not send for or import any kind of goods or merchandife from Great Britain, &c. from the first of January 1769, to the first of January 1770, except falt, coals, fish-hooks and lines, hemp and duck, bar-lead and shot, wool-cards and card wire."-" We will not purchase of any factor or others, any kind of goods imported from Great Britain, from January 1769 to January 1770.""We will not import, on our own account, or on commiffions, or purchase of any, who fhall import from any other colony in America, from January 1769 to January 1770, any tea, glafs, paper or other goods, commonly imported from Great Britain."-" We will not, from and after the firft of January 1769, import into this province any tea, paper, glass, or painters colours, until the act impofing duties on thofe articles shall be repealed." The fubfcription paper was carried about town; and, at length, generally figned; though feveral refpectable merchants remained non-fubfcribers. The fame month the Connecticut and New York merchants came into fimilar agreements; and thofe of Salem, the beginning of September. Some merchants had undoubtedly the forefight to provide for an abftinence from importation for a year, by unusually large orders.

Sept.

A report having been spread, that governor Bernard had intimated his apprehenfions, that one or more regiments were to be daily expected at Boston, a meeting of the inhabitants was called, and a committee appoint- 12. ed to wait on him, to know the grounds of his apprehenfions, and to pray him to iffue precepts forthwith for convening a general affembly. He acknowledged his having received those informations which produced fuch apprehenfions, but faid they were of a private na

ture. The calling of another affembly he told them could not be complied with, till his majefty's commands were received. The anfwer being reported, it was re13. folved, "That the freeholders, and other inhabitants of the town of Boston, will, at the peril of their lives and fortunes, take all legal and conftitutional measures to defend all and fingular the rights, liberties, privileges, and immunities granted in their royal charter." It was alfo declared to be the opinion of those prefent, "That a fuitable number of perfons to act for them as a committee in convention, with fuch as may be fent to join them from the other towns, fhould be now chofen, in order that fuch meafures may be confulted and advised, as his majefty's fervice, and the fafety of the province may require." It was then voted, "That the select men of Boston fhould write to the select men of the other towns, to acquaint them with the foregoing refolutions, and to propofe, that a convention be held at Faneuil Hall in Bofton, on the twenty-fecond instant." It was afterward voted, "That, as there is an apprehenfion, in the minds of many, of an approaching war with France, thofe inhabitants who are not provided, be requested to furnish themselves forthwith with arms."

The convention, confifting of committees from ninetyfix towns and eight diftricts, met as propofed; and after conference and confultation, petitioning the governor, declaring that they only confidered themselves as private perfons, making loyal profeffions, expreffing their averfion to ftanding armies, to tumults and diforders, their readiness to affift in fuppreffing riots and preferving the peace, and recommending patience and regard to good order, they broke up and went home on Thursday the twen

ty-ninth.

ty-ninth. Advice was received the day before, that the men of war and tranfports from Halifax, with fome hundreds of troops, were fafe arrived at Nantafket harbour, a few miles below Caftle William. Two days before the convention clofed, they difpatched a letter to Mr. De Berdt, containing a reprefentation of what had taken place, with fuch papers and inftructions as were judged moft fuitable to the circumstances of their affembly.

When the news was first received of troops being or dered to Boston, broad hints were thrown out that they fhould never land; and to ftrengthen the appearance of an intention to oppose them, a barrel was placed upon the beacon, fuppofed to be a tar barrel, to have been fired to call in the country upon the troops appearing, which was afterward found to be an empty nail barrel, Many of the deputies came down to the convention, with inftructions and difpofitions to prevent the Boftonians involving the province in the fatal confequences of their own furious devices. Numbers were from the beginning, fenfible of the impropriety and danger of their proceeding, and defirous by a moderate conduct, to correct the one and ward off the other. The governor's meffage to them after their addrefs was high, and might tend to keep fome of them in awe, as the troops were thought to be at no great distance. When Mr. Otis joined them, instead of being violent, he was quite moderate; and when Mr. Samuel Adams attempted to launch out in the fame free and unrestrained language, to which he was accustomed in the house of representatives, he was presently filenced,

The convention having finished in the above manner, the perfons juft named affumed to themfelves the mo

deration of those whom they called together for very different purposes. The governor himself was not always wholly ignorant of what was going forward among the fons of liberty. He kept up an acquaintance with fome of them; and by that mean, at times, procured ufeful intelligence, while he gave his informers the ftrongeft affurance, that their names fhould not be quoted, nor any communication be made of it, which could make them fuspected. Too much occafion was given for this paragraph, which foon after appeared in the New York Journal." I blame the Boftonians for having given fome room for the idle reports of their defigning to oppofe the landing of the troops, by the ridiculous puff and bombaft (for which our eastern brethren have always been too famous) of warning every man to provide himself with a good firelock, ammunition, &c. under the difingenuous jefuitical pretence of the profpect of a French war, full as abfurd and hypocritical as is the pretence of a military establishment in America for its protection and defence.”

When the troops from Halifax were daily expected, the governor would have prevailed upon the council to have provided quarters for them in Boston; but they refused, and in anfwer to what he advanced, faid, "The troops are by act of parliament, to be quartered no where else but in the barracks, until they are full; there are barracks enow at the caftle to hold both the regiments; and it is therefore against the act to bring any of them into town." However, the orders of general Gage to lieutenant colonel Dalrymple were pofitive to land one of them at Boston. But in the interim captain Montrefor, the engineer, arrived with letters of a subfequent

fequent date, from gen. Gage for the governor and the colonel, wherein the general mentioned, that it being reported and believed from a number of private letters and the publications, that the people in and about Boston had revolted, he had therefore sent the captain to affist the forces, and enable them to recover and maintain the castle, and fuch other posts as they could fecure. Upon this the 'colonel altered his plan, and concluded to land both regiments at Boston without lofs of time. The fleet therefore was immediately put into motion, and by the next morning commanded the whole town. Every thing being fully prepared, near upon fourteen fhips of war lying with their broadfides to the town, having springs on their cables, and their guns ready for firing instantly upon the place, in cafe of the least oppofition; about one o'clock at noon, October the first, the troops Oct. began landing, under cover of the ships cannon, with- 1. out molestation; and having effected it, marched into the common, with mufkets charged, bayonets fixed, drums beating, fifes playing, &c. making, with the train of artillery, upward of 700 men. In the evening, the felect men were required to quarter the two regiments in town, but abfolutely refused. One of the regiments however, being without their camp equipage, was humanely permitted to enter Faneuil-ball and its chambers, about nine o'clock at night, that so the men might enjoy a temporary fhelter. The next being Lord's, day, the town or state houfe was opened in the evening, by

The Launceston of 40 guns, the Mermaid of 28, Glasgow 20, Beaver 14, Senegal 14, Bonetta 10, and feveral armed fchooners, befides the Romney of 60 guns, and the other fhips which had been fome time in the harbour.