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reported by a committee of which Otis and Adams were members, discouraging foreign importations and stimulating home industries. These were passed with no dissenting voice but that of stalwart Timothy Ruggles, who, having honestly espoused the cause of King and Parliament, opposed himself now to the strong set of the popular current, careless of results to himself, with the same soldierly resolution he had brought to the aid of Abercrombie and Sir Jeffery Amherst in the hard fighting of the old French war.'

It was during this session of the House, after Major Hawley had held forth on the necessity of representation to render taxation allowable, that General Ruggles observed: 'As they were desirous of sending members to Parliament, and there was no doubt but that Great Britain would indulge their wish, he would recommend a merchant, a friend of his, who was ready to transport their representatives to England for half what they would sell for when they got there.' 2

1 Hosmer, Samuel Adams, ch. vii., 'The True Sentiments of America.'

2 Life of Sir Francis Bernard. This rejoinder is also mentioned by the Governor in a letter to Lord Barrington; he there ascribes it to an old member whose name and character are well known in England.' In the Life, General Ruggles is mentioned by name.

BOSTON AGAIN IN REVOLT

109

CHAPTER XXI

CONSEQUENCES OF THE NEW TAX

Boston again in Revolt-Lord Hillsborough succeeds Lord Shelburne-Objects of the Popular Fury-Governor Bernard protests to Lord Hillsborough against the Breaches of Faith towards him—Mr. Hutchinson again excluded from the Council-Dr. Gordon's Account of the Seizure of the Sloop Liberty-Violence of the Mob-Commissioner Temple-The Impressing of Seamen-The British Government orders the Resolution against the Importation of British Goods to be rescinded-The Assembly declines to rescind-The Assembly dissolved-Commodore Hood's Opinion on the Situation-Differences of Opinion in England.

IT must astonish everyone who realises the antipathy of the Bostonians to the Custom House and everything connected with it that the British Government should have risked appointing Commissioners to superintend the introduction of the new tax without taking stringent measures for their support in the execution of their duties. The slightest attention to advices received, describing the increased boldness of the popular attitude, might have prevented this mistake. No doubt there were many minds in England, and the result was confusion. The excited state of public feeling drove out the Chatham Ministry in December 1767, but before the Grafton Ministry could do anything-before, indeed, it could agree as to what ought to be done-Boston was once more in revolt.

Thomas Bernard says that

the winter had passed with some degree of alarm to the Commissioners of the Customs. Tumults originating in caprice, and designed for intimidation, had occasionally interrupted the peace of the town. The Commissioners applied to the Governor, who informed them-what indeed was sufficiently and generally understood that the Government of that province was in a state perfectly defenceless.1

Life of Sir Francis Bernard.

1

As the year advanced these tumults became alarming. The Earl of Hillsborough, previously First Lord of Trade, had now succeeded the Earl of Shelburne in the management of American affairs. This change, which was not precisely coincident with the change in the Ministry, but which took place in January 1768, was not known to Governor Bernard in March, when he despatched the letter quoted in the last chapter and two other letters containing accounts of disturbances in Boston, and they are consequently addressed to Lord Shelburne. A portion of each of these two last-mentioned letters is here transcribed. On March 21 Mr. Bernard writes:

About the middle of February one Malcom, a trader, who about eighteen months before made himself famous by a violent and riotous resistance to the Custom-house officers endeavouring to search his house for uncustomed goods (of which there is a very full account in your Lordship's office), expecting a schooner laden with Fyal wines to come in, asked an officer of the Customs what indulgence he might expect in regard to the duties. The officer answered him, None at all; he must pay the whole duties. Malcom replied, he was glad to know what he had to trust to. Some days after the schooner came in, and was ordered to anchor among the islands five miles below the town. From thence the cargo, consisting, as is said, of above sixty pipes of wine, was landed in the night and carried in drays to different cellars, each load being guarded by a party of men with clubs. This business employed a number of men the greatest part of the night, and was as notorious, by the noise it occasioned for many hours together, as if it had been done at noonday. The lading of the schooner was also publicly known and talked of long before she arrived. She appeared plainly when she came up to town, by well-known marks, to have been lightened a yard or more, and was evidently too light to bear the sea. Nevertheless, the master went to the Custom-house and swore that she came from Suranam in ballast, and had landed nothing since she left that port.

