But, notwithstanding all these, the great body of the inhabitants of the County was entirely undisturbed ; the labors <;f the day had been done, as they had previou.sly been done, on the hundreds of homesteads, throughout the County ; political questions in which they felt no interest had not slackened the domestic or the out-door industries nor lessened the holiday or evening pleasures of by far the greater number ; and, with here and there a clearly perceptible change, the staid old agricultural County was undisturbed, in all its various relations. The Colonial officers continued to discharge their various duties, as their predecessors had done -- John Thomas, who had occupied the Bench of the Court of Common Pleas, since May, 1755, continued to discharge the duties of that office, as well as those of the other office of Representative of the County, in the General Assembly, without

Ciinmiittecs, and the extent to which they carried their new-found authority, although it relates peculiarly to Virginia, is entirely applicable to the methods and tlie extent of authority of similar Conunittees, in every other Colony : ''The AasucUilioiis first, in part, entered into, roconi- " nu iided liy the i)eople of tliis Colony, and adopted by what is called '■ 'the Continental Congres.",' are now enforcing, throughout this coun- "try, with the greatest rigour. K C'ununitlce has been chosen in every "County, whose business it is to carry the Aiisttcuitiint tii the Congress " into execution ; which C'oiuniittee assumes an authority to inspect the "books, invoices, and all other secrets of the trade and correspondence " of Merchants; to watch the coniiuct of every Inhabitant, without dis- " tiuction ; and to send for all such as come under their suspicion, into "their presence, to interrogate tluui respecting all matters which, at "their pleasure, they think fit objects of their in(piiry, and to 'stig- " 'niatize,' as they term it, such as they find transgressing what they " are now hardy enough to call ' the Laws of the Congress,' which ' stig- " ' matiziug ' is no other than inviting the vengeance of an outrageous "and lawless mob, to be exorcised upon the uuhajipy victims."-- ( T/ic E'irl Tiiuimiire I" till- Emi nf D<(ilimiiilli, "Vi'u.i.ixmskvkg," IVinjiiiui,] " December 24, 1774," laid before the House of Commons, February 1.., 1775.-- Almon's Piit Hiniienkn ii lleijMei; House of C'onunons, First Session, Fourteenth Parliament, i., 185, It-C.)