fortify itself. Under the feeling roused
by these reports, the General Court of Massachusetts, exercising a
sovereign power, passed an act for encouraging the fitting out of
armed vessels to defend the sea-coast of America, and for erecting a
court to try and condemn all vessels that should be found infesting
the same. This act, granting letters of marque and reprisal,
anticipated any measure of the kind on the part of the General
Government.

The British ministry have, in later days, been exculpated from the
charge of issuing such a desolating order as that said to have been
reported by Lieutenant Mowat. The orders under which that officer
acted, we are told, emanated from General Gage and Admiral Graves.
Whatever part General Gage may have had in this most ill-advised and
discreditable measure, it was the last of his military government, and
he did not remain long enough in the country to see it carried into
effect. He sailed for England on the 10th of October, not absolutely
superseded, but called home, "in order," as it was considerately said,
"to give his majesty exact information of everything, and suggest such
matters as his knowledge and experience of the service might enable
him to furnish." During his absence, Major-general Howe would act as
commander-in-chief. He never returned to America.

On the 15th of October a committee from Congress arrived in camp, sent
to hold a conference with Washington, and with delegates from the
governments of Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and New
Hampshire, on the subject of a new organization of the army. The
committee consisted of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Lynch of Carolina,
and Colonel Harrison of Virginia. Washington was president of the
board of conference, and Mr. Joseph Reed secretary. The committee
brought an intimation from Congress that an attack upon Boston was
much desired, if practicable. Washington called a council of war of
his generals on the subject; they were unanimously of the opinion that
an attack would not be prudent at present.

The board of conference was repeatedly in session for three or four
days. The report of its deliberations rendered by the committee,
produced a resolution of Congress that a new army of twenty-two
thousand two hundred and seventy-two men and officers should be
formed, to be recruited as much as possible from the troops actually
in service. Unfortunately the term for which they were to be enlisted
was to be _but for