They then repeat the prefent grievances, complain that they are grofsly mifreprefented in Great Britain, and prefs the governor in the most earnest manner to call an affembly, as the only means to guard against thofe alarming dangers that threatened the total deftruction of the colony. The governor admonished them, as a friend to the province, and a well-wifher to the individuals of it, to break up their affembly-inftantly, and to feparate before they did any bufinefs: that he was willing to believe that the gentlemen who if fued court of Great Britain to prefent it, we prefume you very well know if it be an impolitic and iniprudent omiffion, where to lay the blame, and we apprehend that nothing that can or will be done by your propofed convention can or will aid the petition. And here we beg leave to fay, that we judge that it would be much for the intereft of this province to have an agent at this critical day: a perfon that would have ferved us faithfully, we make no doubt, might have been found; but the reafons given, and the methods we hear have been taking, to prevent it, are diffatisfactory, and give us much uneafinefs. We are further informed, that all matters of a public and private nature lying before the laff general court were fully confidered and acted upon, and all then proposed to be done, and finifh ed before the adjournment, except the impeachment of his Majefty's reprefentative which perhaps might not have been agreed to, had they fat longer, or not been afterwards diffolved. We are forry for that circumftance that occafioned fo early a diffolution of the general court; though we must own that the governor, by charter, is vefted with that power; yet we with, if he had judged it confiftent with kis duty to the King, it had been as ufual; however, we hope another will be foon called, or at far theft, on the last Wednesday in May next,---and that in the mean time, the public affairs of the province will not greatly fuffer. And here we propofe to your confideration, whether the circular letter, which gave fuch umbrage, containing thefe expreflions, or o thers of the like import, that the King and parliament, by the late revenue act, had infringed the rights of the colonies, impofed an inequitable tax, and things yet worfe might be expected from the independence and unlimited appointments of crown, officers therein mentioned,' was fo perfectly inne cent, and entirely confiftent with that duty and loyalty profeffed by the houfe of reprefentatives the laft year, in their petition to his Majefty and whether the laft houfe might not have complied with his Majefty's requifition, with a full faving of all their rights and privileges, and thereby prevented our being deftitute of a general court at this day. We cannot comprehend what pretence there can be of a propofed convention, unless the probability for a confiderable number of regular troops being fent into this province, and an apprehenfron of their being quartered, part in your town, and part at the caftle. ---Aud fued the fummons for this meeting, were not aware of the nature of the high offences they were committing; and that thofe who had obeyed them, had not confidered the penalties they fhould incur, if they perfifted to continue their feffion. At prefent, ignorance of law, fays he, may excufe what is paft; a step farther will take away that plea. That a meeting of the deputies of the towns, is an affembly of the reprefentatives of the people to all intents and purposes; and that calling it a committee of convention, will not al Y ---And here we would obferve, that it was a matter of doubt and uncertainty, whether any were coming or not; if otherwise for what purpose the King was fending them, whether for your defence, in cafe of a French war (as you teil us there is in the minds of many a prevailing apprehenfion of one approaching) and, if we don't mifunderstand your letter, induced them to pass the votes tranfmitted to us) or whether they are deftined for the protection of the new acquired territories, is altogether uncertain: that they are to be a ftanding army in time of peace, you give us no evidence; and if your apprehenfions are well grounded, it is not even fuppofeable they are intended as fuch,--and if your town meant fincerely, we can't fee the need they had of interpofing in ni litary matters, in an unprecedented way, requesting their inhabitants to be provided with arms, &c. (a matter till now always fuppofed to belong to another department), efpecially as they muft know fuch a number of troops would be a much better defence, in cafe of war, than they had heretofore been favoured with: To fuppofe what you furmize they may be intended for, is to mistrust the King's paternal care and goodness;-if, by any fudden excurfions or infurrections of fome ter inconfiderate people, the King has been induced to think them a neceffary check upon you, we hope you will, by your loyalty and quiet behaviour, foon convince his Majefty, and the world, they are not longer neceffary for that purpose, that thereupon they will be withdrawn, and your town and the province faved any farther trouble and expence from that quarter. We are fenfible the colonies labour under many difficulties, and we greatly fear what the confequence of the difputes with our mother country will prove, however, we are far from thinking the meafures you are purfing have any tendency to deliver the good people of this province, but on the contrary, immerge them in greater ;-after all, we fhould hope, (were it not for your prefent attempt, attended with a bad complexion), we might foon have deliverance from our prefent troubles, and things reftored as at the firft. The governments have, in our opinion confulted, and are purfing, the properelt methods to obtain redress of their grievances; our duty is to wait with patience the event, unlefs we are determined to take the alternative. How far paffion and difappointment and private refentment may influence any to hurry their neighbours into fuch mad and ter the