The Connecticut courant and Hartford weekly intelligencer — Hartford, Conn., 1775-01-09 00:00:00, page 3

A B OSTQ N, %^A/> 5, 1775.
At a Meeting of the Freeholders and other Inha
bitants of the. Town Borton, by Adjournment,
at Eaneuil-HAIL on Friday last.:
Mr. SAMUEL ADAMS rn the Chair.
THE Committee appointed to take under Con
sideration a Paper signed T. Ghori, being an Au
fwer to a Letter written to General Gage by the
Hon. Peyron Rinddlph, Esq; Brefiderit of the late
Continental Congress--Reported as follows, viz.
WE would not, unless urged by the clarelt Ne
cessity, have taken up the Confederation of
General Gaol's Letter to the Hon. Peyton Ran
dolph, Esq; late Prefidentef the Ilonl Continen
tal Congress ; but we conceive that Letter, tho' it
appears to be addrefs'd to a Gentleman in h'is ,rfori/e
Capacity, has a ftroug Tendency to impress the
whole Continent with Sentiments very unfavoura
ble to this affiided To^n. Vve Ihall not intention
ally throw any disagreeable Imputations upon the
General, but ffiall endeavour only to defend our
selves against the injurious Tendency of his Letter.
---The General, contrary to the khowri Sense ofe
very Man of common Undefftanding, has been
pleased to, infiniiate; that the Complaints of the
Town of Lofton against his Conduit were utterly
groundless and unrtafonable ; and would have the
Continent believe,that not he, but the People of this
Province, and especially the Inhabitants of Boston;
were the Aggressors in all the Differences whfch
have -arisen. Weffeely acknowledge, that the Ar
rival of a Bricifh Army with a profefs'd Design of
enforceing A&s of the Hritiflr Parliament, destruc
tive of our Liberties, gave a great and univefal A.
farm ; and it cannot appear itrange, that we should
be considering of the Meafores necessary to preserve
eurjuft Rights and Privileges. We hoped howe
ver, that peaceable and gentle Means would have
effected our Deliverance : We believed that his Ex
cellency would have laid some Proposals before the
General Assembly, which he fummohed to meet at
^alem ; but after treating both the Council arid
Haufeof Reprefchtatifes, in a Manner Which we
shall not animadvert on, he was pleased to dissolve
the Assembly : The People were then compet'd to
turn their Thoughts & Attention to other Methods
of preventing the impending Deltrudion. And tho'
thus diftrefs'd, his Excellency would gladly have
prevented them from availing themselves of the.
Counsel of each other in Ttwn Meetings ; and ac
tually ordered the marching of a Body of armed Sol
diers to disperse the Inhabitants of the Town of Sa
lem, when peacebly affombled to consult upon the
tioft important lutereßs of thirnfelves and their
posterity : This was followed by the seizing of the
Powder in the Magazine at Cambridge, and the
Cannon which had been lent to the firft Regiment
fa Middlesex. The mounting a Number of Field
Pieces on an Eminence in Borton Common ; the Ra
tioning Guards in various Parts of the Town, and
many other Arils, which could not leave any Doubt
in the Minds of the People of the General's Inten
tion to employ Military Force against the Pro
vince,at length roused the People to think of defend
ing themselves and their Property by Arms, if no
thing less could save them from Violence and Ra
pine. For the Juftification of the Conduct of the
People in that Refpeft we may fafely appeal to the
Continent---to the World, and to the Supreme Om
picient Governor of the Universe. All the Tranf
i&i®ns from the firft Arrival of the Troops, we hope
will hereafter be critically & judiciously examined :
And we trust that the Time will come, when we
fliall havea fair and impartial Hearing. We mean
not now. to give particular Answers, except to such
Part§ of the General's Letter, as seem to charge the
Contjnential Congress with having ntilconceived
the Falls dated in their Letter to him.
First, his Excellency fays, that from the Letter
(meaning the Letter of che Hon. Continential Cor.-
grefs) ^ People would be led to believe that Works
were railed against the Town of Berton, private Pro
perty invaded, the Soldeirs filtered to insult the In
habitants, and the Communication between Town
and Country Ihut up and molested;" How far his
Excellency was governed by the Consideration of
whntAnfwer he should make,when he gave this Turn
to the Exprelhons of rhe Congress, need not be in
q^ired into. To this Charge his Excellency re
plies, that " there is not a single Gun pointed a
gainst the Town." His Excellency did not advent
!°.'" e Number of Field Pieces which were at the
lime that Letter was written and long before,
pointed against the Townfrbm the Common ; but
it the Assertion had been literally true, it would not
the lead effect the Point under Consideration.
