when there appeared such a number of friends to our happy regular established Government, under the Crown and Parliament of Great Britain, as to deem that meeting illegal, and that no business could with propriety be done; and the said meeting was adjourned till a future time, when it Is hoped It will be so conducted as to convince the world his Majesty is hot without friends who will support his Government in the Province of New-York, and particularly in that part thereof.

On the above occasion the Resolutions of the Congress were publickly read; after which Justice Hewlet exerted himself with that prudence and firmness becoming a Magistrate, by arguing the impropriety and illegality of such meetings, in so masterly a manner, as to have the necessary and desired effect of preventing any business being done till the legal day of calling a Town Meeting, which will be on the first Tuesday in April next.

Had all the civil officers exerted themselves as this friend of liberty and good order has done, our unhappy disputes would doubtless have been in a fair way of terminating more to the advantage of this apparently distracted country.

JOSEPH TRUMBULL TO GOVERNOUR TRUMBULL.

Windham, December 30, 1774.

HONOURED SIR: It seems to be the universal opinion of all here, that a supply of Ammunition should be procured at the Colony's expense as soon as possible—the sooner the better, as it is apprehended that if the Admiral carries his present plan of orders into execution, of stationing a small Vessel in every Harbour, Creek, and Bay along shore, that it will by-and-bye be next to impossible to obtain such supply. I have mentioned to Colonel Parsons Mr. Shaw's being at Hartford, next Wednesday by noon, as possibly the Council may be glad lo know from him in what manner, from where, &c., in his opinion, the supply may be best made.

JOSEPH TRUMBULL.

Governour Trumbull, Lebanon.

BOSTON TOWN MEETING.

At a Meeting of the Freeholders and other Inhabitants of the Town of Boston, at Faneuil Hall, on Friday, December 30, 1774,

Mr. SAMUEL ADAMS, in the Chair,

The Committee appointed to take under consideration a paper, signed "T. Gage," being an answer to a letter written to General Gage by the Honourable Peyton Randolph, Esquire, President of the late Continental Congress, reported as follows, viz:

"We would not, unless urged by the clearest necessity, have taken up the consideration of General Gage's letter to the Honourable Peyton Randolph, Esquire, late President of the Honourable Continental Congress, but we conceive that letter, though it appears to be addressed to a gentleman, in his private capacity, has a strong tendency to impress the whole Continent with sentiments very unfavourable to this afflicted Town. We shall not intentionally throw any disagreeable imputations upon the General, but shall endeavour only to defend ourselves against the injurious tendency of his letter.

"The General, contrary to the known sense of every man of common understanding, has been pleased to insinuate that the complaints of the Town of Boston were utterly groundless and unreasonable; and would have the Continent believe that not he, but the people of this Province, and especially the inhabitants of the Town of Boston, were the aggressors in all the difficulties which have arisen. We freely acknowledge that the arrival of a British Army, with a professed design of enforcing Acts of the British Parliament destructive of our liberties, gave a great and universal alarm, and it cannot appear strange that we should be considering of the measures necessary to preserve our just rights and privileges. We hoped, however, that peaceable and gentle methods would have effected our deliverance. We believed that his Excellency would have laid some proposals before the General Assembly, which he had summoned to meet at Salem; but after treating both the Council and House of Representatives in a manner which we shall not animadvert on, he was pleased to dissolve the Assembly. The people were then compelled to turn their thoughts and attention to other methods of preventing the impending destruction. And though thus distressed, his Excellency would gladly have prevented them from availing themselves of the council of each other in Town Meeting, and actually ordered the marching of a body of armed Soldiers to disperse the inhabitants of the Town of Salem, when peaceably assembled to consult upon the most important interests of themselves and their posterity. This was followed by the seizing of the Powder in their Magazine, at Cambridge, and the Cannon which had been sent to the first Regiment in Middlesex. The mounting a number of Field Pieces on an eminence in Boston Common; stationing Guards in various parts of the Town, and many other acts which could not leave any doubt in the minds of the people of the General's intention to employ military force against the Province, at length roused the people to think of defending themselves and their property by Arms, if nothing less could save them from violence and rapine. For the justification of the conduct of the people in that respect, we may safely appeal to the Continent, to the world, and to the supreme omniscient Governour of the Universe. All the transactions, from the first arrival of the Troops, will hereafter Tie critically and judiciously examined, and we trust the time will come when we shall have a fair and impartial hearing. We mean not now to give particular answers, except Jo such parts of the General's letter as seem to charge the Continental Congress with having misconceived the facts stated in their letter to him.

"First, his Excellency says, that from the letter, meaning the letter of the Honourable Continental Congress, 'people would be led to believe that works were raised against the Town of Boston; private property invaded; the Soldiers suffered to insult the inhabitants, and the communication between the Town and Country shut up and molested.' How far his Excellency was governed by the consideration of what answer he should make when he gave this turn to the expressions of the Congress, need not be inquired into. To this charge his Excellency replies, 'there is not a single Gun pointed against the Town.' His Excellency did not advert to the number of Field pieces which were, at the time that letter was written, and long before, pointed against the Town from the Common; but if the assertion had been literally true, it would not in the least affect the point under consideration.

"Are not the works erected on the Neck, reality, erected against the Town? Are they not designed to intimidate the inhabitants, and to lead them to think that they were altogether in the power of the Army? The Continental Congress plainly express the sense in which they mean to be understood by his Excellency: They say 'that the Fortifications erected within that Town;' (Boston) 'the frequent invasions of private property, and the repeated insults they (the inhabitants) receive from the Soldiery, have given them great reason to suspect a plan is formed very destructive to them, and tending to overthrow the liberties of America.' The General, therefore, has in no way answered the charge brought against him, but only, by varying the expression, attempted to elude it.

"The next assertion is, 'that no man's property has been seized or hurt, except the King's.' We need not enumerate ail the instances of property seized; it is enough to say, that a number of Cannon, the property of a respectable Merchant of this Town, were seized and carried off by force.

"That Timber and Lumber has been violently taken from the owners; that rightful proprietors have been driven from their lands.—It is impossible for us to mention one-half of the instances in which property has been hurt; they are notorious to every inhabitant, and have been made known to the publick from time to time.

"His Excellency is pleased to say that 'no Troops have ever given less cause for complaint, and greater care was never taken to prevent it.' What care has been taken is not our part to determine; we are ready to admit the most candid opinion, but we beg leave to say, that the insults received from Officers and Soldiers have been, in many instances, such as were shocking to a spirited people, and of which humanity in some instances, decency in others, and in all, a generous disposition to avoid placing