The New Hampshire Gazette And Historical Chronicle

Last Monday arrived at Marblehead, from London, the Brig Amherst, Capt. Pierpont, who sailed from thence on Saturday the 19th of March, and brought the public Prints as late as that Day, from which we have taken the following Advices, viz.

LONDON, March 15.

A Plan has been proposed to Lord North, for America to send Representatives to this Parliament, in order that they may be taxed by their own Members.

John Wilkes, Esq; as reported, will sail the first fair Wind to Boston, his Presence being immediately wanted.

Few Forces are necessary to reduce the Bostonians. They will submit upon the Firing of the first Gun; because tho' ripe within, they are not ready without, for Resistance. The Spirit for a Revolt is willing, but the Arm of Flesh is at present weak.

Government, therefore, must take care not to be lulled into a fatal Security by a false and hypocritical Submission.

Lord Dartmouth, we are assured, interests himself very greatly in the Affairs of America, and has a Plan respecting them to propose to the upper Assembly, which will do him much Honor.

Government, to support their Authority, are now determined to change their Seat of Power, and therefore the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and the Custom-House, &c. will be removed from Boston to Casco-Bay, from whence their imperious Mandates will be issued; and all those Vessels which do not enter their Cargoes therein, will be seized as Smugglers.

Friday next the following Motion is expected to be made in the Lower Assembly: That Leave be given to bring in a Bill to take away all Privileges from the Town of Boston, in the Province of Massachusetts-Bay, in North-America, until they shall have made proper Concession and Reparation unto the East India Company, for the Damages they have sustained.

The Motion made Yesterday in the House of Commons, by Lord North, relative to blocking up the Harbour of Boston, was strongly opposed by Mr. Fox, &c. but was at length agreed to without a Division, and a Bill ordered to be brought in accordingly.

Yesterday there were strict Orders that no Person whatever should be admitted into the House of Commons, nor had any Member the Liberty to take in his Friend.

March 18. The Partizans of RIOT and REBELLION in our Colonies seem, within these few Days, to have lowered their Tone. The approaching Ruin of Britain, and the Grandeur of America, which they so lately held forth to us, has vanished from before them: they now appeal from our JUSTICE to our COMPASSION, and after having madly roused our Vengeance they think to disarm us by their hypocritical Whinings. If we did not allow the traiterous Bostonians to Smuggle, to burn his Majesty's Ships, and worse than Murder his Officers, their Champions modestly tell us, "they would not pay their Debts;" and if we dared to punish them, they would fall, like another Sampson, and pull down the whole Fabric of the Constitution along with them. Such impudent rant and rhodomontade, if it can be supposed to have had any Effect, must have injured, instead of served the rebellious Bostonians; to the Insurrections and Depredations committed in that HOTBED of SEDITION, their foolish Writers here added Insults and Threats; and by their injudicious Bravadoes and Insolence, they have perhaps contributed to hasten the Punishment of their factious Constituents. But we may be wrong in supposing that those roaring Blusterers are their Agents and Friends, it is more likely they are some sly Enemies of these Rebels, and undertook their sham Defence in order to accelerate their just Punishment.

The Bostonians are sometimes better than their Word; they have told us, that if we chastise their Insolence and Rebellion, "they will not pay their Debts." Now they have actually refused to pay them long ago; or what amounts to the same thing, they have amused the Merchants here with Promises, which they never have yet performed, and never will perform.

This, however, has had a happy Effect here; no Credit is now given but to People of tried Honour and real Substance; and the young flashy Bostonian, just out of his Apprenticeship, is under the Necessity of continuing to sweep that Shop of which he expected to be Master.

Whatever is said in the public Prints AGAINST the Rockingham Party, for favouring and encouraging the unwarrantable Actions of the People of Boston, must either arise from Ignorance or Misrepresentation; for though that Administration unfortunately REPEALED THE STAMP-ACT, they always held the Doctrine of the SUPREMACY of PARLIAMENT over AMERICA.----This is well known both here & in America.

Yesterday the Right Hon. Jeremiah Dyson, Esq; was sworn in before the Board of Green Cloth, Cofferer of his Majesty's Household, in the room of Hans Stanley.

The Merchants trading to Boston, made an Application yesterday in the Forenoon to Lord North, praying to be heard before the Bill, now in agitation, passes into a Law. The Intention of this Address is not to vindicate the Boston People, or even to pretend to exculpate them in the least. The Merchants trading to Boston, both know and regret the rebellious Outrages committed in that Town, and are clearly of Opinion, that England must now assert her Supremacy. But they interpose, in order before coercive Measures are put in Execution, that the Boston People should be allowed to call their Assembly, and vote if they please, a Sum Adequate to the Value of the Tea which they have so wantonly destroyed. The Merchants are to have an Audience this Forenoon.

