fter committing acts of revenge, cruelty
and barbarity succeeding the Alamance battle, returned to his palace
at Newbern, and on the 30th took shipping for New York, over which
State he had been appointed Governor. Josiah Martin was appointed by
the crown, Tryon's successor as Governor of North Carolina. He met the
Legislature, for the first time, in the town of Newbern, in November,
1771. Had he lived in less troublesome times, his administration might
have been peaceful and prosperous. Governor Martin had the misfortune
to differ very soon with the lower House of the Assembly; and during
the whole of his administration, these difficulties continued and grew
in magnitude, helping, at last, to accelerate the downfall of the
royal government. In this Assembly we find the names of a host of
distinguished patriots, as John Ashe, Cornelius Harnett, "the Samuel
Adams of North Carolina," Samuel Johnson, Willie Jones, Joseph Hews,
Abner Nash, John Harvey, Thomas Person, Griffith Rutherford, Abraham
Alexander, Thomas Polk, and many others, showing that, at that early
date, the Whig party had the complete control of the popular House of
the Assembly, in accordance with the recommendation of Governor
Martin, the veil of oblivion was drawn over the past unhappy troubles,
and all the animosities and distinctions which they created. The year
1772 passed by without a meeting of the Assembly; and the only
political event of any great importance, which occurred in the
Province, was the election of members to the popular House. Such was
the triumph of the Whig party, that in many of the counties there was
no opposition to the election of the old leaders, nor could the
Governor be said to have a party sufficiently powerful to effect an
election before the people, or the passage of a bill before the
Assembly. The Assembly, however, in consequence of two dissolutions by
the Governor, did not convene in Newbern until the 25th of January,
1773, and the popular House illustrated its political character by the
election of John Harvey to the office of Speaker. To this new Assembly
many of the leading members of the House in 1771, were returned.
Thomas Polk and Abraham Alexander were not members; the former having
been employed in the service of the Governor, as surveyor, in running
the dividing line between North and South Carolina, and the latter not
having solicited the suffrages of the people. The county of
Mecklenburg was, in the Assembly, r