USA > Massachusetts > The history of Massachusetts, the provincial period. 1692-1775 v. II > Part 12
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July. Meanwhile the depredations of the Indians were continued at the eastward ; and Canseau was surprised, and sixteen or seventeen vessels belonging to Massachusetts were taken.5 In the following year further incursions were made, and the war raged fiercely. Father Rasles had hitherto escaped ; but at Aug.12. length he was surprised at his head quarters at Norridgewock, and, being fired upon, was slain. The Indians, panic-struck,
1724. July 10.
1 Hutchinson. ter, No. 1041; Collection of Proceed- ings of Gen. Court, 36, 37; Hutchin- son, ii. 271-273.
2 Mass. Rec's, and Hutchinson, vol. ii. 3 Collection of Proceedings of Gen. Court, 36, 37.
4 Mass. Rec's ; Boston News Let-
5 Hutchinson, ii. 266, 267; Hali- burton's N. S. i. 102, 103.
121
LOVEWELL'S FIGHT.
hastily fled. The English pursued until they took to the CHAP. woods, when they returned, plundered the village, and ran- v. sacked the church.1 Subsequently the government of the 1724. province increased the premium on Indian scalps to one hun- dred pounds of the ordinary currency. John Lovewell, an enterprising partisan warrior, encouraged by this bounty raised a company of volunteers, and made one or two successful expe- 1724-25. ditions ; but venturing out a third time, to a place called Jan. and Feb. Pigwacket, he was surprised and slain, with several of his May 8. followers.2 A cessation of arms followed ; a treaty of peace 1725. was agreed upon at Boston ; in the following year, the lieuten- Dec. ant governor in person, attended by gentlemen of the court, the lieutenant governor of New Hampshire, and General Mas- carene, of Nova Scotia, ratified the same at Falmouth ; a long 1726. Aug. 5 peace ensued ; and provisions were made for the erection of trading houses on the St. George, the Kennebec, and the Saco Rivers, where the Indians were supplied with goods on more favorable terms than they had been furnished by the French. Thus ended the Indian difficulties, which had lasted nearly forty years ; and for the twenty years following but little dis- turbance occurred.3
The affairs of the province abroad were still in an unsettled state. Soon after the arrival of the new agents in England, a second memorial was presented by Governor Shute, complain- ing of matters transacted subsequently to his departure from Massachusetts. Upon this memorial hearings were had ; but June 5, the determination of the lords of trade, and of his majesty in &c. council, were, for the most part, unfavorable to the province.
1 Boston News Letter, Nos. 1074, H. vol. i .; Holmes, Am. Ann. i. 536, 1085 ; Hutchinson, ii. 273-284 ; Char- 537. levoix ; Belknap, ii. 60; Haliburton's N. S. i. 104, 105.
2 This was long known as the Pig- wacket Fight; and a narrative of the same, by Thomas Symmes, was after- wards published. See also Penhallow, in N. H. Hist. Coll. ; Belknap's N.
3 Colman's Mems. in 1 M. H. Coll. vi. 108; Hutchinson, ii. ; Belknap, vol. i. ; Holmes, i. 538 ; N. H. Hist. Coll. ii. 257, 258. Articles of peace with the Indians were subscribed July 25, 1727. N. H. Hist. Coll. ii. 260-263.
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122
DECISION OF THE LORDS OF TRADE.
CHAP. The acts and votes relative to the king's woods and the regu- V. lation of military affairs were adjudged indefensible, and the 1726. agents were advised to a humble acknowledgment of the same. The power of the governor to negative the speaker, however, and to prevent the adjournment of the House, was Aug.12. not esteemed so clear ; and an explanatory charter was drawn Jan. 15. up, which the province saw fit to accept. By this instrument, 1725-26. the power to negative the speaker was expressly conceded to the governor, and the time to which the House might adjourn was limited to two days.1 The affair of the synod, which 1725. occurred about this time, was less important in its bearings, and is chiefly interesting as indicating the change which was taking place in public sentiment, and the successful resistance of the mother country to the paramount influence of the pro- vincial clergy.2
May 27.
The decision of the questions brought by Colonel Shute before the lords of trade left him at liberty to return to his government.3 But he was unwilling to embark save in a man- of-war, and no vessel of that class was then ready to leave. Hence his departure was delayed until the summer of 1727, when, just as he was on the eve of sailing, the king suddenly deceased. Upon the accession of George II. a change in the ministry followed ; a pension of six hundred pounds was settled on Colonel Shute ; and the office of governor of Massachusetts was conferred on William Burnet, formerly governor of New York, and a son of Bishop Burnet, the historian of the refor- mation, conspicuous in the revolution of 1688, and a steadfast friend of the house of Hanover.4
1727.
