TEA LEAVES:
BEING   A  COLLECTION    OF LETTERS AND
DOCUMENTS
RELATING TO THE SHIPMENT OF
TEA
TO THE AMERICAN COLONIES IN THE YEAR I773, BY THE
Gaef 3 nbia t   a   JCompany.
NOW FIRST PRINTED FROM THE ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT.
WITH AN INTRODUCTION, NOTES, AND
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE BOSTON TEA PARTY,
BY
FRANCIS S. DRAKE.
BOSTON:
A. 0. CRANE.
1884.




COPYRIGHTED.
Entered according to Act of Congress, at Washington, D C., 1884,
By A. O. CRANE, Boston, Mass.
SMITH & PORTER, PRINTERS, BOSTON.



COPYRIGHTED.
Entered according to Act of Congress, at Washington, D C., 1884,
By A. O. CRANE, Boston, Mass.


SMITH & PORTER, PRINTERS, BOSTON.




PREFATORY NOTE.
The collection of letters and documents which has occasioned the preparation of the present volume, though it has
been so long buried in obscurity, appears to have been originally made with a view to publication.  It was for many
years, and until his decease, in the possession of Mr. Abel
Bowen, a well-known engraver and publisher, of Boston, sixty
years ago, and was obtained by him from a person who procured it in Halifax, N.S., whither many valuable papers, both
public and private, relating to New England, were carried,
when in March, 1776, the British and Tories evacuated
Boston.  It contains interesting information relative to the
tea troubles that preceded the American Revolution, much
of it new to students of that eventful period.
To the kindness of Mrs. Benjamin Phipps and Mrs.
Charles G. Butts, of Chelsea, daughters of Mr. Bowen, the
publisher is indebted for permission to make public this
valuable contribution to American history.




PUBLISHER'S PREFACE.


When contemplating the publication of "Tea Leaves," we issued a circular,
stating our intention, and that, judging from the material then in our possession,
the book would contain about two hundred and fifty pages, with six illustrations,
three of them portraits.
We are happy to announce on the completion of the work, not only fulfillment
of our promises, but much that is additional thereto.  Included in its four
hundred pages are twenty portraits, taken from family paintings, (one-half never
before published,) eight other. illustrations, fifty autographs, one hundred and
twelve names of members of the Tea Party, (fifty-eight more than have been
heretofore publicly known), and ninety-six biographies of the same.
Our circular called for a subscription book.  All our paper-covered copies have
been subscribed for.  The balance of the edition is nicely bound in cloth, with
embellished covers.  Price, (as before), five dollars.
The publisher will welcome all new matter relating to the Tea question, and
will be especially grateful for any hitherto unpublished portraits.  Such material
is desired for possible publication in a companion work to " Tea Leaves."
All who desire the Portraits and Illustrations separate from this volume, to be
used in works on American history, can obtain them from the Publisher.
In conclusion, we thank our friends who have kindly assisted us, and if we
have not given all credit by name, the neglect has been unintentional.
A. O. CRANE,
2169 WASHINGTON ST.,
BOSTON, MASS.




INTRODUCTION.
Among the causes which led to the American Revolution,
the one most prominent in the popular judgment is the "tax
on tea," imposed by Great Britain on her American colonies.
The destruction, in Boston harbor, in December, I773, of the
cargoes of tea sent to that port by the East India Company,
was undoubtedly the proximate cause of that memorable
event, and in view of this fact, the occurrence, -" by far the
most momentous in the annals of the town," says the historian
Bancroft, —merits a more thorough and particular consideration than it has yet received.
The silence necessarily preserved by the actors in this
daring exploit, respecting their connection with it, has rendered this part of the task one of no little difficulty. Their
secret was remarkably well kept; and but for the family
traditions which survive, we should know very little of the
men who composed the famous Boston tea party.
Nevertheless, the attempt to gather up the scattered fragments of personal reminiscence and biography, in order to
give a little more completeness to this interesting chapter
of our revolutionary history, is here made.  The fortunate
recovery, by the publisher of this volume, of the letters of the




VI


INTRODUCTION.


American consignees to the East India Company, and other
papers shedding light upon the transaction, affords material
aid in the accomplishment of our purpose.
When King Charles II. had finished that first cup of tea
ever brewed in England, - the gift of the newly-created
East India Company,-no sibyl was at hand to peer into
the monarch's cup and foretell from its dregs, the dire disaster
to his realm, hidden among those insignificant particles.
Could a vision of those battered tea chests, floating in Boston
harbor, with tu doces, in the legible handwriting of history,
inscribed upon them, have been disclosed to him, even that
careless, pleasure-loving prince would have been sobered by
the lesson.  It was left for his successor, George III., who
failed to read the handwriting on the wall,- visible to all but
the willfully blind,-to realize its meaning in the dismemberment of an empire.
A survey of the progress of the revolution up to the beginning of the year I773, will help us to understand the
political situation. Ten years of constant agitation had educated the people of the colonies to a clear perception of
their rights, and also to a knowledge that it was the fixed
purpose of the home government to deprive them   of the
one they most valued, namely, that of being taxed with their
own consent, through their local assemblies, as had always
been the custom, and not at the arbitrary will of the British
parliament-a body in which they were not and could not be
represented-three thousand miles away. The strange thing
about this is, that the people of Great Britain should not have
seen in the light of their own past history-what they have




INTRODUCTION.


VHt


since seen clearly enough - that the Americans were only
contending for principles for which their own ancestors had
often fought, and which they had more than once succeeded
in wresting from the grasp of arbitrary and tyrannical sovereigns.
Their difficulty seems to have been that they looked upon
the- Americans, not as equals, but as inferiors, as their subjects,
and as having no rights that an Englishman was bound to
respecter Even the celebrated moralist, Dr. Johnson, could
say of the Americans, " They are a race of convicts, and ought
to be thankful for anything we allow them short of hanging."
King George III., that obstinate but well-meaning monarch,
and his ministers, no doubt honestly believed that the republican tendencies of the colonists endangered British
supremacy.  Perhaps they were right in this, for it was the
kind and degree of supremacy that was really in question.
But in entertaining the belief that these tendencies could be
eradicated at a blow, they were, as the event proved, grievously
mistaken.
Another moving cause for the new policy toward the colonies was the heavy taxation at home,-a result of the late war.
Some of this burden they hoped to transfer from their own
shoulders to those of their transatlantic brethren.
The stamp act of I 765, repealed in the year following,
was in I767, succeeded by Charles Townshend's revenue acts,
imposing duties on paper, painters'-colors, glass and tea. The
Americans opposed this measure with the only weapon at
their command-the policy of non-importation. This policy,
while causing much inconvenience to themselves, yet helped
them materially in two ways. In the first place it stimulated




VIII


INTRODUCTION.


home manufactures, and accustomed the people to do without
luxuries, and in the second place by distressing British merchants and manufacturers, it brought the united influence
of these two powerful bodies to bear upon parliament for a
change in its policy.
* The people of the colonies everywhere seconded the nonimportation movement, entering at once upon a course of rigid
self-denial, and their legislatures commended the scheme.
An agreement, presented in the Virginia House of Burgesses,
by Washington, was signed by every member.    For more
than a year, this powerful engine of retaliation waged war
upon British commerce, in a constitutional way, before ministers would listen to petitions and remonstrances; and it was
not until virtual rebellion in the British capital, born of
commercial distress, menaced the ministry, that the expostulations of the Americans were noticed, except with sneers.
Early in the year 1770, the obnoxious act was repealed, except
as regarded tea. This item was retained in order that the
right of parliamentary taxation of the colonies might be
upheld.  The liberal leaders of parliament did their best to
prevent this exception, and the subject was fully and ably
discussed, but they were overruled.
Besides these acts, which had aroused in the colonies a
sentiment of union, and embodied an intelligent public opinion, there were others which had contributed to the same
result.  Such were the royal instructions by which, among
other things, accused persons were to be sent to England, for
trial. Still another, was the publication of a collection of
letters from Governor Hutchinson, and other prominent colonial officials, revealing their agency in instigating the obnoxious measures.  These and other aggravating causes had at




INTRODUCTION.


IX


length brought about that, without which, no revolution can
succeed, - organization.   Committees of correspondence, local
and general, had been created, and were now in full operation.
' One thing more was essential to the success of the colonists, - union.   Instead of pulling different ways, as from   a
variety of causes they had hitherto done, the different colonies
must bring their combined efforts to bear in order to effect the
desired result.  This was brought about by the destruction
of the tea in Boston harbor, and by the Boston port bill, and
other coercive measures, its immediate consequence.
The impolitic reservation of the duty on tea produced an
association not to drink it, and caused all the merchants,
except a few in Boston, to refuse its importation.
Three hundred women of Boston, heads of families, among
them many of the highest standing, had, as early as February,
I770, signed an agreement not to drink any tea until the
impost clause of the revenue acts was repealed. The daughters of liberty, both north and south, did the same.        The
young women of Boston followed the example of their mothers,
and subscribed to the following pledge:
"We, the daughters of those patriots who have, and do now appear for the
public interest, and in that principally regard their posterity, as such do with
-pleasure engage with them in denying ourselves the drinking of foreign tea, in
hopes to frustrate a plan that tends to deprive a whole community of all that is
valuable in life."
From this time forth tea was a proscribed beverage throughout the colonies. " Balsamic hyperion," made from the dried
leaves of the raspberry plant; thyme, extensively used by the
women of Connecticut; and various other substitutes came into
general use. The newspapers of the day abound with details
of social gatherings, in which foreign tea was totally discarded.




x


INTRODUCTION.


They also voiced the public abhorrence for it, or what it
represented, by applying to it all the objurgatory and abusive
epithets they could muster-and their vocabulary was by no
means limited-such as "detestable," "cruel," "villainous,"
"pernicious," "fatal," "devilish," "fiendish," etc.
Of course there were those who would not deny themselves
the use of tea,-drinking it clandestinely in garrets, or preparing it in coffee-pots to deceive the eye, resorting to any
subterfuge in order to indulge in the use of their favorite
beverage.  These people, when found out, did not fail to
receive the condemnation of the patriotic men and women,
who, from principle, abstained. There was still a considerable
consumption of tea in America, as the article could be
obtained more cheaply from Holland than from the English
East India Company, and on arrival here could easily be
smuggled ashore. It was supposed that of the three millions of
inhabitants of the colonies, one-third drank tea twice a day,
Bohea being the kind preferred; and it was estimated that
the annual consumption, in Massachusetts alone, was two
thousand four hundred chests, some eight hundred thousand
pounds.
Tea continued to arrive in Boston, but as no one would
risk its sale, it was stored. The " Boston Gazette," in April,
1770, said: " There is not above one seller of tea in town who
has not signed an agreement not to dispose of any tea until
the late revenue acts are repealed."
John Hancock offered one of his vessels, free of charge, to
re-ship the tea then stored in Boston. His offer was accepted,
and a cargo despatched to London. So strict was the watch
kept upon the traders, that many of those suspected of illicit
dealings in tea, among whom was Hancock himself, found




INTRODUCTION.


XI


it convenient to publish cards declaring their innocence.
Governor Hutchinson wrote at this time (April, 1770,) to Lord
Hillsborough, the English secretary, "That the importers
pleaded that they should be utterly ruined by this combination,
but the Boston zealots had no bowels, and gave for answer,
'that if a ship was to bring us the plague, nobody would doubt
what was necessary to be done with her;' but the present case
is much worse than that." Theophilus Lillie, who was selling
tea contrary to the agreement, found, one morning, a post
planted before his door, upon which was a carved head, with
the names of some tea importers on it, and underneath, a hand
pointing towards his shop.  One of his neighbors, an informer, named Richardson, asked a countryman to break the
post down with his cart. A crowd gathered, and boys threw
stones and chased Richardson to his house.  He fired into
them with a shotgun, and killed a German lad of eleven years,
named Snider. At his funeral, five hundred children walked
in front of the bier; six of his school-fellows held the pall,
and a large procession moved from liberty tree to the townhouse, and thence to the burying-place.  This exciting affair,
preceded by a few days only, the memorable "Boston massacre" of March 5, I770.
The application of the East India Company to the British
government for relief from pecuniary embarrassment, occasioned by the great falling off in its American tea trade,
afforded the ministry just the opportunity it de!sired to fasten
taxation upon the American colonies.  The company asked
permission to export tea to British America, free of duty,
offering to allow government to retain sixpence per pound,
as an exportation tariff, if they would take off the three per




XII


INTRODUCTION.


cent. -duty, in, America. This gave an opportunity for conciliating the colonies in an honorable way, and also to procure
double the amount of revenue. But no! under the existing
coercive policy, this request was of course inadmissible. At
this time the company had in its warehouses upwards of
seventeen millions of pounds, in addition to which the importations of the current year were expected to be larger than
usual. To such a strait was it reduced, that it could neither
pay its dividends nor its debts.
CBy an act of parliament, passed on May io, i773, "with
little debate and no opposition," the company, on exportation
of its teas to America, was allowed a drawback of the full
amount of English duties, binding itself only to pay the threepence duty, on its being landed in the English coloniesj
In accordance with this act, the lords-commissioners of the
treasury gave the company a license (August 20, I 773,) for the
exportation of six hundred thousand pounds, which were to be
sent to Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Charleston, S.C.,
the principal American ports.  As soon as this became
known, applications were made to the directors by a number
of merchants in the colonial trade, soliciting a share& of what
promised to be a very profitable business. The establishment
of a branch East India house, in a central part of America,
whence the tea could be distributed to other points, was suggested. The plan finally adopted was to bestow the agency
on merchants, in good repute, in the colonies, who were
friendly to the administration, and who could give satisfactory
security, or obtain the guaranty of London houses.,The company and its agents viewed this matter solely
in a commercial light.  No one supposed that the Americans would oppose the measure on the ground of abstract




INTRODUCTION.


XTTI


principle. The only doubt was as to whether the company
could, merely with the threepenny duty, compete successfully
with the smugglers, who brought tea from Holland. It was
hoped they might, and that the difference would not cornm
pensate for the risk in smuggling.  But the Americans at
once saw through the scheme, and that its success would be
fatal to their liberties.
The new tea act, by again raising the question of general
taxation, diverted attention from local issues, and concentrated
it upon one which had been already fully discussed, and or
which the popular verdict had been definitely made up.
Right and justice were clearly on their side. It was not that
they were poor and unable to pay, but because they would
not submit to wrong. The amount of the tax was paltry, and
had never been in question.  Their case was not —as in
most revolutions - that of a people who rose against real
and palpable oppression.  It was an abstract principle alone
for which they contended. They were prosperous and happy.
It was upon a community, at the very height of its prosperity, that this insidious scheme suddenly fell, and it immediately aroused a more general opposition than had been created
by the stamp act. "The measure," says the judicious English
historian, Massey, "was beneficial to the colonies; but when
was a people engaged in a generous struggle for freedom,
deviated by an insidious attempt to practice on their selfish
interests?"
".The ministry believe," wrote Franklin, "that threepence
on a pound of tea, of which one does not perhaps drink ten
pounds a year, is sufficient to overcome all the patriotism of
an American." The measure gave universal offence, not only
as the enforcement of taxation, but as an odious monopoly of




XIV


INTRODUCTION.


trade.   To the warning of Americans that their adventure
would end in loss, and to the scruples of the company, Lord
North   answered   peremptorily, "It is to no purpose making
objections, the king will have it so. The king means to try
the question with America." How absurd was this assertion
of prerogative, and how weak the government, was seen when
on the first forcible resistance to his plans, the king was compelled to apply to the petty German states for soldiers. Lord
North believed that no difficulty could arise, as America, under
the new regulation, would be able to buy teal from the company at a lower price than from any other European nation,
and that buyers would always go to the cheapest market.
Before receiving intelligence of the passage of the new act,
in the summer of I773, political agitation in the colonies had
in great measure subsided.       The ministry     had abandoned
its design of transporting Americans to England for trial;
the people were prosperous; loyal to the king; considered
themselves as fellow    subjects with Britons, and indignantly
repelled the idea of severing their political connection.     The
king, however, was obstinately bent upon maintaining the
supreme authority    of parliament to make laws binding on
the colonies "in all cases whatsoever."     He was unfortunate
in having for his chief adviser, Lord North, who sought to
please the king even against his own better judgment. He
was still more unfortunate in North's colleagues,-Mansfield,
1Dr. Holmes, the annalist, says, that (now Carver,) Mass., between 1760 and
tea began to be used in New England  1765. When ladies went to visiting parin 1720.  Small quantities, must, how-  ties, each one carried her tea-cup, saucer,
ever, have been made many years before,  and spoon. The cups were of the best
as small copper tea-kettles were in use  china, very small, containing about as
in Plymouth, in 1702. The first cast-  much as a common wine-glass.
iron tea-kettles were made in Plympton,




INTRODUCTION.


xV


Sandwich, Germaine, Wedderburne and Thurlow,-violent or
corrupt men, wholly unfit for the grave responsibilities they
had assumed.
Governor Hutchinson' asserts that "when the intelligence
first came to Boston it caused no alarm.  The threepenny
duty had been paid the last two years without any stir, and
some of the great friends to liberty had been importers of
tea. The body of the people were pleased with the prospect
of drinking tea at less expense than ever.  The only apparent discontent was among the importers of tea, as well
those who had been legal importers from England, as others
who had illegally imported from Holland, and the complaint
was against the East India Company for monopolizing a
branch of commerce which had been beneficial to a great
number of merchants."
The circular-letter of the Massachusetts Committee of
Correspondence of October 2I, I 773,-by which time the
public sentiment against the new regulation had been thoroughly aroused, -said of it: " It is easy to see how aptly this
scheme will serve both to destroy the trade of the colonies
and increase the revenue. How necessary then it is that each
colony should take effectual methods to prevent this measure
from having its designed effects."
One of the Boston consignees writing to London, says,
under date of i8th October: " But what difficulties may arise
from the disaffection of the merchants and importers of tea
to this measure of the East India Company, I am not yet able
to say. It seems at present to be a matter of much speculation, and if one is to credit the prints, no small opposition
will be made thereto.... My friends seem to think it will
'Hist. of Mass., iii. 422.




XVI                INTRODUCTION.
subside; others are of a contrary opinion." Another, under
date of October 3oth, gives it as his opinion that the uneasiness is fomented, if not originated, by persons concerned
in the Holland trade, a trade which, he is informed, is much
more practiced in the Southern governments than here.
In a letter dated New York, November 5th, Abraham Lott,
one of the New York consignees, says, that if the tea arrives
subject to duty, "there will be no such thing as selling it, as
the people would rather buy so much poison, as they. say it is
calculated to enslave them and their posterity, and are therefore determined not to take what they call the nauseous
draught."  The tenor of these letters and of the American
newspapers, must have given the British public an inkling of
what was to come.
It was thought by all the colonies that this was the precise
point of time when it was absolutely necessary to make a
stand, and that all opposition to parliamentary taxation must
be for ever given up, if this critical moment was neglected.
The only practical way open to defeat the measure seemed
to be through popular demonstrations.
The press now became more active than ever in its political
discussions. As to the mode of payment of the tea duty, it
said: "We know that on a certificate of its being landed here,
the tribute is, by agreement, to be paid in London.  The
landing, therefore, is the point in view, and every nerve will
be strained to obtain it."  It was asked in New York, "are
the Americans such blockheads as to dare whether it be a
hot red poker, or a red hot poker which they are to swallow,
provided Lord North forces them to swallow one of the two?"
"All America is in a flame on account of the tea exportation," wrote a British officer at New York to a friend in Lon



INTRODUCTION.


XVII


don.  "The New Yorkers, as well as the Bostonians and
Philadelphians, it seems, are determined that no tea shall be
landed. They have published a paper in numbers called the
'Alarm.' It begins, 'Dear countrymen,' and goes on exhorting them to open their eyes, and then, like sons of liberty,
throw off all connection with the tyrant-the mother country.'
They have on this occasion raised a company of artillery, and
every day almost, are practicing at a target.  Their independent companies are out, and exercise every day.  The
minds of the townspeople are influenced by the example of
some of their principals.  They swear that they will burn
every tea-ship that comes in; but I believe that our six and
twelve pounders, with the Royal Welch Fusileers, will prevent
anything of that kind."
Philadelphia, the largest town in the colonies, led off in the
work of opposing the plans of the home government. In a
handbill signed " Scaevola," circulated there, with the heading,
"By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall," the factors appointed, by the East India Company were characterized as
"political bombardiers to demolish the fair structure of
liberty;" and it was said that all eyes were fixed on them,
and they were urged to refuse to act.
At -a large meeting held at the State House on October i8,
resolutions were passed declaring that the duty on tea was a
tax imposed on the colonists without their consent, and
tended to render assemblies useless; that the shipment by the
East India Company was an attempt to enforce the tax, and
that every one who should be concerned in the unloading,
receiving or vending the tea, was an enemy to his country.
In accordance with one 'of the resolutions of the meeting, a
committee was appointed to wait on the consignees in that




XVII I


r INTRODUCTION.


city, to request them, from regard to their own characters
and the public peace, and good order of the city and Province, immediately to resign their appointment. The Messrs.
Wharton gave a satisfactory answer, which was received
with shouts of. applause.  Groans and hisses greeted the
refusal of another firm to commit themselves, until the tea
arrived. So general and so commanding was the movement,
however, that in a few days they also resigned.  "Be assured," wrote Thomas Wharton, one of the consignees, "this
was as respectable a body of inhabitants as has, been together on any occasion, many of the first rank. Their proceedings were conducted with the greatest decency and
firmness, and without one dissentient voice."
A few days after the action of Philadelphia, a meeting
was held at the city hall, New York, (October 26,) when the
tea consignees were denounced, and the attempted monopoly
of trade was stigmatized as a "public robbery."  The press
was active, and handbills were circulated freely among the
people. A series of these called the "Alarm," has been
already mentioned.  If you touch one grain of the accursed
tea you are undone," was the sentiment it conveyed. "America is threatened with worse than Egyptian slavery..
The language of the revenue act is, that you have no
property you can call your own, that you are the vassals, the
live stock, of Great Britain." Such were the bold utterances
of the New Yorkers.  Within three weeks the New York
agents withdrew  from  the field.  It was thereupon announced that government would take charge of the tea
upon its arrival.
The New York Sons of Liberty at once reorganized; owners
and occupants of stores were warned against harboring the




INTRODUCTION.


XIX


tea, and all who bought, sold or handled it, were threatened
as enemies to the country. Handbills were issued, notifying
the "Mohawks" to hold themselves in readiness for active
work. At the very moment when the tea was being destroyed in Boston, handbills were circulating in New York
calling a meeting of "all friends to the liberties and trade
of America," for one o'clock the next day, at the city hall,
"on business of the utmost importance."
John Lamb, one of the most active of the Sons of Liberty
of New York, afterwards a colonel of artillery in the Revolutionary army, was the speaker at the meeting, and the
large assembly unanimously voted that the tea should not
be landed. The governor sent a message to the people by
the mayor, engaging upon his honor that the tea should
not be sold, but should remain in the barracks until the
council advised to the delivery of it, or orders were received
from England how to dispose of it, and that it should' be
delivered in an open manner at noon-day.  The mayor having asked if the proposals were satisfactory, there was a
general cry of ' no! no!"   The people were at length
quieted with the assurance that the ship should be sent
back.
It was at Boston, the ringleader in rebellion, that the
issue was to be tried.  It was then the most flourishing
commercial town on the continent, and contained a population of about sixteen thousand, almost exclusively of English
origin. Though there were no sidewalks in the town, and,
except when driven aside by carts or carriages, every one
walked in the middle of the street, "where the pavement
was the' smoothest," an English visitor had twenty years
before pronounced it to be, "as large and better built than




XX


INTRODUCTION.


Bristol, or any other city in England except London." The
only land communication between Boston and the surrounding towns at that period, was by way of the narrow neck
at its southern extremity. Her inhabitants were industrious,
frugal and enterprising, and were equally distinguished for
their pertinacity and independence.  They were nearly all
of the same church, and were strict in the observance of
Sunday. Though many had acquired a competence, few
were very rich or very poor, and their style of living had
little diversity. In her free schools all were taught to read
and write. A score of enterprising booksellers, among them
Henry Knox, imported into the colony all the standard books
on law, politics, history and theology, while a free press and
town meetings instructed her citizens in political affairs.
Her mechanics, many of whom were ship-builders, were active in all town meetings.  Ever jealous of her rights, she
had grown up in their habitual exercise, and was early and
strenuous in her opposition to the claims of parliamentary
supremacy. Even her divines, many of whom were distinguished by their learning and eloquence, gave the sanction
of religion to the cause of freedom.  For these reasons
Boston was the fittest theatre for the decisive settlement
of the grave question at issue.
Two men of very different metal were especially prominent in Boston at this time,-Thomas Hutchinson, the
royal governor, and Samuel Adams, the man of the people.
Both were natives of the town, and graduates of Harvard
College.  Hutchinson, during a public life of over thirty
years, had held the offices of representative, councillor, chief
justice and lieutenant-governor.  No man was so experienced in the affairs of the colony, no one so familiar with its




INTRODUCTION.


XXI


history, usages and laws.  As a legislator and as a judge
he had manifested ability and impartiality.
Unfortunately for his peace of mind, and for his reputation, he set himself squarely against the popular movement.
He advised altering the charters of the New England provinces; the dismemberment of Massachusetts; the establishment of a citadel in Boston; the stationing of a fleet in its
harbor; the experiment of martial law; the transportation of
"incendiaries" to England, and the prohibition of the New
England fisheries, at the same time entreating of his correspondents in England to keep his opinions secret.
For these errors of judgment he paid dearly in the obloquy heaped upon him by his countrymen, and his exile from
his native land, in which he earnestly desired that his bones
might be laid.  The recent publication of his diary and
letters shows that he not only acted honestly and conscientiously in opposing the popular current, but that he, at the
same time, used his influence to mitigate the severe measures
of government. He counselled them against the stamp act;
against closing the port of Boston, and against some features
of the regulating act, as too harsh and impolitic.  It was
his sincere wish that his countrymen would admit the supremacy of parliament, and he believed that such a result could
be attained without bloodshed. He was courteously received
in England,-where his course was very generally approved,and offered a baronetcy, which, however, he declined on the
score of the insufficiency of his estate. His judgment in
American affairs, though often sought by the ministry, seems
to have been seldom followed.  Candor requires that in the
light of his letters and diary, in which his real sentiments




XXII


INTRODUCTION.


appear, the harsh judgment usually passed upon Hutchinson,
should be materially modified.
His opponent, Samuel Adams, the great agitator, possessed
precisely those qualities that the times required.  His political creed was, that the colonies and England had a common king, but separate and independent legislatures, and as
early as the year I 769, he had been a zealous advocate of
independence.  He was the organizer of the Revolution,
through the committees of correspondence, which he initiated,
and was one of those who matured the plan of a general
congress. A genuine lover of liberty, he believed in the
capacity of the Americans for self-government.  It was
Samuel Adams who, the day after the "massacre" of March
5, I770, was chosen chairman of the committee, to demand
of the governor the immediate removal of the troops from
the town of Boston.  The stern and inflexible patriot clearly
exposed the fallacy of Hutchinson's reply to the demand,
and compelled the governor to yield. No flattery could lull
his vigilance, no sophistry deceive his penetration.  Difficulties did not discourage, nor danger appall him.  Though
poor, he possessed a lofty and incorruptible spirit, and
though grave and austere in manner, was warm in his feelings. His affable and persuasive address, reconciled conflicting interests, and promoted harmonious action.  As a
speaker he was pure, concise, logical and impressive, and
the energy of his diction was not inferior to the depth of
his mind. As a political writer he was clear and convincing,
and was the author of able state papers. No man had equal
influence over the popular mind with Samuel Adams, wiho
has been aptly styled, "the last of the Puritans."
At Boston, where the feeling against receiving the tea




INTRODUCTION.                           xxIII
was strongest, the consignees were, "by a singular infelicity,"
either relatives of the hated governor, or in sympathy with
the  odious administration.      Two    of them    were   his sons.
Richard Clarke was his nephew.           One of Clarke's daughters married Copley, the painter, and became the mother of
Lord   Lyndhurst, the     future   lord-chancellor   of   England.
Benjamin    Faneuil and      Joshua Winslow      were   respectable
merchants.     All but Faneuil were connected         by marriage.
They were well aware of the temper of the people, and of
the proceedings in Philadelphia and New York; and would
doubtless have yielded to the popular demands, but for
Hutchinson. Public sentiment was stimulated against them
by representing them as crown officers, whereas they were
only factors.   They were thus put upon the footing of the
obnoxious stamp officers.
The North End Caucus,1 composed mostly of mechanics,
met frequently to consider what should be done, and voted
(October 23d,) that they would oppose with their lives and
fortunes, the vending of any      tea that might be sent to the
town for sale by the      East India Company.        "We were so
careful," says Paul Revere, "that our meetings           should  be
kept secret, that every time we met, every person swore
upon the Bible not to discover any of our transactions, but
1 This body, which originally consisted  the committees of public service were
of sixty-one members, with Dr. Thomas  formed, and measures of defence, and
Young for its president, was organized by  resolves for the destruction of the tea,
Dr. Joseph Warren, who, with one other  discussed. It was here, when the best
person, drew up its regulations.  Its  mode of expelling the regulars from
usual place of meeting was at William  Boston was under consideration, that
Campbell's house, near the North Bat- John Hancock exclaimed, "Burn Boston,
tery, though its sessions were sometimes  and make John Hancock a beggar, if the
held at the Green Dragon tavern. Here  public good requires it."




XXIV


INTRODUCTION.


to Hancock, Warren or Church, and one or two more
leaders."
The Caucus and the Long-Room Club were local organizations, and were all included in the larger and more important one, known as "The Sons of Liberty."      This
association pervaded nearly all the colonies. It was first
known in Boston as the " Union Club," and gained its later
name from the phrase employed in the British parliament
by Col. Barre, in his famous speech. It was formed in
I765, soon after the passage of the stamp act, and had
among its members most of the leading patriots of the day.
Their organization was secret, with private pass-words, to
protect them  from Tory spies.  On public occasions, each
member wore, suspended from his neck, a medal, on one
side of whieh was the figure of a stalwart arm, grasping in
its hand a pole, surmounted with a cap of liberty, and surrounded by the words, "Sons of Liberty."  On the reverse
was a representation of Liberty Tree. It was under this tree,
in the open space known as "Liberty Hall,"-at the junction
of Newbury, Orange and Essex Streets, - that their public
meetings in Boston were held.
The Sons of Liberty issued warrants for the arrest of
suspected persons; arranged in secret caucus the preliminaries of elections, and the programme for public celebrations;
and in fact were the mainspring, under the guidance of the
popular leaders, of every public demonstration against the
government. In Boston they probably numbered about three
hundred.  The I4th of August,-the anniversary of the
repeal of the stamp act,- was celebrated by them for several
years, with grand display and festivity.
Under date of January 15, 1766, John Adams says, in his




INTRODUCTION.


