The papers referred to in the foregoing letter, being published in the newspapers, it is not necessary to insert them.[] Mr. [John] Hancock produced and laid before the Congress a Letter from the provincial Congress of Massachusetts bay, together with certain resolutions formed by s Congress, and a Copy of a letter, sent by s Congress to their agent in England, and an address to the inhabitants of G-Bn, on the late engagement between the troops under Gen! Gage, and the inhabitants of Massachusetts bay; on Wednesday 18 ult: also a number of depositions, duly attested, relative to the commencement of hostilities, all which were read, and are as follows: [here insert them] IN PROVINCIAL CONGRESS, WATERTOWN, May 3, 1775. To the Honorable American Continental Congress, to be conven'd at Philadelphia, on the tenth of May Instant. MAY IT PLEASE YOUR HONOURS, The Congress of this colony, impressed with the deepest Concern for their Country, under the present critical and alarming state of its public Affairs, beg leave, with the most respectful submission, whilst acting in support of the Cause of America, to request the direction and assistance of your respectable Assembly. The inclosed Packet, containing Copies of the Depositions, which we have despatched for London, also an Address to the Inhabitants of Great Britain, and a Letter to our Colony Agent, Benjamin Franklin, Esq' are humbly submitted to your Consideration. The sanguinary Zeal of the ministerial Army, to ruin and destroy the Inhabitants of this Colony, in the Opinion of this Congress, hath rendered the Establishment of an Army indispensably necessary. We have accordingly passed an unanimous Resolve for thirteen thousand six hundred Men, to be forthwith raised by this Colony; and proposals are made by us to the Congress of New Hampshire, and Governments of Rhode Island and Connecticut Colonies, for furnishing men. in the same proportion. The sudden Exigency of our public Affairs, precluded the possibility of waiting for your direction in these important measures; more especially, as a considerable Reinforcement from Great Britain is daily expected in this Colony, and we are now reduced to the sad alternative of defending ourselves by arms, or submitting to be slaughtered. With the greatest deference, we beg leave to suggest, that a powerful Army, on the side of America, hath been consider'd, by this Congress, as the only mean left to stem the rapid Progress of a tyrannical Ministry. Without a force, superior to our Enemies, we must reasonably expect to become the Victims of their relentless fury: With such a force, we may still have hopes of seeing an immediate End put to the inhuman Ravages of mercenary Troops in America, and the wicked authors of our Miseries, brought to condign punishment, by the just Indignation of our Brethren in Great Britain. We hope that this Colony will, at all Times, be ready to spend and be spent in the Cause of America. It is, nevertheless, a Misfortune greatly operating to its Disadvantage, that it has a great Number of Sea Port Towns, exposed to the approach of the Enemy by Sea; from many of which, the Inhabitants have removed, and are now removing their Families and Effects, to avoid Destruction from Ships of War: These, we apprehend, will be generally distressed from want of subsistence, and disabled from contributing Aid for supporting the Forces of the Colony; but we have the greatest Confidence in the wisdom and ability of the Continent to support us, so far as it shall appear necessary for supporting the common cause of the American Colonies. We also inclose several Resolves for impowering and directing our Receiver General to borrow the Sum of one hundred thousand Pounds, Lawful Money, and to issue his Notes for the same; it being the only measure, which we cou'd have recourse to, for supporting our Forces; And we request your assistance in rendring our measures effectual, by giving our Notes a currency through the Continent. JOSEPH WARREN, President, P. T 1 The papers inclosed, and referred to, in the above, are as follows: IN PROVINCIAL CONGRESS, WATERTOWN, May 3, 1775. Resolved, That the Receiver General be, and hereby is impower'd and directed to borrow the Sum of One Hundred Thousand Pounds, lawful money, and issue Colony Security for the same, payable, with Annual Interest, at six cent. June 1st., 1777, and that the Conti 'The original is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 65, vol. I, folio 1. nental Congress be desired to recommend to the several Colonies, to give a currency to such Securities. A true extract from the minutes, SAMUEL FREEMAN, Secretary, P. T. IN PROVINCIAL CONGRESS, WATERTOWN, May 3, 1775. Resolved, That the Securities given by the Receiver General for the Monies borrowed by him, in pursuance of the aforegoing Resolve, be in the form following, viz. No. The COLONY OF THE MASSACHUSETTS BAY. A. B. the Sum of Day of A. D. 177 Borrowed and received of lawful money, for the Use and Service of the Colony of the Massachusetts Bay; and in behalf of said Colony, I do hereby promise and oblige myself, and successors in the Office of Treasurer, or Receiver General, to repay to the said or to his Order, lawful Money, the first Day of June, 1777, the aforesaid Sum of in Spanish Milled Dollars, at six shillings each, or in the several Species of Coined Silver and Gold, enumerated in an Act made and passed in the 23d Year of his late Majesty, King George the Second, intituled "An Act for ascertaining the Rates at which coined Silver and Gold, English half-pence and farthings, may pass within this Government:" and according to the Rates therein mentioned, with Interest, to be paid annually, at six per Cent. Witness my hand A. B. C. D. E. F. And whereas, Inconveniencies may arise by the Receiver General's