The New Hampshire Gazette And Historical Chronicle

BOSTON, June 6.

Yesterday a Number of Gentlemen waited on his Excellency THOMAS GAGE, Esq; with the following ADDRESS.

May it please your Excellency,

We esteem it not one of the least consolations to this province in this day of distress, that his Majesty hath been pleased to appoint to the head of it a gentleman of your Excellency's known ability, steadiness and moderation: The long command which you have held in another department in America in which you have displayed every good quality of the heart and mind, gives us the most favourable hopes of your future administration, and makes us the less regret the parting with our late worthy Governor, whose wise and faithful administration hath given us the most entire satisfaction.

We therefore, merchants, traders of the town of Boston, and others, for ourselves, do now wait on your Excellency to pay you our hearty congratulations on your arrival at the metropolis, to acknowledge our gratitude to our Sovereign for his gracious appointment of you to the head of this province, at this very important juncture; and to give you our firm assurances, that we will do every thing in our power in our respective stations to promote peace and good order; and to make your administration easy and happy.

We cannot well express to your Excellency the distress of mind we feel; at the approaching calamity, which will soon overwhelm the town of Boston, particularly the trading part of it, by the operation of the late act of parliament for shutting up the harbour. The real miseries which this will occasion to our fellow townsmen cannot well be conceived—a mind like your Excellency's fraught with tenderness and humanity will anticipate our sufferings; and requires not a description of the Evil, to prompt you to a ready exertion of all your interest to avert or remove it.

We could wish a discretionary power had been lodged with your Excellency to restore the trade to it's usual course immediately on the Act's being fully complied with; but as the act stands, being only to be repealed by his Majesty in Council, on your Excellency's favourable representation of us, it will take so much time before it can be effected, as will involve us in unspeakable misery, & we fear total ruin.—Making restitution to the East-India Company, for the damage done to their property, and for damage done to the persons and property of individuals among us by the outrage of rash and inconsiderate men, we look upon to be quite equitable, and we who have ever disavowed all lawless violences do bear our testimony against them, and particularly against that action which we suppose to be the immediate cause of our heavy chastisement, are willing to pay our proportions whenever the same can be ascertained, and the mode of laying it determined on.—As soon as compensation shall be made, and all other terms of the act complied with, we have no doubt your Excellency will make such favourable representation of our case to his Majesty in council, as that he may be graciously pleased to restore us to his royal favor.

We sincerely wish that all your Excellency's endeavours to promote peace and the general tranquility of the province may meet with success, and we promise to ourselves that the whole of your administration will be such as may claim the warmest testimonies of gratitude from this people, and the approbation of your royal master.

Signed by all the Gentlemen who Addressed Governor Hutchinson on his Departure, whose Names were in our Paper of the 3d Instant.

To which ADDRESS, his Excellency General GAGE, was pleased to return the following Answer.

GENTLEMEN,

I will accept my Thanks for your polite Address, and kind Congratulations on my Arrival in this Province; and be assured that I receive the greatest Satisfaction, that so respectable a Body has testified an open Disavowal of the lawless Violences that have been committed in the Town of Boston.

I sincerely Condole with you on the Distresses that many must feel on this Occasion of shutting up the Port, and shall rejoice in being afforded an early Opportunity to make such Representations as may tend to their Relief, but you will believe, that no discretionary Power, in this Respect, is lodged with me.

It is greatly to be wished for the good of the Community in general, that those in whose Hands Power is vested, should use the most speedy Methods to fulfil the King's Expectation, and fix the mode to indemnify the East-India Company, and others who have suffered: which could not fail to extricate the Citizens of Boston out of the Difficulties, in which they are involved, with as little Delay as the Nature of them will admit, and lay a Foundation for that Harmony between Great-Britain and the Colony, which every considerate and good Man must wish to see established; and nothing shall be wanting on my Part, to accomplish an End so desirable.

Salem, June 8th, 1774.