Saint Yankey's day

[Joel S. Berson]

The first annual celebration of Patriot's Day?  (The complete list of
the parade's participating "friends to government" from America is amusing.)

      LONDON, April 18th,
      A correspondent informs us that to morrow, the 19th, being
SAINT YANKEY's day (as tutelar Saint of North America) and also
anniversary of the famous battle of Lexington ! the same will be most
honorably observed by all the true and loyal FRIENDS TO GOVERNMENT
from that country. There will be a grand procession ... in the following order.
      Governor HUTCHINSON, in his speckled velvet, as a
representative of SAINT YANKIE ... and supported by Governor BERNARD
and Governor GAGE both of them in armor.
      [And many other categories of persons following, all "two and two".]

The Freeman's Journal or New-Hampshire Gazette.
1776 Sept. 28, p. 4, col. 1.
[EAN]

Also (but with transcription alternations) in Frank Moore, _Diary of
the American Revolution. From Newspapers and Original Documents_,
vol. 1 ( New York: Charles Scribner; London, Sampson Low, Son & Co.,
1860), p. 231.
[Google Books, Full view.]

Joel

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org