"New York, "May 3, 1775."
While these unwelcome features of the political movements, in Westchester-county, were extending over the entire community, Lewis Morris was busily employed, after his seat in the forthcoming Congress of the Colonies had been secured beyond a peradventure, in an attempt to belittle the Declaration and Protest of those, at the White Plains, who had objected to the proceedings of the Meeting of which he was, there, the manager and Chairman. For that purpose, on the seventh of May, he prepared an elaborate reply, which, afesv days afterwards, with some other historical material, he gave to the newspapers, for publication. As an important portion of the local literature of Westchester-county, of that period, it may properly find a place in this work. The following is a carefully prepared copy of it :
"To the PUBLIC.
"A Very extraordinary paper, called a protest XX against the proceedings of the Freeholders "of the county of West-Chester, relative to the elec- " tion of deputies for the late Convention, and said to " have been subscribed by the several persons whose " names are printed with it, was published in Mess. "Rivi-ngton and Gaine's Gazetteers, a few weeks " ago.
"By whom this performance was given to the pub- " lie, is uncertain, and being as little distinguished by " decency as by truth, there is reason to suspect, the " author's name will remain a secret.
" The falsities contained in this representation, are " too flagrant to impose upon any person in this col- " ony, and nothing but the apprehension of its gain- " ing credit in other parts of the world, would have " induced me to have made it the subject of ani- " madversion.