166 NATURAL AND CIVIL 



On July the fourth, 1776, the Congress made 

 a declaration of hidepeiidencc ; dechiring in the 

 name, and by the authority of the people of the 

 United Colonies, that they were, and of right 

 ought to be, free aiid independent States ; that 

 they were absoh'ed from all allegiance to the 

 British crown, and that all political connexion 

 between them, and the kingdom of Great Britain, 

 was totallynlissolved. By this sound and deci- 

 si\'e policy, the United Colonies were delivered 

 from the embarrassments, with v.'hich they had 

 before been perj)Icxed. It was no long-er of any 

 importance to them, what were the powers and 

 prerogLitives of the crown ; or what was the 

 origin, or cxtciit of liberty, under the British 

 constitution. One question only, remained to 

 be dccitled ; and that was, whether for the 

 future, they were to be concpjered provinces, or 

 free and iudependerit states ? 



But while the declaration of Independence, 

 clearly stated to the United Colonies, the ground 

 o\\ which tliey were to stand ; it left the people 

 on the New Hampshire grants, in a situation 

 more uncertain and critical, than that in which 

 they had been before. Colonel Skeen had ob- 

 tained a commission from the crown, to be gov- 

 ernor of Ticonderog:i, Crown Point, and the 

 adjacent country ; but to what e;Ktent, was un- 

 known- Nevv }lamps!jh-e had renounced all 

 political connexion with them. The controversy 

 witli New York was reviving. The convention 

 of that state had unanimously voted, on August 

 second, 1776, " That all quit rents formerly due 

 to the king of Great Britain, are now due, and 

 <)wing to this convention, or such futiijre 



