fufpicion, and ill blood, which were already fo prevalent; but was foon fucceeded by another, that ftill excited a greater alarm. The fea. fon of the year was now arrived for the annual mufter of the militia; and the general, having probably fome fufpicion of their conduct when affembled, or, as they pretended, being urged thereunto by thofe fecret advifers and tale bearers, to whofe infidious arts, and falle information, for a long time paft, as well as the prefent, the Americans attributed all their own calamities, and the troubles that had arifen between both countries; however it was, he feized upon the ammunition and ftores, which were lodged in the provincial arfenal at Cambridge, and had them brought to Bofton. He also, at the fame time, feized upon the powder which was lodged in the magazines at Charles-Town, and fome other places, being partly private property, and partly provincial.

This excited the moft violent and univerfal ferment that had yet been known. The people affembled to the amount of feveral thousands, and it was with the greateft difficulty, that fome of the more moderate and leading gentlemen of the country, were able to restrain them from marching directly to Bofton, there to demand a delivery of the powder and ftores, and in cafe of refufal to attack the troops. A falfe report having been intentionally fpread about the fame time, and extended to Connecticut, in order, probably, to try the temper of that province, that the fhips and troops had attacked the town of Bolton, and were then firing upon it, when the pretended bearers of

the news had come away, feveral thousands of those 'people immediately affembled in arms, and marched, with great expedition, a confiderable diftance, to the relief, as they fuppofed, of their fuffering neighbours, before they were convinced of the mistake.

About this time, the governor's company of cadets, confifting wholly of gentlemen of Bofton, and of fuch, in general, as had always been well affected to government, difbanded themfelves, and returned to the general the ftandard, with which, according to cuftom, he had prefented them upon his arrival. This flight to the governor, and apparent difrelifh to the new government, proceeded immediately from his having taken away Mr. Hancock's commiffion, who was the colonel of that corps. A Colonel Murray of the militia, having accepted a feat in the new council, 24 officers of his regiment refigned their commiffions in one day; fo general was the fpirit which was now gone forth.

The late measure of feizing the powder, as well as the fortifications which were erecting on Boftonneck, occafioned the holding of an affembly of delegates, from all the towns of the county of Suffolk, of which Boston is the county town and capital. In this affembly a great number of refolutions were paffed, fome of which militated more ftrongly with the authority of the new legislature, than any that had yet appeared. They are, however, introduced by a declaration of allegiance; but they alfo declare it to be their duty, by all lawful means to defend their civil and religious rights and liberties; that the late acts are grofs infractions of

thofe

thofe rights; and that no obedience is due from that province, to either, or any part of those acts; but that they ought to be rejected as the wicked attempts of an abandoned adminiftration to establish a defpotic government. They engaged that the county fhould fupport and bear harmless all fheriffs, jurors, and other perfons who should fuffer profecution for not acting under the prefent unconftitutional judges, or carrying into execution any orders of their courts; and refolved, that thofe who had accepted feats at the council-board, had violated the duty they owed to their country, and that if they did not vacate them within a fhort limited time, they should be confidered as obftinate and incorrigible enemies to their country.

They also paft refolutions against the fortifications at Bofton-neck; the Quebec bill; for the fufpenfion of commerce; for the encouragement of arts and manufactures; for the holding of a provincial congrefs; and to pay all due refpect and fubmiffion to the meafures which should be recommended by the Continental Congrefs. They recommended to the people to perfect themselves in the art of war, and for that purpose, that the militia fhould appear under arms once every week. That, as it had been reported, that feveral gentlemen who had rendered themselves confpicuous by contending for the violated rights of their country, were to be apprehended; in cafe so audacious a measure should be carried into execution, they recommend, that all the officers of fo tyrannical a government should be feized, and kept in fafe cuftody, until the

former were restored to their friends and families.

