The Connecticut courant — Hartford, Conn., 1774-03-08 00:00:00, page 3

A lift* of JneptacSment, &c- againfl Peter
O ivpr, Esq; {cinc'tided from oUr laH )
A ND the said Pcier O.ivcr, Esq; by his
x"x u king and receiving ths hid grant eat
as the icvcDue unjuß'y levied and extorted from
the inhabitant* of the American colonics, hath
st far forth ar lay in hit power, pat a larftion
ani efiab'fhcd th: fail revenue, wh ch is a
asoft dtftruftivc infr.ftion of ih? cooftitd ion of
this produce, and a violation of the na'u al and
mbH iffcotial rights of the peep'e.— theeXcm
fire right of g>viog, granting and -ppfopriating
their own property, and cfjudging of theme
rits as their own fervan* Acd hath coon
tenfted the reafunab'e petitions of the repre
r.oraiire* of the peop'e to his Mrjfty and other
their constitutional endeavour* to obtain the
tedrefs of this grievance.
And the said Peter O iver, Esq; by his con
dust as aforefaid, in drfiioce and contempt of
the known sense of the body of this people,
txprefly and repeatedly declared and publilhed
by their reprefirtatires and cthtrwife,
hath wickedly and perversely endeavoured
to con inu: ajd iccrcafe the difdanteot and
jealonfies of this people, and the grieraoce a
forementteneJ at a time when there is ground
tohcpcth't his MjJiy, if not otherwise de
termined by the said corjduft cf the said Peter
Oliver, Esq; and the continued falfe reprefea
rations of others, will be gr*c;oufiy plcafcd to
revoke said grant. ard order a full redref*.
And the said Peter O i /er, Esq: did on the
eighth d?y o’ February instant, direst acd cause
to be delivered o this House a writing under
his own hand, dated faiddlebbrougb, February,
4- ’774 » tenor of which writing is in the
words and figures following viz.
To th^Hnnourable the House ofßeprefeo
tatives, in General Court convened Fcbra
ary 1774
“ May it please y ur Honours,
** ON the fecood »n!lant I .received the Re*
fo’res of the Honcurab c House of the firfl in
Rant, requiring me to declare whether I had re
ccivcd tu foil of thd grants of the General As
fcmbly made to me (He lass year, and to de
chre exp icitly whether I would for the future
accept the Grants of the Genera 1 Afietnbly of
this province as a Jufiice of the Superior Court,
without accepting any grant from the Crown
for my service as a Jufiice of said Court. Per
salt me, May it p ea'eyour Honours ! to Rate
the ctfcnntftanccs of my case, as a Jufiice of the
Superior Court.
“ in the year 1756 I was appointed as a
JuSice of that Court, and accepted the office
Contrary to m; own inclination, but by the per=
fwsfion ofgeotemCn who were then members
of the General Affcmbly. In this < ffi.e I have
continued for above fevehteeo years ; and I hope
year honours will excofc me if I fay, that I
was never yet conscious that I had ever been
gtji'ty ofany violations of the laws ofmy coun
try io a judicial capacity, but have always en
deavoured to aft with that ff lclity requited in
io important a charifter ; and with this fena
ment I doubt not of ever consoling myfdf in the
approbation of my own mind
“ During thefc fevenseeo yhfs I havdaonD.
ally fdt the great inconveniences of serving in
my judicialofficc by fuffering in my private
bufiuefs, and nor having a (alary which wboM
•ny way fuppert my family, which wt* largd,
tod 1 cannot charge myfeif wijh any degree of
extravagance io the fupport.of it ; And 1 wilh I
may not have been too parsimonious for the dig
eity of the province in my judicial chandler.
“ May it p'-eaf your Hn.urs,
“ I can with the ftrfteft truth iffirt, that I
have fuffcrcd, (rote I have been upon the Bench
of the Superior Court, io the lofr of my befioef*
and not having fufficient to maintain my family
from my fa'aries, above THREE THOU
SAND POUNDS STERLING ! ! I I have re
peatedly thrown myfclf on former affemblic*
for relief, but never have obtained any redress ;
Jf h»vt repeatedly attempted to resign my of
tfcs. but have been difwaded from it, by ref
prftab’c gentlemen of former assemblies - , who
encouraged me With hope* of a support, but I
sever received any relief in that way.
“ When hi* Maj^fiy of hi* gfeat goodneT*
and favour granted me a salary (j t he did to fe
vcrsl others on the continent in my ftiiioo) it
was wi hcut any application of mine ; arid
when it was granted, I thought it my iocum*
bent duty, from the refpift and gratitude which
For the Honourable Hcnfe of Reprclcotatife*,
Their most obcdi:m humble servant,
PETER OLIVER.
