The Pennsylvania evening post — Philadelphia, Pa., 1776-02-20 00:00:00, page 2

treated, induce the Americans to resign all hopes of pacific
negotiations /
A. In the opinion of the witness it would?
Q When the witness presented the petition to the Secretary
of State, was he asked any questions relative to the state of
America?
A. Not a single question.
Cross examined by the Lords DENBIGH and SANDWICH.
Queries from Lcrd DENBIGH.
As the witness had added in the capacity of Governor, was
he well acquainted with the charter of Pennsylvania?
A. He had read the charter, and was well acquainted with
its contents.
Q. Did he know that there was a clause which fpecifically
fubjeded the colony to taxation by the British legillature?
A. He was well apprised that there was such a clause.
Q Was the people of Pennsylvania content with their
charter?
A. Perfectly content.
Q Then did they not acquiesce in the right of the British
Parliament to enforce taxation ?
A. They acquiesced in a declaration of the right so long
as they experienced no inconvenience from the declaration.
Q_U ERIES from Lord Sandwich:
Had the witness ever heard of an aft intitlei " The De
claratory Aft ?"
A. He had heard of such an aft.
Q Did he ever peruse, and was he fufficiently acquainted
with, the contents of that ad ?
A. He never had perused it. It never had been much
discussed whilst he resided in America?
Q Did the witness apprehend that the Congress acqui
esced in an aft which maintained the authority of the British
Parliament in all cases whatsoever ?
Objected to, and the witness was desired to withdraw ;
but being called in again, the question was put, and he re
plied,
That, except in the case of taxation, he apprehended
the Americans would have no objection to acknowledge the
sovereignty of Great-Britain.
Q Had the witness any knowledge of certain resolutions
passed by the county of Suffolk ?
A. He had not attended to them.
Q Had the witness any knowledge of an answer given by
the Continental Congress to what had been commonly celled
Lord North's conciliatory motion ?
A. The witness knew nothing of the proceedings of the
Congress, they were generally tranfaded under the seal of
fecrefy.
Q Was the witness personally acquainted with Mr. Harri
son, a Member of the Congress ?
A. The witness knew him well.
Q: What character did he bear ?
A. A very refpedable one.
Q Had the witness ever heard of any persons who had fuf
fered persecutions, for declaring sentiments favorable to the
supremacy of the British Parliament ?
A. He had heard of such oppressions in other provinces,
but never met with them during his residence in Pennsylvania.
Q In the opinion of the witness, were the Americans now
free ?
A. They imagined themselves to be so.
Q In case a formidable force should be font to America,
in support of government, did the witness imagine there were
many who would openly profefs submission to the authority of
Parliament ?
88
At half after four the order of the day for the House to re
solve itfelf into a Committee of the whole House on the bill
for prohibiting all trade and commerce between Great-Britain,
Ireland, and the Twelve American Colonies assembled in
Congress, being read, a motion was made that the Speaker
do now leave the chair. This occasioned a short debate, and the
question being put, the House divided. Ayes, feventy-five ;
noes, thirty-four.
The House then went into a Committee on said bill, when,
several amendments and clauses were proposed, which occa
sioned warm debates. The Committee were left fitting at
half after seven, and were expected to fit late.
Saturday tha 25th ult. a motion was made in the House of
Commons of Ireland that 4000 troops, out of the 12,000
voted to remain in that kingdom as security, should be spared
fob his Majesty's service abroad, provided that they should
be no charge to them after quitting the kingdom. On the
question being put, there were for the motion one hundred
and twenty-one ; against it, seventy-six.
In the House of Commons of Ireland, on Monday Nov.
27, the Committee of the whole House fat till half past eleven,
on the question of admitting 4000 Hessian and Brunswick
troops, when at length the Committee divided. .Ayes for ad
mitting the troops, sixty-eight ; noes, one hundred and fix ;
majority against the foreign troops, thirty-eight.
The following changes (fays a correspondent) are very con
fidently talked of to take place in the law department, though
not before next Michaelmas term, viz.
Most of the American Governors will be appointed Com
missioners, and the reason of fending so many Cmmiffioners
(thirty-fix) to America, is, to treat with each province sepa
rately about an accommodation, and so defpatch the business ;
they are not now to treat with the Congress, as was firft
reported.
Yellerday the House of Commons met at three o'clock,
and went through a great deal of private business.
The bill for discovering a northern parage to the western
and southern oceans of America, and for encouraging ad
venturers to penetrate to the North Pole, was reported with
several amendments, and ordered to be engrossed.
The bill for the better regulation of his Majesty's marine
forces while on shore, was read a third time, passed, and
ordered to the Lords.
A. The witness apprehended the few, who would join on
such an occasion, would be too trivial a number to be of any
consequence.
Mr. Penn was then ordered to withdraw, and the Duke of
Richmond, after descanting with singular propriety on the
necessity of immediate conciliation, proposed the last petition
from the Continental Congress to the King, as a basis for a
plan of accomm dation. His Grace of Richmond moved,
" That the preceding paper furnifhed grounds of conciliation
of the unhappy differences at present fulfilling between Great-
Britain and America, and that some mode should be imme
diately adopted for the effectuating so desirable a purpose."
This produced a debate supported on both sides with in
finite ingenuity. The numbers were, for the motion twenty
feven, proxies fix,, total thirty-three; against the motion fifty,
proxies thirty-fix, total eighty-fix ; majority against the mo
tion, fifty-three.
Lord Mansfield to retire on a pension, and to be succeeded
by Sir R. Afton. Lord Chief Baron Smythe ditto, to be Suc
ceeded by Mr. Baron Eyre. The Lord Chancellor to resign,
and to be succeeded by the Solicitor-General. Lord Chief
LONDO N, December 6.