Meantime the journals contained reports, that the ministry were determined to maintain the powers claimed for parliament; and they printed eulogies from abroad on the people of New England for the spirit with which these claims had been denied.1 In May, Governor Bernard negatived the choice, by the House of Representatives, of Hancock and Otis as councillors. It was the talk of the town, that the colonists were to be taxed, in order to maintain a race of sycophants, court favorites, and hungry dependants; that needy lawyers from abroad, or tools of power at home, would be their judges; and that their governors, if natives, would be partisans rewarded for mercenary service, or, if foreigners, would be nobles of wasted fortunes, and greedy for salaries to replenish them. The people, who were sincere in their loyalty, felt that they were ill-treated; and were sullen. This was a time of great excitement on popular rights in England; the Boston journals, after an arrival from London, abounded in matter relative to the Wilkes controversy; and, if "London3 resounded the word 'liberty' from every corner and every voice," there was an echo in every home and street in Boston.

The officers of the Crown regarded this temper of the public mind as affording fresh proof of the necessity of a British force to preserve the public peace. "Our politicians," Hutchinson said, "are the most

1 "It is with peculiar satisfaction, I can assure you, the New-England spirit of patriotism and economy is greatly approved of; and I am not alone in opinion, that, if America is saved from its impending danger, your country will be its acknowledged guardian."― Phil. Letter in Boston Gazette, Feb. 22, 1768.

2 Andrew Eliot, 4 Mass. Hist. Soc. Coll., iv. 420.

Boston paper, June 6, 1768.

wrong-headed people in the world. Every step they take for relief has a direct tendency to increase our distress. Their threats can never intimidate, but certainly must incense, the parliament; and they are determined to provoke a power they cannot resist: and Bernard advised the ministry, that he was "well assured that it was the intention of the faction in Boston to raise an insurrection against the Crown officials." The popular leaders in vain averred that it was their object to procure, by constitutional methods, a repeal of acts which they held to be illegal, and that they desired to preserve the union between the colonies and Great Britain.

Information was now laid before the commissioners of the customs, of a violation of the revenue laws, in the case of the sloop "Liberty," owned by John Hancock; and the solicitor-general, Mr. Lisle, on the 10th of June, advised her seizure. On hearing of this intention, Warren said to the comptroller, Mr. Hallowell, "that, if the seizure were made, there would be a great uproar, and that he could not be answerable for the consequences." The commissioners, however, gave directions for the seizure. The sloop lay at Hancock's Wharf; and near the hour of sunset on this day, as the laborers of the town were going from their day's work, the revenue officials put upon her the broad arrow; and, as though the people would not respect the law, a boat's crew from the "Romney" cut her fastenings from the wharf, and moored her under the guns of the man-of-war. No official warrant was produced; and, in doing this, the British

1 Letter, April 19, 1768.

2 Letter, May 9, 1768. 8 Hallowell's Examination, July 21, 1768.

captain and his officers used vulgar and threatening words to the bystanders. This was the beginning of a war of epithets, in the usual way of brawls, between the crowd, which kept increasing, and the custom-house officers; and, by a sort of natural law of mobs, grew into a riot, in which the offending officials were pelted with dirt and stones, the windows of the houses of the comptroller and inspector, Mr. Irving, were broken, and the pleasure-boat of the collector, Mr. Harrison, was drawn out of the water, and carried to the common, where above a thousand people gathered. One of them, in a harangue, exclaimed, "We will support our liberties, depending upon the strength of our arms." The boat was set on fire. Hancock, Samuel Adams, and Warren had been in consultation; and as it is said that Hancock, and others of influence, came on to the Common while the boat was burning, the inference is a fair one, that the three came together. Through their exertions, the riot ceased; the word was passed round, "Each man to his tent;" and the town, at about eleven o'clock, was as quiet as usual. Outrages had been committed which the popular leaders never attempted to justify, but alleged that they were provoked by the brutal language of the commander of the "Romney," Captain Corner, and the arbitrary conduct of the officers of the Crown. This was a slight affair, in comparison with the contemporary terrific mobs of London; and Colonel Barré said, in the House of Commons, that, in this riot, "Boston was only mim icking the mother-country."

On Saturday, there was great excitement among the people. Bernard says, that "the riot was followed

by papers, stuck upon Liberty Tree, containing an invitation to rise, and clear the country of the commissioners and their officers; "1 and that one of them was doomed to death. These were the words of the rash spirits. The commissioners, who had not been harmed, were the most violent of all the officials. As they had fancied signs of an insurrection in the hilarity of a holiday, they had neither difficulty nor scruple in magnifying a riot into a rebellion; and it was in vain that Bernard, on this day, entreated them to change their measures. He also laid the state of the town before the council, who advised such of the members as were justices of the peace to make inquiry into the facts, and report at a future meeting. Warren, on this day, exerted himself to allay the excitement; and, in Hancock's name, he proposed to Hallowell, whose bruises confined him to his house, "that, if the vessel were brought back to the shore, he (Hancock) would give his bond that he would have her forthcoming on the trial;" but no agreement was concluded.

On Sunday, Warren acted again as mediator between the parties. Mr. Harrison, in a note to Hancock, said, that, if he (Hancock) would agree that the "Liberty" should be forthcoming on the trial, she should be returned to the shore; and, in the morning, Warren informed Hallowell that matters were so far settled, that, on the next day, the "Liberty" would be

1 The reports of this riot, in the papers, were very brief. The "Boston Gazette" of June 13, 1768, had the following: "Last Friday evening, some commotions happened in this town, in which a few windows were broke, and a boat was drawn through the streets, and burnt on the Common; since which, things have been tolerably quiet, it being expected that the cause of the disturbance will be speedily removed."

restored. During the day, the commissioners kept quiet, though Bernard still urged them to be conciliatory, while they spoke of going to the castle. There was a consultation of the popular leaders, in the evening, at Hancock's house, which was filled with the patriots; those named as present being Warren, Samuel Adams, and Otis. Here the affair of the "Liberty" was fully considered, and the course of the patriots was determined. At twelve o'clock at night, Warren went to Hallowell's house, and said to him, "that he had been at Hancock's, and was extremely sorry that matters could not be settled as he told him in the morning; for Mr. Hancock had taken the advice of his counsel and friends, and would have nothing to do with the business, but would let it take its course, and would give nothing under his hand." It was held by the patriots, that the seizure, as no legal process had been filed, was illegal.

On Monday morning, labor throughout the town was mostly suspended; the inhabitants gathered in various places under their leaders; and things wore a threatening aspect, as the outrage committed by the press-gang was connected in the public mind with the seizure of the "Liberty." The name of the sloop, the popularity of her owner, and the aversion to the board of commissioners, contributed to inflame the people. There were reports, that, on certain contingencies, the country was coming into Boston to begin an insurrection; though Hutchinson, characterizing this as madness, said he could not bring himself to believe that any number of people worth regarding had a serious thought of this sort, or would dare

1 Gordon's History, i. 232.