Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 2.djvu/519

 us. vm. DEC. 27, MS.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

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" His Excellency " and " His Honor " respectively, and these titles were conferred by the first State Constitution, adopted in 1780.

In New Hampshire the Governor was called " Honorable " in 1682, " Honorable " or " Right Honorable " in 1698-9, " His Excellency " in 1699 and thereafter ; and in 1784 the Constitution ordained that " There shall be a supreme executive magis- trate, who shall be stiled, The President of the State of N^w-Hampshire ; and whose title shall be His Excellency."

In Rhode Island the Governor was called " Honored Sir " in 1708, and " His Honor " in 1719. From 1719 to 1777 both the Governor and the Deputy-Governor were called " Honorable " ; but in May, 1777, the Governor suddenly became " His Ex- cellency."

In Connecticut the Governor was ad- dressed as " Honorable Sir " in 1678, and as " Honored Governor " in 1687. In 1706 the title " Honorable " suddenly made its appearance as applied both to the Governor and to the Deputy-Governor, and remained in use until May, 1777, when it was enacted " That for the future the stile, title, or appellation of the Governor or Commander in Chief of this State for the time being- shall be His Excellency."

In New York the Governor was called " Honorable Sir " in 1678, " Right Honor- able " in 1683, and " His Excellency " in 1691 and thereafter.

In New Jersey the Governor was called " The Honourable " or "His Honor " in 1699, " His Excellency : ' in 1703, " His Honor" in 1709, and "His Excellency" in 1710 and thereafter.

In Pennsylvania the Governor was called " Honorable " in 1689, and " His Excel- lency " in 1693. In 1702 and thereafter both the Governor and the Lieutenant - Governor were called " Honorable." and addressed as " His Honor." Except for a brief period about 1693, when a royal Governor was sent over by William III., Pennsylvania was a proprietary govern- ment, and both the proprietary (who was also the Governor) and the Lieutenant - Governor were called " Honorable." On 5 March, 1777, a President and Vice- President were elected, and the former was " proclaimed by the Stile and Title of ' His ExcellencyThomasWharton, Junior, Esquire, President of the Supreme Executive Council of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,' : &c.

In Maryland the Governor was called " His Excellency " in 1692 and thereafter.

In North Carolina the Governor was called " Honorable " in 1695, and " His Excellency ' r in 1731 and thereafter ; .and on 20 Dec., 1776, it was ordained "That Richard Caswell, Esquire, be and is hereby con- stituted and appointed Governor of this State, with the Style and Title of Excellency."

In South Carolina the Governor was called "Honorable" in 1696, and "His Excellency " in 1721 and thereafter ; and in 1776 John Rutledge was called "His Excellency the President. . . .of South Caro- lina."

In Georgia the Governor was called " His Excellency " in 1754, when it became a royal province ; in 1776 the first President of Georgia was called " His Excellency " ; but the Constitution adopted in 1777 ordained that " they shall proceed to the- choice of a Governor, who shall be stiled Honorable.""

It is probably safe to say that in no colony was a Lieutenant -Governor ever called " His Excellency."

At the second reference MR. J. F. HOGAN says :

"The point raised needs some research among the archives of the Colonial Office. I fancy it will be found that it was not until the rise of the self- governing colonies, and the evolution of a socially superior type of Governor, that ' Your Excellency ' came to be officially recognized in Downing Street/"

As a matter of fact, however, Downing Street had nothing to do with the matter at all, since no title was imposed from, White- hall, and all titles originated in the Ame- rican colonies themselves (though of course it may have been different in Australia) ; and hence research should be made, not in the Public Record Office, but in the archives of the original thirteen American colonies. Indeed, there is at least one instance where a circular from Dunk Halifax, dated 11 May,. 1756, was addressed " To His ExcelK Hunter Morris, Esq r, DepJ' Governor of Pensylvania " thus using a title which was not recognized in Pennsylvania itself.

It will be observed that between 1776 and 1784 the title " His Excellency " was legally conferred in at least six States, though previously unknown in several of them, and the title " Honorable " in one State. No sooner was Washington appointed to the command of the American army in 1775 than he was called " His Excellency General Washington." Upon his inauguration as President in 1789 he was actually alluded to- rn one newspaper as " His Highness," and