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History of the United States from the Discovery of the American Continent (Works of George Bancroft). SIX VOLUMES
History of the United States from the Discovery of the American Continent SIX VOLUMES - Works of George Bancroft Author:George Bancroft Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: scribed by the king, but on trial in a Boston town Chap. meeting, left the chair, and took his place on the floor. His enemies summoned hardihood to engage with ... more »him in debate, in which they were allowed the utmost freedom. Through the midsummer-day they were heard patiently till dark, and at their own request were indulged with an adjournment. On the next day, notwithstanding the utmost exertion of the influence of the government, the motion of censure was negatived by a vast majority. The town then, by a deliberate vote, bore open testimony "to the upright intentions and honest zeal of their committee of correspondence," and desired them "to continue steadfast in the way of well-doing." After this result, one hundred and twenty-nine, chiefly the addressers to Hutchinson, confident of a speedy triumph through the power of Britain, ostentatiously set their names to a protest which, under the appearance of anxiety for the prosperity of the town, recommended unqualified submission. They would have robbed Boston of its great name, and made it a byword of reproach in the annals of the world. The governor hurried to the aid of his partisans, and on the following day, without the consent of the council, issued the proclamation, from which British influence never recovered. He called the combination not to purchase articles imported from Great Britain " unwarrantable, hostile, and traitorous;" its subscribers " open and declared enemies of the king and parliament of Great Britain; " and he " enjoined and commanded all magistrates and other officers within the several counties of the province, to appreChap- tend and secure for trial, all persons who might pub- lish, or sign, or invite others to sign the covenant." —-v- 1774. -pjo ftgt could have been more futile or more un- ...« less