The humble Address of the Right Honourable the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in Parliament affembled; prefented to his Majefty on Thursday the 9th of February, 1775.

WE

Moft Gracious Sovereign, 'E, your Majefty's molt dutiful and loyal fubjects, the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in parliament affembled, return your majefty our most humble thanks for having been graciously pleafed to communicate to us the feveral papers relating to the prefent state of the British colonies in America, which, by your majesty's commands, have been laid before us: We have taken them into our most serious confideration; and we find that a part of your majesty's fubjects, in the province of the Maffachufett's-Bay, have proceeded fo far as to refift the authority of the fupreme legiflature; that a rebellion at this time actually exists within the faid province; and we fee, with the utmost concern, that they have been countenanced and encouraged by unlawful combinations and engagements, entered into by your majesty's fubjects in feveral of the other colonies, to the injury and oppreffion of many of their inno

cent fellow-fubjects, refident within the kingdom of Great-Britain, and the rest of your majesty's dominions: This conduct, on their part, appears to us the more inexcufable, when we confider with how much temper your majesty, and the two houfes of parliament, have acted in fupport of the laws and conftitution of Great-Britain. We can never fo far defert the trust repofed in us, as to relinquish any part of the fovereign authority over all your majelly's dominions, which, by law, is vefted in your majesty and the two houfes of parliament; and the conduct of many perfons, in feveral of the colonies, during the late disturbances, is alone fufficient to convince us how neceffary this power is for the protection of the lives and fortunes of your majefty's fubjects.

We ever have been, and always fhall be, ready to pay attention and regard to any real grievances of any of your majesty's fubjects, which fhall, in a dutiful and conftitutional manner, be laid before us; and, whenever any of the colonies fhall make a proper application to us, we fhall be ready to afford them every juft and reafonable indulgence: At the fame time, we confider it as our indifpenfable duty humbly to beseech your ma

[2] 4

jefty,

fwer.

My Lords and Gentlemen, Ithank you for this very dutiful and loyal addrefs, and for the affectionate and folemn affurances you give me of your fupport in maintaining the just rights of my crown, and of the two houfes of parliament; and you may depend on my taking the most fpeedy and effectual measures for inforcing due obedience to the laws, and the authority of the fupreme legiflature.

• Whenever any of my colonies fhall make a proper and dutiful application, I shall be ready to conclude with you, in affording them every juft and reasonable indulgence; and it is my ardent wish, that this difpofition may have a happy effect on the temper and conduct of my fubjects in America.'

Proteft of feveral of the Lords, on its being refolved in their Houfe, on Tuesday, the 7th of February 1775, to put a main Question, viz. To agree with the Commons in the foregoing Addrefs, fent by

the N. American merchants and of the WeR-India merchants and planters, which petitions the Houfemight reject if frivolous, or poftpone if not urgent, as it might feem fit to their wifdom; but to hurry on the bufinefs to which these petitions fo materially and directly related, the exprefs prayer of which was, that they might be heard before" any refolution may be taken by this right honourable House respecting America," to refuse so much as to fuffer them to be prefented, is a proceeding of the most unwarrantable nature, and directly fubverfive of the most facred rights of the fubject. It is the more particularly exceptionable, as a Lord, in his place, at the express defire of the Weft-India merchants, informed the House, that, if neceffitated fo to do, they were ready, without counfel, or farther preparation, inftantly to offer evidence to prove, that feveral islands of the WeftIndies could not be able to fubfift after the operation of the proposed addrefs in America. Juftice, in regard to individuals, policy, with regard to the public, and decorum, with regard to ourselves, required that we should admit this petition to

be

ought, as we conceive, with gladnefs, to have accepted that information from the merchants, which, if it had not been voluntarily offered, it was our duty to feek. There is no information concerning the state of our colonies (taken in any point of view) which the merchants are not far more competent to give than governors or officers, who often know far lefs of the temper and difpofition, or may be more difpofed to mifreprefent it than the merchants. Of this we have a full and melancholy experience, in the mistaken ideas on which the fatal acts of the last parliament were formed.

3dly. Because we are of opinion, that in entering into a war, in which mifchief and inconvenience are great and certain (but the utmoft extent of which it is impoffible to foresee) true policy requires that thofe who are most likely to be immediately affected fhould be thoroughly fatisfied of the deliberation with which it was undertaken: and we apprehend that the planters, merchants, and manufacturers will not bear their loffes and burthens, brought on them by the propofed civil war, the better for our refufing fo much as to hear them previous to our engaging in that war; nor will our precipitation in resolving add much to the

87

27

Not Contents Diffentient, 1ft. Because the vio lent matter of this dangerous addrefs was highly aggravated by the violent manner in which it was precipitately hurried through the Houfe. Lords were not allowed the interpofition of a moment's time for deliberation, before they were driven headlong into a declaration of civil war. A conference was held with the Commons, an addrefs of this importance prefented, all extraneous information, although offered, pofitively refused; all petitions arbitrarily rejected, and the whole of this most awful bufinefs received, debated, and concluded in a fingle day.

2dly. Because no legal grounds were laid in argument or in fact, to fhew that a rebellion, properly fo

called,

called, did exift in Maffachufett'sBay, when the papers of the latest date, and from whence alone we derive our information, were written. The overt-acts to which the fpecies of treafon affirmed in the addrefs ought to be applied, were not established, nor any offenders marked out: but a general mafs of the acts of turbulence, faid to be done at various times and places, and of various natures, were all thrown together to make out one general conftructive treafon. Neither was there any fort of proof of the continuance of any unlawful force, from whence we could infer that a rebellion does now exift. And we are the more cautious of pronouncing any part of his majefty's dominions to be in actual rebellion, becaufe the cafes of conftructive treason, under that branch of the 25th of Edward the Third, which defcribes the crime of rebellion, have been already fo far extended by the judges, and the diftinctions thereupon fo nice and fubtle, that no prudent man ought to declare any fingle perfon in that fituation, without the cleareft evidence of uncontrovertible overtacts, to warrant fuch a declaration. Much lefs ought fo high an authority as both houfes of parliament to denounce fo fevere a judgment against a confiderable part of his majefty's fubjects, by which his forces may think themfelves juftified in commencing a war, without any further order or commiffion.

3dly. Becaufe we think that feveral acts of the last parliament, and feveral late proceedings of adminiftration with regard to the colonies, are real grievances, and juft caufes ef complaint; and we cannot, in

honour, or in confcience, confent to an address which commends the temper by which proceedings, fo very intemperate, have been car ried on; nor can we perfuade ourfelves to authorise violent courses against perfons in the colonies who have refifted authority, without, at the fame time, redreffing the griev ances which have given but too much provocation for their beha viour.

4thly. Because we think the loose and general affurances given by the addrefs, of future redrefs of grievances, in cafe of fubmiffion, is far from fatisfactory, or at all likely to produce their end, whilst the acts complained of continue unrepealed, or unamended, and their authors remain in authority here, because these advifers of all the measures which have brought on the calamities of this empire, will not be trusted whilft they defend, as juft, neceffary, and even indulgent, all the acts complained of as grievances by the Americans; and muft, therefore, on their own prin. ciples, be found in future to govern the colonies in the manner which has already produced fuch fatal effects; and we fear that the refufal of this Houfe, fo much as to receive, previous to determination (which is the moft offenfive mode of rejection) petitions from the unoffending natives of GreatBritain, and the Weft India islands, affords but a very difcouraging profpect of our obtaining hereafter any petitions at all, from those whom we have declared actors in rebellion, or abettors of that crime.

Laftly. Because the means of inforcing the authority of the British legiflature, is confided to perfons

of

3