The New Hampshire Gazette And Historical Chronicle

B O S T O N. Dec. 29.

Seven Months have nearly passed away since this Town, by the cruel Hand of a most abandoned Administration, have been made Spectacle of Sufferings to Angels and Men; and how soon we are to see an End of these Troubles, God only knows.— The infamous Sir Charles Frost, since the Arrival of the Packet at New-York, has been going about crying Glorious News! Glorious News! and the Sworn Enemies of our Constitution have since ventured more frequently from their Den into King-Street, to congratulate their Brethren in Iniquity upon the Occasion.— This glorious News, we understand to be no less than this, that agreeable to former Assurances, these knettled Savages to their Country, are to draw their Sustenance and Support from the Public, so long as they continue acting Traitors to their Country; and that their Friend, the late Governor Hutchinson, has assured them, the Ministry are determined to push their Measures for reducing the Colonies at all events! and that a black Cloud is gathering over America.— —

Glorious News indeed, must this be to these pensioned Traitors whose Stipends, and political Existence, depend wholly upon the Establishment of the present Measures.— But whatever may be the Apprehensions or Hopes, of this infamous Set of Men— — we can assure the Public the sensible and true Friends of the Constitution on both Sides the Water, have other Hopes and Apprehensions, as they perceive a Union and Spirit among the Colonies, for the Defence of their Rights and Liberties, unparallelled in History; and at the same Time such Prudence, moderation, and remaining Affection for the Mother Country, as will lead them to close Disputes with their Brethren upon the old established Footing they were upon at the Conclusion of the late War; for to the Honour of the Colonies it ought to be observed, that they have not yet made one new Claim, and that the present Squabble, is wholly owing to new and unconstitutional Impositions; Submission to which, would be a Submission to Slavery in all its Forms & Horrors. The Friends of America have also the Satisfaction to learn that, the Resolve of the late Continental Congress respecting the Votes of the County of Suffolk, published in the late English Papers, have not only surprised but quite confounded the Ministry, as by it they perceive the Union of the Colonies to be compleat; and that their present Menaces, only mark their Despair: That all Things considered there is a greater Alteration in the new Parliament than could have been expected from the sudden dissolution of the old; and that it was apparent the Measures of Ministry were becoming every Day more and more odious and unpopular; that daily Acquisitions were made to the American Cause of the most able Writers and Speakers; and that a Continuance of the Union began and compleated, would under Providence soon procure us Deliverance from our present Sufferings and a full redress of all our Grievances.

That This will be the happy Consequence of our Union and carrying into Effect, the wise Measures adopted and recommended by the late most respectable Continental Congress, our Enemies seem to be so sensible of, that they are now trying all their low Arts and little Efforts to disturb the former, and retard the Execution of the latter— — this accounts for a certain Prelate's stragling here from New-York, and for the several inflammatory Libels against the Colonies and the late continental Congress, entitled, The New-York Freeholder: The Veteran: The Friendly Address to sober Americans, &c. published by the little high flying jacobite Party and their bribed Coadjutors in that City. Since the Doctor's Return, and retailed here in Mills and Hicks's Paper, by their fellow Labourer the unprincipled but not unpenioned Philanthrop, under the signature of Massachusettsis; and this also accounts for a very extraordinary address to the Public in the same Paper last Week, from one known by the Name of Timothy Ruggles, recommending, notwithstanding a late Proclamation, the Form of a solemn League and Covenant, not indeed for the Preservation but the Destruction of our Liberties: the signing which he dares assert will be a Security against the Vengeance of one whom he basely represents as a military Butcher rather than a G——; and having lyingly told him, that the Friends of Liberty were Rebels, a Banditti more cruel than Savages, who having trampled upon a Patience which has endured to Long-suffering, were now ripe for Destruction; this Person in the true Spirit of his malignant Cabal, has the Audacity to clap his Master upon the Back, put in his Chops, and pointing to the People as his prey, to cry out, go boy, go boy, seize 'em Yorvler, seize 'em."

