400 | To John Pownall

    Boston, Octr1, 1765.

    Dear Sir,

    I have sent a letter to you dated yesterday by the Ship John Galley, Blake Master, who sailed for London yesterday about Noon.1 With it were inclosed Copies of my Speech to the Assembly, a Boston Gazette, & a letter to Mr Jackson. At the same time I sent a letter to the Secretary of State with inclosures: a duplicate of this letter addressed to their Lordships with the same inclosures goes by a Ship that is to sail to day. I send with this another Gazette, by which you will see how angry the faction is for my having prevented the Assembly in their present heat making declarations & resolves, which perhaps a month hence they would be sorry for & ashamed of. I was well satisfied with my adjourning the general Court before; but did not expect that the propriety & timelyness of it would be so fully evidenced as they are by the avowals in this Paper. It is not easy to conceive the folly & Madness of the politicians of this Town. It is apparent from their proceedings that there is among them an Intention & an Expectation of improving the present ill humor of the people into an actual breach with Great Britain; or at least of gaining such a triumph over Great Britain by obliging her to repeal this Law under an actual resistance of it, as to make her Authority contemptible hereafter. I must again beg of you, that, if Troops are to be sent to this Town, you will procure me an order to remove out of it. I am, &c.

    J Pownall Esqr.

    AL, LbC BP, 5: 8-9.