But the general affemblies went ftill further. Inftead of barely conniving at the people's afferting their independence by tumultuous acts, they proceeded to avow it them felves in the most expreffive terms, grounding it on the fame arguments, which their friends at this fide of the water had already ufed to prove it. And, if at the fame time they came to a refolution to petition the legislature of Great Britain against the ftamp act, it was in fuch terms, as ferved to exprefs weakness rather than acknow. ledge fubmiffion, and what one independent body, in cafes of great diftrefs, might ufe in applying for affiftance to another.

Confidering, at the fame time, that unanimity is the chief fource of ftrength, they established committees to correfpond with each other concerning the general affairs of the whole, and even appointed deputies from thefe committees to meet in congrefs at New York. But it feems there already prevailed fuch harmony in the fentiments of the general affemblies of the feveral provinces, that the doputies, when met, had little more to do than congratulate each other upon it, and put their hands to one general declaration of their rights, and grievances they laboured under, and to one general

petition, expreffive thereof, to the king, lords, and commons, of the mother country.

At length, thofe invefted with the fubordinate executive powers began to join the legislative. The juftices of the peace for the diftri&t of Westmoreland in Virginia gave public notice under their hands, that they had declined acting in that capacity; becaufe, in confequence of their judicial oath, they were, they faid, liable to become inftrumental in the deftruction of their country's most effential rights and liberties. The gentlemen of the law foon after caught the fire of patriotifm to fuch a degree, that they refolved rather to give up their bufinefs than carry it on with ftamped papers.

By the 1ft of November, the time the act took place, not a fheet of ftamped paper was to be had throughout the feveral colonies of New-England, New-York, NewJerfey, Penfylvania, Virginia, Maryland, or the two Carolinas, except a fmall parcel, which the governor of New-York, terrified by the threats of the enraged populace, had furrendered into the hands of the corporation of that place, on condition of their not being deftroved like the reft; fo that all bufinefs, which could not be legally carried on without ftamps, was at once put to a ftand, except that of news printing, which the printers fill continued, pleading in excufe, that, if they did not, the, opulace would ferve them as they had done the ftamp mafters themselves; at leaft thofe, who, for that purpofe, made ufe of ftamped paper in Canada, where the act was received, could find no fale for their news. The [E] 3

courts

courts of juftice were clofed, and the ports were fhut up. Even in thofe colonies, where ftamps were to be had, the people of the best fortunes fubmitted to be called in church, rather than take out licences for private marriages.

But the confequences of this ftagnation foon began to be fo feverely felt, that the inhabitants, who, though probably cooled not a little by them, were yet unwilling to fubmit to the act, began to think how they could effectually elude

it. To this end, fome one or another, fruitful in expedients, fent to the printers at Boston, a thin piece of bark, on which he had written, that it being neither paper, parchment, or vellum, he would be glad to know, if inftruments, written on such stuff might not be valid, though not ftamped; in which cafe he was ready to fupply with good writing bark all thofe, whofe confciences were bound by the late act. At last, the governors of fome of the provinces, though bound by the act to fwear to fee it obferved, under the fevereft penalties, thinking the total ftoppage of all public bufinefs of fuch bad confequence to the community, as to render lawful the non-compliance with any injunctions laid on them, or even the breach of any oath taken by them, in confequence of injunctions, merely for the fake of that community, thought proper to difpenfe with the ufe of ftamps, grounding their difpenfation on the abfolute impoffibility of procuring any; and, accordingly, granted certificates of that impoffibility to all outward-bound veffels, to protect them from the penalties of the act in other parts of his majesty's dominions.

to

On this occafion, the commons houfe of affembly of South-Carolina, whofe lieutenant-governor was one of those who ftill refused. their confent to the tranfacting of any public business without ftamps, took a very proper courfe with him. They addreffed him know, if the ftamp-act had been tranfmitted to him by the fecretaries of ftate, the lords of trade, or through any other authentic channel; and, on his answering, that he had received it first from the attorney-general of the province, on that gentleman's arrival from England; and fince from Mr. Boone, the governor of the province: they replied, that neither of these ways of receiving any act was such a notification thereof, as to oblige him to enforce the execution of it; as the governor, whilft out of the province, or the attorney-general, even while in it, could not, at least with regard to this communication, be confidered in any other light then private gentlemen. At the fame time they put him in mind, that there were feveral inftances of the province's having fuffered peculiar and very great hardships, and for no fmall length of time, even from the accidental detention or miscarriage of governmental informations, enough to prove, that certain forms were abfolutely neceffary in all matters of government, especially fuch, as related to the authentication of new laws of fuch immenfe confequence.

But thefe arguments seem to have made little or no impreffion on the governor or his council; and, indeed, it could hardly be expected they fhould, as the colonies may well be fuppofed to have fub

mitted

mitted to many laws made in the mother country, though tranfmit ted through channels that were not more authentic.

The best methods, therefore, of avoiding any injury from this act, appear to be thofe which we have yet to relate. The merchants of all thofe colonies, which ventured to oppofe it openly, entered into the moft folemn engagements with each other, not only not to order any more goods from Great Britain, let the confequences be what they would, and recal the orders they had already given, if not obeyed by the 1st of January 1766, but even not to difpofe of any British goods fent them on commiffion, that were not shipped before that day; or, if they confented to any relaxation from these engagements, it was not to take place till the ftamp-act, and even the fugar and paper-money acts, were repealed. The people of Philadelphia likewife refolved, though not unanimoufly, that, till fuch repeal, no lawyer fhould put in fuit a demand for money owing by a refident in America to one in England; nor any perfon in America, however indebted in England, make any remittances there; a refolution, in fome degree, unneceffary, as by the late reftraints laid on their trade, and the almost total ftagnation of it in confequence of their oppofition to the ftampact, it was almost impoffible for the best meaning people to make any remittances. These refolutions were adopted by the retailers, who unanimously agreed not to buy or fell any British goods fhipped contrary to them.

