With refpect to what happened on the 18th of March, which was a day of rejoicing, and on fuch days diforders are not uncommon in populous places, it was too inconfiderable to make it a fubject of reprefentation, and could not have been made the fubject of fo injurious an one but by perfons difpofed to bring mifery, and diftrefs upon the town and province.

In regard to the riot of the 10th of June, of which the board have repeatedly expreffed their abhorrence and have adyifed that the perpetrators of it fhould be profecuted by the attorney-general, the board have in their answer to his Excellency's reprefentation laid before them the 27th. of July laft, given a juft account of the occafion of that riot; and as they apprehend it neceflary that the faid account, together with all the proceedings at that time fhould be made publick, they again defire his Excellency will order the faid reprefentation and answer to be printed as foon as may be in the public news-papers.

From the BOSTON (New England) GAZETTE of October 3.

The refult of the conferences and confultations of the committees chofen by ninety-fix towns and eight diftricts, convened at Boften on the 22d of September, is in fubftance as follows:

;

"The committees confidering themfelves only as fo many private fellow-fubjects, convened from divers towns, at the request of their inhabitants, have made known to each other the loyal and dutiful difpofition of the fame, and their desire that no irregular fteps fhould be taken by the people, but that all conftitutional and prudential methods fhould be clofely attended to, for the redrefs of their grievances; and the said committees, in pursuance of the pacifick intention of their meeting, have confidered that the gracious attention of his moft facred majefty to the caufe and grounds of our complaints, is the only regular fource of relief from our prefent diftreffes and that the house of reprefentatives in February laft did prefer fuch a petition to his facred majefty as by them was thought beft adapted to obtain relief; and at the fame time did write letters to divers noble lords, and others, to intreat their attention to our publick difficulties: which petition to his majesty we are in hopes has before this time reached the royal prefence, and will ere long have the defired effect. And as we cannot but ftill entertain the hopes that his Excellency our governor, will foon think fit to call a house of reprefentatives, who may, if they fee occafion therefore, prefer further petitions to his majefty for our redress, we are therefore humbly of opinion, that though the prefent appearance of our publick affairs is alarming and diftreffing,

yet

yet that the common cause of obtaining the redress of the heavy grievances under which we labour, will be best served. by a firm adherence to the principles of the conftitution, and a close attention to the peace and good order of fociety.

"And confidering the dreadful confequences of tumult and diforder, we think it our duty, as friends to our common caufe, to give our free and fincere advice, not in an authoritative, but meerly in a friendly manner, that we should all of us compofe our minds, and avoid any undue expreffions of refentment, &c. into which our prefent calamities may betray us; and to attend with all due patience, the refult of his majesty's wisdom and clemency, from whence we reasonably expect to receive our much defired relief. And it is our firm refolution, in our feveral ftations, at all times, to yield every poffible affiftance to the civil magiftrate, in the fuppreffion of riots and tumults, and in preferving the peace; being humbly of opinion, that the poffe comitatus, when legally called in aid of the civil power, will ever be fufficient to restrain all orders of men within the bounds of the law, and the limits of the conftitution. We from the bottom of our hearts not only disclaim and deteft all pretences of "ufurping" any of the "rights of fovereignty," but alfo of arrogating to ourselves any the leaft authority whatever. We clearly hold, and whenever lawfully called thereunto, will at the utmoft hazard of our lives and fortunes maintain, that the "fovereignty" of his moft facred majesty king George the third is already "entire" in all parts of the widely extended and ftill happily spreading British empire.

"We have been taught, that it is the duty of all men inceffantly to implore the throne of heavenly grace, and have but lately heard there are thofe who deem it criminal for aggrieved fellow-fubjects to join in humble, dutiful, and loyal fupplications to their monarch. While the people wifely obferve the medium between an abject fubmiffion, and a flavish ftupidity, under grievous oppreffion on the one hand, and irrational attempts to obtain redrefs on the other, and steadily perfevere in orderly and conftitutional applications, for the recovering the exercife of their juft rights and liberties, they may promise themfelves fuccefs."

Thursday laft the convention, having finished their business, difperfed.

The inhabitants of the town of Hatfield, unanimously refolved not to fend any perfon to the committee of convention, as required by a letter from the felectmen of the town of Bofton; and fent them a fpirited anfwer containing the reasons of their refufal.

On

On Wednesday morning arrived here from Halifax, the Launcefton of 40 guns; the Mermaid, 28; Glasgow, 20; the Beaver, 14; Senegal, 14; and Bonetta, 10; and two armed schooners: they left Halifax the 19th inftant, and have brought the 14th regiment, under the command of Col., Dalrymple, and the 29th regiment under lieut. col. Carr, in all 1000 men. Col. Dalrymple commands in chief the land forces and Capt. Smith the fhips of war. These two regiments landed on Saturday last.

