peace, and supporting the authority of government. Iu the mean time, the consignees sent up a petition, praying for leave to resign their trust, and for liberty to deliver up the tea, together with themselves, to the safe keeping of the governor and council, as the guardians of the people; but this was not accepted, and the council advised the governor to strengthen the arm of the law, by calling on the justices of the peace, and others, for the support of order, and the laws.

At this eventful moment the tea-ships arrived, and entered the harbour. The town of Boston commenced their town meetings, in connection with the citizens of the neighbouring towns, on the 3d of November, under that liberty-tree, which had been rendered famous by the effigy riots, under the stamp-act; where they had continued unitedly to meet, by adjournment, down to this time.

At these meetings, the cautious were openly met with this reply" It must come to a quarrel with Great-Britain and the colonies, sooner or later, before we can have our rights secured; and now is the most eligible period; besides, we are pledged to our sister colonies, and cannot go back, without being forever discarded; but if we are faithful to ourselves and to them, they will be faithful to us." These meetings were occasionally held in Fanuel Hall, and when they became too numerous for the latter, they were adjourned to the Old South.

On the 18th, the voice of the meeting declared that the tea should not be landed, but returned back again to England. Mr. Rotch, the owner of the vessel, was forbid, by a special vote, to land his tea, at his peril, and a watch was ordered to be set over the ship Dartmouth, (tea-ship) then lying at Griffin's wharf. The same vote was then extended to such other ships as should arrive hereafter, until the tea act should be repealed; that the watch should be continued, so long as the tea-ship or ships continue in

the harbour, and that the tolling of the bells by night, and ringing by day, be the tocsin of alarm.

About the first of December, Captains Bruce and Coffin arrived with their tea-ships, and were ordered to Griffin's wharf, where they were secured under a military guard of twenty-five men.

At a numerous town meeting, held at Old South on the 16th of November, Mr. Josiah Quincey, jr. thus addressed them :

"It is not, Mr. Moderator, the spirit that vapours within these walls, that must stand us in stead. The exertions of this day will call forth events that will make a very dif ferent spirit necessary to our salvation. Whoever supposes that shouts and hosannas will terminate the trials of the

day, entertains a childish fancy. We must be grossly ignorant of the value and importance of the prize for which we contend; we must be equally ignorant of the power that is combined against us; we must be blind to that malice, inveteracy, and insatiable revenge, which actuate our enemies, both public and private, abroad, and in our own bosom, to hope that we can end this controversy without the sharpest couflicts-to flatter ourselves, that popular resolves, popular harrangues, popular acclamations, and popular vapour, will vanquish our foes. Let us consider the issue. Let us look to the end. Let us weigh and consider, before we advance to those measures which must bring on the most trying and terrible struggles this country ever saw."

Solemn and interesting was this language upon this me mentous crisis. A general calm ensued, and at 3 o'clock the decisive question was put-" Will you adhere to your former resolution ?" and carried in the affirmative, without one dissenting voice. The die is now cast; they next resolved that Mr. Rotch be ordered to make a protest, and

clear out his vessel for her return voyage.

Mr. Rotch ap

plied to the governor for a pass for his vessel, and received for answer" I cannot give a pass, consistent with the laws, and my duty to the king, unless the vessel is properly qualified from the custom-house." This threw the meeting into an uproar, and at once a war-whoop burst forth from the front gallery, which proved a signal for dissolving the meeting, and the people dispersed; but the Indian who sounded the war-whoop, led his companions, in Indian disguise, directly on board the tea-ships, where they broke up their holds, and threw into the dock more than three hundred chests of tea; a numerous throng of spectators crowded down upon the wharves, and by their silence gave their public sanction to the destruction of the tea, and when the drama was ended, they all retired quietly to their homes, leaving the Indians to withdraw at their leiA few days before this event, Capt. Loring was cast away on Cape Cod, with the last of the tea-ships, and the most of her cargo lost.

sure.

On this solemn, this momentous event, hung the destinies of America.-Had the tea been landed, the faith of the province was gone, irrecoverably gone, never to be regained; and the union of the colonies dissolved; perhaps forever. The governor screened himself under this declaration in his report to the minister. "It has been absolutely out of my power to prevent the destruction of the tea, without conceding to the demands of a lawless set of men, and thereby giving up the government and rendering myself obnoxious to my sovereign."

This might serve his purpose on the other side of the water; but comported very illy with the feelings of those, who knew, that his advice prevented the consignees from resigning their trust, which would have saved the tea; but whose refusal, through his advice, destroyed it. Had the governor given his permit for the ships to pass the castle,

he would have had the example of Sir Francis Bernard, in several cases, under the stamp act, wherein no blame was incurred; but by refusing his pass, the tea was destroyed. How then could his excellency say, "that he could not possibly prevent it?"

The act of destroying the tea, was a full declaration, that they had taken decided stand, and as was thereafter expressed, "were resolved to resist all violent measures, in blood up to their knees."

At New-York and Philadelphia, as has been noticed, the consignees resigned, which saved their tea; but in Charleston, South-Carolina, the tea was landed, and stored in cellars, where it was probably ruined and lost.

At this time, four of the judges of Massachusetts acknowledged their dependence upon the house, for their salaries, and declined taking any more than one half of their usual sum, February, 1774. This was highly acceptable to the house; but Judge Oliver declared "that he had accepted of his majesty's grant from July, 1772, to January, 1774, and that this had been necessary for his support, and that he dare not refuse it." The house, incensed at this declaration, passed a resolve, 96 to 9, that Peter Oliver hath by his conduct, proved himself an enemy to the constitution of this province, and is become justly obnoxious to the good people of it, that he ought to be removed from his office of chief justice, and that a petition to the governor and council, for his immediate removal, be prepared."

The governor attempted to suppress these, and all further proceedings of the house, by declaring them unconstitutional; but they disregarded his opinion, and prepared the following articles against the chief justice, which they exhibited to the governor and council.

"The salary, and hopes of augmentation must have the effect of a continual bribe, and expose him to violate his VOL. III.

9.

oath. His accepting hath betrayed the baseness of his heart, and the lust of coveteousness, in breach of his engagements to rely solely on the grants of the assembly, necessarily implied, and involved in the acceptance of his office. By receiving a grant out of the revenue, unjustly extorted from the American colonies, he hath, as far as in his power, put a sanction on, and established the said revenue; counteracted the reasonable petitions of the people to his majesty; and in defiance of the known sense of the body of this people, hath wickedly endeavoured to increase the discontent and jealousies of this people, and the grievances aforementioned."

The house then resolved, "that they had done all that in their capacities, as representatives, could possibly be done, for the removal of Peter Oliver; and that it must be presumed, that the governor's refusal to take measures therein was, because he also received his support from the crown."

Notwithstanding the warmth of feeling so openly expressed by all public bodies, at this eventful day; and notwithstanding the firm, and energetic measures, which had been, and continued to be pursued in resisting the aggressions of Britain; the great body of the people were anxious for a reconciliation with the mother country, and hoping that the repeal of the duty on tea, might yet restore the colonies to that state of rejoicing, which they had enjoyed at the repeal of the stamp act; but the leading few, saw that this had now become almost, or quite impossible; and amongst these, appeared Samuel Adams, in the front rank, who not only felt, but often declared in the circles of his friends, "The country shall be independent, and we will not be content with any thing short of it."

The petition of the house of assembly in Massachusetts, for the removal of Governor Hutchinson, was duly pre