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Fity of giving a free fcope r juftice and liberality, and atever they gave, would be ift. in the fulleft fenfe of hat they would thus verence for parliandanifeft their duty and to the fovereign; and nets with which it would , that they met, on their the favourable difpofition fhewa on the other, towards bringing the prefent unhappy difputes to a period. He alfo took pains to convince them, from the proceedings and refolutions of parliament, that a full redrefs of all their real grievar ces, would be the immedi..te confequence of their compliance.

The first act of the affembly was the appointment of a committee to enquire into the caufes of the late difturbances, and particularly to examine the ftate of the magazine, that neceffary measures might be accordingly taken for its replenishment. Though the magazine was the property of the colony, it was in the cuftody of the Governor, who appointed a keeper, fo that an application to him for admittance was neceffary. During an altercation which arofe upon this fubject, and before the order for admittance was obtained, fome people of the town and neighbourhood broke into the magazine, and carried off fome of the arms; feveral members of the Houfe of Burgeffes, however, ufed their per fonal intereft and application in getting as many of them as they could, returned. 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 de

pofited by the Governor's orders, and fuffered confiderable damage from the rain; the depriving the mufkets of their locks was alfo now difcovered, as well as the nakednefs and infufficiency of the magazine in all refpects. Among other matters which ferved to irritate the people, was the planting of fpring guns in the magazine, '(without giving any public notice of fuch a mode of fecurity) and fome effect they had taken at the time of the late depredations,

Whilst the Governor's speech, with the propofitions which it recommended, were yet under the confideration of the affembly, and before their addrefs was determined upon, his lordship, with his lady and family, quit- 8th. ted the palace privately, and fuddenly, at night, and retired on board the Fowey man of war, which then lay near Yorktown, on the river of the fame name. He left a meffage for the Houfe of Burgeffes, acquainting them, that he thought it prudent to retire to a place of fafety, as he was fully perfuaded, that both himself and his family were in conftant danger of falling facrifices. to the blind and unmeasurable fury of the people; that fo far from intending to interrupt their fitting, he hoped they would fuccefsfully proceed in the great bufinefs before them; that he would render the communication between him and the Houfe as eafy and 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 moving their whole body to a nearer place. He affured them, that he should [B]3

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attend as ufual to the duties of his office, and of his good difpofition to reftore that harmony which had been fo unhappily interrupted.

This meflage produced a joint addrefs from the Council and Houfe of Burgeffes; declaring their unbelief that any perfons in that province, could meditate fo horrid and atrocious a crime as his lordship apprehended; lamenting that he had not acquainted them with the ground of his uneafinefs before he had adopted this meafure, as they would have used all poffible means to have removed every caufe of his difquietude; they feared that his removal from the feat of government would be a means of increafing the uneafinefs which unhappily prevailed among the people; declared that they would cheerfully concur in any Beafure which he should propofe for the fecurity of himself and his family; obferving how impracticable it would be to carry on the business of the feffion with any degree of propriety and difpatch, whilft he was at fuch a distance, and fo inconveniently fituated. They concluded by intreating his return, with his lady and family, to the palace, which would afford great public fatisfaction, and be the likelieft means of quieting the minds of the people.

Lord Dunmore returned 10th. a written anfwer, in which he juftified his apprehenfions of danger, from the public notoriety of the commotions among the people, as well as of the threats and menaces with which they were attended; befides complaints of the general conduct and difpofition of the Houfe of Burgeffes, he fpecified feveral charges against that body:

that they had countenanced the violent and disorderly proceedings of the people, particularly with refpect to the magazine, which was forced and rifled in the prefence of fome of their members; that inftead of the commitment of those perfons who had been guilty of fo daring and heinous an offence, they only endeavoured to procure a reftitution of the arms. That the Houfe, or its Committee, had ventured upon a step fraught with the moft alarming confequences, in appointing guards, without his approbation or confent, under pretence of protecting the magazine, fhewing thereby a defign of ufurping the executive power, and of fubverting the conftitution.

