and to England, for regiments and troops to preserve the publick

peace.

Under the distresses arising from this state of things, with the highest confidence in your integrity, abilities, and fortitude, you will exert yourselves, gentlemen, on this occasion, that nothing may be left undone that may conduce to our relief; and, in particular, we recommend it to your consideration and discretion, in the first place, to endeavour that impresses of all kinds may, if possible, be prevented. There is an act of parliament in being, which has never been repealed, for the encouragement of the trade to America; we mean, by the 6th Anne, chap. 37, section 9, it is enacted, That no mariner or other person who shall serve on board, or be retained to serve on board any privateer, or trading ship or vessel, that shall be employed in any part of America, nor any mariner, or other person, being on shore in any part thereof, shall be liable to be impressed, or taken away by any officer or officers, of or belonging to any of her majesty's ships of war, empowered by the lord high admiral, or any other person whatsoever, unless such mariner shall have before deserted from such ship of war belonging to her majesty, at any time after the 14th day of February, 1707, upon pain that any officer or officers so impressing or taking away, or causing to be impressed or taken away, any mariner or other person, contrary to the tenor and true meainng of this act, shall forfeit to the master, or owner or owners of any such ship or vessel, twenty pounds for every man he or they shall so impress or take, to be recovered, with full costs of suit, in any part of her majesty's dominions. So that any impresses of any mariner, from any vessel whatever, appear to be in direct violation of an act of parliament. In the next place, it is our desire that you inquire and use your endeavours to promote a parliamentary inquiry for the authors and propagators of such alarming rumours and reports as we have mentioned before, and whether the commissioners, or any other persons whatsoever, have really wrote or solicited for troops to be sent here from New York, Halifax, England, or elsewhere, and for what end; and that you forward, if you think it expedient, in the house of representatives, resolutions, that every such person who shall solicit or promote the importation of troops at this time, is an enemy to this town and province, and a disturber of the peace and good order of both.

APP. L.

L-Page 205.

Circular Letter from the Select Men of Boston, to the Select Men of several towns in the Province, calling a Convention at Boston, on September 22, 1768.

Gentlemen,

Boston, Sept. 14.

You are already too well acquainted with the melancholy and very alarming circumstances to which this province, as well as America in general, is now reduced. Taxes, equally detrimental to the commercial interest of the parent country and her colonies, are imposed upon the people, without their consent; taxes designed for the support of civil government in the colonies, in a manner clearly unconstitutional, and contrary to that in which, till of late, government has been supported, by the free gift of the people in American assemblies or parliaments, as also for the maintenance of a large standing army, not for the defence of the newly-acquired territories, but for the old colonies, and in time of peace. The decent, humble, and truly loyal applications and petitions from the representatives of this province, for the redress of these heavy and very threatening grievances, have hitherto been ineffectual, being assured from authentick intelligence, that they have not yet reached the royal ear: the only effect of transmitting these applications, hitherto perceivable, has been a mandate from one of his majesty's secretaries of state to the governor of this province, to dissolve the general assembly, merely because the late house of representatives refused to rescind a resolution of a former house, which implied nothing more than a right in the American subjects to unite in humble and dutiful petitions to their gracious sovereign, when they found themselves aggrieved: this is a right naturally inherent in every man, and expressly recognised at the glorious revolution, as the birth-right of an Englishman.

This dissolution you are sensible has taken place; the governor has publickly and repeatedly declared that he cannot call another assembly; and the secretary of state for the American department, in one of his letters communicated to the late house, has been pleased to say, proper care will be taken for the support of the dignity of government," the meaning of which is too plain to be misunderstood.

66

The concern and perplexity into which these things have

thrown

thrown the people, have been greatly aggravated by a late declaration of his excellency governor Bernard, that one or more regiments may soon be expected in this province.

The design of these troops is every one's apprehension; nothing short of enforcing, by military power, the execution of acts of parliament, in the forming of which the colonies have not, and cannot have any constitutional influence. This is one of the greatest distresses to which a free people can be reduced.

The town which we have the honour to serve, have taken these things at their late meeting into their most serious consideration: and as there is in the minds of many a prevailing apprehension of an approaching war with France, they have passed the several votes, which we transmit to you, desiring that they may be immediately laid before the town, whose prudentials are in your care, at a legal meeting, for their candid and particular attention.