In Revington's New York Gazetteer of December 22, is the following Paragraph under the Boston Head, which never appeared in any of the Papers in this Province,— (This is not the first Boston Paragraph manufactured by that JUDAS to the Rights and Liberties of AMERICA, to serve the diabolical purposes of his wretched Masters.) —

"Our Provincial Congress was dissolved on account of the Disagreement of some of the principal Delegates and Demagogues — They are to meet again on the 10th of January, in Hopes of greater Unanimity; when it is expected the Motion for the raising of an Army, and that for the Choice of a Governor, will be renewed. The Gracchus of this Congress insisted upon the immediate raising of a numerous Army, and gave Assurances, that the Money for the Payment of the Forces would be supplied-by the Province to the Southward of the Massachusetts: Should a Governor be chosen, the Election, it is confidently asserted, will fall upon Dr. Winthrop, one of the Professors at Harvard College."

At a Meeting of the Delegates from the several Towns in the County of Plymouth, according to Adjournment, Dec. 22d 1774,

Resolved, That such Justices in this County, who have not made, or shall not in one Month from this Date, make Reparation for the Injury done their Country by addressing General Gage and Governor Hutchinson, in the Manner they did, at the last July Term in this County, are and ought to be esteemed Enemies of the Country, and after the Expiration of one Month from the Date hereof, be dealt with, as the Virtue; and Resentment of the People in the Country shall direct.

A true Copy.

Thomas Lothrop, Clerk.

B. O S T. O N, Monday. January 2, 1775.

At a Meeting of the Freeholders and other Inhabitants of the Town of Boston, by Adjournment, at Faneuil Hall, on Friday Last.

Mr. S. ADAMS in the Chair.

THE Committee appointed to take under Consideration a Paper signed T. GAGE, being an Answer to a Letter written to General Gage by the Hon. Peyton Randolph. Esq; President of the late Continental Congress.. Reported as follows, viz.

We would not, unless urged by the clearest Necessity, have

taken up the Consideration of General Gage's Letter to the Hon. Peyton Randolph Esq; late President of the Honorable Continental Congress; but we conceive that Letter, though it appears to be addressed to a Gentleman in his private Capacity, has a strong Tendency to impress the whole Continent with Sentiments very unfavourable to this afflicted Town. We shall not intentionally throw any disagreeable Imputation upon the General, but shall endeavour only to defend ourselves against the injurious Tendency of his Letter. The General, contrary to the known Sense of every Man of common Understanding, has been pleased to insinuate that the Complaints of the Town of Boston against his Conduct were utterly groundless and unreasonable; and would have the Continent believe that not he but the People of this Province, and especially the Inhabitants of Boston, were the Ag-
gressors in all the Differences which have arisen. We freely ac-

knowledge- that the Arrival of a British Army with a professed

Design of enforcing Acts of the British Parliament, destructive of

our Liberties, gave a great and universal Alarm, and it cannot ap-

pear strange that we should be considering of the Measures necessary

to preserve our just Rights and Privileges: We hoped however

that peaceable and gentle Means would have effected our Deliver-

ance We believed that his Excellency would have laid some Pro-

posals before the General Assembly which he had Summoned to

meet at Salem; but after treating both the Council and House of

Representatives in a Manner which we shall not animadvert on,

he was pleased to dissolve the Assembly: The People were then

compelled to turn their Thoughts and Attention to other Methods

of preventing the impending Destruction.

And though thus
distressed, his Excellency would gladly have prevented them from

availing themselves of the Council of each other in Town Meet-

ing, and actually ordering the marching of a Body of armed Sol-

diers to disperse the Inhabitants of the Town of Salem when

peaceably assembled to consult upon the most important Interests

of themselves and their Posterity: This was followed by the seiz-

ing of the Powder in the Magazine at Cambridge, and of the Can-

non which had been lent to the first Regiment in Middlesex.— —

— —The mounting a Number of Field Pieces on an Eminence in

Boston Common, stationing Guards in various Parts of the Town,

and many other Acts, which could not leave any Doubt in the

Minds of the People of the General's Intention to employ Military

Force against the Province, at length roused the People to think of

defending themselves and their Property by Arms, if nothing less

could save them from Violence and Rapine. For the Justification

of the Conduct of the People in that Respect we may safely appeal

to the Continent— —to the World, and to the supreme omniscient

Governor of the Universe. All the Transactions from the first

Arrival of the Troops we hope will hereafter be critically and ju-

diciously examined: And we trust that the Time will come, when

we shall have a fair and impartial Hearing, We mean not now to

give particular Answers except to such Parts of the General's

Letter as seem to charge the Continental Congress with having

misconceived the Facts stated in their Letter to him.