XXV


diary: " I spent the evening with the Sons of Liberty, at
their own apartment, in Hanover Square, near the Tree of
Liberty. It is a counting-room, in Chase & Speakman's distillery; a very small room it is.  There were present, John
Avery, a distiller, of liberal education; John Smith, the
brazier; Thomas Crafts,' the painter; Benjamin Edes,2 the
printer; Stephen Cleverly, brazier; Thomas Chase, distiller;
Joseph Fields, master of a vessel; Henry Bass; George
Trott, jeweller; and Henry Welles.  I was very cordially
and respectfully treated by all present.  We had punch,
wine, pipes and tobacco, biscuit and cheese, etc. They chose
a committee to make preparations for grand rejoicings upon
the arrival of the news of a repeal of the stamp act." The
counting-room of which Adams speaks, could, from its small
size, have been the conhmittee-room of the body only.
Governor Bernard wished to send some of the leading
Sons of Liberty to England, for trial, but did not dare do so.
New York was the centre of the organization, to which all


1Thomas Crafts was, in I789, a
painter and japanner, opposite the site
of the great tree (corner of Boylston
and Washington Streets). He became
a member of the Masonic Lodge of St.
Andrew in 1762.
2Benjamin Edes, journalist, born in
Charlestown, Mass., Oct. I4, 1732; died
in Boston, December II, I803. In 1755,
he began, with John Gill, the publication of the "Boston Gazette and Country Journal," a newspaper of deserved
popularity, unsurpassed in its patriotic
zeal for liberty, -the chosen mouth-piece
of the Whigs.   To its columns, Otis,
the Adamses, Quincy and Warren, were
4


constant contributors.  Their printingoffice, on the corner of Queen (now Court)
Street and Dassett's Alley (now Franklin
Avenue), was the place of meeting of
a party of the "Mohawks," on the afternoon of December i6, I773. During the
siege of Boston, the "Gazette" was issued at Watertown. It was discontinued
September I7, I798. At the opening of
the war, Mr. Edes possessed a handsome
property, which was wholly lost by the
depreciation of the currency. Edes was
a member of the Ancient and Honorable
Artillery Company in 1760, and a prominent "Son of Liberty."




XXVI


INTRODUCTION,


communications from      the other colonies were sent.       A  correspondent in London kept them informed of the proceedings and designs of the British ministry.
At one o'clock in the morning of the 2d of November,
I773, the consignees were aroused from their slumbers by a
violent knocking at their doors, and a summons was left for
them to appear at Liberty Tree on the following Wednesday,
to resign their commissions; and not to fail at their peril.
A handbill was, at the same time, posted about the town,
notifying the people of Boston and the vicinity to be present
at the same time and place, to witness their resignation.
On the appointed day, a large flag was hung out at Liberty
Tree. The public crier announced the meeting, at the top
of his voice, and the church bells, were rung for an hour.
At noon, five hundred persons assembled. Samuel Adams,
John Hancock and William Phillips, representatives of
Boston, were present, with William Cooper,-the patriotic
town clerk,-and the board        of selectmen.     The consignees
failing to appear, a committee, consisting of William
Molineux, William    Dennie, Dr. Joseph Warren, Dr. Benjamin
Church,1 Henderson        Inches,   Edward    Proctor,   Nathaniel
1Dr. Benjamin Church, physician,  ton, became eminent as a surgeon. For
orator and poet, grandson of the famous  several years previous to the Revolution,
Indian fighter of the name; born in New-  he was a conspicuous and leading Whig.
port, R. I., August 24, 1734; was lost at  He was a representative, a member of
sea in May, I776. He graduated at Har- the Provincial Congress of I774, and
vard College in 1754; studied medicine  physician-general to the patriot army.
in London, and after his return to Bos-  Pecuniary embarrassment is supposed to




INTRODUCTION.


XXVII


Barber, Gabriel Johonnot,' and Ezekiel Cheever, waited on
them at Clarke's warehouse, at the foot of King (now State)
Street, where they, together with a number of their friends,
had assembled.  As they passed the town house, still standing at the head of this street, Hutchinson, who saw the
procession, says that "the committee were attended by a
large body of the people, many of them not of the lowest
rank."
Molineux was the spokesman. "From whom     are you a
committee?" asked Clarke. "From the whole people," was
the reply.  "Who are the committee?"   "I am one," said
Molineux, and he named the rest. "What is your request? "
"That you give us your word to sell none of the teas in


have led to his defection from the cause
of his country. In September, I775, an
intercepted letter of his, in characters, to
Major Cain, in Boston, was deciphered;
and October 3, 1775, he was convicted
by a court martial, of which Washington
was president, of "holding a criminal
correspondence with the enemy." Confined in jail at Norwich, Conn., he was
released in May, 1776, on account of
failing health; sailed for the West
Indies, and was never afterwards heard
from.
'Gabriel Johonnot, born in Boston,
I748; died in Hamden, Me., October 9,
i820. Zacharie, his father, a Huguenot,
was a distiller and merchant. His dwelling-house and store was on Orange Street,
and his distillery on Harvard Street,
directly opposite. At the bottom of the


street was his wharf, wooden -distillery,
-storehouses, etc.  The mansion house
and store were burned in the great fire,
2oth April, 1787. Gabriel was a member
of St. John's Lodge, Boston, 1780, and
a charter member of Hancock Lodge,
Castine, Me., I 794. He was chairman of
a committee appointed by the company
of Cadets, of Boston, August I5, I774, to
proceed to Salem, and return to Governor
Gage, the standard presented to them;
and was Lieutenant-Colonel of the i4th
Regiment of the Massachusetts line,
known as the Marblehead regiment, commanded by Colonel Glover. He removed
to Castine, Me., soon after the Revolutionary war; took a prominent part in
town affairs, and at one time represented
the town of Penobscot in the Massachusetts Legislature.




XXVIII


INTRODUCTION.


your charge, but return them to London in the same
bottoms in which they were shipped. Will you comply?"
"I shall have nothing to do with you," was the rough and
peremptory reply, in which the other consignees, who were
present, concurred. Molineux then read the resolve, passed
at Liberty Tree, declaring that those who should refuse to
comply with the request of the people, were "enemies to
their country," and should be dealt with accordingly.
When the committee reported the result to the crowd
outside, the cry was raised, "Out with them! out with
them!"   Those within attempted to close the doors; but
the people unhinged them, and carried them  off.  Justice
Nathaniel Hatch, who, in the king's name, now commanded
the peace, was hooted at and struck, when the people were
persuaded to desist. The committee returned to Liberty Tree,
where they reported to the meeting, which quietly dispersed.
Of those composing this gathering, the consignees wrote to
the East India Company, as follows: " They consisted chiefly
of people of the lowest rank; very few respectable trades.
men, as we are informed, appeared amongst them.   The
selectmen say they were present to prevent disorder." There
can be little doubt that the political assemblies of that day,
as do those at the present time, fairly represented the body
of the people.  The mechanics of Boston, whatever their
rank in the social scale, were the active patriots of the
revolutionary period.
The Sons of Liberty having failed, and the Tories asserting
that the meeting at Liberty Tree was irregular, petitioners for
a town meeting declared that the people were alarmed at a
report that the tea had been shipped to America, and feared
that the tribute would be exacted, and that the liberties, for




INTRODUCTION.


XXIX


which they had so long contended, would be lost to them
and their posterity. A meeting was therefore called by the
selectmen for the next day, at ten o'clock in the forenoon.
That night a threatening letter was placed under the door
of Mr. Faneuil, one of the consignees, warning them that a
much longer delay in complying, would not fail to bring
upon them "the just reward of their avarice and insolence."
The town meeting, held on the 5th of November, was
fully attended, and was presided over by John Hancock.
After due consideration, it adopted the resolves of the Philadelphians of October i8, declaring that freemen have an
inherent right to dispose of their property; that the tea tax
was a mode of levying contributions on them without their
consent; that its purpose tended to render assemblies useless, and to introduce arbitrary government; that a steady
opposition to this ministerial plan was a duty which every
freeman owed to his country, to himself, and to his posterity;
that the East India Company's importation was an open
attempt to enforce this plan; and that whoever countenanced
the unloading, vending or receiving the tea, was an enemy
to his country.  A committee, consisting of the moderator,
Henderson Inches, Benjamin Austin, and the selectmen of
the town, were chosen to wait on the consignees and request
them, from a regard to their own characters, and the peace
and good of the town and province, immediately to resign
their appointment.
At this meeting, a Tory handbill, called the "Tradesmen's
-Protest," against the proceedings of the merchants on the
subject of tea importation, was introduced.  After the reading, without comment, the tradesmen present were desired
to collect themselves at the south side of the hall, where




xxx


INTRODUCTION.


the question was put whether they acknowledged the " Tradesmen's Protest," and the whole, amounting to at least four
hundred, voted in the negative.  The paper, its printer, and
those who circulated it, were denounced as base, false and
scandalous. This gave a finishing blow to the "Protest," of
which nothing more was heard.
After voting that it was the just expectation of the town
that no one of its merchants should, under any pretext
whatever, import any tea liable to duty, the meeting adjourned
until three o'clock.
At that hour there 'was again a full assembly.  The committee reported that they had communicated the resolves of
the town to the Messrs. Clarke and Mr. Faneuil, who informed them that they must consult Thomas and Elisha
Hutchinson, the other consignees, who were at Milton, and
could not give an answer until the following Monday.
Samuel Adams, Joseph Warren, and Molineux were then
desired to acquaint Messrs. Clarke and Faneuil, that the
town expected an immediate answer from them.    This was
very soon received, and pronounced unsatisfactory, by a
unanimous vote. John Hancock, John Pitts, Samuel Adams,
Samuel Abbott, Joseph Warren, William Powell, and Nathaniel Appleton,1 were chosen a committee to wait on the
INathaniel Appleton, Commissioner Street, son of Rev. Dr. Nathaniel Appleof Loans for the -State of Massachusetts, ton, of Cambridge; died in June, I789,
a resident of Atkinson (now Congress) aged 66.




INTRODUCTION.


XXXI


Hutchinsons, and request an immediate resignation, and the
meeting adjourned until the next day.
On Saturday, Faneuil Hall was again crowded.     The
committee reported that it could not find Elisha Hutchinson, either at Milton or Boston.  Thomas Hutchinson, Jr.,
informed them, in a letter, that when he and his brother
were appointed factors, and the tea arrived, they would be
sufficiently informed to answer the request of the inhabitants.
This reply stirred up some of the hot blood in the assembly, and a cry of "to arms! to arms!" was received with
applause and clapping of hands.    Discretion, as usual,
prevailed, and the meeting voted that the replies were
"daringly affrontive" to the town, and then dissolved. The
governor tried to collect evidence of the inflammatory
speeches that had been made, but could find no person
willing to give it.
A quiet week followed.  The tea-ships were nearing the
harbor, and the journals were filled with political essays
generally, strong, well put, and elevating in tone.  Locke,
in the "Boston Gazette," said: "It will be considered by
Americans whether the dernier ressort, and only asylum for
their liberties, is not an American Commonwealth."  It was
evident to the leaders on both sides, that a crisis was at
hand.  Hutchinson foresaw that this "would prove a more
difficult affair than any which had preceded it;" and in his
letters admits that the mass of the people acted in the
conviction that their rights were invaded.  Believing the
supremacy of parliament was in issue, he determined, though
standing almost alone, and in opposition to the advice of
his political friends, to make no concession.  In a letter
written at this period, to Lord Dartmouth, Secretary for the




XXXI I


I INTRODUCTION.


Colonies, he describes, with minuteness, the state of political
affairs.    He says:... "At present, the spirits of the people in the town of Boston are in a
great ferment., Everything that has been in my power, without the Council, I
have done, and continue to do, for the preservation of the peace and good order
of the town.  If I had the aid, which I think the Council might give, my endeavors would be more effective.  They profess to disapprove of the tumultuous,
violent proceedings of the people, but they wish to see the professed end of the
people in such proceedings attained in the regular way; and, instead of joining
with me in proper measures to discourage an opposition to the landing of the
teas expected, one and another of the gentlemen, of the greatest influence, intimate that the best thing that can be done to quiet the people, would be the refusal
of the gentlemen to whom the teas are consigned, to execute the trust; and they
declare they would do it if it was their case, and would advise all their connexions to do it.  Nor will they ever countenance a measure which shall tend to
carry into execution an act of parliament which lays taxes upon the colonies, for
the purpose of a revenue.  The same principle prevails with by far the greater
part of the merchants who, though in general they declare against mobs and
violence, yet they as generally wish the tea may not be imported.  The persons
to whom the teas are consigned, declare that whilst they can be protected from
violence to their persons, they will not give way to the unreasonable demands
which have been made of them.    I wish the vessels bound to New York may
arrive before those designed to this Province.  Governor Tryon I know to be
well disposed to do his duty, and the people there are less disposed to any violent proceedings, as I have reason to think, than they are here, and an example
of peace and good order there may have its influence here."
Samuel Adams, Hancock, Warren, Molineux and Young,
the most prominent of the popular leaders, apprehended
fully  the   responsibilities    of the    hour.     They    had   a great
principle to maintain, and the courage to             uphold    it.   They
knew that, though the people were with them, the failure to
obtain the resignation of the consignees had inspired doubt
in other quarters, as to whether Boston would meet the
expectations of the patriots of other colonies. To such as
questioned whether it was not premature to push matters to
extremities,    they   replied,    that   if  fidelity  to  the   common




INTRODUCTION.


XXXIII


cause was likely to bring on a quarrel with Great Britain,
this was the best time for it to       come.    "Our credit," they
said, "is at stake; we must venture, and unless we do, we
shall be discarded by the Sons of Liberty in the other
colonies, whose assistance we may expect, upon emergencies,
in case they    find  us steady, resolute    and   faithful."   With
men    like  these  "to   the  fore," though    independence      was
scarcely dreamed of, revolution was a foregone conclusion.
Thomas Mifflin, an active patriot of Philadelphia, subsequently a general, and governor of Pennsylvania, when in
Boston, said to    some of these     men, "will you     engage that
the tea shall not be landed? if so, I will answer for Philadelphia."    And    they pledged    their honor that its landing
should be prevented.
On November        I, Hutchinson issued the following order:
" Massachusetts Bay.  By the Governor.
To Colonel John Hancock, Captain of the Governor's Company of Cadets, &c.
The Cadet company, under your command, having signalized itself heretofore
upon a very necessary occasion, and the late tumultuous proceedings in the town
of Boston requiring that more than usual caution should be taken at this time
for the preservation of the peace, I think it proper that you should forthwith
summon each person belonging to the company to be ready, and to appear in
arms at such place of parade as you think fit, whensoever there may be a tumultuous assembly of the people, in violation of the laws, in order to their being
aiding and assisting to the civil magistrate as occasion may require."
This company, which was immediately under the governor's orders, had been of service during the stamp act riots,
and had often been      complimented     for its discipline.     The
evident intent of this order, to use military force to suppress
public assemblages, and the stationing of companies of British troops in the neighboring towns, augmented the uneasiness already felt.     There was now, besides the         soldiers at
5




XXXIV


INTRODUCTION.


the castle, a considerable naval force in the harbor, under
Admiral John Montagu.
On the morning of November I7, a little party of family
friends had assembled at the house of Richard Clarke, Esq.,
known as the "Cooke House," near the King's Chapel,
on School Street, to welcome young Jonathan Clarke, who
had just arrived from London.  All at once the inmates of
the dwelling were startled by a violent beating at the door,
accompanied with shouts and the blowing of horns, creating
considerable alarm.  The ladies were hastily bestowed in
places of safety, while the gentlemen secured the avenues
of the lower story, as well as they were able.  The yard
and vicinity were soon filled with people.  One of the
inmates warned them, from an upper window, to disperse,
but getting no other reply than a shower of stones, he discharged a pistol.  Then came a shower of missiles, which
broke in the lower windows, and damaged some of the
furniture.  Influential patriots had by this time arrived, and
put a stop to the proceedings, and the mob quietly dispersed.
The consignees now called on the governor and council
for protection.
During the day, an arrival from  London brought the
news that three ships, having the East India Company's tea
on board, had sailed for Boston, and that others had cleared
for Philadelphia. )
A petition for a town meeting was at once presented to
the selectmen, representing that the teas were shortly expected, and that it was apprehended that the consignees might
now be sufficiently informed on the terms of its consignment,




INTRODUCTION.


XXXv


to be able to give their promised answer to the         town.    A
meeting was therefore appointed for the next day.
John Hancock was the moderator of the last town meeting,
in which public sentiment was legally brought to bear upon
the consignees.    It was held on the i8th.     The meeting was
quiet and orderly, and its business was speedily transacted.
A committee was appointed to wait on the consignees
for a final answer to the       request of the   town, that they
resign their appointment.      This was their reply:
"BOSTON, November I8, I773.
Sir, - In answer to the message we have this day received from the town, we
beg leave to say that we have not yet received any order from the East India
Company respecting the expected teas, but we are now further acquainted that
our friends in England have entered into general engagements in our behalf,
merely of a commercial nature, which puts it out of our power to comply with
the request of the town.
We are, sir, your most humble servants,
RICHARD CLARKE & SONS,
BENJ. FANEUIL, JR., for self and
JOSHUA WINSLOW, Esq.,
ELISHA HUTCHINSON, for my
Brother and self."
Immediately on receiving this answer, the meeting, without
vote  or   comment, dissolved.       "This    sudden   dissolution
struck more terror into the consignees," says Hutchinson,
"than the most minatory resolves;" and but for his efforts,
they would have followed the example of those of Philadelphia, who had resigned-six weeks before.
Next day (November I9), the consignees, in a petition to
the governor and council, asked leave to       resign themselves,
and the property committed to their care, to his Excellency
and their Honors, as guardians and protectors of the people,
and that means might be devised for the landing and secur



XXXVr


INTROD.UCTION.


ing   the  teas, until the     petitioners    could    safely  dispose    of
them, or could receive directions from their constituents.
Their action was the cause of much comment in the newspapers, and debate in        the   council.     It was urged      in  opposition to the scheme, that it was no part of the legitimate
functions of this body to act as trustees and storekeepers
for certain factors of the East India- Company.
In a letter to a friend, dated November 24, Hutchinson
thus expresses his views of the situation. He says:
"When I saw the inhabitants of the town of Boston, assembled under color
of law, and heard of the open declaration that we are now in a state of nature,
and that we have a right to take up arms; and when in a town meeting, as I
am informed, a call to arms was received with clapping and general applause;
when a tumultuous assembly of people can, from time to time, attack the persons
and the property of the king's subjects; and when assemblies are tolerated from
night to night, in the public town hall; to counsel and determine upon further
unlawful measures, and dark proposals and resolutions are made and agreed to
there; when the infection is industriously spreading and the neighboring towns
not only join their committees with the committee of Boston, but are assembled
in town meetings to approve of the doings of the town of Boston; and, above
all, when upon repeated summoning of the Council, they put off any advice to
me from time to time, and I am obliged to consent to it, because all the voices
there, as far as they declare their minds, I have reason to fear, would rather
confirm than discourage the people in their irregular proceedings, -under all these
circumstances, I think it time to deliberate whether his majesty's service does
not call me to retire to the castle, where I may, with safety to my person, more
freely give my sense of the criminality of these proceedings than whilst I am in
the hands of the people, some of whom, and those most active, don't scruple to
declare their designs against me."
And    he   concludes    this   doleful   story   with   the   question,
"What am       I in duty bound to do?"           His position was certainly a very uncomfortable one.
- Frequent conferences with the consignees were held by
the   selectmen    of Boston.      "Though      we   labored    night and,day in the affair, all our efforts could not produce an agree



INTRODUCTION.


XXXVII


ment between them and the town." So wrote John Scollay,'
chairman of the Board of Selectmen, who also informs us,
in a letter written December 23, that there was a way by
which the consignees might have avoided trouble.  " Had
they," writes he, "on the terms of first application to them,
offered to have stored the tea, subject to the inspection of a
committee of gentlemen, till they could write their principals,
and until that time (agreed that) no duty should be paid,which no doubt the customs officers would have consented
to, —I am persuaded the town would have closed with
them."
The selectmen told the consignees plainly that nothing
less than sending the tea back to England would satisfy the
people.  Some of their Tory friends also urged them  to
arrange matters in this way, but they would only agree
(Nov. 27) that nothing should be done in a clandestine way;
that the vessels should come up to the wharves, and that
when they received the orders that accompanied the teas,
they would hand in proposals to the selectmen, to be laid
before the town.  They meant only to gain time.  They
were determined to make the issue with the popular leaders


1The Scollays were an old Scotch
family. A John Scollay, the first mention of whom is found here, in I692
leased the Winnisimmet ferry for one
year. John, whose name is conspicuous
in the early Revolutionary records of
Boston, was a merchant, and was chairman of the Board of Selectmen, from
1774 to I790. His portrait, by Copley,
represents a portly, florid man, with a
powdered wig, seated, his hand resting
on a ledger. Thomas Melvill married


one of Scollay's daughters. Col. William
Scollay, apothecary and druggist, son of
John, resided at first on or near the
spot where the Museum stands, and his
garden extended back to Court Square.
He was associated with Charles Bulfinch
and others, in the improvement of Franklin Place, now Franklin Street, where
they erected the first block of buildings
in Boston. Col. William was commander
of the Independent Company of Cadets.




XXXVIIJ


INTRODUCTION.


on this question.  They were backed by the governor and
the influential Tories, and no doubt believed that they could
carry their point.
On Monday, the 22d, the committees of correspondence
of Dorchester, Brookline, Roxbury and Cambridge, met the
Boston committee at the selectmen's chamber, Faneuil
Hall.
They resolved unanimously to use their joint influence to
prevent the landing and' sale of the teas; prepared a letter
to be sent to the other-towns, representing that they were
reduced to the dilemma, either to sit down in quiet, under
this and every burden that might be put upon them, or to
rise up in resistance, as became freemen; to impress the
absolute necessity of making immediate and effectual opposition to the detestable measure, and soliciting their advice
and co-operation.  Charlestown was "so zealous in the
cause," that its committee was added to the others.  This
body continued to 'hold daily conferences, "like a little
senate," says Hutchinson.
The "Gazette" of November 22, said: "Americans! defeat
this last effort of a most pernicious, expiring faction, and
you may sit under your own vines and fig trees, and none
shall, hereafter, dare to make you afraid."
On the 26th, the men of Cambridge assembled, and after
adopting the Philadelphia resolves, "very unanimously" voted,
"That as Boston was struggling for the liberties of their
country, they could no longer stand idle spectators, but were
ready, on the shortest notice, to join with it, and other
towns, in any measure that might be thought proper, to
deliver themselves and posterity from slavery."
On Sunday, the 28th, the ship "Dartmouth," Captain Hall,




(Fron the origiial, it the possession of GEORGE H. ALLAN, Boston.)


/ 7 so - / t aL,,
-/o, ~Q;e7 J%3/773,
j/00o.








INTRODUCTION.                    XLI
owned by the Quaker, Francis Rotch,1 arrived in Boston
harbor, with one hundred and fourteen chests of tea, and
anchored below the castle.  As the news spread, there was
great excitement.  Despite the rigid New England observance of the Sabbath, the selectmen immediately met,
^%^?s^~L


1 Francis Rotch, a Quaker merchant,
part owner of the "Dartmouth" and
the "Beaver," was born in Nantucket,
Mass., 3oth September, I750, and died
in New Bedford, in May, 1822. Joseph,
his father, the founder of a family of
eminent merchants, was born in Salisbury, England, in I704, and died in New
Bedford, 24th November, I784. In early
life he settled in Nantucket, and rose
from poverty to affluence by his industry, energy and enterprise, gaining, at
the same time, universal esteem for his
integrity. These characteristics he transmitted to his sons, William, Joseph and
Francis, -especially to William, whose
commercial transactions were of the
most extensive character.  All were
largely concerned in the whale fisheries
of Nantucket, of which they may almost
be said to have been the founders.
Francis was in England for a short time
in I773, but had returned home before
his tea ships arrived.  This affair was
a very troublesome one for a young man
of twenty-three to manage, as there was
a tremendous pressure brought to bear
upon him by Samuel Adams, and other
influential patriots, to return the teas to
England. He yielded temporarily to
this pressure, promising the meeting of
6


November 30th, that the tea should go
back; but, probably after consultation
with his counsel, Sampson SalterBlowers
and John Adams, decided to withdraw
his promise. Rotch pleaded that a compliance would ruin him, and as he could
not obtain a pass for his ships, they
would either have been sunk by the
British batteries, or captured and confiscated under the revenue laws. He
succeeded eventually in escaping loss
in the affair, as the East India Company
paid him the freight due on the cargoes
of teas.  His ship, the "Bedford," if,
said to have been the first to display the
American flag on the Thames, after the
war. The family settled in New Bedford,
in 1768. He married his cousin, Nancy
Rotch, who, at the time of her death,
24th April, I867, was nine-two years of
age.   The accompanying portrait is
copied from a silhouette, by Miers, profile painter, I I  Strand, London, apparently about I795. It is very delicately
painted, on a hard plaster surface. The
features are well marked, and the lace
ruffle at the bosom, and the queue, are
exceedingly well done. It is now in the
possession of Mr. George H. Allan, who
received it from his uncle, A. A. Rotch.




XLII


INTRODUCTION.


and remained in session until nine o'clock in the evening,
in the expectation of receiving the promised proposal of the
consignees. These gentlemen were not to be found, and on
the next day, bidding a final adieu to Boston, they took up
their quarters at the castle.
Hutchinson advised the consignees to order the vessels,
when they arrived, to anchor below the castle, that if it
should appear unsafe to land the tea, they might go to sea
again, and when the first ship arrived she anchored there
accordingly, but when the master came up to town, Mr.
Adams and     others, a committee of the town, ordered         him
at his peril to bring the ship up to land the other goods,
but to suffer no tea to be taken out.
The committee of correspondence, who also held a session
that day, seeing that time was precious, and that the tea
once entered it would be out of the power of the consignees
to send it back, obtained the promise of the owner not to
enter his ship till Tuesday, and authorized Samuel Adams
to summon the committees and townspeople of the vicinity
to a mass meeting, in     Boston, on the next morning.         The
invitation read as follows:
"A part of the tea shipped by the East India Company is now arrived in this
harbor, and we look upon ourselves bound to give you the earliest intimation of
it, and we desire that you favor us with your company at Faneuil Hall, at nine
o'clock to-morrow forenoon, there to give us your advice what steps are to be
immediately taken, in order effectually to prevent the impending evil, and we
request you to urge your friends in the town, to which you belong, to be in readiness to exert themselves in the most resolute manner, to assist this town in its
efforts for saving this oppressed country."
The journals of Monday announced that the "Dartmouth"
had anchored off Long Wharf, and that other ships with the
poisonous herb might soon be here. They also contained




INTRODUCTION.


XLIII


a call for a public meeting, as announced in the following
handbill,    already    printed   and    distributed     throughout      the
town:
"Friends! Brethren i Countrymen!    That worst of plagues, the detested tea,
shipped for this port by the East India Company, is now arrived in this harbor;
the hour of destruction or manly opposition to the machinations of tyranny stares
you in the face; every friend to his country, to himself, and posterity, is now
called upon to meet at Faneuil Hall, at nine o'clock this day, (at which time the
bells will ring,) to make a united and successful resistance to this last, worst and
most destructive measure of administration.
Boston, November 29, I773."
At nine o'clock the bells were rung, and the people, to
the number of at least five thousand, thronged in and around
Faneuil Hall. This edifice, then about half as large as now,
was entirely inadequate to hold the concourse that had
gathered    there.    Jonathan     Williams,1 a citizen      of character
and   wealth, was      chosen    moderator.       The    selectmen     were
John Scollay, John Hancock, Timothy Newell, Thomas
Newhall, Samuel Austin, Oliver Wendell,2 and John Pitts.
The    patriotic   and    efficient town     clerk, William       Cooper,3
1Jonathan Williams, a distinguished  daughter, Sarah, married   Rev. Abiel
merchant and patriot, captain of the    Holmes, the father of the poet, Oliver
Ancient and Honorable Artillery Com-   Wendell Holmes.
pany, in I751; died March 27, 1788.      8William Cooper, son of Rev. William,
Jonathan, his father, was a member of  and brother of Rev. Samuel, of the
the Artillery Company in 1711.          Brattle Street Church, and forty-nine
2Judge Oliver Wendell, son of Hon.    years town  clerk  of Boston; died
Jacob Wendell, was born in    Boston    November 28, I809; aged 89.      The
5th March, 1733; died, I 5th January,  brothers were both active patriots of
1818.  Harvard   College, I753.  His   the Revolution.




