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 pleafant view to be intercepted or overclouded by the ill-humours of particulars? When wealth and happinefs 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 endeavoured to combat, will be the first to remove them, and prevent their ill effects.

furely that man will have much to anfwer for to both countries, and will probably be called to answer.

But I hope it will not be fo, not in a fingle inftance; but that every perfon, even they who have given the greatest offence, will embrace this opportunity to restore peace to their country, and obtain indemnity for themselves. And all fuch who fhall really defire to reconcile themfelves to the king's government, either at home or here, may affure themselves, that, without a future delinquency, every thing paft, will, as far as it can, be buried in total oblivion. one can fufpect me of want of fincerity in making this declaration; as too ready a forgetfulness of injuries hath been faid to be my weaknefs; however, it is a failing which I had rather suffer by, than be without.

Νο

I have fpoke to you with fincerity, opennefs, and earnefinefs, 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 excufable. 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.

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 entitle themselves to it by a departure from that offenfive conduct which is the object of it. Here then it will be neceffary to draw a line, to diftinguifh who are and who are not the proper obects of the gracious intentions of the king and parliament. And if after this proffered grace, any perfon fhould go beyond this line, I have always been defirous of culand still endeavour, directly or indirectly, to foment a divifion between 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 enablished to perpetuity,

tivating 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

board last year who are not chofen this, hold only provincial commiffions. This province hath 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 trust 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 fhould 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 diferetion 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 expected, to fhew our refpectful gratitude to the mother-country, or to make a dutiful, affectionate return to the indulgence of the king and parliament, it shall be no fault of ours; for this we intend, and hope we fhall be able fully to ef. fect.

We cannot perfuade our felves that it muft and will be underflood, that thofe gentlemen were turned out, as your Excellency is pleafed to exprefs it, for their deference to acts of the British legiflature. We have given the true realon of this proceeding in our anfwer to your Excellency's firft fpecch of this feffin. We are under no apprehenfion, that when the true grounds and reafons of our proceedings are known and candidly confidered, we fhall be in the leaft degree chargeable with unthankfulhefs and "diflatisfaction, on ground of

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

Your Excellency fays, it is impoffible 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 fhall excufe ourfelves from attempting any. We hold ourfelves to be quite free in our fuffrages: and provided we obferve the directions of our charter, and the laws of the land, both which we have strictly 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 Excellen cy is the firft governor of this province, that ever formally called the two houfes of affembly to account for their fuffrages, and accufed them of ingratitude and difaffection to the crown, because they had not beftowed them on fuch perfons as in the opinion of the governor were quite neceflary to the adminiftration of government, Had your Excellency been pleafed

in feafon to have favoured us with a lift and pofitive orders whom to chufe, we thould, on your principles, have been without excufe. But even the most abject flaves are not to be blamed for difobeying their mafler's will and pleafure, when it is wholly unknown to them.

Your Excellency fays, "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 free

a free election; but for your Ex- but this being a matter of difcrecellency's definition to this right, tion, is folely within your Excelviz. "A legal right to chufe lency's breaft, and we are taught whom we please, without regard by your juft diftinction, that such to any confiderations whatever," is the gift of our fuffrages. It we contend not. We made our therefore gives us great pain to have elections after the moft mature and our difcretion queftioned, and our deliberate confideration, and had public conduct thus repeatedly arIpecial regard to the qualifications raigned. of the candidates, and all circumfiances confidered, chofe thofe we judged moft likely to ferve his Majefty, and promote the welfare and profperity of his people. We cannot conceive how the affertion of our clear charter-rights of free election 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 best judgment and difcretion. 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 direction and control of the chair even in giving their fuffrages. For whatever may be our ideas of the wildom, prudence, mildnefs, and moderation of your adminiftration, and of your forgiving fpirit, yet we are not fure your fucceffor will poffefs thofe thining virtues.

Your Excellency has intimated your readinefs to concur with us in any palliative or expedient to prevent the bad effects of our elections, which you think must surely be very hurtful to the province, if it hould be maintained and vindicated. But as we are under no apprehenfions of any fuch effects, efpecially 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 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 dilapproving fix of the gentlemen cholen by the two houfes of affembly:

1

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 represented and known, its credit can be in no kind of danger.The recommendation enjoined by Mr. Secretary's 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 fpeech than in the letter. Whether in thus exceeding, your Excellency (peaks by your own authority, or 2 higher, is not with us to deter

it cannot be controverted:" if A genuine copy of the letter, which