Then followed a recommendation, which in the present state of things amounted to a peremptory command, to the collectors of the taxes, and all other receivers and holders of the public money, not to pay it as ufual to the treafurer; but to detain it in their hands, until the civil government of the province was placed on a conftitutional foundation; or until it should be otherwife ordered by the Provincial Congrefs. They, however, declare, that notwithstanding the many infults and oppreffions which they moft fenfibly feel and refent, they are determined to act merely on the defenfive, fo long as fuch conduct may be vindicated by reason, and the principles of felf-prefervation. They conclude, by exhorting the people to reftrain their refentments, to avoid all riots and disorderly proceedings, as being deftructive of all good government; and by a steady, manly, uniform, and perfevering oppofition, to convince their enemies, that, in a contest fo important, in a caufe fo folemn, their conduct should be fuch as to merit the approbation of the wife, and the admiration of the brave and free, of every age, and of every country. They then appointed Sept. 9th. a committee to wait upon the governor, with a remonftrance against the fortifying of Bofton-neck; in which they declare, that though the loyal people of that country think themfelves oppreffed by fome late Acts of the British parliament, and are refolved, by divine affiftance, never to fubmit to them, they have no inclination to commence war with his majefty's [B] 2

troops.

troops. They impute the prefent extraordinary ferment in the minds of the people, befides the new fortification, to the feizing of the powder, to the planting of cannon on the Neck, and to the infults and abuse offered to paffengers by the foldiers, in which, they fay, they have been encouraged by fome of the officers; and conclude, by declaring, that nothing less than a removal or redrefs of thofe grievances, can place the inhabitants of the county in that fituation of peace and tranquillity, which every free fubject ought to enjoy. In this addrefs they totally difclaim every with and idea of independency, and attributed all the prefent troubles to mifinformation at home, and the finifter defigns of particular perfons.

To this addrefs General Gage answered, that he had no intention to prevent the free egrefs and regrefs of any perfon to and from the town of Bofton; that he would fuffer none under his command to injure the perfon or property of any of his majefty's fubjects; but that it was his duty to preferve the peace, and to prevent furprize; and that no ufe would be made of the cannon, unless their hoftile proceedings fhould render it neceffary.

Before public affairs had arrived at their prefent alarming ftate, the governor, by the advice of the new council, had itlued writs for the holding of a general affembly, which was to meet in the beginning of October; but the events that afterwards took place, and the heat and violence which every where prevailed, together with the refignation of fo great a number of the new mandamus counsellors, as deprived the ímall remainder of all

efficacy, made him think it expedient to countermand the writs by a proclamation, and to defer the holding of the affembly to a fitter feafon. The legality of the proclamation was however called in queftion, and the elections every where took place without regard to it. The new members accordingly met at Salem, pursuant to the precepts; but having waited a day, without the governor, or any fubftitute for him attending, to adminifter the oaths, and open a feffion, they voted themselves into a Provincial Congrefs, to be joined by fuch others as had been, or should be elected for that purpote; after which Mr. Hancock, fo obnoxious to the Governor's party, was chofen chairman, and they adjourned to the town of Concord, about 20 miles from Boftor.

Oa. 11th.

Among their earliest proceedings, they appointed a committee to wait upon the governor with a remonstrance, in which they apologized for their prefent meeting, by reprefenting, that the diftreffed and miferable ftate of the colony, had rendered it indifpenfably neceffary to collect the wifdom of the province by their delegates in that Congrefs; thereby to concert fome adequate remedy to prevent impending ruin, and to provide for the public fafety. They then exprefs the grievous apprehenfions of the people from the meafures now purfuing. They affert, that even the rigour of the Bofton port bill is exceeded, by the manner in which it is carried into execution. They complain of the late laws, calculated not only to abridge the people of their rights, but to licence murders; of the number of troops in

the

the capital, which were daily in creafing by new acceflions drawn from every part of the continent; together with the formidable and holile preparations in Bofton-neck; all tending to endanger the lives, liberties, and properties, not only of the people of Bolton, but of the province in general. They conclude by adjuring the general, as he regards his majefty's honour and intereft, the dignity and happinefs of the empire, and the peace and welfare of the province, to defift immediately from the conftruction of the fortrefs at the entrance into Boston, and to restore that país to its natural state.

