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A N 
 
 A P P E A L 
 
 TO THE 
 
 WORLD; 
 
 O R A 
 
 VINDIC ATION 
 
 OF THE 
 
 Town or Boston, 
 
 FROM 
 
 Many falfe and malicious Afperfions 
 
 CONTAINED 
 
 In certain Letters and Memorials, written by Governor 
 Bernard, General Gage, Commodore Hood, the Com- 
 mifiioners of the American Board of Cuftoms, and 
 others, and by them refpe&ively tranfmitted to the 
 Britifti Miniftry. , 
 
 PUBLISHED BY ORDER OF THE TOWN. 
 
 Boston, Printed by Edes and Gill: And London, 
 Reprinted for J. Almon, oppofite Burlington-Houfe 3 
 in Piccadilly. 1770. 
 
 [Price One Shilling.] 
 

 -fi> 
 
 
VY3 
 
 AT a Meeting of the Town of Boston, 
 legally ajfembled, on Wednefday Oclober the 
 Ajh, and thence continued hy Adjournment 
 to Wednefday Offober 18, 1769. 
 
 TH E following Remarks, upon the 
 Letters written by Governor Bernard, 
 and others, were ordered to be publifhed ; 
 and the Committee were directed refpecl- 
 fully to tranfmit a printed Copy of the fame 
 to the following Gentlemen, viz. The 
 Honorable Col. Ifaac Barre y Efq; a Mem- 
 ber of Parliament ; His Excellency Thomas 
 Pownal, Efq; late Governor of this Province, 
 and a Member of Parliament ; Benjamin 
 Franklin, Efq; Doctor of Laws ; William 
 Bollan, Efq; Agent for his Majefty's Coun- 
 cil of this Province ; Dennys De Berdt, 
 Efq; Agent for the Houfe of Reprefenta- 
 tives, and Barlow Trecotbick, Efq; Alder- 
 man of the City of London, and a Mem- 
 ber of Parliament. 
 
 Atteft. 
 William Cooper, Town-Clerk. 
 
Jujl Publijbed 9 
 
 (Being the Papers at length referred to In this 
 Appeal) 
 
 LETTERS to the Earl of Hillsborough from 
 Governor Bernard, General Gage, Commo- 
 dore Hood, the Commiflioners of the Cuftoms at Bof- 
 ton, and the Council of M afTachufett's Bay ; contain- 
 ing their whole Correfpondence with the Miniftry, from 
 the beginning of January. 1768, to the end of July, 
 1769. 
 
 In two Parts, Price 5 s. 6 d. fewed. Either Part 
 may be had feparate. 
 
 Printed for J, Almon, oppofite Burlington-Houfe, in 
 Piccadilly. 
 
 Of whom may be had, 
 
 A Collection of the moft Esteemed Tracts, 
 printed in England anJ America, on the Subjects of 
 Taxing the American Colonies, and Regulating their 
 Trade. In four Volumes, half-bound and lettered, 
 Price 1 1, 4 s. 
 
[ 3 ] 
 
 An APPEAL, &c. 
 
 T HE town of Boflon having by the ge- 
 nerous care of William Boll an, 
 Bfq; formerly a very worthy inhabitant in 
 it, but now a reiident in London, received 
 authentick copies of Letters, Memorials, &c. 
 written by Governor Bernard, General Gage, 
 Commodore Flood, the Commiffioners of 
 the American board of Cuftoms and o- 
 thers, and laid before the Parliament; which 
 contain many bale insinuations and virulent 
 charges of an high nature againft the town : 
 the freeholders and inhabitants in a legal 
 town meeting afTembled for the purpofe, 
 have confidered the fame. As they have 
 not yet been favoured with the particular 
 vouchers, if indeed thefe gentlemen have 
 produced any to the Miniftry before whom 
 they laid their accufations, it cannot be ex- 
 pected they mould be enabled to make fo 
 full a vindication of the town as otherwife 
 they might : they have however endeavoured 
 to extract from thefe writings, fo far as the 
 town is concerned in them, and to lay be- 
 fore the public their true fpirit: from whence 
 it will appear how reftlefs Governor Bernard 
 and his aftociates have been in their malicious 
 intrigues to traduce not this town and pro- 
 
 B 
 
 vmce, 
 
[ 4l 
 
 vince, alone, but the whole Britifh American 
 Continent. 
 
 In his letter to the Earl of Shelburne, 
 dated March 19th, 1768, he tells his Lord- 
 mip, that " he fees fuch an oppofition to the 
 Commiflioners and their officers, and fuch 
 a defiance to the authority by which they 
 are appointed, continually growing, that 
 he can no longer excufe his informing his 
 Lordfhip of the detail of facts, from whence 
 the mod dangerous confequences are to be 
 
 expe&ed." It is obferveable here, how 
 
 artfully he connects an oppofition to the 
 Commifiioners with a defiance of the au- 
 thority by which they are appointed ; and 
 this with an apparent defign to reprefent this 
 town as difaffecled to his Majeity's Govern- 
 ment in general, than which nothing can be 
 more falfe and malicious. That the people 
 mould entertain the higheft difguhV of a 
 board, inftituted to fuperintend a revenue to 
 be rais'd from them without their confent, 
 which was and frill is exacted with the ut- 
 moll rigor, is natural ; after they had fo 
 loudly as well as juftly complained of the 
 revenue itfelf, as depriving them of the 
 very idea of liberty : but it cannot be faid 
 with the lean: appearance of truth that they 
 fet at defiance the King's authority, at the 
 very time when they were actually yielding 
 obedience to thofe revenue laws, under all the 
 hardfhips of them, and were patiently 
 waiting for the happy irTue of their juft 
 
 complaints, 
 
[ 5 ] 
 
 complaints, and their humble petitions to 
 their Sovereign for the redreis of their 
 grievances. — The Commiffioners had how- 
 ever at that time furely no reafonable grounds 
 to expect any injury to their perlbns or in- 
 terruption in their office ; for they had been 
 more than four months in the town without 
 the leaft danger of this kind, although they 
 had from their firfr. arrival difcovered fuch 
 an arrogance and infolence of office, as led 
 many perfons to apprehend* that they aimed 
 at nothing lefs than provoking the people to 
 fuch a degree cf intemperence as to make 
 an appearance of it. But being difappointed 
 in this, mere fhifts and pretentions are to be 
 fought after ; and accordingly we find Mr. 
 Bernard beginning his " detail" to his Lord- 
 fhip, with telling him there had been " fre- 
 quent reports of infurrections intended, in 
 which it had been/aid, the houfes of one or 
 more of the Commiffioners were to be pulled 
 down." The Governor, it is to be obferved,. 
 relies much upon /r/'or/.f in his letters even to 
 Miniflers of ftate, while few if any among 
 us ever heard of fuch reports : he does not 
 fo much as attempt to make it appear to his 
 Lordmip that thefe frequent reports were 
 brought to him by perfons of credit, or that 
 they were well grounded ; and it is very 
 much to be queftioned, whether he received 
 his intelligence from any other perfons, but 
 the Commiffioners themfelves, their depen- 
 dents and expectants, the number of whom 
 B 2 are 
 
t 6 ] 
 
 are encreafed to an enormous degree, more 
 than fufficient to devour the whole revenue, 
 and many of them are of the moft aban- 
 doned characters. 
 
 But to give a colouring to thefe ideas of 
 an infui region, there mud he fomething 
 more alledgcd than barely that there had 
 been frequent reports of its being intended ; 
 and therefore his Lordfhip is told of an e- 
 vent which in fact took place as fome few 
 remember, but the ftory is wrought up by 
 the Governor with all the ftrokes of maf- 
 terly invention to ferve the purpofe. ct A 
 number of lads, " fays he, paraded the 
 town with a drum and horn." And what 
 poflible harm could there be in that? Why 
 among other houfes " they parTed by the 
 Council-chamber when he was fitting in 
 Council :" and did they flop to infult the 
 Governor and Council ? Such a circumftance 
 would doubtlefs have embellifhed his Ex- 
 cellency's narrative. Their paffing by how- 
 ever carried the air of an infult, though in 
 all likelihood the unlucky boys might not 
 know that his Excellency was there. — But 
 they had " alTembled before Mr. Paxton's 
 houfe," and left it mould be forgot, his 
 Lordfhip is reminded that Mr. P?xton is 
 " a CommiJJioner." And did they do Mr. 
 Paxton the Commiffioner any injury ? Yes 
 truly " they huzza'd," and went off. — Then 
 they " invefted Mr. Burch's houfe," and his 
 Lordihip is alfo told, that Mr. Burch is 
 
 " another 
 
• f 7 I 
 
 " another Commiffioner," and " his lady and 
 children were obliged to go out of the back 
 door to avoid the danger that was threats 
 ened ;" fo that they were not threatened 
 with mifchief, but with danger only. It 
 has been ufual for the Commiffioners to af- 
 fect an apprehenfion of danger to them- 
 felves and their families, to ferve the pur- 
 pofes they had in view. There is indeed 
 no accounting for the real fears of women 
 and children. The ladies however can 
 fometimes vie with their hufbands in in- 
 trigue, and are thoroughly verfed in the art 
 even of political appearance. Audit is faid 
 that all are politicians in this country : whe- 
 ther this lady, whom Gov. Bernard has 
 politely ufhered into the view of the public, 
 really thought herfelf in danger or not, it 
 is incumbent on him to fhow that there 
 were juft grounds for her apprehenlions, 
 that Mr. Burch's houfe was in fact " in- 
 veiled," and that " the moil dangerous 
 confequences were to be expected. " The 
 world may be afTured, there was not the 
 leafc appearance of this kind ; and yet, thefe 
 are Mr. Bernard's own declarations to his 
 Majefty's Minifters, grounded upon vague 
 and idle reports, beneath one of his rank 
 and ftation to take any notice of, and ef- 
 pecially with a defign to mifreprefent. He 
 exprefles a furprize, and furely he mud 
 counterfeit it, that this matter of " the 
 parade with the drum and horn," was af- 
 ter 
 
