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Show r m i [115] war, when they tended to (lifl'rel‘s :1 people {till conlidered‘ as our fellow-iiibjeeis, and to delola e a country fhortly to become again a lource of. mutual advantage: But Wilt". that country prelclle the unnatural dciign not only of eflranging 1101le from us, but of mortgaging herfelt and her retoui'Ce's to our enemies, the whole c :ntelt is changed; and the quell'ion is, how far Great-Britain may, by every means in her power, dt‘ltroy or render ufelefs a connection. contrived for her ruin, and for the aggrandizemcnt of France. Under {uch circum‘fianccs the laws of {eltvprc- l‘ervation mutt direct the conduct of Great-Britain ; and it the Britifli colonies are to become an acceflion to France, will direct her to render that accefiion of as little avail as pofiible to her enemy. " IF, however, there are any who think, that notwithflanding thefe realbnings, the independence of the colonies will, in the rel‘ult, be acknowledged by Great-Britain ; to them we aniwer without reicrve, that We neither pofiel‘s or expect powers for that purpote, and that, if Great-Britain could ever have funk to low as to adopt l‘uch a meai‘ure, we fhould not have thought ourfelves compellable to be the inftrumcnts in making a conctfhon, which would, in our opinion, be calamitous to the colonies, for whom it is made, and difgi'acei‘ul, as well as calamitous, to the country from which it is required. And we think proper to de- clare, that in this fpii'it and ltntirntnt we have regularly written from this continent to Great-Britain. " IT will now become the colonies in general to call to mind their own folemn appttls to Heaven in the lit-ginning of this conteft, that they took arms only for the redreis of grievances, and that it would be their with, as well as their interef't, to remain tor-ever connected with (}reat»Britain. We again all; them, whether all their grievances, lt‘zll or tuppoltd, have not been amply and fully rcdrelitd? And we infill, that the olltrs we have made, leave nothing to be withcd, in point either of im- nor can it either in juflice or policy be expee‘led from her. " IN fine, and for the fuller manifeltation as well of the difpolition we bear, as of the gracious and generous purpoles of the commiflion under which we act, we hereby declare, that whereas his majef‘cy, in purliiance of an act, made and pallet] in the eighteenth li'ilion of parliament, entitled, " An act to enabic his majefly to appoint Com,- " miifioners with {ufficient powers to treat, confult and (C agree upon the means of quieting the dit‘orders now " {ublifting in certain of the colonies, plantations and " provinces of North-America," having been pleated to authorize and empower us to grant a pardon or pardons to any number or defcription of per 011:: within the colo- nies, plantations and provinces of New~lflampfhire, Maf- fachufetts-Bay, Rhode-Ifland, Connecticut, New-York, New-Jerfey, Pennfylvania, the three lower Counties on Delaware, h'laryland, Virginia, North-Carolina, South- Carolina and Ge rgia: And whereas the good eH‘ecrts of the {aid authorities and powers towards the people at large, would have long lince taken place, it a due me had been made of our lirlt communications and overtures, and haye thus far been fruftrated only by the precipitate retolution of the members of the Congrefs not to treat with us, and by their declining to coni'ult with their conlli- tuents: VVe now, in making our appeal to thole conttu tuents, and to the free inhabitants of this continent in ge- neral, have determined to give to them what in our opinion fhould have been the full object of thofe who appeared to have taken the ma agement of their interel'ts, and adopt this mode of carrying the Paid authorities and powers into execution. [Va awarding/y beryl/y grant and prarlami a par(1m or pardons of (1/1 and aZZ manner of trad/0715 or mzfprflon: o [rm/ans, by (my prlfiiz 0r pelflns, or by any mini/Mr or (11' Eruption of pmflm wit/7231 the find w/mzes, p/mzmlzom or prwz‘mas, calm/Med, commands/1, after] or done on or before t/Je date oft/71's manftfla andproc/cmmtmz. mediate liberty or permanent lccui‘ity: lf thole offers are now rejected, we withdraw from the exercife of a com- " A ND we farther declare and proclaim, that it million with which we have in vain been honored; the fame liberality will no longer be due from Great-Britain, ion of_ or . deicript any . perfon. or. perfonsF., or any . number ' u x o and'lpr ions piantat s, Colonie perlons Within the laid y int-nar or civil a in either {ervmg afiually vinccs, now capacrty ' 2 nor |