AView of the Proceedings at Home-Tranfactions in Mafac buffetts-Bay-Rhode-Island-New-Hampshire The Affair at Lexington and Concord-The Battle of Bunker's Hill, and its confequences, &c.

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EFORE we proceed directly to the tranfactions of this year, it may be neceffary to take a view of fome proceedings of the year 1774, which feem inmediately connected with the important tranfactips of this. After General Gage arrived at Bofto and had, after fome altercations on both fides, dolved the affembly, the committee of correfpondence at Boston entered into an agreement, which they entitled a folemn league and covenant, wherein the fubfcribers bound themselves in the most folemn manner, and in the prefence of God, to fufpend all commercial intercourfe with Great Britain, from the laft day of the enfuing month of August, until the Bolton port-bill, and the other obnoxious laws were repealed, and the colony of Maffachuffetts-bay fully reftored to all its chartered rights and privileges.They alfo bound themfelves in the fame manner, not to confume, or purchafe from any other, any goods whatfoever which arrived after the fpecified time, and to break off all commerce, trade, and dealings, with any who trade with the importers of fuch goods, as well as with the importers themselves. They also renounced in the fame manner, all future intercourse and connection with those who fhould refufe to fubscribe to that covenant, or to bind themselves by fome

fimilar

fimilar agreement with the dangers the penalty annexed, of having their names published to the world.

This covenant, accompanied with a letter from the committee at Boston, was circulated with great induftry and activity, and the people not only in the New England provinces, but in the other provinces, entered into this new league with the greatcft keennefs.- What was fomewhat remarkable is, that fimilar agreements häd been entered into about the fame time, in various parts of the continent, and without any previous concert with one another, any more than with those at Boston. The title of a folemn league and covenant greatly alarmed General Gage, and the friends of the miniftry in all parts of the British dominions; its name, as well as its tendency, was ominous and frightful. It brought to the remembrance of his Majefty's governors and minifters, the times of England and Scotland, entering into a folemn league and covenant for the defence of their legal rights and privileges, which have always been remembered by men of arbitrary principles with horror and difguft. The caufes and the effects were by fome confidered at this time to be pretty much fimilar to thofe in the time of the long-parliament; and it was no great wonder that General Gage was alarmed at the tidings of a new folemn league and covenant. His proclamation on the 29th of June fhews how much he was agitated and alarmed. He ftiles it an unlawful, hoftile, and tracterious combination, contrary to the allegiance due to the king, deftructive of the lawful, authority of the British parliament, and of the peace, good order, and fafety of the community. All pers fons, were warned against incurring the penalties due to fuch aggravated and dangerous offences; and all magiftrates charged to apprehend and fecure for trial

fuch

fuch as fhould have any fhare in the publishing, fub, fcribing, aiding, or affifting the foregoing, or any fimi, lar covenant.

This proclamation produced no other effect than to exercise the judgement and pens of those who had knowledge of the laws, in fhewing that the affociation did not come within any of the laws that refpected treason, and that the charges made by the Governor were erroneous, unjust, and injurious.-They said he had affumed a power which the conftirution denied even to the fovereign, the power of making thofe things to be treafon, which were not confidered to be fuch by the laws; that the people had a right to affemble to confider of their common grievances, and to form affociations for their general conduct towards the remedy of thofe grievances; and that the proclamation was equally arbitrary, odious, and illegal. Had the Governor confidered the hiftory of former times carefully; he might have eafily difcovered that covenanters are not fo eafily frightened as to give up what they conceive to be their juft rights, for a fimple proclamation. The cafe now between the crown officers and the colonists was much like that between the ancient covenanters and the royalists, in the reign of Charles the firft. The partizans of Charles charged the covenanters with treafon and rebellion, and the others accufed them of tyraany and treafon' against the conftitution. Neither party could convince the other by arguments, they at laft appealed to Heaven, and tried to determine their caufe by the length of the fword; the determination was fatal to many thoufands, and to Charles himself, and ought to be a warning to all future magiftrates not to provoke a people too far. Minifters and court favourites ought to confider, that among their friends

there

there are few that are fuch from principle, and provided that it fhould happen to be their intereft to turn against them, they will foon defert them, and join with their enemies; whereas thofe that are against them, for the n oft part, have both principle and intereft, in oppofing them, and are determined by the frongeft motives. But before we proceed to confider the tranfactions at home, which relate to the American affairs of this year, we fhall take a view of the behaviour of the colonists, and what past in Ame.

rica.

The determination of the general congrefs had now confirmed the principles of the timid and cautious, and their fears being removed, they laid afide that moderation which before they affected to observe. The refolves of the congrefs became now the creed of the colonies in matters of politics, and a perfect compliance with their determinations was every where obferved. The unanimity through the whole continent was amazing; the fame language was obferved by town and provincial meetings, by general affemblies, by judges in their charges, and by grand juries in their prefentments; and all their acts tended to the fame point. It was furprifing and wonderful to fee the inhabitants of rich commercial countries, who had acquired a long and established relifh for the fuperfluities of life, and who it might have been fup. pofed, would have acquired irrefiftible habits in ufing them, all on a fudden throwing afide the captivating allurements, and confining themfelves to what was merely neceffary. To obferve the merchant forego the advantages of trade and commerce, the farmer fubmit to the lofs of the fale of the produce of his induftry, and the feaman, with the numberlefs other perfons dependent upon trade, contentedly refign the

very

very means of their livelihood, and truft to their precarious fubfiftence, from the public fpirit and charity of the opulent, was an uncommon phenomenon; and what is perhaps more amazing, that the rich fhould have been difpofed to run the hazard of lofing their all, and fupplying the poor, for the uncertain expectation of obtaining what probability feemed to determine against. Such however was the view that America at that time, fince, and at prefent exhibited to the world.

They had fent a petition from the continental congrefs to the throne, upon which they placed fome hopes of a reconciliation with the mother-country. It was imagined that a general application to the people of England would have produced a falutary effect, and the colonists had ftill a greater dependance upon the unanimity of the determinations of the Congrefs, in influencing the public opinions at home in the mother country. Thele hopes however did not prevail fo far with them, as to put them off their guard, or to make them abate of their zeal in pursuing fuch measures as were neceffary to provide against the worst that might happen. The principal leaders did not depend much upon thefe expectations, which fome placed in the fuccefs of their petition to the throne. The fouthern colonies began to arm, as thofe in the north, and to train and arm their militia ; and as foon as advice was received of the proclamation iffued in England to prevent the exportation of arms and ammunition to America, meafures were fpeedily taken to provide a remedy for that defect. For this purpofe, and to render themfelves as independent as poffible upon foreigners fot the fupply of thefe effential articles, mills were erected, and manufactures formed, both in Philadelphia and Virginia,

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