peaking, an act for quartering and
better providing for the troops at the expense of the colonies. It gave
power to the military to billet themselves on private houses, as was
done in the war, and therefore was naturally offensive to the whole
of the American population, whether friendly or adverse to the English
government. It was calculated to make foes of friends, and to confirm
those who were already foes, in their opposition to the mother country.
The design of this measure, doubtless, was to overawe the colonists;
but the spirit of freedom had taken too deep root in America thus to be
overawed. Matters, in truth, grew worse and worse daily in that country.
The minds of the Americans had been chafed to such a degree by their
original grievances, and the measures which had been adopted to enforce
their quiescence, that they became every day more and more disaffected
toward the English government. How full fraught the country was with
rebellion became manifest on the arrival of the newly-formed American
board of commissioners, at Boston, to enforce the payment of the duties
recently imposed upon them, and to put an end to smuggling. In the
preamble to Charles Townshend's Act, the colonists read, that these
duties were laid "for the better support of the government, and the
administration of the colonies;" and in the bill itself they found a
clause which seemed to empower the king, by sign manual, to establish
a general civil list in every province in North America, with salaries,
pensions, and everything that could be obnoxious to a free-thinking
people. This was instantly declared to be unnecessary, unjust, and
dangerous to the rights of Americans; while the establishment of a civil
list in America, independent of the assemblies, was pronounced illegal.
Measures were taken by the people of Boston for putting into effect the
non-importation agreements, which had been before suggested; the press
was employed to demonstrate the iniquity of the taxing acts; and the
assembly of Massachusets addressed a circular letter to all the other
colonies to invite them to combine in taking measures to defeat the
obnoxious act. Every assembly, except that of New Hampshire, adopted
the sentiments and the plan contained in the circular of the assembly
of Massachusets, and passed votes of thanks to the authors of it. How
effective it was in exciting opposition is manifest from the following
circumstance. Bernard, the governor of Massachu