captain of a vessel was despatched to the governor to request a passport. At length, he returned to say, that the governor refused. The meeting was immediately dissolved. A secret plan had been formed to mingle the tea with the waters of the ocean. Three different parties soon after sallied out, in the costume of Mohawk Indians, and precipitately made their way to the wharves. At the same time, the citizens were seen in crowds directing their course to the same place, to become spectators of a scene, as novel as the enterprise was bold. Without noise, without tumult, the tea was taken from the vessel by the conspirators, and expeditiously offered as an oblation "to the watery god."

35. Intelligence of these proceedings being communicated, in a message from the throne, to both houses of Parliament, that body, by way of retaliation, passed a bill (March 7th, 1774), called the "Boston Port Bill," by which that nort was precluded from the privilege of landing or discharging, or of loading and shipping goods, wares and merchandise. A second bill followed, essentially altering the charter of the province, making the appointment of the council, justices, judges, &c., dependent upon the crown, or its agent. To these was added a third, authorizing and directing the governor to send any person indicted for murder, or any other capital offence, to another colony, or to Great Britain, for trial.

36. On the arrival of these acts, the town of Boston expressed its views in the following vote: "That it is the opinion of this town, that, if the other colonies come into a joint resolution to stop all importation from Great Britain and the West Indies, till the act for blecking up this harbor be repealed, the same will prove the salvation of North America and her liberties." Copies of this vote were transmitted to each of the colonies; and as an expression of their sympathy with the people of Boston in their distress, the House of Burgesses, in Virginia, ordered that the day on which the Boston port bill was to take effect should be observed as a day of fasting and prayer.*

37. During these transactions in Massachusetts, measures had been taken to convene a Continental Congress. On the 4th of September, 1774, deputies from eleven colonies met at Philadelphia, and elected Peyton Randolph, the then late speaker of

* The words Whigs and Tories were about this the introduced, as the distinguishing names of parties. By the former was meant those who favored the cause of Boston, and were zealous in supporting the colonies against the Parliament; by the latter was meant the favorers of Great Britain.

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159

the Virginia assembly, president, and Charles Thompson secre tary. During its session, this body agreed upon a declaration of their rights; recommended the non-importation of British goods into the country, and the non-exportation of American produce to Great Britain, so long as their grievances were unredressed. They also voted an address to his majesty, and likewise one to the people of Great Britain, and another to the French inhabitants of Canada.*

38. On the 5th of October following, General Gage summoned a meeting of the provincial assembly; but, before that period arrived, judging their meeting inexpedient, he counteracted the writs of convocation. The assembly, however, to the number of ninety, met at Salem, where, the governor not attending, they adjourned to Concord. Here, having chosen John Hancock president, they adjourned to Cambridge, where they drew up a plan for the immediate defence of the province, by enlisting men, appointing general officers, &c. In November, this assembly again met, and resolved to equip twelve thousand men, to act in any emergency; and to enlist one-fourth part of the militia as minutemen. At the same time, a request was forwarded to Connecticut, New Hampshire and Rhode Island, jointly to increase this army to twenty thousand men.

39. On the opening of the following year (January 7th), Lord Chatham, Mr. Pitt, after a long retirement, resumed his seat in the House of Lords, and introduced a conciliatory bill, the object of which was to settle the troubles in America. But the efforts of this venerable and peace-making man wholly failed, the bill not only being rejected by a large majority, but its rejection was

The Congress of 1774 has justly been celebrated, from that time to the present; and its celebrity will continue while wisdom finds admirers, and patriotism is regarded with veneration. Both at home and abroad, they were spoken of in terms of the highest admiration. Abroad, the Earl of Chatham, in one of his brilliant speeches, remarked of them: "History, my lords, has been my favorite study; and in the celebrated writings of antiquity have I often admired the patriotism of Greece and Rome; but, my lords, I must declare and avow, that, in the master states of the world, I know not the people or senate who, in such a complication of difficult circum. stances, can stand in preference to the delegates of America assembled in General Congress at Philadelphia." At home, they were celebrated by a native and popular bard, in an equally elevated strain:

"Now meet the fathers of this western clime;

Nor names more noble graced the rolls of fame,
When Spartan firmness braved the wrecks of time,
Or Latian virtue fanned the heroic flame.

"Not deeper thought the immortal sage inspired,
On Solon's lips when Grecian senates hung;

Nor manlier eloquence the bosom fired,

When genius thundered from the Athenian tongue."

followed, the next day, by the passage of a bill to restrain the trade of the New England provinces, and to forbid their fishing on the banks of Newfoundland. Soon after, restrictions were imposed upon the middle and southern colonies, with the exception of New York, Delaware, and North Carolina. This bill, designed to promote disunion among the colonies, happily failed of its object.

