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it has grown up into a verdant and flourishing tree; and should 1770. any severe strokes be aimed at the branches, and fate reduce it to the bare stock, it would only take deeper root, and spring out again more hardy and durable than before. They trust to Providence, and wait with firmness and fortitude the issue."1

The event proved, that Mr. Pownall knew, incomparably better than lord North, the character and state of the colonies. During his residence in America, while successively governor of two of the provinces, he acquired that knowledge, which the British ministry could not, and some provincial governors, would not, acquire.

The jealousy of the colonists was directed against the prin- Duty on tea ciple of the government, which was as discernible in the imposi- gives distion of a small, as of a larger duty. The partial repeal, there- quietude. fore, was not satisfactory; and, though the general plan of non importation was now relinquished, it appeared to be the sense of the principal commercial towns, that no tea should be imported, and that, if any were brought into their ports, it should be smuggled, to avoid paying the duty. An association was formed at the same time, not to drink tea until the act, imposing the duty, should be repealed.2

tures:

The salutary effect of suspending the importation of European Colonial fabrics, and of encouraging domestic manufactures, began to be manufacsensibly felt; for at the commencement in Cambridge, this year, the candidates for the degree of bachelor of arts were dressed in black cloth, entirely the manufacture of New England. Bell founA bell foundery was erected at Stoughton, in Massachusetts.3 dery.

liam gar

The 29th regiment marched from Castle William for Perth Castle WilAmboy. This castle, by order of lieutenant governor Hutchin- risoned by son, was evacuated of the province garrison, and the command royal given to lieutenant colonel Dalrymple, to be kept by his majesty's troops. troops.4

The number of taxables in North Carolina was upward of N.Carolina. 58,000.5

A tract of land in the province of Maine, called by the Indians Machias. Mechisses, was granted by the general court of Massachusetts to several persons, and incorporated by the name of Machias.

1 Belsham, Great Britain, v. b. 15.

2 Gordon, i. 198, 199. Pres. Adams, Lett. i.

3 Pemberton, MS. Chron. Several years before, governor Pownall had observed: "It is an idle vaunt in the Americans, when they talk of setting up manufactures for trade; but it would be equally injudicious in government here to force any measure that may render the manufacturing for home consumption an object of prudence, or even of pique, in the Americans."

4 Chronol. Table. Bradford, Mass. i. c. 10.

5 Pres. Stiles, MS. The number of negroes and mulattoes, four years afterward [1774], was computed at about 10,000.

6 Pemberton, MS. Chron. The first permanent settlement here was begun

1770.

A professorship of mathematics and natural philosophy was founded in Yale College; and the Rev. Nehemiah Strong was

Y. College. chosen and inducted the first professor.1

Tea plant.

Providence.

Ordination

in Nova

Scotia.

Oct. 19.

and tide.

The tea plant was introduced into Georgia about this time, by Mr. Samuel Bowen.

The benevolent Congregational Society at Providence, in Rhode Island, was incorporated."

The first presbyterian ordination in Nova Scotia occurred this year; when the Rev. Bruin Romcas Comingoe was ordained. minister to the Dutch Calvinistic congregation at Lunenburg.3

A severe storm from the north east swelled the tide at Boston Great storm considerably higher than it had been known to rise for nearly 50 years. It filled the cellars and stores, and did much damage. Fifty or sixty sail of vessels were cast ashore at Plymouth, and elsewhere, and many lives were lost.1

of Port Eg

mont;

British take The British took possession of Port Egmont, in one of the possession Falkland islands. The Spaniards were at this time in possession of another part, and protested against a settlement by the British. This protest being ineffectual, the Spanish governor of Buenos Ayres sent ships and troops, and forcibly dispossessd and drove off the British settlers. The British government demanded, that the settlement should be immediately restored to the precise state in which it was previous to the dispossession. The Spanish government yielded to the demand; and the restoration was ordered; but, in a short time, the islands were finally evacuated, and Port Egmont remained, with every other part of them, in the hands of Spain.5

evacuate

Falkland islands.

Moravians settle at Labrador,

The United Brethren in London applied to lord Hillsborough and obtained from the king a patent of 100,000 acres of land for a settlement at Labrador. Ten of the brethren, 3 of whom were Danes, 3 Germans, and 4 English, embarked in a ship from London on the 5th of May, and arrived at Esquimaux Bay on the 22d of July. The place which they selected for settlement was nearly in the 56th degree 55 minutes of north latitude. They bought land of the Indians at Nimenquoak in Kaugekuk.6

in 1763 by several persons from Scarborough. The Rev. James Lyon [1772] was the first minister regularly settled to the eastward of St. George's.