He obferved, that no means could be effectual for affording the fecurity which they promifed to concur in, but, by reinflating him in the full powers of his office, by opening the courts of justice, and reftoring the energy of the laws; by difarming all independent companies, or other bodies of men, raised and acting in defiance of legal authority; by obliging the immediate return of the King's arms and ftores; and by, what was not lefs effential than any other matter, their own example, and their endeavours to remove that general delufion which kept the minds of the people in a continual ferment, and thereby to abolish that malice and fpirit of perfecution, which now operated fo dangerously against all thofe, who from duty and affection to their King and country, oppofed the prefent measures, and who from principle and conviction differed with the multitude in political opinion. That these were the means to af

ford the fecurity requifite for all parties; and that, for the accomplishment of thofe ends, together with the great object and neceffary bufinefs of the feffion, he fhould have no objection to their adjourning to the town of York, where he would meet them, and remain till the bufinefs was finished.

He concluded by reprefenting, that unless they had a fincere and active defire of feizing the opportunity which was now offered by parliament, of establishing the freedom of their country upon a fixed and known foundation, and of uniting themselves with their fellow-fubjects of Great Britain in one common bond of intereft and mutual affiftance, his return to Williamsburg would be as fruitless to the people, as it might poffibly be dangerous to himself; but that if their proceedings manifefted that happy difpofition, he would return with the greatest joy, and confider it as the most fortunate event of his life, if they gave him an opportunity to be an inftrument of promoting their happiness, and of being a fuccefsful mediator between them and the fupreme authority.

The mollifying terms of the conclufion, were by no means equal to the removal of the acrimony excited by thofe fevere charges and implications, which were contained in the foregoing parts of this long meffage. It accordingly produced a reply of an uncommon length, under the form of an addrefs, which was fraught with all the bitterness of recrimination, as well as with defenfive arguments, and an examination of facts. The Houfe had now received the report of its Committee relative to the caufes

of the late difturbances, backed by the depofitions of a number of Britifh merchants, who were refident in different and romote parts of the colony, all whofe teftimony tended to fhew the general tranquillity which prevailed previous to the late affair of the powder, and the Governor's declaration relative to the flaves, the latter of which, fo far as it was believed, having particularly irritated the people; that notwithflanding, quiet and order were foon every where restored, and ftill continued; that there was a general acquiefcence every where in the determinations of the General and Provincial Congrefs; but they all concurred in believing, that the people had no defign or with of an independency on Great Britain; and fome, that, on the contrary, they had a most eager defire for fuch a connection, as it ftood before the late acts of parliament; they were unanimous in their opinion, that a redrefs of the grievances complained of, would establish a perfect tranquillity, and produce a reconciliation with the parent state.

To refute the charges or infinuations of difaffection and difloyalty, the Houfe of Burgeffes took a re trofpective view of the behaviour of the people, and of feveral tranfactions in the colony, for fome years back; they ftated the happinefs which they derived under the conduct of former Governors, as a strong contraft to their prefent fituation; they attributed that hap pinefs, particularly in a very late instance, to the discountenancing of tale-bearers and malicious informers, to a proper examination of every fubject, and the taking of nothing upon truft; and, finally, [B] 4

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to the tranfmitting home a faithful reprefentation of things in the colony. They stated their former conduct and behaviour with refpect to his Lordship, and obferved, that changes feldom happened without fome fufficient caufe; that respect was not to be obtained by force from a free people; that nothing was fo likely to infure it, as dignity of character, a candid and exemplary conduct. That they did not mean to infinuate his Lordfhip would, defignedly, mifreprefent facts; but that it was much to be feared, he too eafily gave credit to defigning perfons, who, to the great injury of the community, poffeffed much too large a share of his confidence.

They controverted the facts, and examined with great feverity, the reprefentations and charges contained in thofe two letters to the Earl of Dartmouth, which we have already taken notice of; thefe they reprefented as exceedingly injurious and unjuft, as founded on mifconception, misinformation, the height of colouring, the misftating, or the affumption of facts without evidence. They then proceeded to justify the fteps which had been taken with regard to the militia; their fuppofed countenance to the acts done concerning the magazine, and the other matters which firit excited, and afterwards inflamed, the controversy. 14th.

