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greatest commotion, without their receiving the smallest infult. report being, however, fpread in the evening, that detachments from the men of war were upon their march to the city, the people again took to their arms, and continued all night upon the watch, as if in expectation of an attack from an enemy. They alfo from this time increased their night patroles, and fhewed an evident defign to protect the magazine from any further attempts.

The whole value of the powder and arms in the magazine, or any purpose to which they were capable of being converted, either in the hands of friends or enemies, feemed very inadequate to the alarm, fufpicion, and disturbance, which this meafure excited. The quantity of powder removed amounted only to fifteen half barrels, containing fifty pounds each, of a very ordinary fort, and the remaining flock left behind in the magazine, to about fix of the fame kind; neither does it appear that the number of ferviceable muskets was fufficient to anfwer any effential purpose, or even to justify apprehenfion, and the caution of tripping there of their locks, only marked the, fufpicion from which it proceeded. A confiderable quantity of old arms, and common trading guns, were not meddled with. Upon the whole, this act derived its only importance, from time, manner, and circumstance...

The Governor feems to have been exceedingly irritated at the behaviour of the people in thefe commotions, and perhaps refented too highly, for fuch times, their affembling in arms, not only with

out, but with an evident intention to oppofe his authority. In this warmth of temper fome threats were thrown out, which upon a cooler reflection would probably have been avoided. Among thefe, a threat of fetting up the royal ftandard, of enfranchizing the negroes, arming them against their mafters, and deftroying the city, with other expreffions of a fimilar nature and tendency, not only fpread a general alarm throughout the colony, but excited a kind of abhorrence of government, and an incurable fufpicion of its defigns.

In the mean time, feveral public meetings were held in different counties, in all of which, the meafure of feizing and removing the powder, as well as the Governor's threats, were reprobated in the ftrongest terms. Some of the gentlemen of Hanover, and other of the neighbouring counties, were not, however, fatisfied with fimple declarations. They affembled in arms to a confiderable number, under the conduct of a Mr. Henry, who was one of the provincial Delegates to the General Congrefs, and marched towards Williamfburg, with an avowed defign, not only to obtain reftitution of the gun powder, but to take fuch effectual meafutes for fecuring the public treafury, as fhould prevent its experiencing a fimilar fate with the magazine. A negociation was, however, entered into with the magiftrates, when they had arrived within a few miles of the city, in which it was finally fettled, that the Receiver-General of the colony's fecurity, for paying the value of the gun-powder, fhould be accepted as reftitution, and [B] 2

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portunity of giving a free scope to their juftice and liberality, and that whatever they gave, would be a free gift, in the fulleft fenfe of the terms; that they would thus fhew their reverence for parliament, and manifeft their duty and attachment to the Sovereign; and the kindness with which it would be taken, that they met, on their fide, the favourable difpofition fhewn on the other, towards bringing the prefent unhappy difputes to a period. He alfo took pains to convince them, from the proceedings and refolutions of parliament, that a full redrefs of all their real grievances, would be the immediate confequence of their compliance.

The first act of the affembly, was the appointment of a committee to enquire into the caufes of the late difturbances, and particularly to examine the ftate of the magazine, that neceffary measures might be accordingly taken for its replenishment. Though the magazine was the property of the colony, it was in the cuftody of the Governor, who appointed a keeper, fo that an application to him for admittance was neceffary. During an altercation which arofe upon this fubject, and before the order for admittance was obtained, fome people of the town and neighbourhood broke into the magazine, and carried off fome of the arms; feveral members of the House of Burgeffes, however, ufed their perfonal intereft and application in getting as many of them as they could, returned. It appeared by the report of the Committee, that they found most of the remainder of the powder buried in the magazine yard, where it had been de

pofited by the Governor's orders, and fuffered confiderable damage from the rain; the depriving the muskets of their locks was also now discovered, as well as the nakedness and infufficiency of the magazine in all refpects. Among other matters which ferved to irritate the people, was the planting of fpring-guns in the magazine, (without giving any public notice of fuch a mode of fecurity) and fome effect they had taken at the time of the late depredations.

Whilft the Governor's fpeech, with the propofitions which it recommended, were yet under the confideration of the affembly, and before their addrefs was determined upon, his lordship, with his lady and family, quit8th. ted the palace privately, and fuddenly, at night, and retired on board the Fowey man of war, which then lay near York town, on the river of the fame name. He left a meffage for the Houfe of Burgeffes, acquainting them, that he thought it prudent to retire to a place of fafety, as he was fully perfuaded, that both himfelf and his family were in conftant danger of falling facrifices to the blind and unmeaiurable fury of the people; that fo far from in. tending to interrupt their fitting, he hoped they would fuccefsfully proceed in the great bufinefs before, them; that he would render the communication between him and the Houfe as eafy and fafe as poffible; and that he thought it would be more agreeable to them to fend fome of their members to him as occafion fhould require, than to have the trouble of moving their whole body to a nearer place, He affured them, that he should

attend as ufual to the duties of his office, and of his good difpofition to restore that harmony which had been fo unhappily interrupted.