Yesterday it was positively asserted, that Shipping for 6000 Tons were taken up as Transports, in order to carry Troops to America.

The Fair Quaker of Stornaway, Capt. Dalrymple, from Boston to Glasgow, put in at Crookhaven, in the County of Cork, reports on the 20th of January, the Day they sailed from that Place, a Mob of near 2000 People patrolled the Streets, threatening any Merchants with destruction, who should import not only Teas, but other Commodities from Great-Britain, til the Duty on the former should be repealed. Governor Hutchinson went out, and attempted to persuade them to disperse, but they refused to hear a Word on the Subject, whereon he returned precipitately to his House, and the Populace gave three Cheers, in Token of Joy at his Departure.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, March 18.

Yesterday the Speaker took the Chair at two o'clock. Several private Bills, Reports, &c. were received, but no public Business done untill Lord North came; which was near three o'clock.

Lord North desired that the Order of the Day for taking into Consideration his Majesty's Message, and the American Papers might be deferred until Wednesday next, unless that Day happened to be engaged: if so he should move for the Papers being taken into Consideration on Friday next. He then presented the Bill for the immediate Removal of his Majesty's Customs at Boston, &c. which was read a first Time. A motion was then made, that this Bill be now printed, which was carried in the Negative.

The Contents of the Bill set forth the Behaviour of the People at Boston; their Obstruction to the Laws of this Country, relative to the Trade of the Subject and Revenue of his Majesty being interrupted in the Port and Harbour of Boston.---- The Bill enacts, that no Goods, Wares or Merchandize shall be shipped on board any Vessel or landed on any Quay in the Harbour of Boston, between the Points of Natick and Anderton, and also enacts the Removal of his Majesty's Stores and Custom-House Officers from the Town of Boston. There is an Exception as to Ships laden with Provision for the Inhabitants of the Town of Boston. It further enacts that no Goods, Wares or Merchandize, shall be landed or shipped in the Harbour of Boston, until his Majesty shall be satisfied in his Privy-Council, that for the future there will be no Interruption to the Trade of this Country, nor to the Collection of his Majesty's Revenue and Duties, payable thereon in the Town and Harbour of Boston.

Penalties and forfeitures of the Ship, Goods and Merchandize are the Consequences of Disobedience to the Act.

There is a Clause to prevent his Majesty from reinstating the Trade of the Port or Town until full Satisfaction shall be made to the India Company for the Loss they have sustained.

There were no Debates whatever, and the House broke up at four o'clock, and adjourned to Monday next.

The Gallery-Doors were locked all Day, & no Person whatever admitted.

LONDON March 19.

We are credibly informed, that the Reason of Lord North's deferring the American Business yesterday, was owing to an Express that arrived on Thursday evening at the Secretary of State's Office, in Cleveland Row.

By the same Authority we are informed that the said Express contains a farther Account of the riotous Proceedings at Boston and other Parts of the Massachusetts-Bay.

The second Reading of the Boston Custom-House Bill, will be in the House of Commons, it is expected on Monday; if so, the Consideration of the American Papers, with his Majesty's Message will come on the Wednesday following.

The Reason for adjourning the American Business is, that the Bill for removing the Custom-House from Boston, and preventing any Trade from being landed between Natick and Anderton Points, should first pass in the House of Commons.

The Name of the Place where the Custom-House of Boston is to be removed, is Casco-Bay; about 40 Miles from the Capital; a fine spacious open Harbour, and though not so naturally defensible against an Enemy, is said to be much better calculated for Trade, on Account of being free from those small Islands, & little Rocks which narrow the Mouth of the former.

The Reports for some Time past of Troops being ordered for Boston, are without Foundation, as the most effectual, as well as lenient Measures will be adopted without the Aid of the Military.

So affectedly devout are the sanctified Bostonians, that if any Person is found on a Sunday, during Divine Service in the Streets, he is immediately seized, and carried, vi et armis, into Church, and placed on a Stool, Some few Years past, a Captain of a Man of War was taken by some of these hypocritical Gentry, and conducted to Church. by the Mayor's own Order: He was to sail the next Week for England, and the Day that he was to leave the Harbour, he invited the Mayor and several of the most religious of the Corporation on board to Dinner: They dined very heartily, and when they were preparing to go on Shore, he informed them he had one Obligation to discharge before they parted, and that was the singular Respect they paid him one Sunday, in complimenting him with a Stool in one of their Churches; upon which he called the Boatswain, and all Hands, tied up the Mayor first, then his puritanical Friends, gave them a Dozen each, at the Gang-Way on their bare Backs, sent them ashore, and then set sail for England.

