had consciously or not moved to a new position in their
view of the proper relationship between the Colony and the Mother
Country. The failure of the rulers of Britain to appreciate and assess
properly the changed temper of the colonists lost for them the American
empire.

November 6, 1766. The General Assembly of 1766-1768 met: November
6-December 16, 1766 and adjourned to March 12-April 11, 1767, and then
met in a final session, March 31-April 16, 1768.

January, 1768. The Virginia Gazette began to publish John
Dickenson's letters from a "Pennsylvania Farmer." These letters did a
great deal to clarify, in the minds of many, the American position with
regard to the Parliamentary claim of the right of taxation in the
colonies.

March 3, 1768. Governor Fauquier died.

March 31, 1768. News of the passage of the Townshend Acts and of
the suspension of the New York legislature was already causing a wave of
indignation in Virginia when the General Assembly met in March. Having
taken under consideration the circular letter of the Massachusetts
legislature opposing the Townshend Acts and various petitions to the same
effect, the House of Burgesses prepared petitions to the Crown and to
both Houses of Parliament, and on April 14 adopted all three unanimously.
The House then sent word to the other colonial Assemblies of its action
and congratulated the Massachusetts House "for their attention to
American liberty."

August 12, 1768. In a move to strengthen the hand of the Virginia
Governor and at the same time to conciliate the Colony, the King made
Fauquier's replacement, Norborne Berkeley, Baron de Botetourt, Governor
of Virginia in the place of Jeffrey Amherst. Not since the time of
Governor Nicholson had the Governor himself come out to Virginia.

October 26, 1768. Lord Botetourt arrived in Williamsburg.

May 8, 1769. The Governor, Lord Botetourt, opened the first and
only session of the General Assembly of 1769 (May 8-17) with a
conciliatory speech; but, obviously unmoved, the House of Burgesses set
about with remarkable unanimity to restate their position with regard to
Parliamentary supremacy. The House also denounced the reported plan for
transporting colonists accused of treason to England for trial. On May
16, the House adopted resolutions to this effect and then on the next day
unanimously approved an address to the Crown.

May 17, 1769. The House resolutions of the 16th caused Lord
Botetourt to dissolve the