網頁圖片
PDF
ePub 版

CHA P. II.

General Congress held at Philadelphia. Previous inftructions to fome of the deputies. Acts of the Congress. Approbation of the conduct of the province of Maffachufett's-Bay, and of the late refolutions paffed by the county of Suffolk. Refolutions. Declaration of rights. Letter to General Gage. Alaciation. Refolution for a future Congress. Petition to the king. Memorial to the people of Great Britain. Addrefs to the inhabitants of Canada. Addrefs to the colonies. The Congress breaks up.

D

URING thefe tranfactions in the province of Maffachufett's-Bay, the twelve old colonies, including that whole extent of continent which ftretches from NovaScotia to Georgia, had appointed deputies to attend the General Congrefs, which was held at Philadelphia, and opened on Monday the 5th of September 1774. Such was the unhappy effects of the measures, purfued, perhaps fomewhat too avowedly, and for that reafon the lefs wifely, for reducing America by divifion, that thofe twelve colonies, clashing in interefts, frequently quarrelling about boundaries and many other fubjects, differing in manners, cuftoms, religion, and forms of government, with all the local prejudices, jealoufies, and averfions, incident to neighbouring states, were now led to aflemble by their delegates in a general diet, and taught to feel their weight and importance in a common union. Whatever may be the event, it was undoubtedly a dangerous experiment to bring matters to this crifis. Several of the colonies had given inftructions to their deputies previous to their meeting in congrefs. In general, they contained the ftrongest profeffions of loyalty and allegiance; of affection for the mother country; of conftitutional de

pendance on her; and of gratitude for benefits already received in that flate. They totally disclaimed every idea of independence, or of feeking a feparation; acknowledged the prerogatives of the crown, and declared their readiness and willingnefs to fupport them with life and fortune, fo far as they are warranted by the conftitution. The Penfyl vanians, in particular, declare that they view the present contests with the deepeft concern; that perpetual love and union, an interchange of good offices, without the leaft infraction of mutual rights, ought ever to fubfift between the mother country and them.

On the other hand, they were unanimous in declaring, that they never would give up thofe rights and liberties which, as they faid, defcended to them from their anceltors, and which, they faid, they were bound by all laws, human and divine, to tranfmit whole and pure to their potterity; that they are entitled to all the rights and liberties of British-born fubjects; that the power lately aflumed by parliament is unjuft, and the only caufe of all the prefent uneafinefs; and that the late acts refpecting the capital and province of Maffachufett's-Bay, are unconftitutional, oppreffive, and dangerous. [B] 4

The

The inftructions, however, of the feveral colonies that purfued that mode, differed confiderably from each other. In fome great violence appeared. Others were more reafonable. In fome nothing was fpoken of but their grievances. Others propofed likewife terms on their part to be offered to GreatBritain-Such as an obedience to all the trade laws paffed, or to be paffed, except fuch as were fpecified; and the fettling an annual revenue on the crown for public purposes, and difpofable by parliament. The deputies however were inftructed, that in thefe and all other points, they were to coincide with the majority of the congrefs. This majority was to be determined by reckoning the colonies, as having each a vote, without regard to the number of deputies which it fhould fend.

The debates and proceedings of the congrefs were conducted with the greatest fecrecy, nor have any parts of them yet tranfpired, but thofe which they thought proper to lay before the public. The number of delegates amounted to fiftyone, who reprefented the feveral English colonies of New-Hamphire, Maffachufett's-Bay, Rhode inland, and Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New-York, NewJersey, Penfylvania, the lower counties on Delaware, Maryland, Vir. ginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

Sept. 17th. of the Congrefs was The first public act a declaratory refolution expreffive of their difpofition with respect to the colony of Maffachufett's-Bay, and immediately intended to confirm and encourage that people. In this they expreffed, in the moft

pathetic terms, how deeply they felt the fufferings of their countrymen in that province, under the operation, as they faid, of the late unjuft, cruel, and oppreffive acts of the British parliament; they thoroughly approved of the wifdom and fortitude with which their oppofition to thefe minifterial meafures had hitherto been conducted, as well as of the refolutions paffed, and meatures propofed, by the delegates of the county of Suffolk; and earnestly recommended a perfeverance in the fame firm and temperate conduct, according to the determinations of that affembly. This was immediately published, and tranfmitted to that province, accompanied with an unanimous refolution, That contributions from all the colonies for fupplying the neceflities, and alleviating the diftreffes of their brethren at Boston, ought to be continued in fuch manner, and fo long, as their occafions may require.

