433 A M £ R I C A. 
repair to Bofton, to keep the inhabitants irr awe. A dread¬ 
ful alarm .pervaded the whole town; and the people called 
on the governor to convene a general aflembly, in- order 
to remove their fears of the military ; who they faid were 
to be afiembled to overthrow their liberties, and force 
obedience to laws to which they were entirely' averfe. 
1 he governor replied, that it was no longer in his power 
to call an alfembly; having, in his laft inftruftions from 
f ngland, being required to wait the king’s orders, the 
matter, being then under confideration at home. Being 
thus retufed, the people took upon tliemfelves the forma¬ 
tion ot an alfembly, which they called a Convention. The 
proceedings and Yefolutions of this were conformable to 
their former behaviour; but now they went a ftep farther, 
and, under pretence of an approaching rupture with 
France, ordered the inhabitants to put tliemfelves in a 
pofhtre of defence againft any hidden attack of an enemy; 
and circular letters were directed to all the towns in tire 
province, acquainting them with the refolutions that had 
been taken in the capital, and exhorting them to proceed 
in the fame manner. The town of Hatfield alone refufed 
its concurrence: but this ferved only to expofe them to 
the cenfure and contempt of the red. The convention 
thought proper to a (Tit re the governor of their pacific in¬ 
tentions, and,renewed their requefit that an alfembly might 
be called ;. but being refufed any audience, and threatened 
with being treated as rebels,, they at lad thought proper 
to dilfolve of tliemfelves, and lent over to England a cir- 
cumftantial account of their proceedings, with the reafon 
of their having afiembled in the manner already mentioned. 
The cxpefled troops arrived at Bodon on the very day 
on which die convention broke up, and had fome houfes 
in the town prepared for their reception. Their arrival 
had a confiderable influence on the people, and for fome 
time feemed to put an end to the didurbances; but the 
feeds of aifeord had taken fuch deep root, that it wasim- 
poflible to quench the flame. The late fpirited behaviour 
in. Bolton had given the greated offence in England ; and, 
notwithftanding all the efforts of oppofftion, an addrefs 
from both houfes of parliament was prefented to the king; 
in which the daring behaviour of the colony of Maffa- 
chufett’s Bay was circumftantially fet forth, and the mod 
vigorous meafures recommended for reducing them to 
obedience. The Americans, however, continued fteadfaft 
in the ideas they had adopted. Though the troops had 
for fome time quieted the didurbances, yet the calm con¬ 
tinued no longer than they appeared refpeftable on ac¬ 
count of their number; but, as foon as this was dirninifhed 
by the departure of a large detachment, the remainder 
were treated with contempt, and it was even refolved to 
expel them altogether. The country people took up arms 
for this purpofe, and were to have aflifted their friends in 
Bofton ; but, before the plot could be put in execution, an 
event happened which put an end to every idea of recon¬ 
ciliation betwixt the contending parties. 
On the 5th of March 1770, a feuffle happened between 
fome foldiers and a party of the towfos people. The fol¬ 
diers,. while under arms, were prefled upon, infulted, 
and pelted, by a mob armed with clubs, dicks, andfnow- 
balls covering ffones; they were alfo dared to fire. In 
this fituation,.one of the foldiers, who had received a blow ,» 
in refentment fired at the fuppofed aggreffor. This was 
followed by a fingle difeharge from fix others; fo that 
three of the inhabitants were killed, and five dangeroufly 
wounded. The town was immediately in commotion; and 
fuch was the temper, force, and number, of the inhabi¬ 
tants, that nothing but an engagement to remove the troops 
out of the town, together with the advice of moderate 
men, prevented the townfmen from falling on the fol- 
diers. The killed were buried in one vault, and in a mod 
refpeilful manner, in order to exprefs the indignation of 
the inhabitants at the daughter of their bretheren, by fol¬ 
diers quartered among them, in violation of their civil 
liberties. Captain Prefton, who commanded the party 
which fired on the inhabitants, was committed to jail, and 
afterwards triedbut the captain, and fix cf.the mes». 
were acquitted, and two only brought in guilty of man- 
daughter; for it appeared on the trial, that the foldiers 
were infulted, threatened, and pelted, before they fired : 
audit was alfo proved, that only feven guns were fired by 
the eight prifoners; thefe circumfeuices, therefore, indu¬ 
ced the jury to make a favourable verdiit. The refult of 
the trial re defied great honour on jo ha Ada ms, and Joiiah. 