The Houfe of Burgeffes also prefented their addrefs in answer to the Governor's fpeech, in which they entered into a long difcuffion of the propofition contained in the parliamentary refolution, founded upon Lord North's conciliatory motion. This they combated upon the fame grounds,

and with a variety of arguments of the fame nature, that we have formerly ftated; and they ultimately declared, that as it only changed the form of oppreffion, without leffening its burthen, they could not clofe with its terms. They obferved, however, that thefe were only offered as the fentiments of an individual part of the whole empire; and for a final determination, they referred the affair to the General Congress, before whom they would lay the papers. To them alfo they referred the difcovery of that proper mode of reprefenting their well-founded grievances, which his Lordship affured them, would meet with the attention and regard fo juftly due to them. For themfelves, they made the following declaration: "We have exhaufted every mode of application which our invention could fuggeft, as proper and promifing. We have decently remonftrated with parliament; they have added new injuries to the old. We have wearied our King with fupplications; he has not deigned to anfwer us. We have appealed to the native honour and juftice of the British nation; their efforts in our favour have been hitherto ineffectual."

In this ftate of distrust and illhumour on both fides, every day afforded new ground for bickering, and every incident fresh room for altercation, fo that there was a continued intercourfe, by addrefes, meffages, and anfwers, between the Houfe of Burgeffes and the Fowey. This was a fingular fituation; an attempt to govern, without choofing, or finding it fafe, to fet a foot on fhore in the country to be governed.

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At length, the neceffary bills having paffed the affembly, and the advanced feafon requiring their attendance in their feveral countries, the council and Burgeffes jointly intreated the Governor's prefence, to give his affent to them and finish the feffion. They obferved, that though the bufinefs had been greatly impeded by his abfence from the feat of government, and they had fubmitted to the inconvenience of repeatedly fending their members twelve miles to attend his Excellency on board a fhip of war, they could not but think it highly improper, and too great a departure from the conftitutional and accustomed mode of tranfacting their búfinefs, to prefent the bills to him at any other place than the capital.

Lord Dunmore in his anfwer was fomewhat rough. He inufted upon his right of calling them to any place in the colony, where the exigence of affairs might render their attendance neceffary. He further obferved, that as he had not been made acquainted with the whole proceedings of the Affembly, he knew of no bills of importance, which, if he were inclined to rifque his perfon again among the people, they had to prefent to him, nor whether they were fuch as he could affent to if they had.

To obviate thefe objections, though it was an unprecedented act, the Affembly fent the bills, as well as other papers which were afterwards demanded, on board the Fowey, for his infection. The most interesting of thofe bills, feemingly to all parties, was that for the payment of the forces, who had lately, under his Lordship's command, fuffered confiderably, at

the fame time that they had done. effential fervice to their country, by their bravery and fuccefs in the late Indian war. This bill was objected to by the Governor, far its impofing a tax upon the importation of flaves, and for fome informality in respect to the emiffion of paper money. The other bills were approved of.

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This produced the final addrefs from the Houfe of Burgeffes, in which they intreated his Excellency, that he would meet them the enfuing day at Williamsburg, to pafs the bills that were ready expreffed their hopes, that he could not ftill entertain any groundlefs fears of perfonal danger; but declared, that if it was poffible he remained. under fo ftrange an influence, they pledged their honours, and every thing facred, for his fecurity. If nothing could prevail, they requested that he would grant a commiffion for paffing fuch bills as he approved.

Lord Dunmore perfifted in the objections he had made to the bill; faid that the well-grounded caufe he had for believing his perfon not fafe at Williamsburgh, had increated daily. That he therefore could not meet them, as they requefted, at the capital; but that he would be ready to receive the Houfe on the following Monday, at his prefent refidence, for the purpofe of giving his affent to fuch acts as he should approve of.

This anfwer put an end to all public correfpondence and business between the Governor and colony. The transferring the Legislative Council and House of Reprefentatives of a great country on board a man of war, was evidently not to be expected. Their danger in fuch

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