CHAPTER IV.

Meeting of the first Continental Congress at New York-They publish a manifesto, and petition the King and Parliament-1st. of November 1765 observed throughout the Colonies as a day of mourning-Publick funeral of Liberty in New Hampshirenon-importation agreement-the people refuse to use Stamps-effects of the popular ferment upon the Parliament-debates upon its repeal-effects of the non-importation upon the Merchants of London-their petition to the King and Parliament.-Repeal of the Stamp Act-universal joy of the Americans in consequence.

On the sixth day of June 1765, a resolution was moved by Mr. James Otis, in the Assembly of Massachusetts, setting forth the expediency of calling a continental Congress, to be composed of deputies from the Legislatures of each respective Province, to consult on the present circumstances of the Colonies, and to consider the most proper means of averting the difficulties under which they laboured. The Governour and other friends of the Ministerial party, finding that it would be vain to oppose such a measure in the present state of popular excitement, made a merit of necessity and appeared to take the lead in it, that they might on the passage of the resolution, be enabled to form their committee out of the friends of the government. The resolution passed without much opposition. New York was fixed upon as the place of meeting, early in the month of October ensuing. The committee appointed, on the part of Massachusetts were James Otis jun. Oliver Patridge, and Timothy Ruggles of whom Governour Bernard, in his letter to the Lords of trade, thus expresses his approbation. "Two of the three chosen are fast friends to government,

prudent and discreet men, such as I am sure will never consent to any improper application to the government of Great Britain."

These gentlemen lost no time in preparing a letter to the Speakers of the several Colonial Assemblies, enclosing the resolution, and requesting their concurrence therewith. South Carolina was the first to yield assent to the proposed Congress. The Governours of New York, Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia, prorogued their respective Legislatures, and thus prevented them from acceding to the proposition; but in the first of these Colonies the Committee, who had been appointed in the preceding year as a Committee of general correspondence during the recess of the Legislature, took upon themselves the responsibility of attending the meeting, in behalf of their Colony, and their authority was confirmed by the succeeding Assembly.

On the second Tuesday of October 1765, the day appointed, twenty eight deputies, viz: from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and South Carolina, and the Committee as already mentioned of New York, met at the City of New York and after appointing Mr. Ruggles of Massachusetts their Chairman, proceeded to deliberate on the subject of their grievances. It was agreed to draw up a manifesto of their grievances, and a declaration of rights, in which they respectfully but firmly asserted their exemption from all taxes not imposed by their own representatives. They also determined upon a memorial to the House of Lords, and a petition to the King and Commons. These papers were signed only by the members from six Colonies-those from Connecticut, New York, and South

Carolina not having been empowered to do so, The Chairman, Mr. Ruggles, one of those upon whose loyalty the Governour of Massachusetts had so strongly calculated, left the meeting without signing; and his colleague, Mr. Otis, was upon the point of doing the same, but fortunately the influence of Mr. Thomas Lynch was successfully exerted to prevent him.

The Congress having completed the business before them, dissolved its meeting on the 25th of October. Those Colonies which had not sent Committees, adopted the same sentiments by subsequent resolutions, and expressed their approbation of the proceedings of the Congress in the warmest manner. In New Hampshire, the resolutions and petitions of the Congress were unanimously approved of; and the concurrence of their Legislature was thus made known to their agents in London: "We in this Province have not been so boisterous and irregular as some others, not because we are insensible of our distresses, but because we thought the present mode most likely to obtain relief."

The first day of November, "the great, the important day," when the Stamp Act was to take effect, at length approached. In Boston its dawn was ushered in by the tolling of bells as for a funeral. Many of the shops and stores were shut. Effigies of the men who supported the Act were paraded about the streets, and carried to a gallows erected on Boston Neck, where after being suspended for some time, they were cut down and torn to pieces, amid the shouts and acclamations of thousands.

At Portsmouth, in New Hampshire, similar proceedings took place. Publick notice was given to the friends of liberty to attend her funeral-For this pur

pose a coffin had been prepared, upon which was inscribed in large letters, LIBERTY. This was attended to the grave prepared for it, by a numerous concourse of people, and minute guns were fired during the whole time of the procession. At the place of interment an oration was pronounced, in which it was hinted that the deceased might possibly revive-the coffin was again taken up, the word REVIVED added to the former inscription, and the tone of the bells was instantly changed to a merry peal.

In New York and Philadelphia, the merchants assembled and entered into solemn compact not to import any goods from the Mother Country during the existence of the Stamp Act.

In Maryland the effigy of their Stamp master, Mr. Hood, was carried about from pillory to whipping post, and Mr. Hood himself was compelled to seek his safety by flying to New York.

Similar transactions took place in every Colony. The Stamp papers were every where burned or destroyed, so that it became necessary either to put a stop to all business that required them, or to carry it on without them, in open defiance of the law. The latter was preferred. Ships were entered and cleared without Stamps Lawyers, Merchants, Judges, and Justices, all united in agreeing to transact their affairs without Stamps. The printers continued boldly to print and circulate their newspapers without the required Stamp; and perhaps it may be said, that to the interest which they felt in the suppression of the Stamps, we owe many of the friends which now flocked from all quarters to the standard of our infant liberty. For by their means it was, that a regular chain of intelligence was kept up through all the Colonies.

A series of essays was published in the New York papers, some of the manuscripts of which it was supposed were sent from Boston, in which it was contended that the Colonies were no otherwise related to Great Britain than as having the same King; and a system of politicks was fast gaining ground, which but for the repeal of the Stamp Act, would have added ten years to the age of our independent nation.

Associations had been formed in all the Colonies under the title of Sons of Liberty, composed of some of the most respectable and estimable of their citizens. That association in New-York held a meeting on the 7th November, at which it was determined that they would risk their lives and fortunes to prevent the Stamp Act. Notice of this being sent to the Sons of Liberty in Connecticut, an union of the two associations was soon after agreed upon, and a formal instrument of writing drawn and signed-in which, after denouncing the Stamp Act, as a flagrant outrage on the British Constitution, they most solemnly pledged themselves to march with their whole force whenever required at their own proper cost and expense, to the relief of all who should be in danger from the Stamp Act or its abettors-to be vigilant in watching for the introduction of Stamped paper, to consider all who are caught in introducing it as betrayers of their country, and to bring them if possible to condign punishment, whatever may be their rank-to defend the liberty of the Press in their respective Colonies from all violations or impediments on account of the said Act-to save all judges, attornies, clerks and others from fines, penalties, or any molestation whatever, who shall proceed in their respective duties without regard to the Stamp Act. And lastly, they pledged themselves to