If the friends of truth will inform the Committee of any reports they may hear, tending to defame the Committee, and by that means to discourage further donations for the benevolent purpose of relieving the sufferers above-mentioned, it will be acknowledged as a particular favor. Sign'd by Order of the Committee, _________________________________________________________________ 1 Signed by Samuel Adams as chairman. The authorship is not determined. TO ARTHUR LEE. [MS., Samuel Adams Papers, Lenox Library.] BOSTON Jan 29 1775 MY DEAR SIR/ Upon my Return from the Continental Congress at Philadelphia I had the Pleasure of receiving your Letter of the . . . I beg you would attribute my not having acknowledgd the favor before this time, to continual Avocations which the Necessity of the Times have required. When the cruel Edict for shutting up this Harbour took place, which was in a very short time after we had any notice that such a Measure was intended, the Inhabitants of the Town met in Faneuil Hall and, as you have long ago heard, resolvd to suffer all the hardships intended by it, rather than submit to its unrighteous as well as ignominious Terms. Supported by the most liberal Donations from their Brethren in all the Colonies, they suffer the Suspension of their Trade & Business with Patience and even laugh at this feeble Effort of their Enemies to force them to make the Concessions of Slaves. The Act for regulating the Government of this Province and the Murder Act as it is commonly called soon followd the Port Act; and General Gage, whether from his own Motives or the Instructions of the Minister, thought proper to assemble all the Kings Troops then on the Continent, in this Town and has declared to the Selectmen & others his Resolution to put the Acts in Execution. The People on the other hand resolve that they will not submit to them and the Continent applauds them herein. The new appointed Councellors and others who have openly avowd the Measures of Administration being conscious that Mr Gage was not mistaken when he publickly declared under his Hand, that the Opposition to these Acts was general through the Province, have fled to this Town for Protection. Thus we appear to be in a state of Hostility. The General with . . . Regiments with a very few Adherents on one side & all the rest of the Inhabitants of the Province backd by all the Colonies on the other! The People are universally disposd to wait till they can hear what Effect the Applications of the Continental Congress will have, in hopes that the new Parliament will reverse the Laws & measures of the old, abolish that System of Tyranny which was pland in 1763 (perhaps before), confirm the just Rights of the Colonies and restore Harmony to the British Empire. God grant they may not be disappointed! Lest they should be, they have been, & are still exercising themselves in military Discipline and providing the necessary Means of Defence. I am well informd that in every Part