inexpressible grief, an unnatural and ungrateful rebellion broke out in part of your Majesty’s Colonies, threatening all the evils of civil war.

With equal concern and surprise, we observe numbers of your Majesty’s subjects in America, who have suffered no actual oppression, misled by apprehensions of danger to their freedom from Great Britain, the seat of liberty itself; and we behold with detestation the arts that have been used to seduce, and by which the contagion has been spread so wide.

Though the forbearance and lenity which your Majesty has shown, and the conciliatory advances made by the wisdom of Parliament, fully evince how ready your Majesty has been, not only to redress all grievances, but also to quiet apprehensions, yet, instead of making such submission as is due to your Majesty’s dignity, and the supremacy of the British Parliament, an open rebellion is raised by these deluded people, undeserving of the blessings they enjoy, ungrateful to the power by which they have been reared and protected.

These considerations call upon all your Majesty’s loyal subjects, and, among others, upon the Freeholders of this County, to approach your Majesty’s royal person, assuring your Majesty, that with their lives and fortunes they are ready to support the honour and dignity of your Majesty’s crown, and the supremacy of the British Legislature; confident that the wisdom of your Majesty’s councils, your paternal love for all your subjects, and the united force and valour of your Kingdoms, will have their full and proper exertion.

Signed by Sir John Stuart, of Allenbank, Baronet, Præses of the meeting, by their order, and in their presence, at Greenlaw, the 31st day of October, 1775.

JOHN STUART.

ADDRESS OF THE ANCIENT BOROUGH OF HADDINGTON.

Address of the Provost, Magistrates, and Council of the ancient Borough of Haddington, East-Lothian, presented to His Majesty by Sir George Suttie, Baronet, Representative in Parliament for the County of Haddington.

To the King’s Most Excellent Majesty.

Most Gracious Sovereign:

We, your Majesty’s faithful and loyal subjects, the Provost, Magistrates, and Council of your ancient Borough of Haddington, East-Lothian, in Common Council assembled, filled with the deepest concern at the unjustifiable and rebellious proceedings of some of your Majesty’s Colonies in America, beg leave to approach your royal throne, to testify our entire disapprobation and abhorrence of them, with the most solemn assurances that we will support your Majesty with our lives and fortunes, in maintaining the authority of the Legislature, which, we conceive, does and ought to extend over every part of the British Dominions.

With regret and indignation we see Colonies, which owe their existence and every blessing that attended their late prosperous situation, to this their Parent Country, unnaturally regardless of the fostering hand that raised and supported them, and affecting distinctions in their dependence not founded in law, or in the Constitution of Great Britain.

We are convinced by the experienced clemency of your Majesty’s Government, that no endeavours will be wanting, to induce our deluded fellow-subjects to return to their obedience to that constitution which our ancestors bled to establish, and which has flourished pure, uninterrupted, under the mild Government of the House of Hanover.

May that Being who governs the universe so direct your Majesty’s councils and measures, that from the present confusion order may arise, and peace be again restored.

That your Majesty may long reign over an happy and united people, is the earnest prayer of, may it please your Majesty, your Majesty’s most faithful and loyal subjects, the Provost, Magistrates, and Council of the Borough of Haddington, in Common Council assembled.

In name and by appointment of the Council.

JAMES DUDGEON, Provost.

ADDRESS OF THE FREEHOLDERS, ETC., OF THE COUNTY OF HADDINGTON.

Address of the Freeholders, Justices of the Peace, Commissioners of Supply, and Heritors of the County of Haddington, presented to His Majesty by Sir George Suttie, Baronet, their Representative in Parliament.

To the King’s Most Excellent Majesty.

The humble Address of the Freeholders, Justices of the Peace, Commissioners of Supply, and Heritors of the County of HADDINGTON, convened at their Quarter Sessions, the thirty-first day of OCTOBER, one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five.

We, your Majesty’s most dutiful and loyal subjects, the Freeholders, Justices of the Peace, Commissioners of Supply, and Heritors of the County of Haddington, being under the deepest concern at that rebellion which has lately broke out in some of your Majesty’s Colonies in America, humbly beg leave to address your Majesty on this most critical occasion, and to testify our disapprobation of these unjustifiable proceedings, with the most solemn assurances that we will, to the utmost of our power, support your Majesty in suppressing the said rebellion, and in maintaining the authority and dignity of the King and Parliament of Great Britain.

With much regret we see Colonies which owe their existence, their boasted opulence, and every blessing they enjoyed in their late prosperous state, to the unwearied and tender care of their Parent Country, regardless of the hand that has reared and supported them, at the expense of so much blood and treasure, and ungratefully attempting to throw off their dependance on their Mother Country.

From the experience we have had of the clemency of your Majesty’s Government, and the temper and moderation of both Houses of Parliament, we are fully satisfied that no endeavours will be wanting to induce our deluded fellow-subjects to return to that allegiance which they owe to your Majesty, and to that obedience which they owe to the Constitution, which our ancestors judged no expense too great to establish, and which has flourished, pure and uninterrupted, under the mild Government of the House of Hanover.

May that Being who governs the universe direct your Majesty’s measures and councils, so that from the present confusion order may arise, and peace be again restored; and that your Majesty may long reign over an happy and united people, is the earnest prayer of your Majesty’s most dutiful and loyal subjects.

Signed by our Præses, and by our authority.

GEORGE BROWN, Præses.

ADDRESS OF THE BURGH OF ABERBROTHOCK.

Address of the Provost, Magistrates, and Town Council of the Burgh of Aberbrothock, transmitted to the Earl of Suffolk, one of His Majesty’s principal Secretaries of State, and presented to His Majesty.

To the King’s Most Excellent Majesty.

Most Gracious Sovereign:

We, your Majesty’s most dutiful and loyal subjects, the Provost, Magistrates, and Town Council of the Burgh of Aberbrothock, in Common Council assembled, should think ourselves wanting, both in duty and gratitude to the best of Sovereigns, did we omit, on the present critical occasion, to join with the rest of your Majesty’s loyal subjects in giving publick testimony of our detestation and abhorrence of the present unnatural rebellion in some of your Majesty’s Colonies in North-America, as well as of those wicked artifices used by designing men to instigate and support it.

While we lament the fatal consequences of the infatuation of your Majesty’s deluded subjects in America, and wish for nothing more ardently than an honourable, speedy, and lasting reconciliation between Great Britain and her Colonies, we cannot forbear to express our approbation of the measures hitherto pursued by your Majesty, in order to bring back the Americans to their duty and allegiance, and to an acknowledgment of the supremacy of our King and Parliament over every part of the British Dominions; and as we rest with the most entire confidence on your Majesty’s wisdom, that such measures will, in future, be followed as shall be most proper for speedily effecting so desirable a purpose, we most heartily assure your Majesty of our best endeavours to support the honour and independence of your crown, and the legal and constitutional