The Massachusetts Spy, Or, Thomas's Boston Journal

A letter from the Country, dated December 28, 1772.

"AS the town I live in is situated at a great distance from Boston; the votes and proceedings of that town at a late town-meeting did not come to the hands of our Select-Men till a few days past. I have had the opportunity of perusing them, and think that some of the grievances enumerated therein are new, at least I never heard of them before; particularly the new act of parliament for the better preserving his Majesty's dock-yards, &c. which appears to me to be as violent an attack upon the liberty of the Colonies, as the act for raising a revenue without our consent is upon our property. The extravagant power given to the commissioners of the customs is quite new to me, and as shocking as it is new; I never read any part of their commission before; it is a pity the whole has not been published in the news papers. I perceive also that the Court of Admiralty, which as the late Mr. Dummer in his defence of the charter I think expresses it, should be confined to its proper element the sea, is extending its power on the land; and more of our landed property than we are aware of, may very soon be tried by one dependant pensioned judge without a jury. In short I think we in the country are much obliged to Boston for holding up our rights and the violations of them in one view; it is what I have often wished to see. I am one who you know always speak of my superiors, though with freedom, yet with decency; I cannot easily conceive how the Governor can be "always ready to gratify the inhabitants of the town of Boston upon every regular application to him on business of public concernment to the town," as he says he is, and yet refuse to gratify them in their request concerning the judges being made independent of the grants of the people for their support. I cannot see but their application was regular as well as polite; and as the matter is of public concernment to every corporate-body or town, as well as individual, it must needs be eminently so to so large a town as that is: Nor can I see how his gratifying them upon any regular application, of public concernment to them, can be inconsistent with fidelity to the trust reposed in him by his Majesty, as he strongly intimates it may, unless perhaps in a matter that may relate to war with a foreign enemy. I should think he would have acted more like the father of his people, and friend to the inhabitants of his native town as well as province, if he had candidly answered their request. There is something so strained in his answer to their petition, in giving it a turn as if they had a mind he should "yield to them the exercise of that part of the prerogative," viz. of meeting the Assembly when he shall judge necessary; or, as if, by complying with their request that the Assembly might meet at the time to which it then stood prorogued, he should yield to them this prerogative, and incur the displeasure of the King; I say there is something so forced in all this, that the opinion I once had of his great good sense is altered. However I shall add no more on this head, lest I should say too much. The uncertainty whether the Assembly would soon meet, made the further proceedings of the town the more necessary. And if it should meet in January, I hope it will not prevent this town from explicitly declaring their sense of the public grievances. I think it necessary that every town should do it at this time for many reasons; more especially as Lord Dartmouth, the new minister, is said to be a friend to the colonies, and may be glad of intelligence directly from the people."

I am yours.