laws of sufficient force and authority to bind them. I am, on the whole, fully convinced, that the present situation of affairs in that country, would have never been, and that the People there must and would have returned to their obedience, if the Stamp Act had not been unfortunately repealed.

General Conway. I by no means agree with the noble Lord in any one argument he has made, or conclusion he has drawn from them. I attribute the very disagreeable situation we are now in to the weakness of our counsels, and to a series of misconduct. The noble Lord attributes the present distracted state of that country to the repeal. I believe he has neither fully attended to the immediate effects of that measure, nor to those which have followed from a contrary conduct, or he could never have given such a judgment. The operation of both are known, and I leave the House to judge, which was the healing and which the distracting measure.

Colonel Barre. I shall agree with the motion for an Address as a mere matter of course, not holding myself engaged to a syllable of its contents. A right honorable gentleman near me, (Mr. Dowdeswell,) has very fully proved on a former occasion, that our present peace establishment is a ruinous one; and that it eats up that fund which should be appropriated towards relieving our burdens or preparing for a war. I have the most authentic information, however improbable it may appear, that the expense of our military at this moment, exceeds that of France. These may be matters well worthy of our consideration in the course of our proceedings. It may induce us to make a very considerable saving in that service.

The motion for the Address was then agreed to.

Ordered, That the Address be presented to his Majesty by such members of this House as are of his Majesty's most honorable Privy Council.

II. THE BOSTON PORT BILL.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

MONDAY, March 7, 1774.

Ordered, That his Majesty's most gracious Message [folio 32,] together with the Papers this day presented to the House, [folio 5–10] by the Lord North, be taken into consideration on Friday morning next.

FRIDAY, March 11, 1774.

The Lord North presented to the House, by his Majesty's command:

No. 1. Extract of a Letter from Governor Hutchinson to the Earl of Dartmouth, dated Boston, 28th January, 1774; received 8th March, inclosing,

No. 2. Extract from the Boston Gazette, of the 27th January, 1774.

Together with a list of said Papers.

And the said list was read.

Ordered, That the said Papers be taken into consideration at the same time that the Papers presented to the House by the Lord North, upon Monday last, are ordered to be taken into consideration.

The order of the day being read, for taking into consideration his Majesty's most gracious Message of Monday last, together with the Papers which were presented to the House by the Lord North, upon Monday last, and this day, by his Majesty's command,

The House proceeded to take the same into consideration. And his Majesty's most gracious Message was again read by Mr. Speaker, all the members of the House being uncovered. And the said Papers were also read.

Ordered, That his Majesty's said most gracious Message, together with the said Papers, be taken into further consideration upon Monday morning next.

MONDAY, March 14, 1774.

A Petition of William Bollan, Esq., Agent for the Council of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, in New England, was presented to the House, and read, setting forth, that the English American Colonies were deduced and planted by the adventurers and settlers, at their expense, in foreign inhospitable lands, acquired by their vigorous efforts, made under the authority of their princes, granted with the encouragement proper for this spirited and noble enterprise; and that the several princes, by whose authority the Colonies were established, and the numerous nobles and other worthy persons, of whom several were men of the greatest accomplishments, endued with the wisdom proper for obtaining and preserving Empire, by whose advice, aid, and concurrence, they were undertaken and advanced, were so far from understanding that these adventurers and settlers, who by their travail, expenses, labors, and dangers, should enlarge the public dominion, should thereby, contrary to natural justice, lessen their public liberties; that, from the many letters patent Royal, made and passed for obtaining and regulating new dominion, and the whole history of their settlement, it manifestly appears, it was the intent of all parties, that the settlers, and their posterity, should enjoy the same; whereupon, they became adventurers; and, inspirited by their confidence therein, with their long and quiet enjoyment of their public rights, overcoming difficulties, perils, and hardships, inexpressible and innumerable, they raised the King's American Empire out of a dreary and dangerous wilderness, with so great and continual increase of commerce, that of late years it hath given employment unto two-thirds of the British shipping, with a comfortable support to no small part of the inhabitants of Great Britain, and great addition to the dignity and strength of its Naval Empire; and that, by the statute law of this Kingdom, it is clearly supposed, and in effect fully declared, that the Colonists were well entitled to the English right, and the lands they inhabit free; and that the Acta Regia of Queen Elizabeth and her successors, whereby the acquests of new dominion were made and established, and security given to the adventurers, planters, and their descendants, of the perpetual enjoyment of their public liberties, having, as the Petitioner presumes, never been laid before the House, nor the Colonies ever yet had any opportunity to ascertain and defend their invaluable rights, and the House, as the Petitioner is advised, now having under their consideration the state of the Northern Colonies, the Petitioner therefore prays, that he may be permitted to appear, and lay before the House, authentic copies of the proper Acta Regia, and to support the matters herein contained, in a manner suitable to their nature, and to the inclinations of the House.

Ordered, That the said Petition do lie upon the table.

The order of the day then being called for, the House was silent for a few minutes, when Mr. Cornwall rose, and moved that the gallery be cleared. This occasioned a vehement debate. Colonel Barré said, that if the motion was insisted on, the ladies would be obliged to withdraw. Mr. C. Fox was of the same opinion. Mr. Jenkinson contended, if it was proper to shut the gallery on Friday, against strangers, it was much more so then. Mr. T. Townshend desired that the standing order might be read, which being complied with, he observed, that it contained no exceptions, for the order recited that all strangers should be taken into custody. Mr. Grenville remarked, that it was easily seen from what quarter the present motion originated, as he could perceive that applications had been making ever since the House met, for the purpose now intended to be carried into execution, though the authors did not choose to appear publicly in it themselves.

The majority of the House did not seem to approve of the motion, when it was first made; but the interference of the Speaker at length turned the scale, and not only the