part of this money to such necessary purposes, the whole has been applied to other occasions of Government, and powder and arms had been procured through some other channel, we should presume that these, when stored in the publick magazine, built at the expense of the Country, and appropriated to the safe keeping of all military stores, ought there to have remained till the exigences of the Country demanded them.

We find, my Lord, that the inhabitants of the City of Williamsburgh, in the midst of which the magazine is situated, upon discovering that the powder was removed, the time and manner of its being done—in the dead of the night, under an escort of armed marines, commanded by Captain Henry Collins, of the Magdalen—were exceedingly alarmed; that many of them were so exasperated that they had recourse to arms, intending, as we understand, to compel Captain Collins to restore the powder; but we cannot discover that the least insult was intended to your Lordship. We find that the Corporation of Williamsburgh presented a decent and very respectful address to your Excellency, desiring that you would be pleased to order the powder to be returned; and, on receipt of your verbal answer, amongst other things avowing that it had been removed by your orders, under which Captain Collins had acted, and promising it should be returned in case of an insurrection, the people assembled were soon appeased, returned quietly to their, respective homes, and perfect tranquillity was restored in the City. That in the succeeding night, on a report that a number of armed men had landed at a ferry about four miles from this City, the inhabitants were again much alarmed; but, upon the interposition of some gentlemen, they were quieted, and nothing farther was done than strengthening the usual patrol for the security of the City. We farther find, that on the next day, when every thing was perfectly quiet, your Lordship sent a message into the City by one of the Magistrates, which you delivered with the most solemn asseverations, that if any insult was offered to Captain Foy or Captain Collins, you would declare freedom to the slaves, and lay the Town in ashes; and that you could easily depopulate the whole Country. What could have provoked your Lordship to this we cannot discover, as both Captain Foy and Captain Collins, and several other officers, had been frequently seen walking publickly in the streets, and no one offered either of them the least injury; nor can we discover any reason to believe that any thing of the sort was intended. The inhabitants, my Lord, could not but be exceedingly alarmed at so cruel a threat; many people considered it as part of that general plan they had heard was recommended in England, and which was discovered by your Lordship through accident; they, however, did nothing more, that we can learn, than continue their former patrols.

A report of these several matters having soon circulated throughout almost the whole Country, with this addition, that the most valuable guns in the magazine had been stripped of their locks, and that the inhabitants of Williamsburgh were in the most imminent danger, the minds of the people, in general were much agitated; they assembled in different quarters, and a number of expresses were sent to inquire and obtain a true state of things. It appears that during this general uneasiness, an account was received, from the northward of the engagement at Concord. The General, it seems, had sent an armed force to seize a Provincial magazine; this, your Lordship may suppose, increased the apprehensions of our people, as it held out to them, an additional proof that the steps you had taken formed a part of that general system adopted to render the Colonies defenceless. If, upon such alarms, when the minds of the people were fretted to an extreme degree, some irregularities were committed, the causes may be found in those extraordinary attempts to stretch the powers of Government so much beyond their ancient and constitutional limits.

It gave the greatest concern, my Lord, to all acquainted with your most amiable lady and her distinguished character, to hear she had removed with her children to one of the King’s Ships. We have inquired into the cause of this; and though we do not pretend to prescribe to her ladyship, yet we are persuaded, that had she known the sentiments of all the people in this Colony, every, uneasiness would have been removed. We find, my Lord, that from the great pains taken by the Magistrates, and other inhabitants of the City of Williamsburgh, there could have been no real ground for fear at the time of her ladyship’s removal, unless it was produced from your Lordship’s threats, which might have kept the minds of some of the citizens in suspense. A few ladies, it appears, left the City; but it was not through apprehensions of any other danger than what your Lordship held over them. The inhabitants certainly could have entertained no suspicions of injury from their friends in the country, who had kindly offered to come to their assistance; so that it was in the power of your Lordship alone to have removed her ladyship’s uneasiness.

It gives us the greatest pain, my Lord, to find, in your Excellency’s Message, so determined a resolution to pursue a course the most likely to revive the uneasiness of the people, and prevent that restoration of harmony so ardently wished for by all good men.

You are pleased to submit to our “judgment, whether you could reasonably have expected any good effect from communicating the ground of your uneasiness to us.” We give it as our opinion, that your Lordship had the greatest reason, if you had viewed our conduct in its proper light, to have expected the best effects from such communication. As we met your Lordship in General Assembly with the sincerest disposition to do every thing in our power to provide for the tranquillity of the Country, the reasons assigned for your contrary apprehensions, we are persuaded, must have been suggested to your Lordship by some designing, malevolent informer. We can hardly suppose your Lordship could have had any well-grounded fear of personal danger, when it is notorious that you appeared publickly as usual; and it is in proof, that in the same night which you left the Palace, you walked alone to the Attorney General’s, at the distance of upwards of a quarter of a mile, and returned, unmolested; and we cannot discover that even the slightest insult was offered. If you judge of the disposition of the House of Burgesses, as to publick matters, from their declining to accept an invitation to dine with your Lordship, (the instance of respect and civility alluded to, and which you say you had been forward in offering to them,) you have entirely mistaken their motives. A piece of civility of this sort had formerly its due weight with us; but we had little reason to suppose that such a ceremony would, at this time, be attended, on your Lordship’s part, with that cordiality which we thought we had observed on former occasions. How could your Lordship think of admitting to your table a set of men who, together with the whole body of their constituents, you had endeavoured to paint in such despicable and odious colours? That the House of Burgesses ever countenanced the violent and disorderly proceedings of the people, we must, in justice to ourselves, take, leave to deny. As to the magazine’s being rifled, which you are pleased to insinuate was done with the approbation of this House, we must say, that in this also the greatest injustice is done to us. The House was sitting, closely engaged in publick business, when this affair happened. Some of our members, as we believe the truth is, upon hearing what was going forward at the magazine, went up in hopes of preventing it. We are informed that a great concourse of people, from different parts of the country, were assembled, and that many of the arms had been taken out of the magazine. Several of the members, as private gentlemen, remonstrated with all the people they met with against such proceedings, and prevailed with them to return what, they had taken. When your Lordship was pleased to accuse the House of Burgesses of usurping the “Executive power,” from what happened on this occasion, we presume it would have been well to have considered with what propriety they could have interfered. Had they made an order for apprehending the persons concerned, who were unknown, it would have been fruitless, and, moreover, a plain departure from the line of their authority. Such a step your Lordship might, indeed, have justly censured as an usurpation of the Executive power. Or, would your Lordship have recommended to the individual members to have acted as bailiffs, in seizing all offenders they met with? We never have, nor will we ever give countenance to such unjustifiable proceedings as happened that day.

Your acquaintance, my Lord, with mankind, must suggest