their respect for the house of representatives of the province of Massachusetts Bay, whose wise and spirited conduct is so justly admired.

I am, Sir, &c.

ALEXANDER WYLLY."

At a meeting of the legislature in the prov. ince of Georgia, in February 1770, they took into consideration the rights which the parliament of Great-Britain claimed, to bind the people of America by statutes in all cases, and their imposition of taxes on the Americans under various pretences, but in truth for the purpose of raising a revenue; and to bend the necks of the colonists for the yoke which Great-Britain was preparing for them: and their establishing of a board of commissioners with unconstitutional powers, and extending the jurisdiction of courts of admiralty, not only for collecting the duties imposed by these acts, but for trial of causes arising within the body of a county. Standing armies were also kept up in America, in time of profound peace; and by the revival of a statute made in the thirty-fifth year of Henry the eighth, colonists might be transported to England, and tried there upon accusations for treasons, or misprisions or concealments of treason, committed in the colonies; and by a late statute, such trials had been directed in cases therein mentioned: and that the governor had frequently taken upon himself to dissolve the as

semblies, contrary to the rights of the people, when they attempted to deliberate on grievances, in conformity to the custom of their ancestors, for ascertaining and vindicating their rights and liberties. In consequence of these infringments, the house of assembly made the following declarations.

"Firstly-That the inhabitants of the English colonies in North America, by the immutable laws of nature, the principles of the English constitution, and the several charters or compacts, have the following rights.

"Secondly-That they are entitled to life, liberty and property, and they have never ceded to any sovereign power whatever, a right to dispose of either, without their consent.

"Thirdly-That our ancestors who first settled these colonies, were at the time of their emigration from the mother country, entitled to all the rights, liberties and immunities of free and natural born subjects, within the realm of England.

"Fourthly-That by such emigration, they by no means forfeited, surrendered, or lost any of those rights; but that they were, and their descendants now are entitled to the exercise and enjoyment of all such of them, as their local and other circumstances enable them to exercise and enjoy.

Fifthly-That the foundation of English liberty and free government, is a right of the people to participate in the legislative council:

and as the English colonists are not represented, and from their local and other circumstances, cannot properly be represented in the British parliament, they are entitled to a free and exclusive power of legislation, in their several provincial legislatures; where their right of representation can alone be preserved in all cases of taxation and internal policy; subject only to the negative of their sovereign, in such manner as has been heretofore used and accustomed: but from the necessity of the case and a regard to the mutual interest of both countries, we cheerfully consent to the operation of such acts of the British parliament as are bona fide restrained to the regulation of our external commerce, for the purpose of securing the commercial advantages of the whole empire to the mother country, and the commercial benefits of its respective members; excluding every idea of taxation, internal or external, for raising a revenue on the subjects in America without their consent.

"Sixthly-That the respective 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 vici, nage, according to the course of that law.

"Seventhly-That they are entitled to the benefit of such of the English statutes as existed at the time of their colonization, and which they have by experience, respectively found to be

applicable to their several local and other circum

stances.

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Eighthly That his majesty's colonies are likewise entitled to all the immunites and privileges granted and confirmed to them by royal charters, or secured by their several codes of provincial laws.

"Ninthly-That they have a right peaceably to assemble and consider of their grievances, and petition the king; and that all prosecutions, prohibitory proclamations, and commitments for the same, are illegal.

Tenthly-That the keeping a standing army in the colonies in times of peace, without the con sent of the legislature of that colony in which such army is kept, is against law.

"Eleventhly-And as it is indispensably necessary to good government, and rendered essential by the English constitution, that the constit uent branches of the legislature be independent of each other

"Resolved-That the exercise of legislative power in any colony by a council appointed during pleasure by the crown, may prove dangerous and destructive to the freedom of American legislation: all and each of which, the commons of Georgia in general assembly met, do claim, demand and insist on, as their indubitable rights and liberties, which cannot be legally taken from them, altered or abridged, by any power whatever, without their consent.

"And whereas there are many infringementsand violations of the foregoing rights, which from an ardent desire that harmony and mutual intercourse of affection and interest, may be restored, we pass over for the present, and proceed to state such acts and measures as have been adopted since the close of the last war; which demonstrate a system formed to enslave America.

"Resolved-That the following acts of parliament are infringements and violations of the rights of the colonies, and that the repeal of them is essentially necessary, in order to restore harmony between Great-Britain and the American colonies-viz. The several acts in vol. IV, Geo. the third, ch. 15 and ch. 34-vol. V, Geo. the third, ch. 25-vol. VI, Geo. the third, ch. 52— vol. VII, Geo. the third, ch. 41, and ch. 46— vol. VIII, Geo. the third, ch. 22, which impose. duties for the purposes of raising a revenue in America; extend the powers of the admiralty courts beyond their ancient limits; deprive the American subjects of trial by jury; authorise the judge's certificate to indemnify the prosecutor from damages that he might otherwise be liable to; requiring oppressive security from a claimant of ships and goods seized, before he shall be allowed to defend his property: and are subversive of American rights. Also vol. XII, Geo. the third, chap. 24, entitled an act for the better securing his majesty's dock yards, magazines, ships, ammunition and stores, which de