any time whatsoever, so fair a profpect of the improvement of the peace and welfare of this province, as is now opening to you. Will you fuffer this pleafant view to be intercepted or overclouded by the ill-humours of particulars? When wealth and happiness are held out to you, will you refufe to accept of them? Surely after his Majefty's commands are known, and the terms in which they are fignified, well confidered, the very perfons which have created the prejudices and prepoffeffions, which I now endeavoured to combat, will be the first to remove them, and prevent their ill effects. It is now declared that fuch is the magnanimity of the king and his parliament, that they feem difpofed not only to forgive, but to forget thofe unjustifiable marks of an undutiful difpofition, too frequent in the late tranfactions of the colonies. It is my defire to render this grace as beneficial and extenfive within this province as it can well be made. But it muft be expected, that whofoever intend to take the benefit of it, should entitle themselves to it by a departure from that offenfive conduct which is the object of it. Here then it will be neceffary to draw a line, to diftinguish who are, and who are not the proper objects of the gracious intentions of the king and parliament. And if after this proffered grace, any perfon fhould go beyond this line, and still endeavour, directly or indirectly, to foment a divifion between Great Britain and her colonies, and prevent that connection of policy and union of interefts, which are now in fo fair a way of being established to perpetuity, furely that man will have much to answer for to both countries, and will probably be called to anfwer. But I hope it will not be fo, not in a single inftance; but that every perfon, even they who have given the greatest offence, will embrace this opportunity to restore peace to their country, and obtain indemnity for themselves. And all fuch who fhall really defire to reconcile themselves to the king's government, either at home or here, may affure themselves, that, without a future delinquency, every thing paft, will, as far as it can, be buried in total oblivion. No one can fufpect me of want of fincerity in making this declaration; as too ready a forgetfulness of injuries hath been faid to be my weakness; however, it is a failing which I had rather fuffer by, than be without. I have spoke to you with fincerity, opennefs, and earnestness, fuch as the importance of the subject deferves. When the fate of the province feems to hang upon the refult of your prefent delibe rations, my anxiety for the event, I hope, will make my warmth excufable. If I have let drop any word which may feem fevere or unkind, let the cause I am engaged in apologize for it: and where the intention is upright, judge of, what I fay, not by de tached words and fyllables, but by its general purport and meaning. I have always been defirous of cultivating a good understanding with you: and when I recollect the former happy times, when I scarce ever met the general court without giving and receiving teftimonies of mutual approbation, I cannot but regret the interruption of that that pleasant intercourfe by the fuccessful artifices of defigning men, enemies to the country, as well as to me. But now that my character for affection to the province, and attention to its interefts, is confirmed by the most authentic teftimonials, I hope that at the fame time you renew your duty to the king, you will refume a confidence in his reprefentative. In the Houfe of Reprefentatives, of Maffachufets Bay, New England, June 5, 1766. Voted that the following addrefs be prefented to his Excellency, in anfer to his speech to both boufes, the 3d inftant. May it please your Excellency, TH HE houfe have fully confidered your Excellency's fpeech of the third inftant, and beg leave to observe, that as, on the one hand, no confideration shall ever induce us to remit in the leaft of our loyalty and gratitude to the beft of kings, fo on the other, no unprovoked afperity of expreffion, on the part of your Excellency, can deter us from afferting our undoubted charterrights and privileges. One of the principal of thofe is, that of annually chufing his Majesty's council for this province. Had the most excellent letter from one of his Majefty's principal secretaries of state, which has been communicated to the house, arrived fooner, it could not have prevented the freedom of our elections; nor can we, on the strictest examination of the tranfaction of the day of our general election, fo far as the houfe was concerned, difcover the leaft reason for regret. we shall have our -So long as charter-privileges continued, we mult think ourselves inexcufable, if we fhould fuffer ourselves to be. intimidated in the free exercise of them. This exercise of our rights can never with any colour of reafon be adjudged an abuse of our liberty. Left we fhould be at a lofs for which have