[ 3 ] 
 
 ter all treated as the diverfion of a few boys, 
 as it is flill thought to have been by all 
 who can remember fo trifling an occurrence, 
 except the Governor and his adherents — the 
 diverfion of a few innocent, though perhaps 
 vulgar boys, who neither did nor intended 
 to do the leaft harm to them or any other 
 perfons, nor were they able to effect it, if 
 they had fuch a defign. But after this, 
 fays Mr. Bernard, " it was reported, that 
 the infurre&ion was postponed till the lHth 
 of March" — The idea is flill kept up of a 
 defigned infurrection, how elfe could it be 
 pojiponed? and " two perfons, fays he, one 
 of them Mr. Paxton, a Commijjioncr ', were 
 mentioned as devoted to the refenfment of 
 the mob." It is flrange that no perfons 
 mould have heard of all this but the Go- 
 vernor and his informers ; for he tells his 
 Lordmip, that he " took all the pains he 
 could to difcover the truth of this report" ; 
 and " on the very day before, he fpoke 
 with the moft knowing men he could pro- 
 cure", who had heard nothing about the 
 matter. At length, however, " late in the 
 evening, he had certain advice that effigies 
 were prepared, but it was too late to do 
 any thing, and — his information was of 
 that nature, he could not make ufe of it in 
 public" To induce his Lordmip however 
 to believe that the reports oi the injur reffi ion, 
 which was poftponed to the 1 8th of March, 
 with every circumdance as jufl now related, 
 
 were 
 
[ 9 J 
 
 were well grounded, he tells him, as if it 
 was defigned to be the prelude to the 
 whole, that " early in the morning the 
 Sheriffinforrned him that the effigies of Mr. 
 Paxton and Mr. Williams were in truth 
 hanging upon liberty-tree" ! — There was in 
 the time of it, a flrong fufpicicn in the 
 minds of many, that thefe effigies were 
 hung up by fome particular perfons on that 
 day (which was to be obferveql as a day of 
 Feftivity), with a deiign to give a colouring 
 to juft fuch a reprefentation as Gov. Bernard 
 now makes. — There are perfons here capa- 
 ble of playing fuch a game ; and there are 
 fome circumftances which make it appear 
 that fuch a fufpicion was not groundlefs. 
 Particularly it is difficult to account for Go- 
 vernor Bernard's neglecting to give orders 
 to prevent their being hung up after he cer- 
 tainly knew it was intended ; and that he 
 ihould pretend it was too late the evening 
 before ; but efpecially, his not chuling to 
 make ufe of his information, or it may ra- 
 ther be fuppofed his informants name in 
 public, unlefs it was through fear of difco- 
 vering the plot, is dark and unaccountable — 
 If there was a defign of this nature, it muft 
 have been truly mortifying to thole who 
 w r ere in the fecret, that the defien was fo 
 foon frufirated : for before the Governor 
 could meet his council, which he had pru- 
 dently " the day before fummoned to meet," 
 and while he was " fending round to get 
 
 them 
 
[ 10 ] 
 
 them together as foon as poflible it might 
 be ; amidir. all thefe careful preparations, the 
 effigies, fays the Governor, " were taken 
 down by fome of the neighbours without op- 
 position" ! Their being thus, perhaps unex- 
 pectedly, taken down, is fufficient to evince 
 the good difpofition of the inhabitants in 
 general : that 'They were not in the plan of 
 an infurrection, whoever, elfe might be, and that 
 the Governor therefore might with fafety, if 
 he had been fo inclined, make ufe of his infor- 
 mation in public. — It might poffibly indeed 
 have totally overthrown his defign in writ- 
 ing this very letter to his Lordfliip. 
 
 But the befl improvement is to be made 
 of every appearance : accordingly the Go- 
 vernor haiiens to his Council, who were 
 then met, agreeable to his appointment the 
 day before, and there he tells his Lordfliip, 
 he " fet forth in fcrong terms the atrociouf- 
 nefs of this infult ; the danger of its being 
 followed by aclual violence, and the necef- 
 fity there was of providing for the peace of the 
 town." However atrocious the infult might 
 be, where could be the danger of its being 
 followed by aclual violence, when fome of 
 the inhabitants themfelves had taken down 
 the effigies, with at leafr. the tacit confent of 
 the whole community; for it was done with- 
 out the oppoiition expected, perhaps hoped for: 
 and what neceffity of providing for the peace 
 of the town, when the people already dis- 
 covered fo peaceable a difpofition. It would 
 
 doubt- 
 
t II ] 
 
 doubilefs have pleated the Governor well, 
 if his Council had advifed to fome fevere 
 meafures ; fuch as might have afforded a 
 firmer foundation for him to have reprefen- 
 ted the town as upon the eve of an infur- 
 rection, than groundlefs reports or infor- 
 mations, from his own pimps, which it 
 was not prudent for him to make ufe of in 
 public. But " all he could fay" to that pur- 
 pofe though he ftrove hard for it, " made 
 no impreffion on the Council ;" They, fays' 
 he, " perfevered in treating the affair as of 
 no confequence," as well they might -, for 
 it is queftionable after all, whether there was 
 the lead appreheniion then of any Com- 
 motion even in the mind of the Governor 
 himfelf, whatever were his pretentions. The 
 Commiffioners however took this opportu- 
 nity " of fetting forth the danger they ap- 
 prehended ;" and the Governor, very rea- 
 dily no doubt, took the occafion to acquaint 
 the King's Minifler, that he had received 
 a letter from the Commiffioners, " dejiring 
 the pretention of the Government". 
 
 Mr. Bernard proceeds in his narrative, 
 and entertains his Lordlhip with a very 
 minute account of the celebration of the 
 anniverfary of the repeal of the Stamp- Adl ; 
 and " the terrible night it produced" — to 
 Mr. Burch, one of the Commiffioners, and his 
 lady and children who had moved to his 
 houfe for fafety ; — " to the lieutenant Go- 
 vernor and the Sheriff of the County who 
 
 C were 
 
t «] 
 
 were alfo with him ;" and in fine to all 
 " thofe who thought themfelves objects of 
 the popular fury" It may be here obferved 
 as in general true, that no man has reafon 
 to fear the popular fury, but he who is 
 confcious to himfelf of having; done that 
 which has expos'd him to their juftrefent- 
 ment — The Governor himfelf owns, that 
 " the felectmen of the town" and " fome 
 others", and even the gentlemen who dined 
 at two taverns near the town-houfe, upon 
 the occafion cf the day, cc took great pains 
 that the feftivity mould not produce a 
 riot." There is no reafon to fuppofe this 
 was mentioned for the fake of giving a 
 credit to any of thofe gentlemen, but rather 
 to insinuate that the people were fo out- 
 rageoufly difpofed as that they could not be 
 restrained even by their own Leaders-, for 
 mofl of thofe whom the Governor has 
 honoured with that character were prefcnt. 
 The truth is, none of them were appre- 
 hensive that their feitivity would produce a 
 riot ; but they were careful to prevent the 
 lighting a Bonfire, becaufe the Governor 
 had constantly reprefented that as " the u- 
 fual fignal for a mob/' and the joys of the 
 evening among the lower fort, which how- 
 ever innocent are fotnetimes noify, would of 
 ccurfe be reprefented as riotous. And thus 
 he did in fact reprefent it to his Lordihip; 
 for he tells him, thai " many hundreds of 
 people of all kinds, fexes, and ages, para- 
 ded 
 
f n 7 
 
 ded the (beets with yells and outcries" ■ 
 
 That they " inverted Mr. Williams's 
 
 houie" —That " at two different times 
 
 about midnight they made outcries about 
 Mr. Paxton's houfe." And tho' after all, 
 he owns it was " out of mere wantonnefs", 
 yet he fays the whole made it a terrible 
 night." This is painting indeed, much be- 
 yond the life : but Mr. Bernard has the art 
 in perfection. He could not however per- 
 fwade even General Gage, to give it fuch a 
 colouring ; for the General in his letter to 
 Lord HilUborough, dated Bcilon the 35ft 
 of October, 1768, tells his Lordfhip quite 
 otherwife j and that " according to the beft 
 information he had been able to procure, 
 the difturbance in March (which was this 
 very inftance) far from being " terrible as 
 the Governor reprefents it, was in truth 
 " trifling." This being the account given 
 by one of the principal fervants of the 
 Crown in America, and who has difcovered 
 himfelf far from being partial in favour of 
 the town, it is needlefs to add any thing 
 further on this head — Trifling as indeed this 
 " disturbance" was, fuch improvements 
 were made of it by Gov. Bernard and o- 
 thers, that it occaiioned the ordering two 
 regiments from Halifax to this town, for a 
 purpofe for which the military power was 
 certainly never defigned ; a very dangerous 
 purpofe, and abhorrent to the Britiih con- 
 ititution and the fpirit of a free govern-. 
 C 2 ment, 
 
[ i4 J 
 
 mcnt, namely to fuppoit the civil autho- 
 rity — A meafure which has cauled continual 
 terror to his Majesty's peaceable fubjedts 
 here, ana has been productive of more dis- 
 turbance and confufion than has been known 
 in the memory of any now living, or than 
 is recorded by any hiilorian, even the mofr. 
 partial againft this country. 
 
 We (hall now take notice of Governor 
 Bernard's letter to the Earl of Hillfborough, 
 dated Boiton, June 1 1, 1768, wherein he 
 gives his Lordlhip an account *' of a great 
 riot that happened in this town the pre- 
 ceding evening." And it muft be confefled 
 there was a riot on that evening, which is 
 by no means to be juftified. It was how- 
 ever far from being fo great an one as the 
 Governor reprefents it to be. — The collec- 
 tor and comptroller of the cuftorns indeed 
 reprefent it as a (t numerous mob," but 
 they being particularly interefted, their 
 
 fears might deceive them. It was not a 
 
 numerous mob ; nor was it of long con- 
 tinuance, neither was there much mifchief 
 done. It was occaiioned by the unprece- 
 dented and unlawful manner of feizing a 
 veiTel by the collector and comptroller : and 
 considering their illegal proceedings in ma- 
 king the feizure, attended with the moil 
 irritating circumitances which occaiioned 
 this mob— the intolerably haughty beha- 
 viour which the Commiffioners who or- 
 dered this feizure, had conflantly before 
 
 diicovered 
 
r «5 1 
 
 difcovered towards the people- — the frequent 
 threats which had been given out, that the 
 town lhould be put under a military Go- 
 vernment, and the armed force actually em- 
 ployed as a prelude to it, it cannot be won- 
 dered at, that in a populous town, fuch 
 high provocations, and the fudden exertion 
 of lawlefs power, fliould excite the refent- 
 ment of fome perfons beyond the bounds 
 of reafon, and carry them into excels. — 
 We cannot ftate the circum fiances of this 
 affair with greater impartiality, than by 
 reciting the fentiments of his Majefiy's 
 Council after two days enquiry and confi- 
 deration, in their own expreiiions, viz. 
 
 " HIS Excellency having laid before the 
 Board a reprefentation of fome tranfadions 
 relating to, and in confequence of the dis- 
 orders in the town of Boflon on the evening 
 of the ioth of June laft, the Board think it 
 neceffary in jufiice to the town and province, 
 and in vindication of themfelves, to make 
 fome observations thereon, and to give a 
 fuller reprefentation than is contained in the 
 paper laid before the Board. 
 