Oumcey, Efqrs. the counfel for the prifoners; and alfo on 
the - integrity of the jury, who ventured to give an upright 
verdift, in defiance of popular opinions. The conie- 
quences of this tragical event funk deep into the minds of 
the people, and were made fubfervient to important pur- 
pofes. The anniverfary of it was obferved with great 
folemnity for thirteen years, when eloquent orators were 
fuccefiively employed to deliver an annual oration, topre- 
ferve the remembrance of it frefh in their minds. On 
thefe occafions the blefflngsof liberty, the horrors of-fia- 
very, the dangers of a (landing army, the rights of tire 
colonies, and a variety of fuch topics, were reprefented to 
the public view under their mod p leafing and alarming 
forms. Thefe annual orations adminiffefed fuel, to the- 
fire of liberty, and kept it burning with an mediant flame. 
The determination of the Americans now continued, if 
pofiible, more firm than ever,, until at laft government,, 
refolved to a 61 with vigour, and at the fame time to be¬ 
have with as much condefcenfion as pofiible, repealed all 
the duties lately laid on, that of tea alone excepted. This 
'was left on purpofe to maintain the dignity of the crown 
of England - ; and it was thought that it could not be pro.- 
ditdive of any difeontent in.America, as being an affair 
of very little moment, the produce of which was not ex.- 
pe6ted to exceed i6,oool. The oppofition, however, wer.e- 
ffrenuous in their endeavoui's to get this tax likewife ab¬ 
rogated; infilling, that the Americans would confider it 
only as an inlet to others; and that the repeal of all the 
red, without this, would anfwer no good purpofe. Tire 
event (hewed that their opinion was well founded. The 
Americans oppofed the tea-tax with the fame violence as 
they had done all the reft: and, at laft, on the news that 
falaries had been fettled on the indices of the fuperior 
court of Bofton, the governor was addrefled on the fub- 
je£t; the meafure was condemned in the ftrongeft terms p 
‘and a committee fele6ced out of the feveraldiftricts of tlie 
colony appointed to enquire into it. 
The new aflembly proceeded in the mod formal manner 
to difavow the fupremacy of the Britifh legiftature; and 
accufed the parliament of Britain of having violated the 
natural rights of the Americans in a number of inftances- 
Copies of the tranfaflions of this aflembly were tranfmit- 
ted to every town in Maflachufett, exhorting the inhabi¬ 
tants to roufe themfelves, and exert every nerve in oppo¬ 
fition to the iron hand of oppreflion, which was daily 
tearing the choice!! fruits from the fair tree of liberty. 
The didurbances were alfo greatly heightened by an acci¬ 
dental difeovery that Mr. Hutchifon, governor of Mafla- 
chufett’s Bay, had written feveral confidential letters to 
people in power in England, complaining of the behavi¬ 
our of the province, recommending vigorous meafures 
againft them, and, among other things, afierting, that 
“ there mull be an abridgement of what is called Britilh 
liberty.” Letters of this kind, had fome how or other 
fallen into the hands of the agent for the colony at Lon¬ 
don. They were immediately tranfmitted to Bofton, where - 
the aflembly was fitting, by whom-they were laid before 
the governor, who was thus reduced to a very mortifying 
fituation. Lofing every idea of refpefl or friendftiip for 
him as their governor, they inftantly difpatched a petition 
to the king, requefting him to remove the governor and 
deputy-governor from their places; but to this they not 
only received no favourable anfwer, but the petition itfelf 
was declared groundlefs and fcandalous. 
Matters were now ripe for the utmoft extremities on the 
part of the Americans; and they were brought on in the 
following manner; Though the colonifts had entered into. 
a non- 