XLIV


INTRODUCTION.


was also present.  Samuel Adams, Dr. Warren, Hancock,
Dr. Young and Molineux took' the lead in the debate.
The resolution offered by Adams, "that the tea should not
be landed; that it should be sent back ih the same bottom
to the place whence it came, at all events, and that no duty
should be paid on it," was unanimously adopted. On hearing
of this vote the consignees withdrew to Castle William.
For the better accommodation of -the people, the meeting
then adjourned to the Old South Meeting House.
The speeches made at the Old South have not been preserved.  Some were violent, others were calm, advising the
people by all means to abstain from violence, but the men
in whom they placed confidence were unanimous upon the
question of sending back the tea.  Dr. Young held that the
only way to- get rid of it was to throw it overboard. Here
we find the first suggestion of its ultimate fate.  Both
Whigs and Tories united in the action of the meeting. To
give the consignees time to make the expected proposals,
the meeting adjourned till three o'clock.
Of this assembly Hutchinson says: " Although it consisted
principally of the lower ranks of the people, and even journeymen tradesmen were brought to increase the number,
and the rabble were not excluded, yet there were divers
gentlemen of good fortune among them."  With regard to
the speeches he observes: "Nothing can be more inflammatory than those made on this occasion; Adams was never
in greater glory."  And of the consignees he says: "They
apprehended they should be seized, and may be, tarred and
feathered and carted,-an American torture,-in order to
compel them to a compliance.   The friends of old Mr.
Clarke, whose constitution being hurt by the repeated attacks




INTRODUCTION.                    XLV
made upon him, retired into the country, pressed his sons
and the other consignees to a full compliance."
A visitor from Rhode Island who attended the meeting,
speaking of its regular and sensible conduct, said he should
have thought himself rather in the British senate than in
the promiscuous assembly of the people of a remote colony.
At the afternoon meeting in the Old South, it was resolved, upon the motion of Samuel Adams, " that the tea in
Captain Hall's ship must go back in the same bottom."
The owner and the captain were informed that the entry of
the tea, or the landing of it, would be at their peril.  The
ship was ordered to be moored at Griffins' wharf, and a watch
of twenty-five men was appointed for the security of vessel
and cargo, with Captain Edward Proctor as captain that
night.  It was also voted that the governor's call on the
justices to meet that afternoon, to suppress attempted riots,
was a reflection on the people.
Upon Hancock's representation that the consignees desired
further time to meet and consult, the meeting consented,
"out of great tenderness to them," and adjourned until next
day.  This meeting also voted that six persons "who are
used to horses be in readiness to give an alarm in the
country towns, when necessary." They were William Rogers,
Jeremiah Belknap, Stephen Hall, Nathaniel Cobbett, and
Thomas Gooding, and Benjamin Wood, of Charlestown.
The guard for the tea ships, which consisted of from
twenty-four to thirty-four men, was kept up until December i6.
It was armed with muskets and bayonets, and proceeded
with military regularity,-indeed it was composed in part of
the military of the town,-and every half hour during the
night regularly passed the word "all's well," like sentinels




XLVI


INTRODUCTION.


in a garrison.  It was on duty nineteen days and twenty.
three hours. If molested by day the bells of the town were
to be rung, if at night they were to be tolled.  We have
the names of those comprising the watch on November 29
and 30.  They are:


For November 29.
Henry Bass.
Foster Condy.
John Lovell.
John Winthrop.
John Greenleaf.
Benjamin Alley.
Joshua Pico.
James Henderson.
Josiah Wheeler.
Joseph Edwards.
Jonathan Stodder.
Stephen Bruce.


Captain, EDWARD PROCTOR.
Paul Revere.
Moses Grant.
Joseph Lovering.
Dr. Elisha Story.
Thomas Chase.
Benjamin Edes.
Joseph Pierce, Jr.
Captain Riordan.
John Crane.
John McFadden.
Thomas Knox, Jr.
Robert Hitchborn.


November 30.
Thomas.Urann.
William Dickman.
Samuel Peck.
Thomas Bolley.
John 'Rice.
Joseph Froude.
Obadiah Curtis.
George Ray.
Benjamin Ingerson.
Adam Collson.
Daniel Hewes.


Captain, EZEKIEL CHEEVER.1
Joseph Eayres.
William Sutton.
Ebenezer Ayres.
William Elberson.
Benjamin Stevens.
James Brewer.
Rufus Bant.
William Clap.
Nicholas Pierce.
Thomas Tileston.
Richard Hunnewell.


1Ezekiel Cheever, the great grandson  born in Charlestown, Mass., in May,
of the famous schoolmaster of that name,  1720.  He was by trade a sugar-baker
in the early days of New England, was  (confectioner), and from  I752 to I755




IAnJ;oJ                           S Jo SE:PRWTH'WAABRE
Slan  acL zbx.c attie of 'BtanKer &s HIUll        JTx   e T ' q 77.
J.WN aX o t2st
(Copiedfrom the Boston print of 1782, it being from the London print previous to this date.)
"May our land be a land of liberty, the seat of virtue, the asylum of the oppressed, a name, a praise in
the whole earth." - JOSEPH WARREN.
March 5, 1772.








INTRODUCTION.


XLIX


- Hancock and Henry Knox were members of this volunteer
guard.     Volunteers were, after the first night, requested to
leave their names at the printing-office of Edes and Gill;
the duty of providing it having devolved upon the com-mittee of correspondence.
Obadiah Curtis, born in Roxbury, Mass., in 1724; died in Newton, Mass.,
November ii, i8ii.   He was a wheelwright by trade, and his wife, Martha, kept
an English goods store, at the corner of Rawson's Lane, (now Bromfield Street,)
and Newbury (now Washington) Street, and accumulated a handsome estate. Becoming obnoxious to the British authorities, Mr. Curtis removed with his family
to Providence, remaining there until after the evacuation of Boston. A person
who saw him at this time thus describes his appearance: "He was habited
according to the fashion of gentlemen of those days,-in a three-cornered hat,
a club wig, a long coat of ample dimensions, that appeared to have been made
with reference to future growth, breeches with large buckles, and shoes fastened in
the same manner."
James Henderson was a painter, in Boston, at the beginning of this century.
Daniel Hewes, a mason by trade, resided on Purchase Street, where he died
July 9, i821; aged 77. He was a brother of George Robert Twelves Hewes.
Robert Hitchborn was a cooper, on Anne Street, in 1789.
Thomas Knox, Jr., a branch pilot, died in Charlestown, Mass., in April, 1817;
aged 75.  He joined the Masonic Lodge of St. Andrew in 1764.    In 1789 his
residence was on Friend Street.
Joseph Lovering was a tallow chandler. He lived on the corner of Hollis and
Tremont Streets, opposite Crane and the Bradlees. Joseph Lovering, Jr., held
the light by which Crane and others disguised themselves in Crane's carpenter's
shop, on the evening of December i6.  Lovering was a prominent member of the
Charitable Mechanic Association, was many years a selectman and a fireward
under the old town government of Boston, and was also a member of the first
Board of Aldermen, under Mayor Phillips.  He followed his father's business,
and was some years a partner in the firm of J. Lovering & Sons.
was a selectman of Charlestown. Re-    of the war. His brother, David, also a
moving to Boston he joined the Sons of  prominent Son of Liberty, was appointed
Liberty, and was active in the ante-   moderator of the Old South meeting of
revolutionary movements of the town,   December 14, but declined. Ezekiel was
and prominent in its public meetings.  a member of the Committee that waited.
He was appointed commissary of artillery  on the consignees and requested their
in the army before Boston, May 17, 1775.  resignation.
He died a few years after the conclusion




L


INTRODUCTION.


Joshua Pico, a cooper, on Sheaffe Street, residing on Clarke Street; died in
January, I807.
Joseph Pierce, Jr., was a merchant, at 58 Cornhill, in I799.
Nicholas Pierce was a bricklayer, on Back (Salem) Street, in I8oo.
John Rice was deputy-collector at Boston, I789.
Benjamin Stevens was a tailor, at 33 Marlboro' Street, in I789.
Jonathan Stodder was a member of St. Andrew's Lodge of Freemasons, in I779.
Thomas Tileston, born September 21, 1735, was a carpenter on Purchase Street,
in I789. His father, Onesiphorous Tileston, also a housewright and a man of
wealth, was captain of the Artillery Company in 1762.
John Winthrop resided in Cambridge Street, and died February 12, I8oo;
aged 53.
The power and      influence   of the   Boston   committee    of
correspondence, which played so important a part in the tea
affair, can best be estimated by a glance at the list of
names of its members. LThey were, Samuel Adams, James
Otis, Joseph Warren, William Molineux, Dr. Benjamin
Church, William Dennie, William and Joseph Greenleaf,
Dr. Thomas Young, William Powell, Nathaniel Appleton,
Oliver Wendell, Josiah Quincy, Jr., John Sweetser, Richard
Boynton, John Bradford, William Mackay, Nathaniel Barber,
Caleb Davis, Alexander Hill, and Robert Pierpont
After the dissolution of the meeting of November 29,
the committee met, and called on the committees from
other towns to     join them   on all necessary occasions.      Besides sending accounts of these events to all the towns, they
also wrote to the committees of Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New York and Philadelphia, explaining their course,
acting, as they said, "in the faith that harmony and concurrence in action uniformly and firmly maintained, must
finally conduct them to the end of their wishes, namely, a
full enjoyment of constitutional liberty."         They   received
cheering replies and encouraging assurances from all quarters.
At the meeting next morning, a letter to John Scollay




INTRODUCTION.                                LI
from   the consignees, containing their long-delayed proposals,
was read.     They -expressed      sorrow  that they     could  not return satisfactory answers to the two messages of the town,
as it was utterly out of their power to send the teas back,
but said they were willing to store them until they could
communicate with their constituents, and receive their further orders respecting them.         This letter irritated the meeting, and it declined to take action upon it.
Before taking final leave of these        obstinate   gentlemen, I
make a few citations from the recently published volume of
"The Diary and Letters of Thomas Hutchinson." Writing
to his son at the castle on November 30, Hutchinson says:
"The gentlemen (consignees), except your uncle Clarke, all
went to the castle yesterday.         I hope they will not comply
with such a monstrous demand."             Hancock and Adams, he
says, were two of the guard of the tea ship.
Thomas Hutchinson, Jr., to his brother Elisha:
"CASTLE WILLIAM, December 14, I773...   imagine you are anxious to know what the poor banished cornmissioners are doing at the castle.  Our retreat here was sudden, but our enemies
do not say we came too soon.  How long we shall be imprisoned 'tis impossible
to say.... I hear there is a meeting of the mobility to day, but don't know
the result. I hardly think they will attempt sending the tea back, but am more
sure it will not go many leagues. The commissioners are all with us, and we
are as comfortable as we can be in 'a very cold place, driven from our families
and business, with the months of January and February just at hand.
P.S. —Our situation is rendered more agreeable by the polite reception we
met with from Col. Leslie, and the other gentlemen of the army."
And on January 9, 1774, he writes:
" The Bostonians say we shall not return to town without making concessions.
I suppose we shall quit the castle sometime this week, as we are all provided
with retreats in the country.  I have had a disagreeable six weeks of it, but am
in hopes the issue will be well."
-   7




LII


INTRODUCTION.


And again, on January 2I, dated Milton:
"I wrote you some time ago I was in hopes our harassment was drawing to
a close, and that we should leave the castle last week.  Mr. Faneuil and myself
coming off caused a supposition that we intended for Boston, which was the cause
of Saturday's notification which I sent you.1  Mr. Faneuil is since returned to
-the castle, and I am really more confined than if I was there, as I keep pretty
close to my home.  Mr. Jonathan Clarke sails in a few days for England, of
which I am very glad, as it may prevent misapprehension of our conduct on that
side of the water.
A proclamation from the governor was brought in to the
meeting by Sheriff Greenleaf, which he begged leave of
the  moderator to     read.   Objection    was made, but at the
suggestion of Samuel Adams the meeting consented to
hear it.    The   governor charged      that/the    meeting   of the
previous day "openly violated, defied and set at naught the
good and wholesome laws of the, Province, and as great
numbers were again assembled for like purposes, I warn,"
he said, "exhort and require you, and each of you, thus
unlawfully assembled, forthwith to disperse, and to surcease
all further unlawful proceedings at your peril."          The reading was received with general and continued hisses, and a
vote that the meeting would not disperse.           Mr. Copley, the
son-in-law of Mr. Clarke, inquired whether the meeting


1 Probably the following handbill is
referred to:
" Brethren and Fellow Citizens!
You may depend that those odious
miscreants and detestable tools to ministry and government, the TEA CONSIGNEES, (those traitors to their country —
butchers - who have done and are doing
everything to murder and destroy all that
shall stand in the way of their private
interest,) are determined to come (from
the castle) and reside again in the town


of Boston!   I therefore give you this
early notice that you may hold yourselves in readiness on the shortest
warning, to give them such a reception
as such vile ingrates deserve.
(Signed),    JOYCE, Junior,
Chairman of the Committee for
Tarring and Feathering.
O    If any person shall be so hardy
as to tear this down, he may expect
my severest resentment.
J., Jun."




INTRODUCTION.


LIII


would hear the Messrs. Clarke, and whether they would be
safe while coming to and returning from the meeting, and
whether two hours would be allowed him in which to consult with them.  The request of Copley, who was sincerely
desirous of effecting a peaceful solution of the difficulty, was
granted, and the meeting then adjourned until two o'clock.
The proceedings of this afternoon briefly stated were, the
promise of Rotch, the owner, and Hall, the captain of the
" Dartmouth," and the owners of the two other vessels expected with teas, that that article should not be landed, but
should go back in the same ships, and the apology of Mr.
Copley for the time he had taken, he having been obliged
to go to the castle, where the consignees decided that it
would be inexpedient for them to attend the meeting, but
added to their former proposal that the tea should be submitted to the inspection of a committee, and also saying
that as they had not been active in introducing the tea,
they should do nothing to obstruct the people in returning it.)
This was voted unsatisfactory. Resolves were then passed
to the effect that all who imported tea were enemies to the
country; that its landing and sale should be prevented, and
that the tea should be returned to the place whence it came.
And the meeting also voted to send these resolves to every
seaport in the colonies and to England. The committee of
correspondence was charged to make provision for the continuation of the watch, and "the brethren from the country"
were thanked for their "countenance and union," and desired
to afford their assistance on notice being given, and it was
also declared to be "the determination of this body to
carry their votes and resolves into execution at the risk
of life and property."




LIV


INTRODUCTION.


Speaking of this meeting, Hutchinson says: " A more
determined spirit was conspicuous in this body than in any
of the former assemblies of the people.         It was composed
of the lowest as well, and probably in as great proportion,
as of the superior ranks and      orders, and   all had   an equal
voice.   No   eccentric or irregular motions were suffered to
take place.    All seemed to have been the plan of a few, it
may be of a single person."
And in a private letter, dated December i, Hutchinson
writes:
"While the rabble was together in one place, I was in another, not far distant, with his majesty's council, urging them to join with me in some measure to
break up this unlawful assembly, but to no purpose. I hope the consignees will
continue firm, and should not have the least doubt of it if it was not for the
solicitation of the friends of Mr. Clarke.  If they go the lengths they threaten,
I shall be obliged to retire to the castle, as I cannot otherwise make any exertions in support of the king's authority."
The committee of correspondence omitted no step that
prudence or caution could suggest to carry out the determination of the town.     A   letter from  Philadelphia, just then
received, said: " Our tea consignees have all resigned, and
you need not fear, the tea will not be landed here nor at
New   York.     All that we fear is that you will shrink         at
Boston.    May    God   give  you  virtue  enough    to  save the
liberties of your country!"
A  second and a third vessel soon      arrived, and the selectmen gave peremptory orders, to prevent clandestine landing
of the tea, and directed them to be anchored by the side of
the " Dartmouth," at Griffin's Wharf.       One guard answered
for the three vessels. As the time drew near for the landing or return of the tea, the excitement of the community
increased.    "Where the present disorder will end," wrote




INTRODUCTION.


LV


Hutchinson, "I cannot make a probable conjecture; the
town is as furious as in the time of the stamp act." "The
flame is kindled," so wrote the wife of John Adams, "and
like lightning, it catches from  soul to soul.... My
heart beats at every whistle I hear, and I dare not express
half my fears."
Twenty days after her arrival in the port, a vessel was
liable to seizure for the non-payment of duties on articles
imported in her, nor on landing a portion of her cargo,
could she be legally, cleared. On official advice from the
governor to Colonel Leslie, commander of the castle, and
Admiral Montagu, the latter ordered the ships of war,
"Active" and "King Fisher," to guard the passages to the
sea, and permit no unauthorized vessels to pass.  "The
patriots," said Hutchinson, "now found themselves in a web
of inextricable difficulties."  "But where there is a will
there is a way," and the patriots had more resources than
the governor dreamed of.
Rotch, the owner of the "Dartmouth," was summoned
before the committee (December   I), and was asked by
Samuel Adams, the chairman, why he had not kept his
pledge, to send his vessel and tea back to London.  He
replied that it was out of his power to do so.  He was
advised to apply for a clearance and a pass.  "The ship
must go," said Adams, "the people of Boston and the neighboring towns absolutely require and expect it."
The journals of the day are filled with items concerning
the tea question.  Little else was now thought of.  They
contained the resolves of the Massachusetts towns, encouraging Boston to stand firm, and assuring her of their support,
and accounts from Philadelphia and New York of the determ



- VI


INTRODUCTION.


ination to nullify the tea act, and of the declination of
the consignees in the latter place.
The "Gazette," of December I3, editorially says: "The
minds of the public are greatly irritated at the delay- of Mr.
Rotch, to take the necessary steps towards complying with
their peremptory requisition."  On this day an important
session of the committee of the five towns already named
took place at Faneuil Hall. "No business transacted matter
of record," is the brief but suggestive entry as to its doings.
Dorchester, in legal town meeting, declared that, "should
this country be so unhappy as to see a day of trial for the
recovery of its rights by a last and solemn appeal to Him
who gave them, they should not be behind the bravest of our
patriotic brethren." Marblehead affirmed that the proceedings of the brave citizens of Boston, and of other towns, in
opposition to the landing of the tea, were rational, generous
and just; that they were highly honored for their noble
firmness in support of American liberty, and that the men
of the town were ready with their lives to assist their brethren in opposing all measures tending to enslave the country."
Under date of December 3, the people of Roxbury voted
that they were in duty bound to join with Boston, and other
sister towns, to preserve inviolate the liberties handed down
by their ancestors. Next day the men of Charlestown declared themselves ready to risk their lives and fortunes.
Newburyport, Malden, Lexington, Leicester, Fitchburg,
Gloucester, and other towns, also proferred their aid when
needed.
The " Gazette," under date of Salem, December 7, has the
following: " By what we can learn from private intelligence,
as well as the public proceedings of a number of principal




INTRODUCTION.


'LVII


towns contiguous to the capital, the people, if opposed in
their proceedings with respect to the tea, are determined
upon hazarding a brush, therefore those who are willing to
bear a part in it in preserving the rights of this country,
would do well to get suitably prepared."          This looked like
business.
On the morning of December I4, the following handbill
appeared in Boston:
Friends! Brethren! Countrymen! The perfidious act of your reckless enemies to render ineffectual the late resolves of the body of the people, demands
your assembling at the Old South Meeting House, precisely at ten o'clock this
day, at which time the bells will ring."
The meeting     thus called was largely      attended.    Samuel
Phillips Savage,1 of Weston, was chosen moderator. Bruce,
the master of the "Eleanor," promised         to  ask  for a clearance for London, when all his goods were landed, except
the tea, but said that, if refused, "he was loth       to stand the
shot of thirty-two pounders." Rotch, accompanied by Samuel
Adams, Benjamin Kent, and eight others, applied to the
collector of the port for a clearance, and reported, on his
return, that the collector desired to consult with the comptroller, and promised    an answer on     the  following   morning.
The meeting then adjourned until Thursday.
Next day Rotch, with the Committee, proceeded to the
Custom    House.     Harrison, the    Collector, and   Comptroller
1A merchant and a former selectman  tion, and from  Nov. 2, I775, till his
of Boston, member of the Provincial  death, a Judge of the Court of Common
Congress, President of the Massachu-  Pleas for Middlesex County. He died
setts Board of War during the Revolu-  at Weston in December, I797; aged 79.




LVIII


INTRODUCTION.


Hallowell, were both present.  The owner said that he was
required and compelled at his peril by the meeting to make
the demand for the clearance of his vessel for London, with
the tea on board, and one of the committee stated that
they were present only as witnesses. The Collector unequivocally and finally refused to grant his ship a clearance until
it should be discharged of the teas. The result was reported
to the meeting on the following morning.
The eventful Thursday, December I6, 1773, a day ever
memorable in the annals of the town, witnessed the largest
gathering yet seen at the Old South Meeeting House.
Nearly seven thousand persons constituted the assembly.
Business was laid aside, and notwithstanding the rain, at
least two thousand people flocked in from  the country for
twenty miles around.  This time there was no need of
handbills-there were none.   No effort was required to
bring together the multitude that quietly but anxiously
awaited the outcome of the meeting.  The gravity of the
situation was universally felt.  Immediate action was necessary, as the twenty days allowed for clearance terminated
that night. Then the revenue officials could take possession,
and under cover of the naval force land the tea, and opposition to this would have caused bloody work.  The patriots
would gladly have avoided the issue, but it was forced upon
them, and they could not recede with honor.
The committee having reported the failure of its application for a clearance, Rotch was directed to enter a protest
at the Custom House, and to apply to the governor for a
pass to proceed on this day with his vessel on his voyage
for London. He replied that it was impracticable to comply




INTRODUCTION.


I.IX


with this requirement.        He was then      reminded of his promise, and on being asked if he would now direct the
"Dartmouth"       to  sail,  replied   that   he   would    not.    The
meeting, after directing him to use all possible dispatch in
making his protest and procuring his pass, adjourned until
three o'clock.
At the     afternoon   meeting,    information     was   given    that
several towns had agreed not to use tea.            A  vote was taken
to the effect that its use was improper and pernicious, and
that it would be well for all the towns to appoint committees of inspection "to prevent this accursed tea" from
coming     among     them.     "Shall    we   abide   by    our   former
resolution with respect to the not suffering the tea to be
landed?"     was   now    the   question.      Samuel     Adams,     Dr.
Thomas Young and Josiah Quincy, Jr.,1 an ardent young
patriot devotedly attached to the liberties of his country,
were the principal speakers.        Only a fragment of the speech
of   Quincy    remains.      Counselling     moderation,     and   in   a
spirit of prophecy, he said:
" It is not, Mr. Moderator, the spirit that vapors within these walls that must
stand us in stead. The exertions of this day will call forth the events which will
make a very different spirit necessary for our salvation. Whoever supposes that
shouts and hosannas will terminate the trials of the day, entertains a childish
fancy. We must be grossly ignorant of the importance and value of the prize for
which we contend; we must be equally ignorant of the power of those who have
combined against us; we must be blind to that malice, inveteracy and insatiable
revenge which actuates our enemies, public and private, abroad and in our bosom,
to hope that we shall end this controversy without the sharpest, the sharpest conflicts; to flatter ourselves that popular resolves, popular harangues, popular acclamations, and popular vapor will vanquish our foes.  Let us consider the issue.
1Quincy visited England in I774, and  a lawyer, and in conjunction with John
died on the passage home, in sight of  Adams, defended the perpetrators of the
his native land, April 26, I775. He was  "Boston Massacre."
8




LX


- INTRODUCTION.


Let us look to the end. Let us weigh and consider before we advance to those
measures which must bring on the most trying and terrific struggle this country
ever saw."
But the time for weighing and considering the business
in hand had passed.   Time pressed and decisive action
alone remained.  "Now that the hand is at the plough," it
was said, "there must be no looking back."
At half-past four it was unanimously voted that the tea
should not be landed.  An effort was now made to dissolve
the meeting, but it was continued at the request of some of
those present from the country, who wished to hear the
result of Rotch's application to the governor.
It was an unusual time of the year to be at a country
seat, but Governor Hutchinson was found at his Milton
residence by Rotch, who renewed his request for a pass.
Questioned by the governor as to the intentions of the
people, Rotch replied that they only intended to force the
tea back to England, but that there might be some who
desired that the vessel might go down the harbor and be
brought to by a shot from the castle, that it might be said
that the people had done everything in their power to send
the tea back. " Catching at this straw, with the instinct of
a drowning man," Hutchinson offered Rotch a letter to
Admiral Montagu, commending ship and goods to his protection, if Rotch would agree to have his ship haul out
into the stream, but he replied that none were willing to
assist him in doing this, and that the attempt would subject
him to the ill will of the people.  Hutchinson then sternly
repeated his refusal of a pass,' as it would have been "a
direct countenancing and encouraging the violation of the


1 Lord Mahon, a candid British historian, thinks this concession unwisely denied.




" Who knows how tea will mingle with salt water? " JOHN Rowa. Old South Church, Boston, Dec.
sx6, 1773.








INTRODUCTION.


LXIII


acts of trade."  Thus closed the last opportunity for concession.
It is only fair to say that the performance of what he
honestly believed to be his duty was as vital a consideration
with Thomas Hutchinson, the royal governor, as opposition
to measures which he believed to be hostile to the liberties
of his country was to Samuel Adams, the popular leader.
We can at this day well afford to mete out this tardy justice
to a man whose motives and conduct have been so bitterly
and unscrupulously vilified and maligned as have been those
of Thomas Hutchinson.
When Rotch returned and told the result of his application, it was nearly six o'clock.  Darkness had set in, and
the Old South, dimly lighted with candles, was still filled
with an anxious and impatient multitude. "Who knows,"
said John Rowe,1 "how tea will mingle with salt water?"


1John Rowe, a prominent merchant
and patriotic citizen of Boston, died
February 17, 1787; aged 72 years. He
was many years a Selectman, Overseer
of the Poor, and representative to the
General Court, and was chairman of
the committee chosen June I6, 1779, to
fix the prices of merchandise, and to
bring to punishment all offenders against
the act against monopoly and forestalling. He was a member of the First
*Lodge of Freemasons, Boston, in I740;


master of the same Lodge in I749, and
fifth Provincial Grand Master in 1768.
When, in 1766, Rowe was proposed for
representative, Samuel Adams artfully
suggested another, by asking -with his
eyes on Mr. Hancock's house -"Is
there not another John that may do
better?" The hint took, and the wealth
and influence of Hancock were secured
on the side of liberty. Rowe's mansion,subsequently that of Judge Prescott,
father of the historian, -stood on the




LXIV


INTRODUCTION.


The people hurrahed vehemently, and the cry arose, "A
mob! a mob!" A call to order restored quiet. Dr. Young
then addressed the meeting, saying that Rotch was a good
man, who had done all in his power to gratify the people,
and charged them to do no hurt to his person or property.
To the final question then put to him, whether he would
send his vessel back with the tea in her, under the present
circumstances, he replied, that he could not, as he "apprehended that a compliance would prove his ruin."  He also
admitted that if called upon by the proper persons, he
should attempt to land the tea for his own security.
Adams then arose and uttered the fateful words, "This
meeting can do nothing more to save the country." This
was doubtless the preconcerted signal for action, and it was
answered by the men who sounded the war-whoop at the
church door. The cry was re-echoed from the gallery, where
a voice cried out, " Boston harbor a tea-pot to-night; hurrah
for Griffin's wharf! " and the "Mohawks" passed on to cut
the Gordian knot with their hatchets.
Silence was again commanded, when the people, after
"manifesting a most exemplary patience and caution in the
methods they had pursued to preserve the property of the
East India Company, and to return it safe and untouched
to its owners," perceiving that at every step they had been
thwarted by the consignees and their coadjutors, then dissolved the meeting, giving three cheers as they dispersed.
Meanwhile a number of persons, variously estimated at
from twenty to eighty, (their number increasing as they
spot lately occupied by Dr. Robbins' friend of his country, but the wharf alone
church, in Bedford Street. A wharf and retains the title. Since I856, Rowe Street
street once bore the name of this true has been absorbed in Chauncy Street.




INTRODUCTION.


LXV


advanced,) some of them disguised as Indians, and armed
with hatchets or axes, hurried to Griffin's (now Liverpool)wharf, boarded the ships, and, warning their crews and the
customs officers to keep out of the way, in less than three
hours time had broken and emptied into the dock three
hundred and forty-two chests of tea, valued at fI8,ooo. The
deed was not that of a lawless mob, but the deliberate and
well-considered act of intelligent, as well as determined,
men.  So careful were they not to destroy or injure private
property, that they even replaced a padlock they had
broken.   There  was no    noise nor confusion.   They
worked so quietly and systematically that those on shore
could distinctly hear the strokes of the hatchets.  As soon
as the people learned what was going forward, they made
their way to the scene of operations, covering the wharves
in the vicinity, whence they looked on in silence during the
performance. The night was clear, the moon shone brilliantly,
no one was harmed, and the town was never more quiet.
Next day, the Dorchester shore was lined with tea, carried
thither by the wind and tide.  The serious spirit in which
this deed was regarded by the leaders, is illustrated by the
act of one who, after assisting his apprentice to disguise
himself, dropped upon his knees and prayed fervently for
his safety, and the success of the enterprise.
Among the spectators of the scene were Dr. John Prince,
of Salem; John Andrews, and Dr. Hugh Williamson, who
afterwards underwent an examination respecting the affair
before the British House of Commons.
Where is now the wide Atlantic Avenue, the old footpath
under Fort Hill, known as Flounder Lane, and afterwards
as Broad Street, wound around the margin of the water.




LXVI


INTRODUCTION.


Sea Street was its continuation to Wheeler's Point (the foot
of Summer Street). Opposite where Hutchinson (now Pearl)
Street entered Flounder Lane, was Griffin's Wharf.  The
laying out of Broad Street and Atlantic Avenue, and the
consequent widening and filling in, have resulted in obliterating GriffiAsWharf, although in Liverpool wharf it has a
legitimate successor.  The old dock logs were found near
the centre of the avenue.  The coal office of the Messrs.
Chapin now occupies the site rendered memorable by the
exploit of the Boston tea party.
The destruction of the tea is said to have been planned
in the " Long Room," over Edes & Gills' printing-office, on
the easterly corner of Franklin Avenue and Court Street,
where the "Daily Advertiser" building recently stood. - In
their back office some of the party it is said were disguised.
Among the members of the "Long Room Club," as those
who usually met here were styled, were Samuel Adams,
Hancock, Warren, Otis, Church, Samuel Dexter, Dr. Samuel
Cooper, and his brother, William Cooper, Thomas Dawes,
Samuel Phillips Savage, Royal Tyler, Paul Revere, Thomas
Fleet, John Winthrop, William Molineux, and Thomas
Melvill.
A similar claim is also made for the "Green Dragon"
tavern, then known as the " Freemasons' Arms," which stood
near the northerly corner of Union and Hanover Streets,
where the Masonic Lodge of St. Andrew held its meetings.
The honor belongs equally to both. In both, the consultations of the popular leaders were undoubtedly held and
their plans laid.  Prominent members of this Lodge, who
were also active "Sons of Liberty," and members of the tea




INTRODUCTION.


LXV11


party were, Paul Revere, Edward Proctor, Thomas Chase,
Adam Collson, Samuel Peck and Thomas Urann. Its later
members, also identified with the tea party, were Samuel
Gore, Daniel Ingersoll, Henry Purkitt, Amos Lincoln, James
Swan, Robert Davis, Abraham Hunt, Eliphalet Newell and
Nathaniel Willis. Other prominent Free Masons active in
the tea affair were Dr. Warren and John Rowe. The tradition of the Lodge is, that the preliminaries of the affair
were arranged here, and that the execution of them was
committed mainly to the North End Caucus, with the cooperation of the more daring of the "Sons of Liberty."
The committee of safety also met here. The record book
of the lodge, under date of November 30, I773, says:
"Lodge met and adjourned. N. B. -The consignees of the tea took the
brethren's time."
And on the eventful i6th of December:
"The Lodge met and closed on account of the few members in attendance.
Adjourned until to-morrow evening."
Three different parties, one or two of whom were disguised, had been prepared beforehand for this event, by the
leaders.  Certain it is that there were several squads in
different parts of the town, who disguised themselves at
their own or their neighbors' houses, and who then rendezvoused at points previously designated, before going to the
wharf.  Quite an Indian village was improvised at the
junction of Hollis and Tremont Streets. John Crane, Joseph
Lovering, and the Bradlees occupied opposite corners of this
locality, the house and carpenter shop of Crane adjoining
the refidence of the famous Dr. Mather Byles.    Captain
Thomas Bolter and Samuel Fenno, also of the tea party,
were near neighbors of Crane, and like him, were carpenters.




