The Connecticut courant and Hartford weekly intelligencer — Hartford, Conn., 1775-05-15 00:00:00, page 1

B, the copies of letters (lately laid before, the parlia
ment, and printed in London) from the Governors of the
Jever al British colonies, relative to the late unconjhration
al and tyrannical afls of parliament, it appears that Go
vernor Eden, of Maryland, rods the only one coho bo
nfl, and ingenuously represented the caje nvith bis opinion
'thereon, to the minifry ; which conduct and opinion ibid
do him lasting honour. In general, the Governors and
other min serial people outfrip their inf runions, and an
ticipate the voifas of their patrons, even in their mos
tameable df,s. Had it not been owing to the enou
rapement, and then temptation thus given to the minifry,
Lt their last treasonable and mos horrid defgn of defray
ing the English cenfitution and enfaving the colonies ; it
is more than probable they would have defined from the
black attempt. In Governor Martin s speech to toe AJ
fcmbly, be is extremely liberal of bis inveaives upon the
gen ral congrpf and their proceedings, and upon all the
mos noble exertions of the Americans in defence of their
rights and freedom. He frorgly urges the illegality of
fueb procte lin,s, and endeavours to persuade the Afembly
to difeoware and throw their certfare upon them. They
however with great propriety prefated him the following
acldr&fs in return to bis Jpeecb.
N £ W B E R N, (North-Carolina.)
To his Excellency Josiah Martin, Esq; Cap
tain-General, Governor and Commander in
Chief, in and over the Province of North-Caro
lina.
WE, his Majesty's most dutiful and loyal fub
jeds, the members of the Assembly of
North-Cirolina, have taken into cortfideration your
Excellency's speech at the opening of this session.
We met in General Assembly with minds fuperi
^-CT ^ri^te diffention. determined calmly, unit
edly, and faithfully, to difeharge the sacred trust
re ofed in us by our constituents. Actuated by sen
timents like these, it behoves us to declare that the
Assembly of this colony have the highest sense of
their allegiance to the King of Great-Britain, to
whom alone, as our constitutional sovereign, we
acknowledge allegiance to be due, and to whom we
so cheerfully and repeatedly have fworri it, that to
remind its of he oath was unnecessary. This alle
giance all pad A.Temblic, have, upon every occasi
on, amply expelled; and r,, the present Represen
tatives of the people, K: ways ready by our
actions to teftify ; fenfire itovcer, that the fame
constitution which eftab.ifhed th^ : allegiance, and
enjoined the oath in conlcqc^ce /f it, hath bound
M felly under as solemn oblige ns to protest sub
jects inviolate in all their jart rights and privileges,
wifely intending, by reciprocal dependence, to se
cure the happiness of both.
We contemplate with a degree of horror, the un
happy date of America; invived in the mod em
b^raffing difficulties and didreffes, by a number of
unconditutional invafi ns of their just rights and
privileges; by which the inhabitants of the conti
nent in general, and of this province in particular,
have been precipitated into measures, extraordinary
perhaps in their nature, but warranted by necessity;
fro n whence, among many otner mealures, the ap
pointment of comm ttees in the several towns and
counties took its birth, to. prevent, as much as in
them lay, the operations of such unconstitutional
encroachments: And the Assembly remain uncon
vinced of any steps taken by those committees, but
such as they were compelled to take for that saluta
ry purpose.
It is not to be ' controverted that his Majefly's fub
jefts have a right to petition for a redress of grie
vances, or to remondrate against them ; and as it is
only in a meeting of the people that their sense res
pecting such petition and r,emondranse can be ob
tained, that the right of arfembling is as undoubted.
---To attempt, therefore, under the milk of autho
rity, to prevent or forbid a meeting « the people
for such purpofrs, or to interrupt their proceedings
.when met, would be a vain effort unduly to ex
ercise power in difea opposition to the constitu
tion.
