HISTORY OF VERMONT. 29 



11th, 1775 : Among other measures, they came 

 to the following resolve : " That it is the duty 

 Gf the inhabitan^ts, wholly to renounce and resist 

 the administration of the government of New 

 York, until such time as the lives and property 

 of the inhabitants may be secured by it : Or 

 until such time, aS they can have opportunity to 

 lay their grievances before his most gracious 

 Majesty in council, together with a proper re- 

 monstrance against the unjustifiable conduct of 

 that government, with an humble petition to be 

 taken out of so oppressive a jurisdiction, and 

 either annexed to some other government, or 

 erected and incorporated into a new one, as may 

 appear bf'st for the inhabitants."* 



Both parties were in this state of resentment 

 and exasperation, when the American war broke 

 out at Lexington, April 19th, 1775. By pre- 

 senting new scenes, and greater objects, this e- 

 vent seems to have prevented either party from 

 proceeding to hostilities ; and turned their at- 

 tention from their particular contest, to the gen- 

 eral cause of America. The attention of all 

 orders of men was in^mediately engaged, local 

 and provincial contests w^re at once swallowed 

 up, by the novelty, the grandeur, and the im- 

 portance of the contest that then opened between 

 Britain and America. 



War, which the people of the colonies sup- 

 posed would have ceased, and never had any 

 further origin or progress among them, had 

 broke out in a new form, and with a most aw- 

 ful appearance. In their former calamities, war 

 had always borne the appearance of a contest be- 



"' * Proccf dings of the committees met at Westminster, A pri] li, IJI'S. 