LXVIII


INTRODUCTION.


Joseph Lovering, Jr., related that he held the light for Crane
and some of his neighbors, to disguise themselves, in Crane's
shop. The four brothers Bradlee, and a brother-in-law, were
prepared for the occasion at their house opposite.
Perhaps the best contemporaneous account of the affair
is  the   following,   from     the   " Massachusetts     Gazette,"    of
December 23:
" Just before the dissolution of the meeting," says the 'Gazette,' a number of
brave and resolute men, dressed in the Indian manner, approached near the door
of the assembly, and gave a war-whoop, which rang through the house, and was
answered by some in the galleries, but silence was commanded, and a peaceable
deportment enjoined until the dissolution.  The Indians, as they were then called,
repaired to the wharf, where the ships lay that had the tea on board, and were
followed by hundreds of people, to see the event of the transactions of those who
made so grotesque an appearance.  The Indians immediately repaired on board
Captain Hall's ship, where they hoisted out the chests of tea, and when on deck
stove them and emptied the tea overboard.  Having cleared this ship, they proceeded to Captain Bruce's, and then to Captain Coffin's brig. They applied themselves so dexterously to the destruction of this commodity, that in the space of
three hours they broke up three hundred and forty-two chests, which was the
whole number in these vessels, and discharged their contents into the dock.
When the tide rose it floated the broken chests and the tea insomuch that the
surface of the water was filled therewith a considerable way from the south part
of the town to Dorchester Neck, and lodged on the shores.  There was the
greatest care taken to prevent the tea from being purloined by the populace; one
or two being detected in endeavoring to pocket a small quantity were stripped of
their acquisitions and very roughly handled.  It is worthy of remark that although
a considerable quantity of goods were still remaining on board the vessel, no
injury was sustained.  Such attention to private property was observed, that a
small padlock belonging to the captain of one of the ships being broke, another
was procured and sent to him.  The town was very quiet during the whole evening and the night following.  Those who were from the country went home with
a merry heart, and the next day joy appeared in almost every countenance, some
on account of the destruction of the tea, others on account of the quietness with
which it was effected. One of the Monday's papers says the masters and owners
are well pleased that their ships are thus cleared,"




INTRODUCTION.


LXIX


Another Boston paper says:
" The people repaired to Griffin's wharf, where the tea vessels lay, proceeded
to fix tackles and hoist the tea upon deck, cut the chests to pieces, and throw
the tea over the side.... They began upon the two ships first, as they had
nothing on board but the tea, then proceeded to the brig, which had hauled to
the wharf but the day before, and had but a small part of her cargo out.  The
captain of the brig begged they would not begin with his vessel, as the tea was
covered with goods belonging to different merchants in the town. They told him
' the tea they wanted, and the tea they would have, but if he would go into his
cabin quietly, not one article of his goods should be hurt.' They immediately
proceeded to remove the goods, and then to dispose of the tea."
From   the "Evening Post " of Monday, December 20, 1773:
"Previous to the dissolution, a number of persons, supposed to be the aboriginal natives, from their complexion, approaching the door of the assembly, gave
the war-whoop, which was answered by a few in the galleries of the house, where
the crowded assembly was convened. Silence was commanded, and prudent and
peaceable deportment again enjoined. The savages repaired to the ships which
contained the pestilential tea, and had begun their ravages previous to the dissolution of the meeting."
Extract from the log-book of the " Dartmouth:"
"Thursday, December I6.   This twenty-four hours rainy weather, terminating
this day. Between six and seven o'clock this evening, came down to the wharf a
body of about one thousand people, among them were a number dressed and
whooping like Indians. They came on board the ship, and after warning myself
and the custom-house officers to get out of the way, they undid the hatches and
went down the hold, where was eighty whole, and thirty-four half chests, of tea,
which they hoisted upon deck, and cut the chests to pieces, and hove the tea all
overboard, where it was damaged and lost."
John Andrews, an eye-witness, in a letter to a friend relates
particulars not elsewhere mentioned.          While    drinking tea at
his house he heard "prodigious shouts," and went to the
Old South Meeting House to ascertain the cause:
" The house was so crowded," he says, " that I could get no further than the
porch, when I found the moderator was just declaring the meeting to be dissolved,
which caused another general shout out-doors and in, and three cheers.  What
with that and the consequent noise of breaking up the meeting, you'd thought
9




LXX


INTRODUCTION.


the inhabitants of the infernal regions had broke loose.  For my part, I went
contentedly home and finished my tea, but was soon informed what was going
forward. Not crediting it without ocular demonstration, I went and was satisfied.
They mustered, I'm told, upon Fort Hill, to the number of about two hundred,
and proceeded, two by two, to Griffin's wharf, where Hall, Bruce and Coffin lay.... The latter arrived at the wharf only the day before, and was freighted
with a large quantity. of other goods, which they took the greatest care not to
injure in the least, and before nine o'clock in the evening every chest on board
the three vessels was knocked to pieces and flung over the sides. They say the
actors were Indians from Narragansett; whether they were or not, to a transient
observer they appeared as such, being clothed in blankets, with their heads
muffled, and copper-colored countenances, being each armed with a hatchet or axe,
or pair of pistols, nor was their dialect different from what I conceive these
geniuses to speak, as their jargon was unintelligible to all but themselves. Not
the least insult was offered to any person save one Captain Connor, a letter of
horses in this place, not many years since removed from dear Ireland, who had
ript up the lining of his coat and waistcoat under the arms, and watching his
opportunity, had nearly filled them with tea, but being detected, was handled pretty
roughly. They not only stripped him of his clothes, but gave him a coat of mud,
with a severe bruising into the bargain, and nothing but their utter aversion to
making any disturbance prevented his being tarred and feathered."
Many interesting details are supplied by the reminiscences
of the    actors   themselves, long     afterwards.     In the "Recollections   of a    Bostonian,"    published    in  the   "Centinel," in
I821-22, the writer says he spent the night but one before
the destruction of the tea as one of the guard detached
from the new grenadier corps, in company with Gen. Knox,
then one of its officers, on board one of the tea ships. He
heard John Rowe suggest to the meeting in the Old South,
"Who     knows how      tea will mingle with salt water?"          a suggestion   received    with   great   applause.      He   further    states
that when the answer of the governor was reported to the
meeting -
"An Indian yell was heard from  the street.  Mr. Samuel Adams cried out
that it was a trick of their enemies to disturb the meeting, and requested the
people to keep their places, but the people rushed out and accompanied the




INTRODUCTION.        LXXI


LXXI


Indians to the ships.  The number of persons disguised as Indiaiis is variously
stated, -none put it lower than sixty, nor higher than eighty.  The destruction
was effected by them, and some young men who volunteered.  One of the latter
collected the tea which fell into the shoes of himself and companions, and put
it in a phial and sealed it up, -now in his possession.... The hall of
council is said to have been in the back room of Edes' printing-office, at the
corner of the alley leading to Brattle Street Church, from Court Street."
In i827, Joshua Wyeth, of Cincinnati, related the following particulars of the affair to Rev. Timothy Flint. Wyeth,
then sixteen years old, was a journeyman blacksmith in the
employ of Watson and Gridley. He says:
" Our numbers were between twenty-eight and 'thirty. Of my associates I only
remember the names of Frothingham, Mead, Martin and Grant. Many of them
were apprentices and journeymen, not a few, as was the case with myself, living
with Tory masters.  I had but a few hours warning of what was intended to be
done. We first talked of firing the ships, but feared the fire would communicate
to the town.  We then proposed sinking them, but dropped that project through
fear that we should alarm the town before we could get through with it.  We
had observed that very few persons remained on board the ships, and we finally
concluded that we could take possession of them, and discharge the tea into the
harbor without danger or opposition.  One of the ships laid at the wharf, the
others a little way out in the stream, with their warps made fast to the wharf.
To prevent discovery, we agreed to wear ragged clothes and disfigure ourselves,
dressing to resemble Indians as much as possible, smearing our faces with grease
and lamp black or soot, and should nat have known each other except by our
voices. Our most intimate friends among the spectators had not the least knowledge of us.  We surely resembled devils from  the bottomless pit rather than i
men.   At the appointed time we met in an old building at the head of the
wharf, and fell in one after another, as if by accident, so as not to excite suspicion. We placed a sentry at the head of the wharf, another in the middle, and
one on the bow of each ship as we took possession.   We boarded the ship
moored by the wharf, and our leader, in a very stern and resolute manner, ordered
the captain and crew to open the hatchways, and hand us the hoisting tackle and
ropes, assuring them that no harm was intended them.  The captain asked what
we intended, to do. Our leader told him that we were going to unload the tea,
and ordered him and the crew below.   They instantly obeyed.  Some of our
number then jumped into the hold, and passed the chests to the tackle. As they
were hauled on deck others knocked them open with axes, and others raised them
to the railing and discharged their contents overboard. All who were not needed




LXXII


INTRODUCTION.


for discharging' this ship went on board the others, warped them to the wharf,
when the same ceremonies were repeated.  We were merry, in an undertone, at
the idea of making so large a cup of tea for the fishes, but were as still as the
nature of the case would admit, using no more words than were absolutely necessary. We stirred briskly in the business from the moment we left our dressingroom.  I never worked harder in my life. While we were unloading, the people
collected in great numbers about the wharf to see what was going on.  They
crowded around us so as to be much in our way. Our sentries were not armed,
and could not stop any who insisted on passing.  They were particularly charged
to give us notice in case any known Tory came down to the wharf. There was
much talk about this business next morning.  We pretended to be as zealous to
find out the perpetrators as the rest, and were all so close and loyal, that the
whole affair remained in Egyptian darkness."
In I835, a small volume appeared, entitled " Traits of the
Tea Party," with     a memoir of G. R. T. Hewes.              From    it
we glean the following incidents.
Mr. Hewes- thinks that among the speakers at the meeting on the afternoon of December i6, was John Hancock,
who said that "the matter must be settled before twelve
o'clock that night."     Hewes positively     affirms that he recognized   Hancock, who worked         by his side in the destruction
of the tea, not only      by  his ruffles, which were     accidentally
exposed, and by his figure       and   gait, but by    his voice   and
features, notwithstanding his paint, and the loosened club of
hair behind. In this he was undoubtedly mistaken. Neither
Hancock, Adams nor Warren were among the disguised
Indians.    There were     enough who were        competent for the
business without them.
Just before the meeting dissolved, some one in the galleries (Mr. Pierce thinks it was Adam Collson) cried out
with a loud voice, "Boston harbor a tea-pot to-night! Hurrah  for Griffin's   wharf!"      This is    probably   the   disorder
checked by the chairman, and which was in response to the




INTRODUCTION.


I.XXIII


war-whoops outside. Three cheers were given by the meeting as it broke up.
The disguise of the Indians was hastily prepared.  Many
of them arrayed themselves in a store on Fort Hill.  The
original number of one of the parties was fifteen or twenty.
Many others joined in the act of breaking up the boxes,
who disguised themselves as best they could, and some,
chiefly extempore volunteers, were not disguised at all.
Hewes himself, while the crowd rushed down Milk Street,
made his way to a blacksmith's shop, on Boylston's wharf,
where he hastily begrimmed his face with a soot-able preparation, thence to the house of an acquaintance near Griffin's,
where he got a blanket, which he wrapped around his person.
When he reached the wharf, there were many there, but
no crowd. iThe moon shone brightly.  From one hundred
to one hundred and fifty were engaged.  The whole were
divided into three equal divisions, with a captain and boatswain for each. Hewes's whistling talent - a matter of public
notoriety-procured him the position of boatswain in the
party, under Captain Lendall Pitts, which boarded the brig.
Many were fantastically arrayed in old frocks, red woolen
caps or gowns, and all manner of like habiliments.
One of Pitts's first official acts was to send a message to
the mate, who was in his cabin, for the use of a few lights
and the brig's keys, so that as little damage as possible
might be done to the vessel. The keys were handed over
without a word, and he also provided candles.  The three
parties finished their separate tasks nearly at the same time,
and without unnecessary delay.  A number of sailors and
others had joined them from time to time, and aided them
in hoisting the chests from the hold.




LXXTV


INTRODUCTION.


Collecting on the wharf, which was now covered with
spectators, a fresh inspection was instituted, and all the tea
men were ordered to take off their shoes and empty them,
which was supposed to be done.  Pitts, who was a military
man, and a prominent Son of Liberty, was appointed commander-in-chief; the company was formed in rank and file
by his directions, with the aid of Barber, Proctor, and some
others, and "shouldering arms,"- such as they had, tomahawks included, —they marched up the wharf, to what is
now the east end of Pearl Street, back into town, and then
separated and went quietly home.
All was done in plain sight of the British squadron, which
lay less than a quarter of a mile distant. Admiral Montagu
witnessed most of the affair from a more convenient pointthe house of a Tory, named Coffin, on Atkinson Street, near
the head of the wharf.  Raising the window as they came
along, he said, "Well, boys, you have had a fine, pleasant
evening for your Indian caper, haven't you?  But mind,
you have got to pay the fiddler yet! "
' Oh, never mind!" shouted Pitts, "never mind, squire!
Just come out here, if you please, and we'll settle the bill
in two minutes."  This caused a shout, the fife struck up
a lively air, the admiral put the window down in a hurry,
and the company marched on.
When Hewes reached home he told his wife the story.
"Well, George," said she, "Did you bring me home a lot
of it?"  The only tea known to have been brought that
night from the wharf was in the shoes of Thomas Melvill.
A sample gathered on the Dorchester shore by Dr. Thaddeus M. Harris, is now preserved in the cabinet of the
Antiquarian Society, at Worcester.




B attery


DIAGRAM SHOWING THE ROUTE TAKEN FROM THE OLD SOUTH CHURCH
TO THE WHARF. (See dotted lines.)



II4A. AjM o Ur


Batteity


"i




DIAGRAM SHOWING


THE
TO


ROUTE TAKEN FROM THE
THE WHARF. (See dotted Zies.)


I


OLD


SOUTH


CHURCH








INTRODUCTION


LXXVII


One O'Connor, an Irishman, formerly a fellow apprentice
with   Hewes, attempted to secrete some of the tea.              Hewes
noticed a suspicious movement of his hands along the lining
of his coat, and informed Pitts. Catching him by the skirts
of his coat, he pulled him back as he was trying to escape,
and he was quickly relieved of his cargo, as well as the
apparel which contained it, and a few kicks were applied to
hasten his retreat.
Early on the morning of the I7th, a long windrow of tea,
"about as big as you ever saw          of hay," was seen extending
from   the wharves down        to  the  castle.    A   party  of volunteers soon turned out in boats, and stirred it up in the
"pot" pretty effectually
Those who      undertook    to  preserve    any   of the   poisonous
herb were sharply looked        after by the patriots.        A  Boston
paper of January 3, I774, says:
"Whereas, it was reported that one Withington, of Dorchester, had taken up
and partly disposed of a chest of the East India Company's tea, a number of the
Cape or Narragansett Indians went to the house of Captain Ebenezer Withington,
and his brother Phillip, last Friday evening, and thoroughly searched their houses,
without offering the least offence to any one. Finding no tea, they proceeded to
the house of old Mr. Ebenezer Withington, at a place called Sodom, below Dorchester Meeting House, where they found part of a half-chest, which had floated,
and was cast up on Dorchester Point.  This they seized and brought to Boston
Common, where they committed it to the flames."
Benjamin Simpson, a bricklayer's apprentice, says:
"After the meeting in the Old South was over, there was a cry in the gallery
of 'every man to his tent.'  We repaired to the wharf.  I went on board both
ships, but saw no person belonging to them.  In a few minutes a number of
men came on the wharf, (with the Indian pow-wow,) went on board the ships,
then lying at the side of the wharf, the water in the dock not more than two
feet deep.  They began to throw the tea into the water, which went off with the




LXXVIII


INTRODUCTION.


tide till the tea grounded. We soon found there was tea on board the brig also.
A demand being made of it, the captain told us the whole of his cargo was on
board; that the tea was directly under the hatches, which he would open if we
would not damage anything but the tea, which was agreed to.   The hatches
were then opened, a man sent down to show us the tea, which we hoisted out,
stove the chests and threw tea and all overboard.  Those on board the ships
did the same.  I was on board the ships when the tea was so high by the side
of them as to fall in, which was shovelled down more than once.  We on board
the brig were not disguised.  I was then nineteen years old; I am now (1830)
seventy-five."
Peter, the son    of Benjamin      Edes, the printer, in a letter
to his grandson, Benjamin C. Edes, written in 1836, says of
the tea party:
"I know but little about it, as I was not admitted into their presence, for
fear, I suppose, of their being known.... I recollect perfectly well that in
the afternoon preceding the evening of the destruction of the tea, a number of gentlemen met in the parlor of my father's house,- how many I cannot say.  As I
said before, I was not admitted into their presence; my station was in another
room, to make punch for them, in the bowll which is now in your possession, and
which I filled several times. They remained in the house till dark,- I suppose
to disguise themselves like Indians, -when they left the house, and proceeded to
the wharves where the vessels lay.  Before they reached there they were joined
by hundreds.  I thought I would take a walk to the wharves as a spectator,
where was collected, I may say, as many as two thousand persons. The Indians
worked smartly.  Some were in the hold immediately after the hatches were
broken open, fixing the ropes to the tea-chests, others were breaking open the
chests, and others stood ready with hatchets to cut off the bindings of the chests
and cast them overboard.  I remained till I was tired, and fearing some disturbance might occur, went home, leaving the Indians working like good, industrious
fellows. This is all I know about it."
The account given by General Ebenezer Stevens to his
son, Horatio Gates Stevens, is as follows:
"I went from the Old South Meeting House just after dark.  The party was
about seventy or eighty.  At the head of the wharf we met the detachment of


1 This punch bowl is now in the possession of the Massachusetts Historical Society.




INTRODUCTION.


LXXIX


our company (Paddock's Artillery) on guard, who joined us.  I commenced with
a party on board the vessel of which Hodgdon1 was mate, (the 'Dartmouth') and
as he knew me, I left that vessel with some of my comrades and went aboard
another vessel, which lay at the opposite side of the wharf.  Numbers of others
took our places on board Hodgdon's vessel. We commenced handing the boxes
of tea on deck, and first began breaking them with axes, but found much difficulty, owing to the boxes of tea being covered with canvas, -the mode that
the article was then imported in.  I think that all the tea was destroyed in about
two hours.  We were careful to prevent any being taken away.  None of the
party were painted as Indians, nor, that I know of, disguised, excepting that
some of them stopped at a paint shop on the way, and daubed their faces with
paint."
Robert Sessions, of South Wilbraham, (now Hampden)
Mass., another actor in the scene, says:
"I was living in Boston at the time, in the family of a Mr. Davis, a lumber
merchant, as a common laborer.  On that eventful evening, when Mr. Davis
came in from the town meeting, I asked him what was to be done with the tea.
'They are now throwing it overboard,' he replied. Receiving permission, I went
immediately to the spot. Everything was as light as day, by the means of lamps
and torches; a pin might be seen lying on the wharf.  I went on board where
they were at work, and took hold with my own hands.  I was not one of those
appointed to destroy the tea, and who disguised themselves as Indians, but was
a volunteer; the disguised men being largely men of family and position in
Boston, while I was a young man, whose home and relations were in Connecticut.
The appointed and disguised party proving too small for the quick work necessary, other young men, similarly circumstanced with myself, joined them in their
labors. The chests were drawn up by a tackle, - one man bringing them forward,
another putting a rope around them, and others hoisting them to the deck and
Alexander Hodgdon, mate of the     sister (they were afterwards married),
"Dartmouth," was subsequently (I 787-92) and was naturally desirous not to comTreasurer of the State of Massachusetts. promise himself or his friend.
Stevens was at that time courting his
I0




LXXX


INTRODUCTION.


carrying them  to the vessel's side.  The chests were then opened, the tea
emptied over the side, and the chests thrown overboard.  Perfect regularity prevailed during the whole transaction.  Although there were many people on the
wharf, entire silence prevailed,-no clamor, no talking.  Nothing was meddled
With but the teas on board. After having emptied the whole, the deck was swept
clean, and everything put in its proper place. An officer on board was requested
to come up from the cabin and see that no damage was done except to the tea.
At about the close of the scene, a man was discovered making his, way through
the crowd with his pockets filled with tea. He was immediately laid hold of, and
his coat skirts torn off, with their pockets, and thrown into the dock with the
rest of the tea.  I was obliged to leave the town at once, as it was of course
known that I was concerned in the affair."
William Tudor, then a law student in the office of John
Adams, and acquainted with some of the members of the
tea party, gives in his " Life of James Otis," the following
account of it:
"A band of eighteen or twenty young men (no one of whom was in any disguise), who had been prepared for the event, went by the Meeting House giving
a shout.  It was echoed by some within; others exclaimed, 'the Mohawks are
come!;' the assembly broke up and a part of it followed this body of young
men to Griffin's wharf. Three different parties, composed of trust-worthy persons,
many of whom were in after life among the most respectable citizens of the town,
had been prepared, in conformity to the secret resolves of the political leaders,
to act as circumstances should require.  They were seventy or eighty in all, and
when every attempt to have the tea returned had failed, it was immediately made
known to them, and they proceeded at once to throw the obnoxious merchandise
into the water.  One, if not two of these parties, wore a kind of Indian disguise.
Two of these persons, in passing over Fort Hill to the scene of operations, met
a British officer who, on observing them, naturally enough drew his sword. As
they approached, one of the Indians drew a pistol, and said to the officer, ' The
path is wide enough for us all; we have nothing to do with you, and intend you
no harm; if you keep your own way peaceably, we shall keep ours."
Henry     Purkitt, Samuel Sprague          and   John    Hooten, (all
living in I835,) were apprentices of about the same age.
Purkitt and Dolbear were apprentices with Peck, the cooper,
in  Essex    Street.     While    at their work     they   heard   a loud




INTRODUCTION.


LXXXI


whistle, which startled them, and which they followed till it
brought them to the wharf. Their part of the play was on
the flats, by the side of one of the vessels, —for it was
nearly low tide, —and with other boys, by direction of the
commander, to break up more thoroughly the fragments of
chests and masses of tea thrown over in too great haste.
They found their return upon deck much facilitated by the
immense pile which had accumulated beneath and around
them.  The commander acted as an interpreter for those
persons,- apparently five or six aboard each vessel,-who
especially assumed the Indian guise.  These were no doubt
among the principal directors of the whole affair.  They
affected to issue their orders from time to time in an Indian
jargon, the interpreter communicating what the chiefs said;
attended to the procuring of keys and lights, the raising of
the derricks, trampling the tea into the mud, sweeping the
decks at the close of the scene, calling up the mate to
report whether everything (except, of course, the tea) was left
as they found it, etc.
Purkitt and Dolbear went home early. Peck, who was
believed to be, one of the chiefs, came in rather softly, at
one o'clock in the morning.  The boys noticed some indications of red paint behind his ears, next day.  The only
tools they used were staves, which they made before starting.
David Kinnison, the last survivor of the tea party, died
at Chicago in I852, at the great age of one hundred and
fifteen.  He was one of seventeen inhabitants of Lebanon,
Maine, who had associated themselves together as a political
club, and who had determined, at all hazards, to destroy the
tea, whether assisted or not. Some of them repairing to Bos



LXXXI I


L  INTRODUCTION.


ton, joined the party, and twenty-four, disguised as Indians,
hastened on board the ships, twelve armed with- muskets and
bayonets, the rest with tomahawks and clubs. They expected
to have a fight, not doubting that an effort would be made
for their arrest, and agreed at the outset to stand by each
other to the last.  They also pledged themselves not to reveal the names of the party.  Owing to the great age of
Kinnison, when this relation was made to Mr. Lossing, it is
possibly in some particulars erroneous, and is given only as
a piece of original evidence, and simply for what it is worth.
With a British squadron and British troops so near at
hand, it seems strange that the party was not interrupted.
The probable reason is, that something far more serious
was expected on any attempt to land the tea, and that the
authorities, the owners of the ships, the consignees of the tea,
and all others concerned, were glad to be thus extricated from
a serious dilemma. They, however, could not be called upon
to interfere, except by the civil authorities, in case of a riot.
Governor Hutchinson says " the tea could have been
secured in the town in no other way than by landing
marines from the men-of-war, or bringing to town the regiment which was at the castle, to remove the guards from
the ships and to take their places." This would have brought
on a greater convulsion than there was any danger of in I770,
and it would not have been possible, when two regiments were
forced out of the town, for so small a body of troops to have
kept possession of the place.  He did not suppose such, a
measure would be approved of in England, nor was he sure
of support from any one person in authority. There was
not a- justice of peace, sheriff, constable or peace officer in
the province who would venture to take cognizance of any




INTRODUCTION


LXXXIII


breach of law against the general bent of the people.  So
many of the actors were universally known that a proclamation, with a reward for discovery, would have been ridiculed.
Hutchinson submitted the consideration of the affair to the
council, and that body promised to give it attention, but
nothing came of it.  "Of the thousands concerned in the
transaction," wrote General Gage to the historian Chalmers,
"or who were spectators of it, only one witness could be
procured to give testimony against them, and that one conditionally that the delinquents should be tried in England."
So far as is known, only a single person was arrested, -a
Mr. Eckley, and he was never brought to trial.
A fourth tea-ship, destined for Boston, was wrecked on
Cape Cod.   The few chests of tea saved from her cargo
were, by the governor's order, placed in the castle. Twentyeight chests, brought a little later by another vessel from
London, on the joint account of Boston merchants, were
destroyed by a disguised party, on March 7, I774.  The
people of Charlestown destroyed, in the market place, all the
tea they could find in the town, paying the owners its value.
Other towns did the same.
An account of the transaction, drawn up by the Boston
committee, was carried by Paul Revere, to New York and
Philadelphia.  When the news reached New    York, vast
numbers of the people collected. They were in high spirits,
one and all declaring that the ships with tea on board,
designed for that port, should on arrival be sent back, or
the tea destroyed.  They highly extolled the Bostonians
for what the people had done, and immediately forwarded
the news to Philadelphia.  When Revere, on his return,
brought word that Governor Tryon had engaged to send




LXXXIV


IXXXIV  INTRODUCTION.


the New York tea-ships back, all the bells in Boston were
rung next morning.
Extract from   a letter to the Sons of Liberty, in New    York,
dated Boston, December I 7, I 773:
"The bearer is chosen by the committee from a number of gentlemen, who
volunteered to carry you this intelligence. We are in a perfect jubilee. Not a
Tory in the whole community can find the least fault with our proceedings....
The spirit of the people throughout the country is to be described by no terms
in my power. Their conduct last night surprised the admiral and English gentlemen, who observed that these were not a mob of disorderly rabble, (as they have
been reported,) but men of sense, coolness and intrepidity."
The tea shipped to South Carolina (two hundred and
fifty-seven chests) arrived on the second of December.          So
strenuous was the opposition to its being landed, that the
consignees were persuaded to resign.       Though the collector,
after the twentieth day, seized the dutiable article, as no
one would sell it or pay the duty, it perished in the damp
cellars where it was stored.
On December 25, news reached Philadelphia that its teaship was at Chester. The Delaware pilots had been warned,
by printed handbills, not to conduct any tea-ships into the
harbor, as they were only sent for the purpose of enslaving
and poisoning the Americans.        Four miles below    the town
it came to anchor.    On the 27th, news of what had occurred
in Boston having arrived, five thousand men collected in
town meeting at an hour's notice.       At their suggestion, the
consignee, who came as passenger, resigned, and the captain
agreed to take his ship and cargo back to London the very
next day.
The ship " Nancy," Captain Lockyer, destined for New
York, having been blown off the coast, refitted at Antigua,
and proceeding thence to New York, arrived there April i8,




INTRODUCTION.


LXXXV


I774. Some of the committee went on board and prevented
her coming up to the city, but the captain was allowed to
procure some necessary stores, and then, by the advice of
the consignees, returned to London without breaking bulk.
A quantity of tea —private property-was imported from
London, and an application from the consignee to have it
returned to England was refused by the custom-house officers.
A number of "Mohawks" then took charge of the business,
and emptied the whole of it into the sea.
A few days later, Captain Chambers, master of the ship
"London," trading to New York, who had on a former
occasion received the thanks of her citizens for refusing
to bring the East India Company's tea, was detected in
introducing eighteen boxes of fine tea, curiously concealed
between blankets, etc., which he intended to smuggle, but
the people having discovered it, immediately threw it into
the sea, and the captain, to escape the wrath of the people,
took refuge in Captain Lockyer's vessel, and sailed for
England.
Opposition to the obnoxious tea duty had by no means
subsided, when, in October, I774, the brigantine "Peggy
Stewart" approached Annapolis, Maryland, with a cargo of
tea on board.   At once there was a great commotion.
Terror seized the owners.  They applied to Charles Carroll
for advice.  He told them there was but one way to save
their persons and property from swift destruction, and that
was to burn their vessel and cargo instantly, and in sight of
the people.  It was done, and the flames did for Annapolis
what the "Mohawks" had done for Boston.


" This," said Hutchinson, referring to the action of Boston,




LXXXVI


INTRODUCTION.


"was the boldest stroke that had been struck in America."
Writing to Sir Francis Bernard, he spoke of it as "an
unfortunate event, and what every body supposed impossible
after so many men of property had made part of the meetings, and were in danger of being liable for the value of it.
It would have given me a much more painful reflection," he
continued, "if I had saved it by any concession to a lawless
and highly criminal assembly of men, to whose proceedings
the loss must be consequently attributed, and the probability
is that it was a part of their plan from the beginning."
"We do console ourselves," wrote John Scollay, chairman
of the Selectmen of Boston, and prominent in the affair,
"that we have acted constitutionally."
-" The most magnificent movement of all," wrote John
Adams in his diary. "There is a dignity, a majesty, a
solemnity in this last effort of the patriots that I greatly
admire.  This destruction of the tea is so bold, so daring,
so firm, so intrepid and inflexible, and it must have so
important consequences, and so lasting, that I. cannot but
consider it as an epoch in history. The question is whether
the destruction of the tea was necessary? I apprehend it
was absolutely and indispensably so.... To let it be
landed would be giving up the principle of taxation by
Parliamentary authority, against which the continent has
struggled for ten years...  But, it will be said, it might
have been left in the care of a committee of the town, or
in Castle William. To this many objections may be urged."
The historian Ramsay says: "If the American position
was right in relation to taxation, the destruction of the tea
was warranted by the great law of self-preservation.  For
it was not possible for them by any other means within




INTRODUCTION.


