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the custom house, where the King's treasure was lodged. The centinel being surrounded was forced to retreat, and call for aid, which brought Captain Preston, Captain of the day, with a party from the main guard, to extricate him. That officer used his utmost endeavours to prevent mischief, notwithstanding which, the rioters by blows and every act of aggravation, drew upon themselves the fire of several of the soldiers, by which some persons unfortunately were killed; and upon the Governor's offering to obtain the Commanding Officer's consent to remove one of the regiments to the Castle, and to station the other so as no opportunity of disputes with the townsmen should remain, the Council insisted that both regiments should go, giving for a reason that the People would most certainly drive out the troops, and that the inhabitants of other towns would join with Boston in it; and several of them declared, that they did not judge from the general temper of the People only, but they knew it to be the determination, not of a mob, but of the generality of the principal inhabitants; in consequence of which both regiments were accordingly removed. In the Petition presented to the Governor by several People of consideration, in pursuance of a resolution of a town meeting, held at that time, they disavow the Legislative authority of this country, and assert that it would be better for them to struggle against it, than tamely to relinquish their rights. And the Assembly absolutely refused, by a great majority, to rescind their former order of sending circular letters to the other Colonies, though they had received a positive requisition from the Crown to that purpose. An Association was entered into the beginning of August, when most of the merchants of Boston entered into and subscribed an agreement, that they would not send for, or import, any kind of goods or merchandise from Great Britain, some few articles of necessity excepted, from the 1st of January, 1769, to the 1st of January, 1770; and that they would not import any tea, paper, glass, or painters' colours, until the Act, imposing duties on those articles, should be repealed. It was also voted in a town meeting of the freeholders and other inhabitants of Boston, September 12th, that the levying money within that Province, for the use and service of the Crown, in other manner than the same is granted by the great and general Court or Assembly of the Province, was in violation of the said Royal Charter, and the same was also in violation of the undoubted natural rights of subjects, declared in the aforesaid Act of Parliament, (meaning the Act of Succession,) freely to give and grant their own money for the service of the Crown, with their own consent in person, or by Representatives of their own free election. They also voted that, as the Governor did not think proper to call a general Court for the redress of their (supposed) grievances, the town should then make choice of a suitable number of persons to act for them as a Committee in Convention, with such as might be sent to join them from the several towns in that Province, in order that such measures might be consulted and advised as his Majesty's service, and the peace and safety of his subjects in the Province, might require. They also voted that, as there was at that time a prevailing apprehension in the minds of many, of an approaching war with France, in order that the inhabitants of that town might be prepared, in case of sudden danger, that those of the said inhabitants who might at that time be unprovided, should be, and thereby were, requested duly to observe at that time the law of the Province, whereby it is required that every listed soldier and other householder, (except troopers, who by law, are otherwise to be provided,) shall always be provided with a well fixed firelock, musket, accoutrement, and ammunition, as in the said law is particularly mentioned, to the satisfaction of the commissioned officers of the company. They also voted that a letter should be written to the several towns in the Province, as follows: "Gentlemen: You are already too well acquainted with the melancholy and very alarming circumstances to which this Province, as well as America in general, is now reduced; taxes, equally detrimental to the commercial interests of the Parent Country and her Colonies, are imposed on the People without their consent; taxes designed for the support of the civil Government in the Colonies, in a manner clearly unconstitutional, and contrary to that in which, till of late, Government has been supported by the free gift of the People in the American Assemblies or Parliaments; as also for the maintenance of a large standing army, not for the defence of the newly acquired Territories, but for the old Colonies, and in time of peace. The decent, humble, and truly loyal applications and petitions from the Representatives of this Province, for the redress of these heavy and very threatening grievances, have hitherto been ineffectual, being assured from authentic intelligence, that they have not yet reached the Royal ear. The only effect of transmitting applications hitherto perceivable, has been a mandate from one of his Majesty's Secretaries of State to the Governor of this Province, to dissolve the General Assembly, merely because the late House of Representatives refused to rescind a resolution of a former House, which implied nothing more than a right in the American subjects to unite in humble and dutiful petitions to their gracious Sovereign, when they found themselves aggrieved. This is a right naturally inherent in every man, and expressly recognised at the glorious revolution, as the birth-right of an Englishman. "This dissolution you are sensible has taken place. The Governor has publicly and repeatedly declared that he cannot call another Assembly; and the Secretary of State for the American Department, in one of his letters, communicated to the House, has been pleased to say, "That proper care will be taken for the support of the dignity of Government;" the meaning of which is too plain to be misunderstood. The concern and perplexity into which these things have thrown the People, have been greatly aggravated by a late declaration of his Excellency Governor Bernard, that one or more regiments may be expected in this Province.
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