They sent Messrs. Nesbitt, Newton and Rundell, to wait on the Governor,
who sent Messrs. Morris and Green from the Council to swear them in.
They then chose Robert Saunderson their speaker, which was confirmed by
the Governor, who addressed them as follows: "Gentlemen of the Council
and House of Representatives: His Majesty having been most graciously
pleased by his royal instructions to his Governors of this Province to
direct the calling an assembly of the freeholders to act in conjunction
with his Governor and Council as the Legislative Authority, when such a
measure should be found essential to his service; I am to assure you
that it is with particular pleasure I now meet you convened in that
capacity, in consequence of a plan some time since formed here for that
purpose, with the advice and assistance of His Majesty's Council, and
by me transmitted to the Lord Commissioner for Trade and Plantations to
be laid before His Majesty for his approbation.
"Gentlemen of the House of Representatives:
"I entertain the most sanguine hopes that you are come together
unanimously disposed to promote the service of the Crown, or in other
words, the real welfare and prosperity of the people whom you have the
honour to represent, in every point to the utmost of your authority and
capacity.
"This, I presume, you will conceive is justly to be expected, not only
from the immediate regard due to the Civil Rights and Interests of your
constituents, but likewise from the unspeakable obligations you are
under to demonstrate in their behalf your dutiful sense of His Majesty's
paternal concern for the prosperity and security of those his subjects
in those distinguishing marks of his royal favour and protection which
we have from time to time so happily experienced in the fleets and
armies sent out for our immediate preservation when we were under the
most imminent danger of being swallowed up by a merciless enemy; also in
the ample supplies of money for so many years annually granted for the
support and encouragement of this infant colony; and moreover still, in
the continuance of His Majesty's royal bounty for that purpose, when
from the seeming inclination of the inhabitants to have an assembly
convened some time ago, it might have been presumed, and indeed by an
article of His Majesty's Instructions, which I shall order to be laid
before you, it has been judged that the Colony has become capable of
providing for the necessary support of government here, as has been
usual in all His Majesty's other American Dominions.
"Gentlemen of both Houses:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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