LXXXVII


the compass of probability to discharge the duty they owed
to their country."
"I cannot but express my admiration of the conduct of
this people," writes an 'Impartial Observer' in the "Boston
Evening Post" of December 20, I773... "I shall
return home doubly fortified in my resolution to prevent
that deprecated calamity, the landing the tea in Rhode
Island, and console myself with the happier assurance that
my brethren have not less resolution than their neighbors."
"It became," says Hon. Robert C. Winthrop, "a simple
question, which should go under, British tea or American
liberty?  That volunteer band of Liberty Boys performed
their work 'better than they knew,' averting contingencies
which must have caused immediate bloodshed, and accomplishing results of the greatest importance to the American cause."
Wm. C. Rives, in his Life of James Madison, says: "This
memorable occurrence was undoubtedly, in the immediate
sequence of the events which it produced, the proximate
cause of the American Revolution."
A Tory pamphleteer of the time gives us the Loyalist view
of the affair. He says: "Now the crime of the Bostonians
was a compound of the grossest injury and insult. It was
an act of the highest insolence towards government, such as
mildness itself cannot overlook or forgive.  The injustice of
the deed was also most atrocious, as it was the destruction
of property to a vast amount, when it was known that the
nation was obliged in honor to protect it."
We subjoin some of the comments of candid British
writers respecting  the affair.  Mr. Massey says: "The
question of taxation was virtually settled by this signal
iI




LXXXVIII


INTRODUCTION.


failure to enforce the law, or rather by the absence of any
attempt to protect the property of merchants who had made
their ventures by the express authority, if not at the instance
of the British government."
While speaking of the destruction of the tea as the "crowning outrage," Lecky says, " It will probably strike the reader
that every argument which shewed that the tea duty was
not a grievance, was equally powerful to show that it was
perfectly   useless   as  a   means    of   obtaining    a  revenue.      It
would be difficult indeed to find a more curious instance of
legislative incapacity than the whole transaction displayed."
Hear Carlyle:
"Thursday, December I6, I773. What a contention is going on far over seas
at Boston, New England. The case is well known and still memorable to mankind.  British parliament, after nine years of the saddest haggling, and baffling
to and fro under constitutional stress of weather, and such east winds and west
winds of parliamentary eloquence as seldom were, has made up its mind that
America shall pay duty on their teas before infusing them, and America, Boston
more especially, is tacitly determined that it will not, and that to avoid mistakes
the teas shall never be landed at all....
"Rotch's report done, the chairman (an Adams 'American Cato,' subsequently
so called,) dissolves the sorrowful seven thousand, with these words, 'The meeting declares it can do nothing more to save the country," we '11 naturally go home
then and weep. Hark however! almost on the instant, in front of the Old South
Meeting House, a terrific war-whoop, and about fifty Mohawk Indians, with whom
Adams seems to be acquainted, and speaks without interpreter: Aha!
"And sure enough, before the stroke of seven these fifty painted Mohawks
are forward without noise to Griffin's wharf, have put sentries all round them,
and in a great silence of the neighborhood, are busy in three gangs upon the
dormant tea ships, opening their chests and punctually shaking them out into the
sea.  Listening from the distance you could hear distinctly the ripping open of
the chests and no other sound.  About ten P. M. all was finished,... the
Mohawks gone like a dream, and Boston sleeping more silently even than usual."
In England, the news of the destruction of the tea at
Boston was received with astonishment, not unmixed with
anger.      Men    of   all  parties   were    swept into     the   hostile




iNTRODUCTION.


LXXXTX


current. Coercive measures were at once brought forward in
parliament.  In the debates that ensued, a member said,
"The town of Boston ought to be knocked about their ears
and destroyed." Moderate and judicious men made a gallant
stand against the bill shutting up the port of Boston, but
the current was irresistible, and the measure, with others of
like character, passed by overwhelming votes.  Burke, on
the question of the repeal of the tea tax, made one of his
noblest efforts.  Colonel Barre told the House that if they
would keep their hands out of the pockets of the Americans
they would be obedient subjects.   Johnstone, formerly
governor of Florida, who had before predicted to the East
India Company, that exporting tea on their own account
was absurd and would end in loss, now predicted that the
Port Bill would, if passed, be productive of a general confederacy to resist the power of Britain, and end in a general
revolt.  His utterances were prophetic indeed.  These
measures did unite the colonies and produced a general
revolt ending in American independence.
Accounts vary greatly as to the number and appearance
of the tea party.  The original body which arrived so
opportunely at the door of the " Old South," and which may
have included Molineux, Revere, and the more prominent
leaders, was, probably not numerous.  They, however, had
passed the word, and trusty coadjutors were not long in
following them.  Colonel Tudor and Colonel Stevens say
they were not disguised, but all other accounts state that
they were in the Indian dress, or something resembling it.
The historian, Gordon, places their number at seventeen,
"though judged to be many more as they ran across Fort
Hill." "Our number was between twenty-eight and thirty,"




XC


INTRODUCTION.


says Wyeth, one of the party. Hutchinson says about fifty,
and many have since adopted his statement.  Tudor, in his
" Life of Otis," says seventy or eighty.  Colonel Ebenezer
Stevens agrees with him.  "None put the number lower
than sixty, nor higher than eighty," is the recollection of
"a Bostonian," fifty years after the event.  John Andrews
was told that they mustered on Fort Hill to the number of
about two hundred.  "From  one hundred to one hundred
and fifty being more or less actively engaged" thought
Hewes, one of the actors.  "Two or three hundred dressed
like Indians," wrote Dr. Cooper to Dr. Franklin.
These varying estimates may be accounted for in this
way.  Those who report the smaller number either repeated
what they were told, or saw only one of the parties on its
way to the ships, while the others speak of the entire body
after its separate parts had united at the wharf. Some may
mean only such of the party as were in Indian dress.  If
we place the number on board the ships at fifty or sixty,
and estimate those at work by the sides of the vessels
at sixty or seventy, we shall probably not be far out of the
way, the whole number then aggregating from one hundred
and ten to one hundred and thirty.  The names of more
than one hundred of these have been preserved.
Who were these men?    "Depend upon it," said John
Adams to Hezekiah Niles in I819, "These were no ordinary Mohawks.   The profound secrecy in which they have
held their names, and the total abstinence of plunder, are
proofs of the character of the men."  But two of the recognized leaders of.the people were there,-Dr. Young and
Thomas Molineux.    Most of them  were mechanics and
apprentices, but they were mechanics of the stamp of




INTRODUCTION.


XCI


Revere, Howard, Wheeler, Crane and Peck, men who could
restrain and keep in due subordination the more fiery and
dangerous element, always present in popular demonstrations.
That element was not wholly absent on this occasion, for
Mackintosh, the leader in the Stamp Act riots, was present
with "his chickens," as he called them, and active in
destroying the tea.  There were also professional men, like
Dr. Young and Dr. Story, and merchants, such as Molineux,
Proctor, Melvill, Palmer, May, Pitts and Davis, men of
high character and standing, so that all classes were fairly
represented. As might be expected, those appointed for the
work, and who were in Indian dress, were largely men of
family and position in Boston.
A writer in the American Magazine of History attempts
to discredit the statement that the party were in Indian
dress, intimating that it was an afterthought, intended to
deceive the authorities, and lead them to the belief that the
disguise was too complete to allow of identification for arrest
or punishment.  Cavils like this are superfluous in view of
the abundant testimony to the contrary. The sworn protest
of Captain Bruce, of the "Eleanor," one of the tea-ships,
given on a subsequent page in this volume, is of itself
sufficient evidence upon this point.  The number of those
who, prepared as they were, on the spur of the moment,
really bore any very great resemblance to Indians, was no
doubt small. A large number of the actors hastily assumed
such disguises as were nearest at hand.
No doubt the principals in this transaction pledged one
another to keep their connection with it a profound secret,
and they did so, but the young apprentices and volunteers,
who, without premeditation, joined the party on its way to




XCII


INTRODUCTION.


the wharf, were under no such restraint, and we can only
wonder that they made no revelation concerning an event of
such   importance.    It was    not until a   very   late period
of their lives that any of them opened their lips publicly
about it, and when more than half a century had elapsed
since it occurred.
The names of fifty-eight of these men, given below, are
taken from Thatcher's "Traits of the Tea Party," published
in 1835, while nine or ten      of them   were yet living, the
source whence all later lists have been      derived.   Possibly
this list is identical with that mentioned as having once
been in the possession of Peter, the son of Benjamin Edes,
the printer. Of this list it is safe to say that, while far from
being complete, it is correct as far as it goes.     The names
that follow the list of 1835, have been gleaned from a great
variety of sources, principally family tradition.
"List of the tea     party, furnished in   1835, by an aged
Bostonian, well acquainted with the subject, of the persons
generally supposed, within his knowledge, to have been
more or less actively engaged."      Those starred    were' then
living:
*George R. T. Hewes.              Nathaniel Green.
Joseph Shed.                     *Benj. Simpson.
John Crane.                      Joseph Eayres.
Josiah Wheeler.                  Joseph Lee.
Thomas Urann.                    William Molineux.
Adam Collson.                     Paul Revere.
S. Coolidge.                     John Spurr.
Joseph Payson.                    Thomas Moore.
James Brewer.                     Samuel Howard.
Thomas Bolter.                    Matthew Loring.
Edward Proctor.                   Thomas Spear.
Samuel Sloper.                    Daniel Ingoldson.
Thomas Gerrish.                   Richard Hunnewell.




INTRODUCTION.


XCIII


*John Hooton.
*Jonathan Hunnewell.
Thomas Chase.
Thomas Melvill.
*Henry Purkitt.
Edward C. Howe.
Ebenezer Stevens.
Nicholas Campbell.
John Russell.
Thomas Porter.
William Hendley.
Benjamin Rice.
Samuel Gore.
Nathaniel Frothingham.
Moses Grant.
*Peter Slater.
Additional names of
from family tradition:
Nathaniel Barber.
Samuel Barnard.
Henry Bass.
Edward Bates.
Nathaniel B;adlee.
David Bradlee.
Josiah Bradlee.
Thomas Bradlee.
Seth Ingersoll Brown.
Sephen Bruce.
Benjamin Burton.
George Carleton.
Gilbert Colesworthy.
John Cochran.
Gershom Collier.
James Foster Condy.
Samuel Cooper.
Thomas Dana, Jr.
Robert Davis.
Joseph Eaton.
Eckley.


James Starr.
Abraham Tower.
*William Pierce.
William Russell.
T. Gammell.
- McIntosh.
Dr. Thomas Young.
Joshua Wyeth.
Edward Dolbear.
- Martin.
Samuel Peck.
Lendall Pitts.
*Samuel Sprague.
Benjamin Clarke.
Richard Hunnewell, Jr.
*John Prince.
the tea party, derived principally
William Etheridge.
Samuel Fenno.
Samuel Foster
John Fulton.
Samuel Hammond.
John Hicks.
Samuel Hobbs.
Thomas Hunstable.
Abraham Hunt.
David Kinnison.
Amos Lincoln.
Thomas Machin.
Archibald Macneil.
John May.
- Mead.
Anthony Morse.
Eliphalet Newell.
Joseph Pearse Palmer.
Jonathan Parker.
John Peters.
Samuel Pitts.




XCIV


INTRODUCTION.


Henry Prentiss.
John Randall.
Joseph Roby.
Phineas Stearns.
Robert Sessions.
Elisha Story.
James Swan.


John Truman.
Isaac Williams.
David Williams.
Jeremiah Williams.
Thomas Williams.
Nathaniel Willis.




BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES
OF THE
Boston Tea Party.
MAJOR NATHANIEL BARBER,
A prominent merchant and patriot of Boston, was one of
the famous "Whig Club" of ante-revolutionary days, in
which were James Otis, Dr. Church, Dr. Warren and other
leaders of the popular party.  In it Civil Rights and the
British Constitution were standing topics for discussion.
He was one of the committee of correspondence, from its
creation in I772, and afterwards of the committee of safety,
and was naval officer of the port of Boston in I784.  He
joined St. Andrew's Lodge of Freemasons in - I780, and
died at his house, in Bear Lane, (Richmond Street,) October I3, 1787; aged 59.  Before the Revolution he kept an
insurance office in Fish (now North) Street.
SAMUEL BARNARD,
A major in the Revolutionary army, was born in Watertown, Mass., June I9, 1737; died August 8, 1782.
12




XCVI


INTRODUCTION.


HENRY    BASS,
A prominent "Son of Liberty," a merchant on Orange
Street, residing in Rawson's Lane, (Bromfield Street,) died
June 5, 1813; aged 74.   He was the first volunteer on
the roll of the guard of the tea-ship, November 29, I773.
Drake ("Old Landmarks of Boston,") says Samuel Adams
and Major Melvill often passed a convivial evening, and
ate a Sunday dinner, at his house.
CAPTAIN THOMAS BOLTER,
A housewright, residing on Nassau (now Tremont) Street,
died in August, i811; aged 76.   Mary, his widow, died
May 30, 1813; aged 76.
DAVID, THOMAS, NATHANIEL, AND JOSIAH
BRADLEE,
Were brothers, who lived in the house yet standing, on the
southerly corner of Hollis and Tremont Streets.  Their
sister, Sarah, assisted her husband, John Fulton, and her
brothers, to disguise themselves, having made preparations
for the emergency a day or two beforehand, and afterwards
followed them to the wharf, and saw the tea thrown into
the dock.  Soon returning, she had hot water in readiness








^c ----'^ ---^ ^


" Owe no man anything.  Be true to thyself, to thy country, and to thy God."
-C. D. BRADLEE, Blackstone Square, Boston.




INTRODUCTION.


XCV1I


for them when they arrived, and assisted in removing the
paint from  their faces.  As the story goes, before they
could change their clothes, a British officer looked in to see
if the young men were at home, having a suspicion that
they were in the tea business.  He found them in bed, and
to all appearance asleep, they having slipped into bed without removing their "toggery," and feigning sleep.  The
officer departed satisfied.  Mrs. Fulton helped to dress the
wounds of the soldiers who were in the battle of Bunker
Hill.  She died in Medford, Mass., in 1I836, and is the
authority for the above statement.  Of the brothers,David, was born November 24, 1742; died March i 0, 181i i.
Thomas, born December 4, 1744; died Oct.-, 1805.
Nathaniel, born February i 6, 1746; died May 8, 1813.
Josiah, born March 24, 1754; died October 2, I798.
The old house, built by Nathaniel, in 1771, is now the
residence of his grandson, Nathaniel Bradlee Doggett, to
whose son, Samuel Bradlee Doggett, I am    indebted for
the above facts.
JAMES BREWER,
Pump and blockmaker, in Summer Street, died in April,
1805.  He took an active part in the early movements of
the Revolution; was one of the volunteer guard on the
"'Dartmouth," November 30, I773, and prominent in the
destruction of her cargo, and was also one of the young
men who removed at noon-day, and while it was under
guard, the cannon from the gun-house on West Street,




XCVT I


INTRODUCTION.


which afterwards found its way to Washington's camp.
Some of the tea party met at his house, and were assisted
in preparing themselves by his wife and daughter, who
blackened  their faces with  burnt cork.   He was a
confidential messenger between Governor Hancock and
Washington, and was afterwards a prisoner of war, having
been taken in a privateer, in I781.  He was an early
member of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Associa.
tion, and was also a member of the Massachusetts Lodge
of Freemasons in I792. His son, Thomas, a member of
the City Council of Boston in 1825-26, died June 4, 1859;
aged 78.
SETH INGERSOLL BROWN
Was born in Cambridge, Mass., March 13, I750.  He was
the son of William  Brown, born in 1683.   Mr. Brown's
trade was that of a house carpenter. In the lower part of
his shop, in Charlestown, was stored the ammunition afterwards used in the battle of Bunker Hill.  He was in full
sympathy with the   cause  of liberty; was one of the
"Mohawks" on the memorable I6th of December, and on
that occasion was masked and painted, and bore a club.
He used to relate to his daughters, that on returning home
from the scene of destruction, he had to fight his way
through the excited crowd, with his back to the houses, to
avoid discovery.  They kept his connection with the affair
a profound secret many years, and when it was spoken of
in their old age, excused their silence regarding it on the
ground that they thought it was a disgrace, like a riot or a
mob, and ought not to be told.  At Bunker Hill he was




INTRODUCTION.


- XCIX


wounded in the leg, and also received an injury to his eye.
He said he should never forget the cry that went up during
the battle, of "No ammunition! no ammunition! "       Mr.
Brown served as an assistant commissary during the siege
of Boston, and continued with the army until the war
closed. He was paid off in worthless Continental moneythere was no other — and it is related that his spunky little
wife, indignant at the poor reward of such sacrifices as her
husband had made, on receiving it from him, threw it all
into the fire.  She is described as short, stout and handsome, with long, straight, black hair, that fell almost to her
feet.
After the war, Mr. Brown, with impaired health and eyesight, kept a tavern successively in Charlestown, Cambridge,
Newton Corner, the Punch Bowl in Roxbury, and finally
the Sun tavern, in Wing's Lane, (Elm Street,) Boston. He
died in Charlestown, Mass., March 9, I809, leaving several
children by his second wife, Sarah Godding, of Cambridge.
Three of his daughters, Cynthia, Harriet and Angeline —
lived to be over eighty,-retained their memories and their
mental faculties to the last, and preserved many interesting
reminiscences of their father's revolutionary career.  Mr.
Brown was a good singer, and they recall this verse of a
song, having reference to the battle of Bunker Hill:
"We marched down to Charlestown ferry,
And there we had our battle;
The shot it flew like pepper and salt,
And made the old town rattle."
The name of Seth Ingersoll Brown is recorded on the
monument, in Hope Cemetery, Worcester, Mass., erected in




c


INTRODUCTION.


1870, to the memory of Captain Peter Slater, and his associates of the Boston tea party.   He is buried in the Granary burying-ground.
Of Mr. Brown's descendants, known in public life, may be
mentioned Rev. John W. Hanson, D.D., of Chicago, Ill.;
Rev. Warren H. Cudworth, D.D., formerly of East Boston;
Harriet H. Robinson, who married William S. Robinson,
(' Warrington,") journalist, and clerk of the Massachusetts
House   of Representatives from    i862 to   1873, and their
elder daughter, Harriet R. Shattuck.
"Though none of his descendants will continue to bear
his name,-the male branch       being  extinct in the   third
generation," writes his grand-daughter, Mrs. H. H. Robinson,
"some of them have inherited his spirit of resistance to laws
that compel them-his only surviving representatives,-"to
submit to taxation without representation."     To this lady
we are indebted for the materials from which this notice is
derived.
Some lines, written in I773, by Susannah Clarke, "Warrington's" great grandmother's sister, serve to manifest the
spirit that pervaded the country when non-tea drinking was
held to be a religious duty by American women:
"We '11 lay hold of card and wheel,
And join our hands to turn and reel;
We '11 turn the tea all in the sea,
And all to keep our liberty.
We'll put on home-spun garbs,
And make tea of our garden herbs;
When we are dry we'll drink small beer,
And FREEDOM shall our spirits cheer."




INTRODUCTION.


CI


STEPHEN BRUCE
Was a merchant, doing business at 28 State Street, and was
one of the volunteer guard on the " Dartmouth."  He was
the first inspector of beef and pork, appointed by the
State of Massachusetts, and was a man of sound judgment
and inflexible integrity.  He became a member of the
Masonic Lodge of St. Andrew in I779, and master in 1782.
He died July 26, i8oi.
COLONEL BENJAMIN BURTON
Was born in the old Burton House, Thomaston, Maine,
December 9, 1749, and died in Warren, Maine, May 23,
I835.  Happening to be in Boston on a visit on the
memorable I6th of December, I773, he went with the
crowd to the Old South Meeting House, and at the close of
the meeting, heard the cry "Tea party! tea party!" Joining
the party that boarded the tea-ships, he labored with all his
might in throwing the tea into the water.  It being about
low tide, the tea rested on the bottom, and when the
tide rose it floated, and was lodged by the surf along the
shore.  He was subsequently an officer in the Revolutionary army; was present at the surrender of Burgoyne,
and himself fell into the hands of the enemy, in February,
1781, sharing in the imprisonment of General Peleg Wadsworth, at Castine, and in the daring escape of that officer.
After the war, he was eight years a magistrate, and was
often a member of the legislature.




CII


INTRODUCTION.


NICHOLAS CAMPBELL
A native of the Island of Malta, died in Warren, R.I.,
July 23, I829; aged ninety-seven. He came to this country
just previous to the Revolution, during a great part of which
he was employed in the marine service, and by many deeds
of noble daring, aided the cause of liberty, and evinced
his attachment to his adopted country.  He had been a
resident of Warren fifty-four years.
THOMAS CHASE,
One of the most active of the "Sons of Liberty," was a
distiller, near the famous Liberty Tree, at the junction of
Orange, Essex and Newbury Streets. In the office of Chase
& Speakman the meetings of the committee of the "Sons"
were held, of one of which John Adams has left an account. Chase was one of those who prepared and suspended the effigies of Bute and Oliver from Liberty Tree,
on August 14, I765.  He was one of the volunteer guard
on the "Dartmouth," on the night of November 29, I773;
was a member of the "Anti-Stamp Fire Society," formed
soon after the passage of the Stamp Act, in    765, and
joined St. Andrew's Lodge of Freemasons in I769.
a^^y'~a^-e/




INTRODUCTION.


ClT!


BENJAMIN CLARKE
Was a cooper, in Ship Street, and in I807 resided in Prince
Street.  He became a member of the Massachusetts Chari.
table Mechanic Association in i8oi; of the Ancient and
Honorable Artillery Company in I8o6, and died in I840.
JOHN COCHRAN,
Born in East Boston, in I750; died in Belfast, Maine,
October 30, I839.   The monument there erected to his
memory bears the following inscription: "He was one
of the memorable tea party at Boston, December I6, I773."
His only surviving son, of the same name, now (I884) resides
at Belfast, at the age of eighty-three
GILBERT COLESWORTHY,
Born in Boston, December 23, I744, removed to Nantucket,
Mass., and died there in I8i8.
GERSHOM COLLIER,
Of Chesterfield, Mass., died about the year I825.
I3




CIV


INTRODUCTION.


ADAM COLLSON
Was a leather dresser, near the "Great Trees," on Essex
Street, as we learn by his advertisement soon after the passage of the Stamp Act, in which he says: "Understanding
that many worthy tradesmen had agreed to wear nothing
but leather for their working habits, 'he offers' to dress
all sorts of skins suitable for that purpose."  Collson was
one of the volunteer guard on the "Dartmouth" on the
night of November 30, i773, and was said to be the person who, at the close of the meeting of December i6th,
at the Old South, shouted from the gallery, "Boston harbor
a tea-pot to-night!"  He became a member of St. Andrew's
Lodge of Freemasons in I763, and at the time of his death,
February  I6, 1798, aged sixty, resided at 59 Marlboro'
(Washington) Street.  He was a member of the "Long
Room" Club.
JAMES FOSTER CONDY,
A bookseller in Boston before the Revolution, doing business in Union Street, "opposite the cornfields," died in
Haverhill, Mass., July 12, I809.
SAMUEL COOPER
Was born in Boston, in I755, and was living in Georgetown, D.C., in 1838.  He was commissioned second lieutenant in Crane's artillery regiment, February I, 1777;




INTRODUCTION.


cv


quartermaster I4th May, I778; lieutenant and adjutant in
I783.  He was inspector of pot and pearl ashes in New
York city and county, from I808 to I830.  Adjutant-General Samuel Cooper, of the United States army, afterwards
a general in the Confederate army, who died in 1877, was
his son.
JOHN CRANE,
Colonel of the Massachusetts regiment of artillery in the
Continental line of the Revolutionary army, was born in
Milton, Mass., 7th December, I744, and died in Whiting,
Maine, 2Ist August, 1805.  His education was scanty.  In
I759, when only fifteen years of age, his father, Abijah was
drafted as a soldier in the French war. John offered to go
in his father's stead, and was laughed at on account of his
youth.  Nevertheless, the boy went and proved himself a
brave lad, saving the life of a lame fellow-soldier, who had
fallen when pursued by a party of Indians, at St. John's.
He came to Boston in early life, married, and established
himself in business as a house carpenter,-his house and
shop being in Tremont Street, opposite Hollis. He assisted
Major Paddock in setting out the elm trees on the Tremont
Street mall, about the year I765.  These trees were old
acquaintances of Crane's, having, like him, been transplanted
from  Milton.  Naturally enough, in one of his ardent
temperament, he at once identified himself with the active
Sons of Liberty.  One of the famous tea party, his career
came near being permanently ended by the fall of a derrick,
used in -hoisting out the tea, which, falling upon him,




CVI


INTRODUCTION.


knocked him senseless.  His comrades, supposing him killed,
bore him to a neighboring carpenter's shop, and secreted
the body under a pile of shavings.  They afterwards took
him to his home, where good nursing and a strong constitution, soon brought him round.  The late Colonel Joseph
Lovering, who lived opposite to Crane, used to relate that
he held the light on that memorable evening, while Crane,
and other young men, his neighbors, disguised themselves
for the occasion.  House building and other branches of
industry having been paralyzed by the " Boston Port Bill,"
Crane, with his partner, Ebenezer Stevens, (also one of the
tea party,) went to Providence, R.I., where they followed
their business with success, until the war broke out.  Both
had been members of Paddock's artillery company, a corps
famous for having furnished a large number of valuable
officers to that arm of the service in the Revolutionary army,
among whom may be named John Crane, Ebenezer Stevens,
William Perkins, Henry Burbeck, John Lillie, and David
Bryant.  Crane had been commissioned by Governor Wanton, captain-lieutenant of the train of artillery of the colony
of Rhode Island, December i2, 1774, (barely one year after
the destruction of the tea,) and immediately after receiving
the news of the battle of Lexington, he was made captain
of the train attached to the Rhode Island " Army of Observation," commanded by General Nathaniel Greene.  Crane's
command, ' all well accoutred, with four excellent field-pieces
marched, in the latter part of May, to join the American
army near Boston.  They made a very military appearance,
and are, without exception, as complete a body of men as
any in the king's dominions."  Stevens was a lieutenant in
this company.  Possessing a remarkably keen vision, Crane




INTRODUCTION.


eVII


was exceedingly skilful as an artillerist, a talent he had
frequent opportunities to display during the siege of Boston.
Early in the morning of July 8, 1775, Majors Tupper and
Crane, with a number of volunteers, attacked the British
advance guard at Brown's House, on Boston Neck, (near the
corner of Newton Street and Blackstone Square.) routed
them, and burned two houses.   This was regarded as a
brave and well-executed affair, and is noteworthy as being
the only hostile encounter that has ever taken place in the
old limits of Boston. During the siege he was stationed at
the Roxbury line, and was engaged in several skirmishes on
the islands in the harbor.  Commissioned major of Knox's
regiment, January I, I776, he accompanied the army to New
York, and while cannonading a British frigate which was
passing his batteries at Corlaers Hook, was severely wounded
by a cannon ball, which carried off a part of his foot, disabling him for several months, and finally causing his deaththe wound having closed.  He raised in Massachusetts, in
1777, the 3d regiment of Continental artillery, which he
commanded till the war ended, when he was brevetted a
brigadier-general, (October Io, 1783,) his commission as
colonel dating from January I, I777.  This corps, officered
chiefly from those who had been trained under Paddock,
Gridley and Knox, was not exceeded in discipline, valor,
and usefulness by any in the service.  It was principally
employed with the main army, and was an essential auxiliary
in the most important operations.  Portions of it were also
with Sullivan in the Rhode Island campaign, with Gates at
Saratoga, and in the heroic defence of Red Bank, on the
Delaware.  After the peace, Crane formed a partnership
with Colonel Lemuel Trescott, in the lumber business, in




CV1II


I INTRODUCTION.


Passamaquoddy, Maine, in which they were unsuccessful.
The connection was soon dissolved, and Crane finally settled
in Whiting, Washington County, Maine, where he had a
grant of two hundred acres of land, for his Revolutionary
services, from  the legislature of Massachusetts.  Colonel
Crane was five feet eight inches in height, stout and thick
set. He possessed great energy, resolution and courage,
and at critical moments was perfectly cool.  In I790, he
was commissioned judge of the Court of Common Pleas, by
Governor Hancock.   While at the lines on Boston Neck,
Crane aimed a ball at a house near his own, belonging to
Rev. Dr. Byles, the Tory, but succeeded only in knocking
the ridge pole from his own dwelling. He became a Freemason in I78i, joining an army lodge at West Point, and
was also a member of the Massachusetts Society of the
Cincinnati.  Colonel Crane, in  I767, married Mehitabel
Wheeler, believed to have been a sister of Captain Josiah
Wheeler, a member of the tea party.  His three daughters
married three sons of Colonel John Allan, who, with his
Indian allies, rendered valuable service to the patriot cause
in protecting throughout the Revolutionary war, the exposed
north-eastern frontier.  William  Allan, who married Alice
Crane, was the grandfather of George H. Allan, of Boston,
from whom many of the above facts have been derived,
and who has made extensive collections relative to the Allan
and Crane families.




INTRODUCTION.