This meffage produced a joint addrefs from the Council and Houfe of Burgeffes; declaring their unbelief that any perfons in that province, could meditate fo horrid and atrocious a crime as his lordship apprehended; lamenting that he had not acquainted them with the ground of his uneafinefs before he had adopted this meafure, as they would have ufed all poffible means to have removed every caufe of his difquietude; they feared that his removal from the feat of government would be a means of increafing the uneafinefs which unhappily prevailed among the people; declared that they would chearfully concur in any meafure which he should propofe for the fecurity of himself and his family; obferving how impracticable it would be to carry on the bufinefs of the feffion with any degree of propriety and difpatch, whilft he was at fuch a distance,

fo inconveniently fituated. They concluded by intreating his return, with his lady and family, to the palace, which would afford great public fatisfaction, and be the likelieft means of quicting the minds of the people.

Lord Dunmore returned roth. a written anfwer, in which he juftified his apprehenfions of danger, from the public notoriety of the commotions among the people, as well as of the threats and menaces with which they were attended; befides complaints of the general conduct and difpofition of the Houfe of Burgeffes, he fpecified feveral charges against that body;

that they had countenanced the violent and diforderly proceedings of the people, particularly with refpect to the magazine, which was forced and rifled in the prefence of fome of their members; that inftead of the commitment of those perfons who had been guilty of fo daring and heinous an offence, they only endeavoured to procure a reftitution of the arms. That the Houfe, or its Committee, had ventured upon a ftep fraught with the moft alarming confequences, in appointing guards, without his approbation or confent, under pretence of protecting the magazine, fhewing thereby a defign of ufurping the executive power, and of fubverting the conflitution.

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He obferved, that no could be effectual for affording the fecurity which they promifed to concur in, Eut, by reinftating him in the full powers of his cffice, by opening the courts of justice, and restoring the energy of the laws; by difarming all independent companies, or other bodies of men, raised and acting in defiance of legal authority; by obliging the immediate return of the King's arms and ftores; and by, what was not lefs effential than any other matter, their own example, and their endeavours to remove that general delufion which kept the minds of the people in a continual ferment, and thereby to abolish that malice and fpirit of perfecution, which now operated fo dangeroufly against all thofe, who from duty and affection to their King and country, oppofed the prefent meafures, and who from principle and conviction differed with the multitude in political opinion. That these were the means to af

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ford the fecurity requifite for all parties; and that, for the accomplishment of thofe ends, together with the great object and neceffary bufinefs of the feffion, he fhould have no objection to their adjourn ing to the town of York, where he would meet them, and remain till the business was finished.

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He concluded by reprefenting, that unless they had a fincere and active defire of feizing the opportunity which was now offered by parliament, of establishing the freedom of their country upon a fixed and known foundation, and of uniting themselves with their fellow-fubjects of Great Britain in one common bond of interest and mutual affiftance, his return Williamsburg would be as fruitless to the people, as it might poffibly be dangerous to himself; but that if their proceedings manifefted that happy difpofition, he would return with the greatest joy, and confider it as the moft fortunate event of his life, if they gave him an opportunity to be an inftrument of promoting their happinefs, and of being a fuccefsful mediator between them and the fupreme authority.

The mollifying terms of the conclufion, were by no means equal to the removal of the acrimony excited by thofe fevere charges and implications, which were contained in the foregoing parts of this long meffage. It accordingly produced a reply of an uncommon length, under the form of an address, which was fraught with all the bitterness of recrimination, as well as with defenfive arguments, and an examination of facts. The Houfe had now received the report of its Committee relative to the caufes

of the late difturbances, backed by the depofitions of a number of Britifh merchants, who were refident in different and remote parts of the colony, all whofe teftimony tended to fhew the general tranquillity which prevailed previous to the late affair of the powder, and the Governor's declaration relative to the flaves, the latter of which, fo far as it was believed, having particularly irritated the people; that notwithstanding, quiet and order were foon every where restored, and still continued; that there was a general acquiefcence every where in the determinations of the General and Provincial Congrefs; but they all concurred in believing, that the people had no defign or with of an independency on Great Britain; and fome, that, on the contrary, they had a moft eager defire for fuch a connection, as it ftood before the late acts of parlia ment; they were unanimous in their opinion, that a redress of the grievances complained of, would establish a perfect tranquillity, and produce a reconciliation with the parent ftate.

To refute the charges or infinuations of difaffection and difloyalty, the Houfe of Burgeffes took a retrofpective view of the behaviour of the people, and of several transactions in the colony, for fome years back; they ftated the happinefs which they derived under the conduct of former Governors, as a strong contraft to their prefent fituation; they attributed that happinefs, particularly in a very late inftance, to the difcountenancing of tale-bearers and malicious informers, to a proper examination of every fubject, and the taking of nothing upon truft; and, finally,

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