Robert Treat Paine Papers, Volume 3
Soon after thy departure from this City, I1 called on, and sent to that Man whoe attempted gitting thy Purs out of the Vault, and endeavoured to prevail with him to make a further Tryal, which on the whole he absolutly refus’d, and declair’d he would have nothing more to do with it, and pretends he was not well treated in the first attempt. I told him his now refusing to do any thing more at it might create a suspicion that he had allready got it, at which he was very outragious and went directly of, and have not seene him since. I made Inquiry for some other suteable person for that purpose, but could find nothing incouraging, and therefore thought best to wate thy coming here in may next, when thou will have an opportunity of Judging whether it is worth another tryal or not. To me it seems very doubtfull. The tale measurs at Portsmouth, Newport, & New London in carrying of the Guns, Powder &c. from the Forts,2 has much Alarmed the people this way, and gives grate tryumph to the Toreys, whoe try all in their power to split and divide the people by representing the above conduct as bordering on Rebellion, and would most likley produce a civil War, & such stupid stuff (I think I may call it). Be that as it may, it has most certainly allarmed, many of those whoe are real Friend to Liberty and Zealous in the Cause, whoe are realy fearfull of some steps being Taken in New England that will tend to a Division of the Colonies. And so sure as any Plan is adopted by one or more Colonies, that may be Protested against by another, it will most certainly work our Ruin, and we shall then fall a Pray to Ministerial Tyranny, which God forbid. It has been very Industeriously Probagated here lately by the disaffected, that your Provincial Congress was disolved on accot. of an attempt being made to raise 20,000 Men Immediately and attack the King’s Troops. The report is, that S. Adams Esqr. made the motion & urged it strongly which was 32opposed by T. Cushing Esqr. as strongly, aleging, the southern colonies would not approve of it, nor stand by you, that S. Adams reply’d, he well knew you would have the suport and assistance of all the Colonies, on which T. Cushing gave him the lie, with saying that is a lie Mr. Adams, & I know it, & you know it, & you know, that I know it, which ocasioned much altercation and Debate, & was the ocasion of your Desolution. This report if False (which I have no Doubt of ) would give me much pleasure to contredict, therefore I beg the favour of thee to write me a Just and candid state of this matter, by the first Post, so as to Inable me to contridict it in the most planest Terms, which I shall Take much pleasure in doing, or any thing else that will promote the General Cause.3 And am with much esteeme & Real regard thy truly sincear & Assur’d Frd.
Stephen Collins (1733–1794), originally from Lynn, Mass., was a prominent Quaker leader and merchant in Philadelphia (Katherine A. Kellock, “Stephen Collins, Philadelphia Merchant,” Business Archives 36[1972]:6–13). RTP notes in his diary that he visited Collins on his second full day in Philadelphia (Aug. 31, 1774) and occasionally dined at the Collins home thereafter.
In reaction to a letter from the Earl of Dartmouth concerning military stores, colonists raided and removed arms from Fort William and Mary in Portsmouth, N.H., Fort George in Newport, R.I., and in the town of New London, Conn. (see Paul Wilderson, “The Raids on Fort William and Mary: Some New Evidence,” Historical New Hampshire 30[1975]:178–202, 32[1977]:228–236; Samuel Greene Arnold, History of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations [New York, 1859–1860], 2:343).
This report was indeed false, as noted below (RTP to Stephen Collins, Feb. 25), but indicates the increasingly apparent rift among the Massachusetts delegates.
Ordered, That Hon. John Hancock, Esq., Major Hawley, Hon. Mr. Cushing, [of Boston,]
Mr. Adams, Col. Warren, Mr. Paine, Mr. Pitts, Doct. Holten, Col. Heath, Col. Gerrish, Mr. Cushing of Scituate, Hon. Col. Ward, and Col. Gardner,2 be a committee to take into consideration the state and circumstances of the province.
Ordered, That Col. Tyng, Mr. Adams, Doct. Warren, Major Hawley, Col. Ward, Hon. Mr. Hancock, and Mr. Paine, be a committee3 to report a resolve, purporting the determination of this people, coolly and resolutely, to support their rights and privileges, at all hazards.
Ordered, That Mr. Adams, Major Hawley, Mr. Gerry, Hon. Mr. Cushing, Mr. Paine, Col. Palmer, and Mr. Freeman,4 be a committee to bring in a resolve holding up to the people of this province, the imminent danger they are in, from the present disposition of the British ministry and parliament, and that there is reason to fear that they will attempt our sudden destruction: and the importance it is to the inhabitants of this colony to prepare themselves for the last event. . . .5
Ordered, That Mr. Adams, Mr. Gerry, Hon. Mr. Cushing, Mr. Paine, Hon. Col. Ward, Col. Prescot,6 and Major Holten, be a committee to wait on the Hon. Col. Williams, and [Nathaniel]
Wales, Esq., and inform them that the Congress had had notice of their being in town as a committee from Connecticut, in order to have a conference with us; and that we are ready to confer with them by a committee, at such time and place as shall be most agreeable to them.
Ordered, That no member of this Congress depart therefrom until the conference with the committee from Connecticut is over.
The committee appointed to wait upon the gentlemen from Connecticut, reported, that they had attended that service, and delivered the message with which they were charged; and that the gentlemen propose this evening to meet the committee from this Congress at such place as you shall appoint.
Ordered, That the committee on the state of the province be the committee from this Congress, to meet the gentlemen from Connecticut, this evening, at Capt. Stedman’s, for the proposed conference.
Journals of Each Provincial Congress
, 84, 97–98, 101, 105.
The Second Provincial Congress of Massachusetts met at Cambridge, from Feb. 1 to Feb. 16; at Concord from Mar. 22 to Apr. 15 and again on Apr. 22; and at Watertown from Apr. 22 to May 29 (
Journals of Each Provincial Congress
, 75).
RTP’s fellow members on this standing committee were John Hancock of Boston (1737–1793); Joseph Hawley of Northampton (1723–1788); Thomas Cushing of Boston 34(1725–1788); Samuel Adams of Boston (1722–1803); James Warren of Plymouth (1726–1808); John Pitts of Boston (1737–1815); Samuel Holten of Danvers (1738–1816); William Heath of Roxbury (1737–1814); Joseph Gerrish of Newbury (1708–1776); Nathan Cushing of Scituate (1742–1812); Artemas Ward of Shrewsbury (1727–1800); and Thomas Gardner of Cambridge (1724–1775) (Schutz, Legislators of the Mass. General Court).
The others members of this committee were John Tyng of Dunstable (1705–1797); Samuel Adams of Boston (1722–1803); Joseph Warren of Roxbury (1741–1775); Joseph Hawley of Northampton (1723–1788); Artemas Ward of Shrewsbury (1727–1800); and John Hancock of Boston (1737–1793) (Schutz, Legislators of the Mass. General Court).
Benjamin Freeman (1718–1786) represented Harwich (Schutz, Legislators of the Mass. General Court, 224).
The committee reported back the same afternoon that there was “real cause to fear” that approaches to Great Britain “for ‘peace, liberty, and safety,’ will not meet with a favorable reception.” To counteract the implied threat of British troops, the committee called upon the “great law of self-preservation” and encouraged the development of militias and the manufacture of firearms. The entire report appeared in
Journals of Each Provincial Congress
, 103, and in the newspapers.
James Prescott (c. 1721–1800) represented Groton (Schutz, Legislators of the Mass. General Court, 317).