As neither this appointment, nor disposal of the public money, could be at all agreeable to the Governor, he accordingly refused his concur. rence to the latter; upon which the assembly passed a resolution, to recommend to the several towns and districts within the province, to raise the said 5001. by equitable proportions, according to the last provincial tax. A recommendation, which, at present, had all the force of a law. The assembly foreseeing that their dissolution was at hand, were determined to give the people a public testimony of their opinions, and under the title of recommendations to prescribe rules for their conduct, which they knew would be more punctually complied with than the positive injunctions of laws. They accordingly passed a declaratory resolution, expressive of their sense of the state of public affairs, and of the designs of government, in which they advanced, that they, with the other American colonies, had long been struggling under the heavy hand of power; and that their dutiful petitions for the redress of intolerable grievances had not only been disregarded; but that the design totally to alter the free constitution and civil government in British America, to establish arbitrary governments, and to reduce the inhabitants to slavery, appeared more and more to be fixed and determined. They then recommended in the strongest terms to the inhabitants of the province, totally to renounce the consumption of India teas, and, as far as in them lay, to discontinue the use of all goods imported from the EastIndies and Great Britain, until the public grievances of America should be radically and totally redressed. And the more fully to carry this essential purpose into effect, it was strongly recommended, that they should give every possible encou ragement to the manufactures of America. Though the committee, that was appointed to conduct this business, endeavoured to carry it on with the greatest privacy, the Governor, notwithstanding, obtained some intelligence of it, and on the very day upon which they made their report, he sent his Secretary to pronounce their immediate dissolution. The Secretary, upon his arrival, finding the door locked, sent the House-messenger to acquaintthe Speaker, that he had a message from the Governor, and desired admittance to deliver it. The Speaker, in some time, returned for answer, that he had acquainted the House with the message which he had received, and that their orders were to keep the door fast. Upon this refusal of admittance, the Secretary caused proclamation to be made, upon the stairs, of the dissolution of the June 17th. General Assembly. Such was the issue of the final contest between the Governor of Massachusett's Bay, and the last Assembly which was holden in that province, upon the principles of its charter. The day after the dissolution of the Assembly, a most pathetic, but at the same time firm and manly address, was presented from the merchants and freeholders of the town of Salem to the Governor. We cannot forget that this town was now become the temporary capital of the province, in the place of Boston; and that the General Assembly, the Courts of Justice, the Custom-House, and so far as it could could be done by power, the trade the ruin of our suffering neigh- Whether this opinion was founded upon a thorough knowledge of human nature in general, or took its rise from particular instances, which were extended in speculation to the whole, may perhaps, in a certain degree, be determined from the following generous sentiments of the inhabitants of Salem. They say, "We are deeply afflicted with a sense of our public calamities; but the miseries that are now rapidly hastening on our brethren in the capital of the province, greatly excite our commiseration: and we hope your excellency will use your endeavours to prevent a further accumulation of evils on that already sorely distressed people."" By shutting up the port of Boston, some imagine that the course of trade might be turned hither, and to our benefit; but nature, in the formation of our harbour, forbids our becoming rivals in commerce with that convenient mart. And were it otherwise, we must be dead to every idea of justice, lost to all feelings of humanity, could we indulge one thought to seize on wealth, and raise our fortunes on This whole address is remarkable for the propriety with which it is conducted, and the justness of its sentiments. They treat the governor with the highest respect, and hope much from his general character, as well as from his conduct in a former government; they express the strongest attachment to the mother country, the deepest concern for the present unhappy troubles, and the most fervent wishes for a speedy and happy reconciliation, to obtain which, they are willing to sacrifice every thing, com patible with the safety and dignity of British subjects. The general had formed considerable hopes upon the conduct of the merchants; who he expected would have entered into the spiritof the late law, and by removing their commerce along with the custom-house to Salem, have thereby the sooner induced the capital to the compliances which were wished by government. In these expecta tions he was disappointed. It is probable, that the merchants thought it fit and necessary to keep fair with government, and in general disapproved of all violences ; but it seems evident, that they did not enter heartily into the new measures. It seems also probable, that he believed the friends of the system of government now adopted, to be stronger and more numcrous than they really were. experiment was however made, which set this matter in a clear light. The friends of government attended a town-meeting at Boston, and attempted to pass resolutions for the payment of the tea, and for An dissolving dissolving the committee of correspondence; but they found them selves lost in a prodigious majority; and had no other resource, than the drawing up of a protest against the proceedings of that assembly. In the mean time, rough draughts of the two remaining bills relative to the province of Massachusett's Bay, as well as of that for quartering the troops in America, all of which were in agitation in England, at the time that the last ships sailed from thence, were received in Boston, and immediately circulated throughout the continent. The knowledge of these bills filled up whatever was wanting before, of violence and indignation in most of the colonies. Even those who were moderate or seemed wavering, now became sanguine. The idea of shutting up the ports became common language, and to be considered as a matter of necessity. Nothing was to be heard of, but meetings and resolutions. Liberal contributions for the relief of their distressed brethren in Boston were every where recommended, and soon reduced into practice. Numberless letters were written from towns, districts, and provinces, to the people of Boston, in which, besides every expression of sympathy and tenderness, they were highly flattered for their past conduct, and strongly exhorted to a perseverance in that virtue, which brought on their sufferings. The people of America at this time, with respect to political opinions, might in general be divided into two great classes. Of these, one was for rushing headlong into the greatest extremities; they would put an immediate stop to trade, without waiting till other measures were