Carr
and other officers went into the ropewalk, giving out that they were
searching for a sergeant of their regiment; but though on these days
there was much irritation, the town was comparatively quiet.

On Monday, the Lieutenant-Governor laid the complaint of
Lieutenant-Colonel Carr before the Council, and asked the advice of this
body, which gave rise to debate about the removal of the
troops,--members freely expressing the opinion, that the way to prevent
collisions between the military and the people was to withdraw the two
regiments to the Castle. No important action was taken by the Council,
although the apprehension was expressed that the ropewalk affair might
grow into a general quarrel. And it is worthy of remark, that, ominous
as the signs were, the Lieutenant-Governor took no precautionary
measures, not even the obvious step of having the troops restrained to
their barracks. His letters, and, indeed, his whole course, up to the
eventful evening of this day, indicate confidence in the opinion that
there was no intention on the part of the popular leaders to molest the
troops, and that the troops, without an order from the civil authority,
would not fire on the citizens.

Nor was there now, as zealous Loyalists alleged, any plan formed by the
popular leaders, or by any persons of consideration, to expel the troops
by force from the town, much less the obnoxious Commissioners of the
Customs; nor is there any evidence to support the allegation on the
other side, that the crown officials, civil or military, meditated or
stimulated an attack on the inhabitants. The Patriots regarded what had
occurred and what was threatened, like much that had taken place during
the last seventeen months, as the motions of a rod of power needlessly
held over the people to overawe them, serving no earthly good, but
souring their minds and embittering their passions; the crown officials
represented this chafing of the free spirit at the incidents of military
rule as a sign of the lost authority of Government and of a desire for
independence. Among the fiery spirits, accurately on both sides the
mob-element, the ropewalk affair was regarded as a drawn game, and a
renewal of the fight was desired on the ground that honor was at stake;
while to spirit up the roughs among the Whigs, to use Dr. Gordon's
words,--"the newspapers had a pompous account of a victory obtained by
the inhabitants of New York over the soldiers there in an affra