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ingly gave up the order, and it soon made its appearance in the Providence Gazette; flew through the country, and carried with it all that alarm that a paper of such a suspicious character, was calculated to excite, particularly, when the public mind was so highly wrought up, by the stationing of an armed force in the town, and harbour of Boston.

When the news of this order arrived in Boston, a townmeeting was called, and a committee appointed to wait on the governor, and request him, (if the report was true,) to issue his writs forthwith, and call an assembly. The governor confirmed the report; but refused to call an assembly. This roused up the feelings of those sons of liberty, and they passed the following resolve-" That the freeholders, and other inhabitants of the town of Boston, will, at the peril of their lives, and fortunes, take all legal and constitutional measures, to defend all and singularly, their rights, liberties, privileges, and immunities, granted in their royal charter." Also, it was ordered, "That a suitable number of persons be appointed to act for them in convention, with such as may be sent to unite with them from the other towns, in order that such measures may be consulted and advised, as his majesty's service, and the safety of the province may require." The selectmen were then ordered, "to write to the selectmen of the other towns, and acquaint them with the doings of the town of Boston, and propose that a convention be held at Fanuel Hall, (Boston,) on the 22d. inst." Voted also, "That as it is apprehended by many, there is an approaching war with France, those inhabitants that are unprovided, be requested forthwith to furnish themselves with arms."

The committees of ninety-six towns, and eight districts, met in convention, at the time, and place appointed, where they sat in convention one week, and then dissolved, and retired to their several homes, leaving behind them,

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both their example, and recommendation, to maintain peace, and good order, by suppressing all riots, &c. and waiting with patience the issue of events. At this time the fleet, and transports arrived at Nantasket harbour, from Halifax. Great efforts were made at Boston to prevent the landing of the troops; but the example, and advice of the convention, prevented any riotous proceedings.

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On the first of October, the fleet entered the harbour, to the number of fourteen ships of war, and anchored before the town; here under cover of their guns, they proceeded to land their troops, which, with their artillery corps, amounted to about seven hundred. Here they were quartered in Fanuel Hall, and the Town-House, until they could be otherwise accommodated. Thus these sons of liberty, were called to witness an armed force, whose bayonets were destined to awe them into submission, now quartered in that hall, where their convention had sat a few days before, and in that house which, till then, had been the temple of justice, and the laws, and those streets, which had hitherto been held sacred to liberty, were now devoted to martial music and the parade of an armed soldiery: who that did not possess the feelings of the day, and actually witness the awful scene, can have any conception of the keen sensibilities, that tortured the breasts of these enthusiastic sons of liberty? Language cannot express the indignation they felt, nor the painful efforts which became necessary to restrain it; but they did restrain it, at the first landing of the troops; yet they declined for many days to make the necessary provision for quartering the soldiers.

In February 1769, the House of Lords passed sundry resolves, highly indicative of the resentment they felt towards the proceedings of Massachusetts, with which the House of Commons concurred, and both houses united in

an address to his majesty, applauding the firmness of his measures, and assuring him of their support, and besought his majesty "to direct the governor of Massachusetts to procure the fullest information touching all treasons, or misprisions of treasons, committed within the government, since the 30th of December, 1767, and to transmit the same, together with the names of such persons as were most active in the commission of such offences, to one of the secretaries of state, in order that his majesty might issue a special commission for enquiring of, hearing, and determining the said offences within, the realm of GreatBritain, pursuant to the provisions of the statute of the 35th of King Henry VIII." The indignation which this address excited in America, can never be again felt, much more expressed. But the resolutions of Virginia may serve to shew the firmness of the colonies upon the occasion. The House of Burgesses, upon the first official accounts of the above address, met, and resolved, "that they had the exclusive right to tax their constituents, as well as their just right to petition their sovereign for rcdress of grievances, and also to procure the concurrence of the other colonies, in praying for the royal interposition in favour of the violated rights of America; and that all trials for treason, or for any crimes whatsoever, committed in that colony, ought to be tried before the courts of his majesty, in that colony, and that the seizing of any person residing in the said colony, saspected of any crime whatsoever, committed therein, and sending such person to places beyond sea, to be tried, was highly derogatory to the rights of British subjects." The next day Lord Botetourt, the governor, dissolved the assembly. The same resolutions were passed in Carolina, and the same effects followed from Governor Tryon.

Soon after the arrival of the troops at Boston, John Hancock was served with a precept, by the marshal of VOL. III.

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the court of admiralty, for the sum of nine thousand pound sterling, and he was constrained to find bail in the sum of three thousand. A similar process was served upon several other gentlemen, who were supposed to have been concerned in the sloop Liberty, which had been seized, as before noticed. But all these suits failed for the want of proof, and the sloop was restored, on the 26th of March, 1769.,

In 1768, the non-importation associations became general throughout the colonies, under the motto of "United we conquer, divided we die."

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The next step taken by the colonies was, to re-ship goods to Britain, instead of storing, as had been practised; this had a powerful effect upon the merchants of England, and through them, opened the eyes of the nation to the dreadful consequences which were likely to follow, and 'the judgments the ministry were about to bring upon the nation. The manufacturers felt their interest wounded, and took the alarm, and the ministry began to feel that they had kindled a fire in America, that had traversed the ocean, and now burst forth into a blaze amidst their own dwellings. That spirit, that indicted the spirited address of approbation and support to his majesty, began to abate, and soon softened down into a spirit of moderation. Thus cooled, the ministry began to see the evils that awaited them, and wisely turned their attention to peace.

The colonies of Maryland and South Carolina, followed the example of Virginia, in their spirited resolves, and the inhabitants of Charlestown interdicted all commercial intercourse with Rhode-Island and Georgia, which brought them to terms; they awoke from their lethargy, and joined the confederacy. The non-importation agreement was now in force from Georgia to Maine, except at Portsmouth, this town never joined the confederacy; such was the influence of the governor over a people, who were at that

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day more generally uninformed, or illiterate, than the other colonies.

In Massachusetts, the fire raged with increased violence; here were the foreign troops, and here was the focus of the revolution.

The assembly, at their May session, remonstrated to the governor against the military force in Boston; but more particularly against their being compelled to hold their sittings under the mouths of their cannon,* as being incompatible with the honor and dignity of freemen; and demanded of his excellency, that the forces of his majesty, by sea and land, be removed from the port and town of Boston, during the session of this assembly. To which the governor replied “Gentlemen, I have no authority over his majesty's ships in this port, or his troops within this town." The house then considered this reply of the governor as expressing a declaration, that they were legislating at the point of the bayonet, and at the mercy of a foreign despot, which opened their eyes to their true situation, and they immediately passed the resolve, "that they could proceed no further with business while surrounded with an armed force," and the governor adjourned them to hold their sittings the next day at Cambridge. Here the governor, by his message, requested the assembly to make provision for the expenses that had already tarisen, or should hereafter arise, for the quartering the forces in Boston, and at Castle-Island, according to act of parliament. This was bringing the subject to the test, and the house met it firmly, with the following resolves :—

1. "That the convention, by committees which they had been constrained to assemble, was highly necessary

* A park of artillery was planted in front of the state-house, with muzzles pointed directly towards that seat of justice and of the laws.

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