XXXIII 1768. April. 2 CHAP. fore," said he,1 "exert your utmost influence to prevail upon the Assembly of your Province to take no notice of it, which will be treating it with the contempt it deserves.—If they give any countenance to this seditious paper, it will be your duty to prevent any proceedings upon it by an immediate prorogation or dissolution." This order he sent even to the Governor of Pennsylvania, who, by its Charter, had no power to prorogue or dissolve an Assembly. Massachusetts was told, that the King considered "their resolutions contrary to the sense of the Assembly, and procured by surprise. You will, therefore," such was the command to Bernard, "require of the House of Representatives in his Majesty's name to rescind the resolution which gave birth to the Circular letter from the Speaker, and to declare their disapprobation of that rash and hasty proceeding." "If the new Assembly should refuse to comply, it is the King's pleasure that you should immediately dissolve them." In America, the best informed of the Crown Officers attributed the instruction to "the express order of the King."4 The Agent of the Assembly of Massachusetts interceded for the Colony. Its Petition was received by Hillsborough for the King's perusal, but was never officially presented. "It has been resolved in Council," said the Secretary, "that Governor Bernard have strict orders to insist upon the Assembly's revoking their Circular letter; and if refused, he is XXXIII 1768. April. immediately to dissolve them. Upon their next CHAP. choice, he is again to insist on it; and, if then refused, he is to do the like; and as often as the case shall happen. I had settled the repeal of these Acts with Lord North; but the opposition of the Colonies, renders it absolutely necessary to support the authority of Parliament." 1 Here was a colonial system, never before thought of Townshend had suspended the legislative functions of New-York by Act of Parliament. Now a Secretary of State speaking for the King, offered to Massachusetts the option of forfeiting its representative government, or submitting to his mandate. At the same time the Commander-in-Chief in America, who was responsible to no one on that Continent, and in New-York itself took precedence of the Governor, was ordered to maintain the public tranquillity. But it was characteristic of Massachusetts, that the peace had not been broken. The power of Parliament was denied, but not resisted. "Things are fast hastening to a crisis," said Eliot of Boston. Yet none desponded. The people were persuaded that England had greater cause to fear the loss of their trade, than they the withholding of her protection. "The grand design of God in the settlement of New England," " began to be more clearly discerned. Some enthusiasts saw in this western Continent the wilderness spoken of De Berdt to the Speaker of Massachusetts Assembly, 29 July, 1768, in Bradford's State Papers. Moore to Shelburne, 5 March, 1768; Gage to Lord Barrington, 28 March, 1768; Hillsborough to Moore, 14 May, 1768. Moore to Hillsborough, 19 August, 1768, &c. VOL. vi.-13 3 Hillsborough to Gage, 23 April, 1768. Andrew Eliot to Thomas Hollis, 18 April, 1768. Boston Gazette, 25 April, 1768, 682, 1, 3. XXXIII 1768. CHAP. in the vision of the Evangelist John, as the asylum of persecuted multitudes, to whom "the wings of a Great Eagle" had been given to bear them to the "place prepared by God" for their "rest from tribulation." April. Meantime, on Saturday, the second day of April, the Assembly of Virginia read the Circular letter from Massachusetts, and referred it to a committee of the whole House.1 The petitions of freeholders of the counties of Chesterfield, Henrico, Dinwiddie and Amelia, pointed to the Act of Parliament suspending the legislative power of New-York, as of a tendency, fatal to the liberties of a free people. The county of Westmoreland dwelt also on the new Revenue Act, as well as on the Billeting Act. The freeholders of Prince Williams enumerated all three, which, like the Stamp Act, would shackle North America with slavery. On the seventh, the illustrious Bland reported Resolutions, reaffirming the exclusive right of the American Assemblies to tax the American Colonies; and they were unanimously confirmed. A committee of twelve, including Bland and Archibald Cary, prepared a Petition to the King, a Memorial to the House of Lords, and a Remonstrance to the House of Commons, which, after being carefully considered and amended, were unanimously adopted. On Friday, the fifteenth, Bland invited a conference with the Council; and the Council with Blair, as acting President after Fauquier's death, agreed to the papers which the House had prepared, and which were 1 Journal of Virginia House of Burgesses, from 31 March to 15 April, 1768, p. 55. 2 Blair to Hillsborough, 18 May, 1768, inclosing the Virginia Petition, Memorial and Remonstrance. penned in a still bolder style than those from Massa- CHAP. chusetts. After this the Burgesses of Virginia, to fulfil all their duty, not only assured Massachusetts of their applause for its attention to American Liberty, but also directed their Speaker to write to the respective Speakers of all the Assemblies on the Continent, to make known their proceedings, and to intimate how necessary they thought it, that the Colonies should unite in a firm but decent opposition to every measure which might affect their rights and liberties. In the midst of these proceedings of a representative body, which truly reflected the sentiments of a people, the Thirteenth British Parliament, the last which ever legislated for America, was returned. So infamous was the old House in public esteem, that one hundred and seventy of its members failed of being rechosen.1 But still corruption lost nothing of its effrontery; boroughs were sold openly, and votes purchased at advanced prices. The market value of a seat in Parliament was four thousand pounds; at which rate the whole venal House would have been bought for not much over two millions sterling, and a majority for not much over one million. Yet in some places a contest cost the candidates twenty to thirty thousand pounds apiece, and it was affirmed that in Cumberland one person lavished a hundred thousand pounds. The election was the warmest and most expensive ever known. The number of disputed returns exceeded all precedent; as did the riots, into which a misguided populace, XXXIII 1768. April. 1 W. S. Johnson to Gov. Pitkin, 24 April, 1768. 2 B. Franklin to W. Franklin, 13 March, 1768. Writings, vii. 394. CHAP. indulged once every seven years with the privilege of an election, had been enticed. XXXIII 1768. April. May. The first incident in the history of this Parliament, was an unexampled interference of the Court. Wilkes represented Westminster. "I think it highly proper to apprise you that the expulsion of Wilkes appears to be very essential, and must be effected," wrote the King to Lord North,' who stood ready to obey the peremptory and unconstitutional mandate. At the opening, the great question was raised, if strangers should be excluded from the debates. "It has always been my opinion," said Barrington, "that strangers should not be allowed to hear them." "Strangers are entitled to hear them," replied Seymour. "I ever wished," said Grenville, "to have what is done here, well known." The people no longer acquiesced in the secrecy of the proceedings of their professed representatives. The deci sion was postponed; but this is the last Parliament of which the debates are not reported. The new House was not more just to the Colonies than its predecessor. Out of doors, America was not without those who listened to her complaints. The aged Oglethorpe, founder of the Colony of Georgia, busied himself with distributing pamphlets in her behalf among the most considerable public men. Franklin, in London, collected and printed the Farmer's Letters. "They are very wild," said Hillsborough of them; many called them treasonable and seditious; yet Burke approved their principle. Trans 1 King to Lord North, 25 April, 1768. 2 Miss De Berdt to Mr. Read. * Franklin, vii. Compare W. S. Johnson to Pitkin, 29 July, 1768. |