told us he could not help it, and, after viewing the pond, went on board. Soon after, a fignal being made, about a dozen of us went on board the Scarborough to know his orders. He told us his orders were to take all our falt, and keep our veffels as long as he thought fit. I told him I was short of provisions, and, if detained much longer, fhould do myfelf the pleasure to wait on him for a fupply. He answered, he was fhort of provifions himself, and would not fpare any. I told him, if he took away my falt, I fhould use my best endeavours to obtain payment for it, as alfo for the detention of the veffel. Mr. Knowles (his first lieutenant) asked me if I knew where I was, and if I was fpokefman for the reft. I told him I knew I was on board his majesty's fhip Scarborough, and that I spoke only for myself, my veffel and owner. -Captain Gregory faid he fhould act up to the orders he had received from admiral Pye,-told us he did not want us all, but that we might fettle the matters among ourselves, choose a committee, and let him know our determination. However, he forbid us from taking any of the falt we had raked, and fent fome of his mariners to prevent it.

At five in the afternoon we all met, and chofe for a committee five of our number, viz. the captains Thomas Griffiths, Elias Young, Jofeph Kennicut, John Rocket, and Ephraim Dean. We alfo agreed to pay no convoy money, as we had been so long without one, had no profpect of getting a quantity of falt fufficient to defray the expence, and thought ourselves in no danger from the Spaniards.

Friday morning feven o'clock an officer from captain Gregory came on board the brig Thomas, took the names of the mafter, owner, and veffel, where built and from, her tonnage, quantity of falt on board, and where bound; alfo forbad my failing without orders from captain Gregory. At nine o'clock our committee attended, and had fome difcourfe with him, told him our opinion, that we had an undoubted right to gather falt without a convoy, knew of no act of parliament or treaty by which it was reftricted, but if any fuch be in being, defired that he would make known and explain them, and we should strictly conform to them. His antwer was, that he fhould act up to his orders from Admiral Pye, &c. At ten o'clock several of us went up to the pond and found they had not yet taken away any of the falt we had leit, but the man I had left to take care of it, and of our neceffaries, was retired to the fea fide, being obliged to bring all our things from the pond. Capt. Gregory having threatened if he did not, to fire into the tent, and carry him on board the Scarborough, March 5, Saturday morning, 7 o'clock, fent

N 2

for

for our wheel barrows and other neceffaries, left they might be taken or deftroyed by Capt. Gregory, or fome of his convoy. At nine o'clock, all the matters in the harbour had a meeting, and made a fubfcription of 530l. fterling, for the prosecution of a fuit against Capt Gregory, for his arbitrary proceedings, detention of the veffels, and the threatened feizure of our property. At ten o'clock our people returned with our things from the fhore, and brought word that the people of the man of war, or his convoy, were unloading Capt. Roberts's floop and carrying the falt on fhore. Capt. Young, and fome more mafters, having walked up to the pond to fee whether their falt was disturbed or not, as they returned, faw Capt. Gregory and feveral masters belonging to his fleet going to the pond, and foon after were overtaken, by two marines, with a message from Capt. Gregory, defiring that they would not come up again, for if they did, he thould take particular notice of them. March 7, Monday morning fix o'clock, the brig Thomas was boarded by the man of war's pinnace and yaw! double manned and armed. The first lieutenant came on board and demanded the falt I had in the veffel. I defired to fee his orders, which he immediately fhewed me, from Capt. Gregory. The lieutenant then difpatched an officer in the yawl for the floop Patty, Capt. Peter Boyd, belonging to Hertford, Connecticut, James Caldwell and Daniel Goodwin, of the said town, owners. Though there was a man of war's officer on board the floop, the faid mafter gave the orders to man the boat, which way to row her, and cunned the men at helm, in bringing his flocp along fide the brig to take my falt. Nothing would give me more pleasure than making that fcoundrel pay for the falt.-There are fufficient witneffes to prove that he not only did this in taking my salt, but did the like to feveral other veffels, particularly to one belonging to his own town, Thomas Goodwin, master, (who is going from hence to Montferrat, and I expect will get home in April or the beginning of May.) They took from me 453 bags of falt, 3 pecks each. The boats belonging to the convoy were all bufy in taking the falt from my veffel, and other veffels in the harbour, and putting it on board the floop Patty, and another floop belonging to RhodeIsland, one White, mafter. March 8, Tuesday afternoon, two o'clock, a schooner of Pifcataway, captain Riker, attempted to get away, but was brought back by the man of war's cutter. This day they finished taking all the falt from the veflels in the harbour. Captain Thomas Goodwin's floop was carried to the fleet, and the falt, (the greatest part of which he had bought for 15, 6d, per bufhel) divided among

them,

them, March 9, Wednesday afternoon, three o'clock, captains Griffiths, Young, Seymour, and myself, waited on captain Gregory, to acquaint him of our being ready for the fea. We were on board the Scarborough fome time before we had the honour of seeing him; at last the lieutenant came and told us to go into the cabbin. When we entered, he said to us, what do you want? I told him a receipt for the falt his offi cer had taken away. He faid, if he has taken it all, that's a fufficient receipt. I then asked him what he intended to do with the falt at the pond? He faid, I have nothing further to do with you, you may fail whenever you think proper. He said the fame to the three other mafters. March 10, Thurfday, This day captain Sherman told me that captain Goodwin's falt, which had been taken from him and divided among the fleet, was last night brought back to him, and that this day he began to receive it, March 11, Friday morning, ten o'clock, weighed and flood to sea, in company with one brig, a schooner, and nine floops, all of which had been plundered of their falt.

