advancing to the oppofite extreme. A new mode of displaying refentment against the friends of the ftamp act began in Massachusetts, and was followed by the other Colonies. A few gentlemen hung out, early in the morning, August 14, on the limb of a large tree, towards the entrance of Bofton, two effigies, one defigned for the ftamp mafter, the other for a jack boot, with a head and horns peeping out at the top. Great numbers both from town and country came to fee them. A fpirit of enthusiasm was diffused among the fpectators. In the evening the whole was cut down and carried in proceffion by the populace shouting "liberty and property for ever; no ftamps." They next pulled down a new building, lately erected by Mr. Oliver the stamp mafter. They then went to his house, before which they beheaded his effigy, and at the fame time broke his windows. Eleven days after, fimilar violences were repeated. The mob attacked the house of Mr. William Storey, deputy register of the court of admiralty-broke his windows-forced into his dwelling house, and destroyed the books and files belonging to the faid court, and ruined a great part of his furniture. They next proceeded to the house of Benjamin Hallowel, Comptroller of the customs, and repeated fimilar exceffes, and drank and destroyed his liquors. They afterwards proceeded to the houfe of Mr. Hutchinson, and foon demolished it. They carried off his plate, furniture, and apparel, and fcattered or deftroyed manufcrips and other curious and ufeful papers which for thirty years he had been collecting. About half a dozen of the meanest of the mob were foon after taken up and committed, but they either broke jail, or otherwise escaped all punishment. The town of Bofton condemned the whole proceeding, and for fome time, private gentlemen kept watch at night, to prevent further violence.

Similar difturbances broke out in the adjacent Colonies, nearly about the fame time. On the 27th Auguft, 1765, the people in New-Port in Rhode Island, exhibited three effigies intended for Meffieurs Howard, Moffatt, and Johnson, in a cart with halters about their necks, and after hanging them on a gallows for fome time, cut them down and burnt them, amidst the acclamations of thoufands. On the day following, the people collected at the house of Mr. Martin Howard, a lawyer, who had written in defence of the right of parliament to tax the Americans, and demolished every thing that belonged to it. They proceeded to Dr. Moffatt's, who, in converfation, had fupported the fame right, and made a fimilar devastation of his property.

In Connecticut they exhibited effigies in fundry places, and afterwards committed them to the flames.

In New-York, the ftamp mafter having refigned, the ftamp papers

were taken into Fort George, by Lieutenant Governor Colden, Nov I, The people, difliking his political fentiments, broke open his ftable, took out his coach, and carried it in triumph through the prin cipal streets to the gallows. On one end of this they fufpended the effigy of the Lieut. Governor, having in his right hand a stamped bill of lading, and in the other a figure of the devil, After fome time, they carried the apparatus to the gate of the fort,

and from thence to

the bowling-green, under the muzzles of the guns, and burned the whole amid the acclamations of many thoufands. They went thence to Mayor James' houfe, ftripped it of every article, and confumed the whole, because he was a friend to the ftamp act.

The next evening the mob re-affembled, and insisted upon the Lieutenant Governor delivering the ftamped papers into their hands, and threatened, in cafe of a refufal, to take them by force, After fome negociation, it was agreed that they fhould be delivered to the corporation, and they were depofited in the city hall, Ten boxes of the fame, which came by another conveyance, were burned.

The ftamp act was not lefs odious to many of the inhabitants of the British Weft-India iflands, than to thofe on the continent of North America. The people of St. Kitts obliged the ftamp officer and his deputy to refign. Barbadoes, Canada, and Halifax, submitted to the act, But when the ship which brought the stamp papers to Philadelphia, first appeared round Gloucester Point, all the veffels in the harbour hoifted their colours half matt high. The bells were rung muffled till evening, and every countenance added to the appearance of fincere mourning. A large number of people affembled, and endeavoured to procure the refignation of Mr. Hughes, the ftamp diftributor. He held out long, but at length found it neceffary to comply.

As opportunities offered, the affemblies generally paffed refolutions, afferting their exclufive right to lay taxes on their conftituents. The people, in their town meetings, inftructed their reprefentatives to oppofe the ftamp act. As a fpecimen of thefe, the inftructions given to Thomas Forfter, their reprefentative, by the freeholders and other inhabitants of the town of Plymouth, are fubjoined. In these the yeomanry of the country fpoke the determined language of free lom. After expreffing the highest efteem for the British conftitution, and fetting forth their grievances, they proceeded as follows:

"You, Sir, reprefent a people, who are not only defcended from. the first fettlers of this country, but inhabit the very spot they first poffeffed. Here was firft laid the foundation of the British empire, in this part of America, which, from a very fmall beginning, has in

creafed

reafed and spread in a manner very surprising, and almost incredible, especially, when we confider, that all this has been effected without the aid or affiftance of any power on earth; that we have defended, protected, and fecured ourfelves against the invafions and cruelties of favages, and the fubtlety and inhumanity of our inveterate and natural enemies, the French; and all this without the appropriation of any tax by stamps, or ftamp acts, laid upon our fellow fubjects, in any part of the King's dominions, for defraying the expence thereof. This place, Sir, was at first the asylum of liberty, and we hope, will ever be preserved facred to it, though it was then no more than a bar- ́. ren wilderness, inhabited only by favage men and beafts, To this place our fathers, (whofe memories be revered) poffeffed of the principles of liberty in their purity, difdaining flavery, fled to enjoy those privileges, which they had an undoubted right to, but were deprived of, by the hands of violence and oppreffion, in their native country. We, Sir, their pofterity, the freeholders, and other inhabitants of this town, legally affembled for that purpose, poffeffed of the same sentiments, and retaining the fame ardour for liberty, think it our indifpenfable duty, on this occafion, to exprefs to you these our fentiments of the ftamp act, and its fatal confequences to this country, and to enjoin upon you, as you regard not only the welfare, but the very being of this people, that you (confiftent with our allegiance to the King, and relation to the government of Great Britain) difregarding all propofals for that purpose, exert all your power and influence in oppofition to the ftamp act, at least till we hear the fuccefs of our petitions for relief. We likewife, to avoid difgracing the memories of our ancestors, as well as the reproaches of our own confciences, and the curfes of pofterity, recommend it to you, to obtain, if poffible, in the honourable house of reprefentatives of this province, a full and explicit affertion of our rights, and to have the fame entered on their public records, that all generations yet to come may be convinced, that we have not only a just sense of our rights and liberties, but that we never, with fubmiffion to Divine Providence, will be flaves to any power on earth.”

