them into the payment of this tax, in order to ESTABLISH THE PRECEDENT; and they were firmly and unanimously determined that no fuch project fhould take effect. Six hundred chefts were by the Company in purfuance of the late act configned to their agent at Boston, the like quantity to New York and Philadelphia, and in proportion to the other principal ports of the continent. Pennsylvania on this occafion diftinguished herself by fetting the first example of oppofition. A general meeting was convened at Philadelphia, in which a series of vigorous resolutions were paffed, " declaring this new ministe rial plan of importation to be a violent attack upon the liberties of America, and pronouncing it to be the duty of every American to oppofe this attempt; and that whoever should directly or indirectly countenance it was an enemy to his country." A committee was then appointed to wait upon the confignees of the Company, and to request their refignation, which was immediately complied with. At New York, on the arrival of the tea-fhips in December, they were with difficulty permitted to approach the wharf; and, as at Philadelphia, the confignees were compelled to relinquish their appointments, and the fhips returned back to England without breaking bulk. At Charlestown, after much oppofition and tumult, the tea was permitted to be unloaded, but was immediately lodged in damp unventilated cellars, where it long remained, and finally perifhed. In no place was the delivery of it to the confignees fuffered, and in moft the captains of the India fhips, on being apprized of the temper and disposition of the people, without any attempt to land wifely fet their fails for England. At Boston the spirit of refiftance rose to a height which made the exceffes committed elsewhere appear trivial. At a general meeting of the inhabitants, the refolves of the city of Philadelphia were unanimously adopted, and a committee appointed to wait upon the confignees, to know whether they would refign their appoint

ments,

D

ments, which they declared not to be in their power. At a fucceeding meeting at Faneuil Hall, it was voted with loud acclamations," that the tea fhall not be landed, that no duty shall be paid, and that it shall be sent back in the fame bottoms." "We must not," faid a leading member of the affembly, "flatter ourselves, that popular refolves, popular fhouts, or harangues will vanquish our foes or terminate our trials. We must be ignorant of the power of those who have combined against us; we must be blind to that malice, inveteracy and revenge which have uniformly actuated their conduct, to hope that we fhall end this controverfy without the fharpeft, conflict. Let us then weigh and confider, before we determine upon those meafures which must bring on the moft terrible ftruggle which this country ever experienced." The question was again put, and paffed without a negative. On an application from the captain of the Dartmouth Eaft Indiaman to the governor, for a clearance, he replied, " I cannot give you a pafs confiftent with the laws and my duty to the king, unless the veffel is properly qualified from the Custom Houfe." Upon this anfwer being reported to the affembly, the meeting was declared to be diffolved. An immenfe crowd repaired in hafte to the quay, and a number of the most refolute, in the disguise of Mohawk Indians, boarded the veffels, and in about two hours broke open three hundred and forty-two chefts of tea, and discharged their contents into the fea. Such was the confequence of the obftinacy of the governor, who might have recollected that his predeceffor Sir Francis Bernard, in a like exigency, granted permits to many fhips not qualified for want of ftamps, and that the prudence and propriety of his conduct had never been called in queftion. But the prefent governor had long been the urgent advocate for measures of coercion on the part of Great Britain, and was probably not difpleafed to see matters tending to a crifis : and, in a subsequent declaration, he affigned fomewhat unwarily

7

unwarily as one of the reasons for this refufal, "that by a compliance with the demand of the people he should have rendered himself OBNOXIOUS to his SOVEREIGN." This undoubtedly is the MASTER-KEY which unfolds all the apparent abfurdities and extravagancies of his conduct. The temper of the British court was fo well understood in America, that no one prefumed to hope they would be induced, by this determined and inflexible spirit of oppofition in the colonies, to defift from their ruinous projects. On, the contrary, measures of vengeance were confidently expected; and even perfons of acknowledged moderation, on perceiving the ideas which they had long cherifhed of reconciliation to be hopeless, declared their refolution, in cafe matters were carried to extremity by Great Britain, to join the standard of their countrymen. A major of provincials, who had been foreman of the jury on the trial of capt. Preston, and to whom, in reward of his meritorious conduct, the governor had given this commiffion, faid to him with unexpected energy," Sir, you know that I am a friend to government, and wish to support it; but if any attempt be made to violate our CHARTER, I will fight up to my knees in blood in defence of it."

