44® A M E R I C A. 
ton, and concluding with thefe remarkable words: “ By 
Ihutting up the port of Bofton, fome imagine that the 
courfe of trade might be turned hither, and to our benefit; 
but nature, in the formation of our harbour, forbids our 
becoming rivals in commerce with that convenient mart; 
and, were it otherwife,. we mud be dead to every idea of 
juftiee, and loft to all feelings-of humanity, cpuld we in¬ 
dulge one thought to feize on wealth, and raife our for¬ 
tunes on the ruin of our fufi'ering neighbours.” 
It had been fondly hoped by the minifterial party at 
home, that the advantages which other towns of the co¬ 
lony might derive from the annihilation of the trade of 
Bofton,. would make them readily acquiefce in the meafur.e 
of /hutting up that port, and rather rejoice in it than o- 
therwife; but the words of the addrefs above-mentioned 
feemed to preclude all hope of this kind ; and fubfequent 
tran/aclions foon manifefted it to be totally vain. No 
fooner did intelligence arrive of thp remaining bills palled 
in the. fefiion of 1774, than the caufe of Boflon became the 
caufe of all the colonies. The port-bill had already oc- 
calioned violent commotions throughout them all. It had 
been reprobated in provincial meetings, and refiflahce, 
even to the laff, had been recommended agaiiift fuch op- 
prefiion. In Virginia, the firft of June, the day on which 
the port of Bofton was to be Unit up, was held as a day 
of humiliation, and a public ir.terceffion in favour of Ame¬ 
rica was enjoined. The ftyle of the prayer was, that “ God 
would,give the people one heart and one mind, firmly to 
oppofe every invafion of the American rights.” The Vir¬ 
ginians, however, did not content themfelves with a£ts of 
religion. They recommended, in the ftrongeft manner, a 
general congrefs of all the colonies’; as fully perfuaded, 
that an attempt to tax any colony in an arbitrary manner, 
was in reality an attack upon the whole, and nnift ulti¬ 
mately end in the ruin of them all. 
The provinces of New York and Pennfylvania were lefs 
fang-pine than the reft, being fo clofely connected in trade 
with Great Britain, that the giving it up entirely appear¬ 
ed a mat,ter of the moft ferious magnitude, and not to be 
thought of but hfter every other method had failed. The 
intelligence of the remaining bills refpe£ting Bofton, how¬ 
ever, fpread a frefli alarm throughout the continent, and 
fixed thofe \'ho had feemed to be the mod wavering. The 
propofal of giving up all commercial intercourfe with Bri¬ 
tain was again propofed ; contributions for the inhabitants 
of Bofton were raifed in every quarter; and they every 
day received addreftes, commending them for the heroic 
courage with which they fuftained their calamity. 
The Boftonians, on their part, were not wanting in their 
endeavours to promote the general caufe. An agreement 
was framed, which, in imitation of former times, they 
called a “ Solemn League and Covenant.” By this the 
fubfcribers moft religioufly bound themfelves to break off 
all communication with Britain after the expiration of the 
month of Auguft enfuing, until the obnoxious adts were 
repealed; at the fame time they engaged neither to pur- 
chafe nor ufe any goods imported after that time, and to 
renounce all conne&ion with thofe who did, or who re- 
fufed to fubfcribe to this covenant; threatening to pub- 
lifli the names of the refractory, which at this time was a 
punifhment by no means to be defpifed. Agreements of 
a fimjiar kind were aim oft inftantaneotifly entered into 
throughout all America. General Gage indeed attempted 
to counteract the covenant by a proclamation, wherein it 
was declared an illegal and traiterous combination, threat¬ 
ening with the pains of law fuch as fubferibed or coun¬ 
tenanced it. But matters were too far gone for his pro¬ 
clamation to have any effeCt. The Americans retorted 
the charge of illegality; and infilled, that the law allowed 
fubjedts to meet in order to confider of their grievances, 
and alfociate.for relief from oppreftion. 