Ireland benefited greatly by these proceedings, as what goods the co

lonies could not poffibly do without, they took from that country in exchange for their hemp feed and flax-feed, of which they yearly fend her very large quantities. In the mean time they omitted no methods to free themselves even from this dependence. A fociety of arts, manufactures, and commerce, on the plan of the London fociety, was inftituted at New-York, and markets opened for the fale of homemade goods; by which it foon appeared, that neither the natives, nor the manufacturers whom the natives had for fome time paft been inviting from Great Britain by very large encouragements, had been idle. Linens, woollens, the coarser but most useful kinds of iron ware, malt fpirits, paper hangings, &c. were produced to the fociety, and greatly approved; and, when brought to market, as greedily bought up. At the fame time, left the new woollen manufactories fhould come short of materials, most of the inhabitants came to a refolution not to eat any lamb; and, to extend the influence of their refolution to those who did not join them in it, not to deal with any butcher that should kill or expofe any lamb to fale. In a word, the fpirit of industry and frugality univerfally took place of the spirit of idleness and profufenefs. The moft fubftantial and even fashionable people were foremoft in fettin g the example to their countrymen, by contenting themfelves with home-fpun or old cloaths, rather than make use of any thing British, which they before uled to be fo madly fond of. And fuch were the efforts of all ranks, and fo prudent their meafures, that they now began to be [E] 4

con

convinced of what they had till then thought impoffible, that the colonies would foon be able to fupply themselves with every neceffary of life.

One would be apt to imagine, that it was impoffible for the colonies to go greater lengths against the mother country. But the contrary foon appeared. A refolution began to be talked of, of ftopping the exportation of tobacco from Virginia and South Carolina to Great Britain; by which, confidering rhe great quantities of that article re-exported from Great Britain, and the immense sum so imperceptibly raised by what fhe herfelf confumes of it, her trade, and efpecially her revenue, could not fail of being confiderably affected. Such have been, according to the beft accounts we have been procure, the principal proceedings of the fix greateft Britifh colonies of North America, New England, New-York, NewJerfey, Philadelphia, Virginia, the

able to

two

Carolinas, and Maryland, in confequence of this famous act, from the time of their firft hearing of its being voted proper in parliament, till they heard of

a

as

the abfolute repeal of it; an event, upon which it cannot be expected we should now enlarge. The other North American colonies, more, poffibly, from a cone fcioufnefs of weakness, than principle of duty, though they could by no means form the fame pretenfions to independence, being either conquered countries, or countries fettled at the expence of the British government, thought proper to fubmit to it, but not all with equal grace. The WeftIndia plantations bowed their heads to it with that readinets, which their condition as islands seemed to require, all to the islands of St. Chriftopher's and Nevis, whose populace fuffered themselves to be fo far impofed on by the crews of fome New-England veffels in their harbours, as to go even greater lengths than the New-Englanders themfelves; particularly the populace of St. Chriftopher's, who, not content with burning the ftamped papers of their own ifland, and making thole appointed to diftribute it renounce that office, went over in a body to affift their neighbours of Nevis in taking the fame riotous precautions against it.

CHRO

ift.

JANUARY.

B

EING New-year's day, an ode written on the occafion by William Whitehead, efq; poet-laureat, was performed before their majefties and the royal family at the chapel royal of St. James's.

Being twelfth-day, was ob6th. ferved at court as a high fef

tival; and his majefty, after divine service, made the customary offering of gold, frankincence, and myrrh.

Six malefactors, out of nine 9th. capitally convicted at the late feffions at the Old Bailey, were executed at Tyburn. Among them was John Wefket, for robbing the houfe of the Earl of Harrington, who was fuffered to go to the place of execution with a white cockade

in his hat.

His majefty went to the 10th. houfe of peers, and opened the feffions with a moft gracious Speech.

In this fpeech, which the reader will find, as ufual, amongft our State Papers, his majefly gave the parliament an account of a match concluded between the prince royal of Denmark, and the princefs Caroline Matilda, his majefty's fecond filter; to be folemnized as foon as their respective ages will permit. The fame

was declared at the court of Denmark on the 19th; and on the 29th, being the prince's birth-day, their majellys received the compliments of the nobility on the occafion. The prince was born the 29th of January 1749, and the princess the 22d of July 1751.

His royal highnefs, the duke of Gloucefter, took the oaths and his feat in the house of peers.

Some thousands of weavers went in a body to Weftminster, and prefented petitions to both houfes of parliament, in behalf of them felves and their numerous families, moft of them now, as they reprefented, in a starving condition for want of work; and begging, as a relief to their miferies, that they would, in the prefent feffion of parliament, grant a general prohibition of foreign wrought filks.

11th.

Both houfes of convocatiot met in the Jerufalem chamber, Weftminfter-abbey, and further adjourned to Friday the 15th of March.

13th.

Jofeph Benedict Auguftus,, king of the Romans, was married by proxy at Munich to the princefs Jofepha of Bavaria; and on the 22d following the young queen arrived at Vienna, when the royal pair were again married in perfon.

On this occafion, the princefs having defired the elector of Bava