dies with wonderful diligence. He was a repre. ⚫sentative for the town of New Milford, and afterwards of New Haven. In 1765, he was appointed a justice of the court of common pleas. He received an honorary degree of A. M. from Yale College, and was treasurer of the college many years. In 1776, he was elevated to a seat on the supreme I bench, and elected one of the assistants of the colony. When the law was enacted making these offices inconsistent, he resigned his place, as counsellor or asssistant and continued on the bench of judges. He was the same year present in congress, and signed the glorious act of independence. Не not only was delegate but one of the committee which drew up the declaration: In 1787, he was appointed a delegate to the convention which formed the federal constitution; and afterwards in the state convention which adopted it. He was then elected a representative to the first congress under the new constitution, and when a vacancy for Connecticut happened in the United States senate, he was elected to fill it, and in this office he continued till his death which took place at New Haven, July 20, 1793. SHIRLEY WILLIAM, governour of Massachusetts from 1740 to 1757, was an English gentleman who practised law, in Boston. At the time he was appointed, his lady was in England. She had been soliciting a post of profit for Mr. S. in the province, and by the assistance of her own friends, and the intrigues of Belcher's enemies, obtained the government. He was a man of address, knew how to manage the several parties, and conducted so well as to gain the affection of the people, and continue on the side of the prerogative. The court did more for him than they were willing to do for any of his predecessors; for they advanced the governour's salary to 1000 pounds sterling per annum. The principal events in his administration were : these. In 1745, the expedition to Louisburg. Of this he was not the projector, nor as some have supposed, even an adviser, though after the success of it, he was desirous of being considered as the main spring of the whole business. Mr. Auchmuty, laid the plan in his study, says Smollet. Neither Hutchinson, nor Belknap mention Auchmuty's name. The plan is given by Vaughan, and pressed upon, Shirley, who was gratified with the enterprise, but was afraid to be responsible, and, therefore contrived to have the general court patronise it; so that if it had not succeeded, he should be free from blame. Hence he always spake "your expedition gentlemen"-till the capture, and then it was "our expedition." The year succeeding the capture of Cape Breton. the famous expedition against the colonies was frustrated. The duke d'Anville's fleet was completely destroyed. A body of provincials stationed at Minas, was surprised by a party of French and Indians, and the whole number, amounting to about 160, slain or made prisoners. In 1747, an uncommon tumult happened at Boston, in which the governour was accidentally involved. Commodore Knowles impressed a number of men from the vessels and wharves. The governour's house was surrounded by the enraged multitude, and he fled to the castle, which was considered by many, the high sons of liberty, as an abdication of the government. In 1749, an act was passed calling in the bills of credit, and exchanging them for silver, and the province was enabled to do it, by the reimbursement for the Louisburg expedition. In 1754, the governour refusing his assent to the execise bill, became very popular. It is to be reckoned among the strange events of our political assembly, that the excise bill, so unfriendly to the liberties of the people, was supported in the house by men who had been whigs hitherto. And that it met its death blow by those who have ever been styled the tory administration. Hutchinson opposed it. Shirley negatived it. From this period the governour left the management of civil affairs, for which he was very capable, for the military department which he knew very little about. Upon the conquest of Louisburgh, he was appointed to be the col, of a regiment 'on'the British establishment to be raised in America. Afterwards he had a higher military command, and went to dispossess the French of Niagara' in which he was unsuccessful. When gov. Shirley was in Europe, with a commis. sion, to 'settle an important business, for which he was supposed to be qualified, as it related to the French claims in America, he there formed a mát. rimonial connexion with a lady of the Catholick re-ligion. This was disgusting to the province, as the people at that time detested the French, and all popish connections. It had such an effect upon his administration, that he felt the weight of the oppo. sition, and soon lost his place. He was superced. ed in his government by Thomas Pownal, esq. without losing the favour of the crown. He afterwards received an appointment as governPour of the Bahama Islands. In 1770 he, return. Led to Boston, and for the short space he lived he resided in his house at Roxbury, which had been kept in the family. It was indeed a spa. cious mansion, well situated, and capable of great improvement around it. This house was made a barrack for our soldiers in 1775, and much injured. He died in April, 1771, a poor man, but was honourably interred. SHUTE SAMUEL, esq. arrived in Boston, 4th of October, 1716, with his commission, as governour of Massachusetts. He had been colonel of a British regiment, and served under the duke of Marlborough. He was of a family eminent among the dissenters. 'A'similarity of religious principles rendered him very agreeable to the inhabitants of the : province, and they felt the more satisfied, as they had some reason to think that a warm episcopali. an, and a man of arbitrary notions, was to be put into the chair. His administration, however, of a few years, was rendered irksome to himself, and not grateful to the people. This was owing to party spirit, or the peculiar increase of it, among the popular leaders by his instructions to have a salary fixed. These instructions he adhered to, and to these the friends of the old charter were violently opposed. There had been parties ever since the new charter. Dudley's adherents had been styled enemies of charter privileges. But in Shute's time there was another cause of division; they who were called the bank party, were in the opposition to government. The prudence rather than the interest of the governour led him to prevent such accumulation of ideal property in the hands of colonists; especially as it was a serious evil to the inhabitants of the colony. Hence so sedate and acceptable a man as Mr. Shute could not please the generality, and his friends were unable to resist the tide that set against him. The discordant sound was heard when he negatived Mr. Cooke who was then considered as the man of the people. controversy, which had been excited, was managed with zeal by the house of representatives; and continued during his whole administration. The council was not so much engaged, and were often on the side of the governour, which displeased the leaders of the other house. The The conduct of Mr. Shute displeased some of the more precise adherents to the garb of religion. He sometimes indulged himself in amusements and parties of pleasure, which these grave censors of human manners supposed incompatible with the dignity of his station, and inconsistent with that godliness which should characterise a christian commonwealth. In 1723, Jan. 1, the governour left Boston and sailed for England, he embarked suddenly, acquainting only his particular friends with his de. sign. : The memorials he exhibited after his arrival caused the proceedings of the house of representatives to be censured by the king and council. Whether he was to be justified or blamed must be learned from the history of those transactions published by those of different opinions. - He had a pensión in England settled upon him for life, where he could indulge his natural love of ease, free from the tumults of a people who were dispos ed to vex him. There he died full of days, having lived to the age of fourscore years. His character was, in and out of the province of Massachusetts, when men were not engaged in the violence of dispute, a man of an open, generous, humane disposition, a friend to liberty, and if not endued with great abilities as a governour, yet just and upright in his private affairs, and with the best intentions of regulating the affairs of his government. SKELTON SAMUEL, pastor of the church in Sa lem, was a minister of Lincolnshire, Great Britain, a pious man, whose abilities and character were res spected by the puritans. He was associated with Mr. Higginson as a minister of the new plantation; for we learn that at a meeting of the Massachusetts company in London, April 8, 1629, Mr. Francis Higginson, Mr. Samuel Skelton, &c. are entertain ed, and engage to labour among the Indians and English. Their names are put into the council, next to Mr. Endicot's, where the style runs, " gov. ernour and council of London's plantation."* The vessels in which they sailed arrived at Naumkeak in the month of June, the 20th of July was set 1 April 10, at a general court of Massachusetts company in London, they elected Mr. Endicot, governour, Mr. Higginson, Skelton, Bright, John and Samuel Brown, Thomas Graves, and Samuel Sharpe to be of the council. The governour and council to choose three others: the planters two more ; of which twelve counsellors the major part may choose a deputy and secretary, that they continue a year, &c. Prince's chronology. treo l |