given your Excellency the proceedings and tranfactions fo much uneafinefs, you have been pleafed to inform us in exprefs terms, that you mean the excluding from the king's council the principal crown-officers, men not only refpectable in themselves for their integrity, their abilities, and their fidelity to their country, as well as to their king, but alfo quite neceffary to the adminiftration of government in the very station from whence we have displac ed them. Had your Excellency thought fit to have favoured us with your fentiments and opinion of the candidates previously to the election, it could not have morë arrefted our attention as a breach of our privileges; and it would furely be as proper to give intimations of this kind before, as now the business is paft a remedy, for The affembly this year at least. of another year will act for themfelves, or under fuch influence and direction as they may think fit. The two crown-officers, who were of the honourable board of the last year, and not chosen this, are the lieutenant-governor and fecretary. The other gentlemen of the [N] 2 board board last year who are not chofen this, hold only provincial commiffions. This province has fubfifted and flourished, and the adminiftration of government has been carried on here entirely to the royal approbation, when no crownofficers had a feat at the board, and we truft this may be the case again. We find not in the fecretary of ftate's letter the leaft intimation that it was expected by his Majefty or his miniftry, that we should elect into his Majesty's council the principal, or indeed any other crown-officers. For any thing that appears in the letter, we are left entirely to the exercife of our own judgment and best discretion in making our elections, agreeably to the royal charter. If it is not now in our power, in fo full a manner as will be expect ed, to fhow our refpectful gratitude to the mother-country, or to make a dutiful, affectionate return to the indulgence of the king and parliament, it fhall be no fault of ours; for this we intend, and hope we fhall be able fully to effect. We cannot perfuade ourselves that it muft and will be understood, that those gentlemen were turned out, as your Excellency is pleafed to express it, for their deference to acts of the British legiflature. We have given the true reafon of this proceeding in our anfwer to your Excellency's firft fpeech of this feffion. We are under no apprehenfion, that when the true grounds and reasons of our proceedings are known and candidly confidered, we fhall be in the leaft degree chargeable with unthankfulness and diffatisfaction, on ground of former heat and prevailing prejudice, or on any other ground. Your Excellency fays, it is impoffible to give any tolerable colouring to this proceeding. The integrity and uprightnefs of our intentions and conduct is fuch, that no colouring is requifite, and therefore we fhall excufe ourselves from attempting any. We hold ourfelves to be quite free in our suffrages: and provided we obferve the directions of our charter, and the laws of the land, both which we have ftrictly adhered to, we are by no means accountable but to God and our own confciences for the manner in which we give them. We believe your Excellency is the first governor of this province, that ever formally called the two houfes of affembly to account for their fuffrages, and accused them of ingratitude and difaffection to the crown, because they had not beftowed them on fuch perfons as in the opinion of the governor were quite neceffary to the adminiftration of government. Had your Excellency been pleased in feafon to have favoured us with a lift and pofitive orders whom to chufe, we fhould, on your principles, have been without excuse. But even the moft abject flaves are not to be blamed for difobeying their mafter's will and pleasure, when it is wholly unknown to them. Your Excellency fays, "If it fhould be juftified by afferting a right, that is, a legal power to chufe whom we please, without regard to any confiderations what ever, the juftification itself will tend to impeach the right." We clearly affert our charter rights of a free a free election; but for your Excellency's definition to this right, viz. 46 A legal right to chufe whom we please, without regard to any confiderations whatever," we contend not. We made our elections after the most mature and deliberate confideration, and had special regard to the qualifications of the candidates, and all circumftances confidered, chofe those we judged most likely to ferve his Majetty, and promote the welfare and profperity of his people. We cannot conceive how the affertion of our clear charter-rights of free election can tend to impeach that right or charter. We would hope that your Excellency does not mean openly and publicly to threaten us with a deprivation of our charterprivileges, merely for exercifing them according to our best judg. ment and