40. We have thus given a succinct account of the system of measures adopted by the ministry of England toward the American colonies, after the peace of 1763,

measures most

unfeeling and unjust, but which no petitions, however respectful, and no remonstrances, however loud, could change. Satisfied of this, justice permitted the people, and self-respect and self-preservation loudly summoned them, to resist by force. The crisis, therefore, had now arrived; the signal of war was given, and the blood shed at Lexington opened the scene.

PRINCIPAL EVENTS OF 1775.

Battle of Lexington.
Reduction of Ticonderoga.
Battle of Bunker's Hill.
Capitulation of St. Johns and
Montreal.

Repulse at Quebec,-Death of
Montgomery.

Cessation of Royal Government
in the Colonies.

1. Learning that a large quantity of military stores had been collected by the Americans at Concord, General Gage, the king's governor, detached Lieutenant Smith and Major Pitcairn, with eight hundred grenadiers, to destroy them. Meanwhile, the greatest precaution was taken by Governor Gage to prevent the intelligence of this expedition from reaching the country. Officers were dispersed along the road, to intercept expresses who might be sent from Boston. But the precaution proved ineffectual. The alarm was given, and was rapidly spread by means of church-bells, guns, and volleys.

2. On reaching Lexington, on the morning of the 19th of April, some seventy of the militia had assembled, and were under arms. On seeing them on the parade, near the church, Major Pitcairn rode up to them, and, with a loud voice, cried out, "Disperse, disperse, you rebels! throw down your arms, and

General Thomas Gage was born about the year 1721. He entered the army young. He succeeded Governor Hutchinson as Governor of Massachusetts Bay. He took strong and decided measures, and hastened the Revolution. In October, 1775, he resigned his command to Sir William Howe. His death occurred in 1788.

RENCONTRE AT LEXINGTON.

161

disperse!" The sturdy yeomanry not immediately obeying his orders, he approached nearer, discharged his pistol, and ordered his soldiers to fire; upon which, eight were killed, and several wounded. From Lexington, the detachment proceeded to Concord, and destroyed the stores. After killing several of the militia, who came forth to oppose them, they retreated to Lexington

with some loss, the Americans firing upon them from behind walls, hedges, and buildings.

3. Fortunately for the British, a reinforcement of nine hundred men, some marines, and two field-pieces, here came to their assistance; but, being greatly annoyed by the patriots, they continued their retreat to Bunker's Hill, in Charlestown, and the lay following crossed over to Boston. The British lost, in killed and wounded, during their absence, two hundred and seventythree. The loss of the Americans amounted to eighty-eight, killed, wounded, and missing. Thus flowed the first blood of the Revolution,shed wantonly, but which was poured out freely on the altar of American liberty; firing the bosoms of thousands, as the intelligence spread, and rousing them to defend their country against British tyranny and oppression.

4. It was at once decided to be important to secure the fortresses at Ticonderoga and Crown Point. Accordingly, a num ber of volunteers, from Connecticut and Vermont, under command of Colonels Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold, marched against Ticonderoga, and, on the 10th of May, took it by sur

prise, the garrison being asleep. On the arrival of Allen, ha demanded the surrender of the fort. "By what authority?" asked the commander. "I demand it," said Allen, "in the name of the great Jehovah, and of the Continental Congress."

The summons was instantly obeyed, and the fort was, with its valuable stores, surrendered. The capture of Crown Point soon followed.

5. In June following (17), a still more memorable event occurred, THE BATTLE OF BUNKER'S HILL, as it is commonly called; or of Breed's Hill, where the battle was actually fought, -a high eminence in Charlestown, within cannon-shot of Boston. The evening preceding, a detachment of one thousand Americans was ordered to make an intrenchment on Bunker's Hill; but, by some mistake, they proceeded to Breed's Hill, and, by the dawn of day, had thrown up a redoubt eight rods square and four feet high. On discovering this redoubt in the morning, the British commenced a severe cannonade upon it from several ships and floating batteries, and from a fortification on Copp's Hill, in Boston, which was continued until afternoon. The Americans, however, urged on their defences, and, during the forenoon, lost but a single man. Between twelve and one o'clock, three thousand British, under command of Major-general Howe and Brigadier-general Pigot, crossed Charies river, with an intention to dislodge the Americans. As they advanced, the British commenced firing at some distance from the redoubt;