Bofton-Gaol, Monday, 12th of March, 1770. Meffieurs Edes & Gill. Permit me through the channel of your paper, to return my thanks in the moft public manner to the inhabitants in general of this town whe throwing afide all Party and Prejudice, have with the utmost humanity and freedom fept forth advocates of truth, in defence of my injured innocence, in the late unhappy affair that happened on Monday night laft: And to affure them, that I shall ever have the highest fenfe of the juftice they have done me, which will be ever gratefully remembered, by their much obliged and moft obedient humble fervant, THOMAS PRESTON. On Thursday laft a committee from the town of Roxbury waited upon his Honor the Lieut. Governor with the following Petition, VIZ. To bis Honor Thomas Hutchinson, Efq; Lieutenant Governor, and Commander in Chief in and over the Province of Maffachusetts Bay: : "The inhabitants of Roxbury in town-meeting lawfully affembled, beg leave humbly to reprefent to your Honor, that they have often beard, and many of them feen, with pity and concern, the very great inconveniences and fufferings of our fellow-fubjects and countrymen, the inhabitants of the town of Boston, occafioned by feveral regiments of the King's troops being quartered in the body of that town for many months past in a peculiar manner we defire to express our affonishment, grief, and indignation, at the horrid and barbarous action committed there laft Monday evening, by a party of those troops, by firing with finall arms, in the most wanton, cruel, and cowardly manner, upon a number of unarmed inhabitants of faid town, whereby four of his Majefty's hege fubjects have loft their lives, two others are fuppofed to le mortally wounded, and feveral befides badly wounded, and juffering great pain and diftrefs; and the town fill alarmed, and threatened with further and greater mifchief: We therefore truly fympathizing with our diftreffed brethren, the inhabitants of faid town of Boston, heartily unite with them, in praying your Honor would exert your au thority to remove all the troops out of that town immediately ; for we cannot, after what has happened, think it can poffibly confift with the peace, order, and fafety of the inhabitants of that or any other tovin within this province, or his Majefty's real service, to have thofe troops, or any other, quartered among them. And your Petitioners, as in duty bound, &c. Roxbury, March 8,1770. Unanimoufly voted, that Jofeph Williams, Efq; Mr. Eleazar Weld, Mr. John Williams, jun. Mr. John Child, Mr. Nathaniel Ruggles, Capt. William Heath, and Major William Thompfon, be a committee to wait upon his Honor forthwith, in behalf of this town, with the above Petition. Atteit. Gentlemen, I have no authority to order the King's troops from any place where they are pofted by his Majefty's order, or the order of the Commander in Chief of his forces here: Every thing that is in my power to do, with respect to any alteration of the place for quartering those troops, has already been done by me in pursuance of the unanimous advice of his Majefty's council. T. HUTCHINSON. To the inhabitants of the town of Roxbury. Bofton, the 8th of March, 1770. New-York, March 1. The 16th regiment, now here, are ordered to be got ready to embark for Penfacola; and we hear they are to be replaced by the 14th regiment now in Boston. POLITICAL INTELLIGENCE. A particular account, of the Proceedings of the Meeting of the Freeholders in the Coun ty of Middlesex, at the Mile-End Affembly-Room, on Friday the 30th of March. PURSUANT to the Sheriff's advertisement, the Freeholders of Middlefex began to affemble themselves on Friday March 30, at eleven o'clock, in the morning at the Mile-end Affembly-room, Whitechapel. Some time before twelve, the room being exceedingly full, they grew a little impatient for one of the Sheriffs to take the chair. At twelve Mr. Sheriff Sawbridge and Mr.Horne arrived together, and were received by the fhouts of a vast croud of people, who filled all the road before the door. They went immediately into the room, and Mr. Sawbridge having taken the chair, addreffed the Freeholders in the manner following: "Gentlemen, "The death of my worthy colleague's father has prevented Mr. Sheriff Townfend meeting you here this day. In his abfence, have to inform you from the chair, that on application made to us by feveral Freeholders, we caufed an advertisement to be inferted in the public papers for a meeting of the county. And we understood from those who made the application, that it was intended to propofe to the county to apply again to his Majefty on the fcore of thofe unredreffed grievances, of which we have already complained in our perition. If, therefore, any gentleman has any thing to propofe, or any motion to make, he will please now to offer it." Hereupon there enfued a dead filence of a minute or two, when Mr. Sawbridge rejoined; "Gentlemen, "Mr. Adair informed me yefterday, that he had prepared an humble Addrefs, Remonftrance and Petition, which, if no other gentleman produced one, he would offer. I defire therefore to know whether Mr. Adair is here. If he is not prefent, I dare fay he will foon come." Mr. Adair not being prefent, a gentleman propofed, "That a committee of inquiry should be appointed to endeavour to find out who were the real, and who were only the feeming friends of the conftitution and of public liberty; that