HISTORY OF VERMONT. 25 



necessary, and highly meritorious ; as being de- 

 signed to preserve all, that man in any case, 

 ever could have to defend. To the government 

 of New York, their conduct appeared in a very 

 different light, as acts of treason, and rebellion, 

 perpetrated by lawless and violent men, in open 

 and avowed opposition to the laws of their king 

 and country. 



• While these different views of the contro- 

 versy remained, the measures of both sides, in- 

 stead of operating to remove the causes of con- 

 test, tended to increase the animosity, and to 

 bring on a state of more open hostility. So 

 high had the spirit of opposition and resentment 

 arisen, in the course of these proceedings, that 

 in 1774,1 the government of New York passed 

 an act, the most minatory and despotic, of any 

 thing which had ever appeared, in the British 

 colonies. Among other extraordinary exertions 

 of vindictive power, it contained this singular 

 clause : " And in case the said offenders, shall 

 not respectively surrender themselves pursuant 

 to such orders of his excellency the governor, 

 or of the governor and commander in chief for 

 the time being, to be made in council as afore- 

 said ; he or they so neglecting or refusing to 

 surrender himself, or themselves as aforesaid, 

 [i. e. within the space of seventy days next after 

 the first publication of the order] shall, from the 

 day to be appointed for his or their surrendery 

 as aforesaid, be adjudged, deemed, and (if in- 

 dicted for a capital offence hereafter to be per- 

 petrated) to be convicted and attainted of felony, 



+ March 9. Allen's Narrative, p, 2i— .36. 

 VOL. II. C 



