Letter from Taunton, in Massachusetts

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Last Monday afternoon about five hundred of the inhabitants of this and the adjacent towns assembled on the parade, near the Court House, in order to express the disquietude of their minds on hearing the alarming news, that Daniel Leonard, Esquire, who was lately in an unconstitutional manner appointed one of the Council of this Province, has accepted and was sworn into that office; but the sudden disappearance of that gentleman prevented the friendly cautions intended by his kind and honest, though incensed neighbours; there was not the least disorder or appearance of violence in any of the Assembly; but after a modest declaration of their sentiments relating to some late Ministerial manoeuvres, and having received some pacificatory promises from certain friends of the said Counsellor, they all withdrew.

The following evening, certain sons of Belial were so daring as to fire several balls into one of Mr˙ Leonard' s chamber windows, where it was supposed Captain Williams, the Deputy Sheriff lodged; whether this was done on account of some old grudge against him, or on account of his appearing to side with the tory party, or whether, (which is most probable) some of that party were the perpetrators of a black crime, in order to bring down the vengeance of Government upon the whigs, is not yet known. However, it is natural to observe here, that the authors and fautors of the late violent Governmental measures, may, from such popular measures, calculate (if they have any knowledge of omens) their own hidden fate, and that of all their cabal; while the hands of the populace are daily strengthening, having their souls duly touched with a sense of the wrongs already offered them, as well as of those threatened.