As neither this appointment, nor difpofal of the public money, could be at all agreeable to the Governor, he accordingly refused his concurrence to the latter; upon which the affembly paffed a refolution, to recommend to the several towns and diftricts within the province, to raise the faid 500l. by equitable proportions, according to the laft provincial tax. A recommendation, which, at prefent, had all the force of a law. The Affembly foreseeing that their diffolution was at hand, were determined to give the people a public teftimony of their opinions, and under the title of recommendations to prescribe rules for their conduct, which they knew would be more punctually complied with, than the pofitive injunctions of laws. They accordingly paffed a declaratory refolution, expreffive of their fenfe of the ftate of public affairs, and of the defigns of government, in which they advanced, that they, with the other American colonies, had long been ftruggling under the heavy hand of power; and that their dutiful petitions for the redrefs of intolerable grievances had not only been difregarded; but that the defign totally to alter the free conftitution and civil government in British America, to eftablish arbitrary governments, and to reduce the inhabitants to flavery, appeared more and more to be fixed and determined. They then recommended in the ftrongest terms to the inhabitants of the province, totally to renounce the confumption of India teas, and, as far as in them lay, to discontinue the ufe of all goods imported from the EaftIndies and Great Britain, until the public grievances of America fhould be radically and totally redreffed. And the more fully to carry this effential purpose into effect, it was ftrongly recommended, that they fhould give every poffible encouragement to the manufactures of America. Though the committee, that was appointed to conduct this business, endeavoured to carry it on with the greateft privacy, the Governor, notwithstanding, obtained fome intelligence of it, and on the very day upon which they made their report, he fent his Secretary to pronounce their immediate diffolution. The Secretary, upon his arrival, finding the door locked, fentthe Houfe-meffenger to acquaint the Speaker, that he had a message from the Governor, and defired admittance to deliver it. The Speaker, in fome time, returned for anfwer, that he had acquainted the Houfe with the meffage which he had received, and that their orders were to keep the door faft. Upon this refufal of admittance, the Secretary caufed proclamation to be made, upon the stairs, of the diffolution of the June 17th. General Affembly. Such was the iffue of the final conteft between the Governor of Maffachufett's Bay, and the laft Affembly which was holden in that province, upon the principles of its charter. The day after the diffolution of the Affembly, a most pathetic, but at the fame time firm and manly addrefs, was prefented from the merchants and freeholders of the town of Salem to the Governor. We cannot forget, that this town was now become the temporary capital of the province, in the place of Bofton; and that the General Affembly, the Courts of Juftice, the Cuftom-Houfe, and fo far as it could could be done by power, the trade the ruin of our fuffering neigh of that port were removed thither; : Whether this opinion was founded upon a thorough knowledge of human nature in general, or took its rife from particular inftances, which were extended in fpeculation to the whole, may perhaps, in a certain degree, be determined from the following generous fentiments of the inhabitants of Salem. They fay," We are deeply afflicted with a fenfe of our public calamities; but the miferies that are now rapidly haftening on our brethren in the capital of the province, greatly excite our commiferation and we hope your excellency will ufe your endeavours to prevent a further accumulation of evils on that already forely diftreffed people." By fhatting up the port of Bofton, fome imagine that the courfe of trade might be turned hither, and to our benefit; but nature, in the formation of our harbour, forbids our becoming rivals in commerce And with that convenient mart. were it otherwife, we must be dead to every idea of justice, loft to all feelings of humanity, could we indulge one thought to feize on wealth, and raise our fortunes on bours." This whole addrefs is remarkable for the propriety with which it is conducted, and the juftness of its fentiments. They treat the governor with the highest refpect, and hope much from his general character, as well as from his conduct in a former government; they exprefs the ftrongest attachment to the mother country, the deepest concern for the prefent unhappy troubles, and the most fervent wishes for a speedy and happy reconciliation, to obtain which, they are willing to facrifice every thing, compatible with the fafety and dignity of British tubjects. that The general had formed confiderable hopes upon the conduct of the merchants; who he expected would have entered into the spirit of the late law, and by removing their commerce along with the cuf tom-houfe to Salem, have thereby the fooner induced the capital to the compliances which were withed It is by government. In thefe expectations he was disappointed. the merchants probable, thought it fit and neceffary to keep gefair with government, and in neral difapproved of all violences; but it feems evident, that they did not enter heartily into the new measures. It feems alfo probable, that he believed the friends of the fyftem of government now adopted, to be stronger and more numerous than they really were. however made, experiment was which fet this matter in a clear The friends of government light. attended a town-meeting at Bofton, and attempted to pafs refolutions for the payment of the tea, and for An diffolving diffolving the committee of correfpondence; but they found themfelves loft in a prodigious majority; and had no other refource, than the drawing up of a proteft against the proceedings of that affembly. In the mean time, rough draughts of the two remaining bills relative to the province of Maffachusett's Bay, as well as of that for quartering the troops in America, all of which were in agitation in England, at the time that the laft fhips failed from thence, were received in Bofton, and immediately circulated throughout the continent. The knowledge of thefe bills filled up whatever was wanting before, of violence and indignation in moft of the colonies. Even thofe who were moderate, or feemed wavering, now became fanguine. The idea of fhutting up the ports became common language, and to be confidered as a matter of neceflity. Nothing was to be heard of, but meetings and refolutions. Liberal contributions for the relief of their diftreffed brethren in Boston were every where recommended, and foon reduced into