Commons, and approved, and fo became the act of both Houses, wherein the late acts of the House of reprefentatives of Maffachufett's-Bay, which called in queftion the authority of the fupreme legiflature to make laws to bind the colonies in all cafes whatever, were refcinded, and declared illegal, unconftitutional, and derogatory of the rights of the crown and parlia ment of Great Britain, The circular letters written by the fame affembly to the other colonies, requiring them to join in petitions, and stating the late laws as infringments of the rights of the people in the colonies, were declared to be proceedings of a moft unwarrant able and dangerous nature, circulated to inflame the minds of the people in the colonies, and tending to create unlawful combinations, repugnant to the laws of Great Britain, and fubverfive of the conftitution. The town of Boston was declared in a state of great diforder and confufion, difturbed by riots and tumults of a dangerous nature, in which the officers of the revenue had been obftructed by violence in the execution of the laws, and their lives endangered: that neither the council of the province, nor the civil magiftrates, had exerted their authority in fuppreffing the faid riots and tumults: that in thefe circumftances of the province of Maffachufett's-bay, and of the town of Boston, the preservation of the public peace, and the due execution of the laws, became impracticable, without the aid of a military force, to fupport and protect the civil magiftrate, and the officers of his Majefty's revenue. That the refolutions, and proceedings in the town meetings at Bofton, on the 14th of June, and the 12th of September, 1769, were illegal and unconftitutional, and calculated to excite fedition and infurrection: that the appointment of the town meeting upon the 12th of September, of a convention to be

held

held in the town of Boston, on the 22d of that montli; to confift of deputies from the feveral towns and diftricts in the province, and the writing of a letter by the felect men in each of the towns, and diftincts, for the election of fuch deputies were proceedings fubverfive of government, and evidently manifefting a defign in the inhabitants of Boston, to fet up a new unconftitutional authority, independent of the crown. Thefe refolutions were founded upon an interpreta tion of the meaning of the proceedings at Boston, which the people of that province denied that they ever intended; they declared the defigu of their meeting was, to advife with one another in petitioning the King and parliament for the redrefs of grievances, but to perform no governmental acts; and they also promised to affift the civil magiftrate in the execution of the laws, as far as it was in their power. The refolutions of the two Houtes at this time appear to have been formed upon the information of Governor Bernard, between whom and the province there was no good understanding, and who by this time had wrought each other to a degree of uncommon oppo fition and enmity. Thofe who have no other object in view except truth, will eafily perceive, that the am bition and pride of the governor had as great an influence in thofe diforders, as the licentioufnefs of the people. According to the hiftory of the people of that colony, given by many that now accufe them of licentioufnefs, they are, when compared with the people of this country, remarkably fober: they obferved divine ordinance, and kept the Sabbath-day with a ftrictness, not to be found in Old England. And it has also been obferved by their enemies, that unless among thofe who come from Britain to perform revenue duty, and are fervants of the crown, the vices

that

that are common at home in England, are feldom to be feen in that colony.-And indeed it feldom happens, that a licentious and diffipated people will run any hazards for their rights and liberties: but in a controversy there is always fomething to be faid on both fides.

The addrefs that follows the above refolutions, breathed the fame spirit, and run much in the fame ftile. It expreffed the greatest fatisfaction with the measures that had been purfued, to fupport the conftitution, and to induce, in the colony of Maffachusetts bay, a due obedience to the authority of the mother country. A promife and refolution was alfo made to concur effectually in fuch farther measures as might be jndged neceffary to maintain the civil magistrates in a proper execution of the laws; and it was given as a matter of opinion, that nothing would fo effectually preferve royal authority in that province, as to bring the authors of the late unfortunate diforders to examplary punishment. Upon this perfuafion, it was earnestly requested, that Governor Bernard would tranfmit the fulleft information he could obtain of all treafons, or mifprifion of treafon committed within his government, fince the 30th of December 1767, together with the names of the perfons who were most active in the committing of fuch offences: that his Majefty might iffue a fpecial proclamation for enquiring into, hearing and determining upon the guilt of the offenders within this realm, according to the provifions of a ftatute made in the 30th year of Henry the eight, in cafe his Majefty, upon Governor Berhard's report fhould fee fufficient ground for fuch a proceeding. This was an opinion very unfavourable to the colonies; it expofed them to two evils of the moft fevere kind: there character was to be taken

from the report of one man, who was their enemy, and they were to be tried in a strange country, where they might have neither friends nor connections, and where they could not have the benefit of exculpatory evidence, unlefs at an expence, that very few people can afford, without reducing themselves to mifery and diftrefs.

Though thefe refolutions and the addrefs were carried by a powerful majority, they were oppofed with great firmnefs, and force of argument, by the friends of the colonists, and there had been few fubjects for many years more ably difcuffed, than this was through the whole of the debate. Both the right and propriety of taxing the colonists, were warmly difputed, and the arguments made ufe of, were much the fame with thofe that have been already mentioned in the cafe of repealing the ftamp act, which, on this occafion, fhalf not be repeated. Many new reflections were made on this occafion, which may be of fome fervice to confider. It was observed that the new revenue laws did not answer the end propofed, but tended to irritate the colonists, without being of any real fervice to government: that as the act for fecuring the obedience of the colonies, anfwered all the purpofes they could propofe by any new meafure, it was abfurd to multiply ftatutes, without fufficient caufe andreafons for fo doing that by the measures they were purfuing, they would lay a tax upon the mother country: that the laying of duties upon British commodities and manfactures landed in the colonies, was in effect granting premiums, to excite the Americans to induftry, and to put them upon raising the 'one, and rivalling Britain in the other. What appeared remarkable on this occafion, the Rockingham and Grenville parties, who were fuppofed to be irreconcileable, up

on

on this fubject, entirely united and joined their interefts, and made ufe of the fame arguments. A reflection was made by the oppofition, which, though it was very fevere, was at the fame time very juft; namely, that it was now become the fashion with those who had been the original caufe of all the disturbances in America, to reprefent the people in that country as in a state of rebellion, and by that ftratagem to make the cause of adminiftration the national caufe, and to perfuade us that the people aggrieved by a feries of blunders and mifmanagement, and emboldened by the weakness and inconsistency of government, had committed fome rafh actions, that they wanted alfo to throw off the authority of the mother country. This was a most fevere, but a true reflection; for from all accounts of the proceedings of the colo nifts, it appears manifeft that mild treatment, and a little foft management would have fettled all the dif turbances that have happened. It was urged that a number of duties had been laid upon the colonies, which derived their confequence only from their odioufnefs, and the mifchief they produced, and an army of custom-houfe officers were fent, as much to create as to raise new taxes, as they could fcarcely anfwer any other end, and were themselves as odious as the taxes they were fent to collect on account of their novelty, and fome other circumftances that attended them. Another reflection which bore hard upon the majority, was that fome of them who had a hand in impofing thefe new duties, and were become the zealous fupporters of the prefent meafures, were at the head of that opinion which denied totally the right of the legislature to tax America: that their names had been held up in the colonies as objects of the highest veneration, and their arguments were made the foun