 " With regard to the faid diforders, it is 
 to be obferved that they were occafioned by 
 the making a feizure (in a manner unpre- 
 cedented) in the town of Bofton on the 
 faid ioth of June, a little before funfet, 
 when a veifel was feized by feveral of the 
 officers of the cuftoms ; and immediately 
 after, on a fignal given by one of faid 
 
 officers, 
 
[ 16 ] 
 
 officers, in confequence of a preconcerted 
 plan, feveral armed boats from the Romney 
 man of war took poffeffion of her, cut her 
 fafts, and carried her from the wharf where 
 flie lay, into the harbour, along lide the 
 Romney ; which occaiioned a number of 
 people to be collected, fome of whom, from 
 the violence and unprecedentednefs of the 
 procedure with regard to the taking away 
 of the laid veffel, and the reflection thereby 
 implied upon the inhabitants of the town 
 as difpofed to refcue any feizure that might 
 be made, took occalion to infult and abufe 
 the faid officers, and afterwards to break 
 fome of the windows of their dwelling- 
 houfes, and to commit other diforders. 
 Nov/, though the Board have the utmoft 
 abhorrence of all fuch diforderly proceed- 
 ings, and would by no means attempt to 
 juflify them, they are obliged to mention 
 the occasion of them, in order to mew, that 
 however culpable the faid diforderly per- 
 fons were, the officers who feized, or thofe 
 by whole orders fuch unufual and violent 
 meafures as were purfued in feizing and tak- 
 ing away the faid vefTel, were not faultlefs : it 
 being highly probable that no fuch difor- 
 ders would have been committed, if the 
 vefTel had not been with an armed force, 
 and with many circumflances of infult and 
 threats, carried away from the wharf." 
 
 The Council further fay, (t with regard 
 to what happened on the 10th of June, it 
 
 feems 
 
[ *7 ! 
 
 feems to have fprung wholly from the per- 
 fons who complain of it, by the plan laid 
 and the orders given for making the feizure 
 aforefaid, and carrying it away by an armed 
 force. Which circumftances, together with 
 the time of day of feizing the verTel, makes 
 it feem probable, that an uproar was hoped 
 for and intended to be occaiioned by the 
 manner of proceeding in making the 
 feizure." 
 
 From this impartial fiate of the matter, 
 it muft evidently appear to every candid 
 mind, that the opposition was made, not 
 at all to the feizing of the veflel by the 
 officers of the cufcoms, but wholly to the 
 manner in which it was fecured ; and that 
 if it had been done in the ufual manner, as 
 the Council afterwards fay, * c it would 
 have remained fecure in the hands of the 
 officers" — This correfponds with the Com- 
 miffioners own account; for they fay in 
 their letter to Governor Bernard, June 12, 
 that they received a verbal melfage from the 
 people to the following purpofe, " that if 
 the Hoop feized was bro't back to Mr. Han- 
 cock's wharf, upon fecurity given to an- 
 fwer the profecution, the town might be 
 kept quiet" But this pacific propofal, tho' 
 brought to them as they acknowledge " by 
 a perfon of credit," they exprefly declare 
 " appeared to them as a menace" and it 
 was in fact one of their very reafons for 
 requeuing the Governor to give directions 
 
 that 
 
[ 18 ] 
 that they might be received into the caftle 
 for protection — So totally regardlefs were 
 they of the peace of the town, and fo 
 exceffively fond of being thought by others 
 as important as they fancied themielves to 
 be, that when this reafonable and timely 
 propofal was brought to them even by a 
 perifon of credit in their own eiteem, they 
 haughtily replied, that " they gave no an- 
 fwers to 'verbal meffages," which plainly 
 indicated either a wantonnefs of power in 
 them beyond all bounds, or the hopes if not 
 the intentions of a further uproar. — 
 
 Governor Bernard tells his Lordmip, that 
 this riot " had very bad confcquences," 
 which is undoubtedly true : the exaggerated 
 accounts which he and the Commiffioners 
 gave of it to the Miniilry, and their taking 
 occaiion to reprefent the town itfelf as in a 
 ftate of difobedience to all law and autho- 
 rity, and indeed the whole continent as 
 ripe for a revolt, were attended with the 
 worfl of confequences to the town. The 
 Commiffioners fay in plain terms, that " there 
 had been a long and extenfive plan of refinance 
 to the authority of Great-Britain," and 
 that " the feizure referred to " had haffcened 
 the people of Boilon to the Commiilion of 
 actual violence fooner than was intended." 
 Such inflammatory reprefentations asthefehad 
 the effects which they had long wifhed-for; 
 and induced the Miniftry to order two other 
 regiments to this town ; the confequence 
 
 of 
 
1 19] 
 
 of which, if they or any of them are con- 
 tinued, it is to be feared, far from reconcil- 
 ing the people to the prefent meafures of 
 adminiftration, will only increafe their dif- 
 content, and even alienate their affections. 
 
 The Governor in the poftfcript to his 
 letter, June 13, mentions his haying 
 intelligence from the Commimoners ot 
 fome particulars, from whence they concluded* 
 that they were immediately expofed to 
 further violences, and defired protection at 
 the caftle. — this intelligence is contained 
 in their letter of June 1 2, jud now mentioned, 
 wherein they take upon themielves to 
 charge the Government with having ufed 
 no meafures for fecuring the peace of the 
 town, alledging in general terms that 
 " there was the ftrongeft reafon to expect 
 further violences". And they further fay, 
 that " his Excellency himfelf had acquaint- 
 ed them that Bqfion was no pi ice of fafetyfor 
 them'. Here we fee that the intelligence 
 which the Governor reprefents to his Lo.d- 
 fhip as having been received by him from 
 the Commimoners, he firft communicated 
 to them -, and thereupon they grounded their 
 pretended fears in their letter to htm, and 
 delire the protection of Vaz Government. 
 This is all of a piece, and may ferve to 
 explain the frequent rumours of an infurrecT:- 
 ion, mentioned in a former letter, and 
 from what quarter thefe frequent rumours 
 came. It fhows the combination, and the 
 
 D fettled 
 
[20] 
 
 fettled defign, of the Governor and the 
 Commiffioners, to blacken the character of 
 the town ; and how dextroufly they can 
 play into each others hands — The Governor 
 the next day, June 13, wrote to the Com- 
 miffioners, and acquainted them, that 
 e< having communicated their letter of the 
 1 2th to the Council, they deiired him to 
 inform them, that during the fitting of the 
 Council on faturday morning, there was no 
 reafon at all given to expect further violences, 
 and that there was no appreheniion either 
 in the Governor or the Council of an im- 
 mediate danger." It is incumbent on the 
 Governor, or his friend, if he has any, to 
 reconcile this with what he had before told 
 the Commiffioners, " that Bofton was no 
 place of iafety for them". It feems Gov. 
 Bernard was perpetually teizing the Council 
 with the Commiffioners vague reports of 
 an insurrection, and of the danger they 
 were in ; and indeed it appears to be the 
 main point in view to perfwade the Council 
 if poffible into a belief of it, or if not, to 
 form a complaint to the Miniftry, that they 
 were negligent of their duty in not adviiing 
 to proper meafures for the protection of 
 the Commiffioners; and from thence to 
 enforce a neceffity of military force to re- 
 ftore and fupport Government in Bofton—- 
 Why did he not lay before the Council the 
 particulars, wbich he tells his Lordfhip he 
 had received from the Commiffioners, from 
 
 whence 
 
[ 21 ] 
 
 whence they concluded that they were ex*- 
 pofed to further violences ? This we hear 
 nothing of; perhaps the intelligence, like 
 that which he mentions in a former letter, 
 " was of fuch a nature that he could not 
 make ufe of it in publick." He indeed 
 tells the Commiffioners, that " he had in- 
 formed the Council of their prefent ap- 
 prehenfions of further violences, and that 
 they were then taking the fame into con- 
 fideration." — But he mould have fairly 
 reprefented this matter to the Commiffioners, 
 and told them that the Council had already 
 taken the fame into confideration, and come 
 to a conclufion, as in fact they had ; for 
 bv their own minutes we find, that t: the 
 matter being fully debated, it appeared to 
 the Board, that there was no immediate 
 danger of frefh difturbances." They at 
 the fame time advifed that the matter mould 
 be laid before the General Court then fit- 
 ting, and poftponed the confideration of it 
 by them, as of Council to the Governor, till 
 the effect of fuch a propofal mould be 
 known. All this the Governor knew; how 
 then could he confidently fay that they were 
 then taking it into confideration. He tells 
 Lord HilKborough, that " he was againfr. 
 the bufinefs being laid before the General 
 Court, but was obliged to give it up"; and 
 that " he had many objections to the mea- 
 fure." He knew very well that the drawing 
 this matter into open day-light, would 
 D 2 effectually 
 
[ 22 ] 
 
 effectually defeat his defign ; and that the 
 intention of bringing the Council, if poffi- 
 ble, to join with the Governor in requiring 
 the military force, or accufing them of 
 negligence in cafe they did not, would 
 thereby be entirely fruftrated. — The remov- 
 ing the bufinefs to the General Court, he 
 tells his Lordlhip, was however, upon one 
 cenfideratiw, not cc entirely to his diflatif- 
 faclion ;" for he fays, it was then in a great 
 meafure " taken out of his hands" 5 and he 
 concludes, that " as he cannot conduct this 
 bufinefs as it ought to be," or rather as he 
 cho/e it mould be, " it may be heft for him 
 to have but little hand in it." — It may not 
 be amifs here to recite the declaration of 
 his Majdly's Council at a full Board on the 
 29th of July, fix weeks after the Com- 
 miffioners voluntary exile to the caftle, in 
 confequence of thefe pretended a$>pr el^enfions 
 of further violences. The Council fay, 
 " the Commiffioners were not obliged to 
 quit the town ; there never had been any 
 infult offered to them ; their quitting the 
 town was a voluntary act of their own ; we 
 do not apprehend there was any Sufficient 
 ground for their quitting it; and, when 
 they had quitted it, and were at the caftle, 
 there was no occalion for men of war to 
 protect them." Such an authority, will, 
 no doubt, be deemed fufficient to vindicate 
 the town from this afperfion ; efpecially, 
 as the Council had then had time cooly to 
 
 recol- 
 
[ 23 1 
 
 recoiled;- the matter : as they had born their 
 full teflimony againft the diforders, and 
 taken every dep which belonged to their 
 department, to bring the offenders to con- 
 dign puniihment : but more efpecially, as 
 that very Board had always before fupported 
 the Governor's meafures to the utmod ex- 
 tent that their confciences would allow, and 
 many times againd the general fentiments 
 of the people, for which they had gained 
 the Governor's applaufe, and his particular 
 recommendations to his Majedy's minider ; 
 and he himfelf could at this time have no 
 other exception to any part of their condudt, 
 but their oppohtion to his favorite plan, to 
 introduce a military Government into the 
 town, without the lead: colour of neceflity, 
 and thereby to break thro' the mounds, and 
 tear up the very foundation of the civil 
 conditution. 
 
