ot to send delegates to the congress. But they
could not be prevented from preparing and sending a response to the
Massachusetts invitation. They had resolved, they said, to support
heartily every measure that might be suggested for the support of the
common rights of the Colonies.

We learn from the letters of Governor Wright, written to the Earl of
Halifax, that it was as much as he could do (and he was a very active
as well as a very wise governor) to prevail on the people to maintain at
least the outward show of loyalty to the King. And he was not successful
even in this, for he informs another correspondent (Mr. Secretary
Conway) on the 31st of January, 1766, that the same spirit of "sedition,
or rather rebellion, which first appeared at Boston," had reached
Georgia, and that he had been constantly engaged for the space of three
months in trying to convince the people that they ought to submit to the
King's authority until they could point out their grievances and apply
for redress in a constitutional way. Governor Wright also states to
the same correspondent that he has had much trouble in preserving from
destruction at the hands of the people the stamp papers that had been
forwarded for the collection of the tax. He received "incendiary"
letters; he had to issue proclamations against riots and "tumultuous
and unlawful assemblies;" and he had also to take measures against the
Liberty Boys, who began to have private meetings, and who had formed
themselves into a society to oppose and prevent the distribution of the
stamp papers.

In short, the good governor was kept in a constant state of alarm lest
the Liberty Boys should seize some advantage and cause his Majesty the
King of England to have a moment of grief. The Liberty Boys were so
active, and made so many threatening demonstrations, that Governor
Wright was driven to what he describes as extreme measures. He was
compelled to send the obnoxious stamp papers to a place of safety to
prevent the people from destroying them; and when he had the papers
securely hidden, he was compelled to place men on duty day and night to
protect the precious stamps. He was obliged to send a posse of men to
protect the stamp distributer by hiding him, and was then moved to send
him into the country for a season, in order to avoid the resentment of
the people; and then, after all his trouble, the good governor found
that the people had determined not to apply for any papers, stampe