acted are unjust and unconstitutional. That the late Acts of Parliament, declarative of their right of laying internal taxes on the American Colonies are obvious encroachments on the rights and liberties of the British subjects in America.

4.That the Act for blocking up the port of Boston is oppressive and arbitrary; injurious in its principles, and particularly oppressive to the inhabitants of Boston, whom we consider brethren suffering in the common cause.

5. That we will unite and join with the different Districts of this county, in giving whatever relief it is in our power to the poor distressed inhabitants of Boston; and that we will join and unite, with our brethren of the rest of this Colony, in any thing tending to support and defend our rights and liberties.

6.That we think the sending of Delegates from the different Colonies, to a general Continental Congress, is a salutary measure, and absolutely necessary at this alarming crisis; and that we entirely approve of the five gentlemen chosen Delegates for this Colony our brethren of New-York, hereby adopting and choosing the same persons to represent this Colony in the Congress.

7. That we hereby engage faithfully to abide by, and adhere to, such regulations as shall be made and agreed upon by the said Congress.

8. That we consider it necessary that there be appointed a Standing; Committee, of this county, to correspond with the Committees of New-York and Albany; and we do hereby appoint Christopher P. Yates, Isaac Paris, John Frey, and Andrew Fink, who, together with persons to be appointed by the other Districts of this county, are to compose a Committee of Correspondence to convey the sentiments of this county, in a set of Resolves, to New-York.

9.It is voted, by this meeting, that copies of the proceedings of this day, certified by the Chairman, be transmitted to the Supervisors of the different Districts of this county, and that we recommend it to the inhabitants of the said Districts to appoint persons to compose a Committee of Correspondence.

GOVERNOUR GAGE TO THE EARL OF DARTMOUTH.

Salem, August 27, 1774.

My LORD: I had the honour to receive your Lordship's separate letter, dated 3d of June, on the 6th instant, in which came enclosed two Acts of Parliament, for regulating the Government of the Massachusetts Bay, and for the more impartial administration of justice in the said Province; together with an additional instruction to the Governour; Mr. Oliver's appointment of Lieutenant Governour; and a printed copy of an amendment to the Meeting Bill for America, relating to the clause for quartering the King's troops.

No time was lost in forming the new Council. I assembled all the Members who could be collected, on so short a notice, on the 8th instant, and appointed the whole to meet on the 16th instant. The list enclosed will inform your Lordship of the names of the gentlemen sworn in; of those who have refused to accept the nomination, or are wavering, absent, or dead.

The twenty-four who have accepted the honour the King has conferred upon them, are as respectable persons as any in the Province, and the Lieutenant Governour is generally approved of by all parties. I must defer sending your Lordship recommendations to the vacancies, to another opportunity; for, though I have several in my mind, I am first to be assured of their willingness to act; and the number of Counsellors being considerable, gives time to look out for others. Your Lordship judged right, that art would be practised, on this occasion, to intimidate and prejudice; even force was attempted on Mr. Ruggles, by a number of people collected on the road, near Worcester, with intent to stop him, but he made his way through them.

My former letters have acquainted your Lordship that the Acts in question had been published here, and people have had leisure to consider means to elude them; in doing which, they are very expert. At a town meeting held at Boston, in July, in order to avoid the calling a meeting afterwards, they adjourned themselves to the 9th of August, and adjourned again on that day, to some time in October. I assembled the Selectmen, in Boston; had the clause read respecting town meetings; told them I expected their obedience to it; that I should put the Act in force; and that they would be answerable for any bad consequences. They replied, they had called no meeting; that a former meeting had only adjourned themselves.

I laid the affair of adjournments before the new Council, and found some of opinion that the clause was thereby clearly evaded, and nearly the whole unwilling to debate upon it; terming it a point of law which ought to be refer red to the Crown lawyers, whose opinions is to be taken upon it, and by which I must govern myself.

Another clause of the Act is likewise referred to the lawyers, concerning the removal of Sheriffs. Upon intimating to the Council my desire to remove a Sheriff, some immediately objected that it did not belong to the Council, for that the Governour was alone empowered to remove any of the Sheriffs now in office, and that the Act only required consent of Council to remove such Sheriff as the Governour should appoint, by his own authority, and want to remove afterwards.

It was the unanimous opinion of the Council, that an Assembly should be called as early as possible, and writs will be issued for their meeting by the latter end of October.

The state of the Province was, at the same time, taken into consideration, and a letter read that I had received from Hampshire County, an extract of which I transmit your Lordship; and several Members gave an account of the state of their respective counties, from whence it appeared that the phrenzy had spread, in a greater or less degree, through all; of which I shall write more fully before closing my letter.

Since the unwarrantable impeachment of the Chief Justice, I understand he has never taken his seat upon the bench, but he has promised me to attend the Superiour Court, at Boston, towards the end of the month; and I hope he will preside also in said Court, to be held at Worcester, in September, notwithstanding the threats thrown out against him. I have engaged to meet him at Boston, to prevent violence, which, from the present system, I don't expect to meet with there; and I believe that I must attend him also at Worcester, where I am to expect it.

By the plan lately adopted, forcible opposition and violence is to be transferred from the town of Boston to the country.

The copy enclosed of a letter from the Boston Committee of Correspondence, to the several counties, will sufficiently evince the intention of those leaders, who, by said letter, emissaries, and other means, have contrived, while Boston affects quiet and tranquility, to raise a flame, not only throughout this Province, but also in the Colony of Connecticut. The original letter is signed by the Town Clerk, though, from a caution lately observed, they omit his name in the newspaper, from whence the enclosed is taken.

In consequence of the new plan popular rage has appeared at the extremity of the Province, abetted by Con enticed, which the extract of the letter from Hampshire, read in Council, shows; it is very high, also, in Berkshire County, and makes way rapidly to the rest. In Worcester they keep no terms; openly threaten resistance by arms; have been purchasing arms; preparing them; casting balls, and providing powder; and threaten to attack any troops who dare to oppose them. Mr. Ruggles, of the new Council, is afraid to take his seat as Judge of the Inferior Court, which sets at Worcester, on the 7th of next month; and I apprehend that I shall soon be obliged to march a body of troops into that township, and perhaps into others, as occasions happen, to preserve the peace.

The Delegates, as they are called, from this Province, are gone to Philadelphia to meet the rest, who are to form the general Congress; and it is thought it will be determined there, whether the town of Boston is to com ply with the terms of the Port Bill. It is not possible to guess what a body, composed of such heterogeneous matter, will determine; but the Members from hence, I am assured, will promote the most haughty and insolent Resolves, for their plan has ever been, by threats and high-sounding sedition, to terrify and intimidate.

Some believe that the Congress has been consented to