Extract of a letter from the Right Hon. Henry Seymour Conway, Efq; one of his Majesty's principal fecretaries of ftate, to Governor Bernard, dated at St. James's O&. 24. 1765.

IT

T is with the greatest concern his Majefty learns the difturbances which have lately arifen in your province; the general confufion that feems to reign there, and the total languor, and want of energy in your government to exert itself with any dignity or efficacy, for the fuppreffion of tumults, which feem to strike at the very being of all authority and fubordination among ft you,

Nothing can certainly exceed the ill-advised and intemperate conduct held by a party in your province, which can in no way contribute to the removal of any real grievance they might labour under, but may tend to impede and obftruct the exertion of his Majefty's benevolent attention to the ease and comfort, as well as to the welfare of all his people.

It is hoped and expected that this want of confidence in the juftice and tenderness of the mother country, and this open refiftance to its authority, can only have found place among the lower and more ignorant of the people; the better and wifer part of the colonies will know that decency and fubmiflion may

prevail, not only to redress grievances, but to obtain grace and favour, while the outrage of a public violence can expect nothing but feve-s rity and chaftifement.

Thefe fentiments you and all hi Majefty's fervants, from a fenfe of your duty to, and love of your country, will endeavour to excite and encourage; you will all in a particular manner call upon them not to render their cafe defperate. You will in the strongest colours re. present to them the dreadful confequences that muft inevitably attend the forcible and violent refiftance to acts of the British parliament, and the scene of mifery and deftruction to both countries infeparable from fuch a conduct.

For however unwillingly his Majefty may confent to the exertion of fuch powers as may endanger the fafety of a fingle fubject; yet can he not permit his own dignity and the authority of the Britifh legiflature to be trampled on by force and violence, and in avowed contempt of all order, duty, and deco.

rum.

If the fubject is aggrieved, he knows in what manner legally and conftitutionally to apply for relief; but it is not fuitable either to the fafety or dignity of the British empire, that any individuals, under the pretence of redrefling grievances, thould prefume to violate the public peace.

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ther than I have already mentioned; yet fo full of true magnanimity are the fentiments of both, and fo free from the fmallest colour of paffion or prejudice, that they feem not only difpofed to forgive, but to forget thofe moft undeniable marks of an undutiful difpofition, too frequent in the late tranfactions of the colonies, and which, for the honour of thefe colonies, it were to be wished had been more discountenanced and difcouraged by those who had knowledge to conduct themselves other wife.

A revifion of the late Ame rican trade laws is going to be the immediate object of parliament; nor will the late tranfactions there, however provoking, prevent, I dare fay, the full operation of that kind and indulgent difpofition prevailing, both in his Majefty and parliament, to give to the trade and interetts of America, every relief which the true ftate of their circumftances demands or admits.

Nothing will tend more effectually to every conciliating purpose, and there is nothing therefore I have in command more earneftly to require of you, than that you fhould exert yourself in recommending it ftrongly to the affembly, that full and ample compenfation be made to thofe, who, from the madnefs of the people, have fuffered for their deference to the acts of the British legiflature. And you will be particularly attentive that fuch perfons be effectually fecured from any further infult, and that, as far as in you lies, you will take care, by your example and influence, that they may be treated with that refpect to their perfons, and

that justice in regard to all their pretenfions, which their merits and fufferings undoubtedly claim.

The refolutions of the houfe of Commons, which, by his Majefty's commands, I tranfmit to you, to be laid before the affembly, will fhew you the fenfe of that house on these points: and I am perfuaded it will, as it most certainly ought, be the glory of that affembly, to adopt and imitate thofe fentiments of the British parliament, founded on the cleareft principles of humanity and justice.

1 must mention the one circumftance in particular, that should recommend thofe unhappy people, whom the outrage of the populace has driven from America, to the affection of all that country; which is, that, unprovoked by the injuries they had fuffered to a forgetfulness of what they owed to truth and their country, they gave their teftimonies with knowledge, but without paffion or prejudice; and thofe teftimonies had, I believe, great weight in perfuading the repeal of the stamp-act.