Several Wagers were last Night offered to be laid, that John Wilkes, Esq; though having a Majority of Votes at the next general Election, would never be admitted to take a Seat in Parliament, or that of Lord-Mayor, during the present Reign.

It is said so low and abject is Mr. Wilkes become, that his few deluded Partizans openly solicit even Subscriptions of half a Guinea for him.

By Letters from Cologne we hear, that many of the Jesuits who were imprisoned for the Attempt of assassinating the King of Portugal, were for some Days past, brought from their horrid dark Dungeons into the open Air, for a prolongation of Health for enduring a longer Confinement, but they immediately expired.
Very Important Intelligence.

Yesterday in 28 Days from Falmouth; in England, we have Papers to the 7th of April, but neither Time nor Room to make many Extracts- They contain but few Articles respecting America, more than we have by the Ship arrived at Marblehead on Monday last- -The Important Advices. and BITTER PILL: for the Bostonians. it Seems were published in a Paper of the 9th of April, which Captain Henderson, & Mr. Davis of Boston, a Passenger, assure us they saw and read, at Falmouth, but could not procure to bring, which Paper contained: the ACT. passed by King, Lords. and Commons, to take Place the 1st of June next, for Blocking up the Harbour of Boston. so that no Vessel shall either go in or out, &c. &c. That the Hon. Board of Commissioners, all the Custom-House Officers, General-Court, and every other Office be removed from Boston, we don't hear where, but 'tis tho't to Salem, some say to Falmouth, Casco-Bay. That General GAGE, is appointed Commander in Chief of all the Forces in North-America, and Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Province, in the Absence of Governor Hutchinson, who has leave to go to England. That the aforesaid severe ACT is not to be repealed till the Bostonians pay for all the Tea destroyed, make great Acknowledgments, and convince his Majesty and Parliament, that they will behave well in Future. That the Ships and Troops, sufficient, as is said, to subdue all America, are close at Hand, for these great Purposes. -A few Articles from the Papers of March 22, 24, and April 7th are as follows, viz.

LONDON, March 22.

Summary of the Proceedings in the House of Commons.

The Order of the Day, for the second reading of the Bill for the immediate Removal of Officers concerned in the Collection and Management of his Majesty's Duties and Customs for the Town of Boston, in the Province of Massachusetts Bay, in North-America, and to discontinue the Landing and discharge of Lading & Shipping of Goods, Wares and Merchandize, at the said Town of Boston, or within the Harbour thereof, was read.

Mr. R. Fuller said the Bill would be the total Destruction of this Country, if passed; that in his Opinion, the Mode, of Punishment ought to be altered to a Fine of 20,000l. to the East-India Company, for the Demolition of their Tea, and another Fine to his Majesty for Damages done; and he would recommend them to follow the Examples mentioned of Edinburgh, Glasgow, &c. He concluded with saying, "First fine them and if they refuse to obey your Orders, then put this Act in Force."

A Motion was then made, that this Bill be now committed. which was carried in the Affirmative without a Division.

No other Debate ensued.

The House broke up at half past four o'clock, and adjourned to this Day.

To-morrow the whole House will resolve itself into a Committee upon the American Bill, when it is thought several Amendments will be proposed.

Certainly the Colonies, as they enjoy the Privileges and Protection of this Country, ought in Reason to bear a Part of our national Taxes.

Every real Well-Wisher of England hopes, that the Privileges of the Town of Boston will not be restored, till those foolish vapouring Subjects have, in their General Court, not only passed an Act to make good the Damage done to the East-India Company, but also another, expressly acknowledging the full Power and Authority of this Kingdom to make Laws and Statutes of sufficient Force and Validity to bind the Colonies and People of America, Subjects of the Crown of Great-Britain, in all Cases.

A Rumour prevails that Col. Barre, is shortly to embark for Boston, upon a ministerial Embassy. This we fancy will turn out "Vox et praeterea Nihil," A Rumour in the true Sense of the Word.

A noted minority Member went to feel the Pulse of a great Lord in the Country, and at Dinner lamented his Lordship's Absence at so critical a Crisis; to whom my Lord said, "What unreasonable people you Patriots be! here I conquered America for England, and now you want me to conquer England for America; not I by G---, I put the' Colonies in the Way of doing it seven Years ago, that's enough; besides, (zounds my Leg) this cursed Gout hinders me from taking any adequate Steps in the Matter."

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