On the meeting of the general court of Maffachusetts, A. D. 1774, the houfe of reprefentatives feemed in no respect disposed to recede from the highest claims and pretenfions they had formed. On the contrary, they, by a new affumption of authority, determined upon an impeachment of the chief justice Oliver, for refusing to relinquish the falary fettled upon him by the crown-which, combined with the hope of its augmentation, they affirmed must have the effect of a perpetual bribe, and expose him to the violation of his oath-that the acceptance of this falary, unprecedented in all former times, was a breach of his implied engagements on entering into his office; and that by receiving a grant payable out of the revenue unjustly extorted from the American colonies, he had given a fanction

a fanction to injuftice, counteracted the petitions of the people, and wickedly endeavoured to increase the difcontents and jealoufies which had originated from this grie vance." The governor refufing to receive the accusation, no other effect refulted from it than to render the governor and the chief juftice more obnoxious, and to keep alive the Spirit of animofity and refiftance.

On the 13th of January, 1774, the parliament of Great Britain was convened at Westminster. The miniftry not being as yet in poffeffion of full information from America, the Speech from the throne observed a profound filence relative to the late tranfactions; but on the 7th of March a meffage was delivered from his majesty to both houses of parliament, informing them, that, "in confequence of the unwarrantable practices carried on in North America, and particularly of the violent and outrageous proceedings at the town and port of Boston, with a view of obstructing the commerce of this kingdom, and upon grounds and pretences immediately fubverfive of its conftitution, it was thought fit to lay the whole matter before parliament-recommending it to their ferious confideration what farther regulations or permanent provisions might be neceffary to be established." Lord North, who prefented the meffage, laid at the fame time before the house of commons a great number of papers, which fufficiently fhewed the daring and feditious fpirit which now prevailed over the whole continent of America. His lordfhip, on enlarging upon thefe documents, reprefented the conduct of the inhabitants of Boston in the most atrocious light. He afferted that the utmost lenity on the part of the governor, PERHAPS TOO MUCH, had been already fhewn, and that this town, by its late proceedings, had left government perfectly at liberty to adopt any measures they fhould think convenient, not only for redreffing the wrong fuftained by the Eaft India company, but for inflicting such punishment as their factious and criminal conduct merited; and that the

aid of parliament would be reforted to for this purpose, and for vindicating the dignity of the crown, fo daringly and wantonly attacked, and contemned." The fpeech of the minister was received with great applaufe, and the house appeared clearly and unanimoufly of opinion, that firm and vigorous meafures were at this crifis abfolutely neceffary. It was then moved," that an addrefs of thanks fhould be presented to the king, affuring his majesty, that they would not fail to exert every means in their power of effectually providing for the due execution of the laws, and fecuring the dependance of the colonies upon the crown and parliament of Great Britain." This excited fome faint fhew of oppofition, and it was remarked, " that fimilar affurances had been already often repeated, but that the measures hitherto adopted by minifters for the fupport and DIGNITY OF THE CROWN had only expofed it to fcorn, obloquy, and contempt. That the present cafe was of the utmost importance they admitted, and it required therefore an attentive and impartial examination. In order to do the Americans juftice it was neceffary to trace the fource of these calamities to their origin, in a sys tem of arbitrary and unwife measures at home." No inclination however appeared to enter into any retrospective investigations, and the address was finally agreed to, and prefented to the king.

In a fhort time the minifter began to develop his grand plan of coercion and punishment, by the introduction of a bill for discontinuing the lading and fhipping of goods, wares, and merchandize at the town of Boston or the har bor thereof; and for the removal of the custom house, &c. to the town of Salem. This bill was to continue in force, not only till full and ample compenfation was made to the Eaft India company for the damage fuftained by them, but till the king in council fhould declare himself satisfied as to the restoration of peace and good order in the town. This bill was honored with the general approbation of the house;