June.
1 Report, in Lib. Mass. Hist. Soc., shelf 3, 32, tract 12; Charter and Laws, ed. 1726, pp. 13, 14 ; Hutchin- son, ii. 288-290 ; Chalmers, Revolt, ii. 27-30; Minot, i. 60; Letter of John Colman, in 1 M. H. Coll. ii. 31-35.
2 Hutchinson, ii. 291, 292 ; Chal- mers, Revolt, ii. 31.
3 " I hear the governor saith, he will try who shall be governor, he or
Mr. Cooke, and that he will see New England again, let it cost what it will. Nay, a gentleman here told me he heard him swear it, which he wondered at, for he had never heard him swear an oath before in his life." Colman's Letter, in 1 M. H. Coll. ii. 33.
4 Hutchinson, ii. 293, 294. No- tices of Bishop Burnet may be seen in the Boston News Letter, Nos. 1081,
123
ARRIVAL OF GOVERNOR BURNET.
Pending the arrival of Mr. Burnet, the administration of CHAP. affairs continued in the hands of Lieutenant Governor Dum- v. mer ; and, as complaints of the decline of trade continued, a 1727-28. fresh issue of sixty thousand pounds in bills of credit was voted. This bill his excellency at first refused to sanction ; Feb. but, upon his salary's being withheld, he was prevailed upon to sign it, notwithstanding it was contrary to the king's instruc- tions.1 Nor was this the only way in which the spirit of the House was manifested, as their contests with the Council 1728. May. evince, upon the election of civil officers, and the decision of private causes heard before both houses.2 The land fever, which raged at this time with a fury nearly equal to that of the famous Mississippi scheme, gave rise to chimerical projects for the improvement of the waste parts of the province ; and for the first, not for the last time, the speculation in eastern lands became a mania, and was pursued with a zeal which ended, in many cases, in the ruin of the projectors, and to the detriment of the province.3
Never was governor more pompously received than was July. Governor Burnet. The press and the pulpit labored with addresses ; and men seemed to vie with each other in outward expressions of joy. No poet laureate, indeed, was paid to announce his arrival ; but the poet of the province, and the wittiest of his day, put forth his best efforts to celebrate the event.4 Nor were the people behind him in testifying their July 13.
1082. Chalmers, Revolt, ii. 124, says Burnet was sent to Massachusetts, " not so much as a favor as a punish- ment, because he had offended the Board of Trade by printing their pro- ceedings, and Horatio Walpole by un- successful support."
1 Mass. Rec's ; Charter and Laws of the Province ; Hutchinson, ii. 295- 298; Douglas, in 4 M. H. Coll. ii. 176.
2 Mass. Rec's ; Hutchinson, ii. 298.
3 Mass. Rec's ; Hutchinson, ii. 299, 300; Williamson's Me. ii.
4 Mather Byles. The following is
a specimen of his effusion on the oc- casion : -
" Welcome, great man, to our desiring eyes ; Thou earth! proclaim it; and resound, ye skies !
Voice answering voice, in joyful consort meet,
The hills all echo, and the rocks repeat.
And thou, O Boston, mistress of the towns, Whom the pleas'd Bay with am'rous arms surrounds,
Let thy warm transports blaze in num'rous fires,
And beaming glories glitter on thy spires ; Let rockets streaming up the ether glare,
And flaming serpents hiss along the air."
Drake's Hist. Bost. 581.
124
ADMINISTRATION OF BURNET.
CHAP. respect ; for gay cavalcades paraded the streets, which were V. crowded with people, and the concourse was greater than had 1728. ever been known.1 But these flattering attentions, dictated by policy, neither blinded the governor to the real state of feeling, nor did they deter him from prosecuting his predeter- mined plans. The very parade with which he was received was used as an argument to prove the ability of the people to grant him a liberal support; and, as this was a matter upon which the monarchs had insisted, and which he was instructed July 24. to enforce, in his first speech he acquainted the court with his majesty's directions, and his intention to adhere to them. The House was not intimidated. Yet, as it was not their design at the outset to push things to an extremity, a grant of seventeen July 27. hundred pounds was made towards his support, and to defray July 30. the charge of his journey ; but this he refused to accept. A Aug. 6. special grant of three hundred pounds was then made for the charge of his journey, which he received ; but the court refused to establish a fixed salary. In vain did the governor remon- strate ; in vain did he threaten. The representatives of the people understood their interests too well to sacrifice them at the royal pleasure ; and by settling a fixed salary, they saw at once that the governor would be independent of the legisla- ture, whereas by the system of annual grants he could not at pleasure control their proceedings, and a barrier would be maintained against the encroachments of the prerogative.2
The refractoriness of the House did not pass unrebuked ; Aug.28. and when a message was sent to the governor asking permis- sion to rise, it was refused until they had " finished the business for which the court was then sitting." Messages passed to and fro, and the affair became serious ; but the governor was
