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of the people in New England, when they came to be read there, was precisely what had been expected, and proposed by sending them over. It was now seen that the grievances, which had been so deeply resented as measures of the mothercountry, were in fact the measures of two or three of their own people; of course all that resentment was withdrawn from her, and fell where it was proper it should fall, on the heads of those caitiffs who were the authors of the mischief. Both houses took up the matter in this light. The council resolved that

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and the house of representatives agreed to the following resolves, reported by the committee appointed to consider the letters: viz.

"The Committee appointed to consider certain Letters laid before the House of Representatives, reported the following Resolves."

Tuesday, June 15th, 1773.

"Resolved, That the letters signed Thomas Hutchinson and Andrew Oliver, now under the consideration of this house, appear to be the genuine letters of the present governor and lieutenant-governor of this province, whose handwriting and signatures are well known to many of the members of this house: And that they contain aggravated accounts of facts and misrepresentations; and that one manifest design of them was to represent the matters they treat of in a light highly injurious to this province, and the persons against whom they were written.

VOL. I.

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"Resolved, That though the letters aforesaid, signed Thomas Hutchinson, are said by the governor in his message to this house of June 9th, to be private letters written to a gentleman in London, since deceased,' and 'that all except the last were written many months before he came to the chair; yet that they were written by the present governor, when he was lieutenant-governor and chief justice of this province; who has been represented abroad as eminent for his abilities, as for his exalted station; and was under no official obligation to transmit private intelligence: and that they therefore must be considered by the person to whom they were sent, as documents of solid intelligence: and that this gentleman in London, to whom they were written, was then a member of the British parliament, and one who was very active in American affairs; and therefore that these letters, however secretly written, must naturally be supposed to have, and really had, a public operation..

"Resolved, That these 'private letters' being written 'with express confidence of secrecy, was only to prevent the contents of them being known here, as appears by said letters; and this rendered them the more injurious in their tendency, and really insidious.

"Resolved, That the letters signed Thomas Hutchinson, considering the person by whom they were written, the matters they expressly contain, the express reference in some of them for full intelligence' to Mr. Hallowell, a person deeply interested in the measures so much complained of, and recommendatory notices of divers other persons, whose emoluments arising from our public burdens must excite them to unfavorable representations of us, the measures they suggest, the temper in which they were written, the manner in which they were sent, and the person to whom they were addressed, had a natural and efficacious tendency to interrupt and alienate

the affections of our most gracious sovereign King George the Third, from this his loyal and affectionate province; to destroy that harmony and good-will between Great Britain and this colony, which every friend to either would wish to establish; to excite the resentment of the British administration against this province; to defeat the endeavors of our agents and friends to serve us by a fair representation of our state of grievances; to prevent our humble and repeated petitions from reaching the royal ear of our common sovereign; and to produce the severe and destructive measures which have been taken against this province, and others still more so, which have been threatened.

“Resolved, As the opinion of this house, that it clearly appears from the letters aforesaid, signed Thomas Hutchinson and Andrew Oliver, that it was the desire and endeavor of the writers of them, that certain acts of the British parliament, for raising a revenue in America, might be carried into effect by military force; and by introducing a fleet and army into this his Majesty's loyal province, to intinnidate the minds of his subjects here, and prevent every constitutional measure to obtain the repeal of those acts, so justly esteemed a grievance to us, and to suppress the very spirit of freedom.

"Resolved, That it is the opinion of this house, that as the salaries lately appointed for the governor, lieutenant-governor, and judges of this province, directly repugnant to the charter, and subversive of justice, are founded on this revenue; and as these letters were written with a design, and had a tendency to promote and support that revenue, therefore there is great reason to suppose the writers of those letters were well knowing to, suggested and promoted the enacting said revenue acts, and the establishments founded on the same.

"Resolved, That while the writer of these letters signed Thomas Hutchinson, has been thus exerting himself, by his

'secret confidential correspondence,' to introduce measures destructive of our constitutional liberty, he has been practising every method among the people of this province, to fix in their minds an exalted opinion of his warmest affection for them, and his unremitted endeavors to promote their best interests at the court of Great Britain.

"Resolved, as the opinion of this house, That by comparing these letters signed THO. HUTCHINSON, with those signed AND. OLIVER, CHA. PAXTON, and NATH. ROGERS, and considering what has since in fact taken place conformable thereto, that there have been for many years past measures contemplated, and a plan formed, by a set of men born and educated among us, to raise their own fortunes, and advance themselves to posts of honor and profit, not only to the destruction of the charter and constitution of this province, but at the expense of the rights and liberties of the American colonies. And it is further the opinion of this house, that the said persons have been some of the chief instruments in the introduction of a military force into the province, to carry their plans into execution; and therefore they have been not only greatly instrumental in disturbing the peace and harmony of the government, and causing and promoting great discord and animosities, but are justly chargeable with the great corruption of morals, and all that confusion, misery, and bloodshed, which have been the natural effects of the introduction of troops.

"Whereas, for many years past, measures have been taken by the British administration, very grievous to the good people of this province, which this house have now reason to suppose, were promoted, if not originally suggested by the writers of these letters; and many efforts have been made by the people to obtain the redress of their grievances: Resolved, "That it appears to this house, that the writers of these

letters have availed themselves of disorders that naturally arise in a free government under such oppressions, as arguments to prove, that it was originally necessary such measures should have been taken, and that they should now be continued and increased.

"Whereas, in the letter signed Cha. Paxton, dated Boston Harbor, June 20, 1768, it is expressly declared, that 'unless we have immediately two or three regiments, 'tis the opinion of all the friends of government that Boston will be in open rebellion.'

"Resolved, That this is a most wicked and injurious representation, designed to inflame the minds of his majesty's ministers and the nation; and to excite in the breast of our sovereign a jealousy of his loyal subjects of said town, without the least grounds therefor, as enemies of his majesty's person and government.

"Whereas, certain letters by two private persons, signed T. Moffat and G. Rome, have been laid before the house, which letters contain many matters highly injurious to government, and to the national peace:

"Resolved, That it has been the misfortune of their government, from the earliest period of it, from time to time, to be secretly traduced and maliciously represented to the British ministry, by persons who were neither friendly to this colony nor to the English constitution.

"Resolved, That this house have just reason to complain of it as a very great grievance, that the humble petitions and remonstrances of the commons of this province are not allowed to reach the hands of our most gracious sovereign, merely because they are presented by an agent, to whose appointment the governor, with whom our chief dispute may subsist, doth not consent; while the partial and inflammatory letters of individuals who are greatly interested in the revenue

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