The expediency of calling a continental Congrefs to be compofed of deputies from each of the provinces, had early occurred to the people of Maffachusetts. The affembly of that province paffed a refolution in favour of that measure, and fixed on New-York as the place, and the fecond Tuesday of October, 1765, as the time for holding the fame. Soon after, they fent circular letters to the fpeakers of the feveral affemblies, requesting their concurrence This firft advance towards continential

union

union was feconded in South-Carolina, before it had been agreed to by any Colony to the fouthward of New-England. The example of this province had a confiderable influence in recommending the measure to others, who were divided in their opinions, on the propriety of it.

The affemblies of Virgina, North-Carolina, and Georgia, were prevented, by their governors, from fending a deputation to this Con. grefs. Twenty-eight deputies from Maffachusetts, Rhode-Ifland, Connecticut, New-York, New-Jerfey, Pennfylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and South Carolina, met at New-York; and after mature deliberation agreed on a declaration of their rights, and on a statement of their grievances. They afferted in ftrong terms, their exemption from all taxes, not impofed by their own reprefentatives. They alfo concurred in a petition to the King, and memorial to the House of Lords, and a petition to the Houfe of Commons. The Colonies that were prevented from fending their reprefentatives to this Congress, forwarded petitions, fimilar to those which were adopted by the de puties which attended.

While a variety of legal and illegal methods were adopted to oppof the stamp act, the first of November, on which is was to commence its operation, approached. This in Boston was ushered in by a funeral tolling of bells. Many fhops and ftores were fhut. The effigies of the planners and friends of the ftamp act were carried about the streets in public derifion, and then torn in pieces by the enraged populace, It was remarkable that though a large crowd was affembled, there was not the leaft violence or diforder.

At Portsmouth in New-Hampshire, the morning of Nov. 1. was ufhered in with tolling all the bells in town.. In the course of the day, notice was given to the friends of liberty to attend her funeral. A coffin neatly ornamented, infcribed with the word Liberty in large letters, was carried to the grave. The funeral proceffion began from the ftate house, attended with two unbraced drums. While the inhabi tants who followed the coffin were in motion, minute guns were fired, and continued till the corpfe arrived at the place of interment. Then an oration in favour of the deceafed was pronounced. It was fcarcely ended before the corpfe was taken up, it having been perceived that fome remains of life were left, at which the infcription was immediately altered to "Liberty revived." The bells immediately exchanged their melancholy for a more joyful found, and fatisfaction appeared in every countenance. The whole was conducted with decency, and without injury or infult to any man's perfon or property.

In Maryland, the effigy of the ftamp mafter, on one fide of which

was written, "Tyranny," on the other, " Oppreffion," and across the breaft, "Damn my country, I'll get money," was carried through the streets from the place of confinement to the whipping poft, and from thence to the pillory. After fuffering many indignities, it was first hanged and then burnt.

The general averfion to the ftamp act was, by fimilar methods, in a variety of places demonftrated. It is remarkable, that the proceedings of the populace on these occafions, were carried on with decorum and regularity. They were not ebullitions of a thoughtless mob, but for the most part planned by leading men of character and influence, who were friends to peace and order. Thefe, knowing well that the bulk of mankind are more led by their fenfes than by their reason, conducted the public exhibitions on that principle, with a view of mak ing the ftamp act and its friends both ridiculous and odious.

Though the stamp act was to have operated from the first of November, yet legal proceedings in the court were carried on as before. Veffels entered and departed without ftamped papers. The printers boldly printed and circulated their newfpapers, and found a fufficient number of readers, though they ufed common paper, in defiance of the act of parliament. In moft departments, by common confent, business was carried on as though no ftamp act had existed. This was accompained by spirited resolutions to rifque all confequences, rather than fubmit to use the paper required by law. While these matters were in agitation, the Colonists entered into affociations against importing British manufactures, till the ftamp act should be repealed. In this manner British liberty was made to operate against British tyranny. Agreeably to the free conftitution of Great Britain, the subject was at liberty to buy, or not to buy, as he pleafed. By fufpending their future purchases till the repeal of the stamp act, the Colonists made it the intereft of merchants and manufacturers to folicit for that repeal. They had ufually taken off so great a proportion of British manufactures, that the fudden ftoppage of all their orders, amounting annually to feveral millions fterling, threw fome thousands in the Mother Country out of employment, and induced them, from a regard to their own intereft, to advocate the measures wished for by America. The petitions from the Colonies were feconded by petitions from the merchants and manufacturers of Great Britain. What the former prayed for as a matter of right, and connected with their liberties, the latter alfo folicited from motives of immediate advantage. In order to remedy the deficiency of British goods, the Colonifts betook themfelves to a variety of neceffary domeftic manufactures. In a little time,

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