95 



of the rights of humanity every ■where were aroused. The wo- 

 men also stood forward in this hour of their country's peril, and 

 like their spartan sisterhood of old, encouraged, by their pre- 

 sence and council, the sterner sex to acts of resistance. Nor 

 was this state of feeling confined wholly to this country. A 

 lady in London thus expressed herself to her friends in Bos- 

 ton :* 



" The unhappy affairs of Boston, now lay near my heart! Trom my 

 soul I feel for Boston and for all America. I was in the Parliament 

 House and heard the Port Bill brought in and read. 



" A bill is this day passed to destroy your trade, and another is 

 bringing in to subvert your ■whole constitution of government. Expect 

 no mercy from them. For the love of your country and posterity, for 

 the love of justice, and for God's sake, use all your powers to prevent 

 your town's submiission. Tell them to hold out only sis months and all 

 will be well. England will rise on the occasion. 



" Stop all trade, be silext, be strong, be resolute. Their plan 

 was kept secret through fear that had it been known, the Parliament 

 House would have been destroyed. Depend on my intelligence to be 

 good. Stand it out, or die ! If you give up you are undone ! Call your 

 people together, alarm them — rouse them — call on them to humble themselves 

 before God, by fasting and prayer, that the intended blow may be mercifully 

 averted from America I 



"All letters are to be stoppsd — all Governors are to be changed — 

 three hundred tax men are coming over — all officers are to be sent from 

 England — Juries taken away — a large fleet to frighten you into com- 

 pliance." 



These were the sentiments in " thoughts that breath and 

 words that burn," of noble, magnanimous, sympathising woman. 



Such was the state of affairs and of public feeling when Gov. 

 Gage, who had recently succeeded Gov. Hutchinson, convened 

 the Provincial Assembly at Salem, which had now become the 

 metropolis, on the 7th June, 1774. Their place of meeting 

 was the Town House, then situated on the south eastern corner 

 of Washington and Essex streets. It was a wooden building, 

 two stories high, of no architectural pretensions, the chambers 

 being occupied by the courts of justice, and the whole area of 

 the lower story, which was supported by columns, was used as 

 a town hall. It was usual for the inhabitants at that period to 

 congregate at this place, for the purposes of gossip, to arrange 

 any matter of business, or to discuss the more grave and impor- 



Essex Gazette files, June 14, 1774. 