CIX


MAJOR ROBERT DAVIS,
Merchant, importer of groceries, wines and liquors, did business at No. I Cornhill, and resided in Orange Street.  He
was the son of Joshua and Sarah (Pierpont) Davis, and was
born 24th January, 1747.  He was a Son of Liberty, and
as an officer in Crafts's artillery regiment, took part in the
expulsion of the British fleet from Boston harbor, ultimately
attaining the rank of major.  Member of the Ancient and
Honorable Artillery Company in 1786.  His brothers, Caleb
and Amasa, were also prominent Revolutionary characters, —
the latter having been forty years quartermaster-general of
Massachusetts.  Robert Davis became a member of St.
Andrew's Lodge   of Freemasons in I777, and died in
November, 1798. His daughter, Clarissa, widow of William
Ely, was living in Hartford in I873, at the age of eightytwo.
EDWARD DOLBEAR
Was a fellow-apprentice, and afterwards a partner with
Henry Purkitt, in the business of a cooper, in South Street.
His residence was near Dr. Eliot's Meeting House, where
he died, in April, I796.
CAPTAIN JOSEPH    EATON
Was an eccentric and excitable, but patriotic citizen, a
hatter by trade.  He claimed to have hauled down the
first British colors at the outset of the Revolution, and to




CX


INTRODUCTION.


have loaded a cannon in State Street to prevent the regulars
from landing, in I774.  He was a member of the Ancient
and Honorable Artillery Company; was an ardent democrat,
and late in life wore a cocked hat, and styled himself
"general."
JOSEPH EAYRES
Was one of the volunteer guard on the "Dartmouth" on
the night of November 30, I773.  He was a housewright
in Essex Street, in I789.
ECKLEY,
A barber, was informed against for his participation in the
destruction of the tea, and committed to prison.  The
Sons of Liberty supported him while in confinement, and
also provided for his family.  He was finally liberated, and
the person who informed against him   was tarred  and
feathered, and paraded through the town with labels on his
breast and back bearing his name, and the word " INFORMER"
in large letters.
WILLIAM ETHERIDGE,
Who was a mason, while engaged in throwing the tea overboard, was recognized by his apprentice, Samuel Sprague.
SAMUEL FENNO,
A housewright, was born in Boston, in i745, and died in
I806.  He lived in a large wooden house on Tremont




INTRODUCTION.


CXI


Street, near Hollis Street, and was a near neighbor of
Crane, Lovering and the Bradlees.   He was a man of
unusual reticence, but noted for courage and patriotism.
From 1773 till his death, he kept a vow never to drink tea.
In 1797 he married Mary, the sister of Joseph Hiller, the
first collector of the port of Salem, and was the father of
Captain John Fenno, a pioneer in the China trade.
CAPTAIN SAMUEL FOSTER,
Of Roxbury, was a sergeant in Captain Moses Whiting's
minute company, at Lexington, and as a captain in Greaton's
regiment, served at Ticonderoga, and in other campaigns of
the Revolutionary war.
NATHANIEL FROTHINGHAM,
A coachmaker, at No. 5 West Street, died January 22, 1825;
aged seventy-nine.
JOHN GAMMELL
Was of Scotch descent, his father bearing the same name,
having come to Boston about the year I740. The son was
born in Boston, in 1 749, and died there in 1827.  His
trade was that of a carpenter, in which capacity he served
14




CXII


INTRODUCTION.


seven years in the construction department of the Revolutionary army.   He was a participant in the Stamp Act
riots, and in the destruction of the tea, and in his later
years used to describe the latter affair, with great minute.
ness, in the presence of his family, and on the anniversary
of the day would act over again the part he then performed.
He married Margaret Urann, by whom he had fifteen
children.  As the initials J and T were in old times interchangeable, there is no doubt but this is the person mentioned in the list of I835.
Communicated by Prof. Wm. Gammell, of Brown University, and Rev. Serene
Dwight Gammell, of Wellington, O., grandsons of John Gammell.
SAMUEL GORE,
Born in Boston, February 6, I751; died November i6, 1831.
Captain John Gore, his father, a lieutenant in the Ancient
and Honorable Artillery Company, in I753, had, by industry,
acquired considerable wealth.  Being a Tory, he left Boston
with the British army in 1776, but afterwards returned.
Samuel followed his father's trade, that of a painter, in
Court Street, at the corner of Gore's Alley, (Brattle Street,)
but, unlike him, was an ardent patriot.  He was one of the
party of young men who, at noon-day, and under the eyes
of the British guard, carried off and secreted the cannon
from the gun-house that stood opposite the mall at the
corner of West Street.  His companions in this daring feat
were Nathaniel Balch, James Brewer, Moses Grant, Jeremiah
Gridley and       Whiston.   Mr. Gore was one of those
who established the glass-works in Essex Street, a specula



INTRODUCTION.


CXIII


tion by which he unfortunately lost all the accumulations
of many years of untiring industry.  He was a member of
the Masonic Lodge of St. Andrew, in 1778, and was the
first treasurer of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic
Association.  Governor Christopher Gore was a younger
brother.  He was a man of superior intelligence, kindness
of heart, and courtesy of manner.
MOSES GRANT,
Son of Samuel, and father of Deacon Moses Grant, was
born in Boston, March 13, 1743; died December 22, 18I7.
He was an upholsterer, on Union Street, and his son, Moses,
was a partner with him until his death.  He was an ardent
patriot; was one of the volunteer guard on the "Dartmouth," on the night of November 29, I773; was one of
those who seized and carried off the cannon from the gunhouse, on West Street, and one of the renowned "tea
party." Member of the company of cadets, and a deacon of
Brattle Street church.


4




CXIV


INTRODUCTION.


NATHANIEL GREENE
Was in I789 register of deeds, at 42 Cornhill.  He was an
ardent Son of Liberty, and was present at the public celebration in Dorchester, where three hundred of them gathered,
August 14, 1769.
SAMUEL HAMMOND,
One of the tea party, died at Wadsborough, Vt., January 4,
1842; aged ninety-three.  In  774, he began a settlement
near Otter Creek, N.Y., but the hostility of the Indians
drove him to Vermont, and he fixed his residence at Wadsborough.  He was an industrious farmer, and an active
patriot.
WILLIAM HENDLEY,
A Revolutionary pensioner, formerly of Roxbury, died at
Waldoborough, Me., in February, 1830; aged eighty-two.
He was a mason, on Newbury Street, Boston, in I796.
GEORGE ROBERT TWELVES HEWES,
Born in Boston, September 5, 1742, died at Richfield, Otsego
County, N.Y., November 5, 1840, at the great age of ninetyeight.  His education was scanty; farming, fishing, and
shoemaking being his chief occupations.   Excitable and




INTRODUCTION.


CXV


patriotic, he took part in numerous ante-Revolutionary
disturbances in Boston, and engaged in the naval, and
afterwards in the military, service of his country during the
war.  His residence was at the Bulls Head, an old house
that stood on the north-east corner of Congress and Water
Streets.  The most detailed account we have of the destruction of the tea in Boston, was given by him, in "Traits of
the Tea Party," by B. B. Thatcher, published in New York,
in I835. An oil portrait of Hewes is in the possession of
his grandson, Mr. Henry Hewes, of West Medford, Mass.
JOHN HICKS,
Born in Cambridge, May 23, 1725, was one of the earliest
martyrs to the cause of American liberty, having been killed
by the British on their retreat from  Lexington, April I9,
I775. John, his son, was a printer, and became in I773, a
partner with Nathaniel Mills, in the publication of the
"Post Boy," a Tory sheet.
SAMUEL HOBBS,
Born in Lincoln, Mass., in I750, died at Sturbridge, Mass.,
in May, 1823.  While in the employ of Simeon Pratt, a
tanner, of Roxbury, he aided in throwing the tea overboard,
and afterwards said that chests of Bohea, weighing three
hundred and sixty pounds, were rather heavy to lift.  He
settled in Sturbridge, as a farmer, also carrying on his trade
of tanner and currier.  By his wife, Lucy Munroe, of
Lexington, he had four children.




CXVI


INTRODUCTION.


JOHN HOOTON,
An apprentice, while at work on the tea, saw a person who
looked like a countryman, coming up with a small boat to
the ship's side, evidently intending to secure a cargo for his
own use.   He, and three or four other " North Enders," as
full of spirit as himself, being directed to dislodge the inter.
loper, jumped over and beat the canoe from under him "in
the twinkling of an eye."  Hooton was an oarmaker, at
Hooton's wharf, Fish Street, in I789.  In I806, he was a
wood-wharfinger, on North Street, residing in Prince Street.
In 1838, his residence was in Chelsea, Mass.
SAMUEL HOWARD,
A Boston shipwright, resided at the " Mansion House," as
it was called, which stood on the site of the Mariner's
Church, North Square.  He died here in January, 1797, at
the age of forty-five, and was buried in Copp's Hill.  His
wife, Anna Lillie, the sister of Major John Lillie, of the
Revolutionary army, died in North Andover, in 1804. Two
of our well-known fellow citizens, Henry Lillie Pierce and
Edward L. Pierce, are grandsons of Major Lillie. Theophilus Lillie, the Tory trader, who was mobbed during the tea
excitement, was Major Lillie's uncle. Caroline, the youngest
child of Samuel and Anna Lillie Howard, born October 3,
1794, married Rev. Samuel Gilman, D.D., of Charleston, S.C.
She is still living, at the age of ninety, and resides at
Tiverton, R.I., with a daughter Mrs. Bowen.




GEORGE ROBERT TWELVES HUGHES.








INTRODUCTION.


CXIX


EDWARD      C. HOWE,
Ropemaker, died in September, 1821, aged seventy-nine.
E. C. Howe & Son (Joseph) dissolved partnership August I,
800o. Howe's rope-walk was one of seven, on the west side
of Pearl Street, all of which were burnt in July, I794.
JONATHAN HUNNEWELL,
The son of Richard, followed his father's trade, of a mason.
He was born in Boston, May I9, 1759; died in April, 1842.
He was several times a selectman of Boston, and member
of both branches of the legislature; was connected with
many benevolent institutions, and was for nine years president of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association.
He was one of the principal agents in the establishment of
the glass-works, in Boston and Chelmsford, and its failure,
in 1822, made him  a poor man.   For many years he had
a country residence at Newton, which was the seat of a generous hospitality. The latter part of his life was passed in
seclusion, at Roxbury, where, in i8oo, he married the
widow Theoda Davis.   Jonathan, his brother, and Richard,
his father, were also in the tea party.
RICHARD     HUNNEWELL.
A mason, member of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic
Association, died in October, I805.  He resided in Essex
Street; was an active Son of Liberty, and was one of the
volunteer guard on the "Dartmouth," on the night of




Cxx


INTRODUCTION,


November 30, I 73.   His two sons, fourteen and sixteen
years of age, were with him at the throwing overboard of
the tea.
THOMAS HUNSTABLE
Was born in I753.   He lived for many years on Brighton
Street, and was a Freemason.
COLONEL ABRAHAM       HUNT
Was born in Braintree, Mass., June 2, 1748; died December 5, I793.  He was apprenticed, in I763, to Edmund
Quincy, who kept a wine-store, and was afterwards connected
with him in the trade.  In I789, his place of business
was in Middle (Hanover) Street, and his residence   on
Federal Street.  He served as lieutenant and adjutant at
the siege of Boston; was in the Ticonderoga campaign,
remaining some years in the service, which he quitted with
the rank of captain.  June 24, I78I, he was agent for the
privateer "Buccaneer,'" Captain Hoysted Hacker.  For a
time he was inspector of the ports of Boston and Charlestown.  In I777, he became a member of St. Andrew's
Lodge of Freemasons.  October 15, I771, he married Mary
St. Leger.  His orderly books for June and July, 1775, are
in the possession of his grandson, —  Urann, Esq.
DANIEL INGERSOLL,
Housewright, formerly of Boston, died in Keene, N.H.,
October 17, 1829, aged seventy-nine.  He was a member of
St. Andrew's Lodge, in I782.




K' I


) t::-Y
I
Em-p, - (
zz








INTRODUCTION.


CXXTTI


DAVID KINNISON,
The last of the tea party, born in Old Kingston, near
Portsmouth, Maine, November 17, 1736; died in Chicago,
February 24, 1852; aged one hundred and fifteen years. Up
to the Revolution he was a farmer, at Lebanon, whence, with
a few comrades, members of a political club, he went to
Boston, with the express purpose of destroying the tea.  He
was in active service during the war, participating in many
battles, and was a prisoner among the Indians at its close.
He was a farmer, at Wells, Maine, when the war of I812
broke out, and was in the battles at Sackett's Harbor and
Williamsburg, and in the latter was badly wounded in the
hand, by a grape-shot.  He afterwards lived at Lyme, and
at Sackett's Harbor, N.Y., and in July, 1845, went to
Chicago. At Lyme, while felling a tree, he was struck
down by a limb, which fractured his skull, broke his collar
bone, and two of his ribs.  While engaged in discharging
a cannon, at a training at Sackett's Harbor, both legs were
broken and badly shattered.  Up to 1848 he had always
made something by his labor, and was the father of twentytwo children.  He learned to read when past sixty.  A
daughter, who survived in I848, was made acquainted in
that year with her father's existence, by the publication of
Mr. Lossing's "Field Book of the Revolution." Hastening
to him, she smoothed the patriarch's pillow in his passage
to the grave.


5I




CXXIV


INTRODUCTION.


JOSEPH LEE,
Merchant, on Long Wharf, afterwards at 9 Doane Street,
was a member of Massachusetts Lodge of Freemasons, in
1773, and died February 6, 1831; aged eighty-six.
AMOS LINCOLN,
Born in Hingham, Mass., March 17, 1753, died at Quincy,
Mass., January I5, 1829. He was apprenticed to a Mr. Crafts,
at the North End, who, on the evening of December i6,
I773, secretly procured for him an Indian disguise, dressed
him in his own chamber,-darkening his face to the required tint, —and then, dropping on his knees, prayed most
fervently that he might be protected in the enterprise in
which he was engaged. Joining Stark's New Hampshire
regiment, he was in the battle of Bunker Hill; was afterwards a captain in Craft's artillery regiment, and was at one
time in charge of the castle, in Boston harbor.  When
Shays' insurrection broke out, he assisted in its suppression.
He was a housewright of much skill.  The wood-work of
the State House was under his charge, and evinces the
grace and beauty of his workmanship.    He married a
daughter of Paul Revere.   His grandson, Frederick W.
Lincoln, has been mayor of Boston. He joined St. Andrew's




INTRODUCTION.


cxxv


Lodge of Freemasons, in I 777.  Governor Levi Lincoln,
of Massachusetts, and Governor Enoch Lincoln, of Maine,
were nephews of Captain Amos Lincoln.
MATTHEW LORING
Was a cordwainer, on Devonshire Street, residing on Brattle
Street.  He died November 7, 1829; aged seventy-nine.
THOMAS MACHIN
Was born in Staffordshire, England, 20th March, I 744;
was employed by Brindley in canal construction, and in 1772
came to America, and settled in Boston.  He was wounded
at Bunker Hill, while acting as lieutenant of artillery; i8th
January, I776, was commissioned second lieutenant in Col.
Knox's artillery regiment, and was employed from April to
June in that year in laying out the fortifications for the defence of the town and harbor of Boston; from July, 1776, to
1781, he was employed in constructing the fortifications
which were to render the Hudson impassable to British vessels. In October, I777, when Forts Montgomery and Clinton
were taken by the British, Captain Machin was wounded
by a musket-ball, which entered his breast and passed out
under his right shoulder.  In April, i779, he accompanied
Colonel Van Schaick's expedition against the Onondagas,
of which he kept a journal, and in June joined Sullivan's
expedition to the Genesee Valley, as engineer.  A map of
this expedition, executed by him, was in the possession of




CXXVI


INTRODUCTION.


his son, Captain Thomas Machin.  In the fall of I78I, he
aided in laying out the works of the American army, then
besieging Yorktown.  In i783, he began a settlement at
New Grange, Ulster County, and in the following year
erected several mills at the Great Pond, a few miles west
of Newburgh.   March 12, I793, he was commissioned a
captain, to take rank as such from 2Ist August, I780.  In
January, I797, he removed to Montgomery County, N.Y.,
where he practised surveying, and where he died, at his
residence in Charleston, a part of the old town of Mohawk,
3d April, i816; Member of Army Lodge, West Point, 1782.
ARCHIBALD MACNEIL,
Died in Scituate, Mass., February I, 1840; aged ninety.
CAPTAIN MACKINTOSH
Was a tradesman of Boston, who acquired great prominence
in the local disturbances of the town, prior to the outbreak
of the Revolution, but who disappears from her history after
that period. He first came into notice as the leader of the
South End party, in the celebration of Pope Day, which
took place on the 5th of November, in commemoration of
the discovery of the gunpowder plot.  In I765, the two
factions of the North and South Ends harmonized, and after
a friendly meeting in King (now State) Street, marched together to Liberty Tree.  The leaders,- Mackintosh of the
South, and Swift of the North End, - appeared in military
habits, with small canes resting on their left arms, having
music in front and flank.  All the property used on such




INTRODUCTION.


CXXVII


occasions was afterwards burnt on Copp's Hill. Mackintosh
was a ringleader in the riot of August 26, I765, when
Lieutenant-Governor Hutchinson's house was destroyed, and
was arrested in King Street next day, but was immediately
released by the sheriff, on the demand of a number of
merchants, and other persons of character and property.
From   the Diary and      Letters   of Thomas Hutchinson, we
take the following passage:
"The Governor had summoned a council the day after the riot.  The sheriff
attended, and upon enquiring, it appeared that one Mackintosh, a shoemaker, was
among the most active in destroying the Lieutenant-Governor's house and furniture. A warrant was given to the sheriff to apprehend him by name, with divers
others. Mackintosh appeared in King Street, and the sheriff took him, but soon
discharged him, and returned to the council chamber, where he gave an account
of his taking him, and that Mr. Nathaniel Coffin, and several other gentlemen,
came to him and told him that it had been agreed that the cadets, and many
other persons, should appear in arms the next evening, as a guard and security
against a fresh riot, which was feared, and said to have been threatened, but not
a man would appear unless Mackintosh was discharged. The Lieutenant-Governor
asked, 'And did you discharge him?'  'Yes.' 'Then you have not done your
duty.' And this was all the notice taken of the discharge.  The true reason of
thus distinguishing Mackintosh was 'that he could discover who employed him,
whereas the other persons apprehended were such as had collected together without knowing of any previous plan."
Mackintosh was styled the " First Captain-General of Liberty Tree," and had charge of the illuminations, hanging of
effigies, etc.   Long afterward, in speaking of the          tea party,
he  said, " It was my chickens that did the            job."    My   informant, Mr. Schuler Merrill, then a boy of ten, remarks
that it was a mystery to him, at that time, "how chickens
could   have   anything to do with a tea party!"           Mackintosh
is described by Merrill as "of slight build, sandy complexion,
and nervous temperament." He died in extreme poverty, at
North   Haverhill, N.H., about the        year 1812, at the     age of




CXXVIII


INTRODUCTION.


seventy.  His unmarked grave can be pointed out by Mr.
Merrill, who still resides in North Haverhill, at the age of
eighty-two.
COLONEL JOHN MAY,
Born in Boston, November 24, 1748, died July I6, I812.
On the afternoon of December i6, I773, he went in haste
to his home, on North Square, and said to his young wife,
"Nabby, let me have a beefsteak as quickly as possible."
While he was eating it, a rap was heard on the window,
and he rose at once from the unfinished meal and departed.
He returned late, tired and  uncommunicative.  In the.
morning, there was found in his shoes, and scattered upon
the floor, a quantity of tea.  The inevitable inference from
these circumstances is strengthened by evidence of a very
different character.  Near the close of Major Melvill's life,
he gave, while dining with a few friends, some anecdotes
of the tea party, and turning to' Henry Knox May, the son
of Colonel May, he said, "Harry, there was one John there."
The son, who knew the family tradition, was eager to learn
more. "Not now, Harry," said the major, "Come and see
me, and I will tell you all about it."  Mr. May called repeatedly upon him, but could never obtain any further
satisfaction respecting the object of his inquiry.  Colonel
May was a man of great energy and courage, an ardent
patriot, and one not likely to be overlooked in the makingup of a company of picked men for such an enterprise.
He was at one time colonel of the Boston regiment, and
was for many years a selectman, and a firewarden of the
town.  He made a journey of exploration to the Ohio




INTRODUCTION.


CXXIX


region, in 1788 and I 789, an account of which has been
published.  Two sons, Frederick and George Washington
May, were skilful physicians, in Washington, D.C.  He has
numerous grandchildren living, among them  Prof. Edward
Tuckerman, of Amherst College, and Samuel P. Tuckerman, Mus. Doc., resident in England.
I am indebted for the above facts to my friend, John Joseph May, Esq., of
Mayfield, Dorchester.
MAJOR THOMAS MELVILL
Was born in Boston, January i6, 1751, and died there
September i6, 1832.   He was the grandson of Thomas,
minister of Scoonie Parish, Fifeshire, a cadet of the Scottish
family of the Earls of Leven and Melvill.     Allan, his
father, left Scotland, and established himself in business in
Boston, in 1743. Left an orphan at the age of ten, the care
of his education devolved upon his maternal grandmother,
Mrs. Mary Cargill, a relative of the celebrated surgeon, Dr.
Abernethy.   Young Melvill was graduated at Princeton
College, in I1769, with a view to the ministry, but impaired
health led him to make a visit to Scotland, in 1771.  Returning to Boston, in I773, he established himself in business in that town, just at the time when the tea excitement
began, and being strongly in sympathy with the "Sons
of Liberty," and a member of the Long Room Club, he
took an active part in the event of December i 6, 1 773.
Some of the tea taken from    his shoes, after his return
home, was preserved, and is now in the possession of Mrs.
Thomas Melvill, of Galena, Illinois. The picture here given
is a fac-simile of the venerable relic itself.  In 1773, he




CxxX


INTRODUCTION.


received the honorary degree of Master of Arts, from Harvard College.  In 1774, Melvill married Priscilla, daughter
of John Scollay, a prominent Boston merchant.    He had
been selected by General Warren as one of his aids, justbefore the fall of the latter at Bunker's Hill, and was successively captain and major in Colonel Thomas Crafts's
regiment of artillery, raised for the defence of the State.
When, soon after the evacuation of the town, in March,
1776, the British fleet was driven from   Boston harbor,
Captain Melvill discharged the first guns at the hostile
ships, from his battery, at Nantasket.  He afterwards served
in the Rhode Island campaigns of I777 and I779.    After
the war, he was naval officer of the port of Boston, in
1786-89, and through the influence of his friend, Samuel
Adams, was, in the latter year, appointed inspector under
the United States Government, a post which he held until
made naval officer, in I811.  President Jackson removed
him from this office in 1829, after which period he was a
member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives.
From 1779 to i825, he was one of the firewards of Boston,
and on retiring from his forty-seven years' service, was made
the recipient of a silver pitcher as a testimonial of the
appreciation of his services, by his associates.  Major Melvill's long and honorable connection with the Boston Fire
Department began in the good old times, when the firewards carried staves, tipped at the end with a brass flame,
and marshalled the bystanders into lines for passing buckets
of water to the scene of conflagration. One of the town
engines was named " Melvill," in honor of the major, whose
death was finally caused'by over-fatigue at a fire near his
house.  He was a Democrat, and a firm friend of Samuel




/ r I-  - p57



1.


--   -  ---                                                                               I


I


lI


I


4, 4
-471i


I


i




- --








h13








^M^^Ce


This print shows the Major in his Continental hat, the last he wore; now carefully preserved and in
possession of Mr. John L. D. Wolfe, Tremont Street, Boston, neat Brookline and Boston line, who has
kindly allowed us to sketch it for this work.








INTRODUCTION,.


CXXXV


Adams, of whom he had a small portrait, by Copley, now at
Harvard University.  At the time of his death, he was
president of the Massachusetts Charitable Society.  Major
Melvill was a man of sound judgment and strict integrity.
He is still remembered by our older citizens as the last
to wear, in Boston, a cocked hat and small clothes-the
costume of the Revolution.  Herman Melville, a grandson,
has attained popularity as an author.  The front door of
Major Melvill's residence, which formerly stood near the
easterly corner of Green and Staniford Streets, now does
similar duty for the house at the corner of Bartlett and
Lambert Streets, Roxbury.  The accompanying portrait is
from an oil painting in the possession of his grand-daughter,
Mrs. Samuel Downer, of Dorchester. The beautiful garden
at Downer Landing, Hingham, near which is her summer
residence, perpetuates the name of this worthy and patriotic
citizen of Boston. Admitted member Mass. Lodge, 1772.
ee^
WILLIAM MOLINEUX,
A distinguished and patriotic merchant of Boston, died
there October 22, 1774; aged fifty-eight. Like Revere and
Johonnot, he was of Huguenot ancestry. About the year
1760, he, with William  Phillips and others, established the;' Manufactory House," on the east side of what is now
Hamilton Place.   Here the people were taught spinning
16




CXXXVI


INTRODUCTION.


'and weaving, free of cost, and soon many were clad in
garments of their own manufacture. This building was put
to other uses, in i768. Molineux, from the very beginning
of the dispute with the mother country, was an active and
influential Whig.  He was a member of the " Long Room
Club," formed in I762, and of the Sons of Liberty, in
1765; was one of the Boston committee of correspondence,
from  its origin, in  772; one of the committee, and its
spokesman, appointed by the Liberty Tree meeting, Novem.
ber 4, to request the consignees of the tea to resign, and
took an active part in all the public meetings that followed.
Molineux and Dr. Young were the only prominent leaders
of the people who were known to have been actively present
at the destruction of the tea.  Molineux was a member of
a committee, of which Samuel Adams was the chairman, to
demand the removal of the British troops from Boston.
John Adams relates that Molineux was obliged to march by
the side of the troops, to protect them from the indignation
of the people.  With the exception of Samuel Adams, no
name is oftener found, in connection with the public acts
of the day, than that of William Molineux, and his death, a
few months before the war broke out, was a great loss to
the patriot cause. While the Boston Port Bill was under
discussion in the British Cabinet, Governor Hutchinson was
told by Lord Mansfield that the Lords of the Council had
their pens ready to sign the warrant for the transportation
to England and trial of Adams, Molineux and others, for
high treason, but were prevented by the doubts of the
Attorney and Solicitor-Generals as to the sufficiency of the
evidence to convict them.  Molineux resided at the corner
of Beacon and Mount Vernon Streets, near John Hancock,




INTRODUCTION.


CXXXVII


where in I760 he built a mansion-house that was considered
as "quite splendid" for those days.
THOMAS MOORE,
Son of Hugh Moore, wharfinger, on Fish Street, informs his
father's "good customers," in the Gazette of November 24,
I773, that he "carries on the business as usual, and solicits
their custom."  Ben. Russell speaks of seeing Moore and
his (Russell's) father blacking each other's faces on the i6th
of December, I773.  He died in August, I813; aged sixty.
ANTHONY MORSE.
"Anthony Morse, my father, afterwards a lieutenant during
the Revolutionary war, and Mr. Joseph Roby, now (I819) of
Hanover, N. H., were active in the destruction of the tea,
December 16, 1773."
- Niles' Acts and Principles of the Revolution, p. 326.
JOSEPH MOUNTFORD,
A cooper, on Prince Street, died in Pepperill, Mass., May
Ii, 1838; aged eighty-eight.
E[LIPHELET      N [EWELL],
Of Charlestown, repeatedly informed Dr. Joseph Bartlett,
author of a historical sketch of that town, that he was one




CXXXVIII          INTRODUCTION.
of the Indians who destroyed the tea in Boston harbor.
He was a member of the Masonic Lodge of St. Andrew,
in I778.
JOSEPH    PEARSE    PALMER
Was the only son of General Joseph Palmer, a prominent
actor in the Revolutionary drama in Massachusetts, and
Mary, the sister of Judge Richard Cranch, who resided in
that part of Braintree called Germantown.  Before the war
he dealt in West India goods and hardware, at the town
dock. Of his share in the tea party his widow says: " One
evening, about ten o'clock, hearing the gate and door open,
I opened the parlor door, and there stood three stout-looking
Indians.  I screamed, and should have fainted, but recognized my husband's voice saying, ' Don't be frightened,
Betty, it is I.  We have only been making a little saltwater tea.'  His two companions were Foster Condy and
Stephen Bruce.  Soon after this, Secretary Flucker called
upon my husband, and said to him, 'Joe, you are so- obnoxious to the British Government, that you had better
leave town.'  Accordingly we left town, and went to live
in part of my father's house, in Watertown."  During the
war, Mr. Palmer served in Boston and in —Rhode Island, first
as brigade major, and next as quartermaster-general.  Soon
after his father's death, in 1788, he went to Vermont, with
Colonel Keith, to examine the facilities for establishing
themselves in some branch of the iron business.  Shortly




f NTRODUCTION. IXXXIX


CXXXIX


after he reached Windsor he lost his life, having accidentally
fallen from a bridge, then erecting over the Connecticut.
He left a numerous family.  His daughter, Mary, married
Royal Tyler, of Vt.  Member Massachusetts Lodge, I773.
JONATHAN PARKER
Was a Roxbury farmer, a " high Son of Liberty," who safely
brought through the British lines on the Neck, and secreted
in Muddy Pond Woods, the two cannon which, by a clever
stratagem, had been taken from the gun-house, on Boston
common, at noon-day. Next day, a party of Red Coats ---were
in Roxbury searching for them in every direction, but in
vain.  These are supposed to be the same pieces now in
the chamber at the top of Bunker Hill Monument. Parker
took the guns -from the stable of the second house west
from the court house, on the south side of Court Street.
He brought a load of hay, and took home a load of stable
manure, the guns being in the bottom of the wagon.
JOSE-PH PAYSON
Was a housewright, on Foster's wharf, in x 789, and at
5 Bennet Street, in I796.  He was a descendant of Edward
Payson, one of the first settlers of Roxbury, and his wife,
Mary, a sister of the Apostle Eliot, and was born in 1743.




CXL


INTRODUCTION.


SAMUEL PECK
Was a cooper, and in I789 did business at Hallowell's shipyard, near the foot of Milk Street.  He was a prominent
Son of Liberty, also a leading and influential member of
the North End Caucus.   He was one of the guard on the
"Dartmouth," on' the night of November 30, I773, and on
the morning following the destruction of the tea, his apprentices noticed traces of red paint behind his ears.  He
was thought to have been one of the leaders in the affair.
He joined the Masonic Lodge of St. Jpdrew in I756.
JOHN PETERS,
A native of Lisbon, Portugal, died in Philadelphia,.April 23,
1832, at the great age of one hundred years, five months and
twenty-three days.  He was able to attend to his business
up to the close of I83I.  He came to America soon after
the earthquake of 1755, and settled in Boston.  He was
one of the tea party; was in the battles of Lexington and
Bunker Hill, —in which latter he lost a finger,-at Princeton, Monmouth and Trenton.   He was also at the capture
of Burgoyne and of Cornwallis, was again wounded, and
after being discharged, in 1783, resided in Philadelphia,
where he reared a numerous family.
WILLIAM     PIERCE,
Born in Boston, December 25, 1744; died October Io, 1840.




