whole


MASSACHUSETTS   BAY.  401

whole  house,  who  agreed  upon  a  report,  that  the  1773
letters,  without  any  discrimination,  tended,  and
were  designed,  to  overthrow  the  constitution  of  the
government,  and  to  introduce  arbitrary  power  into
the  province  *.  And  the  report  was  accepted  by
the  house,  five  members  only,  in  one  hundred  and
six,  dissenting  -f.
This  report  and  the  vote  of  the  house  thereon
were  made  pubUck,  and  the  minds  of  the  people
were  impressed  for  more  than  fourteen  days  before
the  letters  themselves  appeared.
During  this  time,  various  accounts  were  given  by
the  members  of  the  house,  but,  it  is  natural  to  sup-
pose, all  tending  to  confirm  the  truth  and  justice  of
their  own  report,  and  to  raise  an  abhorrence  of  the
governor  and  lieutenant-governor.
It  was  not  in  the  power  of  the  governor  to  put  a
stop  to  the  proceedings  of  the  house,  by  a  pro-
rogation or  dissolution,  without  a  worse  consequence
than  what  would  follow  from  their  continuing  to  sit.
The  construction  would  have  been,  that  a  conscious-
ness of  guilt  had  induced  him  to  take  that  measure.
He  thought  proper,  however,  the  next  day  after  the
resolve,  by  a  message  to  the  house,  to  desire  a
transcript  of  their  proceedings,  and  to  be  informed
what  letters  they  referred  to,  that  lie  might  consider
what  steps  were  proper  for  him  to  take  ;  and  in  the
message  observed,  that  no  publick  or  private  letters
had  ever  been  written  with  such  intention,  or  which
were  liable  to  such  an  effect,  as  they  had  declared.