There are barracks at the caftle within the limits of this town, fufficient in the judgment of his majefty's council, who were unanimous in their opinion, to receive both the regiments arrived here, and lodge them comfortably: But the g-thinks it is neceffary that they fhould be quartered among the inhabitants; the fenfible part of the people fee no reason for a step so disagreeable and dangerous, unless barely to gratify the commiffioners of the cuftoms, who it seems are tired of their chofen refidence at the castle, and think they have made themselves fo obnoxious to the inhabitants, as to render their refidence in the town hazardous, without a thousand men to protect them. His majesty's affairs in the mean time do not feem to be affected at all in this ftruggle, for the revenue which has never been interrupted is paid with as much punctuality while they are at the caftle as if they were in the body of the town. One of the regiments is encamped on the common near the center of the town: the other being unprovided with quarters before their landing, and not having their tents on fhore, and the commanding officer who knows his duty, being, it is prefumed, fenfible, that quarters could not, by act of parliament, be demanded even in public houses while the barracks at the caftle remained empty, after having in vain. endeavoured to perfuade the families living in the manufactoryhouse to remove, in which cafe they would have had no where to go but into the ftreet, he marched the regiment at fun-fet to Faneuil-hall here they halted several hours, but it is said could not obtain liberty of the felect men of the town to enter; however, they finally took poffeffion.

With the 14th and 29th regiments, came part of the 59th regiment, and a company of the train of artillery. The fhips of war were ranged round the north-eaft part of the town and came to anchor, viz. Mermaid, Romney, Launcefton, Glasgow, Beaver, Senegal, Martin, and Bonetta; and the armed fchooners, Hope, St. John, Lawrence, and Magdalene.

The

Fourth LETTER from ATTICUS, (See page 307.): Νον. 14, 1768.

WH

HEN I foretold the approach of a foreign war, the certainty of a rupture with the colonies, and the decline of public credit, my opinion was chiefly founded on the character, circumftances, and abilities of the prefent administration. Fortune has but little fhare in the events most interesting to mankind. Individuals perish by their own imprudence, and the ruin of an empire is no more than the mifconduct of a minister or a king. Without the credit of perfonal reputation, divided as a ministry, and unfupported by talents or experience, his m-y's fervants had left the field of national calamity wide open to prediction. It seems they were determined to accomplish more than even their enemies had foretold. For my own part, I am not perfonally their enemy, and I could have wifhed that their conduct had not made the name of friend to the miniftry irreconcileable with that of friend to Great Britain.

The most contemptible character in private life, and the most ruinous to private fortunes, is that, which poffeffes neither judgment nor inclination to do right, nor refolution enough to be confiftent in doing wrong. Such a man lofes all the credit of firmnefs and uniformity, and fuffers the whole reproach of weak or malicious intentions. In politics," there is no other minifterial character fo pernicious to the honour of a prince, or fo fatal to the welfare of a nation. It is of the highest importance to enquire, whether the present miniftry deferve it.

The name of lord Chm's adminiftration was foon loft in that of the duke of G―n. His grace took the lead, and made himself anfwerable for the measures of a council, at which he was supposed to prefide. He had gone as far as any man in fupport of Mr. Pitt's doctrine, That parliament kad no right to lay a tax upon America, for the fole purpose of raifing a revenue. It was a doctrine on which lord Ch--m, and the Ch―r formed their adminiftration, and his grace had concurred in it with all his fincerity. Yet the first act of his own administration was to impofe that tax upon America, which has fince thrown the whole continent into a flame. A wife man would have let the queftion drop; a good man would have felt and adhered to the principles he profeffed. While the gentle C-y breathed into his ear, he was all lenity and moderation. The colonies were dutiful children, and Great Britain a fevere parent. A combination to ruin this country was no more than an amicable agreement, and rebellion was a natural right confirmed by the revolution.

But

But now it seems his grace's opinions are altered with his connections. The measures of the colonies are fubverfive of the conftitution; they manifeft a difpofition to throw off their dependance, and vigorous meafures must be enforced at the point of the fword. In vain may we look for the temper and firmness of a great minifter; we shall find nothing but the paffion or weakness of a boy ;-the enervated languor of a confumption, or the false strength of a delirium.

The fame inconfiftence will be found to prevail through every measure and operation of government. Perhaps there may be discovered fomething more than fupineness in the first neglect of Corfica, and fomething worfe than inconsistence in the contradiction given to lord Rochfort's spirited decla ration to the court of France. His grace has lately adopted the oppofite extream, and fcruples not to give an alarming fhock to public credit, by hints little fhort of a declaration of war. What is this but the undetermined timidity of a coward, who trembles on the brink, until he plunges headlong into the ftream?

In one gazette we fee Sir Jeffery Amherft difmiffed; in the very next, we fee him reftored, and both without reafon or decency. The peerage, which had been abfolutely refused, is granted, and as in the first inftance the r--y--l faith was violated, in the feeond the r-y--l dignity is betrayed. But this perhaps is a compliment to the duke's new friendfhip with the earl of Hh.

Without approving of Mr. Wilkes's conduct, I lament his fate. The duke of G--n, who contributed to his support abroad, has given the mandate for his expulfion. But I truft there is yet a fpirit, which will not obey fuch mandates. This honourable enterprize will probably be defeated, and leave the author of it nothing but a diftinguished excess of infamy, the laft confolation of a profligate mind.

Is it poffible, fir, that fuch a miniftry can long remain united, or fupport themselves if they were united? The duke of G-n, it is true, has no fcruple nor delicacy in the choice of his measures. They are the measures of the day, and vary as often as the weather. But his companions had each their feparate plan, to which, for the credit of government, and the benefit of this country, they have feverally adhered. The intrepid thoughtless fpirit of the C-r in Ch looks no farther than to the difpofal of commiffions. He is the friend and patron of the military. With this character he suffers the army to be robbed of a regiment, by way of penfion to the noble difinterested house of P--y; and Sir Jeffery Amherst to be facrificed without pretending to the VOL. III. Ccc

credit