woollens, &c., not exceeding a certain price. It is amazing how much this practice, if adopted in all the colonies, would lessen the American imports, and distress the various trades and manufactures in Great Britain.

"This would waken their attention. They would see, they would feel, the oppressions we groan under, and exert themselves to procure us redress. This once obtained, we should no longer discontinue our importations, confining ourselves still not to import any article that should hereafter be taxed by Act of Parliament for raising a revenue in America; for, however singular I may be in my opinion, I am thoroughly convinced that justice and harmony happily restored, it is not the interest of these colonies to refuse British manufactures. Our supplying our mother country with gross materials and taking her manufactures in return, is the true chain of connexion between us. These are the bands, which, if not broken by oppression, must long hold us together, by maintaining a constant reciprocation of interest. Proper caution should, therefore, be used in drawing up the proposed plan of association. It may not be amiss to let the ministry understand that, until we obtain a redress of grievances, we will withhold from them our commodities, and particularly refrain from making tobacco, by which the revenue would lose fifty times more than all their oppressions could raise here.

"Had the hint which I have given with regard to taxation of goods imported into America, been thought of by our merchants before the repeal of the Stamp Act, the late American revenue acts would probably never have been attempted."1

Colonel Mason reminds Washington, in a postscript, that "next Friday is appointed for the meeting of the vestry."

There were interviews between the two friends, as has been elsewhere noted, after this letter was written, and they saw each other doubtless at the vestry-meeting and talked over the politics of the hour. Another letter, a brief one, of Colonel Mason's, on the subject of their conferences, has been preserved :

'Ibid.; also Washington MSS., State Department.

RESOLUTIONS DRAFTED BY MASON.

143

DEAR SIR:

GUNSTON HALL, 23 April, 1769.

Upon looking over the Association, of which I sent you a copy, I have made some few alterations in it, as per memorandum on the other side.

I beg your care of the enclosed letters; and heartily wishing you (what I fear you will not have) an agreeable session, I am, Dear Sir,

Your most obedient servant,

G. MASON.

P. S.-I shall take it as a particular favor if you 'll be kind enough to get me two pairs of gold snaps made at Williamsburg, for my little girls. They are small rings with a joint in them, to wear in the ears instead of ear-rings; also a pair of toupeetongs.'

The fashions were not to be neglected at "Gunston Hall" any more than at gay little Williamsburg, and the young daughters of Colonel Mason must, if possible, have their "gold snaps" for the ears and the tongs with which to curl the toupee, the little tuft of hair that was worn on the forehead. But jewelry and other vanities were soon to be on the proscribed list with Virginia patriots, and the ladies. were not behindhand after all in their support of the lawmakers. The gazettes of the period contain occasional letters from them in Virginia, as in the other colonies, declaring their determination to abstain from luxuries, and especially to banish "India tea" from their tables. The draft of the Non-Importation Resolutions adopted at Williamsburg corresponds exactly with the one written by George Mason, except that two short articles were added and one of Mason's omitted.' This last was a resolution advocating non-exportation of certain enumerated articles. Two letters of interest, written by George Mason in 1770, have been preserved. One of them is unsigned, as part of it has been lost, and the other is without an address, though we 1 Washington MSS., State Department.

'Burk's "History of Virginia,” vol. iii., p. 345. Appendix iv.

learn from the context that it was written to a young relative in England. The former letter was written to Richard Henry Lee, and has reference chiefly to the Non-Importation Association.

DEAR SIR:

X GUNSTON HALL, June 7, 1770.

Your favor of the 26th May did not come to hand till the 5th instant, or I should have answered it sooner. I now enclose you the abstract of [paper torn] of Act of Parliament in the 4th year of his present Majesty's reign, with some remarks thereon, to which I beg leave to refer you, and think you will find them worthy of consideration, as the said Act of Parliament has never been totally repealed.

I am glad to hear that the members below intend to establish some farther regulations to render the Association effectual, and I know of none that will answer the end proposed, but preventing by all legal and peaceable means in our power (for we must avoid even the appearance of violence) the importation of the enumerated goods; experience having too fully proved that when the goods are here many of our people will purchase, even some who effect to be called gentlemen. For this purpose the sense of shame and the fear of reproach must be inculcated and enforced in the strongest manner, and if that can be done properly it has a much greater influence upon the actions of mankind than is generally imagined. Nature has impressed this useful principle upon every breast; it is a just observation that if shame was banished out of the world, she would carry away with her what little virtue is left in it.