1 Pres. Stiles, MS.

2 Backus, ii. 271.

3 Stiles, Literary Diary. The ordination was performed by four ministers assembled at Halifax, "after the manner of an ordaining council in New England."

4 Pemberton, MS. Chron. The storm began on the night of the 19th of October, and continued the greatest part of the next day. See A. D. 1724. 5 American State Papers.

6 Stiles, MSS. from Journals of the Brethren. Echard, who was the first that visited the Equimaux at Labrador, was killed there.

Benning Wentworth, of Portsmouth in New Hampshire, died, 1770. in the 75th year of his age; John Barnard, minister of Marblehead, in his 89th year;2 George Whitefield, at Newburyport, Deaths. Massachusetts, in his 56th year ;3 and Ezekiel Hersey, physician, at Hingham, aged 62 years.

1771.

tion in N.

A BODY of the inhabitants of North Carolina, complaining of Insurrec oppressions practised in the law and by the officers of the judicial Carolina. court, rose in arms, to the number of about 1500, under the name of regulators, for the purpose of shutting up the courts of justice, destroying all officers of government, and all lawyers, and of prostrating government itself. Governor Tryon marched against them with about 1000 militia, and in a battle at Almansee, on the 16th of May, totally defeated them. Three hundred of the regulators were found dead on the field. At the supreme couft in June, 12 of the insurgents were tried and condemned for high treason; and 6 of them were executed.5

1 He was the son of John Wentworth of Portsmouth, who was a counsellor from 1712 to 1717, and lieutenant governor from 1717 to his death in 1730. Benning Wentworth was graduated at Harvard College in 1715, and afterward went to England and Spain, where he remained several years. He was governor of New Hampshire from 1741 to 1767. Farmer and Moore, Hist. Coll. i. 196.

2 Mr. Barnard was born at Boston in 1681, and took his first degree at Har. vard College in 1700. He was a chaplain in the expedition to Port Royal in 1707; and in 1709 went to England. In 1716, he was ordained minister of a church in Marblehead, where he continued in the ministry 54 years, until his death. He was eminent as a minister, and as a man of learning and piety. His publications were numerous and valuable. By his last will he gave £200 to Harvard College. Coll. Mass. Hist. Soc. viii. 66—69; x. 157, 167. Allen, Biography. See NOTE V.

3 Mr. Whitefield was born at Gloucester in England. At the age of 18, he entered the university of Oxford; and in his 22d year was ordained by Dr. Benson, bishop of Gloucester. In 1738 he came to Georgia, where he afterward devoted much time and labour to establish an Orphan house. He made seven voyages to America, and, in passing through the colonies, preached to crowded auditories. The state of the churches, generally, had been composed, if not lethargic; and the discourses from the pulpit, while evangelical in principle, wanted pathos in delivery. The same doctrines of the Reformation, which had been commonly taught and received, were now presented and applied in a manner new and striking, by a foreign preacher, zealous, eloquent, and impressive, with great success, and large accessions were made to the churches. The character of Mr. Whitefield is summarily given in the Inscription upon his monument at Tottenham Court Chapel: "He was a man eminent in Piety, of a humane, benevolent, and charitable disposition; his Zeal in the Cause of God was singular, his Labours indefatigable, and his Success in preaching the Gospel, remarkable and astonishing." Memoirs of his Life by Rev. John Gillies, D. D. 4 Dr. Hersey was an eminent physician. He was graduated at Harvard College in 1728, and bequeathed to that seminary £1000 towards founding a professorship of Anatomy and Surgery. His widow gave the same sum for the same purpose; and his brother, Dr. Abner Hersey of Barnstable, £500 towards the establishment of a professorship of the Theory and Practice of Physic. 5 Pres. Stiles, MS. Marshall, ii. 147, 148.

1771.

Lieutenant governor Hutchinson, on receiving a commission to be governor and commander in chief of the province of Gov. Hutch- Massachusetts Bay, refused the salary from the province, and received it out of the American revenue chest. Thus paid by the crown, he was made independent of the people; by whom this was considered a dangerous innovation.1

inson.

Massachu

setts.

N. York.

Massachusetts colony contained 292,000 inhabitants; New York colony, 168,007. The number of souls in Newfoundland Newfound was 3449 English, and 3348 Irish. There were seven Indian churches in New England, beside a few small congregations which occasionally had divine service.3

land.

Indian

churches.

Publications.

Deaths.

June 10. The Gaspee burnt.