the confidence of the public might not be abused, and that this county might return their thanks to thofe worthy members of both houfes, who feek really the security of public rights, and not the gain of private emolument." The matter of this motion was much approved, but it not being the immediate and declared purpofe. of the meeting, it was waved for the prefent, with an intention to take it up at another more convenient and proper feafon. Mr. Horne then came forward, and addressed himself to the Freeholders in the following words: "Gentlemen, "Since Mr. Adair is not prefent, and fince no other perfon appears to have any thing to offer, this feems to me to be the proper time for confidering whether we shall take any farther ftep, confequent to our late petition; and what that step ought to be. The advertisement, by which our worthy Sheriffs have called us together, expreffes the purpose of our meeting---to confider of an humble Address, Remonftrance, and Petition to his Majefty. Perhaps I fhall furprize you, when I tell you, that I quitted my house this morning with a full refolution to declare my fentiments, and to give what I thought very good reafons against any Address, Remonftrance, or Petition whatever, to his Majefty. Though I was one of the moft eager for your late Petition, I am not ashamed now to confefs, that I have been mistaken; that my political opinions are altered; and that his Majefty's anfwer to the Citizens of London has wrought in my mind an intire conviction, a thorough---diffatisfaction. "When I formerly urged that measure of petitioning, I THOUGHT his Majefly would, as his anfwer profeffes, be careful to avoid even the appearance of invading any of thofe powers which the conftitution has placed in other hands. And I KNEW that the power and right of fending Reprefentatives to Parliament, was placed by the Conftitution folely and exclufively in the people. Little, therefore, could I at that time fufpect, that when that great and refpectable body, the LordVOL. VI. Pp Mayor Mayor and Citizens of London, who were deemed of fufficient importance to be joined by name, with the Lords and Commons, in that inftrument which conferred the Crown of these realms at the Revolution; little could I fufpect, that when in a folemn manner they addressed the Throne with a legal prayer, for what his Majefty could legally grant, they would be charged with difrefpect to their Sovereign, and be treated with disrespect in his court: and that they would find the Throne furrounded by the very perfons of whom they came to complain, and who were affectedly drawn together to be the witneffes of their own triumph, and of the difgrace of their infulted accufers. § "As little could I fuppofe, that his Majefty, who but two years fince, at his first meeting with the parliament after the laft general election on the 8th of November 1768, addreffed them in these words: My Lords and Gentlemen, The opportunity which the late GENERAL ELECTION gives me of knowing from their Reprefentatives in Parliament, the MORE IMMEDIATE SENSE OF MY PEOPLE, has made me defirous of meeting you as early as could be confiftent with your own convenience; "Would be difpleased to hear the fenfe of his people IMMEDIATELY from themfelves:or, if that was thought too IMMEDIATE, that he would refuse to them, and to himself, the opportunity which a General Election would give of hearing the more immediate fenfe of his people from their Representatives in Parliament. But in these opinions I have found myself mistaken, and in these opinions only am I altered. "When I left my house this morning to come down hither, I intended to have taken leave of the Freeholders of Middlefex; for it is a mockery to call us Freeholders; and I fuppofed that this would be the last time we should meet together under any denomination. Indeed, why fhould we meet? The people of this country are no more a people. They are annihilated; for they ceafe to have any fhare in the government. They are told fo in terms plain enough, by an authority which feems likely to brook no contradiction. The rights and powers which the conftitution has placed in the hands of the people are either forgotten or denied. The rights of the collective body of the people are all, it feems, now transferred to parliament: the parliament is notoriously at the abfolute disposal of the minister : And thus, by a common the minifter, at the mercy and pleasure of the crown. procefs in mechanics, that great, unweildly, and hitherto immoveable weight,--the liberties of this free nation---which prerogative has so often essayed in vain to lift, by its own immediate and fimple application, has at length, by the combination of a few minifterial and parliamentary pullies, been easily raised from the earth. It has not indeed been the work of a moment to do this; but I very much fear left the fame rule should hold in politics as in mechanics; and that what has been loft in time has been gained in power. "We are even in fufpenfe whether the last fad refuge of the wretched will be allowed us,---the right of petition and complaint.---For my own part, I am not very anxious about it. My difpofition does not lead me to pour forth derided and unavailing prayers. It is better to fuffer in filence, than to enjoy a right fo mangled and fo maimed as the fulfome and falfe address of the two houfes has left it; efpecially, as it will only ferve to furnish the delinquents, whom we accufe, with an opportunity of retorting the accufation upon us, and of representing us (in Speeches made by themselves) as--- disrespectful to our Sovereign, injurious to parlia ment, and enemies to the principles of the conflitution.'