Most of the towns in the _Massachusetts_ having been applied to, signified “their determination to march with their whole force to the support of the British constitution, and consequently the relief of those that shall or may be in danger from the stamp act, or its abettors.” It is not to be supposed, that the disorderly proceedings above related, were chargeable solely on the dregs of the colonies.—The sons of liberty at New-York, who held regular meetings, were said to be directed by much greater persons than any that appeared among them. The mobs consisted not of mere rabble; but were composed much of independent freemen and freeholders, so that some of the first people in the provinces were intimidated, and left the cause of the parliament without proper support. Merchants, assemblymen, magistrates, &c. united directly or indirectly in the riots, and without their influence and instigation the lower class of inhabitants would have been quiet; but great pains were taken to rouse them into action. At _Boston_ such was the protection and countenance given to the rioters, that some of the principal ringleaders walked the streets with impunity, no officer daring to attack them, no attorney-general to prosecute them, no witness to appear against them, and no judge to sit upon them. But when the enormities are said to have originated from the Presbyterians and Congregationalists, the charge must be imputed to malevolence, or to gross ignorance, or a mixture of both. The gentlemen on the side of government who were upon the spot, in their letters written at the time, placed them to the account of the _Virginia_ resolves. Mr. _Hutchinson_ tells his correspondent, “Nothing extravagant appeared in the papers till an account was received of the _Virginia_ resolves.” Mr. _Hughes_ writes, “the fire began in Virginia:”—governor _Bernard_, “the publishing the _Virginia_ resolutions proved an alarm bell to the disaffected:” another, in his letter to Mr. Secretary _Conway_ from _New-York_, “the resolves of the assembly of _Virginia_ gave the signal for a general outcry over the continent.” The _Virginians_ are episcopalians and if there is either blame or merit in exciting that fixed and spirited opposition to the stamp act which followed upon their resolves, let them be credited for the same; to them belongs the honor or disgrace; and solely to particular colonies the disgrace of the several enormites committed in them. The bulk of the people at _Boston_ are congregationalists; at _New-York_, the presbyterians, including the Dutch and foreign societies, may possibly be fully equal to, or even exceed the episcopalians. At _Newport_ all denominations are equally encouraged, and enjoy no ascendency over each other, and therefore might be equally concerned, the peaceable quakers excepted. At _New-York_ the most violent actors were episcopalians; at _Boston_ congregationalists; though here they were joined by a number of episcopalians, and there by