To John Jay from James Duane, 25 May 1776
From James Duane
[Philad 25: May 1776]
I conclude, my dear Sir, that the late Resolution of Congress recommending the Assumption of Government will induce you to give your Attendance for a few days at our own Convention—1 If this shoud be the Case it will [be] of Advantage to you to be informed of the Temper and proceedings of the Neighbouring Colonies on this great Revolution.
You recollect the Maryland Instruct. which, upon any Measure of Congress to this Effect, requird the Delegates of that Colony to repair to their provincial Convention. These Gent. accordingly declard that they shoud consider their Colony as unrepresented until they received the directions of their principals who were then sitting at Anapolis—Yesterday the sense of that Convention was made publick; they approve of the Conduct of their delegates in dissenting from the preamble & the Resolution—they repeat & enforce their former Instructions—declare that they have not lost sight of a Reconciliation with Great Britain; & that they will adhere to the Common Cause & support it on the principles of the Union as explained at the time of entering on the War. So much for Maryland—2
The General Assembly of Pensylvania is averse to any Change—The people of this Town assembled last monday in the State house yard & agreed to a set of Resolutions in favour of a Change—Another body are signing a Remonstrance against the Acts of that meeting and in support of the Assembly—The Committee for the County of Philadelphia have unanimously Supported the Assembly & protested against any Change.3 It is supposed the other Counties will follow the Example & take a part in the dispute—Is it not to be feared that this Spirit of Dissention will spread itself into the adjoining Colonies? But I intend to make no Reflections—The Facts I have hinted at will be published—what relates to this City & County of Phil.a already are—and the Maryland Delegates have express directions to submit their Acts to the publick View—It may be some days before they come to your Knowledge thro’ the Channel of the Press—I coud say a great deal to you on this interesting Subject; but you are master of my Sentiments which are not altered since you left me here.
I expect Mr Alsop this Evening & shall in that Case set out on Monday to visit my Family—It is more than 9 months since I have seen my Children; I have spent but about ten days in that time with Mrs. Duane. I am my dear Sir, with the greatest Regard, Your affectionate and most Obed Servt
Jas. Duane
1. The Third New York Provincial Congress met on 14 May 1776, although there was no quorum until 18 May. JJ took his seat in the New York Congress on or about 25 May. , 1: 443–61; JJ to Duane, 29 May, below.
2. When the Maryland delegates informed their colony’s convention of Congress’s resolutions calling for the formation of new governments, the convention reaffirmed its commitment to reconciliation and ordered the delegates to adhere to their earlier instructions. In its resolutions of 21 May, the Maryland Convention declared that “it is not necessary that the exercise of every kind of authority under the . . . Crown should be now totally suppressed in this Province, and all the powers of government exerted under the authority of the People.” This clause specifically repudiated the controversial preamble to the resolutions adopted by Congress on 15 May. , 5: 1588–89.
3. The Pennsylvania Assembly convened on Monday, 20 May 1776. That same day, a radical rally summoned by the Philadelphia Committee of Inspection drew up “A Protest” hailing Congress’s call for new governments and demanding that the Philadelphia committee convene a meeting with representatives from other Pennsylvania county committees to plan a provincial convention to frame a new government for Pennsylvania. The present assembly, the subscribers to “A Protest” declared, could not be entrusted with this task because its authority derived from a Crown charter, and many assemblymen were bound by personal interest to Crown officials. The committee’s “Protest,” presented to the assembly on 21 May, was soon followed by declarations from more conservative groups supporting the assembly and urging reconciliation with Britain and adherence to the instructions to the delegates of November 1775 (, 6: 518–23, 560–61; , 4: 61–62; Pennsylvania Ledger, 25 May 1776. For published broadsides of the inspection committee’s actions, see , nos. 15014, 15016, 15051, 43136.