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A View of the Constitution of the British Colonies
A View of the Constitution of the British Colonies Author:Anthony Stokes Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: f Majefty, and all orders publifhed in confe- " quence thereof, are to be in force until the cc aoth of December 1783, and no longer.' CHAP. III. Of the Tb... more »irteen United States of America whofe Independence bath heen lately acknowledged by Great Britain, IN the year 1775, tne Civil War broke out in the Maflachufett's Bay, and foon extended it- felf throughout all the Thirteen Britifti Colonies, from New Hampfhire to Georgia inclufive. Numbers of the inhabitants of thole Colonies, fenfible of the happinefs they enjoyed under the Government of Great Britain, were averfe to the mea- fures carried on in America : but many of them acquiefced through fear. However, there were fome who (remembering their allegiance to their Sovereign, and their gratitude to Great Britain) adhered to their loyalty at every rifli ; and are now refpected by men of every denomination. I could adduce inftances of conduct in loyalifts, that would do honour to human nature ; but there is one which I cannot pafs over, becaufe it fhews with what firmnefs men will act, when they are confcious that they have taken the right fide ttf a queftion.—A fort was reduced by the Americans on the River Savannah; and fuch of the loyal militia as were in garrifon there, had the alternative offered them, of enlifting with the Americans, or being put to death. Amongft the loyalifts was a young man who defired a few minutes to confider of the propofal; and after a Jhort" paufe, he refolutely anfyvered; " That he preferred fc preferred death to difgrace ;" on which he immediately cue down with a broad fword. The Thirteen United Colonies declared therrl- fclves to be Free and Independent States on the 4th of July 1776. I leave it to thofe who write the Hiftory of the Civil War in America, to Ipe- cify the arts that...« less