nation of the high prerogative party, who thought
themselves betrayed; his followers rose in revolt; "the treasury bench
seemed to totter". The storm was stilled at last, and then Barre, Burke,
and Dunning fell upon the bill, describing it as a mean attempt to
divide the Americans, and a plan for coercing each province separately.
The motion was, however, carried. As the opposition scorned North's
plan, which Burke called "a project of ransom by auction," it behoved
them to bring forward a plan of their own which would be acceptable to
the Americans. Accordingly, on March 22, Burke propounded a series of
conciliatory resolutions which he enforced in one of his most famous
speeches. He urged the house to return to its old policy, to respect the
Americans' love of freedom, to look to the colonial assemblies to supply
the expenses of their government and defence, to abandon the futile
attempt to impose taxation, and to extend to Americans the privileges of
Englishmen. His proposal was defeated. Nevertheless, by accepting
North's resolution parliament showed a desire for pacification. The
resolution proposed a compromise; while it maintained the authority of
parliament, it offered the Americans self-taxation. It was made with a
sincere desire to end the quarrel. At one time it might have led to
pacification, but it came too late.

Gage found the fortification of Boston Neck no easy matter; the people
would not sell him materials, and somehow his barges sank, his waggons
were bogged, and their loads caught fire. The work was finished at last,
and with his small force he could do little else. In Rhode Island the
people seized the cannon mounted for the defence of the harbour, and in
New Hampshire they surprised a small fort, and carried off ordnance and
stores. Manufactories of arms and powder-mills were set up in different
places. In February, 1775, the Massachusetts provincial congress met,
and urged the militia, and specially the "minute-men"--militiamen ready
to serve on the shortest notice--to perfect their discipline. Virginia,
Maryland, and the Carolinas were astir with warlike preparations; in
Massachusetts men were practising the use of arms on every village
green, a number of Stockbridge Indians were enlisted as minute-men, and
efforts were made to induce the Six Nations to "whet the hatchet"
against the English.[98] Express-riders kept the country people well
supplied with intelligence, in order that they might anti