minute guns were fired; pennants hung at half-mast; eulogies were pronounced on liberty, and its knell was rung." In New York, Colden, the Lieutenant-Governor, who held the stamps, retired within the fort, and got a detachment of marines from a man-of-war lying near. In the evening, a vast torchlight procession came down Broadway, bearing the Governor's image, and that of the devil, seized the Governor's carriage, and transported the images upon it about the town, and finally burned the whole before his eyes. The next day Colden surrendered the stamps to the city authorities.

But "something more [than popular convulsions] was needed to incline England to relent; and the merchants of New York, coming together on the last day of October, unanimously bound themselves to send no new orders for goods or merchandise, to countermand all former orders, and not even to receive goods on commission, unless the Stamp Act were repealed. Thus a city, the chosen home of navigation, renounced all commerce; a people who as yet had no manufactures, gave up every comfort from abroad, rather than continue trade at the peril of freedom. The lobbies of the House of Commons, when they debated what to do with America, were thronged with three hundred merchants, engaged in American trade, and representing four millions sterling of American indebtedness, anxious and trembling, waiting almost till the winter morning's return of light, and hoping for the repeal of the Stamp Act. The importation of British goods fell off immensely during the winter of 1765-66. The whole mercantile community sympathized in the agony of America." All eyes in parliament turned toward William Pitt, the favorite and veteran statesman, who had steadily opposed this legislation which proved so disastrous, because he denied, as America had done, the right to tax where there was no representation. Old and sick and swathed in flannels, he spoke with the dignity of wisdom and the energy of conscious power. He examined the various arguments for the act, and pronounced them baseless. "I rejoice," said he, "that America has resisted. If its millions of inhabitants had submitted, taxes would soon have been laid on Ireland. If ever this nation should have a tyrant for its king, six millions of Irishmen, so dead to all the feelings of liberty, as voluntarily to submit to be slaves, would be fit instruments to

make slaves of the rest." "On this ground of the Stamp Act, while so many here think it a crying injustice, your success would be hazardous. America, if she fell, would fall like the strong man; she would embrace the pillars of the state, and pull down the constitution along with her."

But, even while parliament saw the necessity for so doing, it could not bow its pride to acknowledge the justice of the American claim, and after protracted reaffirmations by the great lawyers and orators of the ground on which they had proceeded, a resolution passed that " parliament had the right to bind the colonies by taxes and impositions, in all cases whatsoever."

On the 13th February, 1766, Franklin was called to the bar of the Commons to give testimony as to the expediency of repealing the Stamp Act. "Do you think, " said Grenville," that the people of America would pay the stamp duty if it was moderated?" "No, never! they never will submit to it!" May not a military force carry it into execution?" Franklin replied: "Suppose a military force sent into America; they will find nobody in arms; what are they then to do? They cannot force a man to take stamps who chooses to do without them. They will not find a rebellion; they may, indeed, make one." "But suppose the duty to be laid on the necessaries of life." Franklin made the unexpected answer: "I do not know a single article imported into the northern colonies but what they can do without, or make for themselves."

On the 20th January, ministers settled the resolutions of repeal. Conway moved them in the house next day. After a night of speeches, the division took place, between one and two o'clock on the 22d. The lobbies were crowded with merchants anxious for the restoration of trade. Two hundred and seventy-five members voted for repeal, one hundred and sixtyseven for enforcing the act. The roof rang with cheers. Conway, as he came out, was hailed as a deliverer. Grenville was received with hisses. When Pitt appeared, the crowd pulled off their hats, and followed him home with benedictions.

The period during which the Stamp Act was actually in force was only four months. It is probable that not a single stamp was employed. The useless commodity was transported back

to London, where they are still preserved in immense bags, encumbering the office from whence they proceeded.

It is venturing little to assert, that if parliament had not yielded; if it had resolved to enforce taxation in America; if it had supported it by penalties in America, or by condemnations for treason in England, the revolution would have come ten years sooner than it did. But it might have failed. The ten years of perverseness which followed, on the part of the king and his ministers, were necessary to convince all men how incurable was their folly and their domineering spirit. They served to unite a far larger part of the colonial people in the idea and the purpose of securing their rights and protecting their children by the sword. They added to the population, the prosperity, and the resources of the colonists, gave them confidence in themselves and in each other, and prepared the powers of Europe to help a gallant and enterprising people against the haughty tyrant of the seas.

Art. VIII. -THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY. THE General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of the United States met in the Tabernacle Church, Brooklyn, N. Y., on Thursday, May 17, 1876, at 11 A.M., and was opened by a sermon by Rev. E. D. Morris, D.D., the Moderator of the previous Assembly, on the Past and Future of Presbyterianism. Rev. Henry J. Van Dyke, D.D., of Brooklyn, was chosen Moderator, and presided over the Assembly in a manner which greatly assisted the progress of its business and the harmony of its proceedings. It is rare that any Assembly encounters so little to mar its concord, or hinder its efficiency, or hurry it into rash and hasty measures, which a "sober, second thought" is sure to deplore.

