6. bring all fuch betrayers of their country to the most condign punishment-And further, they do mutually refolve to defend the liberty of the prefs in their respective colonies from all unlawful violations and impediments whatever, on account of the faid act, as the only means (under divine Providence) of preferving their lives, liberties and fortunes, and the fame in regard to the judges, clerks, attornies, &c. that shall proceed without any regard to the ftamp-at, from all pains, fines, mulcts, penalties, or any molestation whatever-And finally, that they will, to the utmost of their power, endeavour to bring about, accomplish, and perfect the like affociation with all the colonies on the continent for the like falutary purposes and no other," The oppofition to the ftamp-act raged apparently more in New York and Connecticut than in the Massachusetts; but the affociation being agreed upon, was fent by exprefs to the fons of liberty at Boston, and received Sun1766. day the second of February 1766. On its receipt, letters were forwarded to a few individuals; and on the Feb. fixth of February, a circular letter to the several towns in the colony, containing the affociation, and the defire of the first original affociators to accomplish the like afsociation, with a request to be informed of the fentiments and difpofitions of the people in fuch towns. letter was also fent on the fame fubject, to the fons of liberty at Portsmouth in Hampshire colony. They met; and in their answer of February the eighth, teftified their approbation of the measure already taken, and their determination to oppofe the execution of the stampact, &c, A The The Boston fons of liberty accepted the propofal of uniting themselves to New York and Connecticut; and in their letter to the brotherhood at Norwich, proposed to commence a continental union, of which the latter greatly approved in their anfwer of February the tenth. On February the thirteenth, the fons of liberty at Bof- 13. ton wrote a circular letter to New Hampshire, Connecticut and New York; and before the month was ended, the New Yorkers fent circular letters as far as South Carolina, urging a continental union. Most of the towns in the Massachusetts, having been applied to, fignified "their determination to march with their whole force to the fupport of the British constitution, and confequently the relief of thofe that fhall or may be in any danger from the ftamp-act or its abet tors." It is not to be fuppofed, that the diforderly proceedings, above related, were chargeable folely on the dregs of the colonies. The fons of liberty at New York, who held regular meetings, were faid to be directed by much greater perfons than any that appeared among them. The mobs confifted not of mere rabble; but were compofed much of independent freemen and freeholders, fo that fome of the firft people in the provinces were intimidated, and left the cause of the parliament without proper fupport. Merchants, affemblymen, magiftrates, &c. united directly or indirectly in the riots, and without their influence and inftigation the lower clafs of inhabitants would have been quiet; but great pains were taken to rouse them into action. At Boston fuch was the protection and countenance given to the rioters, that fome of the principal ringleaders walked the streets with 0 4 with impunity, no officer daring to attack them, no attorney general to profecute them, no witness to appear against them, and no judge to fit upon them. But when the enormities are faid to have originated from the Prefbyterians and Congregationalifts, the charge must be imputed to malevolence, or to grofs ignorance, or a mixture of both. The gentlemen on the fide of government, who were upon the spot, in their letters written at the time, placed them to the account of the Virginia refolves. Mr. Hutchinfon tells his correfpondent, "Nothing extravagant appeared in the papers till an account was received of the Virginia refolves." Mr. Hughes writes, "the fire began in Virginia:" governor Bernard, "the publishing the Virginia refolutions proved an alarum bell to the difaffected:" another, in his letter to Mr. Secretary Conway, from New York, "the refolves of the affembly of Virginia gave the fignal for a general outcry over the continent." The Virginians are epifcopalians, and if there is either blame or merit, in exciting that fixed and spirited oppofition to the ftamp-act, which followed upon their refolves, let them be credited for the fame to them belongs the honor or difgrace; and folely to particular colonies the difgrace of the feveral enormities committed in them. The bulk of the people at Boston are congregationalifts; at New York, the prefbyterians, including the Dutch and foreign focieties, may poffibly be fully equal to, or even exceed the epifcopalians. At Newport all denominations are equally encouraged, and enjoy no afcendency over each other, and therefore might be equally concerned, the peaceable quakers excepted. At New York the most violent actors were epifcopalians; at Bofton, congregationalists; though though here they were joined by a number of epifcopalians, and there by a number of prefbyterians. 10. People in Britain were differently affected by the difturbances in the colonies. This party was for fupporting the authority of parliament at all adventures, and for enforcing the ftamp-act, if needful, with the point of the sword; that for quieting the colonies by the repeal of it. Happy for them, Mr. Grenville and his party had thrown themfelves out of place on a difference as to the regency bill; fo that the marquis of Rockingham and others in oppofition, who were better 1765. inclined to the Americans, came into office. The mar- July quis and his friends did not come to a refolution directly to repeal the act. The main lines of their own plan were not marked out, nor the repeal determined upon, until a little before the meeting of parliament. But the choice of the measure, and of the principle to proceed upon was made before the feffion. The papers relative to American affairs were produced to the house of commons: and it was a kind of plan on all fides, to maintain the authority of parliament, and by that very authority to give the colonies every relief the nature of the cafe required. But the great commoner Mr. Pitt, who neither communicated, nor connected himself with any one, came to the house and declared, that parliament had no right to tax the colonies; and faid alfo, I am glad America has refifted. He hereby deranged matters; threw the opposition into a rage; and reduced the miniftry to a neceffity of accompanying the repeal, with the declaratory bill, expreffive of the right of parliament to bind the colonies in all cafes whatever. Mr. 1766. Mr. Grenville moved, that the stamp-act should be enforced, and was fupported by 134, but oppofed by 274. The merchants and manufacturers joined their efforts with miniftry to obtain a repeal. They were alarmed at the non-importation agreement, and the confufions which existed, as being neceffarily prejudicial to their own interefts, and tending to the deftruction of commerce. The miniftry did not fail to encourage petitions, complaining of hardships brought on by the great decay of trade to the American colonies; and alfo inftructions to members from the trading and manufacturing towns. The petition of congrefs was not admitted: the members not being called together by the authority of the crown, though a futile was yet a prevailing argument against its admiffion. But the repeal was grounded on the other petitions; and after a fix weeks inquiry into American affairs, was moved for, with the greatest propriety, by general Conway, the fecretary, who had opposed the stamp-bill at the fecond reading, and denied the right of parliament to tax the Americans. The debate, which enfued, was warm, interefting and Feb. long. But, by three o'clock in the morning, "the 22. house, by an independent noble spirited and unexpected majority, in the teeth of all the old mercenary Swiss of the state, in despite of all the fpeculators and augurs of political events, in defiance of the whole embattled legion of veteran penfioners and practifed inftruments of court, gave a total repeal to the stamp-act, and (if the scheme of taxing the colonies had been totally abandoned) a lafting peace to the whole empire *." The motion was carried by 275, against 167. The cyder counties * Mr. Edmund Burke's fpeech, April 19, 1774• fup |