sly. This confederacy
was formed with such secrecy and dispatch, that, before the governor
was informed of it, almost every inhabitant of the province was
engaged in it.

The members of the assembly, thus supported by the people, resolved to
subvert the power of the proprietors.

The governor, who resided in the country, had no intimation of these
secret meetings and transactions, until he received a letter from a
committee of the representatives of the people, offering him the
government of the province under the King; it having been determined
to submit no longer to that of the proprietors.

Mr. Johnson resolved to suppress this spirit of revolt, and hastened
to town in order to lay the letter before his council. They advised
him to take no notice of it, until the legislature should be regularly
convened. On meeting, the assembly declared, "that the laws, pretended
to be repealed, continued to be in force; and that no power, other
than the general assembly, could repeal them: That the writs under
which they were elected were void, inasmuch as they had been issued by
advice of an unconstitutional council: That the representatives
cannot, therefore, act as an assembly, but as a convention delegated
by the people to prevent the utter ruin of the government: And,
lastly, that the lords proprietors had unhinged the frame of the
government, and forfeited their right thereto; and that an address be
prepared to desire the honourable Robert Johnson, the present
governor, to take on himself the government of the province in the
name of the King." The address was signed by Arthur Middleton, as
president of the convention, and by twenty-two members.

After several unavailing efforts, on the part of the assembly, to
induce Mr. Johnson to accept the government under the King; and, on
his part, to reinstate the government of the proprietors; he issued a
proclamation dissolving the assembly, and retired into the country.

The proclamation was torn from the hands of the officer, and the
assembly elected colonel James Moore chief magistrate of the colony.

[Sidenote: Revolution completed.]

After proclaiming him in the name of the King, and electing a council,
the legislature published a declaration stating the revolution that
had taken place, with the causes which produced it; and then
proceeded, deliberately to manage the affairs of the province.

[Sidenote: The proprietors surrender to the crown.]

While Carolina was effe