By the fubfequent refolutions of the Congreis, they not only formally approve of the oppofition made by that province to the late acts; but further declare, that if it fhould be attempted to carry them into execution by force, all America fhould fupport it in that oppo. fition. That if it be found abfolutely neceflary to remove the people of Bofton into the country, all America fhould contribute towards recompenfing them for the injury they might thereby fuftain.-They recommend to the inhabitants of Maffachufett's-Bay, to fubmit to a fufpenfion of the administration of jattice, as it cannot be procured in a legal manner under the rules of the charter, until the effects of the application of the Congress for a

repeal

repeal of thofe acts, by which their charter rights are infringed, is known. And that every perfon who fhall accept, or act under, any commiffion or authority, derived from the late act of parliament, changing the form of government, and violating the charter of that province, ought to be held in detettation, and confidered as the wicked tool of that defpotifmn, which is preparing to deftroy thofe rights, which God, nature, and compact, hath given to America. They befides recommended to the people of Bofton and Maffachufett'sBay, ftill to conduct themfelves peaceably towards the general, and the troops ftationed at Bolton, fo far as it could poffibly confift with their immediate fafety; but that they should firmly perfevere in the defenfive line of conduct which they are now purfuing. The latter part of this inftruction evidently alluded to and implied an approbation of the late refolutions of the county of Suffolk, relative to the militia, and to the arming of the people in general. The Congrefs conclude by a refolution, that the tranfporting, or attempting to tranfport any perfon beyond the fea, for the trial of offences committed in America, being againft law, will juftify, and ought to meet with refiftance and reprifal.

Thefe refolutions being paffed, the Congrefs wrote a letter to General Gage, in which, after repeating the complaints which had been before repeatedly made by the town of Bofton, and by the delegates of different counties in the province of Maffachufett's-Bay, they declare the determined refolution of the colonies, to unite for the prefervation of their common rights,

in oppofition to the late acts of parliament, under the execution of which the unhappy people of that province are oppreffed; that, in confequence of their fentiments upon that fubject, the colonies had appointed them the guardians of their rights and liberties, and that they felt the deepest concern, that, whilt they were puriaing every dutiful and peaceable meature to procure a cordial and effectual reconciliation between Great-Britain and the colonies, his excellency fhould proceed in a manner that bore fo hottile an apearance, and which even thofe oppreffive acts did not warrant. They reprefented the tendency this conduct must have to irritate and force a people, however well difpofed to peaceable measures, into hoftilities, which might prevent the endeavours of the Congress to restore a good understanding with the parent ftate, and involve them in the horrors of a civil war. In order to prevent thefe evils, and the people from being driven to a fate of defperation, being fully perfuaded of their pacific difpofition towards the king's troops, if they could be affured of their own fafety, they intreated, that the general would difcontinue the fortifications in Bofton, prevent any further invafions of private property, reftrain the irregularities of the foldiers, and give orders that the communications between the town and country fhould be open, unmolested, and free.

The Congrefs alío published a declaration of rights, to which, they fay, the English colonies of North-America are entitled, by the immutable laws of nature, the principles of the English conftitution, and their feveral charters or com

pacts,

pacts. In the first of these are life, liberty, and property, a right to the difpofal of any of which, without their confent, they had never ceded to any fovereign power whatever. That their ancestors, at the time of their migration, were entitled to all the rights, liberties, and immunities, of free and natural born fubjects; and that by fuch emigration, they neither forfeited, furrendered, nor loft, any of thofe rights. They then ftate, that the foundation of English liberty, and of all free government, is a right in the people to participate in their legislative council; and proceed to fhew, that as the colonists are not, and, from various caufes, cannot be represented in the British parliament, they are entitled to a free and exclufive power of legiflation in their feveral provincial legiflatures, where their right of reprefentation can alone be preferved, in all cafes of taxation and internal policy, fubject only to the negative of their fovereign, in fuch manner as had been heretofore ufed and accustomed.

