ད 1768. In confequence of this reprefentation of the matter, the CHAP governor, willing to try every peaceable method in his pow- V. er, propofed that the affembly fhould refcind the refolutions of the former concerning the circular letter, and for this purpose, he laid before them the last part of lord Hillfborough's letter, which, indeed, contained a requifition from his majesty, that these refolutions fhould be refcinded. By this unexpected requifition, the affembly were for fome time not pleafed ; however, they at laft requested, that he would lay before them his full inftructions on the fubject. The governor then laid before them the whole letter, by which they perceived, that in cafe they did not comply with the demand made upon them, the governor was required to diffolve them, and tranfmit a copy of their proceedings to be laid before the parliament. To all this, the affembly gave no answer for about a week; but at last, on being urged to it by the governor, the queftion was put for refcinding the refolution of the laft houfe, and carried in the negative by 92 to 17. During the time of these difputes between the affembly Distur and their governor, the licentious difpofition of the peo- bance at ple of Boston continued to increase. Á violent uproar took Boston, place on the 10th of June, in confequence of fome offi- June 19. cers of the revenue having feized a floop, laden with wine, belonging to one of the principal merchants of the place. The officers, on their firft feizure, had made a fignal to the Romney man of war, by the affiftance of which they were enabled to fecure their prize. This did not, however, fecure the perfons of the commiffioners and revenue officers. The populace, enraged to find that they could not recover the floop, pelted the commiffioners with ftones, attacked their houfes, and burnt a boat belonging to the collector, committing fuch other acts of violence, that the revenue officers found themfelves obliged to take refuge firft aboard the Romney man of war, and then in Fort William, fituated on a small island in Boston harbor. This licentious behaviour was by no means difcouraged by the affembly, as it ought to have been; on the con trary, as though nothing had happened, after their pofitive refufal to refcind the refolutions concerning the circular letter, they set about framing a letter to lord Hillf borough, as well as anfwers to the meffages of the gover nor; in all of which they laboured to vindicate the pro ceedings of the last affembly as well as their own, and to prove that nothing had been done but what became dutiful fubjects, ftruggling against an unjuft invafion of their rights and privileges. They denied in the most pofitive VOL. V. CHAP. terms, that the circular letter had been paffed in a thin V. houfe, or carried on by any kind of furprize; they main tained that it was perfectly legal in itfelf, being only de1768. figned as the foundation of a petition to his majefty for a redrefs of grievances. To refcind the refolutions, by which the circular letter had been paffed, would be to no purpofe, unless the letter itself could also be refcinded, which was impoffible, as it had already been circulated, and operated its full effect. They commented very freely on the requifition itself, reprefenting to his lordship, that it was unconstitutional, and without a precedent, to command a free affembly, under pain of diffolution, to refcind any refolves, especially thofe of a former houfe. They complained greatly of bafe and wicked mifrepresentations, by which his majefty had been influenced against them; though they still continued to poffefs the greatest respect and loyalty. All this, however, had no weight with their governor ; Affembly he diffolved the affembly while they were preparing a peof Maffa- tition to remove him from the government, and thus inBay diffol- creafed the difcontent already too prevalent. The general chusetts ved. ill humour was also further augmented by the arrival of intelligence, that a petition, formerly addreffed to the king, had been refufed from the colony agent, on pretence that he was not properly authorised to deliver it, having been appointed by the affembly without confent of the governor. They were thrown into the utmost consternation by the news of two regiments being embarked from Ireland, and feveral detachments rendezvoused at Halifax for the fupport of the civil government at Boston. A meeting of the inhabitants was held at Faneuil hall, and a committee appointed to wait on the governor, in order to know what reasons he had for intimating the approach of his majesty's forces, and at the fame time to petition quence of him to call another general affembly as foon as poflible; people af to this the governor replied, that he had no authority to femble un- affert any thing concerning the arrival of the forces, his information having been only of a private nature; and, with regard to the calling of another affembly, he could do nothing, being required by his inftructions to wait the pleasure of his majefty in this refpect. Sept. 12. In confe which the der the name of a conven tion. The committee having received this anfwer, entered into a full confideration of the prefent ftate of affairs; this ended in a tedious detail of their rights, and the late infractions of them. Several refolutions were formed against the legality of introducing the troops, founded on an act of William III. by which it was declared to be un V. 1768. lawful to keep a standing army in time of peace, without CHAP the confent of parliament. Another refolution of greater confequence was alfo paffed; and this was the holding of a new affembly under the title of a Convention, the powers of which appear not to have been exactly determined, but its legal existence they pretended to derive from a claufe of an act of king William, concerning the frequency of parliaments. The vote for this affembly was inftantly followed by another, founded, likewise, on an act of parliament, by which the fubjects were authorized to keep arms. In confequence of this, the