APPENDIX to the CHRONICLE. 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, Oa. 24, 1765. T is with the greatest concern his 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 itfelf with any dignity or efficacy, for the fuppreffion of tumults, which feem to ftrike at the very being of all authority and fubordination amongst 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 Majesty's benevolent attention to the eafe 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 redrefs grievan ces, but to obtain grace and favour, while the outrage of a public violence can expect nothing but leverity and chaftilement. Thefe fentiments you and all his Majefty's fervants, from a fenfe of your duty to, and love of your endeavour and encourage; you will all in a particular manner call upon them not to render their cafe defperate. You will in the ftrongest colours reprefent to them the dreadful confequences that must inevitably attend the forcible and violent refiftance to acts of the British parliament, and the fcene 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 British legitlature to be trampled on by force and violence, and in avowed contempt of all order, duty, and de Extra& from Mr. Secretary Conway's circular letter; which has been printed in America. IF F by lenient perfuafive methods you can contribute to restore the peace and tranquillity to the province, on which their welfare and happiness depend, you will do a most acceptable and effential fervice to your country: but having taken every step, which the utmoft prudence and lenity can dictate in compaffion to the folly and ignorance of fome mifguided people; you will not on the other hand fail to ufe your utmost power for repelling all acts of outrage and violence, and to provide for the maintenance of peace and good order in the province, by fuch a timely exertion of force, as that occafion may require; for which purpose you will make the proper application to General Gage, or Lord Colvill, commanders of his Majefty's land and naval forces in America, &c. The moderation, the forbearance, the unexampled lenity and tendernefs of parliament towards the colonies, which are fo fignally difplayed in thofe acts, cannot but difpofe the province committed to your care, to that return of chearful obedience to the laws and legiflative authority of Great Britain, and to thofe fentiments of refpectful gratitude to the mother country, which are the natural, and I trust will be the certain effects of much grace and condefcenfion, fo remarkably manifefted on the part of his Majefty and of the parliament; and the future happinels and profperity of the colonies will very much depend on the teftimonies they fhall now give of thefe difpofitions. For as a dutiful and af fectionate return to fuch peculiar proofs of indulgence and affection may now, at this great crifis, be a means of fixing the mutual interefts and inclinations of Great Britain and her colonies, on the most firm and folid foundations, it cannot but appear vifible that the leaft coolness or unthankfulness, the leaft murmuring or difatisfaction, on any ground whatever of former heat, or much prevailing prejudice, may fatally endanger that union, and give the moft fevere and affecting blow to the future intereft of both countries. You would think it fearce poffible, I imagine, that the paternal care of his Majefty for his colonies, or the lenity and indulgence of the parliament, fhould go fur ther the than I have already mention ed; yet fo full of true magnanimity are the fentiments of both, and fo free from the smallest 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 thofe who had knowledge to conduct themselves other wife. A revifion of the late American 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 interefts of America, every relief which the true state 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 earnestly to require of you, than that you fhould exert yourfelf in recommending it ftrongly to the affembly, that full and ample compenfation be made to thofe, who, from the madness 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 juftice in regard to all their pretenfions, which their merits and fufferings undoubtedly claim. The refolutions of the House of Commons, which, by his Majefty's commands, I tranfmit to you, to be laid before the aflembly, will fhew you the fenfe of that houfe on these points: and I am perfuaded it will, as it moft certainly ought, be the glory of that affembly, to adopt and imitate those fentiments of the British parliament, founded on the cleareft principles of humanity and juftice, I 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 forgetfulnels of what they owned to truth and their country, they gave their teftimonies with knowledge, but without paflion or prejudice; and thofe teftimonies had, I believe, great weight in perfuading the repeal of the ftamp-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 houfes of parliament, feem to have their full weight in all thole parts of the American interefts, to which they relate. And as his Majefty honours you with: his fulleft approbation, both fo the firmnefs and temperance o your conduct, fo I hope your province will cordially feel what they owe to the governor, whom no out rage I tatives. Have received a letter from the Right Honourable Mr. Secretary Conway, inclofing two acts of parliament; the one, fecuring the dependency of the colonies on the mother country, and the other for the repeal of the ftamp act. At the fame time he is pleafed to fignify what his Majefty and his parliament expect from the colonies in return for the indulgencies fhewn to them. I am alfo ordered to recommend to you, that full and ample compenfation be made to the late fufferers by the madness of the people and for that purpose I am directed to lay before you the votes of the houfe of Commons, expreffing their fenfe upon that fubject; whofe humanity and juftice, it is hoped, it will be your glory to initate. The whole of this letter is conceived in fuch ftrong, patriotic, and conclufive terms, that I fhall not weaken it by a representation of my own, other than this thort recapitulation, neceffary to introduce what I have to lay on the fubject. I cannot but lament that this letter did not arrive before the meeting of the general court: if it bad, I flatter myfelf it would have prevented a tranfaction which muft now be more regretted than ever. I mean, your excluding from the king's council, the prin cipal 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 go. vernment in the very flation 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 communi. cated to you. It is not now in your power, in fo full a manner as will be expected, to fhew your respectful gratitude to the mother country, or to make a dutiful and affectionate return to the indulgence of the king and parliament. It muft and will be understood, that thefe gentlemen are turned out for their deference to acts of the British legiflature. 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 tole rable colouring to this proceeding: if if it fhould 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 interest. Next to withing that this had never happened, it is to be wished fome meatures might be found to draw a veil over it, or at leaft to palliate it, and prevent its bad effects; which furely muft be very hurtful to this province, if it fhould be maintained and vindicated. If any expedients can be lound out for this purpofe, I will heartily concur in them; and in general I will make the beft ufe of all means which you fhall 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 thofe fentiments which are expected from you in the most effectual manner. Gentlemen of the house of reprefentatives. The requifition contained in this letter is of a moft fingular nature, and the only one of the kind that have known fince I have ferved his Majefty in America. It is founded upon a refolution of the Houfe of Commons, formed after a full confideration of the matter, and reprefented to his Majefty by the addrefs of that house. The juftice and humanity of this requifition is fo forcible that it cannot be controverted; the authority VOL. IX. with which it is introduced thould preclude all difputation about complying with it. I hope, therefore, you will add to the merit of compliance by the readinets of it, and affame to yourfelves the honour, which now offers itfelf, 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 must obferve, that it is from the provincial allembly 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 shall readily concur with you in your refolutions thereon after the fufferers have been fully fatisfied. Gentlemen, you Both the business and the time are moft 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 faffer your felves 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 pretensions? Shall the private interefts, paffions, or refentments of a few men deprive 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] and |