The committee met daily until the 22d September, when it made a report in part. Mr. Duane and Jay, in conformity with the known wishes of their constituents, were for such measures as should secure the rights of the colonies as then understood, and yet continue them members of the British empire, allowing to the King his acknowledged prerogatives, and to Parliament, by express declaration, her supremacy in matters of external trade and in relation tov foreign connections. Mr. Duane embodied these ideas in a preamble and a series of resolutions in substance, and some of them verbatim, which were reported to and adopted by Congress and are to be found in their Journal. The rights of the King and Parliament are. only briefly alluded to in the adopted resolutions, tho' sub- ' stantially acknowledged. in the addresses published by the Congress.

Among the subjects of debate before this committee was the question whether the Quebec bill should be reported as a griev- 'ance, and Mr. Duane was against including it in the report, but Mr. Lee, from Virginia, on territorial considerations, the eastern members, under pretence of religious. uses, and others, because it would be popular to insert it both in England and America, having united, formed a great majority against him and he acquiesced in its being reported unanimously.

The proceedings of Congress being had with closed doors, and

1072 MEMOIR OF THE

secrecy being imposed on the members, much that transpired within the Congress is unknown. Among Mr. Duane's papers is found a copy of Dr. Franklin's plan of a union of the colonies proposed in 1754, with an indorsement that it was offered to the Congress on the 28th September, by Mr. Galloway, seconded and. supported by the New-York members, but: finally rejected and ordered to be left out of the minutes.