Page:American History Told by Contemporaries, v2.djvu/111

No. 30] its to be inferred that, surely they are wronged & oppressed, or else they would never rebell agt the Laws. By these appears Information, That the People on the Societys Tract, had made a firm Agreement, to defend all their Farms there by Mobb, and that Maidenhead, & great Numbers of others, had joyned in firm Engagements to stand by one another to Death, tho' they have no Pretence to any Right but Poss'ion & Improvem.t And that they were resolved sho.d they be opposed by Fire Arms, to take up Fire Arms to defend theirselves That they would not mind either the Gov.r or the King himself, if of a different Way of thinking from them ; And that the King himself was unable to quell Mobs in England, any other Way than by granting their Desires. . ..

By these it appears, that the Rioters had formed a Design of coming to Burlington (where the sev.l Branches of the Legislature are sitting) in a Body on the 16.th Day of December, & that Advertisements, to give Notice of that Design to the Rioters, had been set up, in sundry Places, requiring their Attendance, for that Purpose.

The Co.11 & Assembly, on Notice of that Design, in a free Conference, agreed to make Resolves of their sev.l Houses ag.t it, & to send them to the Sheriffs of the sev.l Countys, from & thro' which, the Rioters were likely to come, to publish, Which was accordingly done, And we have been credibly informed, that many of the Rioters were on their Way, coming, but, on Notice of sd Resolves, returned. . . . On the 18th of Feb'ry 1747, His Exc.y gave his Assent to two Acts that had before been past by the Co.11 & Assembly viz.t An Act for the suppressing & preventing of Riots, Tumults & other Disorders, within this Colony, by w'ch Penaltys or Imprisonm.ts are enacted to be inflicted upon Persons that shall be guilty of any of the like Disturbance for the future, & ano.r Act intitled, An Act for avoiding Actions of Slander & for Stay of Proceedings until the 1.st Day of Octo.r 1748, in other Civil Actions ag.t the late Rioters. . . . The Day before, to witt, the 17.th Day of Febry 1747, His Ex.cy the Gov.r passed His Maj.tys most gracious Pardon, Entitled, An Act to pardon the Persons guilty of the Insurrections, Riots & Disorders raised & committed in this Province. . . . By the Att.y Gen.ls Certificate it appears that no more than Nine Persons have made any Application to him, for the Benefit of the s.d Pardon, & as the Fees of Prosecution were payable to him, no more than those 9. Persons who have been prosecuted, have intituled themselves to that Pardon, Yet those who have accepted & complyed with the other