practice. Numberlefs letters were written from towns, districts, and provinces, to the people of Bofton, in which, befides every expreffion of fympathy and tendernefs, they were highly flattered for their past conduct, and ftrongly exhorted to a perfeverance in that virtue, which brought on their fufferings. The people of America at this time, with refpect to political opinions, might in general be divided into two great claffes. Of thefe, one was for rufhing headlong into the greateft extremities; they would put an immediate ftop to trade, without waiting till other measures were tried, or receiving the general fenfe of the colonies upon a fubject of fuch alarming importance; and though they were eager for the holding of a congrefs, they would leave it nothing to do, but to profecute the violences which they had begun. The other, if lefs numerous, was not lefs refpectable, and though more moderate, were perhaps equally firm. These were averfe to any violent measures being adopted until all other means were ineffectually tried; they wished further applications to be made to Great-Britain; and the grievances they complained of, with the rights which they claimed, to be clearly flated, and properly prefented. This, they faid, could only be done effectually by a general congress, as in any other manner it might be liable to the objection of being only the act of a few men, or of a particular colony. We, however, acknowledge a third' party, which were the friends to the administration in England, or more properly, thofe who did not totally difapprove of its meafures; but their ftill fmall voice was fo low, that except in a very few particular places, it could fcarcely be diftinguished. The more violent, who had not patience to wait for the result of a congrefs, entered into other meafures. An agreement was framed by the committee of correfpondence at Bofton, which they entitled a folemn league and covenant, wherein the fubfcribers bound themfelves in the most folemn manner, and in the prefence of God, to fufpend all commercial intercourse with Great-Britain, from the laft The covenant, accompanied with General Gage was much alarmed at this proceeding; to which its name, as well as its tendency, might poffibly contribute. He accordingly published a Jane 29th. ftrong proclamation against it, in which it was ftiled an unlawful, hoftile, and traiterous combination, contrary to the allegiance due to the king, deftructive of the lawful authority of the British parliament, and of the nant. This proclamation had no other pens and effect than to exercise the the judgment of thofe who were verfed in legal knowledge, by endeavouring to fhew, that the affociation did not come within any of the treafon-laws, and that the charges made by the governor were confequently erroneous, unjuft, and highly injurious. They faid he had affumed a power, which the even to the conftitution denied fovereign, the power of making thofe things to be treafon, which were not confidered as fuch by the laws; that the people had a right to affemble to confider of their common grievances, and to form affociations for their general conduct towards the remedy of those grievances; and that the proclamation was equally arbitrary, odious, and illegal. Measures were now every where taken for the holding of a general congrefs; and Philadelphia, from the convenience of its fituation, as well as its fecurity, was fixed upon as the place, and the beginning of September the time, for meeting. Where an affembly happened to be fitting, as in the cafe of Massachufett's-Bay, they appointed deputies to reprefent the province in the congrefs. But as this happenftances, ed to be the cafe in very few in ftances, the general method was, for the people to elect their ufual number of reprefentatives, and thefe, at a general meeting, chofe deputies from among themfelves; the number of which, in general, bore fome proportion to the extent and importance of the province; two being the leaft, and even the greatest number, that reprefented any colony. But whatever the number of reprefentatives were, each colony had no more than a fingle vote. At thefe county or provincial meetings, a number of refolutions were conftantly paffed, among which a declaration that the Bofton Port-Act was oppreffive, unjuft, unconstitutional in its principles, and dangerous to the liberties of America, was always among the foremost. At Philadelphia, a petition figned by near goo freeholders was prefented to Mr. Penn, the Governor, intreating him to call a general affembly as foon as poffible. This request being refufed, the province proceeded to the election July 15th. of deputies, who foon after met at Philadelphia. As the refolutions paffed at this meeting carry more the marks of cool and temperate deliberation, as well as of affection to the mother country, than thofe of many others, and are at the fame time equally firm in the determination of fupporting what they thought their rights, we fhall be the more particular in our notice of them They fet out with the frongeft profeffions of duty and allegiance to the fovereign, which could be well devifed; and declare their abhorrence of every idea of an unconftitutional independence on the parent ftate; upon which account, they fay, that they view the late differences between Great-Britain and the colonists with the deepest diftrefs and anxiety of mind, as fruitless to her, grievous to them, and deftructive of the best interests of both. They then, after expreffing the most ardent wifhes for a refloration of the former harmony, declare that the colonists are entitled to the fame rights and liberties within the colonies, that the fubjects born in England are within that realm. They reprobated in the ftrongeft terms the late bills relative to the province of Maffachufett's-bay, and declare that they confider their brethren at Bofton, as fuffering in the common caufe of all the colonies. They alío declare the absolute neceffity of a congrefs, to confult together, and to form a general plan of conduct to be obferved by all the colonies, for the purposes of procuring relief for their fuffering brethren, obtaining redrefs of their general grievances, preventing future diffentions, firmly establishing their rights, and the refloration of harmony between Great-Britain and her colonies upon a conftitutional foundation. They acknowledge, that a fufpenfion of the commerce of that large trading province with GreatBritain, would greatly distress multitudes of their induftrious inhabitants; but declare that they are ready to offer that facrifice, and a much greater, for the prefervation of their liberties; that, however, in regard to the people of GreatBritain, as well as of their own country, and in hopes that their juft remonstrances might at length have effect, it was their earneft defire, that the congrefs thould first try |