the wisest man in England. When the news came of the ill-feeling in America, the Rockingham ministry advised that the Stamp Act should be repealed. As soon as the English Parliament left off taxing the Americans, the Americans again became quiet and loyal. 3. The Tea Duties.--The king did not like Rockingham any better than he had liked Grenville, and turned him out. He made Pitt Prime Minister, and created him Earl of Chatham. Chatham's ministry might have been a splendid one if he had remained in health, but he soon became so ill that he was unable to attend to business. The other ministers did as they pleased, and were foolish enough to try to tax America again. This time they persuaded Parliament to place duties on tea and other articles going into America. Parliament did not need much persuasion. Most English people thought that the Americans ought to pay more taxes than they did, and were glad to make them pay whether they liked it The Americans again grew angry. But this time there was no Rockingham ministry to be wise enough to take away the duties. or not. 4. Wilkes and the Middlesex Election.-The fact was that the House of Commons only thought of making people do as it pleased, just as Charles I. had only thought of making people do as he pleased. Just then the Middlesex electors chose a man named Wilkes as their member of Parliament. His character was not good, and some years before he had made the king very angry by finding fault with the king's speech at the opening of Parliament. As soon as hẹ was elected the House of Commons expelled him. The Middlesex electors chose him a second time, and the House of Commons expelled him again. The Middlesex electors chose him a third time, and then the House of Commons declared that another candidate, who had received very few votes, was properly chosen, and allowed him to sit in the House instead of Wilkes. Soon after this Chatham got well again. He declared in the House of Lords that the House of Commons had no right to do what it had done, and he also declared that an English Parliament had no right to tax America. 5. Throwing of Tea into Boston Harbour. -- The king would not listen to Chatham's good advice. He made Lord North Prime Minister, Lord North was one of those men who were now called Tories. They were different in many ways from the Tories of the reign of Anne. They thought that the king and not the great Whig noblemen ought to choose the ministers. Lord North was a sensible man, but he allowed himself to be persuaded to do whatever the king told him to do. He was very fat, and used to go to sleep in the House of Commons when the members were abusing him in their speeches. When he was awake he was fond of making jokes, and he never lost his temper. Some time afterwards a large quantity of tea was sent to Boston. The inhabitants determined that it should not be landed, because they were afraid lest if it were allowed to come on shore some people might be tempted to buy it, and so to pay the duty to the British Government. They asked the governor to allow the ship which brought the tea to go back to England. As soon as it was known that he had refused, about forty or fifty men disguised as Red Indians rushed down to the quay. They leapt on board the ship, split open the tea-chests, and emptied their contents into the harbour. When the news of what had been done reached England, the king and the ministers were extremely angry. They got Parliament to pass a law forbidding any ships to take in cargo, or to unload cargo at Boston, and another law providing that the colony of Massachusetts, in which Boston was, should be governed by persons appointed by the king. Chatham and Burke did all they could to stop the making of these laws, but it was all in vain. Soldiers were sent out to force the colonists to obey the orders of the British Parlia ment. 6. The Beginning of the American War.-The Americans prepared to resist. They elected a Congress, in which persons chosen by the different colonies might meet to decide what was to be done. In 1775 fighting began. A British force marching to seize some arms was attacked, and many of the soldiers were killed. The first serious fighting was on a hill near Boston called Breed's Hill, though the battle is usually known as that of Bunker's Hill, which is a height in the same range. The British troops attempted twice to ascend the hill. Twice they were driven back with great slaughter. The |