First, His Excellency says, that from the Letter (meaning the

Letter of the Hon. Continental Congress) "People would be led

to believe that Works were raised against the Town of Boston, pri-

vate Property invaded, the Soldiers suffered to insult the Inhabi-

tants, and the Communication between the Town and Country

shut up and molested." How far his Excellency was governed by

the Consideration of what Answer he should make, when he gave

this Turn to the Expressions of the Congress, need not be inquir-

ed into.— —.. To this Charge his Excellency replies, that "there

is not a single Gun pointed against the Town." His Excellency

did not advert to the Number of Field Pieces which were, at the.

Time that Letter was written and long before, pointed against the

Town from the Common; but if the Assertion had been litera-

lly true, it would not in the least affect the Point under Conide-

ration.

Are not the Works created on the Neck in Reality erected

against the Town? Are they not designed to intimidate the In-

habitants, and to lead them to think they were altogether in the

Power of the Army?— The Continental Congress plainly expres-

sed the Sense in which they mean to be understood by his Excellency.

They say " that the Fortifications erecting within that Town"

(Boston.) "the frequent Invasions of private Property, and the re-

"peated Insults they" (the Inhabitants) "receive from the Sol-

diery, have given them great Reason to suspect a Plan is formed

very destructive to them, and tending to overthrow the Liberties

of America." The General therefore has in no Way answered

the Charge bro't against him: but has only by varying the Ex-

pression, attempted to elude it. The next assertion is, that "no

Man's Property has been seized or hurt except the Kings." We

need not enumerate all the Instances of Property seized :— — -It is

enough to say, that a Number of Cannon, the Property of a re-

spectable Merchant in the Town, were seized and carried off by

Force —that Timber and Lumber have been violently taken from

the Owners— —that rightful Proprietors have been driven from

their Lands.— —It is impossible for us to mention one Half of the

Instances in which Property has been hurt; they are notorious to

every Inhabitant, and have been made known to the Public from

Time to Time.

His Excellency is pleased to say, that "no Troops have ever given

less Cause for Complaint, and greater Care was never taken to

prevent it." What Care has been taken, is not our Part to deter-

mine; we are ready to admit the most candid Opinion: But we

beg Leave to say, that the Insults received from the Officers and

Soldiers, have been in many Instances, such as were shocking to

a spirited People; and which Humanity, in some Instances, De-

cency in others, and in all, a generous Disposition to avoid placing

even those who have injured us in an odious Light, prevent us

from giving a particular Account of.

The General declares that "the Communication between the

" Town and Country has been always free and unmolested, and

" is so still." . We shall only give the Facts. Guards were fixed

at every Entrance into the Town. No Person was allowed to cross

the Ferry to Charlestown after 8 o'Clock in the Evening, however

urgent his Business.— Passengers on the Neck stopped for Hours

by the Guard, their Property injured or destroyed.— One Inhabi-

tant stopt in his Chaise, and his Horse stabbed with a Bayonet,

others shamefully beaten, abused and confined, and many other In-

stances very alarming to our Friends in the Country, whose free

Ingress to the Town is essential to our Subsistence.

The General perhaps might not justify these Enormities; but

could he not have prevented them by removing the Cause of those

frequent Abuses; Be that as it may, could he with Truth assert

that 'the Communication between the Town and Country has

"been always free and unmolested. and is so still?"

We wish the General had given us some particular Instances

concerning "the Menaces of Blood and Slaughter," which he in-

timates made it his Duty to alarm and distress the People in the

Manner he has already done. We doubt not that we shall be able

fully to answer his Excellency whenever he is pleased to descend to

Particulars. We can only say at present that we conceive his Ex-

cellency to have been very ill advised in the Measures he has pur-

sued, and that we ardently wish for an Opportunity to meet our

Accusers upon equal Ground.

The above Report having been duly considered, it was Voted

nem. con. that the same be accepted; and that the Moderator of

this Meeting be desired to transmit a Copy of the Report, inclosed

in a respectful Letter to the Hon. Peyton Randolph, by the first

Oportunity.

The Town, at the above Meeting, made Choice of the follow-

ing Gentlemen for their Delegates, at the Provincial Congress, to

be held at the Town of Cambridge on or before the first of Feb.

next, viz. The Hon. Thomas Cushing. Esq; Mr. Samuel Adams,

The Hon. John Hancock. Esq; Dr. Joseph Warren, Dr. Benjamin

Church, Mr. Oliver Wendell, and Mr. John Pitts.

The Meeting was then adjourned to the first Wednesday of Feb.

next, at 11 o'Clock.