Deprived of the councils of a general assembly in this dark and difficult season, the loyal people of this province will, we are persuaded, immediately perceive the propriety and utility of the proposed committee of convention; and the sound and wholesome advice that may be expected from a number of gentlemen chosen by themselves, and in whom they may repose the greatest confidence, must tend to the real service of our gracious sovereign, and the welfare of his subjects in this province, and may happily prevent any sudden and unconnected measures, which in their present anxiety, and even agony of mind, they may be in danger of falling into.

As it is of importance that the convention should meet as soon as may be, so early a day as the 22d of this instant September has been proposed for that purpose-and it is hoped the remotest towns will by that time, or as soon after as conveniently may be, return their respective committees.

Not doubting but that you are equally concerned with us, and our fellow-citizens, for the preservation of our invaluable rights, and for the general happiness of our country, and that you are disposed, with equal ardour, to exert yourselves in every constitutional way for so glorious a purpose.

Signed by the select men.

APP. M.

M.-Page 233.

Resolves, and Address to the King, of the House of Burgesses in Virginia. May 16, 1769.

Resolved, nem. con.-I. THAT the sole right of imposing taxes on the inhabitants of this his majesty's colony and dominion of Virginia is now, and ever hath been, legally and constitutionally vested in the house of burgesses, lawfully convened according to the ancient and established practice, with the consent of the council, and of his majesty the king of Great Britain, or his governor for the time being.

II. That it is the undoubted privilege of the inhabitants of this colony, to petition their sovereign for redress of grievances; and that it is lawful and expedient to procure the concurrence of his majesty's other colonies in dutiful addresses, praying the royal interposition in favour of the violated rights of America.

III. That all trials for treason, misprision of treason, or for any felony or crime whatsoever committed and done in this his majesty's said colony and dominion by any person or persons residing therein, ought of right to be held and conducted in and before his majesty's courts held within his said colony, according to the fixed and known course of proceeding; and that the seizing any person or persons residing in this colony, suspected of any crime whatsoever committed therein, and sending such person or persons to places beyond the sea to be tried, is highly derogatory of the rights of British subjects, as thereby the inestimable privilege of being tried by a jury from the vicinage, as well as the liberty of summoning and producing witnesses on such trial, will be taken away from the party accused.

IV. That an humble, dutiful, and loyal address be presented to his majesty, to assure him of our inviolable attachment to his sacred person and government, and to beseech his royal interposition, as the father of all his people, however remote from the seat of his empire, to quiet the minds of his loyal subjects of this colony, and to avert from them those dangers and miseries which will ensue from the seizing and carrying beyond sea any person residing in America, suspected of any crime whatsoever, to be tried in any other manner than by the ancient and long established course of proceeding.

The

The following order is likewise in their Journal of that date. Ordered, That the speaker of this house do transmit, without delay, to the speakers of the several houses of assembly on this continent, a copy of the resolutions now agreed to by this house, requesting their concurrence therein.

The following is an address to his Majesty, in their Journal of the day after.

To the King's most excellent Majesty.

The humble address of his dutiful and loyal subjects the house of burgesses of his majesty's ancient colony of Virginia, met in general assembly.

May it please your Majesty,

WE your majesty's most loyal, dutiful, and affectionate subjects, the house of burgesses of this your majesty's ancient colony of Virginia, now met in general assembly, beg leave, in the humblest manner, to assure your majesty that your faithful subjects of this colony, ever distinguished by their loyalty and firm attachment to your majesty and your royal ancestors, far from countenancing traitors, treasons, or misprision of treasons, are ready at any time to sacrifice our lives and fortunes in defence of your majesty's sacred person and government.

It is with the deepest concern and most heartfelt grief, that your majesty's dutiful subjects of this colony find that their loyalty hath been traduced, and that those measures which a just regard for the British constitution (dearer to them than life) made necessary duties, have been misrepresented as rebellious attacks upon your majesty's government.

When we consider that, by the established laws and constitution of this colony, the most ample provision is made for apprehending and punishing all those who shall dare to engage in any treasonable practices against your majesty, or disturb the tranquillity of government, we cannot without horror think of the new, unusual, and permit us, with all humility, to add, unconstitutional and illegal mode, recommended to your majesty, of seizing and carrying beyond sea the inhabitants of America suspected of any crime, and of trying such persons in any other manner than by the ancient and long established course of proceeding; for how truly deplorable must be the case of a wretched American, who, having incurred the displeasure of any one in power, is dragged from his native home and his dearest domestick connections, thrown into a prison, not to await his trial before a court, jury, or judges, from a knowledge of whom he is encouraged to hope for speedy justice, but to exchange his imprisonment in his own country for fetters among strangers: conveyed to a distant land, where no friend, no

relation,