9. When the news reached Governor Tryon, at New Bern, the General Assembly was in session at that place. A very bold and fearless man, Colonel John Ashe, was then Speaker of the House of Assembly. Governor Tryon asked of Ashe, in private conversation, what the House would do as to the new law." We will resist its execution to the death," said he, and that very day Governor Tryon sent them all home by proroguing the session. Nor did he permit them to assemble again until late in the next year, after the repeal of the Stamp Act. By this means he prevented the election of delegates from North Carolina to the Continental Congress which met in New York in 1765 to organize the opposition to that oppressive measure. [Prorogue is to continue or adjourn a legislative body from one session to another by Royal or State authority. ] 10. The first step of the people in their resistance to the Stamp Act was to carry James Houston, who had been appointed Stamp Agent, before Moses John DeRosset, who was then Mayor of Wilmington. There, in the presence of many distinguished men of the Cape Fear country, on the 16th of November, 1765, he was obliged publicly to resign his office in the Court House of Wilmington, and make oath that he would have no further connection with it. 11. Twelve days later, on the 28th November, 1765, the ship of war Diligence arrived with stamps. The commander was told by armed men, under Colonels Ashe and Waddell, that they must not be landed; and no effort was made to do so. On the 21st December, 1765, the Governor issued his proclamation dissolving the General Assembly, and on the same day took the opinion of his Council and the Attorney-General "whether writs can issue for the election of a new Assembly, as the circulation of the stamps is obstructed." The Council and Attorney-General advised that the writs could go without stamps. 1766. 12. On the 6th January, 1766, Governor Tryon, taking fresh courage from some source, went so far as to issue a proclamation announcing that the stamps were on board the Diligence and ready for distribution. It did no good, however, for no one would use them. Comparative quiet now ensued for some weeks, but it was only the calm before the storm. 13. On the 14th of February, two vessels that had come up to the port of Brunswick without stamps upon their clearance papers were promptly seized by the Custom House officers, and then the storm arose. On the 19th, armed men broke open the desk of the Collector of the Port, and forcibly carried off the unstamped clearance papers of the two vessels. On the 20th, a committee of armed men appeared on board the Viper and demanded of Captain Lobb the two sloops he was guarding. Meanwhile armed men were continually coming into Brunswick from different counties.