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and fhall leave the town of Savannah, or the hamlets thereto belonging, during the prefent alarm; and fuch perfons fhall be precluded from any fupport or countenance towards obtaining an indemnifica

tion.

Refolved, That it be incumbent upon the friends of America in this province to defend the metropolis, as long as the fame fhall be tenable.

Refolved, That rather than the fame fhall be held and occupied by our enemies, or the fhipping now in the port of Savannah taken and employed by them, that the fame fhall be burnt and deftroyed.

Refolved, That orders fhall be iffued to the commanding officer, directing him to have the foregoing refolution put in execution.

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in forming and enacting laws by their own private authority, in oppofition to the lawful rights of our brother, friend, and ally, the King of Great Britain: and whereas fo pernicious an example ought to engage every Prince, even those it interefts the leaft, not to abet, favour, or affift, by any means, directly or indirectly, fuch fubjects united in fuch direct and open rebellion against their natural fovereign: it is our pleasure, and we do hereby ordain, that no fhip, with lading or without, coming from any of the ports of the aforefaid British America, shall be allowed any intercourfe with or entrance into any of the ports of thefe our kingdoms, or of the dominions thereunto belonging; but that, on the contrary, they shall be forced away immediately on their arrival, without fuccour of any kind whatever: and that as to the maflers of veffels who have hitherto been fuffered to enter (there not appearing reafon for their being excluded) it fhall be notified to them, that within the precife term of eight days, to be counted fucceffively, they fhall quit the faid ports with their veffels, which shall first be fearched, in order to difcover if they have gunpowder on board, or any other of those warlike ftores, the export of which was prohibited to them by our Royal Decree of the 21st of Octo ber laft, directed to the officers of When Asformed that the our arfenal and exportation duties:

A true Copy from the Minutes.
ED. LANGWORTH, Sec.

The two following Papers Jeem to exhibit the Extremes of Zeal and Indifference, with which the Powers of Europe regard the preJent Quarrel between Great Britain and her North American Colonies; and, therefore, cannot but be entertaining to the Reader.

Decree of his Moft Faithful Majefty the King of Portugal, dated the 4th of June, 1776.

HEREAS we have lately

British Colonies of North America lave, by an act of the Congref held on the 5th of May laft pat, not only declared themfelves Entirely free from all fubjection to the crown of Great Britain, but were moreover actually employed

and that if any fuch ftores or ammunition fhall be found put on board by ftealth, the faid veffels, as a capture from declared rebels, fhall be confifcated for the ufe of carrying on the public buildings; and fo be it understood by the

Council

Council of our Finances, which hall order printed copies of this our Decree to be taken off, and fixed up in all the public places of the city of Lifbon, and in all the ports of this kingdom, and that of Algarve, that it may come to the knowledge of all, and that no one may plead ignorance.

Palace of the Aejuda, fourth of Jane, one thoufand feven hundred and feventy-fix.

With the royal fignature.

Subftance of a Letter, dated at St. Ildefonso, the 7th of October, written by the Marquis de Gri. maldi, to the Governor of Bilboa, relative to an American Corfair, which had taken five English Ships, and had been detained thereupon at faid Port, at the Requeft of the English Vice Conful; with the Proceedings of the Governor, in confequence thereof.

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"Tadvice from

HAT having received the Governor of Bilboa, respecting the detention of an American fhip, named the Hawke, Captain John Lee, and the feveral atteftations of the perfons concerned, which had been laid before his Majefty, he had been pleased to declare, "That in confequence of the amity fubfifting between his Catholic Majefty and the King of Great-Britain, he fhould maintain a perfect neutrality during the prefent war; that he fhould not give any aid to the Colonifts; but should not deny their being admitted into any ports of his dominions, while they conformed to the laws of the country."

In confequence of the above letter, the Governor fet at liberty

the American veffel, delivered her back her papers, and fupplied her with fuch provisions, water, &c. (care being taken that no prohibited goods fhould be fent on board) as should enable her to proceed on her voyage.

Reasons affigned by the Continental Congress, for the North American Colonies and Provinces withdrawing their Allegiance to the King of Great-Britain.

In CONGRESS, July 4, 1776. A DECLARATION by the REPRESENTATIVES of the UNITED STATES of AMERICA, in GENERAL CONGRESS affembled.

W

HEN in the courfe of human events it becomes neceffary for one people to diffolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to affume among the powers of the earth the feparate and equal ftation to which the laws of nature and of Nature's God intitle them, a decent refpect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the caufes which impel them to the feparation.

We hold thefe truths to be felfevident that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among thefe aré life, liberty, and the purfuit of happiness. That to fecure thefe rights, governments are inftituted among men, deriving their just powers from the confent of the governed; and, whenever any form of government becomes deftructive [R] 3

`of

of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to inftitute a new government, laying its foundations on fuch principles, and organizing its powers in fuch form as to them thall feem moft likely to effect their fafety and happiness. Prudence indeed will dictate that governments long eftablished should not be changed for light and tranfient caufes; and accordingly all experience hath fhewn, that mankind are more difpofed to fuffer, while evils are fufferable, than to right themfelves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed; but when a Jang train of abufes and ufurpations, purfuing invariably the fame object, evinces a defign to reduce them under abfolute defpotifm, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off fuch government, and to provide new guards for their future fecurity. Such has been the patient fufferings of thefe colonies, and fuch is now the neceffity which conftrains them to alter their former fyftems of government. The history of the present of , is a hiftory of repeated injuries and ufurpations; all having in direct object the efla blishment of an abfolute tyranny over thefe States. To prove this, let facts be fubmitted to a candid world.

