their places; but to this they not only received no favourable anfwer, but the petition itself was declared groundless and fcandalous.

Matters were now ripe for the utmost extremities on the part of the Americans; and they were brought on in the following manner. Though the colonifts had entered into a non-importation agreement against tea as well as all other commodities from Britain, it had nevertheless found its way into America, though in fmaller quantities than before. This was fenfibly felt by the Eaft India Company, who had now agreed annually to pay a large fum annually to government; in recompenee for which compliance, and to make up their loffes in other refpects they were empowered to export their tea from any duty payable in Britain; and in confequence of this permillion, feveral fhips freighted with the commodity were fent to America, and proper agents appointed for difpofing of it. The Americans now perceiving that the tax was thus likely to be enforced whether they would or not, determined to take every pollible method to prevent the tea from being landed, as well knowing that it would be impoffible to hinder the fale fhould the commodity once be brought on fhore. For this purpose the people assembled in great numbers, forcing thofe to whom the tea was configned to refign their offices, and to promife folemnly never to resume them; and committees were appointed to examine the accounts of the merchants, and make public tefts, declaring fuch as would not take them enemies to their country. Nor was this behaviour confined to the colony of Maffachufett's, the rest of the provinces entered into the conteft with the fame warmth, and manifefted the fame refolution to oppose the mother country.

In the midst of this confufion three fhips laden with tea arrived at Boston : but fo much were the captains alarmed at the difpofition which feemed to prevail, among the people, that they offered, providing they could obtain the proper difcharges from the tea confignees, customhouse, and governor, to return to Britain without landing their cargoes. The parties concerned, however, though they dufft not order the tea to be landed, refused to grant the difcharges required... The hips, therefore, would have been obliged to remain in the harbour; but the people apprehenfive that if they remained there the tea would be landed in Imall quantities and difpofed of in fpite of every endeavour to prevent it, refolved to destroy it at once. This refolution

was executed with equal fpeed and fecrecy. The very evening after the above-mentioned difcharges bad, been refufed, a number of people dressed like Mohawk Indians boarded the ships, and threw into the fea their whole cargoes, conlifting of three hundred and forty-two chefts of tea; after which they retired without making any further diflurbance, or doing any more damage. No tea was geftroyed in other places, though the fame fpirit was every where manifelled. At Philadelphia the pilots were enjoined not to conduct the veffels up the river; and at New-York, though the governer caused fome tea to be landed under the protection of a man of war, he was obliged to deliver it up to the cuftody of the people, to prevent its being fold.

The deftruction of the tea at Bofton, which happened in November 1773, was the immediate prelude to the difafters attending civil difcord. Government finding themselves every where infulted and despised, refolved to enforce their authority by all poffible means; and as Bolton had been the principal icene of the riots and outrages, it was determined to punish that city in an exemplary manner. Parliament was acquainted by a mellage from the king with the behaviour of the city of Boften, as well as of all the colonies,

recommending at the fame time the moft vigorous and fpirited exertions to reduce them to obedience, and the parliament in its address promiled a ready compliance. It was propofed to lay a fine on the town of Bofton equal to the price of the tea which had been deftroyed, and to fhut up its port by armed veffels until the refractory spirit of the inhabitants fhould be fubdued; which it was thought muft quickly yield, as a total flop would thus be put to their trade. The bill was ftrongly oppofed on the fame grounds that the other had been; and it was predicted, that inflead of having any tendency to reconcile or fubdue the Americans, it would infallibly exafperate them beyond any poffibility of reconciliation. The petitions againft it, prefented by the colony's agent, pointed out the fame confequence in the ftrungeft terms, and in the moft pofitive manner declared that the Americans never would fubmit to it; but fuch was the infatuation attending every rank and degree of men, that it never was imagined the Americans would dare to refill the parent flate openly, but would in the end fubmit implicitly, to her. commands. In this confidence a third bill was propofed for the impartial administration of juflice on fuch perfons as might be employed in the fupprethon of riots and tumults in the province of Maffachufett's Bay. By this aft it was provided that fhould any perfons acting in that capacity be indicted for murder, and not able to obtain a fair trial in the province, they might be fent by the governor to England, or to fome other, if neceffary, to be tried for the fuppofed crime.

These three bills having paffed fo eafily, the miniftry proposed a fourth, relative to the government of Canada; which, it was faid, had not yet been fettled on any proper plan. By this bill the extent of that province was greatly enlarged; its affairs were put under the direction of a council in which Roman Catholics were to be admitted; the Roman Catholic clergy were fecured in their poffeffions and the ufual perquisites from thofe of their own profession. The council above mentioned were to be appointed by the erown; to be removable at its pleasure; and to be invelled with every legiflative power excepting that of taxation.