Preparations were now made for holding the general 
congrefs fo often propofed. Philadelphia, as being the 
moll considerable town, was pitched upon for the place 0! 
its meeting. The delegates, of whom it was to be com- 
pofed, were chofen by the representatives of each pro¬ 
vince ; and were in number from two to feven for each 
colony, though no province had more than one vote. The 
firft congrefs* which met at Philadelphia, in the beginning 
of September, 1774, conlifted of fifty-one delegates. The 
novelty and importance of the meeting excited an unive-r- 
fal attention; and their tranfadlions were fuch as could 
not but tend to render them refpectable. 
The firft aft of congrefs was an approbation of the con- 
dudt of Mailachufett’s Bay, and an exhortation to continue 
in the farfte fpirit with which they had begun. Supplies 
.for the. fuffering inhabitants (whom indeed the operation 
of the port-bill had reduced to great did refs) were ftrong- 
.ly recommended; and it was declared, that in cafe of at¬ 
tempts to enforce the obnoxious adls by arms, all America 
ftiould join to affift the town of Bofton ; and lliould tire in¬ 
habitants be obliged, during the courfe of hoftilities, to 
remove farther up the country, the lodes they might fuL- 
tain lliould be repaired at the public experice. 
Matters thus went on, until every idea of reconciliation 
or friendfiiip with Britain was loft. The Americans, with¬ 
out ceremony, began to feize on the military ftores and 
ammunition belonging to government. This firft com¬ 
menced at Newport in Rhode Ifiand, where the inhabi¬ 
tants carried off forty pieces of cannon appointed for the 
protection of the place; and, on being afleed the reaibn of 
this proceeding, they replied, that the people had feized 
them left they ftiould be made ufe of againft themfelves. 
After this the aftembly met, and relolved, that ammuni¬ 
tion and warlike ftores ftiould be purchafed with the 
public money. New Hampfhire followed the example of 
Rhode Illand, and feized a fmall fort, for the fake of the 
powder and military ftores it contained. In Pennfylvania 
a convention was held, which exprefled an earneft defire 
of reconciliation with the mother-country; though, at the 
fame time, in the ftrongeft manner declaring, that they 
were refolved to take up arms in defence of their juft 
rights ; and the people were exhorted to apply themfelves 
with the greateft aftiduity to the profecution of fuch ma¬ 
nufactures as were neceflary for their defence and fubfift- 
ence, fuch as fait, falt-petre, gunpowder, fteel, &c. 
As the difturbances had originated in the province Of 
Maftachufett’s Bay, and there continued with the greateft 
violence, fo this was the province where the firft hoftili- 
ties were formally commenced. In'the beginning of Fe¬ 
bruary, 1775, the congrefs met at Cambridge ; and, as 
no friends to Britain could now find admittance to that 
aiTembly, the only confideration was, how to make fpeedy 
preparations for war. Expertnefs in military difeipline 
was recommended in the ftrongeft manner, and feveral 
military inftitutions were enaCted ; among which, that of 
the minute-men was one of the mod remarkable. Thefe 
were chofen from the mod aCtive and expert among the 
militia ; and their bttfinefs was to keep themfelves in con- 
ftant readinefs at the call of their officers; from which 
perpetual vigilance they derived their title. It was now 
eafily feen, that a flight occafion would bring on hoftilities, 
which could not but be attended with the mod violent and 
certain deftruftion to the vanquifhed party; for both were 
fo much exafperated by a long courfe of reproaches’ and 
literary warfare, that they feemed to be filled with the ut- 
moft inveteracy againft each other. 
On the a6th of February, general Gage, having been 
informed that a number of field-pieces had been brought 
to Salem, difpatched a party to feize them. Their road 
was obftrudted by a river, over which was a draw-bridgy! 
This the people had pulled up, and refufed to let down: 
upon which the foldiers feized a boat to ferry them over ; 
but the people cut out her bottom. Hoftilities would im¬ 
mediately have commenced, had it not been for the ‘inter- 
pofttion of a clergyman ; who reprefented to the military, 
on the one hand, the folly of oppofing fuch numbers; and 
to the people, on the other, that, as the day was far fpent, 
the military could not execute their defign, fo that they 
might, without any. fear, leave them the quiet poflefiion 
3 , of 
