tain purposes. A meeting
of delegates from the several towns of a county was called a _Congress_,
or Convention of such county; a meeting of delegates of the several
towns of a province was called a Provincial Congress, or Convention; and
a meeting of _delegates_ of the several County Conventions in the
several provinces was called a _General_ or _Continental_ Congress,
though they possessed no _legal_ power, and their resolutions and
addresses were the mere expressions of opinion or advice.

Such was the Continental Congress that assembled in Philadelphia the 5th
of September, 1774--not a legislative or executive body possessing or
assuming any legislative or executive power--a body consisting of
fifty-five delegates elected by the representatives of twelve out of the
thirteen provinces--Georgia, the youngest and smallest province, not
having elected delegates. The sittings of this body, or Congress, as it
was called, continued about eight weeks, and its proceedings were
conducted with all the forms of a Legislative Assembly, but with closed
doors, and under the pledge of secrecy, until dissolved by the authority
of the Congress itself.

Each day's proceedings was commenced with prayer by some minister. Mr.
Peyton Randolph, Speaker of the House of Burgesses of Virginia, was
elected President, and Mr. Charles Thompson, of Pennsylvania, was chosen
Secretary.

After deciding upon the mode of conducting the business, it was
resolved, after lengthened discussion, that each colony should be equal
in voting--each colony having one vote, whatever might be the number of
its delegates.

This Congress consisted of the assembled representatives of the American
colonies, and truly expressed their grievances, opinions, and feelings.
As the proceedings were with closed doors, the utterances of individuals
were not reported; but in the reported results of their deliberations
there is not an opinion or wish expressed which does not savour of
affection to the mother country and loyalty to the British Constitution.
Down to this ninth or last year of the agitation which commenced with
the passing of the Stamp Act, before bloody conflicts took place between
British soldiers and inhabitants of Massachusetts, there was not a
resolution or petition or address adopted by any Congress, or
Convention, or public meeting in the colonies, that contained a
principle or sentiment which has not been professed by the loyal
inhabitants of British A