The chief office of the new customs organization was fixed at Boston. 新的海关总署设置在波士顿，

　　Soon John Hancock's sloop, Liberty , sailed into the harbor with a cargo of Madeira wine. 不久，约翰·汉考克的小帆船" 自由号"载着一船马德拉酒驶入波士顿港口，

　　As Hancock had no idea of paying the duty, the customs officers seized the sloop and towed her under the guns of a warship which was in the harbor. 由于汉考克没有想过交税，海关的官员查封了这艘船， 并将它拖挂在港口中的一艘军舰的炮口之下。

　　Crowds of people now collected. 一时间大批的人聚集过来。

　　They could not recapture the Liberty. 尽管不可能收回"自由号"，

　　They seized one of the war-ship's boats, carried it to the Common, and had a famous bonfire. 但他们夺取了军舰的一艘小船，将它带到公海一把火烧掉。

　　All this confusion frightened the chief customs officers. 这场混乱令海关的主要官员们恐惧，

　　They fled to the castle in the harbor and wrote to the government for soldiers to protect them. 他们逃到港口中的城堡并向英国政府写信要求派兵来保护他们 。

　　117. The Virginia Resolves of 1769. 117．《弗吉尼亚决议》（1769年）

　　Parliament now asked the king to have colonists, accused of certain crimes, brought to England for trial. 此时， 议会要求国王将那些被控告为有某些罪行的殖民地居民带到英格兰接受审讯，

　　This aroused the Virginians. 这件事唤醒了弗吉尼亚人，

　　They passed a set of resolutions, known as the Virginia Resolves of 1769. 他们通过一套方案 ，这就是著名的1769年《弗吉尼亚决议》，

　　These resolves asserted: (1) that the colonists only had the right to tax the colonists; 这些决议包括：（1）只有殖民地居民才有向殖民地居民征税的权力；

　　(2) that the colonists had the right to petition either by themselves or with the people of other colonies; （2） 殖民地居民有权亲自或者与其他殖民地的人一起提出申诉；

　　and (3) that no colonist ought to be sent to England for trial. （3）不应该将任何殖民地居民送到英格兰接受审讯。

　　118. Non-Importation Agreements, 1769. 118．《抵制进口协议》（1769年）

　　When he learned what was going on, the governor of Virginia dissolved the assembly. 弗吉尼亚总督得知事态发展情况后就解散了殖民地议会，

　　But the members met in the Raleigh tavern near by. 但是，这些议会的成员在附近的罗利酒馆再次聚集在一起。

　　There George Washington laid before them a written agreement to use no British goods upon which duties had been paid. 乔治·华盛顿给他们拿出一份书面协议， 这份协议约定不使用任何付了税的不列颠货物，

　　They all signed this agreement. 他们都在这份协议上签字，

　　Soon the other colonies joined Virginia in the Non-Importation Agreement. 很快其他殖民地也加入到弗吉尼亚这个抵制进口的协议。

　　English merchants found their trade growing smaller and smaller. 英国商人发现他们的贸易份额越来越小。

　　They could not even collect their debts, for the colonial merchants said that trade in the colonies was so upset by the Townshend Acts that they could not sell their goods, or collect the money owing to them. 由于殖民地的商人认为《汤森法案》太繁乱，他们不可能将货物卖出去，也不能将欠他们的钱回收来，他们甚至不能收回他们放出的债。

　　The British merchants petitioned Parliament to repeal the duties, and Parliament answered them by repealing all the duties except the tax on tea. 英国商人请求议会取消海关税，但是，议会以取消茶税之外的所有海关税作为答复。