made without the participation of this Government, or the assistance of any person on the part of the Crown; and even if they were admitted, we apprehend they would decide nothing in the present case; for the right of the Proprietaries of Pennsylvania to the country about Pittsburg, must be founded on better authority than is there adduced to make it valid, and we are strengthened in this opinion by the principles you yourselves adopt, and the opinion of Lord Camden, which you have produced in your dispute with Connecticut. With respect to the right of this Colony to that country, the transactions of the late war show sufficiently what was ever the sense of the Government of Virginia with regard to it. And it seems to me that the step which I have taken ought not to have been either unexpected or surprising, as you are pleased to say it was to you, when it is well known that formal declarations were made by the Assembly of Pennsylvania, that Pittsburg was not within the jurisdiction of that Government at the time that requisitions were made to them for the defence of that place, the burden of which, on that account, fell on this Government.

In conformity to these sentiments you will easily see I cannot possibly, in compliance with your request, either revoke the commissions and appointments already made, or defer the opportunity of such other officers as I may find necessary for the good government of that part of the country, which we cannot but consider to be within the dominion of Virginia, until his Majesty shall declare the contrary; and I flatter myself I can rely so far on the prudence and discretion of the officers whom I have appointed, that the measure which I have pursued may have no tendency to raise disturbances in your Province, as you seem to apprehend, and if any should ensue I cannot but believe they will be occasioned, on the contrary, by the violent proceedings of your officers; in which opinion I am justified by what has already taken place in the irregular commitment of Mr. John Conolly for acting under my authority, which, however, as I must suppose, it was entirely without your participation, I conclude he is before this time released. But, nevertheless, the act having been of so outrageous a nature, and of a tendency so detrimental to both Colonies, that, with the advice of his Majesty's Council of this dominion, I do insist upon the most ample reparation being made for so great an insult on the authority of his Majesty's Government of Virginia; and no less can possibly be admitted than the dismission of the

1770, agreeable to the plan proposed in that paper, the non-importation agreement thus restricted, continued, as it still does, in full force, until we were alarmed with accounts in the latter end of September, 1773, by the arrival of our London ships, that the East India Company intended to ship their own tea for America. The masters of these vessels gave public information, that it had been offered to them on freight; and that they had refused to receive it. For this patriotic and spirited conduct, they at a meeting called for the purpose, by advertisement, received the public thanks in writing, from a great body of merchants, and a number of other inhabitants, in which honour, Captain Chambers, whose apostacy could not be foreseen, had his share. Our citizens, being thus informed of the refusal of our London Captains, it was concluded, that such refusal would discourage the India Company from shipping their tea; and therefore, it was judged unnecessary to call a meeting at that time, to agree on precautions against an event which was not expected; especially as the friends of the intended consignees gave frequent assurances, that they well knew the sense of the inhabitants on the subject, and were resolved to refuse the trust on the arrival of the tea.

A number of our citizens, however, fearing that the tea ship would bring the first intelligence that the tea was actually shipped, were jealous that it might be landed, unexpectedly, and therefore, without proper opposition. For this reason, they had frequent meetings, to concert a plan for guarding against the danger. And at one of those meetings, a committee was appointed to present, who accordingly did present to the consignees, the following Questions, viz:

"First, Are you, gentlemen, Commissioners, satisfied that it is contrary to the general sense of the inhabitants of this city, that the tea about to be imported by the India Company, should be received or sold by you?

"Second, Will you, gentlemen, declare upon your honours, that in case you are appointed the Commissioners, for the sale of the said tea, that you will not receive, or sell, or be in any respect aiding or assisting in receiving or selling the same?

"November 24, 1773."

To those queries, they gave the following Answer, in writing:

"GENTLEMEN: At present we have received no appointment from the East India Company, nor any certain information on what terms the tea is to come out to this Colony; when it arrives, (if addressed to us) the community shall be acquainted with the conditions on which it is sent. Should the tea be shipped, liable to the payment of the American duty, we believe it is against the sentiments of the inhabitants, that it should be sold by us, or any other person, and therefore we cannot execute the commission; nor shall we in any respect, act therein contrary to the general sense of our fellow-citizens.

"NEW YORK, November 25th, 1773."

These gentlemen, when they were certainly informed that the tea was shipped, subject to the duty, did, in compliance with their engagement, make the following resignation to a Committee who waited on them for that purpose, to wit:

"The Agents since find, that the tea will come, liable to American duty; and agreeable to their former promise, have declined receiving and selling it under that predicament.

"NEW YORK, December 1, 1773."

