The writings of George Washington; being his correspondence, addresses, messages, and other papers, official and private, selected and published from the original manuscripts; with a life of the author, notes and illustrations. By Jared Sparks.

APPENDIX.] FAIRFAX COUNTY RESOLVES. 491
upon the British government; but though we are its subjects, we will
use every means, which Heaven hath given us to prevent our becoming its slaves.
"9. Resolved, That there is a premeditated design and system,
formed and pursued by the British ministry, to introduce an arbitrary
government into his Majesty's American dominions; to which end
they are artfully prejudicing our sovereign, and inflaming the minds
of our fellow-subjects in Great Britain, by propagating the most malevolent falsehoods, particularly that there is an intention in the American colonies to set up for independent states; endeavouring at the
same time, by various acts of violence and oppression, by sudden and
repeated dissolutions of our Assemblies, whenever they presume to
examine the illegality of ministerial mandates, or deliberate on the
violated rights of their constituents, and by breaking' in upon the
American charters, to reduce us to a state of desperation, and dissolve the original compacts by which our ancestors bound themselves
and their posterity to remain dependent upon the British crown;
which measures, unless effectually counteracted, will end in the ruin
both of Great Britain and her colonies.
"10. Resolved, That the several acts of Parliament for raising a
revenue upon the people of America without their consent, the creating new and dangerous jurisdictions here, the taking away our trials
by jury, the ordering persons,' upon criminal accusations, to be tried
in another country than that in which the fact is charged to have
been committed, the act inflicting ministerial vengeance upon the
town of Boston, and the two bills lately brought into Parliament for
abrogating the charter of the province of Massachusetts Bay, and for
the protection and encouragement of murderers in the said province,
are part of the abovementioned iniquitous system. That the inhabitants of the town of Boston are now suffering in the common cause
of all British America, and are justly entitled to its support and assistance; and therefore that a subscription ought immediately to be
opened, and proper persons appointed in every county of this colony
to purchase provisions, and consign them to some gentlemen of
character in Boston, to be distributed among the poorer sort of people
there.
"11. Resolved, That we will cordially join with our friends and
brethren of this and the other colonies, in such measures as shall be
judged most effectual for procuring redress of our grievances, and
that upon obtaining such redress, if the destruction of the tea at Boston be regarded as an invasion of private property, we shall be willing to contribute towards paying the East India Company the value;