and of the boat," and so on, in a long and
drastic measure practically intended to ruin Boston. This was what the
Government thought it well to describe by the word "expedient." This
was not all. Comprehensive alterations of the laws of the province
followed. The charter of Massachusetts was changed. The council for
the province, which had hitherto been chosen by the people, was now to
be chosen by the Crown, and the judges of the province were to be
nominated by the Crown. Another measure authorized the Governor to
send persons implicated in the disturbances to England for trial.
Boston and the province were indeed to be heavily punished and sternly
brought to their senses.

The King and the King's ministers had hoped fondly, in the old as well
as the new sense of the word, that their action towards the port of
Boston would effectually humble the spirit and crush the opposition of
that mutinous city. Their scheme was founded upon a nice calculation
of the innate baseness of human nature. They argued that the closing
of the port of Boston would turn the stream of her commerce in the
direction of other cities, which would be only too glad to enrich
themselves at the expense of their disabled comrade. While they
believed that the punishment of Boston would thus breed a selfish
disunion in the province of Massachusetts, they trusted also that the
spectacle of the severe punishment meted out to Massachusetts would
have its wholesome deterring effect upon other colonies and destroy at
once whatever desire for union might exist among them. The King and
the King's ministers were the more deceived. Their ingenious scheme
produced a result precisely the opposite of that which they so
confidently anticipated. The other ports of Massachusetts did not
seize with avidity the opportunity for plunder afforded them by the
humiliation of Boston. The other colonies were not driven into discord
by the sight of {165} the punishment of Massachusetts. On the
contrary, the ports of Massachusetts refused to take advantage of the
degradation of Boston, and the colonies were urged, and almost forced,
into union by what they regarded as the despotic treachery of the
English Crown. The most devoted friend, the most enthusiastic advocate
of the rights of the American colonists could scarcely have devised
better means of drawing them together and welding them into a solid
fellowship than those which had been employed by George the Th