Various causes might contribute toward the outrageous attack upon the house and property of Mr. Hutchinson. As long back as 1748, the currency having depreciated to about an eighth of its original value, he, being then speaker of the house, projected and carried through a bill for abolishing it, and substituting gold and silver in its place, which made him extremely obnoxious to several who had lived by fraud, and were much dissatisfied with the alteration. They then threatened him with destruction; and retaining their rancour, are supposed to have been aiders and abettors, if not actors in the riot. A certain gentleman of great integrity, and who fills a place in the judicial department with much credit, and to the satisfaction of the public, has expressed a strong apprehension that the mob was led on to the house by a secret influence, with a view to the destruction of certain papers, know to be there, and which, it is thought, would have proved, that the grant to the New-Plymouth compay on Kennebec river, was different from what was contended for by some claimants. The papers were never found afterward.—But Mr. _Hutchinson_ had certainly disgusted the people exceedingly, by promoting the superior court’s granting writs of assistance; and by showing himself so strenuous in supporting government, when become odious, by the measures adopted for obliging the colonies to pay taxes in compliance with British acts of parliament.—He was also strongly suspected of having forwarded the stamp act, by letters written upon the occasion. These circumstances, co-operating with the general disposition in the people to tumult, produced by a prevailing persuasion, that they were deprived of the liberties of Englishmen, will account for the excessive outrages against him in particular. But their enormity was alarming. No one knew who might be the next sacrafice. The town of Boston, therefore, beside condemning them the next day, unanimously voted, “That the select men and magistrates be desired to use their utmost endeavours to suppress the like disorders for the future:” and for some time, the magistrates and private gentlemen, the cadet and other companies, kept watch at night to prevent further violences. In justice to Mr. _Hutchinson_, it must be observed, that from his letters to Messrs. _Bollan_, _Jackson_, and others, it appears, that he then considered parliament’s taxing the colonies as inconsistent with the rights of the colonists, and as a mere act of power, without regard to equity. He was at the trouble of writing a pamphlet in 1764, cantaining _A brief state of the claim of the colonies, and the interests of the nation with respect to them_. This, when he had disguised it so as that it might not be suspected to come from America, he sent to Mr. Jackson the agent, who was either to suppress or publish it; and he afterward expressed a surprise at his not having done the latter. The following are extracts from it.