INTRODUCTION.                CXLI


CXL1


He served his time with John Adams, a barber, in Dock
Square, at the sign of the "Great Boot," and opened a shop
for himself in Marshall Street, some years before the Revolution.  His shop was a sort of exchange for the gossip
current at the North End, and was frequented by many
celebrated residents of that locality.  He boasted of having
shaved Franklin, and he stated that Franklin told him that
he was born in the house on the corner of Union and
Hanover Streets, at the sign of the "Blue Ball."  Hewes
relates that Pierce was one of those that boarded the ships
on December i6, 1773.  He continued actively engaged in
his business until the year i835, having followed his profession seventy-six years
LENDALL PITTS,
Youngest son of Hon. James Pitts, a merchant and an
active patriot of Boston; born in I747, died December 31,
1787, and being captain of a volunteer company, was buried
with military honors.  According to Hewes, Pitts commanded the division of the tea party that boarded the brig
" Beaver," and after the affair was over, formed the party in
military order, with the aid of Major Barber and Colonel
Proctor, and marched them  back into town.  A  solemn
pledge, for the protection of those engaged in this affair,
was entered into by the committee of correspondence,-of
whom Lendall's brother, John Pitts, was one, -about a
week afterwards, when it was currently supposed that those
who had borne a part in that daring performance would




CXLII


INTRODUCTION,


be arrested, if discovered, and    executed  for treason.   It
was worded as follows:
"The subscribers do engage to exert our utmost influence to support and
vindicate each other, and any person or persons who may be likely to suffer for
any noble efforts they may have made to save their country, by defeating the
operations of the British Parliament, expressly designed to extort a revenue from
the Colonies against their consent."
The names of four members of this family are prominently
associated with the tea episode at Boston. James Pitts, the
father, (H.U., 1731,) an eminent and wealthy merchant, who,
as member of the Governor's Council,- thwarted the chiefmagistrate, Hutchinson, in his efforts to have the tea landed,
and who died in Dunstable, Mass., January 25, 1776; aged
sixty-four.  His sons,-JOHN, born in 1737, (H. U., I757,) a
selectman, and on the committee to urge the consignees to
resign; an active member of the committee of correspondence, of the Provincial Congress of 1775; Speaker of the
House in I778, and member of the senate in       I780-84, who
died at Tyngsboro', Mass., in 1815; SAMUEL, born in I745,
an officer in the company of cadets, said also to have been
one of the tea party, and LENDALL, the leader of the party,
noted above, who was clerk of the market in I775-6, and an
officer in Hancock's cadets.   The sons all had Huguenot
blood in their veins, their mother being a sister of James
Bowdoin.    All were merchants, and active Sons of Liberty,
and prior to the Revolution, were in business together,
engaged in extensive commercial transactions.     Pitts's wharf
was just north of Faneuil Hall Market.       Pitts Street perpetuates the name and fame of this noted family; no one
of their descendants bearing the name now surviving in
Boston.   The Pitts mansion, a favorite place of meeting




INTRODUCTION.


CXLY


for the Boston patriots, occupied the ground.now covered
by the Howard Atheneum.    The accompanying portrait of
Lendall Pitts is taken from a painting owned by his grandson, Lendall Pitts Cazeau, of Roxbury.
For many of the above facts I am indebted to the Pitts "Memorial," by
Daniel Goodwin, Jr., of Chicago.
THOMAS PORTER,
A  merchant, formerly of Boston, died in Alexandria, Va.,
in June, I800.
CAPTAIN HENRY     PRENTISS,
Born in Holliston, Mass., March 27, 1749, died in Medfield,
Mass., August 3I, 1821; son of Rev. Joshua, forty-five years
pastor of the Holliston church.  Captain Prentiss served
during the Revolutionary war, at Cambridge, at Long Island,
and at Trenton.   He was an Overseer of the Poor, in
Boston, in I784; a member of the Ancient and Honorable
Artillery Company in 1786; a sea captain in I789, and was
afterwards a merchant of Boston.   He, with his brother
Appleton, was one of the first to introduce into New England the art of printing calico,-producing a coarse blue
and red article on India cotton.  Their place of business
was at the corner of Buttolph Street.   Captain Prentiss'
17




CXLVI


INTRODUCTION.


residence was in a stone house, near the head of Hanover
Street, the former residence of Benjamin Hallowell, Comptroller of Customs, which was ransacked at the time Gov.
Hutchinson's House was mobbed.     Member Massachusetts
Lodge, 1789.
DR. JOHN PRINCE
Was pastor of the First Church, in Salem, from 1779 to his
death, June 3, I836.  He was a native of Boston, and was
a witness only of the destruction of the tea, as he informed
Colonel Russell, of the "Centinel," long afterward.   Admitted member Massachusetts Lodge, IIth January, I780.
COLONEL EDWARD       PROCTOR,
A prominent citizen and military officer of Boston, died
there in November, i81i; aged seventy-eight.  He was an
importer of West India goods, at the sign of the "Schooner,"
in Fish Street, at the North End, before the war, after which
he was in the auction business, at No. i Union Street. He
was an active patriot, and was placed on the committee to
obtain the resignation of the consignees of the tea, and
commanded the guard on the " Dartmouth," on the night of
November 29, I773.1   In 1756, he joined the Ancient and
1The proclamation of the "King of writing. The original is in the posthe Mohawks," which accompanies this session of Mr. Jeremiah Colburn, of
notice, appears to be in Proctor's hand- Boston.








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INTRODUCTION.


CXI.IX


Honorable Artillery Company, of which his grandfather,
Edward Proctor, had been a member in 1699; was in the
service during the Revolutionary war, and was a member of
the committees of correspondence and of safety.  He became a member of the Masonic fraternity in'i765, when he
joined St. Andrew's Lodge; was master in I 774-76, and was
junior grand warden of the Massachusetts Grand Lodge in
1781.  For some years previous to his death, he was one
of the Overseers of the Poor, and was a fireward in 1784-89.
Hannah, his widow, died October 31, 1832, aged 87.
COLONEL HENRY      PURKITT,
Born in Boston, March 18, 1755, died March 3, 1846.  He
was educated at the public schools of Boston; was afterwards apprenticed to Samuel Peck, the cooper, a zealous
"Son of Liberty," and member of the tea party, and was
himself active on that occasion, in disobedience to his
master's orders.  His reminiscences of the affair have been
related on a previous page.  Enlisting as a soldier in the
Revolutionary army, he served through the war, and was
present at Trenton and Brandywine, and was at one time a
sergeant in Pulaski's Cavalry. After the war, he carried on
his trade of cooper successfully, in connection with his
former fellow-apprentice, Dolbear, in South Street.  In 1803,
appointed inspector-general of pickled fish, and performed
the duty satisfactorily for thirty-five years.  Joining a corn



CL                 INTRODUCTION.
pany of cavalry after the war, he passed through all the
grades, and rose to that of colonel.  He was many years a
member of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association; became a member of St. Andrew's Royal Arch
Chapter of Freemasons, in 1798, and was master of St.
Andrew's Lodge, in I804-5.   "Uprightness and exactness
were prominent traits of his character, and universal love
and charity for all mankind were sincerely exhibited in his
social intercourse.  He had troops of friends, but it is not
known that he ever had an enemy." In 1834, a number of
PolisJi refugees arrived here, after the final partition of their
native country.  A collection for their benefit was proposed.
The call was nobly responded to, and among others, Purkitt
sent his check, as follows:
"Pay to Count Pulaski, my commander at the battle of Brandywine,.his
brethren, or bearer, one hundred dollars."
There is in possession of the family a full-length silhouette
likeness of Purkitt, and a daguerreotype. The accompanying
portrait is from  an oil painting, in the possession of Mr.
Henry P. Kidder; of Boston.
JOHN RANDALL,
Born in Watertown, Mass., October 2, 1750; married Sarah
Barnard, 3oth December, I778.




Better knowzn as Colonel Purkiit.


" Uprightness and exactness were prominent attributes of Ins character, and universal love and charity for
all mankind were sincerely exhibited in his social intercourse. He had troops of friends, but it is not known
that he ever had an enemy."-Biographical Sketches St. Andrew's R.A.C.








INTRODUCTION.


CLIII


PAUL REVERE,
Born in Boston, January I, I735; died at his residence, in
Bennet Street, May IO, I818.  He was of Huguenot ancestry, and learned the goldsmith's trade of his father. Articles
of silverware, with his engraving, are still extant in Boston.
He also engraved on copper, an art in which he was selfinstructed, producing a portrait of his friend, the Rev.
Jonathan Mayhew; a picture emblematical of the Stamp
Act; a caricature of the "Seventeen Rescinders," one of
Lord North forcing the tea down the throat of America; a
picture of the Massacre in King Street, and another representing the landing of the British troops in Boston, in I774.
There were then but three engravers, besides Revere, in
America.  In I775, he engraved the plates, made the press,
and printed the bills of the paper money, which was ordered
by the Provincial Congress of Massachusetts.  He was sent
by this Congress to Philadelphia, to obtain information respecting the manufacture of gunpowder, and on his return
was able, simply from having seen the process, to construct
a mill, which was soon in successful operation. Revere was
an active patriot during the whole of the struggle for Independence.  He was one of those who executed, as well as
planned, the daring scheme of destroying the tea in Boston
harbor, and was one of a club of young men, chiefly mechanics, who watched the movements of the British troops
in Boston.  He acted an important part in rousing the
country around Boston on the morning of the memorable
nineteenth of April, I775, an event worthily commemorated
in Longfellow's poem, —"Paul Revere's Ride." Revere had




CLIV


INTRODUCTION.


served at Fort Edward, near Lake George, as a lieutenant
of artillery, in I756, and after the evacuation of Boston, was
commissioned major in Crafts' artillery regiment, raised for
the defence of the State, in which he attained the rank of
lieutenant-colonel, and remained in service until the close
of the war, after which he resumed his business as a goldsmith. He was in the unfortunate Penobscot expedition, in
I779. At a later period, he erected an air-furnace, in which
he cast brass cannon and. church bells.  He also erected
extensive works at Canton, for rolling copper and casting
guns,-a business still carried on there by his successors.
In 1795 he assisted in laying the corner stone of the State
House, at Boston. At the time of his death he was actively
connected with many benevolent and useful institutions, and
was the first president of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association; member: of the Masonic Lodge of St.
Andrew's, in i76I, and grand master of the Grand Lodge of
Massachusetts, in I794-96.
JOSEPH ROBY
Resided in Prince Street, Boston, in, I807, but was living
in Hanover, N.H., in I8I7.
JOHN RUSSELL
Was by trade a mason, and died in Boston, in 1778.  His
son, the well-known journalist, Colonel Benjamin Russell,






"Preserve union, and judge in all causes amicably and mildly, preferring peace."-PAUL REYERE, 1795.








LORD NORTH FORCING THE TEA DOWN THE THROAT OF AMERICA.



~~- -.. C


LORD NORTH FORCING THE TEA DOWN THE THROAT OF AMERICA.








INTRODUCTION.


CLIX


though only a school-boy at the time, remembered seeing,
through the window of the wood-house, his father and Mr.
Thomas Moore, his neighbor, besmearing each other's faces
with lampblack and red ochre.
WILLIAM RUSSELL.
William, son of Samuel and Elizabeth Hacker Russell,
was born in Boston, 24th May, 1748, and died 7th March,
I784, in Cambridge, Mass.   He was sometime usher in
Master Griffiths' school, on  Hanover Street, below  the
Orange Tree.   On returning to his home, on Temple
Street, after the tea party, he took off his shoes, and carefully dusted them over the fire, in order that no tea should
remain, and saw every particle consumed.  He afterwards
taught school in Newton.   Joining Crafts' artillery regiment, he served as sergeant-major and adjutant in the Rhode
Island campaign.  He next joined a privateer, as captain's
clerk, was captured, and kept in Mill Prison, Plymouth,
England, from  August, 1779, until January, I782.  Again
in a privateer, he was again taken, and this time suffered
confinement in the horrible prison-ship "Jersey," at New
York.  These privations and sufferings occasioned his early
death.  His son, Colonel John Russell, was a publisher and
journalist in Boston.  He joined St. Andrew's Lodge of
Freemasons in I778.




CLX


INTRODUCTION.


ROBERT SESSIONS,
Whose interesting account of the tea party appears on page
LXXIX, was born in Pomfret, Conn., March 15, 1752, and died
in Hampden, Mass., in 1836.      His grandfather, Nathaniel,
was one of the earliest settlers of Pomfret, in 1704. Darius
Sessions, Lieutenant-Governor of Rhode Island at the opening of the Revolution, and an active patriot, was his uncle.
Robert Sessions served in the Revolutionary army, attaining
the rank of lieutenant. In 1778, he married Anna Ruggles,
a descendant of the Roxbury family of that name; settled in
Pomfret, and in I 781 removed to South Wilbraham, now
Hampden, Mass.      The high estimation in which he. was
held by his fellow citizens, is evident fr6m  the number of
offices of trust and responsibility in which he was placed.,
He was for many years a justice of the peace; town clerk
and treasurer twelve years; representative in the State
Legislature for five years, (i8i14-19,) and was almost always
chosen moderator of the town-meeting.     His sons, William
V. and Sumner Sessions, are yet living, at an advanced age.
The above facts, as well as the narrative on page LXXIX, were furnished by
my friends, Mr. John A. Lewis, of Boston, and Hon. William robert Sessions, the
well-known agriculturist, of Hampden County, and a member ot the Massachusetts
Senate of 1884, a grandson of Robert.
JOSEPH SHED
Was born in Boston, June 17, I 732, and died there October
i8, 1812.  He was the son of Joseph, (born October 26,




INTRODUCTION.


CLXI


I698,) who was the son of Zachary, (born June 17, 1656,)
who was the son of Daniel, the original settler of that name
inr Braintree, and afterwards at Billerica, Mass. The subject
of this notice was a carpenter by trade, and worked upon
Faneuil Hall during its rebuilding, or enlargement. He was
associated with Samuel Adams, and other patriots, before
and during the Revolutionary war, and later on was an
ardent Jeffersonian Democrat,-hating the very name of
Federalist.  His residence was on Milk Street, on the spot
now occupied by the Equitable Life Insurance building.
At his residence a party of persons dressed, who were concerned in the destruction of the tea, he being one of the
number.   His friend, Samuel Adams, was often a visitor at
his house, and his grandson has the china punch-bowl from
which the old patriot drank, when Independence was declared.  During the latter part of his life he kept a grocery
store, on the spot where he lived so many years, on Milk
Street.  He was buried in the Granary burial ground,
where many other patriotic citizens of Boston are also
interred.
Communicated by his grandson, Mr. Joseph G. Shed, of Roxbury.
BENJAMIN SIMPSON,
(Erroneously named Isaac in Thatcher's list of 1835,) whose
story of the tea party is told on pages LxxVII-vIII, was a
bricklayer's apprentice.  He served in the Revolutionary
I8




CLXII


INTRODUCTION.


army; removed to Saco, Maine, about I790, and died at
Biddeford, Maine, March 23, I849.
CAPTAIN PETER SLATER
Died in-Worcester, Mass., October I3, I83I; aged seventytwo.  He was apprenticed to a rope-maker, in Boston.
His master, apprehensive that something would take place
that evening relative to the tea, then in the harbor, shut
Peter up in his chamber.  He made his escape from the
window; went to a blacksmith's shop, where he found a
man disguised, who told him to tie a handkerchief round his
frock, to black his face with charcoal, and to follow him.
The party soon increased to twenty persons.  Slater went
on board the brig, with five others; two of them brought
the tea upon deck, two broke open the chests, and threw
them overboard, while he, with one other, stood with poles
to push them  under water.  Not a word was exchanged
between the parties from the time they left Griffins' wharf
till the cargo was emptied into the harbor, and they returned
to the wharf and dispersed.  Slater served five years in the
Revolutionary army. A monument in Hope Cemetery, New
Worcester, erected by his daughter, Mrs. Howe, bears the
names of Slater, and many of his companions of the "tea
party."
Was one of the party, of whom we have no further information.




INTRODUCTION.


CLXIII


THOMAS SPEAR
Lived on Orange Street, in 1789.  He was one of those
whom Peter Mackintosh remembered to have seen run into
his master's blacksmith's shop, and blacken their faces with
soot.
SAMUEL SPRAGUE,
The father of the poet, Charles Sprague, was born in
Hingham, Mass.,-the home of four generations of his
ancestors, - December 22, I753, and died in Boston, June
20, I844.  He was a mason by trade, and was athletic and
tall of stature.  His share in the tea party he thus related
to his son: "That evening, while on my way to visit the
young woman I afterwards married, I met some lads hurrying along towards Griffin's wharf, who told me there was
something going on there.  I joined them, and on reaching
the wharf found the ' Indians' busy with the tea chests.
Wishing to have my share of the fun, I looked about for
the means of disguising myself.  Spying a low. building,
with a stove-pipe by way of chimney, I climbed the roof
and obtained a quantity of soot, with which I blackened
my face.   Joining the party, I recognized among them
Mr. Etheridge, my master.    We worked together, but
neither of us ever afterwards alluded to each other's share
in the proceedings." Sprague married Joanna Thayer, of
Braintree, a woman of great decision of character,  They




CLXIV


INTRODUCTION.


lived in a two-story wooden house, at No. 38 Orange (now
Washington) Street, directly opposite Pine Street.
COLONEL JOHN SPURR,
Born in Dorchester, Mass., in 1748, died in Providence, R.I.,
November I, i822; after December I6, I773, he went to
Providence; joined the army in I775; was commissioned a
captain in a Rhode Island regiment, in I776, major in I777,
and served throughout the Revolutionary war.
JAMES STARR,
Born in New London, Conn., died in Jay, Maine, in January, I83I; aged ninety years and six months.  He served
in the old French war; afterwards settled and married in
Boston, and removed thence to Bridgewater.  During the
Revolutionary war, he was taken prisoner, carried to Halifax,
and detained fourteen months.  Placed on board a transport
for New York, and destined to the horrible Jersey prisonship; after being two days at sea, the prisoners rose on the
ship's company, captured the vessel, and took her into
Marblehead.
CAPTAIN PHINEAS STEARNS,
A farmer and blacksmith of Watertown, born February 5,
I736, died March 27, I798.  He was a soldier at Lake




p
a A I                       -zc








.0








INTRODUCTION.


CI.XV


George in I 756, and commanded a company at Dorchester
Heights, when the British evacuated Boston.   He, with
Samuel Barnard and John Randall, all of Watertown, were
among the famous Boston tea party.   He was offered a
colonel's commission in the army, but the care of his young
motherless children, and of a family of apprentices and
journeymen, prevented his continuing in the public service.
He was distinguished for his benevolent and cheerful disposition, and for strong common sense and strict integrity.
GENERAL EBENEZER STEVENS,
A distinguished artillery officer in the Revolutionary war,
son of Ebenezer and Elizabeth Weld Stevens, of Roxbury,
was born in Boston, iith August, 1751, and died at his
residence, in Rockaway, now Astoria, N.Y., 22d September,
1823.  He joined Paddock's artillery company, which was
composed -almost entirely of mechanics, many of whom were
active members of the organization, which, under the name
of Sons of Liberty, did effective service in opposing the
machinations of the crown. Under its first lieutenant, Jabez
Hatch, (Captain Paddock being a Tory,) this company volunteered as a watch on the " Dartmouth."   The Boston
Port Bill drove the mechanics out of the town, and Stevens
went to Providence, where he became a partner with John
Crane, in the business of carpentering.  Commissioned first
lieutenant of Crane's train of Rhode Island artillery, 8th May,
I775, he accompanied it to Boston, and served through the
siege; made captain in Knox's artillery regiment, ist January, 1I776; took part in the expedition to Canada; made
major 9th November, 1776, and in the campaign ending in




CLXVI


INTRODUCTION.


the surrender of Burgoyne; appointed lieutenant-colonel 3d
April, 1778, and soon after assigned to Colonel Lamb's
regiment, with which he took part in Lafayette's operations
in Virginia, and at Yorktown commanded the artillery alternately with Lamb and Carrington.  After the war, he was
a leading merchant of New York; member of the New
York assembly in I800, an alderman in 1802, and majorgeneral of the State militia during the war of I812.  He
was a founder of the Tammany and the New      England
Societies, and a member of the Society of the Cincinnati.
General Stevens's connection with the tea party is related
on a previous page.
DR. ELISHA    STORY,
Born in Boston, December 3, I743, died in Marblehead,
Mass., August 27, I805.  His father, William  Story, was
Register of the Court of Admiralty.  His office, on the
north-westerly corner of State and Devonshire Streets, was
broken into at the time of the Stamp Act riots, on the
supposition that the stamps had been deposited there for
distribution, and all the books and papers carried into King
(now State) Street, and burned.  Elisha Story, fully sympathizing with the patriots of the day, joined the "Sons of
Liberty;" was one of the volunteer guard on the " Dart.
mouth," on the night of November 29, and on the evening of
December 16, convened, with other disguised Sons of Liberty,
in an old distillery, preparatory to their "little operation"
in tea.  He was a pupil of Master Lovell, and studied
medicine with Dr. Sprague.  He was surgeon of Colonel
Little's Essex regiment, and fought as a volunteer at Lex



INTRODUCTION.


CLXVII


ington, and at Bunker's Hill, until obliged to remove a
wounded friend to Winter Hill, where he passed the night
in caring for the wounded.  He was with Washington at
Long Island, White Plains and Trenton.    In  I774, he
removed from Boston to Malden, and in I777, settled in
Marblehead, where he practiced his profession, with success,
until his death.  In 1767, he married Ruth, daughter of
Major John Ruddock, by whom he had ten children. By
his second wife, Mehitabel, daughter of Major John Pedrick,
he had eleven children, the eldest of whom was Joseph,
afterwards Associate-Justice of the United States Supreme
Court.  Isaac, the second son, was the father of Judge
Isaac, of Somerville, Mass.   Dr. Story was a skilful
physician, and a man of great benevolence.  "It is said
that he at one time led a party of men to the Boston
common, near where is now the Park Street gate, where
there was a sentinel guarding two brass field-pieces. While
Story overawed the sentinel, by presenting a pistol at his
head, and enjoined silence upon him, the others came from
behind and dragged away the guns, one of which was afterwards placed in the Bunker Hill Monument."
Communicated by Hon. Isaac Story, of Somerville.
COLONEL JAMES SWAN,
Merchant, politician, soldier and author before the age of
twenty-two; born in Fifeshire, Scotland, in I754, died in
Paris, March I8, I83I.  He came to Boston when very
young, and in I772, when a clerk in a counting-house,
published "A Dissuasion to Great Britain and the Colonies
from the Slave-Trade to Africa."  At the time of the tea




INTRODUCTION.


CLXVIII


party, in which he was an actor, his place of business was
next to Ellis Gray's, opposite the east end of Faneuil Hall,
and he boarded in Hanover Street, where he and other
young apprentices disguised themselves.  Next morning, at
breakfast, the tea in their shoes, and smooches on their
faces, led to some mutual chaffing.  He was a volunteer
at Bunker's Hill; was a captain in Crafts's artillery regiment; afterwards secretary to the Massachusetts Board of
War; member of the Legislature in 1778; Adjutant-General
of the State, and at the close of the war was major of a
cavalry corps.  He acquired a fortune in France through
government contracts, but afterwards became deeply involved,
through the dishonesty of a partner, and was confined in
St. Pelagie, a debtors' prison, in Paris, for many years, keeping up all the while an indefatigable litigation in the French
courts. At the age of seventy he was, by French law, released.  In I777, he joined the Masonic Lodge of St.
Andrew.   He was a man of large enterprise and benevolence, manly in person, and dignified in manner. He owned
a fine estate in Dorchester, latterly the residence of his
daughter, Mrs. Sargent.
THOMAS URANN,
One of the volunteer guard on the "Dartmouth;" became
a member of the Masonic Lodge of St. Andrew, in I760,
and was master of the Lodge, in-I771-72.  He was a ship



INTRODUCTION.                   CLXIXF
joiner, in Batterymarch Street,. near Hallowell's ship-yard.
In I 784, he was surveyor of boards; and was sealer of
woods, in I 787-90. - By Mary, his wife, whom he married
in I750, he had thirteen children, nine of whom survived
him.  His will is dated May 7, I 79 I.
CAPTAIN JOSIAH WHEELER
Was a house-wright, who lived in half a double house,
on Orange (now Washington) Street, west side, between
Pleasant and Warrenton Streets.    The other half was
occupied by Sprague, also of the tea party.  On the afternoon of December i6, I773, Mrs. Wheeler became aware
that there was something unusual on her husband's mind.
It was late when he returned home that evening, but she
sat up for him, and as he pulled off his long boots, a
quantity of tea fell on the floor, revealing the cause of his
absence.  Seeing the tea, a female neighbor, who had sat
up with Mrs. Wheeler to keep her company, in her husband's absence, exclaimed, " Save it; it will make a nice
mess."   Taking down her broom, this patriotic woman
swept it all into the fire, saying, " Don't touch the cursed
stuff." Wheeler. commanded a company of minute-men at
the opening of the Revolution, most of whom were skilled
carpenters and joiners, and by Washington's order, he superintended the erection of the forts, on Dorchester- Heights.
He was also employed in building the State House, in
Boston. He died in Boston, in August, i8I7; aged seventyfour.  His daughter, Mrs. Carney, was living in I873, at
IO




l CLXX


INTRODUCTION.


Sheepscot, Maine, at the age of eighty-six.  George W.
Wheeler, a grandson, many years City Treasurer of Worcester, is now (1884) living in that city.  Captain Wheeler
was one of the volunteer guard on board the " Dartmouth."
JEREMIAH WILLIAMS
Was a blacksmith, who resided in the old mansion, yet
standing, near Hog Bridge, in Roxbury, known as the "John
Curtis House."  He was the brother of Colonel Joseph, a
distinguished citizen, and the father of Major Edward Payson Williams, an officer of the Revolutionary army, who
died in the service.
THOMAS WILLIAMS,
Also of Roxbury, was one of the minute-men in Captain
Moses Whiting's company, at Lexington.   He, with his
brother-in-law, Thomas Dana, Jr., and other Roxbury men,
rendezvoused at the house of his father, John Williams,
preparatory to the tea party, and returning home, Williams
and Dana refused to join in sacking the house of a Tory,
regarding it as no part of their enterprise.  In I8I2, Williams settled in Cazenovia, N.Y., and died in Utica, N.Y.,
July 3I, I8 7; aged sixty-three.
NATHANIEL WILLIS,
Journalist, born in Boston, February 7, I755, died near
Chillicothe, O., April I, 1831.  After serving an apprenticeship in a printing-office, in Boston, he became one of the




INTRODUCTION.


CIXXI


proprietors and publishers of the "Independent Chronicle,"
a leading political journal, from  1776 to 1784.  He subsequently issued the first newspaper ever published in Ohio,
the "Scioto Gazette," and was for several years State printer
of Ohio.   His son, Nathaniel, also a journalist, was the
father of Nathaniel P. Willis, Richard Storrs Willis, and
Sarah Payson Willis, ("Fanny Fern,") afterwards Mrs.
Parton.  Member of St. Andrew's Lodge in 1779.
JOSHUA    WYETH,
Whose relation is given on a preceding page, was the son
of Ebenezer Wyeth, of Cambridge, and was born there in
October, I758.  He served in the Revolutionary army;
afterwards removed to the west, and was residing in Cincinnati, in 1827.
DR. THOMAS YOUNG,
A physician, was a conspicuous figure in the early Revolutionary movements in Boston.  He was the first president
of the North End Caucus, at which measures of importance
to the town were initiated and discussed, and delivered the
first oration commemorative of the Boston Massacre, March 5,
1771, at the Manufactory House, on Tremont Street.  He
was an original member of the Boston committee of correspondence, whose work was so important in uniting the
Colonies, and was a talented and vigorous contributor to
the papers of the day, and to the Royal American Maga



CLXXII


INTRODUCTION.


zine, on medical, political and religious topics.  He was a
popular speaker in the public meetings of the day, and to
him is attributed the first public suggestion of throwing the
tea overboard.  He was John Adams's family physician, and
an army surgeon, in I776, and was afterwards a resident of
Philadelphia.  Several spirited letters from his pen may be
found in the "Life and Times of General John Lamb."
"Tea," writes Young in the " Evening Post," "is really a
slow poison, and has a corrosive effect upon those who
handle it.  I have left it off since it became a political
poison, and have since gained in firmness of constitution.
My substitute is camomile flowers."
It is not long, since an eminent Englishman, visiting
Boston, asked the committee of the city government, who
attended him, to point out the place where the tea was
thrown overboard. He was taken to a distant wharf, known
by its form as the T, and popularly associated with that
event from the similarity of sound. Boston has appropriately
marked many of her historical sites; surely the spot rendered forever memorable by the bold deed of the Sons of
Liberty, on December i6, I773, ought not longer to remain
unmarked. No stranger, at all familiar with American history, would leave unvisited the scene of an event at once
so unique in its character, and so important in its consequences.  The precise locality is definitely known, and a
tablet, suitably inscribed, or an enduring monument of some
kind, should be placed there without further delay.




Atoo     — 1
em m  Im
so~~Pg~


Pearl      7
ia --- —--  St.


>1


h.


LOCATION OF GRIFFIN'S (NOW LIVERPOOL) WHARF, WHERE THE
TEA-SHIPS LAY.
In this diagram the old boundaries are designated by dotted lines.  The place where the tea-ships lay, at
the foot of Griffin's wharf, is coincident with the lower end of the large coal-sheds of Messrs. Chapin & Co.,
the present owners of the wharf.  They have extended and widened the wharf, and have built a three-story
brick block at its head. A mural tablet might be set in the front of the central building, at a small expense.
The wharf should be rechristened "Tea Party Wharf."








INTRODUCTION.


CLXXIII


A BALLAD OF THE BOSTON TEA PARTY.
BY DR. OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES.
No! never such a draught was pourea
Since Hebe served with nectar
The bright Olympians and their Lord,
Her over-kind protector;
Since Father Noah squeezed the grape
And took to such behaving,
As would have shamed our grandsire ape,
Before the days of shaving;
No! ne'er was mingled such a draught,
In palace, hall, or arbor,
As freemen brewed, and tyrants quaffed,
That night in Boston harbor!
It kept King George so long awake,
His brain at last got addled,
It made the nerves of Britain shake
With seven score millions saddled;
Before that bitter cup was drained
Amid the roar of cannon,
The western war-cloud's crimson stained
The Tlkmes, the Clyde, the Shannon;
Full many a six-foot grenadier
The flattened grass had measured
And many a mother many a year
Her tearful memories treasured.
Fast spread the tempest's darkening pall,
The mighty realms were troubled,
The storm broke loose, but first of all
The Boston tea-pot bubbled!
An evening party, - only that,
No formal invitation,
No gold-laced coat, no stiff cravat,
No feast in contemplation;
No silk-robed dames, no fiddling band,
No flowers, no songs, no dancing




CLXXIV


INrRO DUCTI ON.


