The Massachusetts spy. [volume] (Boston [Mass.]) 1770-1772, 1771-08-22

to bis fyiendi in PsnnGtTania, dated NAY IT.
r AM lorry have to inform you that our
country and the Governor have come to
an open war. The juRneis of the osuie on
the fide of the country, during a conteit iof
year OF two paf, has gained them iuch
majority OF the inhabitants all over this pro
vince, that it was in vain the Governor and
Officers tried to raic the militia before the
lalf fitting OF cur sGcmbly, when law paiied
under the title of a Riot act, Whereby tf'ey ta}
the Governor is inyeGed with as arbitrary
power as. the King Of France. However
that may be, it is faci, be has collected Out
of The meaner fort, an Amy ct SEQ or 2coo
men, by way ofintting for bounty money,
high wages, and promiles of an equa fhale
of plumber. With which army he is P; fling
through the country, defroying houies, fields
of wheat, corn and orchards, ard taking from
the inhabitants all manner of proviiions.
This ufage lunheard Of in America before
ludJenly raifed the country, who fIff furroun-
ded pS,iy of about 4 or 500, commanded
BY Col, Wadie and prevailed on him to
retreat, convincing b;n and bis Officers. that
there was no occaSqn IT. fuch hoitile pro-
ceedings. And few days after met the
Governor, hoping to prevail 's''h h'o' in the
fame manner. But nc (con fred on thsH
in a treacherous manner with cannon sne
hnaIl arms, in lefs than 5 minutes after they
had his promifc of an hour TO coniider Of his
terms. The country who had rot the leaf
order or dcipIine, for every man had ran to-
gesher, as itwete, toquench devouring flames,
the mott part without arms or ammunition,
who fed at the frft fire. About 900 food
ard returned the fire for three quarters of an
hour, in which time, the Governor Rruck bis
colours twice, foilted white flag, and beat
parIey /; but the country, being quite igno-
rant of any Egnals or terms of war, kept a
conlant firing, as long as their ammuniti-
on lated, and then left the ground. There
was feven killed on the fpot, and two fell
after running fome diRance Eight more are
Gnce dead of their wounds, and two or three
not yet out of danger. The number Gain
on the Governors fde is uncertain, as he
keeps it, as much as poiIibe, lecret but
by the bth accounts, it amounted to 81 on
the fpot, with proporIionable number OF
| wounded. The Governor took 20 or 90
prifoners, ore of whom be hapged the next
day. The lain on the iide of tie country
lay unbuIed, except two, who were folen
away by their families. The Governor
makes all the advantages he can of this affair,
ard it is frppofed, aims to have all their
lands forfeited. The confequence of this
affair is yet unknown (; numbers have come
in and fubmtted to certain terms, sc. O.
theirs are fanding out and collecting in bo-
dies and it is thought, that mott of the
inhabitants will leave this province, before
they will live under the in,oierable oppreii-
on and ilavery, that naturally mutt attend
conqusf made by men fluch principles.
"There never was any people abuied by
S,;hority more than this country has been,
which would be too tedious to relate in a
letter, but in very fhort way. The main
lubasnce If the difference was in the iherifs~
in moR oflhe counties not having fettled their
accomPts for or 10 years paR /; nor the
Treafurers having fetiled acccmpts with the
Public for upwards of 20 years paR. So that
by computation, they were on the whole 80
CT Ico, oco pounds behind. The honef par
~ in the administration appeared to the
county TO be too weak to bring theie over
grown members to an account therefore to
frengthen their hands, great part Of the
a Nb.~;yf; -, Neysb. (,oyal;na roijsS7ths nya-