 The Governor in his letter to Lord Hills- 
 borough of the 14th of June, being re- 
 folved to give his Lordfhip an exact detail 
 of every occurrence " from whence the 
 mod dangerous confequences are to be 
 expected," takes occafion to mention " a 
 paper duck up on Liberty Tree," this paper, 
 he had laid in his letter of the 13th, con- 
 tained " an invitation of the fons of li- 
 berty to meet at fix o'clock to clear the land 
 of the vermin which were come to devour 
 them." A very innocent, if not a laudable 
 propofal, for which the country Should think 
 
 itfelf 
 
[ 24 ] 
 itfelf obliged to them, to be fure, if they 
 could have effected their defign. But io this 
 letter it is called " a violent and virulent 
 invitation to rife that night to clear the coun- 
 try of the Commiffioners and their officers, 
 to avenge themfelves of the Cuftom houfe 
 officers, and put one of them to death ?■' 
 And, ftill more alarming, " there were alfo 
 fome indecent threats againft the Gover- 
 nor !" Could the Governor think, that by 
 the vermin that were come to devour the 
 land> they meant his Excellency and the 
 Commiffioners? But perhaps the mind of 
 the Sheriff who brought this information to 
 the Governor, was lomewhat agitated with 
 the fears of an infurrection ; and moreover, 
 we may prefume, that he had not feen the 
 paper himfelf, but took it from report^ in 
 conformity to the example of the Governor, 
 who believed, or pretended to believe, every 
 word of it, till he had the mortifying fight 
 of the true contents of this very important 
 paper ; of which the following, as he him- 
 felf at length tells his Lordihip, is " an ex- 
 act copy," viz. Bolton, June 53, 1768. The 
 fons of liberty requeit all thofe, who, in 
 this time of oppreffion and diffraction, wifh 
 well to, and would promote the peace, good 
 order and fecurity of the Town and Pro- 
 vince, to affemble at Liberty Hall, under 
 Liberty Tree, on Tuefday, the i^hinftant, 
 
 at ten o'clock precifely. It might have 
 
 been fuppofed that fo harmleis a thing would 
 
 have 
 
[ *5 J 
 
 have given offence to none. In the firfl 
 place, the matters alledged in it were con- 
 fefledly true : that this was a time of op- 
 premon, the people all felt : that it was a 
 time of detraction, the Governor and the 
 Commiffioners loudly proclaimed : a defign 
 then, at fuch a time, to promote the peace, 
 good order, and fecurity of the town, was 
 at leaft unexceptionable. But the Governor 
 complains, that " it was not confidered as 
 an implication of danger :" ffrange would 
 it have been indeed, if fo falutary a propo- 
 fal as the promoting the peace, good order, 
 and fecurity of the town, had been thus con- 
 fidered. " Neither, fays he, was the im- 
 propriety of the fons of liberty appointing a 
 meeting to fecure the peace of the Town, 
 when the Governor and Council were luting" 
 upon that bufinefs, and feemly to little pur* 
 pofe, taken much notice of." But furely, if 
 the Governor and Council could be fuppofed 
 to befitting upon fuch bufinefs, 21 fuch a time y 
 and feemingly to little purpofe, there could be 
 no great impropriety in other peoples under- 
 taking it. But without adopting by any 
 means the meafure, is not here a finking 
 inftance of the difpoiition of Governor Ber- 
 nard, and fome others, to receive with the 
 greateft avidity the moft aggravated accounts 
 of every trifling occurrence that has happen- 
 ed, and without any enquiry, to paint them 
 to the Miniftry in the deepeff. colours ! Be- 
 hold a meeting, the profeffed dengn of 
 
 which 
 
1 26 ] 
 
 which was to promote the peace, good or- 
 der, and fecurityof the Town, and that in 
 open day-light, reprefented to the King's 
 Minifter as a meeting defigned to be held at 
 fix o'clock, near fun-iet, in one letter; and 
 in another the next day, " a moil violent 
 and virulent invitation to rife that night ! and 
 
 clear the country of the Commiffioners, 
 
 threaten the Governor, and commit mur- 
 der !" In confequence of which he tells the 
 Council, there is " no time to enquire into 
 the particulars of the former riot." ^ They 
 are to be hurried to meafures to provide for 
 the peace of the Town 5" and to prevent 
 " new difturbances premeditated" and " im- 
 mediately threatened ;" and his Lordfhip is 
 to be forthwith informed of it. — Certainly 
 every candid perfon will from hence be in- 
 clined to believe all that Governor Bernard 
 relates to the prejudice of this Town, or 
 any particular perfons, with great difcre- 
 
 tion. 
 
 His letter of the 16th of June, for heieem- 
 ed to be almoil: everyday employed in writing 
 his " detail" of common reports, gives the earl 
 of Hillfborough an account of" the meeung 
 at Liberty Tree, in purfuance of the printed 
 notice." And, after entertaining his Lordfhip 
 with a particular, tho' awkard and incon- 
 fiftent defcription of the Tree, the vail 
 heighth of the nag-ftarT, and the defign of 
 hoifling the flag, namely, " for a tignz]," 
 which to be lure muft be a difcovery quite 
 
 new 
 
[2?1 
 
 new to his Lordfhip, he proceeds to fay j 
 that, " at lean: 4000 men arTembled," that 
 " the principal gentlemen attended to en- 
 gage the lower people to concur in meafures 
 for peace and quiet," which was the pro- 
 ferTed end of their meeting — that " one of 
 the felectmen was chofen moderator or chair- 
 man" — that " they adjourn'd to the Town 
 Hall" for the accommodation of fo large a 
 number. And there it being " objected 
 that they were not a legal meeting" they 
 ft adjourned to the afternoon," he mould 
 have faid, broke up j and the felectmen in- 
 ftead of " legalizing the affembly," as it is 
 oddly exprelfed, called a Town-meeting, 
 agreeable to the directions of the law, to 
 meet in the afternoon. All this was cer- 
 tainly an innocent proceeding, and the Go- 
 vernor himfelf, it is prefumed, did not 
 think other wife, for it happens for once, 
 that he makes no particular remarks upon 
 it ; and if it mould be faid of them, that 
 they met Jeemijigly to little purpofe, it might be 
 faid truly enough j but it is to be remem- 
 bered, that another allembly, with their 
 chairman at their head, if the Governor's lu- 
 dicrous account of the meeting of that ve- 
 ry refpectable body could be credited, 
 might in thatrefpecl: keep them in counte- 
 nance. But innocent as it was, the Go- 
 vernor did not chufe it mould be thought 
 that he viewed it in that light, and there- 
 fore told the Council, and his Lordfhip af- 
 E terwards, 
 
[ 23 ] 
 
 terwards, that " had it been the firft bufi- 
 nefs of the kind, he fhould have afked their 
 advice, whether he fhould not fend to the 
 General for troops :" and to fhow his own 
 exceffive fondnefs for fo arbitrary and violent 
 a meafure, he adds, that " he was ready to 
 do it, if any one gentleman would propofe 
 it!" 
 
 The Governor then proceeds to give a de- 
 tail of the meeting of the Town in the af- 
 ternoon ; in which he tells his Lordmip, 
 that " many wild and violent propofals were 
 made." It ought here to be obferved, that 
 Governor Bernard conflantly reprefents bo- 
 dies of men, even the mod refpeclable, by 
 propofals made by individuals, which have 
 been mifreprefented by pimps and parafites, 
 and perhaps aggravated by himfelf, inftead 
 of allowing them to ftand or fall by their 
 own conclufions — Can any thing be more 
 bale, more contrary to equity than this ? — 
 What fhould we think of the moft refpec- 
 table corporations at home — what even of 
 both Houfesof Parliament, if they were to 
 be judged of by every motion that has 
 been made, or every expreilion that has 
 dropped from individuals in the warmth of 
 debates. If it had been true that fuch pro- 
 pofals were made, nay, if meafures that 
 could not have been altogether juftined, had 
 been even adopted by the Town, at a Time 
 when every art had been practifed to irritate 
 the people, and inflame their minds, the can- 
 did 
 
[203 
 
 did part of mankind would have been ready to 
 overlook it.— The Governor has often been 
 obferved to difcover an averlion to free af- 
 femblies : no wonder then that he mould be 
 £o particularly difgufted at a legal meeting of 
 the town of Bofton, where a noble freedom 
 of fpeech is ever expedited and maintained: 
 an affembly, of which it may be juftly faid, 
 to borrow the language of the ancient Ro- 
 man, with a little variation, Sefitire qnce 
 volunt et qua? fenticat di cere licet, they think 
 as they pleafe, and fpeak as they think. 
 Such an affembly has ever been the dread — ■ 
 
 often the fcourge of tyrants But thefe 
 
 " wild and violent propofals, '* which no one 
 can recoiled!: but the Governor, and perhaps 
 his informers, it feems were " warded off" 
 as the Governor is pleafed to exprefs it ; 
 from whence it, may be fuppofed, that pru- 
 dence directed at this meeting, " origina- 
 ted and compofed as (he fays) it was" 
 
 By thefe expreflions it is conceived, he 
 would intimate to his Lordfhip that it was 
 both illegal and tumultuous; and if that 
 was his real intention, the infinuation was 
 both falfe and injurious. — The meeting was 
 " originated" as the law directs, and no- 
 thing was there concluded upon, according 
 to the Governor's own account, but the ap- 
 pointment of a committee, which he him- 
 felf fays " in general was very refpectable," 
 to wait on him •* with a petition j" the re- 
 ceiving his anfwer, as he is pleafed to fay, 
 E 2 with 
 
