Massachusetts Centinel

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Extract of a letter from New-York, dated Feb. 17th.

“On Wednesday, immediately on my getting the Saturday’s paper, containing the Grand Procession, and the particulars of the rejoicing in Boston, I went to the Coffee-House, where I read its pleasing contents to a very large and respectable number of citizens, who received the glad tidings, with three hearty cheers—The order of procession, and disposition of the day, is universally extolled here. Your minority have gained themselves immortal honour, by their honourable and candid behaviour. On Thursday the event was celebrated by a discharge of six times thirteen rounds of cannon, in honour of the six pillars that are reared. A flag was on Wednesday night displayed on the top of the Coffee-House, with the words Constitution, September, 1787, and a small flag in honour of Massachusetts, with the Pine-Tree, Feb. 6th, 1787, Boston. An invitation was given by the Constitutional Club to the members of Congress, and a number of citizens, who to the amount of 70, dined at the Coffee-House yesterday, on Cod-Fish and Beef-Steaks, in honour of Massachusetts. The toasts were accompanied by a discharge of six [772]rounds each, and Massachusetts drank in a bumper10—as also the glorious conduct of its minority. The decision of your State must fix the business—The few antifederalists in our city are coming about under the cloak of the terms annexed to the ratification, which shows much wisdom in those who devised the conciliatory measure. I make not the least doubt but by the latter end of June, I shall be able to announce to you the erection of our pillar in support of the new roof.”

Source: The Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution Digital Edition, ed. John P. Kaminski, Gaspare J. Saladino, Richard Leffler, Charles H. Schoenleber and Margaret A. Hogan. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2009.

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