the contest, and to grant a salary
to the present governor for a certain time; but the house of
representatives, remaining firm to its purpose, sent a message to the
governor requesting that the court might rise. He answered, that a
compliance with this request would put it out of the power of the
legislature to pay immediate regard to the King's instructions; and he
would not grant a recess, until the business of the session should be
finished. The representatives then declared that, "in faithfulness to
the people, they could not come into an act for establishing a salary
on the governor or commander in chief for the time being," and,
therefore, renewed their request that the court might rise.

Both the governor and the house of representatives seem, thus far, to
have made their declarations with some reserve. A salary during his
own administration might, perhaps, have satisfied him, though he
demanded that one should be settled, generally, on the commander in
chief for the time being; and the house had not yet declared against
settling a salary on him for a limited time. Each desired that the
other should make some concession. Both declined; both were irritated
by long altercation; and, at length, instead of mutually advancing
fixed at the opposite extremes. After several ineffectual efforts on
each side, the representatives sent a message to the governor, stating
at large the motives which induced the resolution they had formed. The
governor returned a prompt answer, in which he also detailed the
reasons in support of the demand he had made. These two papers,
manifesting the principles and objects of both parties, deserve
attention even at this period.

The house, not long after receiving this message, far from making any
advances towards a compliance with his request, came to two
resolutions strongly expressive of its determination not to recede
from the ground which had been taken.

These resolutions gave the first indication, on the part of the
representatives, of a fixed purpose to make no advance towards a
compromise. They induced the governor to remind the court of the
danger to which the proceedings of that body might expose the charter.
This caution did not deter the house from preparing, and transmitting
to the several towns of the province a statement of the controversy,
which concludes with saying, "we dare neither come into a fixed salary
on the governor for ever, nor for a limited time, for the follo