That no means might be neglected to secure a unanimity of conduct in the several Colonies, on so important a point, an instrument of association was framed; fifteen hundred copies of which were printed, and dispersed through the city; that the inhabitants might be well apprised of its contents, before they were requested to sign it. This association paper, in its preamble, most fully and expressly declares against the unconstitutional imposition of taxes on the Colonies, by authority of Parliament; particularly points at the evil of importing tea, subject to duty; expresses the warmest sense of liberty in the subscribers; their resolution, by all lawful means, to defeat the pernicious project; to transmit to posterity the blessings of freedom, derived from their ancestors; and to contribute to the support of the common liberties of America; which ware, (as they still are) in danger of being subverted. It contains five resolves, substance declaring, "the abettors of the importation, landing, carting, storing, sale and purchase of tea, subject to Parliamentary duty, and until the statute 7 George the Third, chapter 46, commonly called the Revenue Act, shall be totally and clearly repealed,—enemies to their country. That whether such duty be paid in Britain or America, our liberties are equally affected; and that the subscribers will neither deal with, employ, or have any connection with the transgressors of any of those resolves." In short, it contains the strongest terms of opposition, without actual violence, against the importation of that commodity, under those circumstances, leaving the use of force to prevent the mischief, to be resolved in some future time, in case any emergency might thereafter render that measure unnecessary. Of this association paper, none among us can be ignorant. It was signed by a vast number of our inhabitants, including most of the principal lawyers, merchants, landholders, masters of ships, and mechanics in the city, under the name and style of the Sons of Liberty of New York; was published in Mr. Holt's New York Journal, number 1615.

On the 16th of December last, a Committee of the Associates, published an advertisement in this (No. 35,) and Mr. Holt's paper, No. 1615, and in handbills, dispersed about this city, cordially inviting the Association of the Sons of Liberty, and every other friend of the Liberties and Trade of America, to met at the City Hall, on the next day, at one o'clock, on business of the utmost importance. At the time and place appointed, about two thousand of the inhabitants, though the weather was bad, attended on the occasion, and were addressed by one of the members of the Association, who informed them, that on request of a number of his fellow-citizens, he had several letters to communicate to the assembly, from the Committee of Correspondence at Boston, and a letter from Philadelphia, relative to the importation of the East India Company's tea. The letters were accordingly read, and a committee of gentlemen chosen, by suffrage of the meeting, without a dissenting voice, to correspond with our sister Colonies on the subject. After this, the association paper, which had then been signed, as above mentioned, was publicly read; and the Speaker having put the question, whether they agreed to the resolves it contained? It passed in the affirmative, nem. con.

So respectable was this meeting, that Government thought proper to send a message to them by the Mayor and Recorder, which was delivered to the whole body by the first Magistrate of the city, to the following purpose: "That the Governor declared that the tea should be put into the Fort at noon-day; and engaged his honour that it should continue there, till the Council should advise it to be delivered out, or till the King's order, or that of the proprietors should be known; and that then the tea would be delivered out at noon-day."

Having communicated his message, he asked, "Gentlemen, is this satisfactory?" The question was answered with a general no! no! no! The Speaker of the meeting then read, with a loud voice, the Act of Parliament, imposing the duty on tea; and after some proper remarks on the disposal of American property, by the Commons of Great Britain, and observing that the duty became due on landing the tea, he put the following question, "Is it then, gentlemen, your opinion, that the tea should be landed under this circumstance?" This was carried so generally in the negative, that there was no call for a division.

He having then informed the assembly that the patriotic inhabitants of Philadelphia and Boston had determined that no tea, subject to duty by Parliamentary authority, for raising a revenue in America, should be landed in either of those places; it was Resolved, nem. con., "That this body highly approve of that spirited arid patriotic conduct of our brethren of the city of Philadelphia, and the town of Boston, in support of the common liberties of America;" and it was voted, that those proceedings should be published, and transmitted by the Committee, to the other Colonies; which was accordingly done.

And to show that our citizens were determined not to preclude themselves from the use of force, if it should be necessary, to prevent the landing of dutied tea, it is notorious, that on the Monday following, a few persons, among whom Messrs. Jacob Walton and Isaac Low, were the most active, endeavoured to procure a subscription to the following paper:

"Whereas an Association has been lately entered into, by the inhabitants of the city of New York, concerning the tea now expected from England, on account of the East India Company, and a doubt has arisen, whether it is the general sense of the subscribers, and the rest of the inhabitants, that the landing or storing of the said tea should be opposed by force?

"We the subscribers, to remove the said doubt, as far as concerns our respective sentiments, do declare, and resolve as follows:

"1. That we do concur with the parties to the said association, that the said tea ought not, on any account, to be suffered to be sold or purchased while it remains subject to a duty imposed by the authority of Parliament, for the purposes of an American revenue.