HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
lutions against all communication 
with those who should accept of 
commissions for the levying of the 
duty. Inconsequence of these mea- 
sures, the persons thus commissioned 
were so harshly used, in the execu- 
tion of their orders, that, apprehend- 
ing their lives were in danger, they 
had recourse to flight. 
Intelligence of these transactions 
arriving at Philadelphia, excited 
much alarm in the government; 
averse to severity, and yet fore- 
seeing that, without coercive méa- 
sures, obedience to the law would 
probably be refused. The circum- 
stances of the times were also parti- 
cularly critical: the contest between 
Great Britain and France had oc- 
casioned material differences of opi. 
nion throughout the united states, 
Open parties had been formed in 
favour of each of these formidable 
powers, and they carried their re- 
ciprocal enmities to such a length, 
that it was becoming a task of great 
difficulty to contain them within 
bounds of any moderation. 
Happily for that country, and 
Great Britain itself, general Wash- 
ington still presided over the Ame- 
rican councils. He saw the neces- 
sity of uniting vigour with concilia- 
tion, and of putting a speedy period 
to this spirit of resistance to the au- 
thority of government, before it 
rose to such a height as to become 
contagious, or through unforeseen 
¢asualties, be rendered instrumental 
in the hands of that party which 
‘Sought to involve America in the 
. Is that distracted Europe. 
issioners were sent to the re- 
Yarre 
fraétory party, in order to negoti- 
ate with the heads of the opponents, 
who appointed sixty of their own 
people to meet them, But the pro- 
[143 
posals on the part of government 
were rejected, and it was intimated 
to the commissioners, that unless the 
tax were repealed, the inhabitants 
of the opposing counties would re. 
nounce their allegiance to congress, 
and apply for assistance to Great 
Britain. 
A menace of this nature raised 
in the commissioners a suspicion, 
that the disaffected were secretly 
instigated to their resistance by 
agents among them from the Bri- 
tish government. This was far- 
ther confirmed by the treatment 
they experienced from the popu- 
lace, which insulted them in the 
grossest manner. Thus the negoti. 
ations were broken off, and the 
commissioners departed without 
hopes of effecting a reconcilia. 
tion. 
The American government had 
now no other alternative but to re- 
peal, or to enforce the tax. The 
general submission to it, as just and 
judicious, by all the other provinces 
of the union, soon determined the 
administration to act with vigour 
on this occasion; rightly confiding 
in a faithful and unanimous support. 
A proclamation was first issued, re. 
calling, in friendly terms, the re. 
fractory counties to their duty, and 
warning them of the necessary con. 
sequences of their disobedience, 
But whatever motives. prompted 
them, they openly bid defiance to 
all threats, and assembled, to the 
number of five thousand men, in 
arms, at Pittsburgh, fully deter. 
mined to oppose force with 
force. 
The exigency was now become 
too serious for any longer delay, 
The militia of the counties adja- 
cent to those in insurrection, which 
were 
