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liberty. Should I be so fortunate as to be elected, I will do the utmost in my power to protect your rights and franchises."
Mr. Sawbridge next came forward, saying,
"GENTLEMEN OF THE LIVERY: I return you my most cordial thanks for the high opinion you have expressed of my past, and the great confidence you put in my future conduct. I have been bred up in the principles of liberty, and I assure you I will remain in the same until the latest hour of my life."
Mr. Hayley next addressed the Livery, as follows:
"GENTLEMEN OF THE LIVERY: It is now my turn to express my duty to you for the generous support I have met with to-day. Should I gain the honour I now solicit, depend upon my exerting the utmost of my abilities to do you justice."
The above speeches were received with loud shouts of applause, after which a motion was made that the Resolutions and Nominations should be published; which being agreed to, Mr. Baker came forward and acquainted the Livery, that although he had not been fortunate enough to meet with so cordial a reception as he imagined, owing to his not having signed the articles, for reasons which he had mentioned; yet at the same time informed the Livery, that he would stand the poll to the last, and doubted not but between this and the poll, his character, both in publick and private life, would be well known, and be of such a cast as to gain him many friends.
Mr. Lee then moved, that the thanks of the Hall be given to Mr. Stavely for his impartial and spirited conduct as Chairman of that meeting, which was unanimously consented to, and thus ended the business of the day.
EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM LIEUTENANT GOVERNOUR COLDEN TO THE EARL OF DARTMOUTH, DATED NEW-YORK, OCTOBER 5, 1774.
By my letter of the 7th of September your Lordship would find I entertained hopes that the people of this Province would adopt moderate measures, and avoid giving any new offence to the Parliament. I knew such were the sentiments of the farmers and country people in general who make a great majority of the inhabitants.
A great deal of pains has been taken to persuade the counties to choose Delegates for the Congress, or to adopt those sent by this city. Several of the counties have refused to be concerned in the measure. In Queen's County, where I have a house, and reside the summer season, six persons have not been got to meet for the purpose; and the inhabitants remain firm in their resolution not to join in the Congress. In the counties that have joined in the measures of the city, I am informed the business has been done by a very few persons, who took upon themselves to act for the freeholders. A gentleman who was present when the Delegates were chosen in Orange County, says there were not twenty persons at the meeting, though there are above a thousand freeholders in that county; and I am told the case was similar in other counties that are said to have joined in the Congress.
The violent men in this city, who lost the lead among the people when the Committee of fifty-one were appointed, as mentioned in my former letters to your Lordship, hoped they had got an opportunity to regain their importance, and to throw the city into confusion, on occasion of orders which were received by some of our merchants to furnish articles wanted by the army at Boston. These violent men last week called a meeting of the citizens, which few but the lower class of people attended, and not a great many of them; yet they had the impudence to send a Committee to the merchants who were engaged in supplying the articles wanted by the army at Boston, with a very impertinent message, and endeavoured to deter them and all others from furnishing the army and transports with any thing whatever. These maœuvres occasioned some bustle among the people for a few days, and obliged the Committee of fifty-one to desire a meeting of the inhabitants on Friday last, when a large body of the principal people and merchants appeared, and declared, that those who had taken upon them to threaten the merchants had acted without any authority from the publick, and that they highly disapproved of their conduct, which has once more silenced the turbulent factious few, who are never easy when the people are quiet and orderly. The merchants now go on completing their orders without farther interruption.
It is my duty to give your Lordship the best information I am able of the disposition of the people of this Province. With this view I mention the most material transactions among them. It is extremely difficult at such times to give an opinion of what may happen. The most trifling unforeseen incident may produce the greatest events. I have already said, my Lord, that I am well assured almost the whole inhabitants in the counties wish for moderate measures; they think the dispute with Great Britain is carried far enough, and abhor the thoughts of pushing it to desperate lengths. In the city, a large majority of the people wish that a non-importation agreement may not be proposed, and were very much surprised on finding that such a measure would probably be resolved on by the Congress. I have some hopes that our merchants will avoid a non-importation agreement, even if proposed by the Congress. I am certain a majority of the most considerable are convinced it is a wrong measure, and wish not to come into it, but whether they will have resolution enough to oppose the sentiments of all the other Colonies, can only be known when they are put to the trial.
The speeches in Parliament, and other inflammatory papers published in London, and reprinted in America, make the worst impression on the minds of the people. They are opposed in this place by publishing more papers in favour of Administration, and against measures which must be offensive to Parliament, than in all the other Colonies put together.
New-York, October 5, 1774.
By Mr. Revere, who left Boston on Friday last, and arrived here last night, in his way to the general Congress, we have received certain intelligence that the Carpenters and Masons, who had inadvertently undertaken to erect barracks for the soldiers in that town, upon being informed that it was contrary to the sentiments of their countrymen, unanimously broke up, and returned to their respective homes, on the 26th of last month; which, it is hoped, will convince the mechanicks of this city, how disagreeable it will be to the inhabitants of that place, for them to afford any manner of assistance to those who are made subservient to the destruction of our American brethren.
The following Handbill was brought by Mr. Revere from Boston:
Whoever has candidly traced the rapid growth of these Colonies from their little beginnings to their present flourishing state in wealth and population, must eye the distinguished hand of Heaven, and impress every mind with a humble confidence that "no design formed against us shall prosper." The poor devoted town of Boston has suffered, and is still suffering all that the unmerited malice of men and devils could invent for her destruction; but although impoverished and distressed, she is not yet subjugated and enslaved; though immured within the fortresses of their enemies, the free and generous bosoms of the inhabitants beat strongly in the cause of liberty. But it appears that the measure of Ministerial wrath is not yet full; that detested parricide Hutchinson has vaunted to his few friends, that should the people submit to the villainous exactions of the present Governmental knot of tyrants,* "yet still the town of Boston would forever remain a garrisoned town," as a check upon the country, lest they should hereafter be induced to clamour against the edicts of their sovereign lords and masters the British Prliament.
The following plan was providentially detected, and is now offered to the publick, with this solemn question—Will the people sit tame and inactive spectators of the hostile designs of our inveterate enemies, and exercise such degrees of moderation and forbearance as to suffer those
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