The names of such persons as purchase or import goods contrary to the Association should be published, and themselves stigmatized as enemies to their country. We should resolve not to associate or keep company with them in public places, and they should be loaded with every mark of infamy and reproach. The interest, too, of the importer may be made subservient to our purpose, for if the principal people renounce all connection and commerce forever with such merchants, their agents and factors, who shall import goods contrary to the tenor of the Association, they will hardly venture to supply their worst customers with such articles at the hazard of losing their best. But I don't see

LETTER TO RICHARD henry LEE.

145

how these regulations can be affected by any other means than appointing committees in the counties to examine from time to time into the imports and to convey an account of any violation of the Association to the Moderator, to be by him published, or by a committee appointed for that purpose in Williamsburg, or in such other manner as shall be judged best, for without such committees in the country, I am convinced we shall once more fail of carrying the plan into execution. As it is of great consequence to have these committees composed of the most respectable men [paper illegible]; it will be best that one committee be appointed for two or more counties, as the circumstances of particular parts of the country may require, and such of the merchants as are members of the Association ought by all means to be of these committees. It is true in Maryland there is a committee in every county, but their counties are generally larger than two of ours. The committees, whenever there is an importation of goods within their respective districts, should convene themselves and in a civil manner apply to the merchants or importers concerned, and desire to see the invoyces and papers respecting such importation, and if they find any goods therein contrary to the Association, let the importers know that it is the opinion and request of the country that such goods shall not be opened or stored, but reshipped to the places from whence they came, and in case of refusal, without any manner of violence, inform them of the consequences, and proceed to publish an account of their conduct. I am persuaded there are few importers who would persist in refusing to comply with such a request, and proper resolution in the Association, with one or two public examples, would quickly put an end to it. The objection that this would be infringing the right of others while we are contending for liberty ourselves is ill founded. Every member of society is in duty bound to contribute to the safety and good of the whole; and when the subject is of such importance as the liberty and happiness of a country, every inferior consideration, as well as the inconvenience to a few individuals, must give place to it; nor is this any hardship upon them, as themselves and their posterity are to partake of the benefits resulting from it. Objections of the same kind might be made to the most useful civil institutions.

ΤΟ

It may perhaps be proposed to have such goods as are imported contrary to the Association stored here unopened, instead of re-shipping them. But besides the risk of having such goods privately sold, storing them would by no means answer the same purposes as reshipping them, for if the goods are reshipped they will most of them be returned to the wholesale dealers and shopkeepers, and occasion an immediate stagnation of business between them and the manufacturers; this would be practice, not theory, and beyond anything else convince the people of Great Britain that we are [paper torn] by an appeal to their own senses. I am at a loss to determine, even in my own mind, whether these proposed regulations ought to have retrospect, so as to require the reshipping of goods that were already imported before the 14th of this month. Not that I think there is any injustice in it, because all such persons as have imported goods contrary to the Association, have done it with their eyes open, and at their own peril, with a view to private gain, which deserves no countenance from the public; and those merchants who have conformed themselves to the opinion and interest of the country have some right to expect that [paper torn] of the Association should [paper torn] upon the occasion. The principal objection is the seeming impracticability of such a measure, which would put the committees upon very minute and difficult inquiries; on the other hand, there are some strong reasons for such retrospect. There is great cause to believe that most of the cargoes refused to be received in the other colonies have been sent to this. I will mention some recent instances, particularly a ship a few weeks ago from Baltimore, in Maryland, with a cargo of about £3,000. And a committee which sat a few days ago in Port Tobacco, after examining a merchant's imports there, and finding nothing contrary to Association, at last accidentally stumbled upon an invoyce of eight or nine hundred pounds of anti Association goods; the nest was there, but the birds were flown-no such goods could be found; they had been privately sent to Virginia. Unless these machinations can be counteracted, and their contrivers effectually disappointed, Virginia will become the receptacle of all the goods refused by the other colonies, and from hence they will be sent again privately, in small quantities at a time, to frustrate the Associations of the other parts of the continent; to our everlasting