majesty's castle; the commandant fired upon the populace with cannon, and musquetry; but the castle was instantly stormed and rifled, and the garrison were made prisoners. Fortunately no blood was spilt, and the fort was again delivered up to the garrison. Here was a field opened in the colonies, for the display of talents and characters which knew no bounds. Liberty and patriotism became the order of the day, and the ranks were filled in every colony with a class of men who did honour to themselves, to their country, and to the world. All the energies of individuals, as well as the acts of public bodies, served to shew that the colonies of America had become one great body, actuated by one soul, and that soul to be inspired by the spirit of liberty.

Such was the power of habit, arising from a long and steady obedience to the laws, in a well regulated state of society, that Massachusetts was in all respects, as free from every degree of licentiousness, now all courts of justice were suspended, and one great bustle of military preparation had usurped the place of the laws, as she ever had been in times of profound peace.

The firmness of the town of Boston, under all her. sufferings, shed a lustre upon herself, and a glory upon her country, which gained her the universal applause of that day, and which will be transmitted down to the latest generation.

Ministers had paved the way for this crisis, by procuring a dissolution of Parliament at an early day; but as things ripened up for the contest, it became necessary to call a new Parliament to provide for the exigencies of the times, and the events of the day.

On the 30th of November, his majesty met his new Parliament, with a high toned speech, in which he informed them "that a most daring spirit of disobedience to the law still unhappily prevailed in Massachusetts, and had VOL. III.

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broke forth in fresh violences of a criminal nature; that these proceedings had been encouraged in other colonies, and unwarrantable attempts had been made to obstruct the commerce of the kingdom, by unlawful combinations ; that such measures had been taken, and such orders given, as were judged most proper for carrying the laws into execution; and that they might depend upon a firm resolution to withstand every attempt to weaken the supreme authority of the legislature, over all the dominions of the crown, his majesty being assured of their support, while acting upon these principles."

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This high toned speech of his majesty was supported by an overwhelming majority in both houses of Parliament, and ministers were fully determined to push to the utmost extremity the rod of coercion, with which they were now menacing America; and their sentiments were fully expressed in the following observations of Lord North to Mr. Quincey.

"We must try what we can do to support the authority we have claimed over America; if we are defective in power, we must sit down contented and make the best terms we can; no body then can blame us, after we have done our utmost; but till we have tried what we can do, we can never be satisfied in receding; we ought to, and shall be very careful not to judge a thing impossible, because it may be difficult; nay, we ought to try what we can effect, before we determine upon its impracticability."

This was not only the stile of the king, and his ministers, but the nation had joined the cry, in hopes of being relieved from that weight of oppressive taxation under which they groaned. But America had friends in Britain as well as enemies; friends who knew her strength, as well as worth; friends who wished to cultivate peace, not only for the

good of America, but for the best interest of Britain. At the head of these friends stood the illustrious Pitt, then Earl of Chatham.

Mr. Quincey, who attended in the House of Lords on the 20th of December, when the minister opened his budget upon the affairs of America, thus describes the great champion of America.

"Lord Chatham rose like Marcellus. Viros superiment omnes.' He seemed to feel himself superior to those around him. His language, voice, and gesture were more pathetic than I ever saw or heard before, at the bar, or in the senate. He seemed like an old Roman senator, rising with the dignity of age; yet speaking with the fire of youth.

"The illustrious sage stretched forth his hand, with the decent solemnity of a Paul, and rising with his subject, he smote his breast, with the energy, and grace of a Demosthenes. He opened with some general remarks, upon the importance and magnitude of the quarrel with America, (as he called it.) He enlarged upon the dangerous, and ruinous events, that were coming upon the nation, in consequence of the present dispute, and the measures already begun and now carrying on by his majesty's ministers. He arraigned their conduct with great severity and freedom. He then proceeded."

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My Lords, these papers now laid for the first time before your lordships, have been for five or six weeks in the pockets of the minister, and notwithstanding the fate of this kingdom hangs upon the event of this great controversy, we are but this moment called to a consideration of this important subject. My Lords, I do not want to look into one of those papers; I know their contents well enough already; I know there is not a member in this house but is acquainted with their purport also. There

ought therefore to be no delay in entering upon this matter; we ought to proceed to it immediately. We ought to seize the first moment to open the door of reconciliation. The Americans will never be in a temper, or state to be reconciled, (they ought not to be,) until the troops are withdrawn. The troops are a perpetual irritation to the people; they are a bar to all confidence, and all cordial reconcilement. I therefore, my Lords, move that an humble address be presented to his majesty, most humbly to advise, and beseech his majesty, that, (in order to open the way towards an honourable settlement of the dangerous troubles in America, by beginning to allay ferments, and soften animosities there; and above all for preventing, in the mean time, any sudden, and fatal catastrophe at Boston, now suffering under the daily irritation of an army before their eyes, posted in that town,) it may graciously please his majesty, that orders be immediately dispatched to General Gage, for removing his majesty's forces from the town of Boston, as soon as the rigour of the season, and other circumstances indispensible to the safety, and accommodation of the said troops, may render the same practicable.

"The way, my Lords, must be immediately opened for a reconciliation. It will soon be too late. I know not who advised the present measures. I know not who advises to a perseverance, and enforcement of them; but this I will say, that whosoever advises them, ought to answer for it at his peril. I know that no one will avow that he advised, or that he was the author of these measures; every one shrinks from the charge. But somebody has advised his majesty to these measures, and if his majesty continues to hear such evil counsel, his majesty will be undone. His majesty indeed may wear his crown; but the American jewel out of it, it will not be worth the wearing.

"What more shall I say? I will not say the king is betrayed; but this I will say, the nation is ruined. What foundation have we for our claims over America? What is our right to persist in such cruel, and vindictive measures against that loyal, and respectable people? They say you have no right to tax them without their consent, and they say rightly. Representation, and taxation must go together; they are inseparable. Yet there is hardly a man in our streets, be he ever so poor, but thinks he must be a legislator for America. Our American subjects, is a common phrase in the mouth of the lowest order of our citizens; but property, my Lords, is the sole, and entire dominion of the owner. None can meddle with it. It is a unity. A mathematical point. It is an atom, untangible by any but its proprietor. Touch it and the owner looses his whole property. The touch contaminates the whole mass; the whole property vanishes. The touch of another annihilates it; for whatever is a man's own, is absolutely, and exclusively his own.

In the last parliament, all was anger; all was rage. Administration did not consider what was practicable; but what was revenge. Sine clade victoria, was the language of the ministry, the last session; but every body knew, an ideot might know, that such would not be the issue. For the ruin of the nation was a matter of no concern, if administration might be revenged. Americans were abused, misrepresented, and traduced in the most outrageous manner, in order to give a colour, and urge on to the most precipitate, unjust, cruel, and vindictive measures that ever disgraced a nation.”

"Gnossius hæc Rhadamanthus habet durissima regna,
"Castigatque, Audit que aolos."

"My Lords, the very infernal spirits, they chastise, castigatque, sed auditque, My Lords. The very spirits of the infernal regions hear, before they punish. But how have