He has refufed his affent to laws, the most wholefome and neceffary for the public good.

He has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immediate and preffing importance, unless fufpended in their operation till his affent fhould be obtained; and, when fo fufpended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refufed to pass other

laws for the accommodation of large diftricts of people, unlefs thofe people would relinquish the rights of reprefentation in the legiflature; a right ineftimable to them, and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legiflative bodies at places unufual, uncomfortable, and diftant from the depofitory of their public records, for the fole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has diffolved Reprefentative Houfes repeatedly, for oppofing, with manly firmnefs, his invafions on the rights of the people.

He has refufed, for a long time after fuch diffolution, to caufe others to be erected; whereby the legislative powers, incapable of annihilation, have returned to the people at large, for their exercife: the State remaining in the mean time expofed to all the dangers of invafion from without, and convulfions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of thefe States; for that purpofe obftructing the laws for naturalization of foreigners, refufing to pafs others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new appropriations of lauds.

He has obftructed the adminifration of juftice, by refufing his affent to laws for eftablishing judiciary powers.

He has made judges dependent on his will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their falaries.

He has erected a multitude of new offices, and fent hither fwarms of officers to harafs our people, and eat out their fubfiftence.

He

of

He has kept among us in times peace ftanding armies, without the confent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the military independent of, and fuperior to, the civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurifdiction foreign to our conftitution, and unacknow ledged by our laws, giving his af fent to their pretended acts of legiflation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock trial, from punishment, for any marders which they fhould commit on the inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world:

For impofing taxes on us without

our confent :

For depriving us, in many cafes, of the benefit of trial by jury:

For transporting us beyond feas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free fyttem of English laws in a neighbouring pro. vince, establishing therein an arbitrary government, and enlarging its boundaries, fo as to render it at once an example and fit inftrument for introducing the fame abfolute rule into these colonies:

For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of our governments:

For Jufpending our own legiflatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legiflate for us in all cafes whatsoever.

He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his protection, and waging war against

us.

He has plundered our feas, ra

vaged our coafts, burnt our towns, and deftroyed the lives of our people.

He is, at this time, transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries, to complete the works of death, defolation, and tyranny, al-, ready begun with circumftances of cruelty and perfidy fcarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellowcitizens, taken captive on the high feas, to bear arms against their country, to become the executioners of their friends and brethren, or to fall themselves by their hands.

He has excited domeftic infurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers the merciless Indian favages, whofe known rule of warfare is an undistinguished deftruction of all ages, fexes, and conditions.

In every stage of thefe oppreffions we have petitioned for redress, in the most humble terms; our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury.-A prince, whofe character is thus marked by every act which may define a ty rant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have we been wanting in attention to our British brethren. We have warned them, from time to time, of attempts, by their legislature, to extend an unwarrant able jurifdiction over us; we have reminded them of the circumitances of our emigration and fettlement, here; we have appealed to their native juftice and magnanimity; and we have conjured them, by the ties of our common kindred, to difavow thefe ufurpations, which [R] 4

would

would invincibly interrupt our connections and correfpondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of juftice and confanguinity. We muft therefore acquiefce in the neceffity which denounces our feparation, and hold them, as we bold the rest of mankind, enemies in war, in peace friends.

We, therefore, the Reprefentatives of the United States of America, in General Congrefs affembled, appealing to the Supreme JUDGE of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name, and by the authority of the good people of thefe Colonies, folemnly publish and declare, that - thefe, United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES, and that they are abfolved from all allegiance to the British crown, and that all political connection between them and the ftate of GreatBritain is, and ought to be, totally diffolved; and that, as free and independent States, they have full power to levy war, conclude · peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent States may of right do. And for the fupport of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our - lives, our fortunes, and our facred honour.

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Signed by order, and in behalf of the Congrefs,

JOHN HANCOCK, Prefident.

Atteft, CHARLES THOMSON, Secretary.

Articles of Confederation and perpetual Union between the States of New-Hampshire, Maffachufet'sBay, Rhode-lfland, Connecticut, New-York, Penfylvania, the Counties of Newcastle, Kent, and Suffex, on Delaware-River, Maryland, Virginia, North-Carolina, SouthCarolina, Georgia.

N. B. These articles of Confederation, after having been long weighed and difcuffed, line by line, in the Congrefs, were at length refolved upon, and figned by all the Delegates, the 4th of October 1776, at Philadelphia, fuch as they are here fet forth; and in confequence were immediately fent to the other States to be confirmed by them.

ARTICLE I.

THE Thirteen States above

mentioned, confederate themfelves under the title of The UNITED STATES of AMERICA.

II.

They contract, each in their own name, by the prefent conftitution, a reciprocal treaty of alliance and friendship for their common defence, for the maintenance of their liberties, and for their general and mutual advantage; obliging themfelves to affist each other againft all violence that may threaten all, or any one of them, and to repel in common all the attacks that may be levelled against all or any one of them, on account of religion, fovereignty, commerce, or under any other pretext whatfoever.

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