“ Middleborcogh, Feb 3 1774 ”
Fo wh : ch writing the said Peter Oliver, Esq;
hath ungratrfdiy/* fly and ma'.tcicufly laboured
to lay imputation and feinda! upon this hi* Ma
jefty’* government, info'rntly and cootcmp u
cufly infiouatiog that by the patfimooy. irjuf
tice and ingratitude of the said government, io
with holding from him an ad-quate and due
reward for hi* fervice* as a jcftice of the said
fupcrior court, he hath been greatly impover
ished, and that therefore he was obliged to take
hi* Msjefiy’s grant from a principle of jufiice
due to bis f»mi'y and other*. Whereas in feft,
the reward* granted to him by this govern
mint were alwajs fully equal to the merit of hi*
fervice* a* a jufiice of the laid coOrt ; as it i*
we I known that the said Peter Oliver, Esq;
before his advancement tn a feat in the superior
couft, had been usually emp’oyed io the busi
ness of trade, hufbiodry, and manufaftures,
to which he had applied hi* miod. And that
hfe wis appointed t® said office without previous
education and regular study in the law.
And the said Peter Oliver, Esq; by hi* coo
duft a* aforefaid hash mifreprefeo cd and tra
duced this government, and endeavoured to ali
enate (lie hearts of hi* Majefly’* liege people of
this province from fiis M-j fly, and set a divi
firn between them, to introduce into said court
a partial arid conupt adminiflration of joflice,
defiroy the present form of government in this
poviccc, and eftabliffi an arbitrary and tyranni
cal government io its Read.
Wherefore this house of rsprefentativea, ia
their own name, and in the name of aH the in
habitants of this province. DO IMPEACH the
said PETER OLIVER, Esq; of the high crimes
aod mifdemeaoor* aforefaid. And faviog to
themfeNc* by protefiatian the liberty cf exhi
biting at any time hereafter, to the Governor
and Council, cr to the Council only, any com
plaint* or allegations sgsinft the said Peter Oli
ver, Esq,- for any incompetency, incapacity, or
difabthty for the execution of hi* high office t,
cr any other accnfatioo or impeachment againß
the said P. r er Oliver, Esq-; for any other crimes
and mifdemeacours by him done and commit
ted. A'fo of rep ying to the answer which the
said Peter Oliver, Esq; shall make to the said
articles, or any of them / and of offering proof
of thepremife*, or aoy of their impeachments.,
accnfatioo* and complain s that shall be exhi
bited by them, as the case (hall require. They
pray that the said Peter Oliver, Elq; Chief Jus
tice of the Superior Court of Judicature, Court
of Assize and General Goal Delirefy over this
whole province, may be put to answer to all and
every of the premises ; and that such proceed
ing*. examinations, trial* and judgment* may
be had and ordered thcrech. a* may be agrees
blc to law and justice.
'BOSTON, March 6
11 With refpeft t® n»y not taking any future
grant from hi* Majefly ; permit me ts fay, that
without hi* Msjefiy’s leave I dare cotrcfufe it,
left 1 (hould incur a ccnfure from the be ft of fo*
vereigoe. And a* the tenor cf the grant is
during my rctiicr.ee io the province a* chief
just ct, I receive it as during good behaviour,
which in my opinion ptefene* ssc from any un
due b : a» in the execution of my iffice.
“ I am with the moll profound refpeft
Ye/lerday afternoon Cipt. Gorham arrived
hert in a brig in 9 welugrim Ltndon t by ’whom
i owed io his MJefly : From a sense of that G«
delity which I owed to my country by being
enabled to difcUfge the duty of my office in
betng lefa embarr- fled in my miod whi'fi in the
execution of it, and being more at liberty to
qualify mjfcffortbc duties of it in vacation
time .- As a'fo from a principle ofjufiice due to
my family and to q^hers : On thefc accounts,
and n it frotn any avaritious views, J was eblig
ed to take his M.jefiy’a g-ritt from the sth of
July 1772 to c’h of January 1774 and have
t*ken the grant of 'he province only until Joly
1772.
“ Tkcfe canfideratiens, may it p)eafeyour
Hon urj ! urged me to take hi* Majefiy’* grant ;
and I cannot but hope that the candour of the
honoorab'e house of reprelentativc* will excuse
me in so doing as what proceeded from necef
fi<y and not avarice or the liaft disregard to the
fentimcFts of the honour.b>e house.
