The act for imposing the new taxes was received with greater aversion than the stamp act itself. Letters were sent from Massachusetts to all the other colonies, inveighing against the injustice and tyranny of the Bri tish legislature ; and affirming, that the proceedings of the parliament were subversive of liberty, and hostile to the rights of British subjects. They complained loudly of Bamand, their go\ croon; charged hint with misre presenting their conduct; and wrote to the English mi nistry in their own defence: they declared that he was unlit to continue in the station which he occupied, and petitioned, with great eagerness, that he might instantly he removed. On the other hand, the governor was or dered to proceed with vigour; and, she wing no inclina tion to yield to the people, to use his utmost endeavours to carry into effect the measures of the crown. A tu mult took place at Boston, in consequence of the seizure of a vessel, the master of which had neglected to com ply with the new statutes. The multitude laid violent hands on the officers, and beat them severely; and hav ing seized the collector's books, they burnt them in triumph, and patroled the streets without opposition. They attacked the houses of the commissioners of ex cise, and broke their windows: and such was their vio lence that they obliged the officers of the revenue to take refuge, first on board the Romney, and afterwards in Castle-William, a fortress situated near the entrance of the harbour. The governor dissolved the assembly. This measure, the last resource of inefficient power, was not followed by the consequences which were ex pected to result from it. Frequent meetings of the peo ple were held at Boston, and in the different provinces : a remonstrance was made to the governor ; and a peti tion was transmitted to him, in which he was desired to remove the ships of war from the neighbourhood of the town; a request with which he was neither able nor willing to comply. Every thing now appeared to indi cate a rupture between the colonies and the parent state. The agent fur the provinces was refused admission to the presence of the king. A report was circulated, that troops had been ordered to march into Boston : a dread ful alarm took place; and all ranks of men joined in be seeching the governor, that a general assembly might be convoked. The answer of the governor was, that, hy his last instructions from England, he was prevented from complying with the wishes of the people. The inhabitants of Boston, therefore, determined to form a convention; in which it was resolved, that they should defend their violated rights at the peril of their lives and fortunes ; that as they dreaded a war with France, the people should furnish themselves with arms; and that a committee of their number should meet in the town, in order to correspond with the delegates which might arrive from the other provinces. At the name time, they thought it proper to assure the gover nor of their pacific intentions, and requested again that a general assembly might be called : but, alter trans nutting to England an account of their proceedings, and the reasons which had induced them to assemble, they again refused, and stigmatized with the appella tion of rebels.
On the day before the convention rose, two regiments arriNcd from Great Britain. Their landing was pro tected by the fleet, which was drawn up with the broad sides of the vessels opposite the town, with springs on their cables, and every thing ready for action. In con sequence of these formidable appearances, the troops marched into Boston without any resistance on the part of the inhabitants : and the council having refused to provide them with quarters, the state-house was opened for their reception, by the command of the governor: a step which gave much offence, and exasperated the people to a high degree. The presence of the soldiers,
however, had great influence in restraining the excesses of the populace. But the hatred of the colonists towards England was become fixed and unalterable: and the news having reached them, that both houses of parlia ment, in their address to his majesty, had recommended vigorous measures, in order to force them to obedience, they united in closer association, and resolved to sub mit to all losses, rather than that of their rights as free men, and as British subjects.
On the 5th of March, 1770, an affray took place at Boston between the military and some of the inhabitants, in which four persons were killed. The bells were in stantly rung ; the people rushed from the country to the aid of the citizens; the whole province rose in arms; and the soldiers were obliged to retire to Castle-Wil liam, in order to avoid the fury of the enraged multitude. In the mean time, the parliament of Great Britain shew ed, that it had neither sufficient vigour to compel the Americans to submit, nor sufficient liberality to yield to their remonstrances, and grant what they petitioned so earnestly to obtain. The ministry agreed to take off all the duties which had lately been imposed, except that on tea: but it was predicted by the opposition, that their indulgence would have no good effect, if any duty what ever were imposed upon the Americans without their consent. What was predicted by the opposition was in the end found to be true. It was resolved, that the tea should not be landed, but sent back to Europe in the same vessels which had brought it ; for it was obvious to all, that it would be extremely difficult to hinder the sale, if the commodity should once be received on shore. Accordingly, the people assembled in great numbers at Boston; forced those to whom it had been consigned to give up their appointments, and to swear that they would abandon them for ever: and public tests being agreed upon, those who refused to take them were de nounced as the enemies of their country. This dispo sition was not confined to Massachusetts alone : the same spirit appeared in all the colonies; and the same resolution to defend their rights, by checking the vio lence of arbitrary power.
Such was the situation of affairs, when three ships, laden with tea, arrived at the port of Boston. The captains of these vessels, alarmed at the menaces of the people, offered to return with their cargoes to England, provided they could obtain the necessary discharges from the merchants to whom the teas had been consign ed, and likewise from the governor and the officers of the custom-house. But, though afraid to issue orders ror landing the tea, the merchants and officers, in con junction with the governor, refused to grant the dis charges, and the ships were obliged to remain in the harbour. The people, however, apprehensive that the obnoxious commodity would be landed in small quan tities, if the vessels should continue in the neighbour hood of the town, resolved to destroy it at once. For this purpose, they disguised themselves as Indians of the Mohawk nation ; and having boarded the ships dur ing night, they threw their cargoes into the water, and retired without making any further disturbance. No fewer than three hundred and forty-two chests of tea were lost on this occasion. hi other places, the aver-. sion or the people was equally great, though their vio lence was less conspicuous. At Philadelphia, the pilots were enjoined not to conduct the ships into the river : and at New York, though the governor ordered some of the tea to be landed under the protection of a man of war, he was obliged to deliver it into the custody of the people, who took all possible care that none of it should be sold.