[ 3° ] 
 with "univerfal approbation !" Writinga let- 
 ter to a friend, and voting fuch inftructions as 
 they thought proper to their reprefentatives. 
 After which he tells his Lordfhip they 
 " broke up quietly" and " the meeting 
 ended." But notwithstanding this quiet, and 
 as may be concluded by the Governor's ac- 
 count of it, ccaiizijig Town meeting, which 
 conlifted of fo large a number, and among 
 whom hehimfelf was fo e popular," that even 
 " the moderator declared that he really be- 
 lieved he was a well-wimer to the Province." 
 (Thus faith Governor Bernard, but no one 
 remembers or believes it) yet all this will 
 not avail to foften his mind, or alter his in- 
 tentions. And although he tells his Lord- 
 fhip, " the Romney and a floop of i6 guns 
 juft come in will compleat the command of 
 all the approaches to the Caftle, and other 
 fhips of war are expecled, fo that the fecu- 
 rity of the Commiffioners is effectually pro- 
 vided for;" yet the favourite point will not 
 be carried, till the long-wifhed for troops 
 arrive, to enforce his arbitrary defigns, and 
 fupprefs the fpirit of liberty. And now is 
 the Time, if ever, to prefs the matter : 
 every hand therefore mull: be let to work, 
 and nothing will ferve the caufe like conti- 
 nually holding up the idea of an insurrec- 
 tion. Accordingly, we find one of the aux- 
 iliaries, whofe letter, tho' anonimous, has 
 credit enough to appear in the lift laid be- 
 fore Parliament, fays, " It is my opinion, 
 
 that 
 
f 3i ] 
 
 that the promoters of the prefent evils are 
 ready to unmafk, and openly to difcover 
 their long and latent defign to Rebel" — 
 and " involve this country in blood and 
 horror !" Another anonimous writer, who 
 is faid to be " well acquainted with the 
 ftate of the town of Bofton," fays, that 
 " he obferves a fournefs in the minds of the 
 people in general" and adds, " he that runs 
 may read, that without fpeedy interpojition, 
 
 a great form will arife." The Collector 
 
 and Comptroller of the Cuftoms mention 
 with deep concern, as they affect to exprefs 
 themfelves, " that a general fpirit ^Insur- 
 rection prevails, not only in the Town, 
 
 but throughout the whole Provinces" — 
 
 The Commiffioners themfelves, in their let- 
 ter to General Gage, tell him, " that it is 
 utterly impollible to carry on the bufinefs of 
 the revenue in the town of Bolton, from 
 the outrageous behaviour of the people :" 
 they acquaint the General " of the alarm- 
 ing ftate of things in the Town, and defire 
 him to give them protection " And though 
 Governor Bernard, when not fo much on 
 his guard, or perhaps under fome little 
 compunction of mind, in his letter to the 
 Commiflioners, June 13, gently chides 
 them for their ill-grounded fears, and tells 
 them, " he is very forry that they think 
 themfelves fo much in danger in Boiton 
 (which he had before faid was no place of 
 iafety for them) as to think it uniafe for 
 
 them 
 
[ 32 J 
 
 them to refide there ,» notwithstanding all 
 this, yet in the letter we are now consider- 
 ing, which was written nearly at the lame 
 time, he positively allures his Lordfhip, that, 
 if there is not a Revolt, the leaders muSt 
 falfify their words and change their purpo- 
 ses. Perhaps he would have been more 
 conMent if he had imagined thefe letters 
 would ever have feen the light. He con- 
 cludes his letter with mentioning a few 
 more «« papers Stuck upon the Town- 
 
 .Houle. No evidence however appears 
 
 to have accompanied all thefe heavy charges 
 upon a whole community : but Governor 
 Bernard and others feem to have conduced 
 their profcriptions as if they could have even 
 forefeen, that the bold aSTertions of perfons 
 apparently inimical to a country, anonimous 
 ietters, Street converfation picked up by 
 pimps and Spies, and papers ftuck by no one 
 knows whom on a public building, would 
 be of fo much weight as to influence the 
 meafures of administration ! Can any per- 
 Jon believe this is a juft reprefentation, when 
 Governor Bernard with all his industry and 
 aid has not been able to furnish proof, that 
 any body or combination of men, or even 
 a fingle perfon, had incurred a legal penal- 
 ty, it we except the disturbances that hap- 
 pened on March and June already considered. 
 1 he Governor in his letter of the oth of 
 July informs his Lord/Lip of a mancevre, as 
 he calls it, of the fons of liberty; a num- 
 ber 
 
[ 33 J 
 
 ber of them going out of Bofton at the 
 clofe of a certain day in parties, and meet- 
 ing on each fide of a houfe in Roxbury, 
 which Mr. Robinfon (and his Lordfhip 
 muft be informed that he alfo was one of 
 the Commiffioners) had lately hired, with 
 an intention to furprize him and prevent 
 his efcape ; but he being at the caftle, 
 where the Commijjioners had been driven for 
 fafety, they did nothing but plunder his 
 fruit trees. This is a very folemn account 
 indeed ; but he never laid this " mancevre 
 of the fons of liberty," extraordinary as it 
 was, before the Council, which he never 
 failed to do on like occafions; thinking 
 poffibly, that refpectable body might be of 
 opinion, that a gentleman of any political 
 party may be fuppofed to have had his or- 
 chard or fruit gardens robbed by liquorijh 
 boys, without making a formal reprefenta- 
 tion before his Majefly's nrfr. minifters of 
 ftate. As the Governor will flill have it 
 that the Commiffioners were tf driven to 
 the caftle for fafety," we take occafion to 
 obferve here, that it was notorious, that 
 they frequently landed on the main, and 
 made excurnons into the country -, vifiting 
 the Lieutenant-Governor and other gentle- 
 men at their feats, where it would have 
 been ealy to have feized them if any injury 
 had been intended them ; which as his 
 Majefty's Council very juftly have obferved, 
 t f demonflrated the infincerity of their 
 
 declarations," 
 
[ 34] 
 
 declarations,'* as it did thofe of the Go- 
 vernor, " that they immured themfelves at 
 the caftle for fafety." 
 
 Another part of the detail in this letter 
 is the refcue of a veflel which had been 
 feized by the Cuftom-houfe officers. It 
 feems by Governor Bernard's account, it 
 had been " thought proper to try an ex- 
 periment i for fays he, " when the iloop 
 was feized which occafioned the riot, and 
 in confequence of which the Commiffioners 
 were obliged to leave the town, the great- 
 eft part of the refentment was expreffed 
 againft the putting her under the care of 
 the man of war;" which was very true, 
 and he might have alfo faid, the making 
 the feizure with an armed force, and there- 
 fore, he adds, " when this fchooner was 
 feized, it was left at the wharf, under no 
 other care but two Cuftom-houfe officers," 
 in .hopeful, no doubt, if not certain ex- 
 pectation that the refcue would be made, 
 from whence it might poffibly be made to 
 appear, that the refentment againft the 
 proceedings of the Cuftom-houle officers in 
 the former inftance, as being violent and 
 illegal, was mere pretence. The refcue 
 was made, and it was univerfally difpleafing 
 to the town. The Governor fays, " this 
 very molaffes was the next day returned," 
 and tells his Lordffiip, that " the fele&men 
 of the town fent for the mafter of the 
 fchooner," and " ordered him to return ir, 
 
 under 
 
under pain of the difpleafure of the town ;" 
 which is a grofs mifreprefentation of the 
 matter, and artfully defigned to prepare for 
 the fubfequent ungenerous remark, that 
 " all Government is now in the hands of 
 the people." A good magiftrate would have 
 rejoiced in this inftance of the people's 
 voluntarily affording their aid in the recovery 
 of the King's Due, which had been refcued 
 from him, without torturing his invention 
 to find an ill-natured conftruction for it; 
 but Gov. Bernard is difturbed that <s the 
 humour of the people," which he fays this 
 was done M to pleafe," mould ever coincide 
 with their duty to their Sovereign — The 
 voluntary aflbciation of the people to pro- 
 mote peace and good order, he had before 
 faid " carried an implication of danger" to 
 the Government j and now, when they 
 feem to unite in taking meafures for the 
 execution of a law, altho' in its nature dif- 
 agreeable to the people, why truly " the 
 Government is in the hands of the people, 
 and not of thofe deputed by the King, or 
 under his Authority." But if the people 
 had a view to fave their own reputation in 
 this piece of fervice to the Crown, as the 
 Governor intimates, furely he will not fay 
 it was " ill-judged" or " ill-timed." The 
 truth is, they had a particular view at this 
 time to prevent Governor Bernard's improv- 
 ing this refcue, which they were in no 
 fort concerned in, to the prejudice of the 
 
 F town, 
 
[ 36] 
 
 town, as had been his conftant practice in 
 other cafes, and as it now evidently appears 
 he intended : and it was certainly a wife 
 precaution ; tho' a candid mind will by no 
 means exclude any other good intentions. — 
 We cannot forbear taking notice here with 
 freedom, of a very extraordinary afTertion of 
 Governor Bernard, in this letter to his 
 Lordfhip, that " every feizure made, or 
 attempted to be made on hnd at Bofton for 
 thefe three years pad:, before thefe two in- 
 itances, had been violently refcued or pre- 
 vented," — An afTertion fo noo riouflyfalfe, 
 that few men could have made it without 
 blufhing ; and we may fuppofe even Go- 
 vernor Bernard himfelf would not have 
 made it, had he apprehended it would ever 
 have become public* — The officers of the 
 cufroms themfelves will not venture to 
 affirm it, If the afTertion is true, his Ma- 
 jefty's Council muff have been egregioufly 
 miftaken when they declare, that " no in- 
 stance can be alledged of any vefTel feized 
 
 * // is remarkable that Governor Bernard, ?iot long before thefe 
 letters were made public, expreffed to a certain gentleman, his 
 earneft wijh, that the people of this Province could have a fight 
 cf all his letters to the Minijiry, being affured that they would 
 thereby be full)/ convinced that he was a. friend to the Province-- 
 Indeed be made a declaration to the fame purpofe, in one of his 
 public fpeeches to the Houfe of Reprefentatives. Upon the Arri- 
 val of the letters however, he difcovered, as fome fay, a certain 
 Palenejs, and complainea of as an hardjhip that his letters, 
 wrote in confidence, Jhould be expofed to the vievj of the 
 Public— A ftriking proof of the Bafenefs, as well as the 
 Perfdy of his heart ! 
 
 or 
 
[37 1 
 
 or any feizure whatever in the town of" 
 Bofton being refcued out of the hands of 
 the officers, except what took place here on 
 the 8th of July inftant, when a quantity of 
 molaiTes (this very molaiTes) having been 
 leized, was taken away from the officers 
 who had charge of it -, which unwar- 
 rantable proceeding being univerfally con- 
 demned, the molaiTes was very foon re- 
 turned." As this bafe flory was invented 
 and told by Gov. Bernard, with the fole 
 intention of calling an odium upon the 
 town, we have reafon to expect his re- 
 tractation of it; or he mtift bear the re- 
 proaches of an highly injured community, 
 and the juft cenfures of all impartial men. 
 .After thefe falfe and injurious afiertions, he 
 thinks it a proper time to acquaint his 
 Lordmip, that the one regiment which he 
 had the flattering expectation of, from a 
 letter he had received from General Gage, 
 " tho' it might fecure the caftle, would not 
 be fufficient to awe the town-" which was 
 in effect afking for more. Thus we fee 
 the means which Governor Bernard and his 
 confederates have been inceflantly ufing to 
 accompli fh their defigns ; and ftrange as it 
 may in fome better times hereafter appear, 
 thefe means and thefe very instruments at 
 length prevailed to introduce a military 
 power into this town — A power which is 
 daily trampling on our laws, contemning 
 ■Our religion, and invading the rights both 
 F z of 
 
[3H 
 
 of perfons and property — A power by which 
 a truly loyal but long abufed and highly 
 provoked community, is, not indeed awed, 
 but diflrefled — And were it not for the cer- 
 tain advice that our humble and dutiful fup- 
 plications have at length reached the royal 
 hand, we mould be reduced even to a ftate 
 of defperation ! 
 
