shire succeeded, thus setting an example, which was afterwards followed by Shays' men, in violation of the laws of the state About this time the famous " Tree of Liberty," in Boston, which had been pruned and ornamented with so much pride and care, "fell a victim to British vengeance, or to some individual to whom its shade had become offensive." Previously to this period, General Gage had succeeded Hutchi inson as Governor of Massachusetts; and, apprehending danger from a general muster of the militia, he caused the magazines and ammunition at Charlestown and Cambridge, to be removed to Boston, and fortified the neck of land which joins Boston to the main land, at Roxbury. These measures occasioned an universal panic; delegates from all the towns in the county of Suffolk met, and spirited resolutions, and a remonstrance to the governor, were adopted. The general assembly had been summoned to meet at Salem; but from the turbulence of the times, the governor issued his proclamation, countermanding their meeting; yet, in defiance of the governor's mandate, ninety members met, resolved themselves into a provincial congress, chose Mr. Hancock president, and adjourned to Concord, nineteen miles from Boston. They fearlessly proceeded to business; after addressing the governor, and reiterating their grievances; in the face of British law and British troops, they proceed to adopt the first measures, which were taken, directly and avowedly preparatory to an appeal to the sword, in defence of their rights and liberties; they regulated the militia, made provision for furnishing the people with arms, and for supplying the treasury; and such was the enthusiasm of the people, that their recommendations had the force of law. Governor Gage was filled with rage at these daring proceedings, and issued a proclamation, in which he insinuated that they amounted to rebellion. Early in 1775, parliament passed the fishery bills, which prohibited the colonies from trading in fish with Great Britain, Ireland and the West Indies, and from taking fish on the banks of Newfoundland. These acts were intended to operate on the town of Boston, which had become the devoted object of ministerial wrath. The various statutes, which were passed, occasioned deep and general distress in Boston and its vicinity; but their brethren in the other colonies sympathized with them, and promptly supplied them with provisions of every description for the relief of the sufferers. This policy of the British government was not only oppressive, but mean and contemptible. Partial legislation is always odious and tyrannical; yet it consisted with the justice and dignity of the British nation; and a series of acts were passed, and the power of the nation exerted, to crush the town of Boston, because it had shewn a more determined spirit of resistance to their oppressive and unconstitutional measures than had appeared in other places. The ministry were not sensible that the colonies considered themselves all engaged in a common cause; they were in hopes to humble and crush the rebellious inhabitants of that devoted town, which they thought would be such a terrific example as would frighten all the colonies into submission. But their wicked designs recoiled on the heads of their authors; for these oppressive measures towards the Bostonians, only served to exasperate the people throughout all the colonies, who regarded them as cruel and detestable. In March 1775, the public indignation was greatly excited by the following base and most shameful transactions : The people from the country, whose business called them into Boston, were suspected by the officers of purchasing guns from their soldiers. In order to furnish an opportunity to inflict punishment, and to raise occasion for a serious quarrel, Lieutenant-Colonel Nesbit, of the forty-seventh regiment, ordered a soldier to offer a countryman an old rusty musket. A man from Billerica was caught by this bait, and purchased the gun for three dollars. The unfortunate man was immediately seized by Nesbit and confined in the guard house all night. Early next morning they stripped him entirely naked, covered him over with warm tar, and then with feathers, placed him on a cart and conducted him through the streets as far as liberty-tree, where the people began to collect in vast numbers, and the military, fearing for their own safety, dismissed the man, and retreated to their barracks. The party consisted of about thirty grenadiers, with fixed bayonets, twenty drums and fifes playing the rogue's march, headed by the redoubtable Nesbit with a drawn sword! What an honorable deed for a British field officer and grenadiers! The selectmen of Billerica remonstrated with General Gage respecting this outrage, but obtained no satisfaction.'* It was about this time that the following ludicrous occurrence took place: 66 Some British officers, soon after Gage's arrival in Boston, walking on Beacon Hill, after sunset, were affrighted by noises in the air, (supposed to be flying bugs and beetles,) which they took to be the sound of bullets. They left the hill with great precipitation, spread the alarm in their encampment, and wrote terrible accounts to England of being shot at with air-guns, as appeared by their letters, extracts of which were soon after published in London papers. Indeed, for some time they really believed that the Americans were possessed of a kind of magic white powder, which exploded and killed without a report.' that much celebrated and admirable poem of the day, M'Fingal, the circumstance is thus satirized: "No more the British colonel runs In The breach between Britain and the colonies had now become so wide, as with the mass of the people, nearly to exclude * Thacher's Military Journal. all ideas of conciliation; and both parties bagan to make preparations for an appeal to the sword. No alternative was left the Americans but slavery, or resistance by force; measures were adopted for training the militia to the use of arms, to encourage the manufacture of gun-powder, and for collecting all kinds of military stores; and committees of public safety were appointed in all the towns in the province. The British government sent out a re-enforcement of troops to Boston, and in the mean time Governor Gage attempted to counteract the designs and measures of the provincials, and particularly to seize or destroy their military stores, and thus to deprive them of the means of resistance. To destroy the military stores at Concord, General Gage despatched in a secret manner, a regiment of grenadiers, who undertook to disperse, and fired upon a party of militia at Lexington, several of whom were killed, which was the first blood spilt in that memorable war and revolution, that separated Great Britain and America forever; and gave to the latter not only a rank among the nations of the earth, but what only can exalt a nation-LIBERTY and free institutions, which are the durable foundations of its glory and rising prosperity; its tranquillity and happiness, its increasing population and wealth, the rapidity of which is unexampled in the annals of the world. AMERICAN MILITARY BIOGRAPHY, OF THE OFFICERS OF THE REVOLUTION. ETHAN ALLEN, Brigadier General in the American Army. GENERAL ALLEN was born in Sa- | sbury, Conn. from whence, while he was yet young, his parents emigrated to Vermont. By this cirumstance he was deprived of the advantages of an early education. But, although he never felt its genial influence, nature had endowed him with strong powers of mind; and when called to take the field, he howed himself an able leader, and an intrepid soldier. At the commencement of the disturbances in Vermont, about the year 1770, he took a most active part in favour of the Green Mountain-Boys, as the settlers were then called, in opposition to the government of New-York. Bold, enterprising, and ambitious, he undertook to direct the proceedings of the inhabitants, and wrote several pamphlets to display the supposed injustice, and oppressive designs of the New-York proceedings. The uncultivated roughness of his own temper and manners seems to have assisted him in giving a just description of the views and proceedings of speculating and jobbers. His writings produced effects so hostile to the views of the state of New-York, that an act of outlawry was passed against him, and five hundred guineas were offered for his apprehension. But his party was too numerous and faithful to permit him to be disturbed by any apprehensions for his safety. In all the struggles of the day he was successful, and proved a valuable friend to those whose cause he had espoused. The news of the battle of Lexington determined Allen to engage on the side of his country, and inspired him with the desire of demonstrating his attachment to liberty, by some bold exploit. While in this state of mind, a plan for taking Ticonderoga and Crown-Point, by surprise, which was formed by several gentlemen in Connecticut, was communicated to him, and he readily engaged in the project. Receiving directions from the General Assembly of Connecticut, to raise the Green Mountain Boys, and conduct the enterprise, he collected 230 of the hardy settlers, and proceeded to Castleton. Here he was unexpectedly joined by Col. Arnold, who had been commissioned by the Massachusetts committee to raise 400 men, and effect the same object, which was now about to be |