inhabitants of Boston were defired, fuch as had no arms, to furnish themselves with them; and thofe who had, to put them into thorough repair, in cafe of any fudden emergency. A day of public fafting and prayer was then appointed, after which the meeting diffolved. In confequence of the votes paffed at this general meeting, the felectmen of Boston sent a circular-letter to those of the other towns in the province; and though nothing Sept. 14. could be more flender than the pretences of this tranfaction, to any fanétion from acts of parliament, only one town (Hatfield) out of ninety-feven in the province, had the courage to refuse their affent. The file of this circular letter fo much resembled that of the Americans on all other occafions of complaint, that we fhall here infert the most remarkable paffages: "Taxes," fay they, "equally detrimental to the commercial interefts of the parentcountry and the colonies, are impofed upon the people without their confent; as alfo for the maintenance of a large ftanding army, not for the defence of the newly acquired territories, but for the old colonies, and in time of peace. The decent, humble, and truly loyal applications and petitions from the reprefentatives of this province, for the redress of these heavy and very threatening grievances, have hitherto been ineffectual, being af fured from authentic intelligence, that they have not yet reached the royal ear; the only effect of tranfmitting thefe applications, hitherto perceivable, has been a mandate from one of his majesty's fecretaries of state, to the governor of this province, to diffolve the general affembly, merely because the late house of reprefentatives refufed to refcind a refolution of a former houfe, which implied nothing more, than a right in the American fubjects to write an humble and dutiful petition to their gracious fovereign, when they found themselves aggrieved. "The concern and perplexity into which these things have thrown the people, have been greatly aggravated by a late declaration of the governor, that one or more regi 1765. CHAP. ments may foon be expected in the province. The dee V. fign of these troops is, in every one's apprehenfion, nothing thort of enforcing, by military power, the execu tion of acts of parliament, in the forming of which the colonies have not, and cannot have, any conftitutional influence. This is one of the greatest diftreffes to which a free people can be reduced." As favourable answers to this letter were received from all the towns of Maffachusetts Bay, Hatfield alone excepted, the oppofition of the inhabitants of this place only ferved to expofe them to the ridicule of the rest of the province; the convention met, and fent a meffage to the governor, difclaiming all legiflative authority. But this he refufed to accept, left he fhould, by fo doing, give his fanction to it as a legal aflembly. He then fent a meffage to them, requiring, but in very mild terms, that they fhould immediately difperfe themselves without doing any bufinefs, at the fame time threatening worfe confequences if they proceeded. The convention framed a remonftrance in anfwer to this meffage; but the governor refufing to accept of that, or any other meffage from them, they began to be seriously afraid they had proceeded too far; and, therefore, after appointing a committee to draw up a report, in which they affigned the caufes of their diffolved. meeting, difclaimed all pretences to authority, and recommended the greateft deference to government. After this, having prepared a proper reprefentation of their tranfactions to be tranfmitted to the agent for the colony Sept. 29. at London, they broke up the affembly, September 29, 1768. The con vention Thus peace feemed to be, in fome measure, restored at Bofton, to which the arrival of the fleet from Halifax, having on board two regiments, the very day the conven tion broke up, undoubtedly contributed not a little, as did alfo the arrival of general Gage with other two regiments from Ireland a little time after. The feeds of diffention, however, were not now to be eradicated. Refolutions, fimilar to thofe taken at Boston, had been entered into by almost all the other colonies. They had expreffed the highest approbation of the conduct of the Boftonians, and the most determined refolution to coincide with their meafures. They did not even fcruple to avow their approbation of these measures to the fecretary of ftate; animadverting with great freedom on the requifition, as well as feveral other parts of his letter; while most of them entered into refolutions not to import any more goods from Britain after the beginning of January, 1769, until fuch time as the obnoxious acts of parliament were repaled. CH A P. VI. Death of the duke of York. -Parliament meets Debates D URING thefe difturbances in the colonies, affairs VI. 1767. Death of 1767. In the month of Auguft, 1767, the nation was deprived CHA P. of his royal highnefs the duke of York, who died at Monaco, having fome time before undertaken another tour through Europe. His death was occafioned by a fever, arifing originally from too violent exercife in dancing, the duke and afterwards neglected. Immediately after the ball, of York, he gave orders for his carriage to convey him to Toulon, August 17, from whence he was diftant three or four leagues. The gentlemen who attended him, perceiving his royal highnefs greatly fatigued, reprefented to him, that there was a neceffity for his remaining where he was, if not to go to bed, at leaft to cool and fhift himself.This falutary advice, however, was rejected; his royal highnefs declaring, that there was no occafion for fuch precaution, as he would wrap himself up in his cloak, which he accordingly did, and stepped into his carriage. This happened on the oth of Auguft. Next day, he complained of a chilness and fhivering. The diforder, however, appearing to be flight, did not prevent him from going to a comedy the fame night; but there his highnefs found himself fo much worse, that he was obliged to leave it, being manifeftly feverifh. By |