nature of the thing. He added, that if they did not regard his admonition, he muft, as governor, affert the prerogatives of the crown in a more public manner that they may affure themselves, he spoke from inftrustion, the King was determined to maintain. his entire fovereignty over that province, and whofoever should perlift in ufurping any of the rights of it, would repent of his rafhnefs. This anfwer produced another meffage, wherein they juftified this meeting,. as being only an affemblage of private perfons, and. defired explanations as to the criminality with which their proceedings were charged. The governor refused to receive that or any other meffage from them, as it would be admitting them to be a legal affembly, which he would not by any means allow. The convention than appointed a committee, who drew up a report, in terms of great moderation, which was approved by the affembly. In this they affign the caufes of their meeting, and difclaim all pretence to any authority whatsoever, and advise and recommend it to the people, to pay the greatest deference to government, and to wait with patience the refult of his Majesty's wisdom and clemency for a redrefs of their grievances. They at the fame time declare for them and defperate measures, we don't know, but pray God prevent. Suffer us to obferve, that in our opinion, the measures the town of Bolton are purfuing, and propofing to us and the people of this province to unite in, are unconftitutional, illegal, and wholly unjuftifiable, and what will give the enemies of our conftitution the greateft joy fubverfive of government, deftructive of that peace and good order which is the cement of fociety, and have a direct tendency to rivet our chains, and deprive us of our rights and privileges, which we, the inhabitants of this town defire may be fecured to us, and perpe felves tuated to our lateft pofterity. Thus we have freely expreffed our fentiments, having an equal right with others, though a leffer part of the community, and take this first opportunity to proteft against the propofed convention, and hereby declared our loyalty to his prefent Majefty, and fidelity to our country; and that it is our firm refolution, to the utmost of our power to maintain and defend our rights in every prudent and reafonable way as far as is confiftent with our duty to God and the king Oliver Partridge, Town Clerk. felves, that they will, in their several stations, yield every poffible affistance to the civil magiftrate, for the preservation of peace and order, and the fuppreffion of riots and tumults. After they had prepared a reprefentation of their conduct, and a detail of the late tranfactions to be tranfmitted to their agent at London, they broke up. It appears plain from the whole of thefe proceedings, that Governor Bernard was at more pains to provoke the people, than to quiet their difcontents; for had he behaved with more mildness, and fhewed lefs authority, he would have had more reverence paid him. His opinion concerning the legality of their meeting feems frivolous and unfatisfactory; for though the convention was chofen by the people, yet as they attempted to perform no public act, but met for advice, they could be confidered in no other light, the reprefentatives of the people, than as their commiffioners, to meet with their friends, to confult what was for their common good. They determined nothing, nor proceeded to any acts of authority, and could be confidered as no more than a club met to advife with one another. The governor's threatenings were therefore puerile and whimfical, rather fhewing what he was disposed to do, than what he could lawfully do. If the one half of the members of the House of Commons were 10 meet in an affembly, to advife with one another, without proceeding to any acts of power, they certainly could not come under any legal cenfure. Till once there be a statute against all clubs and meetings of gentlemen, it is im poffible that the governor's opinion can be w llfounded. But the truth of the matter feems to have been, the governor and the affembly were at variance, and they had no confidence in one another. It is highly probable, had there been a popular governor in Maffachusetts fachusetts Bay, and in fome other colonies, the ruin. ous war that has exhausted the empire had been yet to begin. When jealoufies are once raised, it is impoffible to know where they may end. On September 29th, the very day that the convention broke up, the fleet from Halifax with two regiments, and a detachment of artillery, arrived in the harbour. There were fome difputes at firft concerning quartering the foldiers; the council refufed to quarter them in the town, as the barracks of Caftle William were fufficient to receive them; this was at laft got over, by providing quarters, which were then to be confidered as barracks, and the council upon that footing, allow. ed them barrack provifion. Soon after General Gage arrived, as did the two regiments from Ireland. A tolerable harmony fubfifted for fome time between the people and the troops, and both the town and pro vince continued for a feafon very quiet. There was at this time two things which greatly alarmed the friends of liberty and of the constitution; the restraining bill, which confined the Eaft India Company in making dividends to a certain fum; and a revival of the nullum tempus law, in the cafe of the Duke of Portland. Both thefe proceedings had fuch an arbitrary appearance in the view of the people at home, that many concluded that the maxims of op. preffion, practifed in the reign of the Stewarts, were going to be revived. Thefe, together with the proceedings concerning the colonies, created a jealousy in the nation, that their reprefentatives, who were trufted with their principal concerns, were going to betray their interefts into the hands of the miniftry. The zealous debates upon the Eaft India reftraining bill had warmed the parties in parliament to an unufual degree; and the controverfy in the nation con cerning |