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Address of the Freeholders and Justices of the Peace for the County of Dumbarton, presented to His Majesty by Sir Archibald Edmondstone, Bart˙, their Representative in Parliament.
The humble Address of the Freeholders and Justices of the Peace for the County of DUMBARTON.
Most Gracious Sovereign:
We, your Majesty' s most dutiful and loyal subjects, the Freeholders and Justices of the Peace for the County of Dumbarton, being deeply impressed with the innumerable blessings we and all within your Majesty' s Dominions have constantly enjoyed during your most auspicious reign, feel our minds sensibly affected with just indignation and abhorrence of the bold and repeated instances of disloyalty and rebellion amongst your Majesty' s subjects in America, who, unmindful of all the sacred ties which ought to connect them to the Parent State, have impiously dared to raise the standard of rebellion, covering the most lawless anarchy and licentiousness with the specious veil of the love of liberty. Since experience has convinced us that the tender lenity hitherto exercised towards them by your Majesty' s natural humanity and love of your subjects has rather tended to provoke these deluded people to more violent attacks upon the British Constitution, we, with dutiful submission, though with the deepest regret, numbly apprehend more vigorous measures are become absolutely necessary to correct and punish their rebellious spirit; in the prosecution of which, we beg leave to assure your Majesty, that we are ready to sacrifice our lives and fortunes.
By order and in presence of the meeting.
JOHN HAMILTON, Praeses.
Dumbarton, October 3, 1775.
Address of Freeholders, etc., of Dumbarton
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