difcretion. As dear to us as our charter is, we should think it of very little value, if it fhould be adjudged that the fenfe and fpirit of it require the electors fhould be under the abfolute direction and control of the chair even in giving their fuffrages. For whatever may be our ideas of the wildom, prudence, mildness, and moderation of your administration, and of your forgiving fpirit, yet we are not fure your fucceffor will poffefs thofe fhining virtues. We are very fenfible, that be our right of election ever fo clear and abfolute, there is a diftinction between a right and the propriety of exercifing it. This diftinction, we hope, will apply itfelf with full force, and all its advantage, to your Excellency's reluctant exertion of the prerogative in difapproving fix of the gentlemen chofen by the two houfes of affembly: but this being a matter of diferetion, is folely within your Excellency's breaft, and we are taught by your juft diftinction, that fuch is the gift of our fuffrages. It therefore gives us great pain t have our difcretion questioned, and our public conduct thus repeatedly arraigned. Your Excellency has intimated your readiness to concur with us in any palliative or expedient to prevent the bad effects of our elections, which you think muft furely be very hurtful to the province, if it should be maintained and vin→ dicated. But as we are under no apprehenfions of any fuch effects, especially when we reflect on the ability and integrity of the council your Excellency has approved of, we beg leave to excufe ourselves from any unneceffary fearch after palliatives or expedients. We thank your Excellency for your kind affurances of " ufing all means to fave the credit of this province;" but we conceive, that wheu the true ftate of the province. is reprefented and known, its credit can be in no kind of danger.The recommendation enjoined by Mr. Secretary Conway's letter, and in confequence thereof made to us, we fhall embrace the first convenient opportunity to confider and act upon. In the mean time we cannot but obferve, that it is conceived in much higher and ftronger terms in the fpeech than in the letter. Whether in thus exceeding, your Excellency fpeaks by your own authority, or higher, is not with us to deter mine. a much juftice and humanity, that it cannot be controverted;" if "the authority with which it is introduced fhould preclude all dif putation about complying with it," we fhould be glad to know what freedom we have in the cafe. In answer to the questions which your Excellency has propofed with fo much feeming emotion, we beg leave to declare, that we will not fuffer ourselves to be in the leaft influenced by party animofities or domeftic feuds, let them exift where they may that if we can poffibly prevent it, this fine country fhall never be ruined by any perfon: that it fhall be through no default of ours, fhould this people be deprived of the great and manifeft advantages which the favour and indulgence of our moft gracious fovereign and his parliament are even now providing for them. On the contrary, that it fhall ever be our highest ambition, as it is our duty, fo to demean ourselves in public and in private life, as fhall moft clearly demonftrate our loyalty and gratitude to the best of kings, and thereby recommend his people to further gracious marks of the royal clemency and favour. With regard to the rest of your Excellency's fpeech, we are conftrained to obferve, that the general air and style of it favours much more of an act of free grace and pardon, than of a parliamentary res to the two houfes of affembly; and we moft fincerely with your Excellency had been pleafed to referve it (if needful) for a proclamation. T is a very peculiar fatisfaction IT I feel on my return to my native country, that a nobleman of your Grace's fuperior talents, and inflexible integrity, is at the head of the most important department of the ftate. I have been witness of the general applaufe, which has been given abroad to the choice his Majefly has made, and I am happy to find my own countrymen zealous and unanimous in every teftimony of their approbation. I hope, my Lord, that I may congratulate myself, as well as my country, on your Grace's being placed in a ftation of fo great power and importance. Though I have been cut off from the body of his Majefty's fubjects, by a cruel and unjuft profcription, I have never entertained an idea inconfiftent with the duty of a good fubject. My heart ftill retains all its former warmth for the dignity of England, and the glory of its fovereign. I have not affociated with the traitors to our liberties, nor made a fingle connection with any man who was dangerous, or even fufpected by the friends of the Proteftant family on the throne. I now hope that the rigour of long unmerited exile is paft, and that I may be allowed to continue in the land, and among the friends, of liberty. with, my Lord, to owe this to the |