“ May it 'pleajeyour Honours,
nue have adv'ce —Thal the faHianurt veai ndi
to meet till fame time in January : That Fre
derick Bud. theprefent Lord Mayor, euar
chefen member for the city of London in ths
rosm of Sir Robert Ladbroik, deceafed'. That
the P hiladeiphia ref lives veere received and pub
iifhed in the news papers tbtre : That ths ops'*
tsion of all the Judgts had been required on fine
quefiions relative to fourth America, which was
a prelude to something J cons sequence corctrr.ing
that country beirg brought before the par iament
mxt jifi.ns : Th A the board of trade had a'fo
come tojsveral important re/oluticns on Ameri
can affairs, to be recommended at the fame time :
That the ladler end oj December J'ome advices
wire received at Lord Dartmouths (fee ft rm
Bofion in Revo- England which were kept a pro
found Jecret : That the Susanna, S'nilh from
Bofion and Goldsborough was left an an if and
near Scotland : Ar.d that there haa been a cud
fought between John Temp's Efq\ late of this
sown and Mr. Whate’y a broker tn Ltndon in
which the latter was much wounded, lut the
former not hurt ; they firfi difeha^ged their pis
tols, but miffd each other an J then drew their
J words, with which they fnifhed the fray ; the
quarrePwas occofoned by Mr. Whately publick
ty infsnuating that Mr- Temple wat the ferfon
whofent ever fame original Letters ftorn gen
tlemen in America to iis late brother of which
Mr. Oliver in a Leltsr, to him had jince com
plained oj their letrg [aid before the General
Afen biy ; and ths' Mr. Temple gave every as
surance that a gentleman could give, that he had
not taken any one letter, nor a Une of one, lut
what he Dau, and gave leave, and had no con
cern in procuring or tr anfmitiirg them to Bf~
ton ; yet being Jhll charged with the Jame, not
withfanding these protefations, and receiving
from Mr Whately, as he apprehended, the He
dire fl, he took the above method, which the feel-
ing of honer, and impatience under fuck an iri
putation diflated, to call übon Mr Whately Jor
honorable amends. — They fought without jeccnds
as Mr Whately declined any on his part —
Benjamin Franklin. Esq; ageat far ike, house
of reprefentatirc* of thi* province, for the pre
vention of further mifehief between the parties,
ha* pubhffied a declaration, ‘ That he alone
was the perlon who obtained and traofmitted to
B>fton the letters in quclHoo. That Mr. W.
could not communicate them, bccaufc they were
never in hi* poff.flha : and for the fame reefon,
they could not be taken from him by Mr. T.
That they were not of the nature of private
Letters between friends : But were written by
public officer* to perfen* in public flations oa
* Brought in the Brig Fortune, Cast, Gorha^f
from London, ~ .
public persons who might be irflueßccd by ihem
to p oducc thole mealore* : Tbst their er.ceti-.
cy w« to incense the mother country againi; her
colonics, and by the ftep* recommended to wi
den the breach, which they affi-fted. That the
chief cautien expnff.-d with regard to privacy
was to k«dp their content# fto.a .he colony
agent*, who the wri ers apprehended m.gbt tc-.
turn them, or copie* of them to America. That
apprehcF.fioo was, it frems well founded ; for
the Gift agent who laid hi* han c* 0 them tho’t
it hi* duty to tnnfmit them ?o hi* coofiitucat*.’
March to. Hi* Mtjefly Oknockcrtunkogog'
Kingof thcNarragaolpt trise ((Indians,on receiv
ing information of the arrival of another cargo of
that accurfcd weed Tea,* immediately (ummonH
cd his Council at the Crest Swamp by the river
Jordan, who did tdvifeand ccnfent to the im
mediate deflruftion thereof, after rcfolving that
the importation of this Herb, by any perfoos
whatever, wa* attended with pernicious & d an _
gerous confequencc* to the lives and propertie»
of all his fubjefts thro’ont America. Order* were
then ifibed to these zor and deflroyer genera!
and their deputies to tffemble the executive bo
dy under their command, to proceed direftly to
the place where thi* noxiou* herb wa*. Th ey
anbed iaH Monday evening io town, and find
ing the ve ffcl, they emptied every theft, into the
great Pacific ocean, and cfftftually destroyed the
who'c, (twenty eight cheHt and an ha’f ) They
are now returned to Narraganfctt no mike repost
of their doing* to his Majtfty, who we hear is
determined to honour them with commifEjoj
for the peace.
[ublic affairs, nod intended to procure pubic
mcafutc* ; they were iherefort (landed to oder