1 For an account of these civilities, see Drake's Boston, 581.
2 Mass. Rec's ; Collection of Pro- ceedings of General Court, 39-51; Hutchinson, ii .; Minot, i. 59; Chal- mers, Revolt, ii. 125. The letter of
Douglas to Colden, in 4 M. H. Coll. ii. 175-177, is significant, and shows the system of management which was recommended to Burnet to "bias " the people.
125
ADMINISTRATION OF BURNET.
firm, and the House was intractable. In vain did his excel- CHAP. lency insinuate that, if the House persisted in their refusal, v. " the legislature of Great Britain would take into consider- 1728. Sept. 2. ation the support of the government, and perhaps something besides " - meaning the charter. This message added fuel to the flame ; and the House, in their own vindication, drew up a paper to transmit to the towns for their instruction, giving an Sep. 11. account of the state of the controversy, and the reasons which influenced them in refusing to submit to his demand.1 The towns responded to this call ; and Boston, in particular, ever foremost to support liberty, avowed its aversion to the propo- sals of the king.2 A few persons, indeed, counselled com- pliance ; and, friendly to the prerogative principally from interested motives, they urged that the present controversy must terminate, like the last, in favor of the crown ; and that, if the province would not peaceably yield, more forcible meas- ures might be adopted, or a change be made in the charter, as under the administration of Shute. Besides, Governor Burnet himself was an amiable gentleman; in his manners he was easy, and his talents were conspicuous. His conversational powers were the delight of intelligent circles ; and, aside from his official position, he was in most respects as acceptable to the people as either of his predecessors. Why, then, it was asked, drive from us so excellent a magistrate ? Why not meet him half way ? But the majority of the House was still firm ; and all that could be obtained was a vote granting the gov- Sep. 20. ernor the sum of three thousand pounds of the currency of the province, equal to one thousand pounds sterling, for half a
1 Mass. Rec's ; Collection of Pro- ceedings of General Court, 51-65 ; Hutchinson, ii.
2 A general meeting was held, at which a vote was passed, and ordered to be printed, called " the unanimous declaration of the inhabitants of Bos- ton against fixing a salary upon the
governor." Hutchinson, ii. 315. It is a somewhat singular coincidence, that, whilst Massachusetts was con- tending with Governor Burnet against granting a fixed salary, a similar con- troversy was contemporaneously agi- tating the people of Barbadoes. Hutch- inson, ii. 313, 314.
126
AGENTS SENT TO ENGLAND.
CHAP. year, for the management of public affairs ; but this he refused V. to accept.
1728. Oct. 24. Soon the affair reached its crisis ; and, in consequence of the vote of the people of Boston, the governor adjourned the court to Salem - jocosely remarking, as he did so, that " there might be a choice in the names of places, and he was at a loss whether to carry them to Salem or to Concord." 1 But the House viewed the matter seriously ; and, so far from approving the adjourn- ment, denounced it as a further hardship, and an earnest of the intention of the governor to harass them into compliance. Oct. 31. Their first vote on assembling at Salem was in accordance with this feeling ; and, after censuring the course of his excellency Nov.14. as "illegal and a great grievance," they requested to be per- mitted to meet again in Boston; but this was refused. No alternative was. left, therefore, but to remain in Salem ; and they did remain, supported by their constituents, who voted to defray their expenses, and who provided for them liberally.2
Nov.22. At length, wearied with the altercation, and persuaded of the justness of their cause, the House resolved to apply to his Dec. 20. majesty for redress. Mr. Francis Wilkes, a New England merchant then resident in London, was selected as their agent, and Mr. Jonathan Belcher, a member of the Council, and a young man of pleasing address, was joined with him. Grants Dec. 20, were made to defray their expenses ; but the Council refused 1728, and'
Apr. 10,
1729.
to sanction these grants. Immediately the people of Boston interposed, and, by a subscription among the merchants and others, a sufficient sum was raised and placed at the disposal of the House. For this a vote of thanks was returned, with a promise of the repayment of the loan at some future date.3
Apr. 16.