issuing Notes for small Sums: Therefore, Resolved, That the Receiver General be, and he hereby is directed, not to issue any Notes for a less Sum than four Pounds, lawful money. A true extract from the Minutes, SIR, SAMUEL FREEMAN, Secretary, P. T To the Hon. Benjamin Franklin, Esq. at London. IN PROVINCIAL CONGRESS, WATERTOWN, April 26, 1775. From the entire Confidence we Repose in your faithfulness and Abilities, we consider it the happiness of this Colony, that the impor 'The original is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 74, folio 53. "Franklin was on his way to America when this letter was written; and it was given to Arthur Lee, acting agent in London. tant trust of Agency for it, in this day of unequalled Distress, is devolved on your hands, and we doubt not, your Attachment to the Cause and liberties of Mankind, will make every possible Exertion in our behalf, a Pleasure to you; altho' our circumstances will compell us often to Interrupt your repose, by Matters that will surely give you Pain. A singular instance hereof is the Occasion of the present letter. The Contents of this Packet, will be our Apology for Troubling you with it. From these, you will see, how and by whom we are at last Plunged into the horrors of a most unnatural war. Our enemies, we are told, have despatched to G[reat] Britain a fallacious Account of the Tragedy they have begun; to prevent the operation of which, to the Publick injury, we have engaged the Vessel that conveys this to you, as a Packet in the service of this Colony, and we Request your Assistance in supplying Captain Derby,' who commands her, with such Necessaries as he shall want, on the Credit of your Constituents in Massachusetts Bay. But we most ardently wish, that the several papers herewith Inclosed, may be immediately printed, and Disperced thro' every Town in England, and especially communicated to the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Common Council of the city of London, that they may take such Order thereon, as they may think Proper. And we are Confident your fidelity will make such improvement of them, as shall convince all, who are not determined to be in everlasting blindness, that it is the united efforts of both Englands, that must save either. But that whatever Price our Brethren in the one, may be pleased to put on their constitutional liberties, we are authorized to assure you, that the inhabitants of the other, with the Greatest Unanimity, are inflexibly resolved to sell theirs only at the Price of their lives. Sign'd by order of the Provincial Congress, JOSEPH WARREN, President, P. T. A true Copy from the original Minutes, 1 Richard Derby. SAMUEL FREEMAN, Secretary, P. T.2 *"Ordered, that Mr President, Doct. Taylor, Mr. Freeman, [Henry] Gardner, Esq. and Col. Stone, be a committee to draught a letter to our agent in Great Britain." Provincial Congress, 26 April, 1775. The letter was brought in and signed the same day. The version printed is taken from the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 65, Vol. I, folio 9. The depositions relative to the commencement of hostilities, are as follows:' No. 1. LEXINGTON, April 25, 1775. We, Solomon Brown, Jonathan Loring, and Elijah Sanderson, all of lawful Age, and of Lexington, in the County of Middlesex, and Collony of the Massachusett Bay, in New England, do testifie and declare, that on the evening of the Eighteenth of April, Instant, being on the Road between Concord and Lexington, and all of us mounted on Horses, we were, about ten of the Clock, suddenly surprized by nine Persons, whom we took to be Regular Officers, who Rode up to us, mounted and armed, each having a Pistol in His Hand, and after Putting Pistols to our Breasts, and seizing the Bridles of our Horses, they swore, that if we stirred another step, we should be all Dead Men, upon which we surrendered our selves. They Detained us until Two o'Clock the next morning, in which time they searched and greatly abused us; having first enquired about the Magazine at Concord, whether any Guards were posted there, and whether the bridges were up, and said four or five Regiments of Regulars would be in Possession of the stores soon; they then brought us back to Lexington, cut the Horses Bridles and Girts, turned them Loose, and then Left us. SOLOMON BROWN, 'On April 22d, the Massachusetts Congress appointed a committee to collect testimony on the conduct of the British troops in their route to Concord, to be sent to England by the first ship from Salem. Mr. Gerry, Colonel Cushing, Colonel Barrett, Captain Stone, Dr. Taylor, Messrs. Sullivan, Freeman and Watson, and Esquire Jonas Dix constituted this committee; and on the 23d, Gerry and Cushing were Joined with Dr. Church to draw up an account of the “massacre" of the 19th. The report and narrative were submitted on the 26th, and a number of scribes named to make duplicate copies. One set was entrusted to Captain Richard Derby, who was to hasten to London and deliver them to Franklin. On May 2d, Gerry, Warren, Doxtor, Col. Warron and Gerrish were ordered to send a second set to the Southern colonies, to be transmitted to London, and a third set to the Continental Congress. The copies sent to the Congress are in Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 65, vol. 1, folion 11:51. These depositions were printed in the following pamphlet: A / Narrative, / of the / Excursion and Ravages of the / King's Troops / Under The Command of General Gage, / On the nineteenth of April, 1775. / Together with the/ Depositions, Taken by Order of Congress, To support the Truth of it. / PubHahod by Authority. / Massachusetts-Bay: Worcester, Printed by Isaiah Thomas, by onder of the Provincial Congress. ; [1775.]. 8°. pp. 23. Copies are in the American Antiquarian Society. |