Far be it front ds then, Sir, even to wish to pre
vent the operations of the convention now held at
Newbern, or to agree with your Excellency in bes
towing upon them the injurious epithet of an illegal
meeting. They are Sir, the refoedable Reprefen-
Containing the Frefhe^ AD\ ICES,
MONDAY, May 15, 1775.
CONNECTICUT
A ND
•W EE KL Y
tatives of the people, appointed so- a fpeclal ard
important purpose, to which, though our constitu
ents might have thought us adequate, yet as our
meeting depended upon the pleasure of the crown,
they would have been unwise to have truded to so
precarious a contingence, especially as the frequent
and unexpected prorogation's of the Assembly, one
of them in particular, as if all refpeci and attention
to the convenience of their Beprefentatives had been
loft, was proclaimed but two or three ' days before
the time which had been appointed for their meet
'nF g ave the people not the lead rcafon to exped:
that their Assembly would have been permitted to
fit, till it was too late to appoint delegates to attend,
the continental congress at Philadelphia, a measure
in which they joined the rest of America in thinking
edential to its interest.
The house; Sir, neither know hos believe that a
ny bale arts have been pradifed upon the people, in
order to lead them from their duty; but we know
with certainty that the steps they have taken proceed
ed from a full conviction that the parliament of
Great-Britain had, by a variety.of oppressive and
unconstitutional proceedings,' made thole steps ablo
lutely necessary. We think it, therefore, a duty
we owe the people to assert that their conduct has
not been owing to base arts pra&ifed upon them by
wicked and deiigning men ; and have it much to la
ment that your Excellency Should add your fanciion
to such groundless imputations, as it has a manifeft
tendency to weaken the influence which the united
petition of his Majesty's American fubjeds might
otherwise have upon their sovereign, for a redress
of those grievances of which they io justly com
plain.
We Should feel inexprehible coac&n at the infor
mation given us by your Excellency, of your being
authorized to fay that the appointment of delegates
to attend the continental congress at Philadelphia,
now in agitation, will be highly offensive to the
King, had we not recently been informed, from the
bed authority, that his Majesty has been pleased to
receive very graciohfly the united petition of his A
merican fubje&s, addfeffed to him by the continen
tal delegates, lately convened at Philadelphia. We
have not, therefore, the least reason to suppose,
that a similar application to the throne will give of
fence to his Majesty, or prevent his receiving a peti
tion for the redress of grievances, which his Ameri
can fubjeds have a right to present, either separate
ly or united.
We always receive with pleasure the information
of any mark of loyalty to the King, given to your
Excellency by the inhabitants of this colony ; hut
we are greatly concerned, left the manner in wnich
you have thought proper to convey this information,
ihould excite a belief, that a great number of the
people of this province are difatteded to their sove
reign, to prevent which, it is incumbent upon us;
in this manner solemnly to teftify to the world, that
his Majesty lias no fubjeas more faithful tlian the
inhabitants of North-Carolina, or more ready, at
the expence of their lives and fortunes, to protest
and support his person, crown and dignity. If,
however, by the signal proofs your Excellency freaks
of, you mean thole addresses lately published in the
North-Carolina Gazette, and laid to be presented
to you, the Assembly can receive no pleasure from
your congratulation thereupon, but what results
from the consideration, that so few have been found
in so populous a province, weak enough to be se
duced from their duty, and prevailed upon by the
base arts of weak and deligning men to adopt prin
ciples so contrary to the sense of all America, and
so deftraaiye of those just rights and privileges it
whs their duty to maintain.
We take this opportunity; Sir, the firft that has
been driven us, to exprels the warm attachment we
have to our lifter colonies in general, and the lieart
felt companion we entertain for the deplorable Bate
of the town of Bodon in particular, and also to de
clare the fixed and determined resolution of this co
lony, to unite with the other colonies in every effort
to retain those just rights and liberties which, as
fubjeds to a Bririfh King, we possess, and which it
is our absolute and indifpenfibh duty to hand down
to posterity unimpaired;
T HE
both FOREIGN and DOMESTIC.