The first volume of Transactions of the American Philosophical Society held at Philadelphia was printed. A Complete View of Episcopacy, as exhibited from the Fathers of the Christian church, until the close of the Second Century, by the Rev. Dr. Chauncy, of Boston; and Considerations on the expediency of admitting Representatives from the American Colonies into the British House of Commons, were published.*

William Shirley, formerly governor of Massachusetts, died at his seat in Roxbury, aged 77 years.5 Robert Sandeman, founder of the sect of Sandemanians, died at Danbury, aged 53 years.

1772.

THE colonists of Rhode Island made a daring resistance of encroachments. The Gaspee, an armed schooner which had been stationed at Providence, and had been very assiduous in supporting the laws of trade, excited much resentment by firing at the Providence packets, to oblige the masters to take down their colours, and by chasing them, in case of refusal, into the docks. A packet, coming up to Providence with passengers,

1 Pemberton, Hist. Journal in Coll. Mass. Hist. Soc. ii. 45.

2 Pres. Adams, Lett. xvii.

3 Pres. Stiles, MS. One of the Indian churches was at Mashpee, one at Sandwich, one at Natick, one at Housatunnuk, one in Narraganset, and two on Martha's Vineyard. The congregations, which had occasional service, were at Potnummekot on Cape Cod; the Pequots at Stonington and Groton (Con.); at Moheagan; and at Niatuck (Lyme). "All the Indians in New England could not now make ten congregations, of 100 families each."

4 Biblioth. Americ. 165.

5 Pemberton, MS. Chron. Minot, i. 291–297. His remains were honourably interred in a vault under King's chapel, in Boston.

6 Stiles, MS. He was a disciple of Mr. John Glas, by whom he was ordained minister of an independent church at Perth in 1743, from which he was removed to a church in Edinburgh in 1756. In 1764, he came to America; and, though he preached at various places, he principally resided at Danbury in Connecticut, where he obtained a considerable number of followers. Ib. Coll. Mass. Hist. Soc. x. 61, 71. Allen, Biog. For an account of his religious tenets, see Adams' View of Religions, Art. SANDEMANIANS.

and refusing to pay that tribute of respect, was fired at by the lieu- 1772. tenant of the Gaspee, and chased. It being about high water, the packet stood in as closely as possible with the land, designing that the Gaspee should be run aground in the chase. The artifice succeeded. The Gaspee was soon fast; and the packet proceeded to Providence, where a plan was laid to destroy the insolent and obnoxious vessel. Captain Whipple was immediately employed to beat up for volunteers; several whale boats were procured, and filled with armed men; and about two o'clock the next morning, they boarded the schooner, as she lay aground. The lieutenant with whatever was most valuable to him was put ashore with his crew; and the Gaspee, with all her stores, was burnt. A reward of £500, together with a pardon, if claimed by an accomplice, was offered by proclamation for discovering and apprehending any persons concerned in this action. Commissioners were appointed to try the cause; but no person appearing, to accept the offered reward, they were constrained to transmit accounts to the ministry, that they could obtain no evidence.1

The representatives of Massachusetts, at their session in July, Mass. resopassed resolutions expressing great dissatisfaction with the new lutions. regulation of the British government, by which the governor was to have his support from the crown. They declared the measure to be "an infraction of their charter." They stated their views of the charter as "a solemn contract between the crown and the inhabitants of this province;" and this, they said, provided for their supporting its government, with all its civil officers, in such a manner, and at such an amount, as they should determine. They also pointed out the evils that would result from the measure, by which the governor would be rendered entirely independent of the people, of whose interests and liberties he was designed to the public guardian. The governor, soon after, in a laboured message, attempted to invalidate the Governor's reasoning, from which the house had inferred that the new regu- message. lation was an infringement of their charter. He assumed, that the charter was, not a contract between two independent parties, but a mere grant of powers and privileges from the king; which the people of the province could claim, only so long as the sovereign chose to approve of the grant which had been made, and which

1 Gordon, i. 218. The lieutenant of the Gaspee (Duddingston) was wounded by the assailants, but no other personal injury is mentioned. A commission under the great seal of England arrived in December, appointing Joseph Wanton, the governor of Rhode Island, Daniel Horsemander, chief justice of New York, Frederick Smith, chief justice of New Jersey, Peter Oliver, chief justice of Massachusetts Bay, and Robert Auchmuty, judge of Admiralty, to make inquiry concerning this transaction. Their commission was opened and read in the council chamber of the court house in Newport 5 January, 1773; and their sitting terminated 24 June. Stiles, MSS.

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