the press, on which the others so greatly depend:
but on the contrary, conicious of the justice of cur
cause, and the rectitude of our views, wish to pro
mote to the utmost, freedom of enquiry, and the
fair and open dEcuffion of every part of the present
most important controversy between Great-Britain,
aid her colonies: But when the conductor of a
press labours incessantly, not to convince, but to
vilify and abuft, not to insert every article of in
telligence just as it was firft published or related,
but with such malicious insinuations, groundless
hints and fictitious anecdotes, as tend to lead the
unwary and inattentive into a wrong conception cf
the fads reported---when he labours to Spread jea
lousies and fears among the people, to undermine
and destroy that mutual confidence of the colonics
in-eeeh other, ch^bich, wider Hea,c& our success
so much depends:-—A press thus conducted, ceas
es to be a blessing to mankind, becomes highly th^
reverse, and is not unlike firebrands, arrows and
death, in the hands of a madman. Every pub
lisher of news-papers, pamphlets, and the like,
thus behaving, as he Strikes at the foundation cf
all cur measures, violates as we conceive the very
being of the Association, and merits the fevered
censures and resentments of all good men; and to
hold up toview a Striking example, we need but
name James Rivington, Printer and Stationer in
New-York, the particulars of whose infameufly
mifeheveus conduct in the above instances, arc
known to the public, and need not be inlarged cn,
to juftify the unanimous refoluticns of this County,
to receive no more of his publications cf any kind,
until he convinces the world of his amendment; by
making whatfatisfaCtion is in his power, for the
injuries dene, and attempted by him, and reform
and amend his practice.---Resolved, Therefore,
that it is the opinion of this body, that every sub
scriber in this county, for his paper, called Ri
vinto^'s Gazetteer, ought forthwith to order him
to fend them no more, and that no further dealing
or correspondence ought to be had with him, unlcis
he fatisfy as above:---And they take the liberty to
recommend a like conduct towards him, to the o
ther counties in the colony.
A true Copy, Examined.
Samuel Willis, Clerk.
both FOREIGN and DOMESTIC.
[EuMeek 52,?
COUR A N±;
.HARTFORD
INTELLIGENCE R.
HAl< TFO RD, January 30.
At a town-meeting held at Sim/bury, legally
convened on the 19th day of December, A. D. 1774.
Colonel Jonathan Pettibone Moderatoi :
Upon a motion of the Mederator, it was voted to.
hear read the continental Association, agreed upon
by the Congress held at Philadelphia, in Septem
ber and October last; and the fame being read, was
concurred with by vote, and the following gentle
men, viz. Samuel Lawrence, Lemuel Roberts, Elifea
Cornijb, Abel Pettibone, Afahel Holcomb, Ezekiel Hum
febry, Joel Hays, Peter Rice, Eigelc^u Laurence, Eli
fea Barber, Bre^fter Higley, and Jefab Forward,
were chosen a Committee of inspection, agreeable
to the eleventh Article in said Association agree
ment. A true copy, extracted from Record, and
examined, By J. OWEN, Town Clerk.
0 In tie account given in our last, concerning the yj_
tance from New- Haven to London, there was an error in
the ,refs, infeed cf 2046 it feould have been " 2946
geographic miles, for that is the number inferred in the
original account."