In order to qualify the extent of this demand of legislative power in their affemblies, which might feem to leave no means of parliamentary interference for holding the colonies to the mother country, they declare that from the neceflity of the cafe, and a regard to the mutual intereft of both countries, they chearfully confent to the operation of fuch acts of the British parliament, as are, bona fide, reftrained to the regulation of their external commerce, for the purpose of fecuring the commercial advantages of the whole empire to the mother country, and the commercial benefits of its refpective members, excluding

every idea of taxation, internal or external, for raising a revenue on the fubjects in America, without their confent.

They also refolved, that the colonies are entitled to the common law of England, and, more especially, to the great and inestimable privilege of being tried by their peers of the vicinage. That they are entitled to the benefit of fuch of the English statutes as existed at the time of their colonization, and which they have by experience found to be applicable to their feveral local and other circumstances. That they are likewife entitled to all the immunities and privileges, granted and confirmed to them by royal charters, or fecured by their feveral codes of provincial laws. That they have a right to affemble peaceably, confider of their grievances, and petition the king for redrefs; and that all profecutions, and prohibitory proclamations for fo doing, are illegal. That the keeping of a ftanding army, in times of peace, in any colony, without the confent of its legiflature, is contrary to law. That it is effential to the English conftitution, that the conflituent branches of the legislature fhould be independent of each other; that, therefore, the exercife of legislative power, by a council appointed during pleasure by the crown, is unconftitutional, and destructive to the freedom of American legiflation.

They declared in behalf of themfelves and their conftituents, that they claimed, and infifted on the foregoing articles, as their indubitable rights and liberties, which could not be legally taken from them, altered, or abridged, by any power whatever, without, their own

confent,

confent, by their reprefentatives in their feveral provincial legiflatures. They then enumerated the parts, or the whole, of eleven acts of parliament, which had been paffed in the prefent reign, and which they declared to be infringements and violations of the rights of the colonits; and that the repeal of them was effentially neceffary, in order to reftore harmony between GreatBritain and them. Among the acts of parliament thus reprobated, was the Quebec bill, which had already been the cause of so much difcuffion at home, and which they termed, “ An act for establishing the Roman Catholic religion in the province of Quebec, abolishing the equitable fyftem of English laws, and erecting a tyranny there ;" to the great danger, (as they afferted) from fo total a diffimilarity of religion, law, and government, of the neighbouring British colonies, by the affiftance of whofe blood and treasure that country was conquered from France.

After specifying their rights, and enumerating their grievances, they declared, that, to obtain redrefs of the latter, which threatened deftruction to the lives, liberty, and property of the people of North-America, a non-importation, non-confump. tion, and non-exportation, agreement, would prove the most speedy, effectual, and peaceable measure; they accordingly entered into an affociation, by which they bound themselves, and of courfe their conftituents, to the strict obfervance of the following articles.-ft. That after the first day of the following December, they would import no British goods or merchandize whatfoever, nor any Eaft-India tea, from any part of the world; nor any of

the products of the British WeftIndia island; nor wines from Madeira, or the Weltern iflands; nor foreign indigo. 2. That, after that day, they would wholly dif continue the flave-trade, and neither hire veffels, nor fell commodities or manufactures to any concerned in that trade. 3. That from the prefent date, they will ufe no tea on which a duty had been or fhall be paid; nor after the 1ft of March enfuing, any EastIndia tea whatever, nor any British goods, imported after the 1ft of December, except fuch as come under the rules and directions which we fhall fee in the 10th article.4. By this article, the non-exportation agreement is fufpended to the 10th of September 1775; after which day, if the acts of parliament which they had before recited are not repealed, all exportation is to cease, except that of rice to Europe.

5. The British merchants are exhorted not to ship any goods in violation of this affociation, under penalty of their never holding any commercial intercourfe with thofe that act otherwife.-6. Owners of fhips are warned to give fuch orders to their captains, as will effectually prevent their receiving any of thofe goods that are prohibited.-7. They agree to improve the breed of sheep, and to increase their number, to the greateft poffible extent.-8. This article tends to encourage frugality, economy, and induftry; to promote agriculture, arts, and manufactures; to discountenance all expenfive fhows, games, and entertainments; to leffen the expences of funerals; to difcontinue the giving of gloves and fcarfs, and the wearing of any other mourning than a piece of crape or ribbon.9. Ven

« 上一頁繼續 »