remain being mostly sailors and other persons meanly dress,
call'd out to the arm'd soldiers and dared them to fire, upon
which the deponent heard Capt. Preston say to the soldiers,
Damn your bloods ! why don't you fire ? The soldiers not re-
garding those words of their captain, he immediately said
FIRE. Upon which they fired irregularly, pointing their guns
variously in a part of a circle as they stood : during the time
of the soldiers firing, the deponent saw the flashes of two guns
fired from the custom-house, one of which was out of a win-
dow of the chamber westward of the balcony, and the other
from the balcony, the gun which he clearly discerned being pointed
thro' the ballisters, and the person who held the gun in a stooping
posture, withdraw himself into the house, having a handkerchief
or some kind of cloth over his face. After this the deponent
assisted in carrying off the dead and wounded, as soon as the
soldiers would permit the people so to do, for at first they
were cruel enough to obstruct the carrying them off.
    SAMUEL DROWNE.

Suffolk, ss. Boston, March 16, 1770. The above-named
Samuel Drowne personally appearing, and being care-
fully examin'd and duly cautioned to testify the whole
truth, maketh solemn oath to the fore-written depo-
sition by him subscrib'd, taken to perpetuate the re-
membrance of the thing.
Before, RI: DANA, Just. of Peace & of the Quorum.
And, JOHN HILL, Jus. Peace.

(No. 69.)
I Robert Patterson, of lawful age, testify and say, that on
Monday night the 5th current, being at Capt. McNeill's
at the North End, heard the bells ring and fire cry'd. I im-
mediately ran till I got into royal-exchange lane, it being a-
bout a quarter after 9 o'clock. I saw a number of people in
the lane. I asked what was the matter; they told me that
the soldiers were going to kill all the inhabitants. I immedi-
ately went thro' the lane, and stood in the middle of King-
street about 10 or 11 minutes (the centinel then standing lean-
ing against his box), when I saw an officer with 7 or 8 soldiers
coming from the main-guard, clearing the way with their guns
and bayonets, go below the centinel box, and turn up & place
themselves around it, facing the people standing opposite royal
exchange lane ; when I saw a man with a light coloured sur-
tout at the custom-house door, the door being wide open, there
standing with his shoulder against the side -- then I heard the
officer order the soldiers to load; which they did: After that I
heard the people say, damn you, why don't you fire. In a-