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Conceive how I Could have Acted otherwise then I Did, Consistently
with the good and welfare of the province.
I was Informed by an address from the upper house, that such a
Misunderstanding Had happened between that and the late lower
house as had put a Stop to all publick Business, and Even to all Inter-
course by Messages: What Could be done in such Circumstances if
the Assembly had Continued Sitting would not that have occasioned
a heavy Charge to the Country without the least possibility of Deriv-
ing any advantage From it, was there any hopes or Probability of a
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L. H. J.
Lib. No. 45
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Reconciliation, is it not very probable the Continuance of the sitting
of that Assembly would have Increased and Aggravated the Differ-
ences which then Subsisted Could the Lower house however well
Disposed and Inclined they might have been, have Carried on the
Business of the Country without the Concurrence of the Upper, this
it too wild and Extravagant to be Even so much as Imagined. A
Dissolution or Prorogation being then absolutely necessary the Lat-
ter was made use of in Such a manner as the then situation of affairs
would admit of Viz. By Proclamation, and Indeed no other Course
Could be then Taken, I Could not have sent to the lower House for
their Attendance by any Member of the upper, it being as they
thought Inconsistent with Their Dignity to Carry any Message till
Reparation was made for the affront they apprehended they had
Received if I had sent by the Clerk of the upper house I might have
given offence to the Lower, which I was Desirous to avoid as much
as lay in my power, and these I can truly Say were the only motives
of my Acting as I did: if I had Called the same Assembly Together
again the same Dispute must have Subsisted, which made the Disso-
lution as necessary as the prorogation if any Misunderstanding
of the Like nature should unfortunately happen again I Confess
myself Entirely Ignorant of any other Course to be taken than was
at the Last meeting but I shall be so far from Shutting my Ears to
better Information, that I shall thankfully receive it after Mention-
ing the Prorogation, you proceed to a Justification of the late lower
House, in Relation to the misunderstanding that Happened between
the two Houses, in which I have not the least Concern and therefore
shall leave that affair to the Consideration of the upper house :
Only I must take notice of two Inconsistencies that Run through
your whole address Viz: Confounding the late lower House with
the present, and the Governour with the Upper House, had you
avoided, these it might have shortened your address very much
many things being Attributed to this Lower House which belonged
to the former and to the Governor which belongs to the upper house
to these are Owing the long Paragraph wherein you are pleased to
profess your Willingness and Desire to pass by the unparalleled
Treatment of your house in the Person of their Honourable Speaker,
as you are pleased to Express your Selves.
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p. 800
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