----It will only ferve as a fresh pretence for punishment and oppreffion of the subject, and a fresh plea for pensions and rewards to parafites and courtiers. "It was my intention, therefore, to have fairly stated to you your prefent fituation; and whilst I did juftice to thofe who abet adminiftration, not to have forgotten the characters and conduct of every different party in opposition; and having done fo, it was my intention to have taken my leave: for I own I was in defpair of any redress or advantage to the public, arifing from any farther communication with the throne, after the city of London had been in fuch a manner reje&ed and infulted; and after what I had seen, a fullen refentment took poffeffion of my mind, and I feared the beginning was now to come of that dreadful calm which always precedes the most violent ftorms. However, I find that there are still some gentlemen who are not yet willing to give way to defpair. They have hopes which I cannot Amongst all the others that day summoned to attend the levee, Co!. Luttrel, that he might not be unfeen, was perched upon the table. I cannot entertain. It is very much to the praise of their fortitude; and I moft fincerely and earnestly wish that their expectations may be juftified by the event. I very readily pay that respect which is due to their understanding and good intentions: I give up my own opinion, and concur heartily with them in the meafure of remonftrating. Of the Remonftrance propofed, I have neither feen nor heard a fyllable; but I think too well of the abilities and integrity of the propofer to doubt of its propriety. You will foon hear it, and will judge for yourselves. In the mean time, inftead of thofe things which I intended to propofe to your confideration, I will state to you, as briefly as I can, the chief articles of the unanfwered petition which this county has already prefented to his Majefty. 1 will ftate them as they occur to my memory; no doubt I shall omit many particulars, but the chief matter of them is fo deeply engraven in my heart, that it will not eafily be out of my head. If I fhould detain you too long, or be tedious in my recital, the leaft hint from you shall finish it. "The violation of our rights in the person of Mr. Wilkes is one plentiful fource of our complaints. Notwithstanding the protection afforded to that gentleman by the privilege of parliament, he was taken into cuftody, and clofely confined by an illegal General Warrant; and an illegal feizure was made of his papers. He was continued in cuftody by an evafion of the Habeas Corpus. He was prevented from making his complaint to the House of Commons by the collufion of the late Speaker with the minifter, and a meffage from his Majefty was admitted, before the complaint for breach of privilege. He was expelled unheard, though detained from his attendance on the house by the wound of an affaffin. In order to prevent his obtaining a legal fatisfaction from Lord Halifax, his outlawry was expedited by the alteration of records, and he was convicted of publishing what he carefully concealed. To justify in some measure the formal illegalities, and to fcreen the offenders, the Commons, contrary to law, which the Judge is bound by oath to obferve, voted away the privilege of parliament in cafe of a libel. On his appearance and furrender, an unjust attempt was made to prevent the reverfal of his outlawry; and a fcandalous delay was used of pronouncing judgment when that attempt was fruftrated. When he was elected Member for the county of Middlefex, his feat was, by the Minifter, made to depend on his with-holding his petition from the Houfe of Commons. Mr. Fitzherbert waited on Mr. Wilkes from the Duke of Grafton, to inform him that if he prefented his petition, he should be expelled; but if he with-held it, he should keep his feat. Mr. Wilkes difdained to hold a feat in parliament by any other tenure than by your free choice. After that petition had been received, and fevere punishment denounced if every Iota (that was the expreffion) was not proved. After witneffes for that purpose had been prepared, at a very great expence; after all this, fix out of eight articles were ftruck out of the petition; and, in conformity to the Duke of Grafton's threats, he was again unjustly expelled, unheard, on an accumulated charge. After repeated re-elections, he was, contrary to law, incapacitated by a vote of the Commons; and a VICIOUS writ, which alone is fufficient to make the acts of this parliament null and void, was, contrary to law, ordered to be iffued by the fame Commons, who had before pretended and ufurped a power to difqualify. Becaufe this null and void is particularly grievous to miniftry, and has been used by them as a stumbling block to ignorant men, I will repeat to you what the Duke of Buckingham faid in the House of Lords in the year 1676. He did not fcruple to tell the parliament that it was diffolved--whilft we only pray that it may be diffolved. The laws, fays he, have repofed fo great a truft, and fo great a power, in the hands of a parliament, that every circumftance relating to their manner of election, meeting and proceeding, is looked after with the nicest circumfpection imaginable. For this reafon, the King's writs about the fummons of parliament are to be iffued out VERBATIM, according to the form prescribed by law, or else that parliament is VOID and NULL; and nothing can be more dangerous to a KING or a PEOPLE, than that las fhould be made by an affembly, of which there can be a DOUBT whether they have power to make laws or not. He could not poffibly forefee thefe times or the prefent tranfactions. It was an undisputed maxim, from which he drew his conclufions.