four hundred, and they could spare five thousand. I do further de-
pose, that being at South End that evening, I observed a number of
people armed with different weapons walking the streets. That
from this appearance, together with the information of some of the
inhabitants, the deponent believes a scheme had been concerted to
attack the soldiery. The deponent further says, that since he has
been quartered in town, he has received the most unsufferable abuse
from some of the inhabitants ; and that it was arrived to such a
length of late, that it was not safe for any of the military profession
to be in the street after dark. Further the deponent says not.
ALEXANDER MALL,
Ensign, 29th Regiment.
Suffolk, ss. Boston, March 14, 1770.
Sworn before me, JAMES MURRAY, J.P.

(No. 102.)

I Samuel Leslie, captain in his Majesty's 14th regiment of foot,
do swear, that about half an hour after nine o'clock on Monday
night the 5th of March, 1770, I heard a bell of the old brick house
(almost opposite to which I lodge) ring violently, and almost in-
stantly after the streets were full of people, but particularly the
streets where the main guard was posted; the mob immediately be-
gan to abuse the soldiers in the grossest terms, calling them without
ceasing, "Fire, you rascals, fire; no, you cowardly dogs, you dare not
fire," or words to that purpose; and in short used every kind of abu-
sive and provoking language towards them that could be thought of;
all which the soldiers bore patiently for some time, but at length I
heard the report of four or five muskets go off, upon which I imme-
diately retired to the soldiers barracks, through a tumultuous crowd
of people.
SAMUEL LESLIE.
Suffolk, ss. Boston, March 13, 1770.
Sworn before me, JAMES MURRAY, J.P.

(No. 103.)

CAPT. Edmund Mason, of his Majesty's 14th regiment of foot,
deposeth, that on Monday night the 5th of March, 1770, as he
was in his dwelling house in Court Square, situated about 90 yards
or less from King-street, and but a small distance between the main
yard and custom-house, about twenty minutes after nine o'clock,
heard a great noise and huzzaing in King-street, which from the
sound appeared to me somewhere about the custom-house, and a
very few minutes after another huzza, but many more voices than at
first; suspecting some of the towns-people were attacking the centry
on duty at the custom-house, which the deponent has often seen, was