EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM GOVERNOUR WRIGHT TO THE EARL OF DARTMOUTH, DATED SAVANNAH, IN GEORGIA, AUGUST 24, 1774.

In mine of July 25th, No. 23, and August 13th, No. 24, I acquainted your Lordship that I should give you a full account of the conduct and proceedings of the Liberty people here, as soon as I knew for certain what they did or meant to do; and I mentioned that some papers were preparing by which I believed it would appear that these resolutions were not the voice of the people, but unfairly and insolently made by a junto of a very few only, but which papers are not yet completed. Every thing, my Lord, was done that could be thought of to frustrate their attempt, but this did not totally prevent it.

I have been informed of another summons and meeting to be in St. John's Parish, on the 30th instant; and, my Lord, as long as these kind of summonses and meetings are suffered, a private man take upon him to summons a whole Province, to consult upon and redress publick grievances, I apprehend there will be nothing but cabals and combinations, and the peace of the Province, and minds of the people, continually heated, disturbed, and distracted. And the Proclamation I issued against them is termed arbitrary and oppressive, and an attempt to debar them of their natural and lawful rights and privileges. In short, my Lord, if these calls and meetings are considered as illegal and improper, it will require the interposition of higher authority to remedy the evil, for the Executive powers of Government in the Colonies are too weak to rectify such abuses, and prosecutions would only be laughed at, and no grand jury would find a bill of indictment, and the persons ordering and carrying them on probably insulted and abused.

New-London, September 2, 1774.

Col. Willard, one of Governour Gage's new Council,* came to Union on Tuesday, August 24, 1774, to do some business; when two gentlemen, belonging to Windham, who had been his attorneys in the case met him, and publickly renounced him and his cause, and refused to assist him any more, as they looked upon him as a traitor to his country. The people rose, took and confined him one night, then carried him to Brimfield, where the Province people, about four hundred in number, met them. They called a Council of themselves, and condemned Colonel Willard to Newgate Prison, in Symsbury; and a number set off and carried him six miles on the way thither. Colonel Willard, then submitted to take the oath hereto annexed, on which they dismissed him. One Captain Davis of Brimfield was present, who showing resentment, and treating the people with bad language, was stripped, and honoured with the new fashion dress of tar and feathers; a proof this, that the Act for tarring and feathering is not repealed!

Confession of Colonel WILLARD, of LANCASTER:

Whereas I, Abijah Willard, of Lancaster, have been appointed, by mandamus, a Counsellor for this Province, and having without due consideration taken the oath, do now freely and solemnly declare that I am heartily sorry that I have taken the said oath, and do hereby solemnly and in good faith promise and engage that I will not sit or act in the said Council, nor in any other that shall be appointed in such manner and form, but that I will as much as in me lies, maintain the Charter rights and liberties of this Province; and do hereby ask the forgiveness of all honest, worthy gentlemen that I have offended, by taking the above said oath; and desire this may be inserted in the publick prints.

Witness my hand,

ABIJAH WILLARD.

August 25th, 1774.

EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM TAUNTON, MASSACHUSETTS, AUGUST 24, 1774.

Last Monday afternoon about five hundred of the inhabitants of this and the adjacent towns assembled on the parade, near the Court House, in order to express the disquietude of their minds on hearing the alarming news, that Daniel Leonard, Esquire, who was lately in an unconstitutional manner appointed one of the Council of this Province, has accepted and was sworn into that office; but the sudden disappearance of that gentleman prevented the friendly cautions intended by his kind and honest, though incensed neighbours; there was not the least disorder or appearance of violence in any of the Assembly; but after a modest declaration of their sentiments relating to some late Ministerial manoeuvres, and having received some pacificatory promises from certain friends of the said Counsellor, they all withdrew.

The following evening, certain sons of Belial were so daring as to fire several balls into one of Mr. Leonard's chamber windows, where it was supposed Captain Williams, the Deputy Sheriff lodged; whether this was done on account of some old grudge against him, or on account of his appearing to side with the tory party, or whether, (which is most probable) some of that party were (he perpetrators of a black crime, in order to bring down the vengeance of Government upon the whigs, is not yet known. However, it is natural to observe here, that the authors and fautors of the late violent Governmental measures, may, from such popular measures, calculate (if they have any knowledge of omens) their own hidden fate, and that of all their cabal; while the hands of the populace are daily strengthening, having their souls duly touched with a sense of the wrongs already offered them, as well as of those threatened.

EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM TAUNTON, MASSACHUSETTS, DATED AUGUST 25, 1774.

We hear that Brigadier Ruggles, one of the new made Counsellors, being at Colonel Toby's, at Dartmouth, the people assembled there one day this week, and ordered him to depart forthwith, upon which the Colonel promised them he would go the next morning by sun an hour high; but before that time the Brigadier's horse had his mane and tail cut off, and his body painted all over; since which he took refuge at Colonel Gilbert's, at Freetown.

This morning about two hundred men met at the Ware Bridge in this town, and after chosing a Moderator, appointed a Committee to warn the towns of Dighton, Swansey, Rynham, Norton, Mansfield, Attleborough, and Easton, to meet to-morrow at eight o'clock, when it is thought two or three thousand men will be assembled, from whence they will proceed to Freetown to wait on Colonel Gilbert, and desire of him not to accept of the office of the High Sheriff, under the present administration of the new laws, and that if he should, he must abide by the consequences; also to desire Brigadier Ruggles to depart this county immediately. Such is the spirit of this county. They seem to be quite awake, and to have awake in a passion. It is more dangerous being a tory here than at Boston, even if no troops were there.

* The following is a list of the gentlemen appointed by his Majesty, Counsellors of this Province, agreeable to a late Act of Parliament:

Thomas Oliver, Esquire, Lieutenant Governour; Thomas Flucker, Esquire; Peter Oliver, Esquire; Foster Hutchinson, Esquire; Thomas Hutchinson, Esquire; Harrison Gray, Esquire; Samuel Danforth, Esquire; John Erving, Sen., Esquire; James Russel, Esquire; Timothy Ruggles, Esquire; Joseph Lee, Esquire; Isaac Winslow, Esquire; Israel Williams, Esquire; George Watson, Esquire; Nathaniel Ray Thomas, Esquire; Timothy Woodbridge, Esquire; William Vassal, Esquire; William Brown, Esquire; Joseph Green, Esquire; James Boutineau, Esquire; Andrew Oliver, Esquire; Josiah Edson, Esquire; Richard Lechmere, Esquire; Joshua Loring, Esquire; John Worthington, Esquire; Timothy Paine, Esquire; William Pepperell, Esquire; Jeremiah Powell, Esquire; Jonathan Simpson, Esquire; John Murray, Esquire; Daniel Leonard, Esquire; Thomas Palmer, Esquire; Isaac Royall, Esquire; Robert Hooper, Esquire; Abijah Willard, Esquire; John Erving, Jan., Esquire.

Province of MASSACHUSETTS BAY, SALEM, AUGUST 8, 1774.—His Majesty having been pleased to appoint the Honourable Thomas Oliver, Esquire, to be Lieutenant Governour of this Province, his Honour's commission was accordingly this day published in the Council Chamber, and the several oaths administered to him by his Excellency the Governour; after which the following gentlemen took the oaths necessary to qualify themselves for a seat in Council, being appointed by mandamus from his Majesty: Honourable Thomas Oliver, Esquire; Lieutenant Governour; Thomas Flucker, Esquire; Foster Hutchinson, Esquire; Harrison Gray, Esquire; Joseph Lee, Esquire; Isaac Wins-low, Esquire; William_ Brown, Esquire; James Boutineau, Esquire; Joshua Loring, Esquire; William Pepperell, Esquire; John Erving, Jun., Esquire.

BOSTON, AUGUST 22.—Tuesday last, August 15, the following gentlemen took the oaths requisite to qualify them for their seats at the Council Board, viz: Samuel Danforth, Peter Oliver, Richard Lechmere, Jonathan Simpson, Josiah Edson, Nathaniel Ray Thomas, Timothy Ruggles, Timothy Paine, Abijah Willard, Tho. Hutchinson, Jun., John Murray, Daniel Leonard, and George Watson, Esquires