 Governor Bernard in his letter to Lord 
 Hilllborough of the 16th of September, be- 
 gins with acquainting his Lordfhip with 
 the prudent methods he took, to communi- 
 cate the expectation of the troops gradually, 
 for fear of certain ill effects that might a- 
 rife from their fudden arrival. And no 
 wonder that the man who had long been 
 reprefenting a whole country as rebels j and 
 had been one of the principal inftruments in 
 bringing fuch a curfe upon it, fhould at that 
 juncture be under fome apprehenfions of 
 danger. In his laft letter he talks 'of his 
 perfonal courage, and tells Lord Hillfborough, 
 that " he did not feel his own firmnefs of 
 mind to fail :" he alfo mentions ** the fpi- 
 rited conduct of the Lieutenant-Governor; 
 and with pleafure affures his Lordfhip, that 
 " he could depend upon his refolution and 
 fteadinefs as much as he could upon bis own-" 
 from whence he concludes, that " there 
 would be no want of a due enforcement of 
 the laws to the correction of the prefent 
 abufes :" — But now he feems to be confeious 
 of fear ! — Happy was it for him, that he 
 
 was 
 
r 39 3 
 
 was in the hands of a people ; who attended 
 to the dictates of found policy, religion and 
 loyalty — He firft opens this matter to one of 
 the Council, and tells him, that " he had 
 private advice that troops were ordered hi- 
 ther, but that he had no publick orders a- 
 boutit himfelf;" and he obferves, that " it 
 quickly was very thoroughly circulated all 
 over the town," and the JacJion immediately 
 took the alarm." By this he would inii- 
 nuate that the better fort of the people, 
 and even the generality of the town, were 
 well enough pleafed with it. If the faction 
 only took the alarm, the generality of the 
 town muft have been included in the faction: 
 for in truth, he had the mortification of 
 feeing the whole body of the people, faving 
 his own very few adherents, who were 
 properly an implacable faction, thoroughly 
 awakened and alarmed at the fudden ex- 
 pectation of a military force, which had 
 indeed been often threatned by this faction, 
 but few realized it before — And now the 
 pimps were all immediately fent out, who 
 no doubt were rewarded in proportion to 
 their fuccefs in the buiinefs; and the Go- 
 vernor foon had intelligence brought to him 
 of the converfation of " private companies :" 
 and that in one " it was the general opinion 
 to raife the country and opppie the troops j" 
 in another " it was refolved to furprize and 
 take the caftie." How ridiculoufly im- 
 pertinent mutt he appear in the eyes of 
 
 men 
 
[ 4° ] 
 
 men of fenfe, after all to acquaint his Lord- 
 flup, that " he does not relate thefe ac- 
 counts as certain fadts." To what purpofe 
 then did he relate them at all! It* feems 
 that he was full as defigning, in com- 
 municating to Lord Hilliborough, as he 
 was in communicating to the people, tho* 
 his defigns were different : for the people 
 were not to be told the whole that the Go- 
 vernor knew to be true ; but his Lordmip 
 was to be induced to believe more:— In 
 either cafe if the purpofe could be ferved, 
 fincenty was out of the queftion. Uncer- 
 tain however as thefe facls were, his Lord- 
 ihip is informed, that they were yet " be- 
 lieved r Strange, as they were faid to be 
 facts of yefterday, that no one, after all the 
 pains that had been taken, could make them 
 certain; and if they were not to be made 
 certain, Granger itill that any in their 
 ienfes mould believe them.— Some men are 
 very apt to believe that which they wijh 
 were true : this no doubt is the prefent 
 cafe.— And befides, we are to remember, 
 that more than two regiments were wanted 
 to awe the town; and if the Governor could 
 boldly fay, that thefe reports, vague as they 
 were, had obtained any credit here, no mat- 
 ter by whom believed, they would have fome 
 weight. But he muft be prefumed to think 
 very mjudmoufly of the head or the heart of 
 a Mmifter of State, to fuppofe that fuch an 
 undigefted and ridiculous account of things 
 
 would 
 
[ 41 J 
 
 would influence his meafures. Nothing, 
 we fhould think, but the great candor which 
 has ever appeared in Lord Hilliborough to- 
 wards Governor Bernard, could have pre- 
 vented his fevered cenfure. — But admitting 
 they were true, which was by no means the 
 cafe, certainly the town is not accountable 
 for what one of his Excellencies fpies might 
 have overheard in a " private company."— . 
 Let us then coniider the account the Go- 
 vernor gives of the public conduct of the 
 town, at a meeting legally called on Mon- 
 day, September 12. And firfl he fays, " at 
 the hall the faction appeared furrounded with 
 all its forces ;" and an appearance very decent 
 at leaf!:, it feems, they were capable of 
 making according to the Governor's account. 
 For he tells his Lordfhip, " a fet of fpeeches 
 by the chiefs of the faction, and no one elfe, 
 followed in fuch order and method, that e- 
 very thing both as to matter and order, 
 feemed to have been preconcerted j" while 
 alas ! the " very few principal Gentlemen 
 there," the better fort in the Governor's 
 estimation, appeared " as curious, perhaps 
 anxious fpeclators !" Where is now the little 
 remains of an expiring faSiion, which he 
 had fo often told the world of? the tone 
 is wonderfully altered ; the body of the 
 people are now truly reprefented as united 
 firm and regular in their oppoiition to his 
 meafures, while his own few partizans, who 
 yet mud be ftiled " the principal gentlemen," 
 
 though 
 
U* ] 
 
 though expecting every moment to be 
 " furrounded with all their forces," appeared 
 inquifitive and anxious for the event ! But 
 nothing was refolved upon, fays the Go- 
 vernor, but to put two queftions to me, and 
 appoint a general committee to confider 
 and report." The main queftion to the 
 Governor was. Whether he had certain 
 expectation of the troops ? To which he an- 
 fwered with an artful ambiguity, that he had 
 private advice, but no publick orders about 
 it. His private advice might have been 
 certain ; or he might have had authe?itick 
 publick advice without public orders about 
 it, for General Gage was commander in 
 chief of the King's forces. Being however 
 fomewhat preffed by the committee who 
 waited on him, he difcovered a duplicity 
 for which he has a peculiar talent, and faid, 
 that he would not have the town certainly 
 expect the troops j \ although he then ex- 
 pected them himfelf, and fully believed they 
 were on their pailage from Halifax ; and in 
 this letter to Lord Hillfborough he tells 
 him, that it was at that very time his inten- 
 tion to communicate thefe expectations of 
 
 them gradually His account of divers 
 
 ipeeches made in the town meeting is as 
 uncertain, and with regard to fome of them, 
 as untrue, as the intelligence he had re- 
 ceived, of the private converfation : perhaps it 
 was carried to him by the fame hands, as 
 fome of his principal gentlemen were there. 
 
 The 
 
C 43 3 
 
 The refolves and determinations of this 
 meeting, as the Governor fays, were pub- 
 limed to the world; and they remain on. 
 the records of the town that pofterity may 
 judge of them. The town has feen no rea- 
 son lines to revoke thefe refolves, notwith- 
 ftanding they have been fentenced as " very 
 dangerous refolves, procured by mad peo- 
 ple," by fo exquifite a judge, in matters 
 which regard civil Government, as well as 
 fo polite a gentleman as General Gage. 
 The Governor himfelf has been fince ref- 
 pectfully requefted by the felectmen, in be- 
 half of the town, to mew in what refpect 
 the refolves and proceedings of this very 
 meeting had militated with law; but he de- 
 clined it : and we believe he declined it, 
 becaufe he was not able to do it. Spirited 
 indeed they were, but not too fpirited for 
 the times. — When the conftitution is threat* 
 ened, the principles of the conftitution mud;, 
 if ever, be afferted and fupported — The 
 Governor indeed takes notice of our claim 
 to a certain claufe in the bill of rights as 
 "•a large ftride :" but as we are free Britifh 
 fubjects, we claim all that fecurity againft 
 arbitrary power, to which we are entitled 
 by the law of God and nature, as well as 
 the Britifh conftitution. And if a ftanding 
 army may not be pofted upon the fubjects 
 in one part of the empire, in a time of 
 peace, without their confent, there can be 
 no reafon why it fliould in any other; for 
 G *U 
 
[ 44 1 
 all Brltiih fubjects are or ought to be alike 
 free.— 
 
 The Governor in a former letter to Lord 
 Hillfborough mentioned, the felectmens or- 
 dering the arms belonging to the town to 
 be brought out and cleaned -, and to make 
 fomething of the flory, he told him that 
 *' they were expofed fome hours at the town 
 houfe 5" in this letter he fays lt thefe arms 
 were depofited in chefts, and laid upon the 
 floor of the town hall to remind the people of 
 the tife of them" Could any one befides 
 Governor Bernard, defcend to fo pitiful an 
 artifice as to infinuate that thefe arms were 
 cleaned, expofed to the people, and finally 
 laid on the floor of the hall at this juncture, 
 to induce his Lordfhip to believe, that thefe 
 were the forces with which the faction ap- 
 peared ** furrounded," and that the felect- 
 men who are the principal City Magiflrates, 
 and the leading part of the town itfelf, 
 were actually in the plan which he had juft 
 before mentioned, as concerted in one of 
 the private meetings, " to raife the country 
 and oppofe the troops :" and that thefe arms 
 depofited in chefts were laid on the floor 
 of the hall, to " remind the people of the 
 ufe of them," and infpirit them for the pur- 
 pofe of oppoflng the troops. Whereas the 
 Ample truth of the matter is, thefe arms 
 had for many years been depofited in chefts 
 and laid on the floor of the town hail ; but 
 the hall itfelf being bu r nt a few years ago, 
 
 the 
 
[45 3 
 
 the arms were faved from the ruins and car- 
 ried to the town houfe : after the hall was 
 re-built, the town ordered their removal 
 there ; and tho' it happened to be done at a 
 juncture when the Governor and his con- 
 federates talked much of the town's rr- 
 volting, there was no other thought in the 
 minds of any, except the Governor and a 
 few more, and it is a queition whether even 
 he, or they, really thought otherwife, but 
 to lodge them in their proper and iijual 
 place. 
 
