age. This greatly inflamed the public mind, and strengthened the non-importation in Boston, and the merchants entered resolutely into the measure of reshipping their goods to England. Hartford, in Connecticut, came into. the agreement with Boston; but New-York, at once, changed her ground, and began to import "all articles which were free, and should continue to be free from duties, to raise a revenue in America." The populace attempted to suppress the importations, as in Boston; but failed; the public mind was greatly agitated throughout the country, and the non-importation agreement generally prevailed. Collisions, from time to time, between the troops, and citizens in Boston, had been frequent, and the public peace had often been in danger; these collisions had gendered strife, and bitterness, between the parties, and violence often ensued.

On the 2d of March, 1770, a squabble took place between a parcel of soldiers, and rope-makers, which became serious, and led to the collection of a mob at evening, and at nine o'clock, the whole populace were assembled by ringing the bells, and commenced an attack upon the main guard; when this became serious and alarming, so far as an attempt of the mob to disarm the military, by seizing their muskets, and at the same time, accompanied with a threatening cry of kill the soldiers, kill the soldiers! the officer of the guard ordered them to fire on the populace, which being obeyed, in part, three were instantly killed, five dangerously wounded, and several slightly; March 5th. The shock was inexpressibly great; the town was in instant alarm, and beat to arms, with the general cry of "turn out with your guns." The citizens immediately assembled, to the number of several thousands, both with, and without arms; and the lieutenant-governor called on the officer of the guard, (Captain Preston,) and demanded the reason why he fired upon the people, without the orVOL. III.

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ders of the magistrate; to which he replied, "we were insulted," and was going on to explain, when the lieutenant-governor hastily left him, and repaired to the councilchamber, to meet the council. On his way he passed through the populace, and persuaded them to retire until morning. On the morning of the 6th, the people assembled in a vast concourse, and in great rage; at the same time the lieutenant-governor assembled his council; and by permission, Lieut. Cols. Dalrymple and Carr appeared at the council. A town meeting was convened at the same time, who chose a committee to wait on the governor with the following declaration, by the way of message." It is the unanimous opinion of this meeting, that nothing can rationally be expected to restore the peace of the town, and prevent blood, and carnage, but the immediate removal of the troops." This message was received by the lieutenant-governor, in the midst of the debates of the council, and the lieutenant-colonel readily consented that the offending (29th) regiment should be removed down to the castle. This was reported to the town-meeting; by two o'clock in the afternoon, they were augmented to the number of about three thousand, who dispatched another message to the lieutenant-governor, expressing their belief, that nothing short of a total removal of the troops, would satisfy the people; to which the venerable Samuel Adams, one of the committee who bore the message to the lieutenant-governor, added-"If you can remove the 29th, you can remove the 14th, and it is at your peril if you do not." The lieutenant-governor appealed to the council for advice, and decision. In this state. of suspense the question balanced, until Mr. Secretary Oliver frankly told the lieutenant-governor, "you must either comply with the demands of the people, or prepare to leave the province." Captain Preston and his guard were

taken into custody the next day, and committed to prison to await their trial.

On the 8th of March, one of the wounded men died, and the funeral of the slain was attended by an unusual concourse of the citizens of Boston, and the neighbouring towns, under the solemnity of the largest, and most interesting procession that was ever witnessed in Boston; the mournful peals of all the bells in Boston, Charlestown, and Roxbury, tolled their solemn knell; all which gave an inexpressible gloom to the mournful occasion. This awful and distressing scene being closed, the troops were removed down to the castle, and general tranquillity was so far restored, as to admit of the trial of Capt. Preston to commence on the 24th, in due form. The counsel for the prisoner were John Adams and Josiah Quincey, Esqrs.— These distinguished sons of liberty, warm as had been their emotions and expressions in the cause of their country, became cool and disinterested in the court of justice, and displayed the magnanimity of their characters, in the defence of their client. On the 30th, a virtuous, independent jury, regardless of the emotions of their own breasts, or the rage of popular opinion, returned a verdict, Not Guilty.

When this trial was closed, the trial of the eight soldiers of the guard, who fired on the mob, commenced, which continued five days. The same counsel undertook their defence, and as the question in controversy may well be considered the most interesting, that had ever agitated the public mind, or the breasts of a court and jury, in NewEngland, so all the strength of character and talents, that could then be produced, were employed upon the occasion. As with the captain, so with the men, they were all indicted for murder; but the same magnanimity was again manifested by the jury, in a verdict of Not Guilty. It was remarked of Mr. Adams, that his arguments, to shew

under what a variety of circumstances homicide was actu ally reduced to manslaughter, were so luminous and forcible, that it led the popular leaders to change their ground, and turn their attention to the militia, as the best defence of liberty.

In January, 1771, the soldiers stationed in New-York, cut down the liberty pole, in the night, which greatly inflamed the public mind; this had been much excited by a grant of support to those troops by the assembly, and was now greatly increased by the further grant of 2000l. as a further support to these troops. Anonymous publications were circulated, calculated to kindle into a blaze the fire of patriotism, and signed A Son of Liberty, for the first, Legion, for the second, and calling upon the people to assemble in the fields. The people obeyed the summons, and repaired to the fields, to the amount of about 1400, where they expressed almost an unanimous disapprobation of the acts of assembly, granting money for the support of the troops; appointed a committee to communicate their doings to the representatives, and quietly dispersed.

Soon after this, the author of the Son of Liberty, was discovered to be the publisher, Mr. McDougle, who was ar rested, and committed to gaol, tried, and convicted; he suffered nearly one whole year's imprisonment, under a variety of circumstances, when he was finally liberated by that assembly which he had so grossly insulted. This reflected no honour upon them, because this son of liberty, although a Scotchman, was liberated by the imperious voice of the people, rather than by the voice of the assembly, for the best blood of the city, by their kind and dignified deportment toward the prisoner, rendered his cause popular, and the doings of the assembly odious.

In May following, the lieutenant-governor of Massachusetts, convened the assembly at Cambridge; but they refused to do business out of Boston, by a special resolve,

and the governor prorogued them to the 25th of July, when they met, and again refused to do business. The house transmitted a message to the lieutenant-governor, in which they declared in justification of their conduct, "That the people have a right to appeal to heaven, when despotic rulers abuse their power;" and added, "these and ●ther grievances, and cruelties, too many to be here enumerated, and too melancholy to be much longer borne by this people, we have seen brought upon us by the devices of the ministers of state."

This message provoked another prorogation, until September 26th, when they again met, and the lieutenantgovernor informed the house, that the troops were to be withdrawn from the castle, and their place was to be supplied by such other regular troops as his majesty should be pleased to order on to that station; and be subject to the command of General Gage.

Struck with alarm at this intelligence, the assembly saw before them the awful crisis; they passed a resolve, "appointing Wednesday, Oct. 3d. to be observed by both houses as a day of prayer to seek the Lord for his direction and blessing." This was sent up to the council, where it met with a unanimous concurrence. The house next resolved to proceed to business from necessity, with a "protest against that restraint which held them to do it out of Boston." During the session, they pressed the lieutenant-governor very closely, to ascertain whether the command of the castle was actually removed out of his hands, and placed under the power of a foreign officer, and when they had learnt this fact to their satisfaction, (though not by a direct avowal,) they passed resolves, reccommending domestic manufactures throughout the province, together with the most rigid industry, and economy; and appointed correspondents to communicate this in alligence to their agents, and others, in Great Britain, and the speak