1 " Mr Biirke having delivered to me tlie Petition to tlie King, I ha<l " the honour to present it to His Majesty, wlio wan pleased to receive " it with the most gracious expressions of reganl and attention to tlie " hunililo request of his faithful subjects in New- York, who have, on "this occasion, manifested a duty to His Mi\jesty and a regard for the "authority of the Parent State, which, had they not, in the Memoi 'ml "to till- //<)((«<■ of Lonls and in the Uipiesi-nlali'in lo tin- UoiiKinf Cuiiiiioiif, "been unfortunately blended with expressions containing Claims which " made it impossible for Parliiinient, consistent with its justice and dig- "nity, to receive them, might have laid the foundation of that liccon- "ciliation we have so long and so ardently wished fur." -- (Tlir h'Mil nj Darlmoiilli to tlorernor Tijrun, " Whitehall, >Iay i'J, 17T'i.''j

»

236 HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY.

earnest manner, not to let it escape, as possibly, the " like might never return ; " closing his remarks with the statement that " he had, several times in " the Session, expressed his sentiments, very fullj', "upon everything contained in that Remonstrance ; " as for the rest, it spoke so strongly for itself that he " did not see how people in their senses could refuse " at least the consideration of so reasonable and de- " cent an address ; " and, after having " stated the " heads of the Remonstrance" " he moved for leave to " bring it up." The Ministry was not as well disposed, however, as Mr. Burke appeared to suppose ; and Lord North promptly took the floor, to reply to what that gentleman had said. He commenced by asking the Clerk to read the official record of the proceedings of the House, in December, 1768, on a Petition of the General Assembly of Pennsylvania, and what was known as the Z'fc/ara/ory Act; and he continued by saying that he was " greatly in favour of " New York ; aud that he would gladly do everything " in lus power to shew his regard to the good behaviour " of that Colony; " but he declared that the " honour " of Parliament required that no paper should be pre- " sented to that House, which tended to call in ques- " tion the unlimited Rights of Parliament." "As to " the Quebec Duties," which was one of the Grievances against which the General Assembly had remonstrated, he said "he did not pretend to be iufal- " lible ; he confessed they were not laid as they ought " to be; and he declared that he was willing to give " satisfaction, in tliat point, immediately." "This, " however," he said, " was but a tritie to the general " ol)jects of the Remonsirance.'' An earnest Debate ensued, Messrs.