Salt taken away by captain Gregory, viz. John Marshall, of New York, 453 bags, each three pecks; left at the pond about 750 bufhels.

John Roberts of Carolina, about 150 bushels taken from on board.

Elias Young, James Seymour, John Wells, John Hodgfon, John Robinson, Edward King, and G. Gibbs, of Bermuda, from on board their veffels and from the pond.

Capt. Sterry, James Alger, Capt. Sherman, Jofeph Kennicut, (Capt. Freeborn made his escape) of Rhode-Island, from on board their veffels and from the pond,

Thomas Goodwin, of Hertford, Connecticut, from ditto. Capt. Riker, Capt. Gregory, of Pifcataway from ditto.

The following had their falt taken only from the pond. Thomas Griffith's, James Luther, Capt. Dunscomb, and James Dill, of Bermuda. John Rocket, Louifbourg. Ephraim Dean, Halifax. Capt. M'Coy, South Carolina.

Bofton, May 9. The town paffed a vote, nemine contradicente, directing the felectmen to refuse the ufe of Faneuil-Hall to his excellency the governor and council, on the enfuing election day; unless they fhall be affured that the commiffioners of the customs will not be invited to dine there on that day.

An

I

An Addrefs to the Freeholders of the Kingdom of Ireland.

GENTLEMEN,

F chufe to be flaves, 'tis in vain to talk to you; and you you will remain, what you ought to remain, the dependants of fwoln up bafhaws, and petty tyrants.-Habit, perhaps, may have reconciled your minds to this thraldom-if that be the cafe, you are not fit members of a free community— Turkey or Morocco fhould be your abode-to fuppofe any of you incapable of relishing the happiness of living under the beft of conftitutions, and the mildest and most just of princes, I will not. However, let me tell you, that if you fuffer the fame grievances to continue, which you have fo long endured under this bafeft of all vaffalage, you ought to impute them to your own abject hearts-for if you have the fouls of men, you will fpurn oppreffion from your dwellings, your children and families, you will not fubmit to the scourge, when relief is in your own power-by electing proper representatives from men of integrity, candor, and moderation-the peacemakers-and the lovers of juftice.

Let me then ask you, how it could happen that any one amongft you fhould precipitately engage his voice to your old cruel tafk-mafters? You will anfwer, you did it incautiouslyyou were furprized into it you had been fo long oppreffed, that the fpirit of freedom was not awakened-that your hearts are with the caufe of independency, which you fincerely with fuccefs to, not only in the next, but all future elections ;but that you do not know how to break your promises.

Difhoneft timidity! as if a promife to a highwayman, or an engagement to commit a murder, were by any law of God or man to be adhered to! Your promife was illicit in its first formation, teeming with the most fatal mischiefs-big with ruin to your country, and every individual in the state-you cannot want to be told, that the primary duty of a man (efpecially of a freeman) is to promote the welfare of the fociety to which he belongs; and therefore every promife that tends to overthrow and extinguish the spirit of liberty, which forms the profperity of a nation, is an abfolute nullity-and the graveft cafuift (even the most learned gentleman in lawn fleeves) can never force my affent to believe the contrary→ are we to commiffion them, who have fo long perverted the iuftice of the whole nation, and, under the forms of law, committed the worst of depredations, to continue the fame courfe for eight years longer? to arm them with legislative authority to compleat our deftruction, and thereby to defeat

all

all the falutary purposes of his majesty's infinite goodness to us? and all this for no other reafon, but because you have artfully been drawn into promises, adverfe to every principle of publick and private duty-for fhame! for fhame! what was Jeptha's vow? A vow to the Almighty himself, to commit an unlawful act; he kept it, and hath been condemned by all good men ever fince.

And now let me ask you, whether you can expect, that the dignity of the fenate (upon which half its weight depends) can a moment fubfift, unless the chair of the house of reprefentatives be filled with a man of fenfe, candor, moderation, and rectitude? a man firm in his conduct, and upright in the service of the house, who is clear of all faction, and impartially fteady in preferving the orders of debate, and the rules of parliamentary deliberation?

Character, or the opinion of the people, is effential to the confequence of all great affemblies-hence we see the feeble parliaments of France have often, from this fingle circumftance arifing from the opinion of the nation with regard to their inflexible virtue, been able to ftand against the craft of tyrannical minifters at the head of not less than 300,000 men; nor could the whole power of the throne fhake the intrepidity of their refolutions.-Hence we may conclude, that power, unattended with character, carries no permanent ftrength along with it, for pride, infolence, vice, and cruelty, muft excite deteftation and lurking refentments in the breafts of even the most accustomed flaves.

Laftly, before I conclude, I will take the liberty of laying a few humble fentiments at the feet of the hierarchy of this nation; which, I apprehend, may at the fame time be found not unworthy the moft ferious thoughts of every freeholder and freeman throughout the kingdom.

That our clergy have long lain under the reproach of being the flatterers of power, and the fervile props of corrupt office, and infolent ftation, is a truth too notorious to be denied.Would to Heaven fuch obloquy could be proved to be void of all foundation.-But be that as it may, it is high time to refcue the fathers of our religion from all manner of indignity, that they may, by the grace of God, for ever remain a guide to all the people committed to their care, and enjoy that influence to the end of the world, which ought to accompany their holy characters.

But alas! this is only to be acquired by their zeal and attention to their paftoral duties-by their affection to the conftitution, (in which moft certainly is comprehended the love of liberty;) in a word, they should preach peace, good will,

and