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General Gage receiving intelligence that cannon and carriages were depofited in the neighbourhood of Salem, fent a corps of troops from the caftle, under lieutenant colonel Leflie, on board a tranfport, to feize and bring them away. They landed at Marblehead, proceeded to Salem, found nothing there, and paffed on to the draw-bridge leading to Danvers, where a number of people affembled, and those of the oppofite fide took up the bridge to prevent their croffing. The officer ordered it to be let down; the people peremptorily refused, faying, "It is a private road, and you have no authority to demand a paffage this way." On this refufal he determined to make ufe of the boats which were at hand; his intention was perceived, and the owners jumped into their own boats, and with their axes fcuttled them, to make them useless for the present; during the tranfaction there was fome fcuffle between them and the foldiers. Things were apparently tending to an extremity. The reverend Mr. Bernard, a congregational clergyman of Salem, and other gentlemen, urged the letting down of the draw-bridge; but it was not done, till much time had been spent in altercation, during which period the articles, that colonel Leflie was after, were conveyed away. When the opportunity of croffing offered, he marched about thirty rods, to the spot where the artificers had been employed in making carriages, &c. but finding nothing, and it being now late in the evening, returned and went on board the tranfport without meeting with any moleftation. This expedition took place on the Lord's day, which might contribute to its ending happily without mifchief. On other day, when the people were not attending pub

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lic worship, but difperfed about and following their fecular business, the landing of the troops would have been discovered, and fome quarrel might have enfued while they were making it good, or afterward upon their march. The governor probably pitched upon the Lord's day, in hope that it would prevent every painful cataftrophe; but the expedition spread an alarm.

The Maffachusetts congrefs were displeased with the proceedings of the New York general affembly; who renounced all concern with the late continental congrefs, declined choofing delegates for the propofed new one, and in their own fingle capacity, fent a petition to the king, a memorial to the lords, and a remonftrance to the house of commons. In the remonftrance they reprefented the grievances, under which they labored, by the innovations that had been made in the conftitutional mode of government, fince the clofe of the laft war. They renounced the moft diftant defire of independence, acknowledged the fupreme government of the British parliament over the whole empire, and their authority to regulate the trade of the colonies: remonftrated in the behalf of their brethren in the Maffachusetts, for whose diftreffes they could not help feeling; but at the fame time expreffed their disapprobation of the violent measures purfued in fome of the colonies. They claimed a restoration of those rights which they enjoyed before the close of the war; but without entertaining an idea of diminishing the power of the mother country, or leffening the dignity of parliament. Should the miniftry embrace the opening thus given by the general affembly of New York, they may poffibly separate this central province from the others, and break the com

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munication

munication between the northern and the fouthern. But the apprehenfion of fuch an event is abated by the intelligence, which the Maffachusetts congrefs have received from the city of New York. The whig citizens, whose hearts were fet upon having delegates for the new continental congrefs, upon the affembly's declining to appoint them, contrived to collect their fellow citizens together in order to obtain their opinion. When affembled in a body, there was a confused cry of " ConMar. grefs or no congrefs?" After much altercation, the to5. ries had a recourfe to compulfive reasoning, and began

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dealing about their blows. The whigs were in the worst fituation, not being provided with fimilar arguments, till two of their party repaired to an adjoining cooper's yard, from whence they drew forth to the affiftance of their friends a number of hoop-fticks, which they reduced to a proper length, and forwarded to the combatants. The whigs, being thus fupplied, foon carried the day by club law, and beat their opponents off the ground. The tories, being worsted, and not a little terrified, left the fury of captain (whom they term in a way of reproach king) Sears fhould lead him to head a mob, and do them fome capital injury, promoted a provincial convention, which otherwife would not have exifted. The battle royal at New York will prove the turning point as to that colony.

The Maffachusetts congrefs continued their feffion, and recommended the fixteenth of March to be observed as the annual day for fafting and prayer, which was kept accordingly, by the inhabitants of Boston, no lefs than of the country. But they did not prefume to rely upon religious exercifes in the neglect of thofe civil means

which prudence prefcribed. The people, both within and without, used every device for conveying fafely from Bofton into the country, all kinds of military articles, which might be wanted in cafe of a rupture. Cannon, balls, and fuch like heavy stores, were put into carts and carried out over the neck, under the appearance of loads of dung. Half barrels of gunpowder were put into butchers peds, or the hampers of the market people, and brought out under fome flight negligent and unfufpected cover, as they returned home in the evening. Cartridges were packed up in candle-boxes, and fent off under that deception; but fome were at length difcovered. The foldiers on the neck did not make many prizes, however one day they feized 13,425 muf- 18. ket cartridges, with 3000lb. weight of ball, which, though private property, the general was warranted in refusing to restore, on the application of the owner.

That general Gage might not fucceed in feizing any military stores in the country, fhould he send out troops upon that errand, the committee of fafety had voted four days before, "that members from this committee, belonging to Charlestown, Cambridge and Roxbury, be defired to procure at least two men, for a watch every night to be placed in each of thefe towns, and that faid members be in readiness to fend couriers forward to the towns where the magazines are placed, when fallies are made from the army at night."

The felectmen of the town of Billerica prefented a 23. most spirited remonftrance to general Gage, on account of an inhabitant of that town's being tarred and feathered, and much abused on the 8th of the month, by a party of his majesty's 47th regiment, under the command

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mand of lieutenant colonel Nefbit. The firmness, refolution and freedom, with which the people both of town and country have conducted, when their business called them to an intercourfe with the governor, have often embarraffed and convinced him, that they were not wholly destitute of sterling courage. There might be fome ground for punishing the perfon, whose case produced the remonftrance; but the punishment fhould have been under the direction of a civil and not a military officer, and of another kind; for, though it may be deemed a retaliation upon the country, it has tended greatly to irritate.

The Maffachusetts congrefs were folicitous to keep their proceedings from coming to the knowledge of general Gage; but from feveral circumstances which occurred, they entertained a strong fufpicion, that they had fome one among them, who betrayed their counfels. A gentleman, who is not a ftranger to many confiderable defects in the moral and political character of Dr. Church, is apprehenfive that he is the perfon; but is exceedingly cautious of mentioning his fufpicion, confidering the high reputation in which the doctor is among the fons of liberty.

General Gage marched out about eleven hundred men into the country; who, doing much damage by throwing down the ftone fences, occafioned a committee's waiting upon the Maffachusetts congrefs on the Saturday, when upon the point of adjourning; which kept them fitting till they received on the Monday following, accounts by a veffel from Falmouth, of what parliament had done and was doing, in relation to their colony.