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were Robert Livingston and John Cruger, whose names you find among
the first on the roll of that Convention. From the pen of the latter of those gentlemen proceeded the admirable Declaration of Rights, published in that Journal; and in all the proceedings' of that Congress he took a leading part. In the year of its session he held the important offices of Speaker of the Assembly and Mayor of the city of New York, and was, in other respects, one of its most distinguished citizens. Of these facts, as well as some others connected with our early history, you will find a record in the number of the Knickerbocker Magazine, for January, 1848, which I herewith send you, according to my promise. This record you will find in an editorial article, under the head of “Election to Parliament of Burke and Cruger, for Bristol,” in which some notices are given of the efforts of Mr. Henry Cruger in Parliament in favor of the Independence of our country, of which he was a native, being a nephew of the above-named Mr. John Cruger, and, like him, born in the city of New York.
When I had the pleasure of conversing with you on these subjects, I promised to send you this brief notice, as well as some extracts from the speeches of Mr. Henry Cruger in Parliament, advocating our Independence. For these you were so kind as to promise me an insertion in your valuable Journal The promised extracts I will endeavor to send you in a short time; and, in the meantime, would be much obliged by your insertion of the editorial notice above referred to.
In our brief conversation in reference to the ancient Journal of the Congress of 1765, held in New-York, you spoke of your intention to republish that precious and almost (if not quite) forgotten record. This intention I most earnestly hope you will soon put in force, as New-York has hitherto quietly and most strangely allowed both Boston and Mecklenburg (in North Carolina) to claim the honor of the first movements in the birth of our Revolution, in acts which occurred ten years later than this great and glorious proceeding in the city of New-York, which has justly been termed the “Ovum Reipublicæ.”
From the Knickerbocker of January, 1843.
THE ELECTION OF BURKE AND CRUGER FOR BRISTOL. --- We have received from a correspondent, evidently familiar with the facts which he lays before us, a communication touching upon our article in the November Knickerbocker, on the election of Burke and Cruger, for Bristol; referring to the sentiments expressed by the former on that occasion, and presenting extracts from his addresses, both before and after the election; We regret that, in looking over our articles filed for promised insertion, we find ourselves compelled to condense, to some extent: the interesting paper of our correspondent; taking care, however, as we hope