The general was involved in fome difficulty in giving them an anfwer, as he could not acknowledge the legality of their affembling. The neceffity of the times however prevailed. He expreffed great indignation that an idea fhould be formed, that the lives, liberties, or property of any people, except avowed enemies, fhould be in danger from English troops. Britain, he faid, could never harbour the black defign of wantonly deftroying or enflaving any people; and notwithstanding the enmity fhewn to the troops, by withholding from them almost every necef fary for their prefervation, they had not yet difcovered the refentment which might juftly be expected to arife from fuch hoftile treatment. He reminded the Congrefs, that while they complain of alterations made in their charter by acts of parliament, they are themselves, by their prefent affembling, fubverting that charter, and now acting in direct violation of their own conftitution; he therefore warned them of the rocks they were upon, and to

defift from fuch illegal and unconflitutional proceedings.

By this time Bofton was become the place of refuge to all thofe friends of the new government, who thought it neceffary to perfe vere in avowing their fentiments. The commiffioners of the customs, with all their officers, had also thought it neceffary, towards the conclufion of the preceding month, to abandon their head quarters at Salem, and to remove the apparatus of a custom-house, to a place which an act of parliament had profcribed from all trade. Thus the new acts of parliament on one hand, and the refiftance of the people on the other, equally joined to annihilate all appearance of government, legiflation, judicial proceedings, and commercial regulations.

Upon the approach of winter, the general had ordered temporary barracks to be erected for the troops, partly, perhaps, for fafety, and partly to prevent the diforders and mischiefs, which in the prefent ftate and temper of both, must be the unavoidable confequences of their being quartered upon the inhabitants. Such, however, was the diflike to their being provided for in any manner, that the felect-men and the committees obliged the workmen to quit their employment, though the money for their labour would have been paid by the crown. The general had as little fuccefs in endeavouring to procure carpenters from New York, fo that it was with the greatest difficulty he could get thofe temporary lodgments. erected; and having endeavoured alfo to procure fome winter covering from the latter city, the offer to purchase it was prefented to

every merchant there, who to a man refufed complying with any part of the order, and returned for anfwer, that they never would fupply any article for the benefit of men who were fent as enemies to their country."

Every thing now tended to increase the mutual apprehenfion, diftruft, and animofity between government and the people. Thofe of Bolton, either were, or pretended to be, under continual terror, from the apprehenfions of immediate danger, to their properties, liberties, and even their lives. They were in the hands of an armed force whom they abhorred, and who equally detested them. The foldiers on the other hand, confidered themselves in the midst of enemies, and were equally apprehenfive of danger from within and without. Each fide profeffed the best intentions in the world for itfelf, and fhewed the greatest fufpicion of the other. In this ftate of doubt and profeffion, things were rendered ftill worse, by a measure, which did not feem of fufficient importance in its confequences, to juftify its being hazarded at fo critical a feafon. This was the landing of a detachment of failors by night, from the ships of war in the harbour, who fpiked up all the Cannon upon one of the principal batteries belonging to the town.

In the mean time the Provincial Congrefs, notwithflanding the cautions given, and dangers held out by the governor, not only continued their affembly, but their refolutions having acquired, from the difpofition and promptitude of the people, all the weight and efficacy of laws, they feemed to have founded in effect fomething like a new and independent government. Under the ftyle of recommendation and advice, they tettied the militia; they regulated the public treafures; and they provided arms. They appointed a day of public thanksgiv ing, on which, among the other enumerated bleffings, a particular acknowledgment was to be made to the Almighty, for the union which fo remarkably prevailed in all the colonies.

Thefe and fimilar Nov. 10th. measures, induced General Gage to iffue a proclamation, in which, though the direct terms are avoided, they are charged with proceedings, which are generally understood as nearly tantamount to treafon and rebellion. The inhabitants of the province were accordingly, in the king's name, prohibited from complying, in any degree, with the requifitions, recommendations, directions, or refolves of that unlawful affembly.

CHAP.