mit us to conclude by expressing our full belief, that all our evils and suffering are tokens of divine displeasure for our sins, and as our ultimate reliance is not on an arm of flesh, but on the God of our fathers, will not the legislature on their coming together deem it their first duty to set apart an early day, inviting the inhabitants of this Commonwealth to observe the same as a day of fasting, humiliation, and prayer. Through God we shall do valiantly, for he it is that shall tread down our enemies. "Attest. PAUL JEWETT, Moderator.

JOSHUA JEWETT, Town Clerk."

The above petition was almost unanimously adopted, and ordered to be signed by the moderator and town clerk, and forwarded to the legislature.

On the declaration of war with England, in June, 1812, the legislature of Massachusetts being in session, the House of Representatives made an address to the people of this Commonwealth, touching the subject of the war. On the 15th of July, the inhabitants of the town of Rowley were convened in legal town meeting, "to consider said. address, and to express their opinion on the solemn crisis of public affairs, by resolve or otherwise, and to choose delegates to meet in a county convention, for the purpose of consulting upon the awful and alarming situation of the country by reason of the war, and of adopting all constitutional measures for the restoration of peace and free commerce, on which the well-being of this Commonwealth essentially depends."

At this meeting, Parker Cleaveland, Thomas Merrill, and Joshua Jewett, Esqrs., were appointed a committee to draft resolves expressing the opinion of the town upon the present momentous crisis of public affairs, who submitted the following report.

"The history of nations and the fall of empires fully evince, that man intrusted with power is capable of great political defection, progressing to the complete sacrifice of the rights of the people upon the altar of his ambition. In a representative government, recurrence to frequent elections is instituted as a check against the abuse of power, but the unprincipled and persevering demagogue can propagate discord among brethren, foment divisions, and, by the grossest deception, art, and intrigue, raise a faction, whose misplaced confidence and blind attachment, secures their favorite until he ripens his projects of despotism, nor suffers his constituents to awake but by the clanking of those chains which enthrones their master as tyrant, and themselves and children subjugated his impotent vassals. But we can hardly persuade ourselves to believe, that our beloved country is yet fully prepared to sit down easy, under the application of those chains which have been nearly twelve years manufacturing, and now boldly attempted to affix on the American people, nor suffer them to be riveted without a struggle. No,- so long as every section of our country abounds with able statesmen and upright patriots to descry the danger and sound the alarm, and so long as we see some of our fellow-citizens who have been misled and deluded, beginning to awake in favor of our invaded rights, we will not only cherish a hope, but in unison with others who feel for their country, we bear full and express testimony against impending evils, and unite in all suitable and constitutional measures to retrieve our sinking country. Therefore,

"Resolved, As the sense of this town, that we consider war at all times as a heavy calamity, and among the sorest judgments by which a justly incensed God expresses his holy and righteous anger against a sinful people, a measure

which no ruler, who exercises a due sense of moral obligation and his solemn and awful responsibility for the blood and treasure of the nation, would resort to, but under those conclusive and imperious circumstances or causes which impel every reflecting mind to consider as an urgent and indispensable duty.

Resolved, As the opinion of this town, that the uniform system of restrictions and vexations upon our commerce, adopted and obstinately pursued by our own government, their contemptuous rejection of every application of relief by the injured citizen, together with a base and dishonorable submission to the most wanton, unprovoked, and piratical outrage committed on our commerce by France, cannot be reconciled to a declaration of war against Great Britain, as a friendly design to rescue and protect our commerce from British depredations, especially whilst that government, in their negociations with the American government, continued to express friendly dispositions, and a strong desire that all differences existing between the two governments might be amicably adjusted.

"Resolved, That the declaration of a distinguished and well-informed republican member of Congress, 'that a war with England at this time comports neither with the interest nor the honor of the American people, but an idolatrous sacrifice of both on the altar of French rapacity, perfidy, and ambition; and that the American republic, by this event, enlist under the banner of the tyrant;' together with that long course of friendly connivance of French atrocities, visible to all, cannot but excite our most serious and solemn apprehensions of such a war, as involving the nation in a fatal alliance with the impious and cruel destroyer of mankind. An evil

which we deprecate greater than to see our towns and cities laid in ashes, but still retaining our liberty and independence.

"Resolved, In our opinion, all attempts to place detachments of the militia under the control and command of the officers of the army of the United States, when neither of the exigencies of the Constitution exist for calling forth the militia, is of the nature of enlistments by force, and contrary to the laws of the United States, as declared by Mr. Monroe in his communications to Mr. Foster, June 8, 1812, and we do highly applaud those State executives, who have nobly dared to guard and defend their constituents against such lawless abuse of power and military despotism.

"Resolved, That we consider it highly important, that all, who regard the peace and morality of the people, exert their utmost influence to discountenance the practice of privateering, as an unjustifiable approbation of the war, and a demoralizing depredation on private property, all tending to retard that peace which we most devoutly pray may soon return to bless our land.

"Resolved, We will unite in all laudable measures to effect a constitutional change of rulers in favor of peace and commerce, hoping we shall again rejoice to see the destinies of our country wielded by men, whose talents, wisdom, dignity, and weight of character shall give stability and impartiality to our national administrations, and respect abroad among all the nations of the earth; and to this end we do consider it as highly desirable at this solemn and all-important crisis, to open a fair and honorable correspondence with sister States, and unitedly adopt such measures as may promote the salvation of our country against foreign intrigues and domestic corruptions, as one common cause through the Union.

"Resolved, That with emotions of indignation we view the conduct of those who, by a law founded in iniquity, now constitute the majority of the Senate in our State legislature, in their unreasonable and obstinate opposition to every fair measure for the choice of Electors in this Commonwealth.

"Resolved, That if the southern and western sections of the Union continue their haughty and overbearing contempt of those commercial rights, on which our existence so greatly depends, evidently to complete Napoleon's Continental System' and universal sway of military government, they must in the event look to their own measures, if the other sections prefer the blessings of commerce, liberty, and independence, for which they and their fathers have expended so much blood and

treasure.

"Resolved, That we deeply lament a war between America and England, as tending to hinder and obstruct those united exertions of piety and benevolence, which have of late so generally prevailed in both nations, to extend the blessings of the Gospel to the millions of our fellow-sinners perishing for lack of vision.

"Attest, JOHN JEWETT, Moderator.

JOSHUA JEWETT, Town Clerk."

The town voted to accept the foregoing report, (with but one dissenting vote,) and ordered the same to be published in the Newburyport Herald, printed in Newburyport, attested by the moderator and town clerk.

Congress passed a law, (on declaring war against England,) authorizing the President to require of the Governors of the several States and Territories, to take effectual measures to arm, organize, and hold in readiness