I have only to add, which I do with great pleasure, that every part of your conduct has had the entire and hearty approbation of your fovereign; and that the judicious reprefentations in favour of your province, which appear in your letters laid before both houses of parliament, feem to have their full weight in all thofe parts of the American interefts, to which they relate. And as his Majesty honours you with his fulleft approbation, both for the firmness and temperance of your conduct, fo I hope your province will cordially feel what they owe to the governor, whom no out

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hoped, it will be your glory to imi tate. The whole of this letter is conceived in fuch strong, patriotic, and conclufive terms, that I fhall not weaken it by a reprefentation of my own, other than this fhort recapitulation, neceffary to introduce what I have to fay on the fubject.

I cannot but lament that this letter did not arrive before the meeting of the general court: if it had, I flatter myfelf it would have prevented a transaction which muft now be more regretted than ever. I mean, your 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 also quite neceffary to the adminiftration of government, in the very station from which you have difplaced them. By this you have anticipated the expectations of the king and parliament, and difappointed them, before they have been communicated to you. It is not now in your power in fo full a manner as will be expected, to fhew your refpe&tful gratitude to the mother country, or to make a dutiful and affectionate return to the indulgence of the king and parliament. It

must and will be understood, that these gentlemen are turned out for their deference to acts of the British legislature. Whilft this proceeding has its full effect, you will not, you cannot avoid being chargeable with unthankfulnefs and diffatisfaction on ground of former heat and prevailing prejudice.

It is impoffible to give any tolerable colouring to this proceeding:

if it should be juftified by afferting a right, that is, a legal power to chufe whom you pleafe, without regard to any confiderations whatfoever; the juftification itself will tend to impeach the right. But if your right is ever fo abfolute, the diftinction between a right, and the propriety of exercifing it, is very obvious; as this diftinction has fo lately been ufed with great effect to your own intereft. Next to wifhing that this had never happened, it is to be wifhed fome meafures might be found to draw a veil over it, or at least to palliate it, and prevent its bad effects; which furely must be very hurtful to this province, if it fhould be maintained and vindicated. If any expedients can be found out for this purpose, I will heartily concur in them; and in general I will make the best use of all means which you shall put into my hands to fave the credit of the province upon this unhappy emergency; and I will fet off to the beft advantage I can, all other methods which you fhall take to demonftrate those fentiments which are

expected from you in the most effectual manner.

Gentlemen of the houfe of reprefentatives,

The requifition contained in this letter is of a moft fingular nature, and the only one of the kind that I have known fince I have ferved his Majefty in America. It is founded upon a refolution of the house of Commons, formed after a full confideration of the matter, and reprefented to his Majefty by the addrefs of that houfe. The justice and humanity of this requifition is fo forcible, that it cannot be controverted; the authority VOL. IX.

with which it is introduced should preclude all difputation about complying with it. I hope therefore, you will add to the merit of compliance by the readiness of it, and affume to yourselves the honour, which now offers itself, of fetting the first example of gratitude and dutiful affection to the king and parliament, by giving thofe proofs of it, which are now pointed out to you. I muft obferve, that it is from the provincial affembly that the king and parliament expect this compenfation fhould be made to the fufferers, without referring them to any other perfons whatfoever. Who ought finally to be charged with this expence, may be a proper confideration for you; and I fhall readily concur with you in your refolutions thereon after the fufferers have been fully fatisfied.

Gentlemen,

Both the bufinefs and the time are most critical; and let me intreat you to recollect yourselves, and confider, well what you are about. When the fate of the province is put in a fcale, which is to rife or fall according to your prefent conduct, will you fuffer yourfelves to be influenced by party animofities or domeftic feuds ? Shall this fine country be ruined, becaufe every perfon in the government has not been gratified with honours or offices according to the full of his pretenfions? Shall the private interefts, paffions, or refentments of a few men de prive this whole people of the great and manifold advantages which the favour and indulgence of their fovereign, and his parliament, are even now providing for them? There never was at [N]

any