That if the delegates of any particular colony had no power to

declare such colony independant, certain they were the others could
not declare it for them; the colonies being as yet perfectly

independant of each other:
That the assembly of Pennsylvania was now sitting above stairs,

their convention would sit within a few days, the convention of New
York was now sitting, & those of the Jerseys & Delaware counties

would meet on the Monday following, & it was probable these bodies
would take up the question of Independance & would declare to their

delegates the voice of their state:
That if such a declaration should now be agreed to, these

delegates must retire & possibly their colonies might secede from the
Union:

That such a secession would weaken us more than could be
compensated by any foreign alliance:

That in the event of such a division, foreign powers would
either refuse to join themselves to our fortunes, or, having us so

much in their power as that desperatedeclaration would place us,
they would insist on terms proportionably more hard and prejudicial:

That we had little reason to expect an alliance with those to
whom alone as yet we had cast our eyes:

That France & Spain had reason to be jealous of that rising
power which would one day certainly strip them of all their American

possessions:
That it was more likely they should form a connection with the

British court, who, if they should find themselves unable otherwise
to extricate themselves from their difficulties, would agree to a

partition of our territories, restoring Canada to France, & the
Floridas to Spain, to accomplish for themselves a recovery of these

colonies:
That it would not be long before we should receive certain

information of the disposition of the French court, from the agent
whom we had sent to Paris for that purpose:

That if this disposition should be favorable, by waiting the
event of the present campaign, which we all hoped would be

successful, we should have reason to expect an alliance on better
terms:

That this would in fact work no delay of any effectual aid from
such ally, as, from the advance of the season & distance of our

situation, it was impossible we could receive any assistance" target="_blank" title="n.协作；援助；帮助">assistance during
this campaign:

That it was prudent to fix among ourselves the terms on which
we should form alliance, before we declared we would form one at all

events:
And that if these were agreed on, & our Declaration of

Independance ready by the time our Ambassador should be prepared to
sail, it would be as well as to go into that Declaration at this day.

On the other side it was urged by J. Adams, Lee, Wythe, and
others

That no gentleman had argued against the policy or the right of
separation from Britain, nor had supposed it possible we should ever

renew our connection; that they had only opposed its being now
declared:

That the question was not whether, by a declaration of
independance, we should make ourselves what we are not; but whether

we should declare a fact which already exists:
That as to the people or parliament of England, we had alwais

been independent of them, their restraints on our trade deriving
efficacy from our acquiescence only, & not from any rights they

possessed of imposing them, & that so far our connection had been
federal only & was now dissolved by the commencement of hostilities:

That as to the King, we had been bound to him by allegiance,
but that this bond was now dissolved by his assent to the late act of

parliament, by which he declares us out of his protection, and by his
levying war on us, a fact which had long ago proved us out of his

protection; it being a certain position in law that allegiance &
protection are reciprocal, the one ceasing when the other is

withdrawn:
That James the IId. never declared the people of England out of

his protection yet his actions proved it & the parliament declared
it:

No delegates then can be denied, or ever want, a power of
declaring an existing truth:

That the delegates from the Delaware counties having declared
their constituents ready to join, there are only two colonies

Pennsylvania & Maryland whose delegates are absolutely tied up, and
that these had by their instructions only reserved a right of

confirming or rejecting the measure:
That the instructions from Pennsylvania might be accounted for

from the times in which they were drawn, near a twelvemonth ago,
since which the face of affairs has totally changed:

That within that time it had become apparent that Britain was
determined to accept nothing less than a carte-blanche, and that the

King's answer to the Lord Mayor Aldermen & common council of London,
which had come to hand four days ago, must have satisfied every one

of this point:
That the people wait for us to lead the way:

That _they_ are in favour of the measure, tho' the instructions
given by some of their _representatives_ are not:

That the voice of the representatives is not always consonant
with the voice of the people, and that this is remarkably the case in

these middle colonies:
That the effect of the resolution of the 15th of May has proved

this, which, raising the murmurs of some in the colonies of
Pennsylvania & Maryland, called forth the opposing voice of the freer

part of the people, & proved them to be the majority, even in these
colonies:

That the backwardness of these two colonies might be ascribed
partly to the influence of proprietary power & connections, & partly

to their having not yet been attacked by the enemy:
That these causes were not likely to be soon removed, as there

seemed no probability that the enemy would make either of these the
seat of this summer's war:

That it would be vain to wait either weeks or months for
perfect unanimity, since it was impossible that all men should ever

become of one sentiment on any question:
That the conduct of some colonies from the beginning of this

contest, had given reason to suspect it was their settled policy to
keep in the rear of the confederacy, that their particular prospect

might be better, even in the worst event:
That therefore it was necessary for those colonies who had

thrown themselves forward & hazarded all from the beginning, to come
forward now also, and put all again to their own hazard:

That the history of the Dutch revolution, of whom three states
only confederated at first proved that a secession of some colonies

would not be so dangerous as some apprehended:
That a declaration of Independence alone could render it

consistent with European delicacy for European powers to treat with
us, or even to receive an Ambassador from us:

That till this they would not receive our vessels into their
ports, nor acknowledge the adjudications of our courts of admiralty

to be legitimate, in cases of capture of British vessels:
That though France & Spain may be jealous of our rising power,

they must think it will be much more formidable with the addition of
Great Britain; and will therefore see it their interest to prevent a

coalition; but should they refuse, we shall be but where we are;
whereas without trying we shall never know whether they will aid us

or not:
That the present campaign may be unsuccessful, & therefore we