vioufly paid the import duty would not, it was imagined, impede the Company's fales. In this idea, however, they were most egregioufly and fatally mistaken. The Americans confidered this new attempt in no other light than as an infidious artifice and collufion, calculated and defigned to inveigle them into the payment of this tax in order to ESTABLISH THE PRECEDENT; and they were firmly and unanimoufly determined that no fuch project should take effect. Six hundred chests were by the Company, in pursuance of the late Act, configned to their agent at Boston, the like quantity to New York and Philadelphia, and in proportion to the other principal ports of the Continent. Pennsylvania on this occafion diftinguished herself by setting the first example of oppofition. A general meeting was convened at Philadelphia, in which a series of vigorous resolutions were paffed, "declaring this new minifterial plan of importation to be a violent attack upon the liberties of America, and pronouncing it to be the duty of every American to oppose this attempt; and that whoever should directly or indirectly countenance it was an enemy to his country." A Committee was then appointed to wait upon the confignees of the Company, and to request their refignation, which was immediately complied with. At New York, on the arrival of the tea-ships in December, they were with difficulty permitted to approach the wharf;

wharf; and, as at Philadelphia, the confignees were compelled to relinquish their appointments, and the ships returned back to England without breaking bulk. At Charlestown, after much oppofition and tumult, the tea was permitted to be unloaded, but was immediately lodged in damp unventilated cellars, where it long remained, and finally perished. In no place was the delivery of it to the confignees fuffered, and in most the captains of the India ships, on being apprized of the temper and difpofition of the people, without any attempt to land wifely fet their fails for England. At Boston the spirit of refiftance rose to a height which made the exceffes committed elsewhere appear trivial. At a general meeting of the inhabitants, the refolves of the City of Philadelphia were unanimoufly adopted, and a Committee appointed to wait upon the confignees, to know whether they would refign their appointments, which they declared not to be in their power. At a fucceeding meeting at Faneuil Hall, it was voted with loud acclamations, "that the tea shall not be landed, that no duty shall be paid, and that it shall be fent back in the fame bottoms." "We must not," said a leading Member of the Assembly, " flatter ourselves, that popular refolves, popular shouts, or harangues will vanquish our foes or terminate our trials. We must be ignorant of the power of those who have combined against us; we must be blind to that malice, inveteracy and reVOL. II.

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venge which have uniformly actuated their conduct, to hope that we shall end this controversy without the sharpest, sharpest conflict. Let us weigh and confider, before we determine upon those measures which must bring on the most terrible struggle which this country ever experienced." The question was again put, and passed without a negative. On an application from the Captain of the Dartmouth East Indiaman to the Governor, for a clearance, he replied, "I cannot give you a pass confiftent with the laws and my duty to the King, unless the vessel is properly qualified from the Custom House." Upon this answer being reported to the Affembly, the meeting was declared to be diffolved. An immense crowd repaired in haste to the quay, and a number of the most resolute, in the disguife of Mohawk Indians, boarded the vessels, and in about two hours broke open three hundred and forty-two chefts of tea, and discharged their contents into the fea. Such was the consequence of the obstinacy of the Governor, who might have recollected that his predeceffor Sir Francis Bernard, in a like exigency, granted permits to many ships not qualified for want of stamps, and that the prudence and propriety of his conduct had never been called in question. But the present Governor had long been the urgent advocate for measures of coercion on the part of Great Britain, and was probably not displeased to see matters tending to a crifis: and, in a subsequent

quent declaration, he affigned fomewhat unwarily as one of the reasons for this refusal," that by a compliance with the demand of the people he should have rendered himself OBNOXIOUS to his SOVEREIGN." This undoubtedly is the MASTER-KEY which unfolds all the apparent absurdities and extravagancies of his conduct. The temper of the British Court was so well understood in America, that no one prefumed to hope they would be induced, by this determined and inflexible spirit of oppofition in the Colonies, to defist from their ruinous projects. On the contrary, measures of vengeance were confidently expected; and even persons of acknowledged moderation, on perceiving the ideas which they had long cherished of reconciliation to be hopeless, declared their resolution, in case matters were carried to extremity by Great Britain, to join the standard of their countrymen. A Major of Provincials, who had been foreman of the jury on the trial of Capt. Preston, and to whom, in reward of his meritorious conduct, the Governor had given this commiffion, said to him with unexpected energy, " Sir, you know that I am a friend to Government, and wish to support it; but if any attempt be made to violate our CHARTER, I will fight up to my knees in blood in defence of it."

On the meeting of the General Court of Maffachusetts, A. D. 1774, the House of Representatives seemed in no respect disposed to recede from the highest

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highest claims and pretenfions they had formed. On the contrary, they, by a new afsumption of authority, determined upon an impeachment of the Chief Justice Oliver, for refusing to relinquish the falary fettled upon him by the Crown-which, combined with the hope of its augmentation, they affirmed "must have the effect of a perpetual bribe, and expose him to the violation of his oath-that the acceptance of this salary, unprecedented in all former times, was a breach of his implied engagements on entering into his office; and that by receiving a grant payable out of the revenue unjustly extorted from the American Colonies, he had given a fanction to the injustice, counteracted the petitions of the people, and wickedly endeavoured to increase the discontents and jealoufies which had originated from this grievance." The Governor refufing to receive the accusation, no other effect refulted from it than to render the Governor and the Chief Justice more obnoxious, and to keep alive the spirit of animofity and refift

ance.

On the 13th of January, 1774, the Parliament of Great Britain was convened at Westminster. The. Ministry not being as yet in poffeffion of full information from America, the Speech from the Throne observed a profound filence relative to the late transactions; buton the 7th of March a Meffage was delivered from his Majesty to both Houses of Par