ttee of Oblivion,"
as were petitions from the merchants of Glasgow, Liverpool, Norwich and
other towns, on American affairs. These petitions, together with their
advocates in both Houses of Parliament, showed that the oppressive
policy and abuse of the Americans were the acts of the Ministry of the
day, and not properly of the English people.

On the 26th of January, Sir George Saville offered to present a petition
from Dr. Franklin, Mr. Bollan, and Mr. Lee, stating that they had been
authorized by the American Continental Congress to present a petition
from the Congress to the King, which his Majesty had referred to that
House, and that they were able to throw great light upon the subject;
they therefore prayed to be heard at the bar in support of the petition.
After a violent debate the petition was rejected by a majority of 218 to
68.[355]

Lord North on the 2nd of February, moved that the House resolve itself
into Committee on an address to his Majesty, thanking him for having
communicated to the House the several papers relating to the present
state of the British colonies, and from which "we find that a part of
his Majesty's subjects in the province of Massachusetts Bay have
proceeded so far as to resist the authority of the Supreme Legislature;
that a _rebellion_ at this time actually exists within the said
province; and we see, with the utmost concern, that they have been
countenanced and encouraged by unlawful combinations and engagements
entered into by his Majesty's subjects in several other colonies, to the
injury and oppression of many of their innocent fellow-subjects resident
within the kingdom of Great Britain and the rest of his Majesty's
dominions. This conduct on their part appears to us the more inexcusable
when we consider with how much temper his Majesty and the two Houses of
Parliament have acted in support of the laws and constitution of Great
Britain; to declare that we can never so far desert the trust reposed in
us as to relinquish any part of the sovereign authority over all his
Majesty's dominions which by law is invested in his Majesty and the two
Houses of Parliament, and that the conduct of many persons, in several
of the colonies, during the late disturbances, is alone sufficient to
convince us how necessary this power is for the protection of the lives
and fortunes of all his Majesty's subjects; that we ever have been and
always shall be ready to pay attention and regard to any real gr