proved that, while Franklin was in England,
he had left men behind in his Province well
able to take care of the public welfare. Boston
town-meeting, in the spring, appointed Samuel
Adams, John Hancock, and Joseph Warren to
express to Dickinson its thanks. Meantime
though, as has been seen, the author of the
papers of January had little hope that they
would meet with a kind reception, the people
were more sanguine, and looked for a good re-
sult. Hillsborough, however, never presented
the letter to the king. The government found
nothing but unreasonable contumacy in the
"True Sentiments of America." The "Circu-
lar Letter" was regarded as distinctly seditious,
and Bernard was required to demand of the leg-
islature that it should be rescinded, under threat
of constant prorogation until it should be done.
To give emphasis to the government threat,
General Gage, commander of the forces in
America, with headquarters in New York, was
ominously directed "to maintain the public
tranquillity."

A naval force also was dispatched to Boston,
of which the first vessel to arrive was the fifty-
gun ship Romney, which signalized its ap-
proach from Halifax in May by impressing
New England seamen from vessels met off the
coast. Great ill-will existed between the peo-

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