 We cannot help taking notice how very 
 exact the Governor fometimes is even in the 
 choice of words, in his " detail of facts" to 
 a Minilter of ftate : an inftance of which 
 we have now before us, wherein he men- 
 tions to his Lordfhip his inclofing " a blank 
 copy of the precept (as he is pleafed to call 
 it) which the felectmen have ufed," it is a 
 wonder it was not i/Jued, for that would 
 have made it appear more formal, " in call- 
 ing together the convention ;" from whence 
 he takes occafion to fay, it was " a daring 
 afTumption of the royal authority." Here 
 then is the treafon and mifprifion of treafon, 
 or a part of it leaft, about which there has 
 been fuch an eclat of late ; for which the 
 Governor tells his Lordfhip in his detail of 
 the convention, every well-wifher of the 
 Province, of whom he is doubtlefs one, 
 " molt devoutly defires the charter may be 
 forfeited"— And fome of the leaders were 
 
 G 2 to 
 
[.4« ] 
 
 to be fent to England to be tried there.— 
 Nay, his Lord(hip, or forne one of his 
 Majefty's Servants is informed that they ex- 
 pected it themfelves; for Commodore Hood 
 m one of his fhort and pithy Epiftles, fays, 
 " they were alarmed, and expected nothing 
 lefsthan a voyage to England again ft their 
 inclinations."— But his Lordibip's deep pe- 
 netration might have difcovered that this 
 " precept to call a convention", v. as nothing 
 more than a friendly circular letter to the 
 felec~tmen of the feveral towns in the 
 Province, dcfiring them to propofe to their 
 refpective towns the fending Committees, 
 to join with thofe of the town of Bofton' 
 in confulting meafures to promote peace 
 and good order : which was fo far from an 
 afTumption of the royal authority, that it 
 afiumed not the leah: fhadow of any am 
 thority whatever— This very innocent mea- 
 fure of the town in " calling together a 
 convention", as the Governor expreffes it, 
 which he fo highly cenfures, and upon the' 
 promoters of which he loudly calls for the 
 cationa! vengeance, was moil certainly at- 
 tended with all the happy effects for which 
 it was propofed : for the general fentiments 
 of the Province were thereby collected, 
 which could not otherwife have been done \ 
 the Governor having arbitrarily diffolvcd 
 the General Affembly, and positively re- 
 iuied to call another, againft the dutiful 
 petition of the convention itfclf, as well as 
 
 of 
 
[47l 
 
 of the town, even before they propofed of 
 thought of it- — The feveral towns having 
 the opportunity of conferring together by 
 their Committees, had the fame effects 
 which followed a certain circular letter 
 which formerly fo perplexed his Excellency; 
 for the people became the more united in 
 the meafures proper to be taken for the 
 prefervation of their common rights at fo 
 critical and alarming a juncture. And tho' 
 the Governor fays " at the fountain head it 
 was intended to provoke refentment," yet 
 to this very meafure has been imputed, in 
 fome fmall degree at leaft, whether ju (kly 
 or not, it becomes not this town to fay, 
 that prudence as well as firmnefs and per- 
 feverance in the caufe of liberty, of which 
 it is hoped this country will forever avail it- 
 {df. Even Governor Bernard cannot but 
 own, that the convention difcovered " mo- 
 deration" and " a temperate conduct," 
 which is far from being inconfiftent with 
 true fortitude : but he is not willing that 
 the town of Ballon mould " ajfume the 
 merit of it." They are very far from a 
 difpofition thus to afiume : they are content 
 to have that fhare of merit which their be- 
 loved countrymen are willing they mould 
 have. And tho' he would infinuate to his 
 Lordmip with his ufual cunning, that there 
 was at the convention an eflential difference 
 of fentiments between the town and the 
 country; and that " many of ike deputies 
 
 cams 
 
t 48] 
 
 came down with a difpofition and inftrucl:- 
 ions to prevent the Boftoners (as he elegantly 
 exprefTes himfelf) involving the province in 
 the confequences of their own mad devices;" 
 and that many of them " were from the 
 beginning fenfible of the impropriety and 
 danger of this proceeding ;") his Lordfhip, 
 as " they printed what they did," has no 
 doubt been fince convinced, that they 
 were united in their fentiments of the com- 
 mon caufe. 
 
 But this very peaceable propofal, the 
 Governor thinks, exceeded the " Great Re- 
 bellion when it was at the higheft, and the 
 confulion arifing therefrom moft urgent for 
 fome extraordinary meafures." Here is the 
 burden of the fong — extraordinary meafures / 
 And furely his Lordfhip mufl propofe fome 
 very extraordinary meafures to chaftife a 
 greater than the Great Rebellion, even when 
 it was at the highefl. — Not content with 
 pouring forth this torrent of zeal, the Go- 
 vernor flill preffes upon his Lordfhip ; and 
 allures him, that " unlefs it is prevented by 
 fome power from without, not only the 
 Crown officers will be excluded/* but " every 
 ingredient of royalty" in the Government of 
 the province will be totally deftroyed— — 
 What rhetorick ! to arreft his Lordfhip's at- 
 tention, and hurry him on to conclude with 
 the Governor, that '* the force already or- 
 dered by General Gage, viz. two regiments, 
 will not be furlicient." ■ ■ In order frill to 
 
 heighten 
 
t49 J 
 
 heighten the ideas of an intended rebellion, 
 the Governor adds, ** it is now a great quef- 
 tion whether the King's troops will be fuf- 
 fered to enter the town or not." And 
 iS the defign againft. the caftle is now fo well 
 known, that it is probable that the very 
 names of the people who were enrolled for 
 that fervice to the number of five hundred, 
 or of the chiefs of them will be discovered." 
 It is pretty remarkable, the Governor in the 
 former part of this letter informed his Lord- 
 mip, that he did not relate this very ac- 
 count as a certain fact; his fpies mull: then 
 make very quick rotations, and the intelli- 
 gence flow in very fait, to be fo well allured 
 of it before he concluded j or the Governor 
 muft be fo unfortunate, perhaps not having 
 time in the multiplicity of his affairs, to 
 keep a regular Diary > as to forget what he 
 had wrote, and as we every now and then 
 find it happens, in the " overflowings" of 
 his zeal, to be inconiiftent with himfelf. 
 
 It would be an endlefs talk to take par- 
 ticular notice of every falfe and injurious re- 
 prefentation contained in thefe voluminous 
 letters."* No one can read them without 
 
 being 
 
 * In Iced It might be faid, the whole World would not contain 
 all the remarks that might be juftly made upon them. 
 One inftance however Teems to have been overlooked by the 
 Town ; and as it is an iniltance of importance, it is 
 hoped, its being noticed in the margin, will not be thought 
 amiis. The Governor, after having prevailed upon the 
 Council, at a very thin Board, and by the majority of one 
 out of only eleven gentlemen prefent, to advife to the 
 clearing the Manufactory-houie in Bolton, for the recep- 
 tion 
 
[ 5° ] 
 
 being aftonifhed, at feeing a peribn in fo 
 important a department as Governor Ber- 
 nard 
 
 tion of a part of the two Irifn regiments then expe&ed ; in 
 his letter to Lord Hillfborough of Nov. ift, he gives him 
 an account of ihe Heps he had ordered for the removal 
 of the fan- Hie; out of the houfe. And it feems, that the 
 Governor, by a power which he had ajfumed, appointed 
 the Sheriff and two of his deputies, Bailiffs for the Go- 
 vernor and Council, for thepurpoie : thefe families, how- 
 ever, refufed to fubmit tofuch authority, even though the 
 Chief Juflice himfelf condefcended to go with the Sheriff, 
 and ad-vifed them to give up the houfe. The Sheriff, up- 
 on the third attempt fays the Governor, " finding the 
 window open, entered ; upon which the people gathered 
 about him and fhut him up ; he then made ajignal, to an 
 officer who was without, who brought a party of foldiers, 
 who took poffeffion of the yard of the building, and re- 
 lieved the Sheriff from his confinement" — This is the Go- 
 vernor's account of the matter ; but others give a very 
 different account of it, and fay that the Sheriff attempted 
 zforceable entry, and was refilled by the people within the 
 houfe; and by them only : certain it is, that one of them 
 commenced an aftion of trefpafs againfl the Sheriff; but 
 what became of the action the records of the court of Com- 
 mon Pleas will belt fhow : it is alfo certain that an offi- 
 cer, a Military officer, who was without and at hand ; and 
 upon a fignal from the fheriff, brought a party of foloiers, 
 the whole regiment being then encamped in fight on the 
 Common; and ihe foldiers (not the inhabitants as the Go- 
 vernor afferts) " kept the houfe blockaded all that day 
 and belt part of the next." It is further certain, and it 
 may be attefted by the oaths of divers perfons of credit, 
 that offers were made to the Sheriff, of fufficient aid in the 
 legal execution of his office, if he would difmifs the troops ; 
 illegal fteps being at the fame time excepted againft. 
 Great numbers of people during thefiege, as it may be pro- 
 perly called, were collected in the ftreet, which is as fpacious 
 as in any part of the Town, but the Governor owns they 
 did nomifchief: he indeed reprefentsitinhis ufual manner, 
 as a G R E a T M o B afjhnbled nvithfome of the chiefs ofthefaclion, 
 intimating thereby, as in his former letters, "an intended in- 
 furreftion :" the General on the other hand fays, the mat- 
 ter " occafioned a little difturbance of no confequence ;" but 
 takes care to add, that " it ferved to fhow a molt obfti- 
 
 nate 
 
[ 5* ] 
 Hard fuflained, defcending in his letters to a 
 Minifter of ftate, to fuch trifling circum- 
 ftances, and fuch flanderous chit-chat : boafl> 
 
