by the Congress, did strongly recommend it to the inhabitants of each of the aforesaid Towns who are warmly attached to the rights of their country, to notify a meeting of said inhabitants, and proceed to choose a Chairman and Clerk, and fully adopt the doings of the Continental Congress, and publish and transmit the same, with their names thereunto affixed, to the several Towns in this County: We the subscribers, inhabitants of the Town of Ridgefield, being, in consequence of publick notification, assembled for the purposes aforesaid, at the Meeting-House in the Parish of Ridgebury, within the said Town, on the 20th of March, A. D. 1775, and having chosen Captain Jonah Foster our Chairman, and Mr. William Forrester our Clerk, do hereby declare,

First, That we approve of the Association of the late Continental Congress, and should rejoice to have an opportunity of adopting it fully in union with the Town as a body; and that, even under our present circumstances, we will pay all due regard to it, and observe the articles of it, as far we can, without involving ourselves in such peculiar difficulties as our brethren of other Towns are not exposed to, when the Town as a body adopt it.

Secondly, That we wholly disapprove and protest against every thing contained in the Resolves passed by this Town on the 30th day of January last which is contrary, or in anywise repugnant to the rights of the American Colonies, as stated by the late Continental Congress or that is anywise calculated to cast an odium upon that reputable body, or to discountenance the measures by them adopted and recommended; and those of us who were active in passing said Resolves do sincerely retract whatever in them comes within the limits of the above disapprobation and protest.

Thirdly, In case it shall appear to our Chairman and Clerk to be necessary or expedient for us to meet again on any future day, we desire and authorize them to notify a meeting of us, the following Associators, and of all others within this Town who may be disposed to join with us, at such time and place as they shall think proper. And we further authorize them to admit, at any time, all such inhabitants of this Town as may be heartily disposed to join with us, to enter their names with us as subscribers to the foregoing declaration and protest. We also desire the Chairman and Clerk to meet for that purpose in a month, and as many others as may choose to attend with them, at such time and place as they shall appoint.

Fourthly, We gratefully acknowledge the respect shewn us by the worthy Delegates in the late County Congress at Fairfield, in taking notice of us under our present unhappy situation, and pointing out the method proper for us to take in order to be known and treated as brethren and friends in the common cause.

Fifthly, We desire the Clerk to make out true copies of the foregoing, and transmit the same, with our names thereunto affixed, to the several Towns in this County, or to their Committees of Inspection.

JONAH FOSTER, Chairman.

SAMUEL ADAMS TO ARTHUR LEE.

Cambridge, February 14, 1775.

MY DEAR SIR: A few days ago I received your letter of the 7th December, and was greatly pleased to find that you had returned from Rome at so critical a time. The sudden dissolution of the late Parliament is a measure which I expected would take place. I must needs allow that the Ministry have acted a politick part; for if they had suffered the election to be put off till the Spring, it might have cost some of them their heads. The new Parliament can with a very ill grace impeach them for their present conduct, after having so explicitly avowed it. The thunder of the late Speech, and the servile answers, I view a designed to serve the purposes of saving some men from the block. I cannot conclude that Lord North is upon the retreat, though there seems to be some appearance of it A deception of this kind would prove fatal to us. Our safety depends upon our being in readiness for the extreme event. Of this the people here are thoroughly sensible and from the preparations they are making, I trust in God they will defend their liberties with dignity. If the Ministry have not abandoned themselves to folly and madness, the firm union of the Colonies must be an important objection. The claims of the Colonies are consistent * * * * * * * * * * * * * * and necessary to their own existence as free subjects, and they will never recede from them. The tools of power here are incessantly endeavouring to divide them, but in vain. I wish the King's Ministers would duly consider what appears to me a very momentous truth, that one regular attempt to subdue those in any other Colony, whatever may be the first issue of the attempt, will open a quarrel which will never be closed till what some of them affect to apprehend, and we sincerely deprecate, shall take effect. Is it not then high time that they should hearken, not to the clamours of passionate and interested men, but to the cool voice of impartial reason? No sensible Minister will think that millions of free subjects, strengthened by such an union, will submit to be slaves; no honest Minister would wish to see humanity thus disgraced.

My attendance on the Provincial Congress now sitting here will not admit of my enlarging at present.

I will write you again by the next opportunity, and till I have reason to suspect our adversaries have got some of my letters in their possession. I yet venture to subscribe, yours affectionately,

S. ADAMS.

Arthur Lee, Esquire, London.

HANOVER (NEW-JERSEY) COMMITTEE.

At, a Meeting of the Committee of Observation for the Township of Hanover, in the County of Morris, and Province of New-Jersey, on the 15th day of February, Anno Domini 1775. Present: Matthias Burnet, Chairman, Aaron Kitchel, Clerk; David Bruen, Captain Stephen Day, Stephen Munson, Benjamin Howel, and Captain James Kien.

The following Resolutions were unanimously entered into:

1st. Resolved unanimously, That they will discourage all unlawful, tumultuous, and disorderly meetings of the people within their Districts, and upon all occasions exert themselves to the utmost of their power, and oppose and prevent any violence offered to the person or property of any one.

2d. Resolved unanimously, That they will take notice of all Horse-Racing, Cock-Fighting, and every kind of Gaming whatsoever, and cause the offenders to be prosecuted according to law; and discourage every species of extravagant entertainments and amusements whatsoever, agreeable to the eighth article of the Association of the Continental Congress.

3d. Resolved unanimously, That this Committee will after the first day of March next, esteem it a violation of the seventh article of the said Association if any person or persons should kill any Sheep until it is four years old, or sell any such Sheep to any person whom he or they may have cause to suspect will kill them, or carry them to market; and further, that they will esteem it a breach of said article if any inhabitant of this Township should sell any Sheep of any kind whatsoever, to any person dwelling out of this County, or to any person who they may have cause to suspect will carry them out of this County, without leave first obtained of this Committee.

4th. Resolved unanimously, That we do recommend to the inhabitants of this Township the cultivation of Flax and Hemp, to the greatest extent that their lands and circumstances will admit of.

5th. Resolved unanimously, That from several Pamphlets and Publications printed by James Rivington, of New-York, Printer, we esteem him as an incendiary employed