They affembled in arms to a confiderable number under the conduct of a Mr Henry, who was one of the provincial delegates to the general congrefs, and marched towards Williamsburgh with an avowed defign to obtain reftitution for the gunpowder,-but to take fuch effectual meafures for fecuring the pub lic treafury, as fhould prevent its experiencing a fimilar fate with the magazine. A negociation was however entered into with the magiftrates, when they had arrived within a few miles of the town, in which it was fully fettled, that the Receiver-general of the colony's fecurity for paying the value of the powder, fhould be accepted as a reftitution, and that upon the inhabitants engaging for the future to guard both treafury and magazine, the infurgents fhould return to their habitations, The Governor began now to perceive that the affair was now ferious, and that the people were in earneft; he thought himself and his family in danger, and provided for fafety aboard the Fowey man of war in James's river, while his Lordship, with the affistance of a detachment of marines, converted his palace into a little garrifon, fortified it in the best manner he was able, and furrounded it with artillery. A proclamation was then iffued by the Governor and his council, in which Henry and his followers were charged with rebellious practices, in extorting the value of the powder from the Receiver-general, and the prefent commotions were attributed to difaffection in the people and a defire of changing the eftablifhed form of government, ferving only to afford more room for altercation, and to encreafe the heat and difcontent. Several county meetings were held, the conduct of Henry vindicated and applauded, and refolutions paffed that at the rifque of every thing dear, he and his followers fhould be indemnified from all fuffering, lofs and injury,.upon that account.. The charge of difaffection was peremptorily denied, and thofe of changing the form of government, and caufing the prefent troubles, retorted. They infifted that they wanted nothing but to preferve their ancient conftitution, and only oppofed innovations, and that all the disturbances fprung from the Governor's late conduct. As there are times when all circumftances feem to confpire towards the nourishment and increase of of political, as well as natural disorders, fo it appeared now in Virginia, every thing tended to one common centre of diftruft, jealoufy, and difcontent. The copy of fome letters from the Governor to the minifter of the American department were by fome means procured and publifhed; fevere cenfures paffed upon them, as containing not only unfavourable, but unfair and unjuft reprefentations, as well as of facts, as of the temper and difpofition of the colony. Thus one diftruft begot another, until all confidence being totally loft on both fides, every falfe report that was circulated for a was believed on either, and ferved up time to keep up the public fever. In this ftate of commotion and diforder, upon the arrival of difpatches from England, the General Af fembly was fuddenly and unexpectedly convened by the Governor, June 1ft. The grand motive for this meafure was to procure their approbation and acceptance of the terms included in Lord North's conciliatory motion, and the parliamentary refolutions founded thereon, His Lordship accordingly in his fpeech ufed his utmoft addrefs to carry his point: he ftated : ftated the favourable difpofition of parliament as well as of government towards the colonies, the modera tion, tenderness, and equity which induced the prefent advances towards a happy reconciliation. He dwelt upon the juftice of their contributing to the common defence, and bearing an equitable proportion of the public burdens; and obferved, that as no fpecific fum was demanded, they had an opportunity of giving free fcope to their juftice and liberality, and whatever they gave would be a free gift, in the fullest fenfe of the terms; that they would thus fhew their reverence to parliament, and manifeft their duty and attachment to the fovereign, and the kindness with which it would be taken, that they met on their fide the favourable difpofition fhewn on the other towards bringing the prefent unhappy difputes to a period. He also tooks pains to convince them from the refolutions and proceedings of parliament, that a full redrefs of grievances would be the immediate confequence of their compliance. This fpeech, though flattering and plaufible, was confidered only as words of courfe, intended to anfwer the purpofe of the government, without any intention of redreffing any of thofe grievances which were cómplained of. It was not fully credited, that provided the affembly wouldgrant the fupplies which were wanted, that any more notice would be taken of the heavy grievances they were groaning under. The first act of the affembly was the appointment of a committee to enquire into the caufe of the late disturbances. and particularly to examine the ftate of t the magazine, that neceffary meafures might be taken for fupplying the want of what had been taken away. Tho' the magazine was the property of the colony,.. it was in the cuftody of the Governor, who appointed a keeper, so that an application to him was neceffary for admittance. While fome difpute arafe concerning this fubject, and before the order for admittance was obtained, fome people in the town and neighbourhood broke into the magazine, and carried off fome of the arms. Several members of the House of Burgeffes ufed their perfonal intereft and application in getting as many of them returned back as they could. It appeared by the report of the committee, that they found most of the remainder of the powder buried in the magazine yard, where it had been depofited by the Governor's orders, and fuffered confiderable damage from the rains; the depriving the mufkets of their locks was likewife discovered, as well as the nakedness of the magazine in all refpects. Among other things which tended to provoke the people, was the planting of fpring guns in the magazine, without giving any public notice of this mode of fecurity, and fome effect they had taken at the time of the late depradations. Whilft the Governor's speech, with the propofitions which it recommended, were yet under the confideration of the affembly, and before the addrefs was determined, confcience, which makes cowards of all guilty perfons, had made his Lordship, for fear of confequences, retire with his Lady on board the Fowey man of war, which then lay near York-Town, on the river of the fame name. It is highly probable that his Lordfhip had been informed of the rage of the people upon the discovery of the fpring guns, and being confcious of fome guilt in that matter, thought fit to withdraw to a place of more fecurity and safety. He left a meffage behind him for the Houfe of Burgeffes, informing them, that he thought A. D. 1776 THE WAR IN AMERICA, thought it prudent to retire to a place of fafety, as he was fully perfuaded that both himfelf and his family were in conftant danger of falling facrifices to the blind and unmeasurable fury of the people, but that fo far from interupting their fitting, he hoped they would fuccessfully acquit themselves in the great bufinefs before them, that he would render the communication between him and the house as cafy and as fafe as poffible; and that he thought it would be more agreeable to them to fend fome of their members to him as occafion fhould require, than to have the trouble of removing their whole body to a nearer place. He affured them that he would attend as ufual to the duties of his office, and of his good difpofition to reftore that harmony which had been fo unhappily interrupted. Such meannefs and imbecility in the Governor tended much to weaken the caufe of government in the province; for it argued both a fufpicion of guilt, and a diftrusting the people, which was not the method to reconcile their minds to any plan the government should propofe. When the meffage was produced, the Council and Burgeffes fent an addrefs to his Lordship, declaring their unbelief that any person in the province could meditate fo horrid and atrocious a crime as his Lord. fhip apprehended, lamenting that he had not acquaint-ed them with the grounds of his uneafinefs before he had adopted that measure, as they would have used all poffible means to have removed every cause of dif quietude they feared that his removal from the feat of government would be a means of increasin the uneafinefs which unhappily prevailed among the people; and they declared that they would chearfully concur in any measure that he should propose for the fecurity |