[NUMBER 542.]
CO URA N T,
HARTFORD
INTELLIGENCES.
/ The exhaled Rate of the public funds, of which'
your Excellency complains, we contemplate with 1
great concern, alleviated 'however, by the recollec
tion, that it has not been owing to any mifeonduft
of the Assembly, we were withheld from palling any
inferior court law, but upon filch terms as cur dut„
rendered it impossible to accept, by which no lift of'
taxables could be taken for the year 177% and ,con-@
fequently no money collected to defray the charged,
of government for that year; and as your Excell^n- 1
cy did not think proper to meet the Assembly at 1
their usual time of meeting in the fall, no nd couldq
be puffed to defray the contingent charges of go- 1
Veriiincnt for the year 1774. The treasury by these..
means deprived of two years collection of taxes, must '
consequently be unable to answer the great demands 1
upon it, till an ad of Assembly can be paged to en-1
able it to difeharge then?.
The house, convinced of the necessity of courts of
justice, would willingly adopt any plan for the estab
lishment of them, which, in their opinion, is con
fident with the circumdances of this colony; and
independent judges of capacity and integrity, they
would with the greatest pleasure very liberally pro
vide.
. We are sorry, Sir, the impoverished state of the
public finances will not permit us to provide for the
usual eftabliihment of Fort Johnfton d
The advanced season of the year, which of all o
ther times made it molt inconvenient for us to attend
public business, will, your Excellency may assure
yourfelf, induce tis to forward it with all poflible
expedition.
_JPHN_HARV^Y, Speaker.
^ the Printer fobs Public Advertiser,
London, February &
SI R,,
JT is obvious to all hr ri of sense, that there is no
thing so futile and contemptible as the conduct
of adniiniftration; nothing so tyrannic as their be
haviour to their own countrymen ; so pusillanimous
as their demeanour abroad ; so full of contradiction
hs every hep they take to the foregoing. What ri
diculous parade did they make a few days ago, of
the prohibition they had humbly begged at VerfaiK
les to their merchants, not to supply our colonies
with floret? Within this week they have piteously
lamented, that the ships were failing from Por^
L'Orient and Rochford for America ! Who doubts
it ? Who thinks the French were wheedled out of
their policy, and blinded to their interest b, the
Ambassador incog. Dr. Murray (so he called him
felf) or terrified by the man whom Ihadows terrify ?
They were ridiculed for venturing to pretend that
they would seize French ships going to our colonies.
They dare not. The French know they dare not :
Every body knows they dare not. France, Spain,
Holland, Sweden, will supply our colonies, and
our ministers dare not resent it. Spain, who desires
rio better than to insult us, will, no doubt, supply
the colonies even with artillery: It is the cheapest
way of being revenged on us. Will those four nati
ons lose an opportunity which our Scottiffi ministers
offer them of ruining our trade, ahd getting it for
tuemfelves? Are They nothin the right to seize it
when we call it awa„? O great Elizabeth^ wherd
art thcu and Burleigh !
ANTI-PUFF.
P H IL A D E L P H I A.
Committee Chamber, April 27, 17„.
% ^ 7TIEREAS the Continental Congress did re
solve iri the words following, -viz. “ And
we further agree and aflociate, that we will have no
trade, commerce; dealings, or intercourse whatever
with any colony or province inNorth-Am^fca which
shall not accede to, or which shall hereafter violate
this affociatio><” &t, And WHEREAS the Par
liament of Great-Britain, in pursuance of their plan
for subjugating and distressing the Colonies; have
passed a bill for depriving our brethren in New-
England.of the benefit of fiihing on their Own
coaks ; therefore;
Refolded, That all exportations from this city to
Quebec, Nova-Scotia, Georgia and Newfoundland,
or any part of the fiihing coasts or fiihing iflanda
ought, in the Opinion of this Committee, imme&