The Pennsylvania evening post — Philadelphia, Pa., 1776-05-30 00:00:00, page 3

Impressed with these sentiments, we warmly recommend to
you, to keep constantly in your view the avowed end and pur
pose for which these colonies originally associated, The re
dress of American grievances, and securing the rights of the
colonies.
InCONVENTION, held at Annapolis, in Maryland,
January 12, 1776.
To the Honorable Matthew Tilghman, Esq; Thomas Johnson,
jun. Robert Goldfoorough, William-Paca, Samuel Chafe,,
Thomas Stone, Robert Alexander, and John Rogers,,
Esquires,
TH E Convention, taking into their most serious con
sideration the present date of the unhappy dispute
between Great-Britain and the United Colonies, think it pro
per to deliver you their sentiments, and to inftru& you in cer
tain points, relative to your, conduct in Congress, as Repre?
fentatives of this province.
The experience we and our ancestors have had of the mild
ness and equity of the English conftitutien, under which we
have grown up to and enjoyed a state of felicity, not exceeded
among any people we know of, until the grounds of the pre
sent controversy were laid by the Ministry and Parliament of
Great-Britain, has most Rrongly endeared to us that form of
government from whence these blessings have been derived,,
and makes us ardently wish for a reconciliation with the mo
ther country, upon term^that may insure to these colonies an
equal and permanent freedom.
To this condition we are attached, not merely by habit,
but by principle, being in our judgments persuaded,. it is, of
all known systems,. best calculated to secure the liberty of the
fubje&, to guard against despotism on the one hand, and li
centiousness on the other.
Ralegh, his hires and affignes, and adherents, and all the
inhabitants of the faide places to be discovered (as is afore
faid) or any of them out of our allegeance and protection, and
that from and after such time of putting out of protection of
the faide Walter Ralegh, his heires, affignes and adherents,
and others so to be put out, and the said places within their
habitation, possession and rule, shall, be out of our allegeance
and protection, and free for all princes and others to pursue
with hoftilitie, as being not our fubjeCts, nor by u 6 any way
to be avouched, maintained or defended, nor to be holden
as any of ours, nor to our protection, or dominion, oy alle
geance any way belonging : for that expreffe mention of the
cleere yeerely value of the certaintie of the premises, or any
part thereof, or of any other gift, or grant by us, or any
our progenitors, or predecessors to the said Walter Ralegh,
before this time made in these presents bee not expressed, or
any other grant, ordinance, provision, proclamation, or re
straint to the contrary thereof, before this time, given, or
dained, or provided, or any other thing, cause or matter what
soever, in any wife notwithstanding. In witneffe whereof, we
have caused these our letters to be made patents. Witneffe
ourselves, at Westminster the five and twentie day of March,
in the fixe and twentith yeere of our raigne. Anno 1584.
The above is copied literally from 111 Hakleeyt's Voyages,
p. 24-
As upon the attainment of these great objects, we shall think
it our greatest happiness to be thus firmly united to Great-Bri
tain, we think proper toinftrud you, that should any propo
rtion be happily made by the Crown or Parliament, that may
lead to or lay a rational and probable ground for reconciliation,
you use your utmost endeavors to cultivate and improve it
into a happy settlement and lasting amity, taking care to se
cure the colonies against the exercise of the right affirmed by
Parliament to tax them, and to alter and change their char
ted, constitutions, and internal polity, without their content,
271
We farther inftruft you, that you do not without the previ
ous knowledge and approbation of the Convention of this
province, assent to any proposition to declare these colonies
independant of the crown of Great-Britain, nor to any pro
position for making or entering into alliance with any foreign
power, nor to any union or confederation of these colonies,
which may neceflarily lead to a separation from the mother
country, unless in your judgments, or in the judgments of
any four of you, or of a majority of the whole of you, if all
shall be then attending in Congress, it shall be thought abso
lutely necessary for the preservation of the liberties of the
United Colonies ; and should a majority of the colonies in
Congress against such your judgment, resolve to declare these
colonies independant of the crown of Great-Britaih, or to
make or enter into alliance with any foreign power, or into
any union or confederation of these colonies, which may ne
cessarily lead tp a separation from the mother country, then
we inftrud you immediately to call the Convention of this
province, and repair thereto with such proposition and re
solve, and lay the fame before the said Convention, for their
consideration, and this Convention will not hold this province
bound by such majority in Congress, until the representative
body of the province in Convention assent thereto.
Defiioni as we are es peace with Great-Britain upon fafe
and honorable terms, we with you nevertheless, and inftruft
you, to join with the other colonies, in such military opera
tions as may be judged proper and necessary for the common
defence, until such a peace can be happily obtained.
At the fame time that we assure you we have an intire con
fidence in your abilities and integrity in the discharge of the
great trust reposed in you, we must observe to you as our
opinion, that in the relation of constituent and representa
tive, one principal security of the former is the right he
holds to ba fully informed of the condudof the latter. We
can conceive no case to exist in which it would be of more
importance to exercise this right than the present, nor any in
which we can suppose the representative would more willing
ly acquiesce in the exercise of it. We therefore inftrud you,'
that you move for and endeavour to obtain a resolve of Con
gress, that the votes given by the colonies on every question
agitated in Congress, shall appear upon the Journals thereof;
and if such resolve be obtained, that you, at the expence of
this province, procure copies of the said journals, except such
parts thereof as relate, to military operations, and measures
taken to procure arms and ammunition, and from time to
time lay the fame before the Conventions of this province,
shewing the part you,, as representative. of this province, take
in such questions..
And we farther inftru& you to move for, and endeavour to
obtain a resolve of Congress, that no person who holds any
military command in the Continental, or any Provincial re
gular forces, or marine service, nor any person who holds or
enjoys any office of profit under the Continental Congress, or
under any government assumed since the present controversy
with Great-Britain began, or which shall hereafter be assumed,
or who diredly or indiredly receives the profits, or any part
of the profits of such command or office, shall, during the
time of his holding or receiving the fame, be eligible to fit.
in Congress,
The public may rely on it as a fad, that there has been
made at the powder mill at Andover within these fix weeks
past, about one thousand weight of gunpowder per week.
As the powder mills at Stoughton will begin to go in a few
days, and two or three more to be erected, will soon do dia
powers incompatible with the essential securities of the liver,
liberties, and properties of the colonies.
WATERTOW N, May 20.