1797") 
this mode has been exprefsly held out 
@5 a plan not to be departed from by the 
Houle of Commons, and the very condi- 
tion, on which the legiflacure ig to accept 
the dependance of the colonies. 
At length, when an act, putting ycur 
people out of your protection, was paff- 
ed,. your miniftecs fuffered feveral 
months to elapfe without affording to 
ri lem, OF any Kf them, the means of en- 
tering into that proteétion, even on un- 
conditional fubmithion, contrary to your 
majefty’s gracious declaration, and the’ 
public faith. 
We cannot, therefore, agree to unite 
in new feverities againft the brethren of 
our blood; for an independency, Zo 
which we know, in our confcience, they 
have been neceifitated, by the conduét of 
thofe very perfons who make ule of 1c to 
provoke us to a continuance and repeti- 
tion of the <€ts which, in a regular. pro- 
greffion, have led to this great misfortune 
The reaions, dread Sir, which ie 
been ufed to juftify this pe rfeverance, 
in a refufal to hear. or coaciliate, have 
been reduced into a fort of parliame nt- 
ary maxims, which we do not approve. 
The firft of thefe maxims is, that the two 
Houfes ought not tu receive, as they have 
‘hitherto refufed to receive, petitions 
containing matter derogatory to any part 
of the ai uthority they claim. We con- 
ccive this maxim, and the conf equcnt 
practice, to be unjuftifable by reaion, or 
the praétice of other fovereign powers,: 
and muft be produétive, if adhered to, 
of a total feparation between this king- 
dom and its dependencies. 
The fupreme power being, in ordi- 
nary cafes, the ultimaie judge, can, as 
we conceive, fuffer nothing in having 
any part of his rights excepted to, ae 
even difcuffed, before himfelf. We know 
that fovereigns in other countries, where 
the affertion of abfolute regal power is 
as high as the affertion of abfolute power 
in any politic body can be here, have, 
notwitiftanding, received many petitions 
in direct: op polition to anany of their 
claims of prerogative ; have liftened to 
them ; condeicended to difcufs, and to 
give anfwers tothem. ‘This refufal to 
admit even the difcuffion of any part of 
an undefined prerogative, will naturally 
tend to annihilate any privilege that can 
be claimed by any inferior dependent 
community, or any fubordinate order in 
the ftate. 
The next maxim which has been put 
as a bar to any plan of accommodation, 
is, that nou offer of terms of peace ought 
them, 
Zo the Seceffion of the Oppujition. 23 
to be made, before parliament is aflured 
that thefe terms will be accepied. In 
this we beg leave to reprefent to your 
majefty, that if, in all events, the policy 
of this kingdom is to govern the people 
in your colonies as a frec people, no mil- 
chief can happea. from a declaration to 
and to: the world, of the manner: 
and form in’ which parhament propotes 
that they fhall enjoy the treedom which 
It communicates. Jt is an encouraye- 
ment to the innocent and meritorious, 
that they, at leaft, fhall enjoy thofe ad- 
vantages which they patiently expect- 
ed. rather from the benig guity of pariia~ 
ment, than their own eHoris. Perjons 
more contumacious may allo fee, that 
they are refifting terms of, perhaps, 
greater freedom and bappinets, than they 
are now in armis to obtain. Tne plory 
and propriety of oftered mercy, 1s neither 
tarnifhed nor weakened by the folly of 
tnofe who refule.to take advantage of it; 
and we ee think thar the declaration 
f independency makes any natural dit- 
ference a the reafon and policy of the 
offer. No prince out of poffedion of hiv 
dames, and become a fovereign de 
He only, ever thought it derogstory to 
his rights, or his imtere f, to hold out to 
his former fubjeéts a dittingt profpest of 
the advantages to be derived from his 
re-admithon, and a fecurity for fome of 
the moft pa enial of thofe popular 
privileges, in vindication of which he had 
been fapiet On the contrary, fuch 
offers have been almoft uniformly made 
under fimilar circumftances. Befide, as 
your mejetty has been gracioufly pleated 
to declare your intention of refioring the 
people in the colonies to a ftate of daw 
and liberty, no objeétion can polfibly ile 
againit defining what thar law and 
liberty are ; becaufe thofe who olfer, and 
thofe who are to receive terins, fre- 
quently differ in the objets to which 
they apply fuch words: To fay that 
we do not know, at this day, what the 
grievamces of the colonies are, be they 
real or pretended, would be ee orthy 
of us; but by waiting, under this pres 
text, until their grievances are tranimit- 
ted to us by certain commillioners, 
weakens their powers of treaty, and we 
protraét the happy hour of peace by at 
leaft two fuperfluous voyages acrofs the 
Atlantic. In the mean time, we are 
watiing the fubftance of both countries ; 
we are continuing the effufion of human, 
of Chriftian, of Englith blood; a confi- 
deration too ferious to fuffer us to trifle, 
by a pretended ignorance of the origin 
of 