Are not thteWqrh created on the Neck in Reali
ty erefled against the Town ? Are they not design
% innate the Inhabitants, and to lead them
° ^tofM^r; in the power of Qte
.' r ''' ^n^^^tial Congress plainly ^xprefs
w ^ch li h ey mean to be understood by
his Excellency. They fiy, that the Formations
w,u? that Tn w ^(!taton) “ the frequent
and the repeated in-
Uits .hey (the inhabitants)“ receive from the Sol-
diery, have given thgm great reason to fafpeft a
Plan is formed very deftrntlive tothem, and tending
to overthrow the Liberties of America." The Ge
neral therefore has in no Way answered the Charge
bro't against him ; but has only by varying the Ex
pression, attempted to elude it. The next assertion
is, that “no Man's Property,has been seized or
hurt except the King's. We need not enumerate
all the. Instances of property seized : It is enough to
fay, that a Number of Cannon, the Property of a
refpe&able Merchant in the Town, were seized and
carried off by Ftyce ;---that Timber and Lumber
have been violently taken from the Owners---th at
rightful Proprietors have been driven from their
Landsi---It is impoflible for us to mention one Half
of the instances in tyhich Property has been hurt ;
they are notorious to every Inhabitant, and have
been made known tenths Public from Time toTime.
His Excellency is pleased to fay,that "no Troops
have ever given less Cause for Complaint, and great
er Care was never taken to prevent it." What Car^
has been taken, is not pur Part to determine; we
are ready to admit the most candid Opinion. But
we beg leave to fay, that the Insults received from
Officers and Soldiers, have been in many Inßances
such as were shocking to a spirited People ; and of
which, Humanity in some, Instances, Decency in o
thers; and in all, a generous Disposition to avoid
placing even those who have injured us in an odious
Light, prevent us from giving a particular account.
The General declares that “ the Communicati
on between the Town and Country has been always
free and unmolested, and is fSgill." Wefhall on
ly give the Falls. Guards were fixed at every En
trance into the Town.—No Person was allowed to
cross the Ferry to Charleftown after Eight o'Clock
in the Evening, however urgent his Bufinefs---Pat
fengers oh the Neck were flopped for Hours by the
Guard—their Property injured or dertrbyed. One
Inhabitant Rop'd in his Chaise, a^ his Horse flab'd
with a Bayonet ; others were fhamefully beated, a
bused and confined, and many other Instances very
alarming to our Friends in the Country, whose free
ingress to the Town is essential to ohr Subsistence.
TheGeheral perhaps mightndt jutyy these Enor
mities ; but could he not have prevented them by
removing the Cause of those frequent abuses? Be
that as it may ; Could he with Jurtice assert that
“ the Communication between the Town & Coun
try has been always free & unmotated,arifl is so Rill?"
We wiih the General had given us forte particu
lar Instances concerning 66 the Menaced of Blood
and Slaughter/' which be, intimates madd it is Duty
to alarm and distress the .People in the Manner he
has already done. We doubt not that we shall be
able fully to answer his Excellency whenever he is
pleased to defeend to Particulars,. We can only fay
at present, that we conceive his Excellency to have
been very ill advised in theMerfures he has pursued,
arid that we ardently wish for an Opportunity to
meet our accusers upon equal Ground.
The above report having been duly confiderfd, it
was Voted Nem. Con. that the fame be accepted ;
and that the Moderator of this Meeting be deftred
to transmit a Copy of the Report, inclofed in are
fpedable Letter to the Hon. Peyton Randolph,Elq;
by the firft Opportunity.
The following Votes expressive of the Gratitude
of the Town for the benevolent assistance received
from the ot^er Colonies under our present Calami
ties, arid the kind Recommendation of the late re
fpe&able Continential Congress for future Support
--.parted Nem. Con.
—WHEREAS the Town of Bolton is unfortunately
become the most Rriking Monument of Minis
terial Tyranny and Barbarity, as is particularly ex
hibited in the sudden Shutting up this Port, thereby
cruelly depriving the Inhabitants of this Metropolis
of the Means they have hitherto used to support their
Families. And whereas our Brethren in the other
Colonies, well knowing that we are Offering in the
common Cause of America arid of Mankind, have
from agenerous and brotherly Sifooution contribu
ted largely towards our Spport in this time of our
general Distress (without which many of our wor
thy and virtuous Citizens must have been in immi
nent danger of periling withhold and Hunger.)
And whereas the Hon. Members of the Cori tinential
Congress have kindly recommended us to our Sifter
Colonies as, worthy of further Support from them,
while the Iron Hand of unremmitted Oppression
lies heavy upon, us ; Therefore voted /hat this
Town, frilly sensible of the Generous AffiCance they
have received from their sympathizing Brethren,
return them their warmest and most fincefe Thanks
for the latite : And they pray that God/ whose Be
neficence they so gloriously imitate, may bestow up
on them the Alerting he has promifed' to all those
who feed the hungry arid clothe the naked : And
the Thanks of this Town #e accordingly hereby
given to our Benefactors' aforementioned, and to
the Honourable Members of the Congress few their
Benevolence towards us expressed as aforefaid, which
support, if continued, cannot fail of animating us
to remain fledßß in the Defence of the Rights of
America.
