CHAPTER this rebellion; and the support of Parliament was pledged XXXI. to the king in the maintenance of the just authority of 1775. the crown and the nation. Yet the private sentiments of Lord North were not materially different from the opinions avowed and maintained by Chatham. In urging the use of force against the colonies, he yielded to the exigencies of his position at the head of the ministry rather than to his own sense of justice and sound policy. Not willing to relinquish the idea of conciliation, in the midst of the hot debate on the New England Restraining Bill, the minister astonished the nation, and his own party especially, by himself bringing forward a conciliatory proposition, in substance very little different from that which Chatham had offered, and which the House of Lords had so peremptorily rejected. This motion, less precise and specific than Chatham's, proposed, in vague and general terms, that when the Assembly of any province should offer to make a provision, suitable to its circumstances, for raising a sum of money, disposable by Parliament, for the common defense, and should engage to provide for the support of civil government and the administration of justice within its own limits, and such offers should be approved by the king and Parliament, it would be proper, so long as such provision should continue to be made, to forbear the levy of any duties or taxes within such colony by act of Parliament except such as might be required for the regulation of trade, the net produce to be carried to the account of such province. This motion was warmly opposed by the ultra supporters of the authority of the mother country, who complained of it as yielding up the whole matter in controversy. North argued, on the contrary, that it yielded nothing, and pledged the mother country to nothing. He did not expect that it would be generally ac XXXI. ceptable in America, but he hoped to use it as a means CHAPTER of dividing the colonies. With these explanations, the motion was carried. An indirect negotiation had mean- 1775. while been attempted with Franklin, through the agency of Lord Howe. But Franklin did not regard the ministerial proposals as likely to be satisfactory, and seeing the pass to which things were coming, he embarked for March. Pennsylvania. In opposition to the New England Restraining Bill, testimony was heard as to the extent and importance of the fisheries, and their intimate connection with the trade of the mother country; but all without avail. That bill had hardly passed the Commons when fresh informa- March 2. tion arrived from America of the support so generally given there to the proceedings of the Continental Congress. In consequence of this news, another bill was brought in, extending similar restrictions to all the colonies except New York, North Carolina, and Georgia. The Assemblies of New York and Georgia had declined to adopt the American Association; the ministers were encouraged by Governor Martin to entertain hopes of North Carolina also a delusion to which the agent of that province contributed, by taking upon himself to keep back a petition from the Assembly, containing, as he alleged, many "strange inaccuracies and reflections on the Parliament and ministry." The merchants interested in the West India trade were heard on their petition against this new restraining bill. They gave in evidence the great and increasing magnitude of the sugar trade; the entire dependence on the North American colonies of those concerned in the sugar cultivation for the indispensable articles of provision and lumber, and the danger of famine were trade with those provinces broken off. A petition from the Assembly of Jamaica, laid before. CHAPTER Parliament, while it confessed the weakness of that col XXXI. ony by reason of its great slave population, and its total 1775. inability, therefore, to make any resistance by arms, yet energetically sustained the claim of rights set up by the North American provinces, and vehemently protested against the "plan almost carried into execution for reducing the colonies into the most abject state of slavery." Petitions for conciliation were presented from the English Quakers, from the British settlers in the province of Quebec, and from numerous manufacturing towns. The friends of the ministry got up also a few counterpetitions for vigorous proceedings against the rebellious colonies. Burke, as representative of the Rockingham section. March 22. of the opposition, brought forward a series of resolutions proposing the abandonment of all attempts at parliamentary taxation, and a return to the old method of raising American supplies by the free grant of the colonial Assemblies. He supported these resolutions in an elaborate speech; but his motion was voted down, as was a similar one, introduced a few days after by David Hartley, on behalf of the Chatham section of the opposition. Wilkes, whom the ministry had labored so hard to crush, and whom the king regarded as his mortal enemy, had not only been returned a member of the present Parliament to exclude him from which no attempt was made—but he was also Lord-mayor of London, in which April 30. capacity he presented to the king a remonstrance from the city authorities, expressing "abhorrence" of the measures in progress for "the oppression of their fellowsubjects in the colonies," and entreating the king, as a first step toward the redress of grievances, to dismiss his present ministry. XXXI. Some apprehensions began to be felt lest the discon- CHAPTER tents in America might extend to Ireland, where the Protestant portion of the inhabitants had hitherto been 1775. employed to keep the papist majority in subjection. That majority, amounting to seven eighths of the entire population, were not only deprived of all political privileges, but were subjected also to a great many rigorous and cruel restraints, designed to keep them ignorant, poor, and helpless. Even the Protestant minority, on whom England relied to keep down the papists, were by no means on a level with the inhabitants of Great Britain. They had, indeed, a Parliament of their own, but that Parliament had not even the rights possessed by the American colonial Assemblies. It was held in strict subordination by the British ministry, without whose consent no bill could be introduced. In matters of trade, Ireland was regarded as a foreign country; we have had more than one occasion to notice with what jealousy she had been excluded from trade with the colonies. It was now judged expedient to conciliate the Irish by relaxing somewhat these commercial restrictions. But already the ideas started in the colonies were sowing the seeds of a revolution in Ireland. Toward the end of the session, Burke asked leave to May 15. lay before the Commons the remonstrance lately voted by the Assembly of New York. Much to the disap pointment of those who had counted on the defection of that province, this document was found to be so emphatic in its claim of rights that the minister opposed and prevented its reception. Meanwhile, in the colonies, matters had reached a decisive issue. Jonathan Sewall, attorney general of Massachusetts and judge of the Admiralty, in a series of articles in a Boston newspaper, made a vigorous effort XXXI. CHAPTER to convince his countrymen of the folly and danger of further resistance. To these articles John Adams promptly 1775. replied. Ruggles got up a counter-association against Jan. that of the Continental Congress, and he persuaded a few persons to sign it; but it became necessary to send a detachment of British troops to Marshfield to protect the signers against popular vengeance. Feb. 1. The new provincial Congress of Massachusetts, consisting of upward of three hundred members, having met at Cambridge, Elbridge Gerry, a merchant of Marblehead, for two or three years past prominent in the General Court, was placed at the head of the Committee of Supplies. Active measures were taken for arming and drilling the militia, and especially for procuring powder; and magazines of provisions and military stores began to be laid up at Concord, Worcester, and other places. An appeal to the people was put forth, and a day of fasting and prayer appointed; after which the Congress took a short adjournment. Aware of what was going on, Gage sent a detachment to Salem, whence the British troops had been withdrawn for concentration at Boston, to seize some cannon said to be deposited there. A hundred and fifty regulars, sent Feb. 26. from Boston by water, landed at Salem on this business. Not finding the cannon there, they marched in search of them toward the adjoining town of Danvers. At a bridge between the towns they encountered a party of militia, under Colonel Pickering, who claimed the bridge as private property, and proposed to dispute the passage. It was Sunday; one of the Salem ministers interfered, and, taking advantage of reverence for the day, with much difficulty prevented a collision. The soldiers were allowed to pass the bridge, but soon returned without finding the cannon. About the same time, two officers |