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Show [58] [59‘] Compatibility of colonial liberty and parliamentary an; thorny in commercial l‘iipei'intendency by acts of. lcgif» lation, to the eli'tét ot‘external, cxcluhvely of the. idea of internal, taxation:---'l‘hefe, with all thejai'gon incult'nt to them, were at an end. A tingle clear point was put on the illiie of the contelt, whe her we fliould be conquered en- llaveil provinces, or free and independent States .P And on this propolition every man was in capacity to take his decided part. UPON the 3d day of September, 1776, general Sulli- ' van, who had been made pi'ii‘oner by the enemy in the action of Long liland, delivered the t‘ollowmg mellage t0 Congrels from lord Howe ; inflorm lorJ Howe, that this Coiigrcl}, beingr the reprr. f iitatives of the free and independent States of Aineritr }, c; nnot with propriety fend any of its mei‘nbers, to confer with his lordlhip in their private cliai'aoters, but that ever defirous of eltablilhing peace on i'eatonable terms, they will {end a committee of their body, to know whether he has any authority to treat with pzrrlbiis authorized by Congrels for that plii‘pofe in behalfoFAniei Eva, and what that authority is, and to hear i'iieh pl't‘ipoiliit'né as he {hall think fit to make refpec'ling the lid ; " That the prelident be denpn to write to general VValhington, and acquaint him, that it is the opinion of Congrets, no propolhls for making peace between Goat- Britain and the United State: 0. America ought to he received or attended to, unlel's the {time be made in writ-r " That, though he could not at prefent treat with ing and addrefied to the rcprelentatives of the {aid ltates Congrels as hich, yet he was very delirous of having a Ut,'llft‘l'€llC€ with thine of the members, whom he would com'ider for the pretiznt only as private gentlemen, and in Congrats, or perfons authorized by thcm : And if ap~ meet them himftlf as liicli, at fuch place as they {hould appoint: " That he, in conjunction with general Howe, had full power: to compromife the difpute between Great-Britain and America upon terms advantageous to both, the ob- taining of which delayed him near two months in Eng- land, and prevented his arrival at this place before the declaration of independency took place : " That he wilhed a compaé't might be fettled at this time, when no decilive blow was Greek, and neither party plication be made to him by anv oft‘ne commanders of the Britilh forces on that lllbi'c‘fl', [that he inform them, that thefe United States, who entered into the war only tor the defence of their lives and liberties, Will cheerfully agree to peace on reafonable terms, whenever tuch {hall be pi‘0~ poled to them in manner aforeiliid." i THE committee was appointed the next day, and iipw on the 17th made the following report, " IN obedience to the orders of Congrets, we have had a meeting with lord Howe. It was on Vl/‘ediielilay lait up- Could fay that they were compelled to enter into {inch on Staten-llland, oppolite to Amboy, where his lordlhip agreement : received and entertained us with the utmolt politeneik. " His lordi'hip opened the converfation by acquainting us, that, tho' he could not treat with us as a committee of Coiigrefs, yet, as his powers enabled him to confer and cont‘ult with any private gentlemen ofinfluence in the " That, in cafe Congrefs Were difpofed to treat, many things, which they had not as yet alked, might and ought to be granted them; and that, if upon the conference, they found any probable ground of an accommodation, the authority of Congrefs mull be afterwards acknonm ledged, otherwife the compaé't would not be complete." ON the 5th of September the Congrefs came to the following rtlolution‘s 5, to wit, " RESOLVED, That general Sullivan be requcficd to inform colonies, on the means ofretloring peace between the two countries, he was glad of this opportunity of conferring; With us on that fubject, if we thought ourtelves at libero; to enter into a conference with him in that character. "It: obferved to his lordfllip, that, as our bufincfs was to hear, he might confider us in what light he pleated, and Conn giunicate to us any propolitions he might. be authorithd to 1:1 2 make \t |