made at Boston had haftened the people there to the commiffion of actual violence fooner than was intended."

In justice to the province where we refide, and indeed to all America, we beg leave to affure you, that such reprefentations are without any juft foundation, and that nothing can be a greater deviation from truth. Though at the fame time we confefs, that the ends accomplished

thefe and fuch like infamous flanders and vile arts, have given a general alarm, and caused a univerfal uncafinefs in the minds of the Americans. They now fee a rod of power held over their heads; they begin to feel the severities of a court, that by its late enlarged jurifdiction, is empowered to break in upon the proceedings of the common law courts; and they have anxious fears for the existence of their affemblies, which they confider as their last and only bulwark against arbitrary power. For if, fay they, laws can be made, money levied, government fupported, and justice administered, without the intervention of affemblies, of what ufe can they be? They are no effential member of the conftitution. And being useless and uneffential, is there not reafon to fear they will quickly become difagreeable, and then be wholly laid afide? And when that happens, what fecurity have we for freedom, or what remains for the colonifts, but the most abject slavery?

These are not the reafonings of politicians; but the fentiments and language of the people in general. For with great truth we may fay, in no country is the love of liberty more deeply rooted, or the knowledge of the rights inherent in freemen, more generally diffused, and the principles of freedom and government better under, tood, than among the British American colonies.

For

For this reafon we think ourselves obliged to inform you, that though the merchants have confined their agreements to the repeal of the act laying a duty on tea, paper, glass, &c. yet nothing lefs than a repeal of all the revenue acts, and putting things on the fame footing they were before the late innovations, can or will fatisfy the minds of the people. The fleets and armies may overawe our towns; admiralty courts and boards of commiffioners, with their fwarms of underlings, may by a rigorous execution of fevere unconftitutional acts, ruin our commerce, and render America of little ufe to the people of Britain; but while every farmer is a freeholder, the spirit of liberty will prevail, and every attempt to diveft them of the privileges of freemen must be attended with confequences injurious to the colonies and the mother country.

In a matter of fo great importance you will excufe this freedom. We confider the merchants here and in England as the links of the chain that binds both countries together. They are deeply concerned in preserving the union and connection. Whatever tends to alienate the affections of the colonists, or to make them averse to the customs, fashions and manufactures of Britain, hurts their intereft. While fome therefore, from ambitious views and finifter motives, are laboring to widen the breach, we whofe private intereft is happily connected with the union, or which is the fame, with the peace. and profperity of both countries, may be allowed to plead for an end to these unhappy disputes; and that by a repeal of the offenfive acts, the caufe of jealoufy and: uneafinefs may be removed, tranquillity reftored, har

mony

mony and mutual affection re-established, and trade return to its usual channel.'

The names of the committee on the back of the draft. from which the above has been copied, were, Alexander Huston, John Rhea, Fehn Cox, John Gibson, Joseph Swift, James Meafe, J. M. Nefbit, William Weft, Robert Morris, Charles Thomfon, Daniel Benezet, William Fisher, George Roberts, Samuel Howell, and Thomas Mifflin.

Even

The ftationing of troops in Boston might afford greater perfonal fecurity to the commiffioners than what they could otherwife have enjoyed, and might induce them or their underlings to exceed the bounds of their commiffion or of prudence, but could not prevent fmuggling, or protect informers from infult and abuse. skippers, bound to different parts of the colony, had their veffels ftopt and libelled for having uncleared articles of-trifling confequence on board. Perfons who ventured to lodge informations, when difcovered, were often fubject to a treatment, which gave them a ridiculous appearance, and laid them under a difficulty to clear themselves of the drefs impofed upon them. They were stripped, well tarred, and then covered with feathers. The punishment took fo with the lower clafs of people, that afterward it was not confined to informers, but was also applied by them to others who offended. their dread majefty. There was a degree of intemperance and indiscreetness on the part of the commiffioners and custom-house officers, which tended to irritate; whereas the utmoft lenity and forbearance were requifite in order to general tranquillity. Mr. Eliot at New York, where fmuggling was as prevalent as at Bofton, found

it necessary to wink at many irregularities that he might prevent disturbances and ill humor among the body of merchants. The commiffioners expreffed their diffatiffaction, and wanted him to alter his line of conduct: he stated the cafe to a friend at home, and by his influence was fecured from fuch like directions in future. They tranfmitted to Britain fuch representations of Mr. Otis jun. as provoked him to infert a publication in the Bofton gazette, which brought on an affray at the coffee house between him and Mr. Robinson, one of the commiffioners, from the latter's attempting to pull the other by the nofe, because of fome expreffions in the faid publication. Mr. Robinson being in danger of coming off with the worst, feveral of the company fell upon Mr. Otis; fome of whom held him while others struck him with canes or different weapons, A friend paffing along, obferved what was doing, preffed in and rescued Mr. Otis, though he himself suffered confiderably from the affailants. The noife foon drew multitudes about the house, when Mr. Robinson and his affociates prudently retreated by means of a back door *. This procedure of the revenue officers (for no military one was. prefent) opened a large field of altercation, and multiplied quarrels, which were before too frequent between the king's officers and the leaders of oppofition.

Governor Bernard could carry nothing in the governmental way through the prefence of the troops, but was continually lofing ground, and growing more and more obnoxious to the inhabitants; fo that he was abused in

*Mr. Otis afterward profecuted Mr. Robinfon for the affault, and the law gave heavy damages against him; but Mr. Otis generously forgave him upon an acknowledgment of the offence,

fcurrilous

fcurrilous publications, for which the Boston gazette was notorious. They were craftily calculated for the meridian where they first appeared, and fuited the too levelling difpofition of the Bay-men; after the politicians had encouraged a fpirit of licentioufnefs, in order to weaken the force of government, and counteract the defigns carrying on against their liberties: but their want of decency offended many of the fons of liberty in the other colonies. Heavy threats were also thrown out against the governor's perfonal fafety. Of thefe. however he was regardless; and being asked by a friend, how he could venture to walk about alone at his country feat, only five miles from the centre of Boston, and whether he was not afraid, he anfwered," No, they are not a blood-thirsty people."

At length it was thought proper to recall him, as faid, to lay before his majesty the true state of the province : this he fignified to the affembly in the month of June. Before they were prorogued, they embraced the occafion for drawing up a petition to his majefty, in which, after complaints of him, they entreated that he might be for. ever removed from the government of the province. When his letters, written home in confidence, came to be exposed to public view, it would have argued great weakness to have continued him, unless it was defigned to adopt his plans, and fupport him by force at all adventures. Governor Bernard was too open, and had too little command of his temper; and fuffered his refentment to get the better of what ought to have been his political judgment. Every governor fhould diveft himfelf of refentment, especially in his public capacity, as his own happiness, and that of the governed require it. Men