No fooner were thefe laws made known in America, than they cemented the union of the colonies almost beyond any poffibility of diffolving it. The affembly of Maffachufet's Bay had paffed a vote against the judges accepting falaries from the crown, and put the question. Whether they would except them as ufual from the general affembly? Four anfwered in the affirmative; but Peter Oliver the chief-juftice refused. A petition against him, and an accufation, were brought before the governor; but the latter refufed the accufation, and declined to interfere in the matter; but as they fill infified for what they called juftice againft Mr. Oliver the governor thought proper to put an end to the matter by diffolving the affembly.

In this fituation of affairs a new alarm was occafioned by the news of a port-bill. This had been totally unexpected, and was received with the atmoft difpleasure among the populace; and while thefe continued, the new governor General Gage, arrived from England. He had been chofen to this office on account of his being well acquainted in America, and generaly agreeable to the people; but human wisdom could not now point out a method by which the flame could be allayed. The first act of his office as governor was to remove the affembly from Bofton to Salem, a town about feventeen miles diftant, in confequence of the late act. When this was

intimated to the affembly, they replied by requefting him to appoint a day of public humiliation for deprecating the wrath of heaven, but met with a

refafal. When met at Salem, they paffed a refolution, declaring a neceflity of a general congrefs compofed of delegates from all the provinces, in order to take the affairs of the colonies at large into confideration; and five gentlemen, remarkable for their oppofition to the British measures, were chofen to reprefent that of Maffachufet's Bay. They then proceeded with all expedition to draw up a declaration, containing a detail of the grievances they laboured under, and the neceflity of exerting themfelves against lawless power; they fet forth the difregard fhown their petitions, and the attempts of Great Britain to defroy their ancient conflitution; and concluded with exhorting the inhabitants of the colony to obflruet, by every method in their power, fuch evil defigns, recommending at the fame time a total renunciation of every thing imported from Great Britain till a redrefs of grievances could be procured.

Intelligence of this declaration was carried to the governor on the very day that it was completed; on which he diffolved the assembly. This was followed by an addrefs from the inhabitants of Salem in favour of those of Bofton, and concluding with thefe remarkable words: "By fhutting up the port of Bofon, fome imagine that the courfe of trade might be turned hither, and to our benefit: but nature, in the formation of our harbour, forbids our becoming rivals in commerce with that convenient mart; and were it otherwife, we must be dead to every idea of juflice, loft to all feelings of humanity, could we indulge one thought of feizing on wealth, and raise our fortunes on the ruin of our fuffering neighbours."

It had been fondly hoped by the minifterial party at home, that the advantages which other towns of the colony might derive from the annihilation of the trade of Bofton, would make them readily acquiefce in the meafure of fhunting up that port, and rather rejoice in it than otherwife; but the words of the addrefs above mentioned feemed to preclude all hopes of this kind; and fubfequent tranfations foon manifefted it to be totally vain. No fooner did intelligence arrive of the remaining bills paffed in the fellion of 1774, than the cause of Bofton became the caufe of all the colonies. The port-bill had already occafioned violent commotions throughout them all. It had been reproba ed in provincial meetings, and refiftance even to the laft had been recommnerded against fuch oppretiion. In Virginia, the firfl of June, the day on which the port of Bofton was to be thut up, was held as a day of humiliation, and a public interceffion in favour of America was enjoined. The flyle of the prayer enjoined at this time was, that God would give the people one heart and one mind, firmly to oppofe every invafion of the American rights." The Virginians, however did not content them felves with acts of religion. They recommended in the frongeft manner a general congrefs of all the colonies, as fully perfuaded that an attempt to tax any colony in an arbitrary manner was in reality an attack upon them all, and mult ultimately end in the ruin of them all.

The provinces of New-York and Pennfylvania, however, were less fanguine than the reft, being fo clofely connected in the way of trade with Great Britain, that the giving it up entirely appeared a matter of the moft ferious magnitude, and not to be thought of but after every other method had failed. The intelligence of the remaining bills refpe&ting Bofton, bowever, fpread a fresh alarm throughout the continent, and bxed those who had feemed to be moft wavering. The propofal of giving up all commercial intercourse with Britain was again propofed; contributions for the inhabitants of Boflon, were raised in every quarter; and they every day

received addresses commending them for the heroic courage with which they fuftained their calamity.

The Boltonians on their part were not wanting in their endeavours to promoting the general cause. An agreement was framed, which, in imitation of former times, they called a Solemn League and League and Covenant. By this the fubfcribers moft religiously bound themselves to break off all communication with Britain after the expiration of the month of Auguft enfuing, until the obnoxious acts were repealed; at the fame time they engaged neither to purchase nor use any goods im ported after that time, and to renounce all connection with those who did, or who refused to fubfcribe to this covenant; throatning to publish the names of the refractory, which at this time was a punishment by no means to be defpifed. Agreements of a fimilar kind were almoft inflantaneously entered into throughout America. General Gage indeed attempted to counteract the covenant by a proclamation, wherein it was declared an illegal and traiterous combination, threatening with the pains of law fuch as fubscribed or countenanced it. But matters were too far gone for the proclamations to have any effect. The Americans Tetorted the charge of illegality on his own proclamation, and infifted that the law allowed fubjects to meet in order to confider of their grievances, and affociate for relief from oppreffion.

