A new British parliament assembled towards the end of 1774 ; but the discussion of American affairs was at first studiously avoided by the ministry. When the subject was opened, their language was still expressive of contempt for the rising spirit in the colonies ; and it was even intimated, that the apprehensions of a war were wholly chimerical. The estimates were formed entirely upon a peace establishment ; the army remain ed on its former footing ; and, what was most of all surprising, a reduction of 4000 seamen took place from the 20,000 voted in the last year, lord Sandwich, first lord of the admiralty, declaring, that he knew the low establishment proposed would he fully sufficient for reducing the colonies to obedience. The petition from the congress to the king, having been referred by his majesty to the House of Commons, the American agents, Dr Franklin, Mr Bollan, and Mr Lee, petitioned the house to be heard at the bar, in its support. But the ministers alleged, that the congress was no legal body, and refased to give them a hearing. A similar fate in the upper house attended lord Chatham's bill for settling the troubles in America; and the very day after the rejection, a motion was made by lord North, to declare America in a state of rebellion. On this momentous occasion, the strength of that party which had com bated the hostile system towards the colonies, was con siderably increased ; they divided on this occasion, 106 against 2SS. They were joined by the rising talents of Charles Fox, who had lately been dismissed from the treasury bench, for displaying a spirit not sufficiently submissive. Though the feelings of the British nation were at this period torpid or undecided with respect to America ; yet the triumphs of administration, in reject ing all the plans of conciliation proposed by lord Chat ham, Mr Burke, and the other leaders of opposition, were not undisturbed by many remonstrances from im portant bodies in the nation. The city of London re monstrated ; the West India merchants and planters petitioned against measures, which threatened to in volve them in ruin. The declaration of America being in a state of rebellion was, however, immediately fol lowed up by a bill for restraining the trade and com merce of Massachusetts-Bay and New Hampshire, the colonies of Connecticut and Rhode Island, and Provi dence Plantation, in North America, with the British and West India islands ; and to prohibit their fisheries on the banks of Newfouviland. After so strong a mea sure, some surprise was excited, when lord North ad vanced a conciliatory motion, of which the purport was, that when the Americans should propose to make such provisions for the support of their civil government as should be approved of by his majesty and the parlia ment, the British government would abstain from taxing them, and confine themselves to their commercial regu lations. Some of the zealots of the minister's friends, expressed alarm at the extent of this concession ; while the friends of America justly derided it as nugatory, since it was the right, and not the mode of taxation which the colonies disputed.
In the mean time, the military preparations, on the side of the Americans, had proceeded with ardour. The cannon and stores, belonging to government, were seiz ed by the provincials, in Rhode Island and other places ; as, on the other hand, general Gage had seized a num ber of warlike stores, deposited in the vicinity of Boston. Having received intelligence of a considerable magazine deposited in the vicinity of Boston, the British com mander detached, on the night preceding the 19th of April, SOO grenadiers and light infantry, under colonel Smith, who proceeded in their march with great silence ; hut by the firing of guns and ringing of bells, they at length perceived themselves discovered ; and, on their arrival at Lexington, at five in the morning, they found a company of militia drawn up on the green. With
these men, the advanced guard of the king's troops ex changed fire, and the Americans, after losing a few men, retreated. After which, the royalists proceeded to Concord, and destroyed the stores. On their return, the passage of a bridge being disputed by the provin cials, a skirmish ensued, with the loss of a few men on both sides : the people rose in all quarters, and by a scattered but destructive fire, from behind trees and hedges, they made the British suffer considerably. A second body of troops, which general Gage had the prudence to send to Lexington, secured their retreat, and they returned to Boston about sunset, after losing SOO men, while the loss of the provincials did not ex ceed 90. Within a few days after the first blood had been drawn at Lexington, the provincial congress of Massa chusetts voted a large army to be raised ; and so great a military force was immediately collected in the neigh bourhood of Boston, as to form a complete blockade of that important town.
Such was the inauspicious commencement of the ci vil war. In the month of May, the American Congress, now joined by the colonies of New York and North Ca rolina, unanimously rejected Lord North's conciliatory proposition : it laid a basis too narrow, indeed, for a so lid reconciliation, and its reception might have been foreseen. At the latter end of the same month, the British Generals Howe, Burgoyne, and Clinton, arrived at Boston with a large reinforcement of troops, so that the force now assembled in that place, or its vicinity, amounted to no less than 10,000 men. Martial law was proclaimed; but a show of conciliation was still held out by the offer of General Gage, in the king's name, to grant a general amnesty to such as should lay down their arms, excepting only two distinguished Ameri cans, Samuel Adams and John Hancock. The congress took no other notice of this proclamation, than to elect Mr Hancock the president of their assembly." They chose, at the same time, George Washington the corn mander in chief of their army.
The British generals, weary of their confined situa tion, and affected by the disgrace of being blockaded, had determined to get possession of the heights of Dor chester, near the town of Boston, when they were sur prised to see entrenchments thrown up by the Ameri cans in an opposite quarter, on an eminence called Bun ker's Hill. This post General Howe attacked in person with 3000 chosen troops, and, at last, drove the Provin cials from their entrenchments ; but this was a slight advantage, and dearly purchased, by the loss of 1100 of the British, who fell in storming the works; while the Americans retreated across an isthmus, to a new posi tion, with inconsiderable damage,and still continued the blockade of Boston. Elated and exasperated as the pro vincials were by this fresh bloodshed, and by a battle which, though nominally a defeat on their side, yet gave a signal proof of their abilities in war, the congress sent a second petition to the king for peace, and accommo dation and reunion with Britain. Mr Penn, who deliv ered the petition, was informed, that no answer would be given to it.