|
|
Excellency our Thanks for your Speech at the Opening of this
Session.
With the greatest Pleasure we embrace the Opportunity you have
now afforded us, of Congratulating you on the many and extraor-
dinary Successes, which, by the Favour of Divine Providence, have
attended his Majesty's Fleets and Armies, throughout the Cuurse
of the last Year, in whatever Part of the World employed; and
which, it might reasonably be hoped, would have inclined his Maj-
esty's Enemies to Peace, upon Terms consistent with the Honour
and Dignity of his Crown, and securitative of the Interests of all
his Subjects: But as that great and desirable End has not been
obtained, and the French King, instigated by his boundless Ambition,
seems determined by fresh and vigorous Efforts, to prosecute his
hostile Views; we cannot but gratefully acknowledge the vigilant
Care of our most gracious Sovereign, in commanding General Am-
herst to proceed in the Reduction of Canada; in Order, as well to
render the Designs of his Enemies abortive, as to improve the great
and important Advantages gained the last Campaign in North-
America.
The Letters your Excellency has been pleased to lay before us,
shall immediately be taken into Consideration; and we hope our
Proceedings thereupon will shew, as we flatter ourselves our Pro-
ceedings always have done, that whatever Censure upon the Be-
haviour of this Province, the unhappy Issue of the late Sessions may
have given Room for, it was not in the least owing to any Want in
Us, of Loyalty, Affection, or Gratitude to our most gracious Sov-
ereign, the best of Kings.
We observe your Excellency's pathetic and particular Admonition
to us, to avoid, with Caution, the Rock on which we have heretofore
split; and as you have thought proper to communicate to us the
Opinion of his Majesty's Attorney-General, (tho' given, as we pre-
sume, only as private Counsel to the Lord Proprietary), relative to
the two Bills offered by us to the Upper House, for raising Supplies,
being desirous to pay it all due Regard, we cannot but wish that
Opinion had been accompanied with the State of the Case upon
which it was founded; especially as we are not at present convinced,
that the Gentlemen of the Upper House could not have Assented to
|
L. H. J.
Liber No. 51
March 25
|
|
|
|
those Bills without a Breach of their Duty, and a Violation of our
Constitution; And we hope, the Bill we shall now Frame for raising
Supplies for his Majesty's Service, will be consistent with the Liber-
ties and Privileges of British Subjects, and justifiable upon the
Principles of our Constitution, and consequently demonstrate, that
the Representatives of his Majesty's faithful and loyal Subjects of
this Province, are animated with the same laudable Spirit, which
hath, since the Beginning of this War, so remarkably excited their
Fellow-Subjects to exert their most vigorous Efforts.
|
p. 182
|
|