May. The appeal to England was unsuccessful. The Board of Trade severely censured the course of the House, and approved
1 Hutchinson, ii. 316.
3 Mass. Rec's; Coll. Proceedings 2 Mass. Rec's ; Coll. Proceedings Gen. Court, 96-109; Hutchinson, ii. Gen: Court, 90-95 ; Chalmers, Re- 318.
volt, ii. 127; Hutchinson, ii. 317, 318.
127
DISPUTES WITH GOVERNOR BURNET.
that of the governor ; and the agents informed them that, if CHAP. they persisted in refusing to comply with the king's demands, V. the affair would be carried before Parliament ; but the House 1729. thought it better, should such a course be taken, that a " salary should be fixed by the supreme legislature than by the legisla- ture of the province : better the liberties of the people should be taken away from them, than given up by their own act." Nor were they without friends to sustain them in this course. Already the storm was rising which threatened the overthrow of Walpole ; and if the matter was brought before Parliament, support was promised by the opponents of the ministry.1
The other matters in dispute with Mr. Burnet were of less importance, and occupied less of the time of the House. His refusal to sign the warrant for the payment of their expenses was a retaliation for their refusal to pay his salary ; and his attempt to establish a new fee from a " let pass " on vessels, which was resisted by the House, was disallowed by the lords of trade. His refusal to submit to the choice of an attorney general, unless nominated by himself, and his attempt to con- trol the treasury, awakened further opposition ; but the settle- ment of this controversy was left to his successor.2
The decision of the lords of trade was adverse to the prov- May 22.
1 Hutchinson, ii. 320; Chalmers's Revolt, ii. 128; Hildreth, ii. 347. Mr. Dummer wrote a letter on this occasion, dated August 10, 1729, ad- vising compliance with his majesty's instructions. "I am not afraid," he says, "to add my hearty wishes that the assembly would, of choice and by their own consent, comply with his majesty's instructions, and fix the gov- ernor's salary for the time of his gov- ernment, or for a term of years. I am of opinion that they cannot do a wiser or better thing in their present circumstances. As they have agreed on the quantum, and have determined to give it annually, it's a pity they won't go a step farther, and make it a resolve, of the House, by which they
will at once restore themselves to his › majesty's favor, and put an end to the confusions and distractions among themselves. New England justly boasts of her loyalty; but methinks it would not be amiss if to that we add- ed a little complaisance to the crown, if such an expression may be allowed. I am afraid if we don't do it willingly, we shall be compelled to do it unwillingly. The ministers are de- termined to lay it before Parliament ; and if they bring in the bill, who will undertake to get it thrown out?" Lett. in Lib. Mass. Hist. Soc., shelf 3, 8, tract 2.
2 Hutchinson, ii. 321, 322; Hil- dreth, ii. 347.
128
APPOINTMENT OF BELCHER.
CHAP. ince ; and a demand was made that " a salary of one thousand V. pounds sterling per annum should be settled upon the governor 1729. during the whole time of his government." The governor attempted to enforce this demand by adjourning the court from time to time; but to no purpose. The House grew warmer in their votes and messages, and complained that they were to be " compelled to measures against their judgment, by being harassed and driven from one part of the province to another." In the midst of the struggle the governor died. Sept. 7. Some attributed his death to chagrin ; others to a cold caught by the overturning of his carriage as he was crossing the cause- way at Cambridge, by which he was thrown into the water, and thoroughly chilled. His funeral was pompously celebrated at the charge of the province, and the administration again passed into the hands of Mr. Dummer.1
At the death of Mr. Burnet, Jonathan Belcher, a native of Massachusetts, and a gentleman of aspiring talents and abun- dant wealth, who had been recently sent to England as the agent of the province, applied for the commission of the gov- ernment, and, through the influence of Shute, whom he had aided on a similar occasion, he received the appointment. The ministry, it is said, were the more willing to accede to his appointment from the difficulty of finding a person of suitable qualifications, who, in the distracted state of the affairs of the province, would accept the office. Besides, from the fact that Mr. Belcher was a citizen of Boston, and popular among his countrymen, it was supposed that the people might be more easily prevailed upon by him than by a stranger to comply with his majesty's demands, which, the longer they were re- fused, increased in importance, and which it concerned his prerogative peremptorily to enforce. But if the ministry reck-
1 Mass. Rec's ; N. Eng. Weekly Journal of Sept. 8; Hutchinson, ii. 324-326; Drake's Boston, 582. Chal- mers, Revolt, ii. 131, censures the con-
duct of Governor Burnet in harassing the House as " equally unconstitution- al and contrary to principle."
