fimilar agreement with the dangers the penalty annexed, of having their names publifhed to the world.

This covenant, accompanied with a letter from the committee at Bofton, was circulated with great industry and activity, and the people not only in the New England provinces but in the other provinces, entered into this new league with. the greatest keennefs.What was fomewhat remarkable is, that fimilar agreements had been entered into about the fame time, in various parts of the continent, and without any previous concert with one another, any more than with thofe at Boston. The title of a folemn league and covenant greatly alarmed General Gage, and the friends of the ministry in all parts of the British dominions; its name, as well as its tendency, was ominous and frightful. It brought to the remembrance of his Majefty's governors and minifters the times of England and Scotland, entering into a folemn league and covenant for the defence of their legal rights and privileges, which have always been remembered by men of arbitrary principles with horror and difguft. The causes and the effects were by fome confidered at this time to be pretty much fimilar to thofe in the time of the long parliament; and it was no great wonder that General Gage was alarmed at the tidings of a new folemn league and covenant. His proclamation on the 29th of June fhews how much he was agitated and alarmed. He ftiles it an unlawful, hoftile, and tracterious combination, contrary to the allegi ance due to the king, deftructive of the lawful authority of the British parliament, and of the peace, good order, and fafety of the community. All perfons, were warned against incurring the penalties due to fuch aggravated and dangerous offences; and all magiftrates charged to apprehend and fecure for trial

fuch

fuch as fhould have any fhare in the publishing, fub fcribing, aiding, or affifting the foregoing, or an fimilar covenant.

This proclamation produced no other effect than to exercise the judgment and pens of those who had knowledge of the laws, in fhewing that the affocia tion did not come within any of the laws that refpected treason, and that the charges made by the Governor were erroneous, unjuft, and injurious.They said he had affumed a power which the constitution denied even to the fovereign, the power of making those things to be treason, which were not confidered to be fuch by the laws; that the people had a right to affemble to confider of their common grievances, and to form affociations for their general conduct towards the remedy of thofe grievances; and that the proclamation was equally arbitrary, odious, and illegal. Had the Governor confidered the hiftory of former times carefully, he might have eafily dif covered that covenanters are not fo eafily frightened as to give up what they they conceive to be their juft rights, for a fimple proclamation. The cafe now between the crown officers and the colonists was much like that between the ancient covenanters and the royalists, in the reign of Charles the first. The partizans of Charles charged the covenanters with treafon and rebellion, and the others accused them of tyranny and treafon against the conftitution, Neither party could convince the other by arguments, they at laft appealed to heaven, and tried to determine their caufe by the length of the fword; the determination was fatal to many thoufands, and to Charles himself, and ought to be a warning to all future magistrates not to provoke a people too far. Minifters and court favourites ought to confider, that among their friends there

there are few that are fuch from principle, and provided that it should happen to be their interest to turn against them, they will foon defert them, and join with their enemies; whereas thofe that are against them, for the most part, have both principle and intereft, in oppofing them, and are determined by the strongest motives. But before we proceed to confi der the tranfactions at home, which relate to the American affairs of this year, we shall take a view of the behaviour of the colonifts, and what past in Ame rica.

The determination of the general congrefs had now confirmed the principles of the timid and cautious, and their fears being removed, they laid aside that moderation which before they affected to obferve. The refolves of the congrefs became now the creed of the colonies in matters of politics, and a perfect compliance with their determinations was every where obferved. The unanimity through the whole conti. nent was amazing; the fame language was observed by town and provincial meetings, by general affemblies, by judges in their charges, and by grand juries in their prefentments; and all their acts tended to the fame point, It was surprising and wonderful to fee the inhabitants of rich commercial countries, who had acquired a long and established relifh for the fuperfluities of life, and who it might have been fuppofed, would have acquired irrefiftible habits in ufing them, all on a sudden throwing afide the captivating allurements, and confining themselves to what was merely neceffary. To obferve the merchant forego the advantages of trade and commerce, the farmer fubmit to the lofs of the fale of the produce of his industry, and the feaman, with the numberlefs other perfons dependent upon trade, contentedly refign the

very means of their livelihood, and truft to the precarious subsistence, from the public spirit and charity of the opulent, was an uncommon phenomenon; and what is perhaps more amazing, that the rich should have been difpofed to run the hazard of lofing their all, and fupplying the poor for an uncertain expectation of obtaining what probability feemed to determine againft. Such however was the view that America at that time, fince and at prefent, exhibited to the world..

They had fent a petition from the continental congrefs to the throne, upon which they placed fome hopes of a reconciliation with the mother country.It was imagined that a general application to the people of England would have produced a falutary effect, and the colonists had still a greater dependance upon the unanimity of the determinations of the Congrefs, in influencing the public opinions at home in the mother country. Thefe hopes however did not prevail so far with them, as to put them off their guard, or to make them abate of their zeal in pursuing fuch measures as were neceffary to provide against the worft that might happen. The principal leaders did not depend much upon thefe expectations, which fome placed in the fuccefs of their petition to the throne. The fouthern colonies began to arm, as thofe in the north, and to train and arm their militia, and as foon as advice was received of the proclamation iffued in England to prevent the exportation of arms and ammunition to America, meafures were speedily taken to provide a remedy for that defect. For this purpose, and to render themfelves as independent as poffible upon foreigners for the fupply of thefe effential articles, mills were erected, and manufactures formed, both in Philadelphia and Virginia,

for

for the making of gunpowder, and encouragement given in all the colonies, for the fabricating of arms of every fort. Great and many difficulties attended these first effays; and the fupply of powder, both from home manufacture, and importation, was for a long time scarce and precarious. But fuch was their refolution and zeal, that they ardently perfifted in their undertakings, and fuccefs attended their endea

Yours.

General Gage iffued a proclamation against the provincial congrefs of Maffachusetts-Bay, but it did not produce the smallest effect in the proceedings of the congrefs, nor in the conduct of the people, who paid an implicit obedience to its determinations. It is highly probable that the measures of this provincial affembly were managed by advice of the general congrefs, which was fitting at the fame time, with whom they held a conftant correfpondence. The critical fituation of Bofton, the capital of the province, was an object of much confideration, nor was it eafy to determine in what manner to provide for the fafety of the inhabitants, and to prevent the town becoming a thorn of uneafinefs to the province, if matters fhould come to the last extremity. From its natural advantages of fituation, and the works thrown up on the neck, Bofton was already become a strong hold, and was capable with little difficulty by the protection of a fleet to be made almost impregnable against any force. It was alfo at the pleasure of the governor capable of being made a fecure prifon for the inhabitants, who would thereby become hoftages for the province at large. Several different propofals were made to prevent or remedy thefe evils. One was only to remove the inhabitants; another to fet a valuation upon the eftates, to burn the town,

and