March 4-15, 1773; and May 5-26, 1774, when it was
dissolved. Meeting in an interlude of relative peace between Britain and
her colonies (1770-1773), the Assembly in its spring session of 1772
proceeded in a routine fashion and the Burgesses found no occasion to try
the mettle of the new Governor.

March 4, 1773. Governor Dunmore for the first time found reason to
complain of the General Assembly in its March meeting of 1773. He was
miffed by an implied rebuke of the House of Burgesses for his handling of
counterfeiters; but he had better reason to be disturbed by another
development. On March 12, the House revived its committee of
correspondence and extended its functions. As proposed by a
self-constituted meeting at the Raleigh Tavern and headed by Richard
Henry Lee, the House instructed its new committee of correspondence to
inquire into the Gaspee affair, to keep in touch with the
legislatures of the other colonies, and to correspond with the London
agent. A key factor in the transfer of power which was to come shortly,
the plan of a committee of correspondence was quickly adopted in the
other colonies. Before proroguing the Assembly on March 15, Governor
Dunmore signed the last Acts assented to by the royal Governor of
Virginia.

May 24, 1774. The May meeting of the Assembly was uneventful until
the news of the Boston Port Acts stirred up a hornets' nest in the House
of Burgesses. The House expressed alarm and promptly declared June 1, the
day the Acts were to go into effect, a day of fasting and prayer. Two
days later, May 26, Governor Dunmore dissolved the General Assembly of
1772-1774. One consequence of interrupting the Assembly before any
legislation had been completed was to put an end to civil actions in the
courts for the lack of a fee bill, which pleased many a debt-ridden
colonist.

May 27, 1774. On May 25, the day after the news of the Boston Port
Acts, Richard Henry Lee had ready his proposals for calling a Continental
Congress, but when he delayed presenting them to the House so as not to
invoke dissolution, he lost the opportunity of having the House of
Burgesses act upon them. The day after Dunmore had dissolved the
Assembly, the members of the House met in the Apollo room of the Raleigh
Tavern. After denouncing the "intolerable" Acts, they instructed the
committee of correspondence to write to the other colonies and propose a
Continental Congress.

May 30, 1774. Twenty-five Burgesses who were st