 nate fpirit of oppofition to every meafure of Government." 
 The Governor further fays, the inhabitants " were very 
 abufive to the foldiers."— The contrary is moft certainly 
 and notorioujly true. He fays alfo, that « the foldiers 
 were withdrawn on the evening of the fecond day : io 
 far is this from truth, that the guard of foldiers, to whoie 
 cuftody the Sheriff committed the cellar of the houfe, 
 which he had got the poffeffion of, kept their poll a much 
 longer time ; and application was made, to divers of his 
 Majefty'sjufticesof the peace, for their removal, by the 
 force of law, near three weeks after. And again the Go- 
 vernor fays, that " this building was kept filled with the 
 outcaft of the Workhoufe, to prevent its being ufed for 
 the accommodation of the King's troops ;" which is con- 
 tradicted by the oaths of all the overfeers of the poor, who 
 mull have known it if it had been true, for the care and 
 government of the Workhoufe is by law veiled in them. 
 The truth is, the people gathered upon this extraordinary 
 occafion, but were very peaceable ; fome few it may be to 
 carry intelligence to the Governor, but by far the greater 
 part, from a juft abhorrence of this meafure of Government, 
 to borrow the general expreffion, and an anxiety for the 
 event of this Jir/? open and avowed effort of Military Ty- 
 b anny 1 The Governor declares, that the Council, who 
 were alarmed at the violence of this proceeding, mud 
 have known that the entry " could not have been made 
 ■without force ;" and he fufriciently explains what fort^ of 
 force he meant, in the reafon he gives, why the foldiers 
 were withdrawn for that time, which was, becaufe " the 
 building was not immediately wanted," the Irilh regi- 
 ments, for whom it was deiigned, as was pretended, not 
 
 being yet arrived. -Perhaps the Governor gives this cir- 
 
 cumftantial account to his Lordfttip to confirm what he had 
 before faid, that " two regiments were not fufficient to 
 
 awe the Town ! This attack upon the fecurity of 
 
 people's dwelling-houfes, was as violent as has ever been 
 known even under the moft defpotick Governments, tho' 
 happily it proved unfuccefsful. This is one of the bright 
 glories of Bernard's adminiftration : he, who with fo 
 much readinefs and exaft propriety afforded the aid of his 
 advice, and prejudg'd the matter, claims, however, 
 his lhare in the annals of fame. — — 
 
 H ing, 
 
[ 52 1 
 
 Ing, as be does in one of his letters, of his 
 over-reaching thofe with whom he was trans- 
 acting pubiick bulinefs ; and in order to 
 prejudice the moil refpectable bodies, meanly 
 filching from individuals belonging to thofe 
 bodies, what had been dropped in the courfe 
 of bulinefs or debate : journalizing every 
 idle report brought to him, and in fhort 
 acting the part of a pimp rather than a Go- 
 vernor.-— As thefe letters, being now made 
 public, will be a monument of difgrace to 
 him, it cannot be fuppofed, that any ho- 
 nor can be derived from them, to thofe great 
 men to whom they were addreffed. 
 
 Notwithstanding the town have been o- 
 bliged in juflice to themfelves, to fay thus 
 much in their own vindication, we mould 
 yet be glad, that the ancient and happy u- 
 nion between Great-Britain and this country, 
 which Governor Bernard has fo induftriouily 
 laboured to interrupt, might be reftored. 
 Some have indeed flattered themfelves with 
 the profpecl of it .; as intelligence is faid to 
 have been received from adminiftration, that 
 a/I the revenue acts would be repealed: but as 
 it fince appears by Lord Hilliborough's own 
 account, that nothing more is intended, 
 than the taking off the duties on paper, 
 glafs, and Painter's colours, upon commer- 
 cial principles only ; if that is all, it will 
 not give fatisfaction : it will not even re- 
 lieve the trade from the burdens it labours 
 under ; much lefs will it remove the grounds 
 
 of 
 
[ 53 1 
 of difcontent, which runs through the con- 
 tinent, upon much higher principles. Then- 
 rights are invaded by thefe a&s ; therefore 
 untill they are all repealed, the caufe of 
 their juft complaints cannot be removed; 
 In fhort, the grievances which lie heavily 
 upon us, we fhall never think redreffed, 
 till every aB> paffed by the Britifli Parlia- 
 ment for the exprefs purpofe of raifmg a 
 revenue upon us without our content, is re- 
 pealed ; till the American board of Com- 
 mimoners of the Cuftoms is diiTolved ; the 
 troops recalled, and things are reftored 
 to the ftate they were in before the late ex- 
 traordinary meafures of adminiftration took 
 
 place. 
 
 Befides thefe letters of Governor Bernard, 
 we find others written by General Gage, 
 and Commodore Hood. And we cannot 
 but obferve, that although both thefe gen- 
 tlemen were perfect (bangers in the town, 
 they have yet taken fuch extraordinary free- 
 doms, and the general in particular has 
 wrote in fuch a pofitive ftrain, as mull: un- 
 avoidably give high difguft to every reader 
 of candor and impartiality. If thefe gen- 
 tlemen received the character of the town, 
 or of any of its individuals, from Governor 
 Bernard, as we are ready to think they did, 
 they mud have been long before convinced, 
 if they knew any thing at all of the ftate of 
 the town, that the Governor was too deep- 
 ly interefted in mifreprefenting, to be credited 
 
 H z m 
 
[54] 
 in a point of that importance; and there- 
 fore common juftice would have dictated a 
 fufpenfion of their publick teflimony to the 
 prejudice of a community, till they could 
 have had the opportunity of doing it upon 
 impartial enquiry, or their own obfervation-^ 
 The General feems to have early imbibed 
 fome fort of prejudice againft a town, that 
 had been before prejudiced in his favour; 
 for the Governor in one of his letters to 
 Lord Hillfborough acquaints him, that the 
 General " had lent Capt. Montrefor from 
 New-York, to affifl the forces as Engineer y 
 and enable them to recover and main- 
 tain the caflle, and fuch other ports as they 
 could fecure," upon intelligence that the 
 people in and about Bofton had revolted, 
 Now even the Gov. himfelf declares this to. 
 be a miftake, and fays that things were not 
 quite " Co bad as that came to.' 5 "— As there 
 are two conftant and regular pods between 
 this town and New- York, each of which 
 carries ^ intelligence from the one to the 
 other in the courfe of a week,- and more 
 efpecially as he might reafonably expect 
 authentick accounts of a matter of fuch 
 importance, by exprefs in a fhorter time ; it 
 is ftrange, if the General's mind was un- 
 biased, that he mould fo ftrongly rely upon 
 private advice, as to form his meafures from 
 them, which the Governor afferts.— It was 
 a meafure of importance, as it iffued, to 
 the town: for Col. Dalrymple who had 
 
 the 
 
[ 55 J 
 
 the command of the regiments, from the 
 authority of thefe new orders, as the Governor 
 declares, tho't proper to alter the plan, which 
 was to land only one, and landed both the 
 regiments in Bolton without lofs of time. 
 Perhaps it was under the impreflion of thefe 
 private advices, and " the narrative of the 
 proceedings of the town-meeting," which 
 the Governor alfo mentions as influential on 
 the General's meafures, and which poffibly 
 was a narrative of the Governor's own writ- 
 hig, that fo wrought upon the General's 
 imagination, as to induce him to give his 
 opinion to his Lordfhip, that the " inten- 
 tions of the town were fufpicious, and that 
 he was happy the troops from Halifax ar- 
 rived at the time they did !" Thefe and 
 many fuch like unprovoked expreffions are to 
 be found in the letters of both thefe gentle- 
 men, and efpecially the General's j but as 
 they partake of a full portion of the fpirit 
 of Governor Bernard's, and as the fenfe of 
 this Province fully appears in the late fpirit- 
 ed refolves of the houfe of reprefentatives, 
 we mall avoid troubling the publick with 
 particular remarks upon them, and to bor- 
 row an exprefiion of great authority, " treat 
 them with the contempt they deferve." 
 
 TIm 
 
[65] 
 
 The Town of BO S TO N, at their Meeting 
 bejorementioned, came into the following Re- 
 folutioriSy viz. 
 
 RESOLVED, that the letters and me- 
 morials of Governor Bernard and the Com- 
 miffioners of the cuftoms in America, tranf- 
 mitted by them refpectively to his Majefty's 
 Minifters, and laid before the Parliament 
 of Great-Britain, authentick copies of 
 which are now before this town -, had a 
 tendency to deceive the Miniftry, and lead 
 them unavoidably to mifinform his Ma- 
 jefty, with regard to the affections and 
 Loyalty of his American Subjects in ge- 
 neral : and that the faid Governor Bernard 
 and the Commiffioners have particularly, in 
 their letters and memorials before-mention- 
 ed, difcovered an implacable enmity to this 
 town, and the mod: virulent endeavours to 
 traduce it even to his Majefty himfelf ; by 
 means whereof the inhabitants very fenfibly 
 feel the difpleafure of their Gracious Sove- 
 
 reign. 
 
 RESOLVED, that this town have reafon 
 to rejoice in the meafure taken by the ho- 
 norable houfe of Representatives, in the lad 
 femon of the General Affembly ; by fo 
 feafonably preferring their dutiful and loyal 
 petition to his Majefty, for the removal of 
 Governor Bernardj^r mr from the Govern- 
 ment 
 
t 57) 
 
 ment of this Province : and the town take 
 this opportunity to exprefs their moft ardent 
 wifh, thafthe prayer of laid petition to his 
 Majefty may be gracioufly heard and 
 granted. 
 
 RESOLVED, that General Gage and 
 Commodore Hood in their feveral letters to 
 his Majefty's Minifters and fervants, authen- 
 tick copies of which are now before this 
 town, have difcovered an unreaibnable preju- 
 dice againft the town. And the General 
 in particular, in declaring in his letter to the 
 right Hon. the Earl of Hillfborough, one of 
 his Majefty's Secretaries of State, that i{ in 
 truth there was very little Government in 
 Bo/ion; and in making ufe of other ex- 
 preffions alike fescere has done great injuftice 
 to the town, and an irreparable injury. 
 And it is moreover the opinion of the town, 
 that the readinefs he has difcovered to re- 
 ceive unfavorable impreffions of it, and the 
 publick teftimony he was prevailed upon to 
 bear againft it, before he could have time 
 to make an impartial enquiry, betrayed a 
 want of candor unbecoming his ftation and 
 character. 
 
 RESOLVED, that many of the letters 
 and memorials aforefaid are falfe, fcanda- 
 lous, and infamous libels upon the inhabit- 
 ants of this Town, Province and Continent, 
 of the moft virulent and malicious, as well 
 as dangerous and pernicious tendency : and 
 
 that 
 
[58] 
 
 that the feleclmen be and hereby are direct- 
 ed to apply and complain to proper authority, 
 that the wicked authors of thofe incendiary 
 libels, may be proceeded with according to 
 law, and brought to condign punifhment. 
 
 FINIS. 
 
 3477-251 
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