Preparations were now made for holding the general congrefs so often propoled. Philadelphia, as being the centrical and most confiderable town, was pitched upon for the place of its meeting. The delegates of whom it was compofed were chofen by the reprefentatives of each province, and were in number from two to feven for each colony, though no province had more than one vote. The firft congrefs which met at Philadelphia, in the beginning of September 1774, confifted of 51 delegates. The novelty and importance of the meeting excited an univerfal attention; and their tranfactions were fuch as could not but tend to render them refpectable.

opera

The first act of congrefs was an approbation of the conduct of Maffachu fett's Bay, and an exhortation to continue in the fame fpirit with which they had begun. Supplies for the fuffering inhabitants (whom indeed the tion of the port-bill had reduced to great diftrefs) were strongly recommended; and it was declared, that in cafe of attempts to force the obnoxious afts by arms, all America fhould join to allift the town of Bofton; and fhould the inhabitants be obliged, during the courfe of hoftilities, to remove further up the country, the loffes they might fuftain fhould be repaired at the public expenfe.

They next addreffed General Gage by letter; in which, having ftated the grievances of the people of Maffachufett's colony, they informed him of the fixed and unalterable determination of all the other provinces to fupport their brethren and to oppofe the British acts of Parliament; that they them felves were appointed to watch over the liberties of America; and intreated him to defift from military operations, left fuch hoftilities might be brought on as would fruftrate all hopes of reconciliation with the parent flate.

The next step was to publish a declaration of their rights. These ther fummed up in the rights belonging to Englifhmen; and particularly infilt ed, that as their diflance rendered it impoffible for them to be reprefented in in the British parliament, their provincial affemblies, with the governor ap pointed by the king, conftituted the only legiflative power within each pro

vince.

They would, however, confent to fuch acts of parliament as were. evidently calculated merely for the regulation of commerce, and fecuring to

the parent flate the benefits of the American trade; but would never allow that they could impofe any tax on the colonies, for the purpose of raifing a revenue, without their confent. They proceeded to reprobate the intention of each of the new acts of parliament; and infifted on all the rights they had enumerated as being unalienable, and what none could deprive them of. The Canada act they particularly pointed out as being extremely inimical to the colonies, by whofe affiflance it had been conquered; and they termed it "An act for eltablishing the Roman Catholic Religion in Canada, abolishing the equitable fyftem of English laws, and eftablishing a tyranny there." They further declared in favour of a non-importation and non-confumption of British goods until the acts were repealed by which duties were impofed upon tea, coffee, wine, fugar, and molaffes, imported into America as well as the Bofton port act, and the three others paffed in the preceeding fellion of parliament. The new regulations against the importation and confumption of British comodities were then drawn up with great folemnity; and they concluded with returning the warmeft thanks to thofe members of parliament who had with fo much zeal, though without any fuccefs, oppofed the obnoxious acts of parliament.

Their next proceedings were to frame a petition to the king, an addrefs to the British nation, and another to the colonies; all of which were fo much in the usual strain of those presented for fome time pat, that it is needless to enter into any particular account of them. It is fufficient to say that they were all drawn up in a masterly manner, and ought to have impreffed the people of Great Britain with a more favourable idea of the Americans than they could at that time be induced to entertain.

All this time the difpofition of the people had correfponded with the warmeft wifhes of congrefs. The firft of June had been kept as a faft, not only throughout Virginia where it was firft propofed, but throughout the whole coutinent. Contributions for the diflreffes of Bofton had been raised throughout America, and people of all ranks feemed to be particularly touched with them. Even thofe who feemed to be most likely to derive advantages from them took no opportunity, as has been already inftanced in the cafe of Salem. The inhabitants of Marblehead alfo fhowed a noble example of magnanimity in the prefent cafe. Though fituated in the neighbourhood of Boston, and most likely to derive benefit from their diftreffes, they did not attempt to take any advantage, but generously offered the ufe of their harbour to the Boftonians, as well as as their wharfs and warehoules, free of all expence. In the mean time the British forces at Boflon were continually increafing in number, which greatly augmented the general jealoufy and difaffection; the country were ready to rife at a moments warning; and the experiment was made by giving a falfe alarm that the communication between the town and country was to be cut off, in order to reduce the former by famine to a compliance with the acts of parliament. On this intelligence the country people affembled in great numbers, and could not be fatisfied till they had fent meffengers into the city to inquire into the truth of the report. Thefe meffengers were onjoined to inform the town's people, that if they fhould be fo pufillanimous as to make a furrender of their liberties, the province would not think itself bound by fuch examples; and that Britain, by breaking their original charter, had annulled the contract fubfifling between them, and left them to act as they thought proper.

The people in every other refpect manifefled their inflexible determination to adhere to the plan they had fo long followed. The new councellors and