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to consist of ladies, old and young, orators fair faced and fair spoken, with a goodly number of scolds. The act was so unpopular that Shirley negatived it, though it was well known that in his heart he approved the thing. Mr. H. maintained his popularity some years after this. He was then judge of probate, having succeeded his uncle Edward Hutchinson, who died in 1752. His conduct in this office had endeared him to many. He was tender and compassionate, had a generous sympathy with the children of affliction, and often wiped the tear from the eye of the mourner. In 1758, he was appointed lieut. governour, which gave pleasure to all classes of people: his deportment gave him a further interest in their affections. He was affable and condescending in his manners, yet upon publick occasions he appeared with great dignity, and stepped with majesty and grace. In 1760, he was appointed chief justice. This raised a popular clamour: it gave offence especially to one of the most brilliant families of the province, who had merited a large share of the publick esteem. The branches of this family were high whigs; one of them had been promised a seat on the bench the first vacancy, and now saw his expectations frustrated. They shook the rods of their wrath against all who were in the government, and threatened the man who was the instrument of their disappointment.*

* The 29th day of April, 1775, the writer of this memoir passed the afternoon with the late venerable judge Trowbridge at his house in Cambridge. It was a time of very earnest and anxious expectation. The judge made this observation after a very solemn pause: "It was a most unhappy thing that Mr. H. was ever chief justice of our court. What O said, 'that he would set the province in flames, if he perished by the fire, has come to pass. He, poor man! suffers; and what are we coming to ? I thought little of it at the time. I made every exertion in favour of Mr. H. and think now he was the best man to be there, if the people had been satisfied, and he had never looked beyond it. But I now think it was unhappy for us all. And I fully believe this war would have been put off many years, if gov. H. had not been

In 1760, Pownall left the province, and Hutchinson presided as chief magistrate. His ambition was gratified. His influence was used to advance. his relations to places of profit, some of them to honourable stations, for which they were not quali fied. His ruling passions often biassed his judgment, and stimulated him to act a part injurious to himself, as well as prejudicial to the province. At one time he held the places of lieut. governour, counsellor, judge of probate, chief justice, &c. These offices, with his own property, would enable him to live handsomely in the style of a gentleman. But he wanted to be rich. High life has its charms, and he wished to give a splendour to his station. This will account for certain peculiarities in his conduct, which brought upon him the charge of profusion and meanness.

The friends of gov. Pownall were enemies to Hutchinson. The patriots of Boston hailed Pownall as their friend, because he was a whig. A club of sturdy whigs, who met at the battery in the northern section of the town, endeavoured to render the administration of his predecessor odious. It was said the governour was sometimes seen amidst this merry association. It is certain that they were frequently visited by friends of a higher order, when certain points were to be carried in town meeting. At other times they admitted into their company many of the lower class, whose tongues had no bridle, when Hutchinson and Shirley were to be aspersed.

While Mr. Hutchinson was on the bench of judges he performed his duty so well, that his manner of getting the place was forgotten. He was so much a favourite with the house of representatives, in the year 1763, that they chose him agent to the court of Great Britain. In this election he had all the votes of both houses except eight.

The state of our affairs, at that period, was criti cal. Jasper Mauduit was unequal to the business assigned him. Bollan was left out of the agency, though every way capable and assiduous, because he was an episcopalian; Mauduit was a dissenter, but more pious than judicious; he looked upon the most important concerns of Massachusetts with frigid indifference, except his zeal was excitedto convert Indians; his brother was also the tool of the ministry. Mr. Hutchinson was prevented going, by the advice of Bernard, till he could obtain permission to leave the province, of which he was lieut. governour. He wrote to lord Halifax, who complied with his request. But then the tide of his influence had turned, the popular gale was changed, and the general court voted not to send an agent. He was sorely mortified, but his friends could not help him; and his enemies rejoiced at the effect it had upon him. They had exerted themselves, totis viribus, to persuade the general court, that he was a man of arbitrary notions, and would seek his own aggrandizement more than the advantage of his constituents.

The next year the stamp act passed the British parliament. Secretary Oliver was stamp master in Boston. His office was pulled down, August 14, 1765, the day the act was to be in force. Mr. H. being his brother in law, was also the object of political animosity; riots increased till the town was completely under the influence of a mob, whose fierce spirits were let loose to do mischief.

The house of the lieut. governour was torn to pieces within a fortnight of the first lawless attack upon the secretary. This excited the attention of the friends of order. The militia were called out the next evening, and they put a stop to all riotous proceedings. But those who were active in doing

the mischief were never called to account by the civil authority. There was a publick grant to Mr. H. of 6.3194 17s. 6d. and to other sufferers in proportion.

Mr. Hutchinson grew still more unpopular the ensuing years. He had many friends, however, who never could harbour an ill thought of him till his letters were published, which he sent to England, wherein he advised, that " colonial privileges should be abridged." He always declared to these friends that his sentiments were contrary. Among them were clergymen of great respectability, and many sober-minded citizens. They believed him a friend to the province, as well as to the New England churches. He read to them letters, which he wrote in favour of the people, and against the arbitrary measures of the British court. But this was a mere artifice, and made his character more odious after it was fully discovered.

On the evening of the 5th of March, 1770, when a party of British soldiers fired upon the inhabitants of Boston, he had a most difficult business to manage; but he behaved with so much discretion in his advice to the commanding officer of the troops, and his address to the people, that his ene. mies could not speak a word against him, with all their violence against the soldiers. His prudence calmed the tumult of the people.

In 1771, Mr. H. received his commission, as governour of Massachusetts bay, and from this time he became completely subservient to the views of the British ministry. He entered into a controversy with the general court, in which he asserted and endeavoured to prove the right of the British parliament to tax America. In this he did not succeed as he expected. It was evident that the management of the argument was superiour on the other side, and it was said the ministry, instead of being pleased, were rather disgusted, that he should make it a subject of controversy. It was a thing to be

taken for granted; not to be discussed. Whoever reads the newspapers, from 1771 to the commencement of the war, may get a good idea of Hutchinson's character. He had his eulogists in the Gazette or Newsletter; and the writings on the other side of the most respectable class were in the Boston Gazette, signed Marchmont Nedham, or Novanglus. The first were supposed to flow from the pen of Mr. Quincy, a lawyer of great abilities and eloquence, who unhappily for his country lived but a short time after. The letters from Novanglus were written by one of the greatest statesmen this or any country has produced.* Gov. Hutchinson was superseded by gen. Gage, in 1774, and on his