The town then made choice of the following gsn--
tiemen for their delegates at the provincial congress
to be held at the town of Gambradge, pp or before
the firft of February next, viz. The hen. Thomas'•
Cuffiing, Esq; Mr. Samuel Adams, the hon. John
Hancock, Esq; Dr. Joseph Warren,.,% .Benjamin
Church, Mr. Oliver Wcndal, ME John Pitts.
,The meeting was then adjourned to she firft Wed
nesday of February next, at 11 o'clock.
Attest. WILLIAM COOPER, Town Clerk,
H A X.T F O R D, January 9.
His Honor Governor Trumbull, with the Ad
vice of the Council, has appointed Wednesday, the
firft Day of February next, to be observed as a
Day of Farting and Prayer throughout this Colony,
Ala Meeting of the Committees of Infpeltion and.
Obfervatio, of the several Towns of Hartford
and Wethersfield, sundry of the Committee front
the Towns of Middletown and Windsor being
present, at Hartford; on the 2d Day of January
ms— gQ•
It was nuapithcufly agreed that a general Mect
ihg °f ^ e Committees of Infpeaion of all theTowns
within the County of Hartford, or such as may be
by them appointed from among themselves, should
be convened at Hartford on Wednesday the 25th
pay of Inftant^ January, at Nine of the Clock in
the Forenoon,in order to fettle and determine upon
the most uniform and effectual Method to be pursu
ed for carrying into Execution the general A(locia
tion and. other Matters recommended by the late,.
Continental Congress ; and that they hereby give
Notice thereof accordingly.
Sign'd by Order,
, John Pitkin, Chairman.
Mr. Watson,
I Observed in ons of your late Papers, a pompous
Account that Lord North was unanimously elect- .
cdaMemberofFarliamentfortheßoroughefSanbury :
Please now to inform the Public, that the Borough that
were so remarkably united in the Choice of their
Representative, has but eleven Voters in the whole ;
yet this despicable number, small as ft, is, have Pow
er to fend two Members to Parliament ; that good
man, Mr. Pitt, when in the House cf Commons,
justly ca%d it " therotten Fart oftheConftitution.”
Stafford, 30th ofDecember, 1774.
EARLY in the Morning Josiah Biodget, a youth
, abbut i§ years of age, and Son to Mr. Silas
Blodget of this Town, went to a Mill jn order to
cut off the Ice which was froze upon the Wheel;
and as he was cutting ice, Randing upon theWheel,
it suddenly turned, and drawing him under it a
gainst the breast work, instantly put an end to his
life. His funeral was attended the next dav, by a
large assembly of people, to whom a sermon was
preached by the Rev. Mr. Foster, from Luke xii.
40, " Be ye therefore ready also, for the Son of
Man cometh at an hour when ye think not."
The tyrant, how he triumphs here !
His trophies spread around!
And heaps of dull and nones appear,
Through all the hollow ground.
Thus we must leave the banks of life.
And try this doubtful sea;
Vain are our groans, and dying flrife,
To gain a. moment's flay.„
Some hearty friend shall drop £ tear.
On our dry bones, and fay, .
" These once were Rrong as mine Appear,
as they.'? - —
Twenty Dollars Reward.
LOST or llolen out of ray pocket, on the 27th
ofDecember [art in Sheffield, a cloth pocket
book,work'd with crewel of various colours The
book contained about Six Pounds in Connecticut
a^d New-York bills, and a largenumber of papers,
°t^ reat va l^e to me, and of no cenfequence to am
otk^r person. Whoever will return she fame to me
at Norfolk, frail have rtv'enty dollars reward and
no Qeftions aOgeJ. „Titus Watson.
Nurlolk, January 177 g,,
IX/ E the lubfcribcns, being by.the hon. -court cf
'' probate, for the dirtrid of Simfbury, appoint
ed coirimirtioners on the estate of Mr. William Ro-.,
berts, late of WeR-Simfbury, deceased, reprefentea
insolvent, to examine and adjust the claims of the
creditors to said ertate---This is to notify the credi
tors to laid estate, that we fliall attend on that buti
nefs at the dwelling huufi of Capt. Ezekiel Hum
phry, inn-holder in Weft-Sirufbury, on the third
Monday cfjanuary inherit, and die firft and fecor<f
Mondays ^'February next, from one of the clock
in the afternoon, till night, cn each of said days.
Oliver Humphry, 1
Ezekiel Humphry,^ Commissioners.
Da'niel Willcox, j
January ~ [770
Tu be fold, fur want of employ,
A very likely Negro Wench,
about 21 years of age, healthy arid Rrcrg, 2nd ca
pable of doing any kind ofhuufe woik, cooking &c.
For further particulars er quire of the I Anter.