and that you should be invited to accede to our confederation, which has no other objects than the perfect security of the natural and civil rights of all the constituent members, according to their respective circumstances, and the preservation of a happy and lasting connection with Great-Britain, on the salutary and constitutional principles herein before mentioned. For effecting these purposes, we have addressed an humble and loyal petition to his majesty, praying relief of our and your grievances; and have associated to stop all importations from GreatBritain and Ireland, after the first day of December, and all exportations to those kingdoms and the West-Indies after the tenth day of next September: unless the said grievances are redressed.

THAT Almighty God may incline your minds to approve our equitable and necessary measures, to add yourselves to us, to put your fate, whenever you suffer injuries which you are determined to oppose, not on the small influence of your single province, but on the consolidated powers of NorthAmerica; and may grant to our joint exertions, an event as happy as our cause is just, is the fervent prayer of us, your sincere and affectionate friends and fellow-subjects.

By order of the congress,

HENRY MIDDLETON, President.

THE

PETITION OF CONGRESS

TO THE

KING'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY.

MOST GRACIOUS SOVEREIGN,

WE your majesty's faithful subjects of the colonies of New-Hampshire, Massachusetts-Bay, Rhode-Island and Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New-York, New-Jersey, Pennsylvania, the counties of New-Castle, Kent, and Sussex on Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North-Carolina, and South-Carolina, in behalf of ourselves and the inhabitants of these colonies, who have deputed us to represent them in general congress, by this our humble petition, beg leave to lay our grievances before the throne.

A standing army has been kept in these colonies, ever since the conclusion of the late war, without the consent of our assemblies; and this army, with a considerable naval armament has been employed to inforce the collection of taxes.

THE authority of the commander in chief, and under him of the brigadiers-general has, in time of peace, been rendered supreme in all the civil governments in America.

THE commander in chief of all your majesty's forces in North-America has, in time of peace, been appointed governor of a colony.

THE charges of usual offices have been greatly increased; and, new, expensive and oppressive offices have been multiplied.

THE judges of admiralty and vice-admiralty courts, are impowered to receive their salaries and fees from the effects condemned by themselves.

THE officers of the customs are impowered to break open and enter houses without the authority of any civil magistrate founded on legal information.

THE judges of courts of common law have been made intirely dependent on one part of the legisla

ture for their salaries, as well as for the duration of their commissions.

COUNCELLORS holding their commissions during pleasure, exercise legislative authority.

HUMBLE and reasonable petitions from the representatives of the people have been fruitless.

THE agents of the people have been discountenanced, and governors have been instructed to prevent the payment of their salaries.

ASSEMBLIES have been repeatedly and injuriously dissolved.

COMMERCE has been burthened with many useless and oppressive restrictions.

By several acts of parliament made in the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth years of your majesty's reign, duties are imposed on us, for the purpose of raising a revenue; and the powers of admiralty and vice-admiralty courts are extended beyond their ancient limits, whereby our property is taken from us without our consent, the trial by jury in many civil cases is abolished, enormous forfeitures are incurred for slight offences, vexatious informers, are exempted from paying damages, to

which they are juftly liable, and oppressive security is required from owners, before they are allow ed to defend their right.

BOTH houses of parliament have resolved, that colonists may be tried in England, for offences alledged to have been committed in America, by virtue of a statute passed in the thirty-fifth year of Henry the eighth; and in consequence thereof attempts have been made to inforce that statute.

A statute was passed in the twelfth year of your majesty's reign, directing, that persons charged with committing any offence therein described, in any place out of the realm, may be indicted and tried for the same, in any shire or county within the realm, whereby inhabitants of these colonies may, in sundry cases by that statute made capital, be deprived of a trial by their peers of the vicinage.

In the last session of parliament, an act was passed for blocking up the harbour of Boston; another impowering the governor of the Massachusetts-Bay to send persons indicted for murder in that province, to another colony, or even to Great-Britain for trial, whereby, such offenders may escape legal punishment; a third for altering the chartered constitution of government in that province; and a fourth for extending the limits of Quebec, abolish