Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1849-02-01
The MeckEenburg Declaration,

A few days since, in the Senate of the state ;
Of North Carolina, Mr. Shepard submitted re-.
port from the committee to whom was referred
the communication Of the Governor il relation
to the COLONEL revolutionary history of North
Carolina accompanied by the following highly
interesting letter from Mr.. Bancroft, the Ameri-
can Minister at London to the Hon. David l..
Swain, Of that state. The letter is as follows:
$50 EATON SQUARE, LONDON, July 4, '48.
"Aly Dear Sir: hold it of good augury that
your letter of the 18th of June reached me by
the Hermann, just in time to be answered this
morning.
"You may be sure that have spared no pains
to discover in the British State Paper Office
a copy Of the Resolves of the committee of
Mecklenburg; and with entire success. A
glance at the map will show that, in those days
the traffic Of that part Of North Carolina took a
southerly direction, and people in Charleston,
and sometimes even in Savannah, knew what
was going on in Charlotte Town" before Gov
ernor Martin. The first account of The ertra-
ordinary Resolves Of The people in Charlotte Torn,
.hecklenbWg county, was sent over to England
by Sir James Wright, then Governor of Geor-
ola, in letter of the Goth of June l775. The
newspapers thus transmitted is still preserved,
and is the number 49S of the South Carolina
Gazette ard Country Journal, Tuesday, June -,
IT'S. | read the resolves you may be sure, with
reverence, and Immediately obtained a copy of
, them, thinking myself the sole discoverer. do
not send you the copy, as 1t is identically the
, same with the paper which you enclosed to me
, but forward to you q transcript Of the entire
letter of Sir James Wright The newspapers
seem to have reached him after he had finished
his despatch, for the paragraph relating to it is
added in his own hand writing, the former part
of the letter beng written by secretary or
clerk.
Fl " | have read great many papers reatntng
: the regulators, and am having copies made of a
large number. Your own stale ought to have
| them all, and the expense would be for the state
insignificant, If it does not send an agent on
purpose. A few hundred dollars would copy all
you need from the state paper office on all North
Carolina topics. The regulators are, on many
accounts, important. Their complaints were
we'll founded, and were soacknowledged, though
their oppressors were only nominaly punished
They form the connecting link between resis-
lance to the Stamp Act and the movement Of
l775; and they also played glorious part in
taking possession of the Mississippi valley, to-
wards which they were carried irresistibIy by
their love of independence. 1t is mistake if
any have supposed that the regulators were
cowed down by their defeat at the Allemance.
Like the mammoth, they shook the bolt from
their brow and crossed the mountains.
" | shall always be glad to hear from you, and
to be OF use to you or your state.
"Very truly, yours,
"GEO. BANCROFT.
I'D. L. SWAIN, Esq, Chapel Hill, North Car
), DINA"
The above letter establishes the fact beyond
all question: that independence was first pro-
claimed in Mecklenburg, North Carolina, in
:, May, l775.
The letter of Sir James Wright, referred to by
Mr.. Bancroft closes as follows: g BY the enclo-
: sed paper yonr lordship will see the extraordina
ny resolves of the people of Charlotte town, in
: Mecklenburg county; and should not be sur.
:, prised if the same should be done everywhere
else."-.N C. Standard