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June

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be fet apart as a day of fafting and humiliation, devoutly to implore the divine interpofition, for averting the heavy calamity which threatened deftruction to their civil rights, and the evils of a civil war, and for giving one heart and one mind to the people, firmly to op pofe every injury to the American rights. This occafioned their diffolution, but before they feparated, eightynine of the members entered into an affociation, in which they declared, "That an attack made on one of our fifter colonies, to compel fubmiffion to arbitrary taxes, is an attack made on all British America, and threatens ruin to the rights of all, unless the united wif dom of the whole be applied." They recommended to the committee of correfpondence, to communicate with the feveral committees of the other provinces, on the expediency of appointing deputies, from the different colonies, to meet annually in general congrefs, to deliberate on those measures, which the united interests of America might from time to time require.

Business was finished at the custom-house in Boston at twelve o'clock at noon, and the harbour fhut up against all veffels bound thither; and after the fourteenth none were to be allowed to depart. The day was devoutly kept at Williamsburgh in Virginia, as a day of fafting and humiliation. There was a folemn paufe in the bufinefs of Philadelphia. If we except the Quakers, near nine-tenths of the citizens fhut up their houfes; and the bells were rung muffled all the day. It was observed in other places as a day of mourning.

The Maffachusetts general court met at Salem according to adjournment, and a committee was appointed to confider and report the ftate of the province. Mr.

Samuel

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Samuel Adams obferved, that fomé of the committee
were for mild measures, which he judged no ways fuited
to the prefent emergency. He conferred with Mr. War-
ren of Plymouth upon the neceffity of giving into fpi-
rited measures, and then said, "Do you keep the com-
mittee in play, and I will go and make a caucus * against
the evening; and do you meet me." Mr. S. Adams
fecured a meeting of about five principal members of
the house, at the time fpecified; and repeated his en-
deavours against the next night; and fo as to the third,
when they were more than thirty: the friends of adini-
niftration knew nothing of the matter.
The popular
leaders took the fenfe of the members in a private way,
and found that they should be able to carry their scheme
by a fufficient majority. They had their whole plan
completed, prepared their refolves, and then determined

* The word caucus, and its derivative caucufing, are often used in Boston. The laft anfwers much to what we ftile parliamenteering or electioneering. All my repeated applications to different gentlemen have not furnished me with a fatisfactory account of the origin of cautus. It feems to mean, a number of perfons, whether more or less, met together to confult upon adopting and profecuting some scheme of policy, for carrying a favorite point. The word is not of novel invention. More than fifty years ago, Mr. Samuel Adams's father, and twenty others, one or two from the north end of the town, where all the fhip bufinefs is carried on, used to meet, make a caucus, and lay their plan for introducing certain perfons into places of trust and power. When they had fettled it, they feparated, and ufed each their particular influence within his own circle. He and his friends would furnish themfelves with ballots, including the names of the parties fixed upon, which they diftributed on the days of election.. By acting in concert, together with a careful and extenfive diftribution of ballots, they generally carried the elections to their own mind. In like manner it was, that Mr. Samuel Adams first became a reprefentative for Bofton..

upon

17. upon bringing the bufinefs forward. But before they went upon it, the door-keeper was ordered to let no one whatsoever in, and no one was to go out: however when the business opened, a minifterial member pleaded a call of nature, which is always regarded, and was allowed to go out. He then ran to give information of what was doing, and a meffenger was dispatched to general Gage, who lived at some distance. The fecretary was fent off to diffolve the general court; found the door fastened; knocked for entrance, but was anfwered, that the house was upon very important business, which when they had finished, they would let him in. As he could obtain no entrance, he read the proclamation upon the steps leading to the reprefentatives' chamber, in the hearing of feveral members and others on the outfide with him, and immediately after in the council, thus diffolving the general court. The house, while fitting with their doors fhut, appointed Thomas Cufhing, Samuel Adams, Robert Treat Pain, James Bowdoin, and John Adams, efqrs. as their committee to meet other committees, that might be convened the first of September at Philadelphia, voted them five hundred pounds lawful (feventy-five pounds fterling each) and chofe a treasurer. They recommended alfo to the feveral towns and dif tricts, the raising the faid fum, by equitable proportions, according to the last provincial tax-a recommendation which had all the force of a law. It was a triumph to many of the fons of liberty, to think that the houfe had out-generalled the governor.

Sometime before the diffolution of the general court, near upon three hundred citizens of Philadelphia met and appointed a committee to write to Bofton. Their

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letter was temperate and firm. They acknowledged the difficulty of offering the inhabitants advice upon the fad occafion that exifted; wifhed first to have the sense of the province in general; and obferved that all lenient applications for obtaining redrefs fhould be tried, before recourse was had to extremities. They remarked that it might perhaps be right to take the fenfe of a general congress, before the defperate measure of putting an entire ftop to commerce was adopted; and that it might be right at any rate, to referve that measure as the last refource when all other means had failed. They mentioned, that if the making of reftitution to the East India company for their teas would put an end to the unhappy controverfy, and leave the people of Boston upon their ancient footing of conftitutional liberty, it could not admit of a moment's doubt what part they should take; but they added, it was not the value of the tea, it was the indefeasible right of giving and granting their own money, a right from which they could never recede, that was now the matter of confideration.

The importance and neceffity of a general congress was foon felt by every colony, fo that the measure taken by the Maffachusetts was gradually adopted by the others.

Maryland, whofe zeal in the cause of liberty was ardent, had a meeting of the committees appointed by the feveral counties, at the city of Annapolis, who June elected five deputies for that province," to attend a 25. general congrefs, at fuch time and place as may be agreed on; to effect one general plan of conduct, operating on the commercial connection of the colonies with the

mother

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mother country, for the relief of Bofton and prefervation of American liberty."

This meeting commenced three days before the election of deputies; and confidering the diftance of Salem from Annapolis, cannot be afcribed to the tranfaction of the Maffachusetts affembly on the feventeenth; befide, it appears from the words at fuch time and place as may be agreed on, that the committees did not know, that the Maffachusetts affembly had mentioned the convening of a general congrefs on the firft of September at Philadelphia.

When the opinion of the Boston town-meeting, refpecting a joint refolution of the colonies to ftop all importation and exportation till the port-bill was repealed, arrived in South Carolina; it was prefented to a number of the principal gentlemen in Charlestown. The mode propofed was thought to be of too much confequence to be adopted without the univerfal confent of the people. It was therefore determined to request a meeting of the inhabitants. That this might be as general as poffible, circular letters were fent by exprefs to every parish and diftrict within the colony.

July A great number from almost every part of South Carolina met at Charlestown. The proceedings of parliament against Bofton and the Maffachusetts-bay were diftinctly related to this convention of the people; on which, without one diffenting voice, they came into various refolutions. Among others they refolved, "That five gentlemen be appointed deputies on the behalf of this colony, to meet the deputies of the feveral colonies in North America in general congrefs, to confider the act lately paffed, and bills depending in parliament, with

regard

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