---But to return: The right of election was finally taken from the people; and an officer of his Majefty's army, fit tool for the purpofe, was illegally appointad Pp 2 ed by the Commons to act as Representative of the Freeholders of Middlesex, by whom he was never chofen. "Now let us confider what answer has been given by actions, since words will not be vouchsafed us, to this part of our petition. Lord Halifax, who issued that General Warrant, has now the privy feal; the cxpences of the law-fuit on account of it, with the four thousand pound damages, have been paid by the Treafury. Sir Fletcher Norton, who conducted the profecutions, is now Chief Juftice in Eyre with 3000l. a year for life, a place which hitherto has satisfied our chief nobility with 1500l. a year not for life: he is also Speaker of the House of Commons, which office I fuppofe is worth double that fum. He has one fon envoy to the Swiss Cantons, another fon an officer in the army. I must, however, here do juftice to Sir Fletcher's modefty, who about a month after he had been in poffeffion of his laft office, declared that he had not asked any thing from his Majefty fince he had been Speaker. "These things are a fufficient answer to that part of your petition; and prove very clearly how ready bis Majefty is to receive, aye, and to GRANT too, the requests of some at least of bis fubjects. In regard to our violated Right of Election, we may obferve, that almost every one of thofe, who concurred in that violation, have places or penfions, or emoluments from the crown; and that the tenderness which his Majefty expreffes to avoid even the appearance of interfering in this matter, did not prevent the difmiffion of the Lord Chancellor from his high office, for refufing to vote away the Right of Election from the people. "The abuse and introduction of difcretionary power is another intolerable griev ance; and is particularly confpicuous with respect to the impunity and encouragement of murderers. Of nine perfons charged with murder on the verdict of a jury, within thefe last two years, four have been bailed by Lord Chief Juftice Mansfield; four have been pardoned after the cleareft conviction; and the acquittal of one at leaft was most shamefully procured, contrary to all evidence and justice. The men I mean are Gillam, Macleane, Murray, Maclaughry, Mac Quirk, Balf, Baretti, and the two Kennedys. I shall not employ the moments impertinently, if I relate to you fome of the strongest circumftances in their cafes, and which are leaft known, as they occur to my memory. I am the better enabled to do this, because 1 was principally concerned, and more particularly instrumental in bringing fix out of the nine to trial---though I could not bring them to juftice. "On the ever-memorable 10th of May, 1768, I was told in Westminster-hall, about two o'clock, of a murder committed in St. George's-fields. I went thither with another gentleman. I found there a great multitude of people and foldiers; but every thing very quiet. And it is worth remarking, that on the 10th of May, when that cowardly maffacre was committed, there was not a pane of glass broke, nor a nail wrenched, nor a tile difplaced of the King's-Bench-prifon. As soon as I came I was applied to by a gentleman, then a stranger to me, to affift him in difcovering the murderers. He said he had been requested fo to do by the deceafed's mother; but that the Juftices of the Peace would pay no regard to his application. I would have excufed myself, as one extremely unfit for fuch a purpose, and unacquainted with fuch matters. However, I yielded to his preffing intreaty, and, with my friend and others, fought after those who were present at the death of Allen. I difcovered the evidence, the foldiers and officer concerned. I applied for a warrant. The Juftices of the Peace refused to grant any, or to receive the information. After much ill treatment and many rebuffs from the Juftices; the gentleman who was with me, (and whom I now jee in this room) told me he thought it in vain to ftay there any longer; that he faw the Juftices would not difcharge their duty; that they feemed bent on mifchief and on blood; that for his part he had a wife and family, whom he was to confider, as well as his own fafety; that therefore finding himself unable to do any good, he should retire; and that he would advife me for my own fake to do the fame. I replied, that I had neither wife nor children, nor any connection nor concern to which my life was of much confequence, that I was determined to ftay till I could procure a warrant, and apprehend the offenders; that if I fell, I hoped he would do me juftice, and bear witness to the honefty of my intentions; and that I did not rifque my life from idle curiofity, or any other unworthy motive. He left me; and I con tinued |