23d May 1760

To the King's Most Excellent Majesty.

The Humble address of the assembly of North Carolina.

Most Gracious Sovereign

We Your Majesty's Most Dutiful and Loyal Subjects, the Members of the Assembly of North Carolina, beg leave to Offer to your Majesty Our most Sincere and hearty Congratulations upon the Glorious Success of your Arms by Sea and Land; And to render our Dutiful Acknowledgments and unfeigned Thanks to Your Majesty, for the Paternal Care and Vigilant Protection which has been extended to your infant Colonies in America.

No Consideration Most Gracious Sovereign less than the Prospect of total ruin to your faithful Subjects from under exertions of power & internal Commotions in this distressed Province could induce us at so important a Conjecture to Trouble Your Royal Ears with Complaints. But when by injudicious and partial appointments of Justice not qualified for such trust, And the abrupt Removal of others whose Characters have been liable to no objection, Magistracy has fallen into Contempt, and Courts have lost their Influence and Dignity; When Mobs and insurrections are permitted to assemble in different parts of the province, Erecting Shan jurisdictions imprisoning Your Majesty's Subjects, Breaking Open Goals and releasing Malefactors with impunity; When Several of the Male Contents in these riotous and treasonable Assemblys are honoured with Commissions from his Excellency as Justice and Malitia Officers; When persons have suffered Corporal Punishment by the Arbitrary and Private Orders of Justices, and those Justices Still retained in their Officers; When Moneys have been exacted on the Subject for the use of the Governor and Secretary, expressly against Law; When the Form of Writs of election have been Arbitrarily altered and diversified to get Particular men Chosen, and defeat the Choice of others; Some of them directing the Freeholders others the Inhabitants generally to Chuse by which last Form Servants and even Convicts might be admitted to elect, Whereas by the Royal Charter of King Charles the Second Laws are directed to be made by the assent of the Freemen or of their Delegates; When a Writ has been issued, to one County for Fewer Members than they have used and ought to send, And to another none at all till Several Bills has passed in the Present Session; By which open Practices it remained no longer a Secret that the Governor intended to Model the Assembly for his Own Particular Purposes in like Manner as he had before reformed the Council by Suspensions and new appointments; When being insulted by Blood Thirsty Savages on our Exterior Settlements; And in no less Danger of falling a prey to our internal Enemies, Whither Can we resort for Succour but to your Sacred Majesty, as the fountain from whence Justice and Protection is derived to your Most distant Subjects.

The facts here enumerated We beg your Majesty's Permission to say, are far from being a Compleat Catalogue of the Sufferings of Your faithful and dutiful Subjects in this Province, who nevertheless have, with the Greatest Chearfulness and Alacrity, embraced every Opportunity of Testifying their Zeal and Loyalty to Your Majesty, as well as exerted their utmost Efforts in the Maintenance of Your indubitable Rights, Never having Neglected a Single Supply required for your Majesty's Service, tho' it gives us the greatest Concern that in the Maintenance of Your indubitable Rights, Never having Neglected a Single Supply required for your Majesty's Service, tho' it gives us the greatest Concern that in the application of the Several Aids, which have been under the Governor's directions, less regard has been had to the Useful Purposes intended by the Assembly than to the insisting his Particular Friends and Favourites; Military Commissions having been granted to Several Persons of Little or no Weight in the Province; which delayed the praising recruits, and retarded the Common Service. Your Majesty will graciously permit us to add that it has been a Misfortune peculiar to this Unhappy Province that by the Governor's Decisive influence on the Council as have hitherto been Prevented appointing an Agent to represent our Dutiful Affections to your Majesty and Solicit our Provincial Affairs at the Publick Boards in England: In the Sessions in May last Provision was made for such an Appointment in a Bill for Granting An Aid to your Majesty in Consequence of Mr. Secretary Pitts Letter at that Time laid before the House, this Bill was peremptorily rejected by the Council without even Assigning any Reason for so extraordinary a Procedure: The Governor thereupon prorogued the House with a Speech in which He very freely censured their Conduct for presuming to insert a Clause relative to Such an Appointment in a Bill of Aid, altho' Bills of the same Kind with Clauses as little Analogus to the Aid had without the least exception been before passed in his Administration; But it was Notorious that the True Reasons of the Councils rejection of that Bill, and of the Governor's displeasure with the Assembly was because one Mr. Smith his Own private Attorney in London, has not been proposed by the Assembly for that appointment: Thus was the Aid then intended by your Dutiful Subjects defeated by an Abrupt Dismission of the Assembly, and Your Majesty's Service particularly recommended by your Secretary of State postponed, to gratify Partial Views and Private Interest; Whilst the real Motive was covered with feigned objections and Subtle refinements, never before offered to an Assembly in this Province.

Most Gracious Sovereign We defer mentioning many abuses of Power and Acts of Oppression other than these which, constrained by Necessity of the Times and disponding Situation of the Province, we have already related. Nothing less than the prospect of impending ruin and disolution would induce us at this Time to remonstrate against the Conduct of a Governor to the Ease and happiness of those Administration we Vainly endeavoured to Contribute; For Sometime we have remained passed under the Yoke of Oppression, unwilling to interupt the important ravocations which Necessarily engage your Majesty's attention, But perceiving ourselves on the Brink of Anarchy and Ruin, We therefore with all humility and Duty most Humbly Supplicate your Majesty's Justice and Speedy relief.

Saml. Swann Speaker

By Order

Wm. Herritage Clk. of the Assembly

Address of Assembly of North Carolina