Boston and New-York entered into the non-importation agreement so early as August the preceding year; before the present was out they began to be embarrassed, and numbers grew weary of their engagement. Advantage was taken of these circumstances. The British officers, either of their own thought, or through hints from home, offered merchants the liberty of having their goods directed to them, as though intended for the army; and many were got in under that cover, especially at New-York. Several persons imported into Boston and sold freely, without its being particularly noticed, while a few only were called to an account and exposed in the newspapers. This occasioned an alarm; and the people assembled at Faneuil-hall [Jan. 23, 1770.] in consequence of a notification, upon the business of preventing the non-importation agreement’s being rendered abortive. Mr. _Theophilus Lillie_, observing the gross partiality which prevailed in suffering some to sell, while a few others were proscribed; determined upon selling his goods also. To point him out as inimical to the agreement, and a person whose shop was to be shunned, a piece of pageantry was placed before the door. Mr. _Richardson_, attempting to remove it, was driven into his house by a number of boys, and there attacked by stones through the windows. Provoked, rather than endangered by the assault, he fired and killed _Christopher Snider_ [Feb. 22.] a lad of eleven years old, who was recorded in the public prints as the first martyr to the noble cause of liberty. The boy was buried with the greatest respect imaginable, according to the custom of the country; and such was the number of people following the corpse, that the foot procession extended a full quarter of a mile. The event tended rather to promote than injure the non-importation agreement. Boys, small and great, and undoubtedly men, had been and were encouraged, and well paid by certain leaders, to insult and intimidate those who had avowedly counteracted the combination, and still persevered. The lieutenant governor in April, attempted prevailing upon a merchant of the first estate and character, to promote an association in opposition to the non-importation agreement, but to no purpose; and received for answer, “Until parliament makes provision for the punishment of the confederacies, all will be ineffectual, and the associates will be exposed to popular rage.” Another meeting was called to determine whether the goods already arrived and those expected, should be sent back to Britain. A gentleman having received a letter from a member of parliament, in which it was said, that shipping back £.10,000 of goods will do more than storing £.100,000 and the same being communicated, the scale, when upon a balance, was turned, and all the importers belonging to the town submitted to send their goods back; and in May many were re-shipped on board captain Scott. The leaders gave out that it was done