tried, or receiving the general sense of the colonies upon a subject of such alarming importance; and though they were eager for the holding of a congress, they would leave it nothing to do, but to prosecute the violences which they had begun. The other, if less numerous, was not less respectable, and though more moderate, were perhaps equally firm. These were averse to any violent measures being adopted until all other means were ineffectually tried; they wished further application to be made to Great-Britain; and the grievances they complained of, with the rights which they claimed, to be clearly stated, and properly presented. This, they said, could only be done effectually by a general congress, as in any other manner it might be liable to the objection of being only the act of a few men, or of a particular colony. We, however, acknowledge a third party, which were the friends to the administration in England, or more properly, those who did not totally disapprove of its measures ; but their still small voice was so low, that except in a very few particular places, it could scarcely be distinguished. The more violent, who had not patience to wait for the result of a congress, entered into other measures. An agreement was framed by the committee of correspondence at Boston, which they entitled a solemn league and covenant, wherein the subscribers bound themselves in the most solemn manner, and in the presence of God, to suspend all commercial intercourse with Great-Britain, from the last day of the ensuing month of August, until the Boston Port-Bill, and the other late obnoxious laws were repealed, and the colony of Massachusett's-Bay fully restored to its chartered rights. They also bound themselves in the same manner, not to consume, or to purchase from any other, any goods whatever, which arrived after the specified time, and to break off all commerce, trade, and dealings, with any who did, as well as with the importers of such goods. They renounced in the same manner, all future intercourse and connection with those who should refuse to subscribe to that covenant, or to bind themselves by some similar agreement, with the dangerous penalty annexed, of having their names published to the world. The covenant, accompanied with a letter from the committee at Boston, was circulated with the usual activity, and the people, not only in the New England govern. ments, but in the other provinces, entered into this new league with the greatest eagerness. It seems, however, that similar agreements had been entered into about the same time, in various parts of the continent, and without any previous concert with each other, any more than with those at Boston. This proclamation had no other effect than to exercise the pens and the judgment of those who were versed in legal knowledge, by endeavouring to shew, that the association did not come within anv of the treason-laws, and that the charges made by the governor were consequently erroneous, unjust, and highly injurious. They said he had assumed a power, which the constitution denied even to the sovereign, the power of making those things to be treason, which were not considered as such by the laws; that the people had a right to assemble to consider of their common grievances, and to form associations for their general conduct towards the remedy of those grievances; and that the proclamation was equally arbitrary, odious, and illegal. Measures were now every where taken for the holding of a general General Gage was much alarm- congress; and Philadelphia, from ed at this proceeding; to which the convenience of its situation, as its name, as well as its tendency, well as its security, was fixed upon might possibly contribute. He ac- as the place, and the beginning of cordingly published a September the time, for meeting. June 29th. strong proclamation Where an assembly happened to be against it, in which it was stiled sitting, as in the case of Massaan unlawful, hostile, and traiterous. chusett's-Bay, they appointed decombination, contrary to the al-puties to represent the province in legiance due to the king, destruc- the congress. But as this happentive of the lawful authority of the ed to be the case in very few i stances, stances, the general method was, for the people to elect their usual number of representatives, and these, at a general meeting, chose deputies from among themselves; the number of which, in general, bore some proportion to the extent and importance of the province; two being the least, and seven the greatest number, that represented any colony. But whatever the number of representatives were, ach colony had no more than a single vote. At these county or provincial meetings, a number of resolutions were constantly passed, among which a declaration that the Boston Port-Act was oppressive,, unjust, unconstitutional in its principles, and dangerous to the liberties of America, was always among the foremost. At Philadelphia, a petition signed by near 900 freeholders was presented to Mr. Penn, the Governor, intreating him to call a general assembly as soon as possible. This request being refused, the province proceeded to the election of deputies, who soon July 15th. after met at Philadel, phia. As the resolutions passed at this meeting carry more the marks of cool and temperate deliberation, as well as of affection to the mother country, than those of many others, and are at the same time equally firm in the determination of supporting what they thought their rights, we shall be the more particular in our notice of them. They set out with the strongest professions of duty and allegiance to the sovereign, which could be well devised, and declare their abhorrence of every idea of an unconstitutional independence on the parent state; upon which account, they say, that they view the late differences between Great-Britain and the colonists with the deepest distress and anxiety of mind, as fruitless to her, grievous to them, and destructive of the best interests of both. They then, after expressing the most ardent wishes for a restoration of the former harmony, declare that the colonists are entitled to the same rights and liberties within the colonies, that the subjects born in England are within that realm. They reprobated in the strongest terms the late bills relative to the province of Massachusett's-Bay, and declare that they consider ther bre thren at Boston, as suffering in the common cause of all the colonies. They also declare the absolute necessity of a congress, to consult toge ther, and to form a general plan of conduct to be observed by all the colonies, for the purposes of procuring relief for their suffering brethren, obtaining redress of their general grievances, preventing future dissentions, firmly establishing their rights, and the restoration of harmony between Great-Britain and her colonies upon a constitutional foundation. They acknowledge, that a suspension of the commerce of that large trading province with GreatBritain, would greatly distress mul titudes of their industrious inhabitants; but declare that they are ready to offer that sacrifice, and a much greater, for the preservation of their liberties; that, however, in regard to the people of GreatBritain, as well as of their own country, and in hopes that their just remonstrances might at length have effect, it was their earnest desire, that the congress should first try |