great dignity and ability, and were, in every respect, worthy of the men who had confided to them the liberties of their country, and the destinies of three millions of their countrymen, threatened with slavery.

The proceedings of congress did not tend to allay public feeling, and as the royal agents in Massachusetts seemed determined to push matters to extremities, and reduce the people to unconditional submission, by arbitrary and forcible means, every thing now wore the appearance of civil war. A new council, and new judges, were appointed by the crown; and the latter attempted to enter upon the execution of their offices; but the juries refused to be sworn under them; the people in some counties assembled to prevent their proceedings, and in Berkshire succeeded in thus setting an example, which was afterwards followed by Shays' men, in violation of the laws of the state. About this time, the famous "Tree of Liberty," in Boston, which had been pruned and ornamented with so much pride and care, "fell a victim to British vengeance, or to some individual to whom its shade had become offensive."

Previously to this period, General Gage had succeeded Hutchinson as governor of Massachusetts; and, apprehending danger from a general muster of the militia, he caused the magazines and ammunition at Charlestown and Cambridge, to be removed to Boston, and fortified the neck of land which joins Boston to the main land, at Roxbury. These measures occasioned a universal panic; delegates from all the towns in the county of Suffolk met, and spirited resolutions, and a remonstrance to the governor, were adopted.

The general. assembly had been summoned to meet at Salem; but, from the turbulence of the times, the governor issued his proclamation, countermanding their meeting; yet, in defiance of the governor's mandate, ninety members met, resolved themselves into a provincial congress, chose Mr. Hancock president, and adjourned to Concord, nineteen miles from Boston. They fearlessly proceeded to business; after addressing the governor, and reiterating their grievances, in the face of British law and British troops, they proceeded to adopt the first measures

which were taken, directly and avowedly, preparatory to an appeal to the sword, in defence of their rights and liberties. They regulated the militia, made provision for furnishing the people with arms, and for supplying the treasury; and such was the enthusiasm of the people, that their recommendations had the force of law. Governor Gage was filled with rage at these daring proceedings, and issued a proclamation, in which he insinuated that they amounted to rebellion.

Early in 1775, parliament passed the fishery bills, which prohibited the colonies from trading in fish with Great Britain, Ireland, and the West Indies, and from taking fish on the banks of Newfoundland. These acts were intended to operate on the town of Boston, which had become the devoted object of ministerial wrath. The various statutes which were passed, occasioned deep and general distress in Boston and its vicinity; but their brethren in the other colonies sympathized with them, and promptly supplied them with provisions of every description for the relief of the sufferers.

This policy of the British government was not only oppressive, but mean and contemptible. Partial legislation is always odious and tyrannical; yet it consisted with the justice and dignity of the British nation; and a series of acts were passed, and the power of the nation exerted, to crush the town of Boston, because it had shown a more determined spirit of resistance to their oppressive and unconstitutional measures than had appeared in other places. The ministry were not sensible that the colonies considered themselves all engaged in a common cause; they were in hopes to humble and crush the rebellious inhabitants of that devoted town, which they thought would be such a terrific example as would frighten all the colonies into submission. But their wicked designs recoiled on the heads of their authors; for these oppressive measures towards the Bostonians only served to exasperate the people throughout all the colonies, who regarded them as cruel and detestable.

In March, 1775, the public indignation was greatly excited by the following base, and most shameful transactions:

The people from the country, whose business called them into Boston, were suspected by the officers of purchasing guns from their soldiers. In order to furnish an opportunity to inflict punishment, and to raise occasion for a serious quarrel, Lieutenant Colonel Nesbit, of the forty-seventh regiment, ordered a soldier to offer a countryman an old rusty musket. A man from Billerica was caught by this bait, and purchased the gun for three dollars. The unfortunate man was immediately seized by Nesbit, and confined in the guard-house all night. Early next morning they stripped him entirely naked, covered him over with warm tar, and then with feathers, placed him on a cart, and conducted him through the streets as far as liberty tree, where the people began to collect in vast numbers, and the military, fearing for their safety, dismissed the man, and retreated to their barracks. The party consisted of about thirty grenadiers, with fixed bayonets, twenty drums and fifes playing the rogue's march, headed by the redoubtable Nesbit with a drawn sword! What an honourable deed for a British field officer, and grenadiers! The select men of Billerica remonstrated with General Gage respecting this outrage, but obtained no satisfaction."