Two or three days after, this Malcom procured a meeting of some merchants and traders, at which he presided. Their deliberations were sanguine, and full of high pretensions; but

1 The dates and other particulars of the 'Chatham' and 'Grafton' Administrations are taken from Haydn's Dictionary of Dates.

MERCHANTS AND THE CUSTOMS

111

nothing was determined upon but to call a general meeting of the merchants on Friday, March the 4th. This may be said to be the first movement of the merchants against the Acts of Parliament; all the proceedings before were carried on at town meetings, and were rather upon refinements of policy than concern for trade. There never was less reason for the merchants to complain of the regulations of trade than at present; there never was a greater plenty of money, or a more apparent balance of trade in their favour, of which the state of exchange with London, which now is and for a long time has been at par, is an irrefragable evidence. However the merchants are at length dragged into the cause; their intercourse and connections with the politicians, and the fear of opposing the stream of the people, have at length brought it about against the sense of an undoubted majority both of numbers, property and weight. Accordingly the result of this meeting was, that a subscription for not importing any English goods, except for the fishery for eighteen months, should be prepared and carried round the town, and a committee was appointed for that purpose. This was the same night that the little mob with the drum passed by the Town-house.1

In the next paragraph Mr. Bernard says: 'There are still remaining enough of the most respectable merchants in the town, non-subscribers, to defeat this scheme.' The allusion to the little mob with the drum' refers to a letter written two days before, of which a portion will now be quoted. It is here utilised after its successor, because the latter gives information of events which took place in February; whereas the previous letter contains a narrative of proceedings in March only:

It is some time since there have been frequently reports of insurrections intended, in which it has been said the houses of one or more of the Commissioners and their officers would be pulled down; two were more particularly fixed upon. Upon one of these nights a number of lads, about a hundred, paraded the town with a drum and horns, passed by the Council Chamber whilst I was sitting there in Council, assembled before Mr. Paxton's (a Commissioner's) house, and huzza'd, and to the number of at least sixty lusty fellows (as I am assured) invested

1 Letters to the Ministry: Extract of a Letter from Governor Bernard to the Earl of Shelburne,' dated Boston, March 21, 1768.

Mr. Burch's (another Commissioner's) house for some time, so that his lady and children were obliged to go out at the back door to avoid the danger which was threatened. This kind of disturbance was kept up all the evening, and after all was treated as the diversion of a few boys, a matter of no consequence. This was, I think, on March the 4th.

After this it was reported that the insurrection was postponed till March 18, which was the anniversary of the repeal of the Stamp Act, upon which day effigies were to be exhibited, and two persons, Mr. Paxton, a Commissioner, and Mr. Williams, one of the inspectors-general, were mentioned as devoted to the resentment of the mob. I took all the pains I could to discover the truth of this report, but could get no other answer but assurances that no such thing would be done or suffered. On the very day before I spoke with the most knowing men I could procure, who were very positive that no effigies would be hung up, and yet late that evening I had certain advice that effigies were prepared ; but it was too late to do anything, and my information was of that nature I could not make use of it in public.

Early the next morning the Sheriff came to me to inform me that the effigies of Mr. Paxton and Mr. Williams were hanging upon Liberty Tree. I had the day before appointed a Council to meet, and I now sent round to get them together as soon as possible it might be. Before I went to Council I learned that the effigies had been taken down by some of the neighbours without opposition.

At Council I set forth in strong terms the atrociousness of the insult, the danger of its being followed by actual violence, and the necessity there was of providing for the preservation of the peace of the town. But all I could say made no impression upon the Council; they persevered in treating the affair as of no consequence, and assuring me that there was no danger of any commotion. After they had given their opinion as in the enclosed copy of the minutes, I received a letter from the Commissioners, setting forth the insult they had received, the danger they apprehended, and desiring the protection of Government. I communicated this to the Council, and proposed that they should reconsider this business; but finding them not inclined to depart from their opinion as before given, I adjourned the reconsideration till the afternoon. In the afternoon, upon the question being put to them again, they adhered to their former opinion.

I should have mentioned before, that under all these assurances I had, that there would be no disturbances, it was never

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