any time whatsoever, fo fair a profpect of the improvement of the peace and welfare of this province, as is now opening to you. Will you fuffer this pleasant 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 endeavour 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 unjuftifiable 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 must be expected, that whofoever intend to take the benefit of it, fhould intitle themfelves to it by a departure from that offenfive conduct which is the object of it. Here then will it be neceffary to draw a line, to distinguish 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 ftill endeavour, directly or indirectly, to foment a divifion be tween 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,

No

I have spoke to you with fincerity, openness, and earnestness, fuch as the importance of the fubject deferves. When the fate of the province feems to hang upon the refult of your prefent deliberations, my anxiety for the event, I hope, will make my warmth excufeable. If I have let drop any word which may feem fevere or unkind, let the caufe I am engaged in apologize for it: and where the intention is upright, judge of what I fay, not by detached 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 fuc cefsful artifices of defigning men, enemies to the country, as well as to me. But now that my charac. ter 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 House of Reprefentatives, of Maffachufets Bay, New Eng land, June 5. 1766,

Voted, that the following addrefs be prefented to his Excellency, in anwer to his fpeech to both houses, the 3d inftant.

THE

May it please your Excellency, HE houfe have fully confidered your Excellency's fpeech of the third inftant, and beg leave to obferve, that as, on the one hand, no confideration shall ever induce us to remit in the leaft of our loyalty and gratitude to the best of kings, fo, on the other, no unprovoked afperity of expreffion, on the part of your Excellency, can deter us from afferting our undoubted charter rights and privileges. One of the principal of thofe is that of annually chufing his Majefty's council for this province.

Had the most excellent letter from one of his Majefty's principal fecretaries of fate, 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 tranfactions of the day of our general election, fo far as the houle was concerned, discover the least reafon for regret.

So long as we shall have our charter-privileges continued, we must think ourselves inexcufable, if we fhould fuffer ourfelves to be intimidated in the free exercife of them. This exercife of our rights can never with any colour of reafon be adjudged an abuse of our li berty.

Left we fhould be at a lofs for the proceedings and transactions which have given your Excellency fo much uneafinefs, you have been pleafed to inform us in express terms, that you mean the excluding from the king's council the principal crown-officers, men not only refpectable in themfelves 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 fta. tion from whence we have difplaced 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 more 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 bufinefs is paft a remedy, for this year at leaft. The affembly 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 chofen this, are the lieutenant-governor and fecretary. The other gentlemen of the [N] a

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 cafe 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 Majefty'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 beft difcretion 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 refpe&tful 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 shall be able fully to ef. fect.

We cannot perfuade ourselves that it muft and will be underflood, that thofe gentlemen were turned -out, as your Excellency is pleased to express it, for their deference to acts of the British legislature. We have given the true reason of this proceeding in our answer to your Excellency's firft speech 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 unthankfulnefs and diffatisfaction, on ground of

former heat and prevailing preju dice, or on any other ground.

Your Excellency fays, it is im poffible to give any tolerable colouring to this proceeding. The integrity and uprightness of our intentions and conduct is fuch, that no colouring is requifite, and therefore we shall excufe ourselves from attempting any. We hold ourfelves to be quite free in our fuffrages; and provided we observe 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 firft governor of this province that ever formally called the two houses of affembly to account for their fuffrages, and accufed them of ingratitude and difaffection to the crown, becaufe 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 should, on your principles, have been without excufe. But even the most abject flaves are not to be blamed for difobeying their master's will and pleasure, when it is wholly unknown to them

Your Excellency favs, "If it fhould be juftified by afferting a right, that is, a legal power to chufe whom we pleafe, without regard to any confiderations whatever, the juftification itself will tend to impeach the right." We clearly affert our charter-rights of

a

a free election; but for your Excellency's definition of this right, viz. A legal power 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 fpecial regard to the qualifications of the candidates, and all circumftances confidered, chofe those we judged most likely to ferve his Majefty, and promote the welfare and profperity of his people. We cannot conceive how the affertion of our clear charter right of free elec. tion 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 beft judgment and discretion. 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 direc. tion and control of the chair even in giving their fuffrages. For whatever may be our ideas of the wisdom, prudence, mildnefs, and moderation of your adminiftration, 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 difcretion, is folely within your Excellency's breft, and we are taught by your juft diftinction, that such is the gift of our fuffrages. It therefore gives us great pain to have our difcretion queftioned, 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 fhould be maintained and vindicated. 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 unneceflary 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 when 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 speech than in the letter. Whether in thus exceeding, your Excellency speaks by your own authority, or a higher, is not with us to deter

mine.

much juftice and humanity, that it cannot be controverted" if "the authority with which it is introduced fhould preclude all difputation about complying with it," we should be glad to know what freedom we have in the cafe.

In answer to the queftions which your Excellency has propofed with fo much feeming emotion, we beg leave to declare, that we will not foffer 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 fa vour and indulgence of our most 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 ourfelves in public and in private life, as fhall moft clearly demonftrate our loyalty and gratitude to the best of kings, and thereby recommend this people to further gracious marks of the royal clemency and favour.

With regard to the rest of your Excellency's fpeech, we are contrained to obferve, that the general air and ftyle of it favours much more of an act of free grace and pardon, than of a parliamentary address to the two houfes of affembly; and we moft fincerely ifh your Excellency had been pleafed to referve it (if needful) for a proclamation,

I

I hope, my Lord, that I may congratulate myself, as well as my country, on your Grace's being placed in a station of fo great power and importance. Though have been cut off from the body of his Majefty's fubjects, by a cruel and unjust profcription, 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 single 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 a long unmerited exile is past, and that I may be allowed to continue in the land, and among the friends, of liberty.

I wish, my Lord, to owe this to

the