The breach between Britain and the colonies had now become so wide, as, with the mass of the people, nearly to exclude all ideas of conciliation; and both parties began to make preparations for an appeal to the sword. No alternative was left the Americans but slavery, or resistance by force; measures were adopted for training the militia to the use of arms, to encourage the manufacture of gunpowder, and for collecting all kinds of military stores; and committees of public safety were appointed in all the towns in the province. The British government sent out a reinforcement of troops to Boston, and in the mean time, Governor Gage attempted to counteract the designs and measures of the provincials, and particularly to seize and destroy their military stores, and thus deprive them of the means of resistance.

To destroy their military stores at Concord, General Gage despatched, in a secret manner, a regiment of grenadiers, who undertook to disperse, and fired upon a party

of militia at Lexington, several of whom were killed, which was the first blood spilt in that memorable war and revolution, that separated Great Britain and America forever, and gave to the latter, not only a rank among the nations of the earth, but what only can exalt a nation-Liberty and free institutions, which are the durable foundations of its glory and rising prosperity--its tranquillity and happiness, its increasing population and wealth, the rapidity of which is unexampled in the annals of the world.

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Thus, dear reader, I have given you a summary of the causes which led to the American revolution. I shall commence the revolution by giving you an account of the battle of Lexington.

On the 18th of April, 1775, Lieut. Colonel Smith and Major Pitcairn left Boston, with 800 chosen men from the British army, for the purpose of destroying the American stores at Concord. On their arrival at Lexington, they found about seventy militia under arms upon the green. Major Pitcairn, seeing the Americans on parade, rode up to them, and exclaimed, disperse, you rebels, throw down your arms, and disperse. His orders, not being instantly obeyed, he discharged his own pistol, and ordered his men to fire. His orders were obeyed, and three of the Americans were killed. The detachment proceeded to Concord.

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The militia of that town had also assembled to oppose them, but their number was so small that they retired and waited for aid from the neighbouring towns. The British destroyed all the stores that were to be found, and then began their retreat towards Lexington. But the whole country was in arms, and pressed upon their rear. Americans kept up a continual fire from behind hedges, stone walls, &c. Major Pitcairn, fearing his carcass would be picked from his horse, dismounted, and led his division on foot; but his horse and equipments were taken by the provincials. At sunset, the regulars, overcome with fatigue, secured their retreat over Charlestown neck, and found on Bunker's Hill a place of security and repose.

The loss of the British, in killed, wounded, and taken

prisoners, amounted to 273, while the American loss in killed, wounded, and missing, was only 88.

The battle of Lexington spread like a conflagration, and aroused the hardy sons of the country to a manful resistance. The agriculturalist left his plough in the furrow, and the mechanic dropped his tools in the shop, and the great mass of the people repaired to Boston with such arms as could be found. Within a few days a large army was collected, under the command of Generals Ward and Putnam. This alarmed General Gage for the safety of his garrison. When the tidings of these events reached the south, the population were aroused to the contest with the same animated zeal which had been displayed at the north, and the alarm spread far and wide through the country.

On the 28th of April, 1776, the provincial congress of Massachusetts issued the following general circular:

"We conjure you, by all that is dear, by all that is sacred, that you give all possible assistance in forming an army, in defence of the country. Our all is at stake. Death and destruction are the certain consequences of delay. Every moment is infinitely precious; an hour lost may deluge your country in blood, and entail perpetual slavery upon the few of your posterity that survive the carnage. We beg and entreat, as you will answer it to your country, to your consciences, and, above all, as you will answer it to your God, that you will hasten, by all possible means, the enlistment of men, to form an army, and send them forward to head quarters, at Cambridge, with that expedition, which the vast importance and instant urgency of the affairs demand.".

This, as might be expected, aroused the energies of the country, and inspired the people with the most heroic feelings. The call was promptly obeyed, and the sons of liberty enlisted themselves with the greatest alacrity for the defence of their rights.

The responsibilities which now rested on the fathers of the revolution were great, and their services important. They had to embody and discipline new and inexperi enced troops, bring order out of confusion, and to supply both arms and ammunition, being without funds, and