By the Quebec act, the total revenue of the province is configned, in the first instance, to a warrant from the lord of the treasury, for the purpose of penfioning judges during pleasure, and the fupport of a civil lift totally unlimited. The firft lord of the treafury, without control of parliament, is therefore in actual poffeffion of the revenues of one American province, under the authority of an act of parliament, with no other obligation expreffed, than in general to defray the expences of the adminiftration of justice, and to fupport civil government. The refidue, as in the tea-act, is to be referved for the difpofal of parliament. The government of Quebec is, in truth, a legal parliamentary defpotifm committed into the hands of the crown and its minifter; for the crown of Great Britain is conftituted as abfolute in the province, under an act of parliament, as any defpot that ever exifted in the world. Hence is inferred what ministers would do through all America, did they poffefs the power

Your present governor, general Gage, has been appointed as the most proper person to fee to the execution of the laws, which have been paffed refpecting both the colony and its capital: when he has fettled matters, and established order and due fubmiffion to the power of parliament, Mr. Hutchinfon is to return and refume the chair. The laft fince his arrival, has been graciously received: his influence with miniftry will continue, till events convince them that they have been greatly mistaken in relying upon his judgment on American fubjects. A commiffion during pleasure has paffed the great feal, granting to general Gage full power and au

thority, where he fhall fee caufe, to pardon and remit all treasons, murders, felonies, crimes and mifdemeanors whatfoever, and all fines or penalties whatsoever incurred in the Maffachusetts.

May

LETTER

IX.

Roxbury, Sept. 28, 1774.

rather difconcerted when

THE appointment of general Gage to the govern-
ment was not thought of by Mr. Hutchinson. He
expected to have been intrufted with the execution of
the minifterial plan; and was
he found it to be otherwife. Before he left the colony,
he was prefented with a few addreffes; one by a num-
ber of gentlemen, conceived in very refpectful terms,
but against which many others entered a protest. Had
he applied himself vigorously and fteadily, to the heal-
ing of the breach between the colonies, and the parent
ftate, inftead of calling upon miniftry to force fubmif-
fion, he would have been a bleffing, and had the love
of all; but now it will be well, if he does not prove a
curfe to both countries, and make himself odious to the
latest pofterity.

When general Gage landed on the long wharf, it was 13. thought from appearances, that he had apprehensions of being ill-treated by the inhabitants; but though they were highly incenfed at the port-bill, which they had

just

juft received, they behaved toward him with the greatest decency. He was complimented by the council, thegentlemen in the commiffion of the peace, and others, and afterward fumptuously entertained.

The next day there was a numerous town-meeting to confider the port-bill; when they refolved, "That it is the opinion of this town, that if the other colonies come into a joint refolution, to ftop all importation from and exportation to Great Britain, and every part of the Weft Indies, till the act be repealed, the fame will prove the falvation of North America and her liberties; and that the impolicy, injuftice, inhumanity, and cruelty of the act, exceed all our powers of expreffion: We there fore leave it to the juft cenfure of others, and appeal to God and the world." Copies of the act arrived in different parts; were multiplied with incredible expedition; and circulated through the colonies, by which the whole country was inflamed. In fome places they were print ed upon mourning paper with a. black border, and cried about the streets under the title of a barbarous, cruel, bloody and inhuman murder: in others, great bodies of the people were called together by advertisement, and the obnoxious law burned with great folemnity, fimilar to what was done in the time of the ftamp-act.

When the Boston port-bill arrived at New York, captains Sears and M'Dougall wrote to the committee at Boston, affuring them of the fupport of the New Yorkers. The letter was published without their names. The Yorkers would have fixed a cenfure upon them, but could get no proof of their being the writers. Captains Sears and M'Dougall called the people together by a publication. They collected, and after a violent

oppofition

oppofition from the tories, who had brought their whole ftrength upon the occafion, a vote was obtained for арpointing a committee on account of the port-bill, which was to confift of fifty-one. The tories fearing the worst, had provided a lift; but all lifts were taken off the table at Mr. Sears's motion, when nominations took place, and the number of whigs and tories was nearly equal. Mr. Sears got another added, which made the committee fifty-two. The whigs in it infifted, that there must be a congrefs. The violence of captain Sears's temper, and his influence over the populace, induced the tories to fall in with the propofal of one, rather than be expofed to the dangers of a mob; but they expected that they should prevent it. A letter was fent to the Boston committee, with a recommendation to them to appoint time and place. They approved of a congrefs, but declined making the appointments. The York committee con-. fidered the answer; and it was carried, to write to them afresh upon the subject. The tories were caught, for having agreed to the motion for a congress, they could not hinder it, by all their contrivances. You must admit of my ufing for brevity fake, the terms whig and tory for the pro's and con's on the fubject of full redress to American grievances. When better can be met with, they fhall be adopted: but they are univerfally applied in this manner by the liberty party.

The Boston committee of correfpondence were fenfible, that the utmost delicacy and precaution, in the ufe of words and expreffions, were requifite in the prefent state of affairs; that fo their enemies might not dif appoint them of that fupport, for which they were to make a general application to all the colonifts, and whom

they

they addreffed on the head of the port-bill, and the diftreffes coming upon the inhabitants, with the utmost refpect: they were careful to infert in all their letters, "It is hoped that Bofton will be confidered as suffering in the common caufe.".

While these letters were circulating, the period arrived for the meeting of a new general court, which af fembled at Bofton; when the services of the election- May day were carried on as ufual; but the hearts of many 25. felt fad with the apprehenfion that it would be the last of the kind. Their forebodings were increased, by the number and characters of the elected counsellors whom governor Gage negatived, not lefs than thirteen. Hé laid nothing before the court more than the common bufinefs of the province; but gave them notice of their removal to Salem on the firft of June in pursuance of the act. Learning that the house of affembly, to evade removing were haftening through the neceffary business, with the greatest expedition, he adjourned the general court to the seventh of June, then to meet at Salem. Before that day, the inhabitants of feveral towns and cities, in different parts of the continent, concurred in expreffing the greatest disapprobation of the measures purfued against Boston, an abhorrence of the new act, and a condemnation of the principles on which it was founded, with a refolution to oppose its effects in every manner, and to fupport their diftreffed brethren, who were to be the immediate victims. At Philadelphia a subscription was set on foot for the support of fuch poor inhabitants of Bofton as should be deprived of the means of fubfiftence by the operation of the act. The Virginia house of burgeffes appointed the first of June to

be