The proceedings of the Assembly are now so fully reported, first in the Assembly Journal, and then in the weekly journals of the Church, in which they are subjected to still further dis

cussion, that there is no longer the occasion which formerly existed for that extended record and discussion of its acts, in this QUARTERLY, which once constituted a principal feature of the annual number for July. It is only in special cases, or with reference to peculiar topics, that any record or discussion is called for here, beyond that already set before our readers from within the Assembly or without it. Smooth was the current of debate and procedure in our late Assembly, and it ran so much in the groove of ordinary routine topics, that little remains for us to bring to the special attention of our readers. We will just note the proceedings in regard to correspondence and

FRATERNAL RELATIONS WITH THE SOUTHERN CHURCH, partly for the purpose of bringing the several votes together in continuous order, where they can easily be referred to hereafter, and partly for the purpose of interpreting their import. The whole subject was orderly in the hands of the Standing Committee on Correspondence. Dr. Talmage, under the dubious cover of a question of privilege, offered and advocated, with unwonted fervor of centennial eloquence, the following resolutions, which were introduced by reading the first, but not the last, part of the following telegram he had received from Dr. M. D. Hoge, in answer to one sent upon his own motion to Dr. B. M. Smith, Moderator of the Southern Assembly:

To Rev. T. De Witt Talmage:

SAVANNAH, GA., May 24, 1876.

Any spontaneous resolution of your Assembly will receive most respectful consideration. Dr. Robinson is committed to move to appoint delegates, if the word 'present," etc., be stricken from your last year's resolution.

66

MOSES D. HOGE

After reading the first sentence, Dr. Talmage moved the adoption of the following paper:

Whereas, All past attempts to establish fraternal relations between what is popularly called the General Assembly South, and what is popularly called the General Assembly North, have failed; and

Whereas, We believe that, as in cases of individual dispute, no adjustment is effected by the rehearsal of the past, so the rehearsal of differences between great bodies of men can never bring amity; and

Whereas, We sincerely regret the alienation of the past, and disapprove any words spoken in times of high excitement, which may be regarded as impugning the sound Presbyterianism and Christian character of the Southern brethren; therefore,

Resolved, That we bury in one grave all misunderstandings and differences, and all expressions that have been interpreted as offensive between the two sections of the Presbyterian Church, and in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, stretch forth both hands of invitation, asking our Southern brethren to unite with us in fraternal relations.

Resolved, That we request the General Assembly, now in session in Savannah, on the receipt of this resolution, to send two delegates to our meeting in Brooklyn, telegraphing us of the departure of those brethren, and that, on the receipt of that telegram we immediately send two delegates to meet the Assembly in Savannah, so that neither the Northern nor Southern Assembly shall adjourn until the Church on earth and in heaven have begun a jubilee over the glorious consummation.

Dr. Talmage and his associates sought to prevent the reference of these resolutions to any committee, in order to put them forthwith through the Assembly by means of the momentary enthusiasm created by his ardent speech. The Assembly, however, under the judicious counsel of Drs. Van Dyke and Musgrave, declined to adopt this course, and referred them to the Committee on Correspondence, with instructions to report as soon as possible. The next morning, Dr. Prime, Chairman of the Committee on Correspondence, reported the following paper, which was adopted, with only one dissenting voice:

Whereas, This Assembly and the Assembly now in session in Savannah, Georgia, accept the same Form of Government and Directory of Worship, and are closely bound together by historical, as well as doctrinal and ecclesiastical, ties; and, whereas, these churches, one in faith, order, and labor, are called by the Great Head of the Church to united efforts for the extension of his kingdom throughout the country and the world; and as no adjustment of differences is accomplished by rehearsal of the past; therefore, with a view to the expression of the united and hearty wishes of this body, that at the earliest practicable moment we may see the establishment of correspondence with the other Assembly; we hereby Resolve, That this Assembly reiterates its cordial desire to establish fraternal relations with that Assembly on terms of perfect equality and reciprocity as soon as it is agreeable to their brethren to respond to this assurance by a similar expression.

This was forthwith telegraphed, by order of the Assembly, to the Southern Assembly, at Savannah.

Dr. Prime, from the Committee on Correspondence, reported, on the last Monday of the session, as follows:

Brethren: The south wind blows pleasantly over us this morning, and to those of us who long to meet again, renders such a meeting possible, with honor to ourselves and glory to the Head of the Church. Our overture to our Southern breth. ren has met with a consideration becoming gentlemen and Christians. If it is met in the same spirit by us, the great question of reconciliation is settled, and the day of separatiou and sorrow and division is forever past, and generous and fraternal relations are again established. The Southern Assembly's action was unanimous,