ftated the favourable difpofition of parliament as well. as of government towards the colonies, the moderation, tenderness, and equity which induced the prefent advances towards a happy reconciliation. He dwelt upon the juftice of their contributing to the common defence, and bearing an equitable proportion of the public burdens; and observed, that as no specific fum was demanded, they had an opportunity of giving free fcope to their juftice and liberality, and whatever they gave would be a free gift, in the fulleft fenfe of the terms; that they would thus fhew their reverence to parliament, and manifeft their duty and attachment to the fovereign, and the kindness with which it would be taken, that they met on their fide the favourable difpofition fhewn on the other towards bringing the prefent unhappy difputes to a period. He alfo took pains to convince them from the refolutions and proceedings of parliament, that full redrefs of grievances would be the immediate confequence of their compliance. This fpeech, though flattering and plaufible, was confidered only as words of course, intended to anfwer the purpose of the government, without any intention of redreffing any of those grievances which were complained of. not fully credited, that provided the affembly would grant the fupplies which were wanted, that any more notice would be taken of the heavy grievances they were groaning under,

It was

The first act of the affembly was, the appointment of a committee to enquire into the caufe of the late disturbances, and particularly to examine the state of the magazine, that neceffary measures might be taken for fupplying the want of what had been taken away. Tho' the magazine was the property of the colony,

it was in the custody of the governor, who appointed a keeper, fo that an application to him was neceffary for admittance. While fome difpute arofe concern. ing this fubject, and before the order for admittance was obtained, fome people in the town and neighbourhood broke into the magazine, and carried off fome of the arms. Several members of the Houfe of Burgeffes used their perfonal intereft and application in getting as many of them returned back as they could. It appeared by the report of the committee, that they found most of the remainder of the powder buried in the magazine yard, where it had been depofited by the governor's orders, and fuffered confiderable damage from the rains; the depriving the muskets of their locks was likewife difcovered, as well as the nakedness of the magazine in all refpects. A mong other things which tended to provoke the people, was the planting of fpring guns in the magazine, without giving any public notice of this mode of fecurity, and fome effect they had taken at the time of the late depredations. Whilft the governor's fpeech, with the propofitions which it recommended, were yet under the confideration of the affembly, and before the addrefs was determined, confcience, which makes cowards of all guilty perfons, had made his lordship, for fear of confequences, retire with his lady on board the Fowey man of war, which then lay near York-Town, on the river of the fame name. It is highly probable that his lordship had been informed of the rage of the people upon the difcovery of the fpring guns, and being confcious of fome guilt in that matter, thought fit to withdraw to a place of more fecurity and fafety. He left a meffage behind him for the House of Burgefles, informing them, that he

.

thought

thought it prudent to retire to a place of fafety, as he was fully perfuaded that both himfelf and his family were in conftant danger of falling facrifices to the blind and unmeasurable fury of the people, but that fo far from interrupting their fitting, he hoped they would fuccessfully acquit themselves in the great bufi. nefs before them, that he would render the communication between him and the house as eafy and as fafe as poffible; and that he thought it would be more agreeable to them to fend fome of their members to him as occafion should require, than to have the trouble of removing their whole body to a nearer place. He affured them that he should attend as ufual to the duties of his office, and of his good difpofition to restore that harmony which had been fo unhappily interrupted. Such meannefs and imbecility in the Governor tended much to weaken the cause of government in that province; for it urged both a fufpicion of guilt, and a distrufting the people, which was not the method to reconcile their minds to any plan the government should propofe.

When the meffage was produced, the Council and Burgeffes fent an addrefs to his Lordship, declaring their unbelief that any perfon in the province could meditate fo horrid and atrocious a crime as his Lordship apprehended, lamenting that he had not acquainted them with the grounds of his uneafinefs before he had adopted that meafure, as they would have used all poffible means to have removed every cause of difquietude they feared that his removal from the feat of government would be a means of increasing the uneafinefs which unhappily prevailed among the people, and they declared that they would chearfully concur in any measure that he should propofe for the fecurity

fecurity of himself and family; obfervinghow impracticable it would be to carry on the business of the lef fion with any degree of propriety or difpatch, while he was at fuch a distance, and inconveniently fituated. They concluded by intreating him to return with his Lady and family to the palace, which would afford great public fatisfaction, and be the likely method of quieting the minds of the people.

Upon the tenth of June, Lord Dunmore returned a written anfwer, in which he juftified his apprehenfions of danger from the public notoriety of the commotions and tumults among the people, as well as from the menaces and threatenings with which they were attended; befides he complained of the general conduct and behaviour of the House of Burgeffes, and specified feveral charges against that body.That they had countenanced the violent and diforder. ly proceedings of the people, particularly with regard to the magazine, which was forced open and plun. dered in prefence of fome of the members; that in ftead of committing thofe perfons who had been guilty of fo daring and heinous an offence, they only endeavoured to procure a reftitution of the arms.

That the Houfe or its Committee had proceeded to a ftep fraught with the moft alarming confequences, in appointing guards without his approbation or confent, under pretence of protecting the magazine, thereby fhewing a defign of ufurping the executive power, and of fubverting the conftitution. He took notice that no means could be effectual for affording the fecurity they propofed to concur in, but by reinftating him in the full powers of his office, by opening the courts of justice, and restoring the energy of the laws, by difarming all independent companies, or

other

other bodies of men raised and acting in defiance of legal authority; by obliging the immediate return of the king's arms and ftores, and by what was no lefs effential than any other matter, their own example, and their endeavours to remove that general delufion which kept the minds of the people in a continual ferment, and thereby to abolish that malice and spirit of perfecution, which now operated fo dangerously against thofe, who, from duty and affection to their king and country, oppofed the prefent meafures, and who, from principle and conviction, differed with the multitude in political principles. That thefe were the means to afford fecurity requifite for all parties; and that for the accomplishment of thofe ends, together with the great object and neceffary bufinefs of the feffion, he fhould have no objection to their adjournment to the town of York, where he would meet them, and remain 'till the bufinefs was finished, He concluded by reprefenting, that unless they had a fincere and active regard of feizing the opportunity which was now offered by parliament, of establishing the freedom of their country upon a fixed and known foundation, and of uniting themfelves with their fellow fubjects of Great Britain, in one common bond of intereft and mutual affiftance, his return to Williamfburgh would be as fruitlefs to the people as it might poffibly be dangerous to him; but that if their proceedings manifefted that happy difpofition, he would return with the greatest joy, and confider it as the molt fortunate event of his life, if they gave him an opportunity to be an inftrument of promoting their happiness, and of being a fuccessful mediator between them and the fupreme authority.

The