129
ARRIVAL OF GOVERNOR BELCHER.
oned upon cajoling the people by flattery, they were destined CHAP. to find themselves sadly mistaken. The statesmen of New V. England were too wary to be easily insnared, and the liberties 1730. of the people were too precious to be voluntarily relinquished.1
The arrival of Governor Belcher was signalized by the Aug. usual professions of loyalty and respect, and ministers wel- comed him in public discourses.2 At the first session of the General Court, however, it was evident from his speech that, Sept. 9. whatever expectations had been formed of him, he was re- solved, equally with Governor Burnet, to insist upon a compli- ance with his majesty's instructions for the settlement of a salary, which was fixed at a thousand pounds, to be paid out of the annual grants. In case of the refusal of the House to comply, he was not only required to return immediately to England, but, it was added, "his majesty will find himself under a necessity of laying the undutiful behavior of the prov- ince before the legislature of Great Britain, not only in this single instance, but in many others of the same nature and ten- dency, whereby it manifestly appears that this assembly, for some years last past, has attempted, by unwarrantable practices, to weaken, if not to cast off, the obedience they owe to the crown, and the dependence which all colonies ought to have on their mother country." 3
The House met these demands as they had those of former years, making a grant to Mr. Belcher of one thousand pounds, as a gratuity for his services in England and to defray the expense of his voyage, and another thousand to enable him " to manage the public affairs." The Council concurred in these votes, but desired a specification that the last sum should be granted annually ; but the House refused to accept this amend-
1 Hutchinson, ii. 328; Chalmers's Revolt, ii. 132-134.
2 Mr. Gay, of Hingham, preached a sermon on the occasion.
3 Mass. Rec's; Hutchinson, ii. 333, 334. "Governor Belcher's returning with the same instructions which he
went to oppose, is a little surprising ; but some providences, like Hebrew letters, must be read backwards, as Mr. Flavel well remarks." MS. Let- ter of Josiah Smith, of Feb. 8, 1730, in Mass. Hist. Soc., MS. Letters and Papers, 1721-1760.
VOL. II. 9
130
RENEWAL OF THE CONTROVERSY.
CHAP. ment, and rejected a second, that the sum should be paid an- V. nually " during his excellency's continuance in the government."
1730. A conference ensued in the presence of the governor, who, partly by threats and partly by flattery, attempted to shake their resolution ; but neither his speech, nor the arguments of the Council, produced any effect. The Boston members were the most resolute, while many from the country were inclined to yield ; and, as the governor himself was not unpopular, it is possible that the settlement of a salary during his adminis- tration might have been effected, had it not been for establish- ing a precedent for the future.1 But the governor was an adroit politician, and knew how to accommodate himself to the prejudices of his countrymen, without, at the same time, relinquishing the attempt to enforce his majesty's instructions. Hence, by adopting the policy of appointing to office those whose favor he was anxious to secure, the number of his ad- herents rapidly increased, and the Council, in particular, was remarkably complaisant.
1731.
A year rolled by, and but little had been effected. The gov- ernor continued, though prudently, to press the instructions of the king ; but the House insisted that the settlement of a salary would "deprive the people of their rights as Eng- lishmen." Besides, the English press had told the Bostonians " how much their noble stand against the unconstitutional demands of Burnet had endeared them to all lovers and assert- ors of liberty in Britain," and this encouragement strengthened their opposition.2 At length a bill was prepared, which, after granting the sum of thirty-four hundred pounds of the currency
1 Mass. Rec's; Hutchinson, ii. 334, 335. A further grant of £500 was made to the governor for his services as agent in England ; and the sum of £1500, which had been advanced by the merchants of Boston, was ordered to be paid. The House likewise passed a vote appropriating £500 ad- ditional to be deposited in the Bank of England for the use of the prov-
ince ; but when the governor found that this very money was afterwards employed to promote complaints against himself, he regretted having given his consent to the bill, and saw too late the advantage it conferred upon his opponents in effecting his removal.
2 Hutchinson, ii. 335, 336; Chal- mers, Revolt, ii. 134; Hildreth, ii. 350.
131
THE WAR WITH SPAIN.
of the province, equal to about a thousand pounds sterling, for CHAP. the salary of the governor, proceeded to enact, that, as his ' V. majesty had been graciously pleased to appoint Jonathan Bel- 1731. cher, Esq., to be their governor, who was a native of the coun- try, whose fortune was here, and who, when a member of the Council as well as in a private station, had always consulted the true interest of his country as well as the honor and dig- nity of the crown, therefore it is most solemnly promised, that there shall be granted the like sum for the like purpose at the beginning of the sessions in May, every year during the gov- ernor's continuance in the administration and residence within the province, "provided this act shall not be pleaded as a pre- cedent, or binding on any future assembly, for fixing a salary on any succeeding governor." 1
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