1773.

Jan.

4.

their legislative and ruling capacity are in the oppofition, which therefore cannot confift merely of a few factious leaders; and he appears not to have recollected, that men of oppofite principles and characters will unite heart and hand, in keeping off a general calamity, which will involve them all in one and the fame ruin. The towns in general have chofen committees of correfpondence, and refolved in a file agreeable to the wishes of the Boftonians. But the refolutions have not been alway drawn up by the townfinen. An inhabitant of Petersham applied to that worthy and difinterefted fon of liberty, Mr. Quincy, whom you will recollect to have been of the council for captain Preston and the foldiers, for his af fiftance, and was furnished with the following draft intended for Boston, excepting the introduction and the paragraphs marked with a ftar, which were added by fome other perfon.

At a meeting of the freeholders and other inhabitants of the town of Petersham in the county of Worcester, duly affembled according to law, held by adjournment on the 4th of January 1773, the committee chofen the 30th ult. made the following report, viz. "The town having received a circular letter from the town of Bofton, respecting the prefent grievances and abominable oppreffions under which this country groans, have thereupon taken into their most serious confideration, the prefent policy of the British government and adminiftration, with regard to Great Britain and thefe colonies; have carefully reviewed the mode of election, and the quality of the electors of the commons of that island and have alfo attentively reflected upon the enormous and growing influence of the crown, and that bane of

all

;

all free ftates, a ftanding army in the time of peace; and in confequence thereof are fully confirmed in opinion, that the ancient rights of the nation are capitally invaded, and the greatest part of the most precious and established liberties of Englishmen utterly deftroyed:And whereas the parliament of Great Britain, by various ftatures and acts, have unrighteously diftreffed our trade, denied and precluded us from the fetting up and carrying on manufactures highly beneficial to the inhabitants of thefe territories; reftricted and prevented our lawful intercourfe and commerce with other ftates and kingdoms; have alfo made laws and inftitutions touching life and limb, in difherifon of the ancient common law of the land; and moreover have in these latter times, robbed and plundered the honest and laborious inhabitants of this extenfive continent of their property, by mere force and power; and are now draining this people of the fruits of their toil, by thus raising a revenue from them, against the natural rights of man, and in open violation of the laws of God.

This town in union with the worthy inhabitants of Boston, now think it their indispensable duty to confider of the premises and the prefent afpect of the times, and to take fuch fteps as upon mature deliberation, are judged right and expedient, and hereupon this town

Refolved, That, with a governor appointed from Great Britain (especially at this day) during pleasure, with a large ftipend, dependant upon the will of the crown, and controlled by inftructions from a British minifter of ftate, with a council fubject to the negative of fuch a governor, and with all officers civil and military fubject to his appointment or confent, with a castle in the hands

of

of a standing army, ftationed in the very bowels of the land; and that amazing number of placemen and dependants, with which every maritime town already fwarms, no people can ever be truly virtuous, free, or brave:

Refolved, That the parliament of Great Britain, ufurping and exercising a legislative authority over, and extorting an unrighteous revenue from thefe colonies, is against all divine and human laws. The late appointment of falaries to be paid to our fuperior court judges, whose creation pay and commiffion depend on mere will and pleasure, completes a fyftem of bondage, equal to any ever fabricated, by the combined efforts of the ingenuity, malice, fraud and wickedness of man:

Refolved, That it is the opinion of this town, that a defpotic arbitrary government is the kingdom of this world, as fet forth in the New Teftament, and is diametrically oppofite to the establishment of Christianity in a fociety, and has a direct tendency to fink a people into a profound ftate of ignorance and irreligion; and that, if we have an eye to our own and pofterity's happinefs (not only in this world, but the world to come) it is our duty to oppofe fuch a government:

* And further refolved, That the depriving the colonies of their conftitutional rights, may be fitly com pared to the difmembering the natural body, which will foon affect the heart; and it would be nothing unexpected for us to hear, that thofe very perfons, who have been fo active in robbing the colonies of their conftitutional rights, have alfo delivered up the conftitution of our mother country into the hands of our

There

Therefore refolved, That it is the first and highest focial duty of this people, to confider of, and feek ways and means, for a speedy redrefs of thefe mighty griev ances and intolerable wrongs; and that for the obtaining of this end, this people are warranted, by the laws of God and nature, in the ufe of every rightful art and energy of policy, ftratagem and force.

* And while we are thus under thefe awful frowns of divine Providence, and involved as this people are in heavy calamities, which daily increase in number and feverity, it is highly becoming towns and individuals to humble themselves before Almighty God, ferioufly to commune with their own hearts, and feek carefully with tears, for the caufes of the prevailing diftreffes of the land; and while it is apparent, that priftine piety and purity of morals, have given place to infidelity, diffipation, luxury, and grofs corruption of mind and morals, there is a loud call for public humility, lamentings and reformation; and it is at this time eminently incumbent on one and all, to feek at the throne of the Great God for those special and remarkable interpofitions of divine Providence, grace and mercy, which have so often faved New England from both public and private diftrefs and mifery and as there is great reafon to believe, that in paft times we have too much depended upon the exer tions of worldly wisdom and political devices, it be comes us in our prefent melancholy fituation, to rely no longer on an arm of flefh, but on the arms of that allpowerful God, who is able to unite the numerous inhabitants of this extenfive territory, as a band of brothers in one common caufe-who can eafily give that true religion, which fhall make us his people indeed; that

fpirit, which fhall fit us to endure temporal hardships for the procurement of future happinefs; that fpirit of valor and irrefiftible courage, which fhall occafion our aged and our youth to jeopard their lives with joy, in the high places of the field, for his name and fervice fake, for the prefervation alfo of this goodly heritage of our fathers, for the fake of the living children of our loins, and the unborn millions of pofterity.

* We believe that there are very many, who in thefe days have kept their integrity and garments unfpotted, and hope that God will deliver them and our nation for their fake. God will not fuffer this land, where the gofpel hath flourished, to become a flave of the world; he will ftir up witneffes of the truth; and in his own time fpirit his people to ftand up for his caufe, and deliver them. In a fimilar belief, that patriot of patriots the great Algernon Sidney lived and died, and dying breathed a like fentiment and prophecy, touching his own and the then approaching times, a prophecy however not accomplished until a glorious revolution.

Approved of by vote of the town, without contradiction.

SYLVANUS HOW, per order.

The governor, inftead of over-looking in his fpeech, the proceedings of the towns, has been induced by them to broach the difpute about the fupremacy of the parliament; and has fallen into the fnare, which probably fome of the politicians laid for him, expecting to get the majority of the general court to declare against it. He defigned to recommend himself to the miniftry by obtaining a victory; but they will not thank him for increafing their embarraffments.

The