"We feel for ourselves, for our Province and country, for our nation, and for posterity, so as to be ready to do every thing in our power, to restore, defend, and preserve inviolate all our rights, civil and religious.

"We do not think it needful for us to tell you what those rights are, or say wherein or by whom they are violated; but we cannot forget troops having been quartered in our metropolis, and that they fixed their guards, and planted their cannon, before our Court House, and continued them there, during the sitting of the General Assembly, and no remonstrance or petition of the Honorable House of Representatives could prevail to remove them. The consequence of which was the removal of the General Court from the town of Boston.

"We cannot forbear to lament, that the castle, built and maintained by this Province for our defence against our own and his Majesty's enemies, is taken from us, and put into the hands of those, who, in conjunction with the fleet stationed here, seem designed to keep us in awe, and force from us what is generally thought to be an unconstitutional tax.

"One lamentable effect of the introduction of fleets and armies, is the growth of vice and wickedness, which were before at such a height as to provoke God to visit us with a dispensation of wrath.

"We also think it a great grievance, that, however we think ourselves oppressed by any of his Majesty's servants that are in authority over us, yet we may not have an agent to present our petition to, and plead our cause before his Majesty or his Ministers of State, without the consent of the Governor, who may, perhaps, himself, be the man we have cause to complain of; we may not cry to his and our Father, under burdens, unless

our oppressor appoint the man by whom we shall cry. But we forbear.

"And though we have confidence in your wisdom and integrity, yet we think it proper to instruct you to maintain to the utmost of your ability all and every of the privileges, religious and civil, which we yet enjoy ; and that with the same firmness and zeal you seek to recover and restore those which are violated; seek it in constitutional ways, and thus you will have the approbation of your constituents. And we will not cease to pray God to guide you and the General Assembly, and make you the repairers of the breach, and the restorers of paths to dwell in.

"The foregoing instructions, being read and considered, were adopted by a very great majority.

"The foregoing Report, bearing the signatures of the committee, was ordered to be put upon record. "Attest. By THOMAS MIGHILL, Moderator.

HUMPHREY HOBSON, Town Clerk."

1773, December 15. At a town meeting held for the purpose of taking into consideration a letter from Boston, and other papers contained therein, relating to the infringements and violations of our rights, by the EastIndia Company's endeavouring to force upon us great quantities of their tea, subject to a duty from us, and of the doings of the town of Boston thereon, and to pass. such votes and resolves as the town shall judge proper.

The selectmen laid before the town the letter and papers mentioned above. The same being read, and maturely considered, it was unanimously voted, That the following letter be sent to the committee of correspondence for the town of Boston, attested by the town clerk, as

containing the sense of the inhabitants of this town, relative to the situation of affairs in the American Colonies.

"Gentlemen,

of our

"We cannot but look upon the present posture public affairs, as being very alarming and critical; we are persuaded, that the design of the East India Company, in sending their tea* to America, subject to the payment of duty here, by virtue of an act of the British Parliament, is to enforce the ministerial plan of governing us, and to draw from the Americans an implicit acknowledgment of the authority of that Parliament to impose a tax upon them without their consent. And that a determined and steady opposition to this their design, is the duty of every American freeman.

"We gratefully acknowledge the vigilance and care of our brethren and friends in Boston and the adjacent towns, exerted not only in giving us early notice of the dangerous evils which are impending over our civil state, but also in making the most vigorous exertions to ward them off. And we do now declare our firm resolution, to adhere to, concur with, and, as far as we can, aid and support them, in all future proper measures that may be necessary and conducive thereunto.”

1774, August 3. At a town meeting, Nathaniel Mighill, Esq., Captain George Jewett, and Major Daniel Spofford, were appointed delegates to join with delegates from the several towns in this county, who are to convene at Ipswich, September 6, for the purpose of giving their advice to the people of this county as to

* This tea was thrown overboard in Boston Harbour, December 16, 1773.

what is best to be done by them in this day of distress and difficulty.

1775, January 11. At a town meeting, it was voted, That the sum of £40 be granted for the relief of the suffering inhabitants of the town of Boston; and that Nathaniel Mighill, Esq., be authorized to receive said sum from the collectors of this town, and ordered to pay the same to the committee of the town of Boston, appointed to receive donations made for the relief of the poor of that town.

At the same meeting, the town voted to allow each soldier in the town, belonging to the train bands, the sum of six pence per week, for five weeks, on condition that they would voluntarily turn out for drill, under their respective officers, half a day in each week.

And the town further voted, That if one fourth part of the soldiers in the several train bands in the town will enlist as minute men, the town will pay to every such enlisted man one shilling per week, for his training half a day in each week, until the first day of April next, and after that one shilling and four pence per week, until they shall be called for by the Province, or dismissed by the town or Provincial Congress.

At this meeting, Colonel Daniel Spofford, Thomas Mighill, and Captain Timothy Jackman were authorized to receive the bayonets belonging to the Province, (designed for distribution to the towns,) and they are to provide a bayonet and cartridge-box for each soldier who shall enlist as a minute man, and sign the covenant this day read before the town.

It was also voted, That Deacon Stephen Mighill be instructed to pay the abovementioned grants to the soldiers, at the end of each month.

March 21. At a town meeting, it was voted to pay the minute men for training two half-days in each week, the same price for each half-day, as before allowed.

1775. The commencement of this year was a period of great interest. The difficulties between the mother country and the Colonies, which had been gradually increasing in magnitude since the passage of the Stamp Act, (January 10, 1765,) seem to be now fast approaching to a decision by an appeal to arms. However ready and willing the colonists heretofore had been, to content themselves with the redress of grievances, and moderate concessions, it is now quite evident they are looking forward to a state of independence from the mother country. The following are among the causes of complaint which led the way to this contest, and American Independence.

As before observed, the Stamp Act was passed by Parliament, January 10, 1765. This act being under consideration in the Parliament in 1764, the House of Representatives of Massachusetts, on the 14th day of June in that year, instructed their agent in London to remonstrate against the proposed stamp duty, and the subject was put off by Parliament to their next session, when it passed, and became a law.

The first public opposition to acts of Parliament in Boston was on the 14th day of August, 1765. In the morning of that day, some pageantry was discovered to be suspended on liberty tree, so called, at the south part of the town. A promiscuous multitude assembled at the close of the day, cut down the pageantry, and carried it through the streets of the town, demolished a small edifice, and damaged the gardens of Andrew Oliver, Esq., Secretary of the Province, who had accepted the office of a