A tribe of red men, -axe in hand,
Behold the guests advancing!
How fast the stragglers join the throng,
From stall and work-shop gathered;
The lively barber skips along
And leaves a chin half-lathered;
The smith has flung his hammer down,
The horse-shoe still is glowing,
The truant tapster at the Crown
Has left a beer-cask flowing;
The coopers' boys have dropped the adze,
And trot behind their master;
Up run the tarry ship-yard lads;The crowd is hurrying faster.
Out from the mill-pond's purlieus gush,
The streams of white-faced millers,
And down their slippery alleys rush
The lusty young Fort-Hillers.
The rope-walk lends its 'prentice crew,
The Tories seize the omen;
"Ay, boys! you'll soon have work to do
For England's rebel foemen,
'King Hancock,' Adams, and their gang,
That fire the mob with treason,
When these we shoot, and those we hang,
The town will come to reason."
On —on to where the tea-snips ride!
And now their ranks are forming, —
A rush and up the Dartmouth's side,
The Mohawk band is swarming!
See the fierce natives! what a glimpse
Of paint and fur and feather,
As all at once the full-grown imps
Light on the deck together!
A scarf the pig-tail's secret keeps,
A blanket hides the breeches,And out the cursed cargo leaps,
And overboard it pitches!
O woman, at the evening board,
So gracious, sweet and purring,




INTRODUCTION.,


CLXXV


So happy while the tea is poured,
So blest while spoons are stirring,
What martyr can compare with thee?
The mother, wife, or daughter,That night, instead of best Bohea,
Condemned to milk and water!
Ah, little dreams the quiet dame,
Who plies with rack and spindle,
The patient flax, how great a flame
Yon little spark shall kindle!
The lurid morning shall reveal
A fire no king can smother,
When British flint and Boston steel
Have clashed against each other!
Old charters shrivel in its track,
His worship's bench has crumbled,
It climbs and clasps the Union Jack,Its blazoned pomp is humbled.
The flags go down on land and sea,
Like corn before the reapers;
So burned the fire that brewed the tea
That Boston served her keepers!
The waves that wrought a country's wreck
Have rolled o'er Whig and Tory;
The Mohawks on the Dartmouth's deck
Shall live in song and story.
The waters in the rebel bay
Have kept the tea-leaf savor;
Our old North-Enders in their spray
Still taste a Hyson flavor.
And Freedom's tea-cup still o'erflows,
With ever-fresh libations,
To cheat of slumber all her foes,
And cheer the wakening nations!"




CLXXVI


INTRODUCTION.


COMMEMORATIVE VERSES.
FRAGMENT OF A RALLYING SONG OF THE TEA
PARTY AT THE GREEN DRAGON.
Rally Mohawks! bring out your axes,
And tell King George we'll pay no taxes
On his foreign tea;
His threats are vain, and vain to think
To force our girls and wives to drink
His vile Bohea!
Then rally boys, and hasten on
To meet our chiefs at the Green Dragon.
Our Warren's there, and bold Revere,
With hands to do, and words to cheer,
For liberty and laws;
Our country's "braves " and firm defenders
Shall ne'er be left by true North-Enders
Fighting Freedom's cause!
Then rally boys, and hasten on
To meet our chiefs at the Green Dragon.
A TEA PARTY BALLAD.
Just by beauteous Boston lying
On the gently swelling flood;
Without Jack or streamers flying,
Three ill-fated tea-ships rode.
Just as glorious Sol was setting,
On the wharf, a-numerous crewSons of Freedom, fear forgetting,
Suddenly appeared in view.




INTRODUCTION.


CLXXVII


Armed with chisel, axe and hammer,Weapons new for warlike deed;
Towards the herbage-freighted vessels,
They approached with dauntless speed.
O'er their heads aloft in mid sky,
Three bright angel forms were seen;
This was Hampden, -that was Sidney,
With fair Liberty between.
Soon they cried, "Your foes you'll banish,
Soon the glory shall be won;
Nor shall setting Phoebus vanish,
Ere the matchless deed be done! "
Quick as thought the ships were boarded,
Hatches burst and chests displayed;
Axe and hammers help afforded,What a glorious crash they made!
Quick into the deep descended,
Cursed weed of China's coast;
Thus at once our fears were ended,Freemen's rights shall ne'er be lost!
A  FAREWELL      TO   TEA.
(From Thomas's "Massachusets Spy.")
Farewell, the tea-board with its equipage
Of cups and saucers, cream-bucket and sugar-tongs,
The pretty tea-chest also lately stored
With Hyson, Congo, and best Double Fine.
Full many a joyous moment have I sat by you
Hearing the girls tattle, the old maids talk scandal,
And the spruce coxcomb laugh-at maybe nothing.
No more shall I dish out the once-loved liquor,
Though now detestable;
Because I'm taught-and I believe it true,
Its use will fasten slavish chains upon my country;
And Liberty's the goddess I would choose
To reign triumphant in America.


20




CI.XXVIII


INTRODUCTION.


GEN. JOSEPH WARREN
And the memorable Suffolk County Resolves of z774.
The mansion where the famous Suffolk County Resolves
were   passed, September 9, I774, is still standing.              It is
situated in Milton, Mass., a few doors from the Boston and
Milton   line, on   the   Quincy    road.    It is  a low, two-story
double house, 20 x 40 feet, with the main door in its centre,
and a chimney on each end.           In its front there is inserted
a marble tablet, 14 x-28 inches, with the following inscription:
"IN THIS MANSION,
On the 9th day of Sept., 1774, at a meeting of the delegates of every town and
district in the County of Suffolk, the memorable Suffolk Resolves were adopted.
They were reported by Maj.-Gen. Warren, who fell -- in their defence in the
battle of Bunker Hill, June I7, I775.
They were approved by the members of the Continental Congress at Carpenter's
Hall, Phila., on the 17th Sept., 1774.
The Resolves to which the immortal patriot here first gave utterance, and the
heroic deeds of that eventful day on which he fell, led the way to American
Independence.
'Posterity will acknowledge that virtue which preserved them free and happy.'"
In Warren's oration, March 5, 1772, more than two years
before these Resolves were passed, the spirit of liberty
burned within his heart. Nine months after these Resolves
the battle took place, which finally resulted in the birth of
American freedom. See portrait, page XLVII.




S t4.JwL3. d.r (1  c
itVnttC  |L(<^/f (tt^ i~^ & i  4
cot120 o&^^








INTRODUCTION.


CLXXXIII


JOSEPH LOVERING.1
Respecting Mr. Lovering's connection with the Tea Party,
Mr. George W. Allan, of West Canton Street, Boston, now
eighty-two years of age, relates that about the year 1835,
he frequently conversed with that gentlemen, who told him
that on the evening of December i6, 1773, when he was
fifteen years of age, he held the light in Crane's carpenter's
shop, while he and others, fifteen in number, disguised
themselves preparatory to throwing the tea into Boston harbor. -He also said that some two hundred persons joined
them on their way to the wharf, where the tea-ships lay.
Mr. George H. Allan, the son of George W. Allan, received
a similar statement from Mr. Lovering, a short time before
the latter's death, which occurred June 13, 1848, at the age
of eighty-nine years and nine months.
Mr. Lovering appears to have been the youngest person
connected with this affair, of whom we have any knowledge.
His boyish curiosity led him to accompany the party to the
scene of operations at Griffin's wharf, and on the following
morning he was closely questioned and severely reprimanded
by his parents, for being out after nine o'clock at night,
as they were strict in their requirement that he should be
in bed at that hour.
His son, Mr. N. P. Lovering, now seventy-seven years of
age, resides in Boston, and is treasurer of the Connecticut
and Passumpsic River Railroad Company.   To this gentleman, and to his grand-daughter, Mrs. C. D. Bradlee, Boston,
we are under obligation for the copy of a photograph from
Mr. Lovering's oil-painting of his father.
lSee ante pp. XLIX., CVI.




CLXXXIV


INTRODUCTION.


BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
Was born in     Boston, I706; died in     Philadelphia, in  1790,
and was buried in Christ Churchyard.       A small marble slab,
level with the ground, marks the spot.        "No monumental
display for me," was his request as expressed in his will.
Some years before his death he wrote his own epitaph.
His   usefulness to   his country   during   the  Revolutionary
period   will warrant us in     giving   it place  in  our "Tea
Leaves:"                                   '             A. O. c.
The body of.
BENJAM:IN      FRANKLIN,        PRINTER,
Like the cover of an old book,  '
its contents torn out,
And stript of its lettering and gilding,
Lies here, food for worms.
Yet the work itself shall not be lost,
For it will. (as he believed) appear once more
in a new
and a more beautiful edition
corrected and amended
by the Author.
It is believed that Benjamin Franklin was made a Freemason   in  St. John's Lodge, of Philadelphia, early in the
year 173I.     In  I734 he printed     and  published   the  first
Masonic   book   ever issued    in  America, being     the  work
known as "Anderson's Constitution of I723."           Copies are
now exceedingly rare, and readily sell for fifty dollars each.
One is now    in the library of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, in an excellent state of preservation.
SERENO D. NICKERSON,
Recording Grand Secretary, Grand Lodge of Mass.




"As a philosopher he ranks high.  In his speculations he seldom lost sight of common sense, or yielded
up his understanding either to enthusiasm or authority." -GOODRICH.








LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.








LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.
No. i.
LETTER FROM MR. WILLIAM PALMER.


To the DireETors of the Eafi India Company.'
Gentlemen:
As the At allowing a Drawback of the whole of
the cuftoms paid on tea, if exported to America, is now
paffed, in which there is a claufe empowering the Lords of
the Treafury to grant licences to the India Company, to
export tea, duty free, to foreign States, or America, having
at the time of granting fuch licences upwards of ten millions
of pounds in their warehoufes, and as the prefent stock of


lThe East India Company was a famous joint stock trading corporation,
formed in England early in the seventeenth century, to carry on commerce
with the East Indies. They established
stations in various places, and in 1702,
were newly chartered as "The United
Company of Merchants Trading to the
East Indies." The executive power of
the Company was vested in a court of
twenty-four directors, each of whom
must own ~2000 of stock, and held
office four years.  This Company became a great territorial power, and
laid the foundation of the British Em

pire in India. Its monopoly of the
China trade was abolished in I833, and
the Company was then deprived of its
original character as a commercial association. The Sepoy Mutiny, in 1857,
combined with other causes, induced
Parliament to transfer the dominion of
India to the Crown. This change was
effected in 1858, after strenuous opposition from the Company. Trading companies to the East Indies were also
chartered by Holland, France, Denmark,
and Sweden; that of Holland being the
oldest.




I90


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


tea is not only near feventeen million, but the quantity
expected to arrive this feafon does alfo confiderably exceed
the ordinary demand of twelve months, and the expediency
of exporting tea to foreign States having been confidered, I
prefume to lay before this Court the following extradts, &c.,
from letters relative to the confumption in America, and
calculation of advantages, attending the exportation of tea
by licence, and as an affurance the fame are formed upon
fome experience of this trade (having not only been concerned in a great part of the tea which has been fhipped
to America fince the allowance of the drawback, in 1767;
but being now about to repurchafe at your enfuing fale no
fmall quantity of Bohea tea for the fame account,) I am
defirous, at my own hazard, to include in fuch purchafe, an
affortment of all other kinds, viz.: Congou, Souchong and
Hyfon, but more particularly the feveral fpecies of Singlo,
namely, Hyfon, Skin, Twankay and Firft Sort, from a convi5tion that, by degrees, the confumption of thefe fpecies,
alfo and particularly Singlo tea, might be introduced into
America, at leaft so far for the benefit of the Company,
as in part to relieve them from the difagreeable neceffity,
they will, without fome fuch vend, be fubject to, of forcing
that fpecies of tea to market, before it is greatly damaged
by age, provided you are of opinion the fame may poffibly
tend to the advantage of the Company; or, fhould it be
the opinion of this Court, an immediate confignment fhould
take place, I am ready to give fuch affiftance towards carrying the fame into execution as may be thought moft conducive to the intereft of the Company, together with fuch
fecurity as the nature of the truft may require.  In the
profecution of thefe confignments, I would propofe to obtain




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


I9I


a more exact computation of the adual confumption; what
quantity might probably find a sale there, and the moft
probable means of succefs in fuch fales, whether by waiting
for a demand in the ordinary way, or by public fales there;
conduded upon the outlines of thofe made in England, by
fixing a future day of payment, and by a reftriction in felling any future quantity for a limited time, but particularly
(under my mode) in what manner, and within what time
affurances can be given by remittances being made on
account of fuch fales.
I am, gentlemen, your humble servant,
WM. PALMER.
London, g9th May, I773.
EXTRACTS FROM LETTERS, &C., TO PROVE THE STATE OF THE
TEA TRADE IN AMERICA.
ExtraSi from a Letter from BoJfon, dated 2gth April, 1771,
in Anfwer to a Conjignment made in February, 1771, at
3s. id., with the whole drawback of /23 i8s. 7/2d. pr cent.:
"Were it not for the Holland tea, the vent of Englifh
would have anfwered your expedation here, but the profit
is immenfe upon the Holland tea, which fome fay coft but
I8d., and the 3d. duty here is faved.  Many hundred chefts
have been imported.  What is fhipped may go off in time,
without lofs, for there mufI be buyers of Englifh tea; the
tranfportation of the Dutch by water being attended with
much trouble and rifk."
21




I92


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


Extras7 from a Letter from Bojqon, dated Ith -july, 177z:
'So much tea has been imported from Holland, that the
importers from England have been obliged to fell for little
or no profit.  The Dutch traders, it is faid, had their firIt
teas at i8d. pr lb., the last at 2s.; either is much cheaper
than from England, and they fave the 3d. duty here.  The
Company muff keep theirs nearer the prices in Holland.
The confumption is prodigious."
Extraft from a Letter from Bo/non, 2d Sepr., 177z:
"The confumption of Bohea tea thro' the Continent
increafes every year.  It is difficult for us to fay how great
it is at prefent.  We imagine there may be confumed in
this Province, which is perhaps a feventh part of the Continent, 3000 chefis in a year.  We are fure nothing can
difcourage the running of it but the reducing the price as
low, or lower, than it was two or three years paft in England"
Extrat from  a Letter from Bofton, (Mejfrs. Hutchinfon,)
dated loth Sepr., 1771:
"From   a more particular eftimate of the confumption
we are of opinion, the two towns of Bofton and Charleftown
confume a cheft, or about 340 pounds of tea, one day with
another.  Thefe two towns are not more than one-eighth,
perhaps not more than one-tenth, part of the Province.




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


I93


Suppofe they confume but 300 chefts in a year, and allow
they are but one-eighth, it will make 2400 chefts a year for
the whole Province.  This Province is not one-eighth part
of the Colonies, and in the other governments, efpecially
New York, they confume tea in much greater proportion
than in this Province.  In this proportion, the confumption
may be eftimated at 19,200 chefts per annum, or upwards
of fix millions of pounds. Yet at New York or Penfylvania
they import no teas from England, and at Rhode Ifland
very little.  Here we find the Dutch traders continually
gaining ground upon us.   If teas do not fall with you
before the fpring Ihippings, we fear the Dutch will carry
away all the trade of the Colonies in this article."
ExtraCS of a Letter from BoJfon, dated zith Sepr., I772:
"We have delayed anfwering your laft enquiries relative
to the tea concern, in hopes of being able to form a better
judgment, but to no great purpofe; the great importation
from Holland, principally through New York and Philadelphia, keeps down the price here, and confequently the fale
of teas from England. We have fet ours fo low we ihall
have no profit from this years adventure, yet there are 50
chefts frill on hand.  You afk our opinion whether the
difference between the Englifh and Dutch teas, if it did not
exceed the 3d. duty and 9 pr cent., would be fufficient encouragement to the illicit trader? If the difference was not
greater we think fome of the fmugglers would be difcouraged,
but the greater part would not.  Nothing will be effectual
fhort of reducing the price in England equal to the price in
Holland.  If no other burthen than the 3d. duty in the




194


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


Colonies, to fave that alone would not be fufficient profit,
and the New Yorkers, &c., would soon break thro' their
folemn engagements not to import from England."
Extrafi from a Letter from  BoZlon, dated 25th Feb., 1773,
in Anfwer to a calculation fent of the fippofed price at
which the illicit trader can now import tea into America
from Holland:
"In your calculation of the profits on Dutch teas, 12 pr
cent. is too much to dedut for the rifque of illicit trade.
We are confident not one cheft in five hundred has been
feized in this Province for two or three years paft, and the
cuftom houfe officers feem unwilling to run any rifk to
make a feifure.  At New York, we are told it is carted
about at noon day.    There is fome expence in landing,
which we believe the importers would give five pr cent. to
be freed from."
Copy of a Letter from Rotterdam, dated 12th june, 1772:
"1( have to acknowledge the receipt of your favor of the
5th inftant, defiring information of the prefent ftate and
prices of tea at this market, and alf6 what the freight and
charges are thereon to North America, to all which I
cheerfully give you every elucidation in my power, and with
the greateft pleasure, as neither you nor your friends have
any thought of engaging in faid trade, which, with every




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


I95


other branch of fmuggling, muft be held in abhorrence
all good men.  The present prices of tea are

by


Dutch Bohea's, in whole chefts,
"  "    half
';  "      quarter  "
Swedifh,        whole
Danifh,
Congo,.
Souchon,
Peco,.
Imperial,
Green,.
Tonkay,
Heyfan Skin,
Heyfan,.


d.    d.
20 @ 22
22    24
24    25
21    22
21    22Y/
28    45
36    65
32    55
49    50
48 * 50
52    53
6o    62
90    95


The tare on whole chefts is 84 lbs., if they weigh lefs
than 400 Ibs., and if they weigh 400 lbs. or upwards, then
9o lbs.; for the half chefts, under 200 lbs., tare 54 lbs.; if
200 lbs., or upwards, then 6o lbs.; for the quarter chefts,
under o00 lbs., tare, 23 lbs.; if o00 lbs., or upwards, then
30 lbs.   The advantages on the tares are calculated at
7 or 8 pr cent. on the whole chefts, at 12 @  13 pr cent.
on the  half chefts, and at 15 (@    6 per cent. on the
quarter chefts.  The quantity of teas on hand is not confiderable, fo that we do not apprehend a decline; on the
contrary, if any orders of the leaft importance were to
appear, the prices would go higher.  There are now about
400 chefts fhipping for America, from Amfterdam, from




I96


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


which port the teas that go to North America from this
country are always ihipped, and not from this city; they
are fent to Rhode Ifland, and not to Bofton.   Of Green
teas there are hardly any left, neither fine Souchong nor
Congos, but ordinary, in abundance.    The freight of a
whole cheft of Bohea to St. Euftatius, one of the Dutch
West India Iflands, comes to about 7yss. pr cheft.  It is
reckoned by the foot fquare, at 6s. the foot to North America.  It is generally ~4 pr cheft, New York currency, but
the captain is not anfwerable in any cafe of feizure.
Agreeable to your defire, I fend you a pro forma invoice
of 6 chefts Dutch Boheas, fo as they come to ftand on board
if they were fhipped here; but as the fhipping is at
Amfterdam, the charges may be fomewhat higher. In regard
to what they eftimate, the rifk that in America for running
in the teas I cannot inform you, this you may be better
able to learn from fome of your New England houfes, ais
our underwriters will not fign againft the rifk of feizures;
but I fancy the rifk is not very great, as the trade is
carried on for so large parcels.
Pro forma invoice of 6 chefts of Dutch Bohea tea:
lbs.
320 Tare of 4 chefts, under 400
360      at 84 lb. each, 336  2270
370
390 do.of 2chefts above     516
a      I    -- 1I754 ( 24s. ~2o104 16
410   400 @ 90 Ib. each 180      '  @         0
0                      off i pr cent.,  21  2
420,2083 14




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


197


CHARGES.
Cuftom and Paffport,.... ~20   4s
Sleding,......       7
X weigh money,.....   13  o
Brokerage,......   10  8
Shipping,.....    30
Commiffion, 2 per cent. on ~2131 13S.     42 12
90 II
~2174 51
Eftimate of the advantages attending the Tea trade to North
America, if carried on from England:
Obferve ift. In the following calculation, no more than
half the confumption of the Continent, as eftimated by
Meffrs. Hutchinfon, in their letter of the ioth Sepr., I77I,
is affumed as the whole, as from the mode in which they
were under the neceffity of making their eflimate, it was
liable to error, and 19,200 chefts is more than has been
hitherto annually imported from China by all foreign companies.
2ndly. That this calculation is formed upon Bohea tea
only, the fpecies of tea already confumed there; yet it is
probable by degrees other fpecies might be introduced, the
vend of which may be more profitable to the Company.
9600 chefts of Bohea tea, each containing 340 lbs., makes
3,264,000 lbs., if fold at 2S. 6d. Bofton currency, (which is
4d. lower than it appears to have been even at the time it
1 In this sample invoice the amount ended when he gives a faithful transseems extraordinary. The editor of this cript of the manuscript in his possession,
volume, however, considers his duty allowing the facts alone to appear.




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


was purchafed in Holland, at 15 ftiyers, or under I8d. pr lb.,
amounts to.....        408,000
Deduc 25 pr cent. for exchange,..   102,000
Sterling,.. ~306,0oo
Deduct 6 pr cent. for commiffion and charges,  I8,360
Annual net proceeds before the American} ~287,640
duty is deducted,....
Application of thofe Net proceeds to the following purpofes:
To the revenue for the duty on 3,264,000, @ 3d.  ~40,800
To the fhip owners, for freight from England to
America, if according to the prefent rate of
15 pr che,.......     7,200
To the fhip owners for freight from  China to
England, according to Sir Richard Hotham's
plan, of /~21 pr ton, of io hundred weight., or
for every 3 chefts of tea,...67,200
To the purchafe at Canton, if at 15 tale pr pecul
would amount thus: say 3,264,000 lb., divided
by I333 for each pecul, makes peculs 24,480
@ I5 each, is tales 367,200, which, at 6s. 8d. pr
tale, is flerling,.......    122,400
Commiffion on the purchafe in China,..     6,120
Charges of all forts, rated at ios. pr cheft,.. 4,600
248,320
To the Company for Net profit after all de-l
du6tions whatfoever upon the moft reduced
eftimate, upwards of 30 pr cent. on the pur-   3932
chafe, or........ J
~287,640




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


199


No. 2.
LETTER    FROM    MR. GILBERT BARKLY.
Gentlemen:
I take the liberty to enclofe for your confideration
a memorial, regarding the establifhment of a branch from
the Eaft India houfe in one of the principal cities in North
America.  Should the defign meet with your approbation,
as I am well acquainted with the teas moft faleable in that
country, fhall be extremely happy in giving you every information in my power, I have the honor to be with due
efteem, gentlemen,
Your moft obedt. & very humble fervant,
GILB'T BARKLY.
Lombard Street,
26th May, 1773.
To THE HON'BLE THE COURT OF DIRECTORS OF THE EAST
INDIA COMPANY.
MEMORIAL.
The Memorial of Gilbert Barkly, merchant, in Philadelphia,
in North America, who refided there upwards of fJxteen
years, and who is well acquainted with the confumption of
that country, particularly in the article of Teas, &c.
Humbly propofes.      In order to put a final ftop to that
desftru&ive trade of fmuggling:
That the Company fhould open a chamber in one of the
principal, & central cities, of North America, under the
22




200


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


direction of managers, and that an affortment of teas from
England fhould be lodged in warehoufes, and fales to commence quarterly upon the same terms & conditions as thofe
in London.
By this means the merchants and grocers from    the
Southern and Northern Provinces will attend the fales and
purchafe according to their abilities.  The goods thus
brought from home to them, and fold cheaper than they
can be fmuggled from foreigners, the buyers will be bound
by intereft, and think no more of running that rifk, to
which may be added that they have them when paid for,
immediately, for whereas, when commiffioned from abroad,
they generally wait fix months before the receipt of them.
This country is now become an object of the higheft
confequence, peopled by about three millions of inhabitants,
one third of whom, at a moderate computation, drink tea
twice a day, which third part, reckoning to each perfon one
fourth part of an ounce pr day, makes the yearly confumption of 5,703,I25 lbs. This quantity, at the medium price
of 2S. 6d. pr lb., amounts to /712,890 2S. 6d.
The common people in all countries are the greateft
body, few of thofe in North Briton or Ireland drink tea,
this is not the case in America, all the planters are the
real proprietors of the lands they poffefs; by this means they
can afford to come at this piece of luxury, which has been
greatly introduced among them  by the example of the
Dutch and German fettlers.
The great objed to be confidered is to bring the goods
to market in fuch a manner as to afford them as cheap as
they can be bought of foreigners.  Should this be the cafe
the succefs of the defign is beyond a doubt.




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


201


The duty of 3d. pr lb. fome time ago laid on teas payable
in America, gave the colonifts great umbrage, and occafioned
their fmuggling that article into the country from Holland,
France, Sweden, Lisbon, &c., St. Eustatia, in the Weft'
Indies, &c., which, from the extent of the coaft, (experience
has taught) cannot be prevented by cuftom officers, or the
king's cruizers, and as the wifdom of Parliament reckons
it impolitical to take off this duty, the colonitls will perfevere in purchafing that article in the ufual manner if the
above method is not adopted, and the goods brought into
their country and fold as cheap as they can have them
abroad.
The freight, &c., of teas to America would not much
exceed what they might colt to Holland, or any other
foreign company, particularly as the fhips may load back
with mafts, and other goods that might nigh pay the whole
expence, and fhould the Company think of exporting their
overfiock of teas to Holland, or any other foreign country,
it is not to be expected that the merchants abroad would
buy them  but with a view of profit.  This, with freight,
commiffion, duty, &c., would far exceed the expence of fales
and freight to America.
If this fcheme fhould be approved of, the fooner it is
executed the better, as the fmugglers in America will soon
be laying in their fall and winter ftock of teas, unlefs they
are prevented by this defign, and as Spanifh dollars are the
current coin in that country, the Company can be furnifhed
with any quantity they may require towards their payment,
fhould they require it.
The managers may be paid by a commiffion on the fales,
and at the fame time bound to obey fuch orders and




202


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


diredtions as they may receive from time to time from the
Hon'ble the Court of Dire6tors, and as your memorialifl is
univerfally acquainted with the trade, and has refpectable
conne6ions in that country, he humbly offers himfelf as a
proper perfon to be one of the managers, and if required,
will 'find fecurity for the truft repofed in him.  Your memorialift alfo prefumes to mention John Inglis, Esq., of the
city of Philadelphia, as another proper perfon, being univerfally efteemed in America, and well known in the city of
London, as a man of probity, fortune and refpe&t.
No. 3.
LETTER    FROM    MR. BROOK    WATSON, TO
DANIEL WIER, EsQ.
Dear Sir:
The annual confumption of teas in Nova Scotia is
about 20 chefts Bohea, and 3 or 4 of good Common Green.
Should the Company determine on fending any to that
Province, I pray your intereft in procuring the commiffion
to Watfon's & Rafhleigh's agent there, John Butler, a man
of long ftanding in the Province and in the Council, and.
by far the fitteft perfon to be employed, for whom W. & R.
will be anfwerable.  At Bofton I have two friends equally
deferving.  You would do the Company fervice, and me
an acceptable kindnefs, by recommending them, Benjamin
Faneuil, Jun., & Jofhua Winflow.  The confumption at




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


203


Boflon is large, fay at leaft 400 chefts Bohea & 50 of Green
pr annum.. The freight to both thefe places I fhould be
glad to have if you could procure it without inconvenience
to yourfelf.
Yours faithfully,
BROOK WATSON.1
4 June, I773.


No. 4.


A PROPOSAL FOR SENDING
PHILADELPHIA.


TEA TO


Received from the Hoz'ble Mr. Walpole.2
As Philadelphia is the capital of one of the moil
populous and commercial Provinces in North America, and
is fituated in the center of the middle Britifh Colonies, it
is propofed:
That the Eaft India Company fhould, by the middle of
June at fartheft, fend to Philadelphia at leait five hundred
chefis of black teas, one hundred half chefts of green teas,


1Sir Brook Watson, a merchant of
London, and Lord Mayor in I796, born
in Plymouth, England, February 7, 1735,
died October 2, I807. Early in life he
entered the sea service, but, while bathing in the harbor of Havana, in I749,
a shark bit off his right leg, below the


knee, and he was obliged to abandon
his chosen profession.  A painting, by
Copley, represents this scene. Watson
then became a merchant, and was a
commissary to the British troops -in
Canada, in 1755 and in I758. Visiting
the American colonies just before the




204


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


and feventy five half chefts of Congou and Souchon teas.
That they fhould confign thefe teas to a houfe of charate'r and fortune in Philadelphia, and direct the proceeds
thereof to be remitted hither in bills of exchange or fpecie.
That previous, however, to the teas being fhipped, fadtors
fhould be appointed in Philadelphia, and the dire&ors of
the Eaft India Company fhould immediately advife them of
their intended confignation, and dire& them to engage
proper warehoufes for the reception thereof.
That the fa&dors fhould be authorized to fell the teas at
public audtion, (giving notice of the times of the fale in all
the North American newfpapers, at leaftt one month before
hand,) and in fuch fmall lots as will be convenient for the
country ftorekeepers to fupply themfelves with fuch fales.
That the factors fhould grant the purchafers the fame
allowance of tare, tret, difcount, &c., as are cuftomary at the
company's fales in this city.
That in cafe the faator fhould be of opinion, the fales of
the tea would be encreafed both in quantity and price, by
having occafional au&tions in Bofton and New York, in the
manner propofed at Philadelphia; that they fhould be at
liberty to fend from time to time to Bofton & New York


Revolution, he professed himself a
Whig, but intercepted letters showed
his true character to be that of a spy.
In 1782, he was commissary-general to
his friend, Sir Guy Carleton, in America; held the same office with the Duke
of York, in 1793-95, and that of Commissary-General of England, in 1798-I806.
He was a member of Parliament from
London, in I784-93; sheriff of London
and Middlesex in I785, and was made


a baronet December 5, I803.     As a
reward for his services in America,
Parliament voted his wife an annuity of
~500 for life.
2 Hon. Thomas Walpole, merchant,
banker, and member of Parliament,
second son of Horatio, first Lord Walpole, and nephew of the famous statesman, Sir Robert Walpole, died at Chiswick, March 2I, I803. He was born
October 25, 1727.




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


205


as many chefts as they may think neceffary for the confumption & commerce of thofe places, but that the fadtors,
or one of them, fhould always attend the fales in Bofton
and New York.
That the Eait India Company fhould be at the charge
& expence of the warehoufe rent in America, the cartage,
and the freight of the teas from Philadelphia to Bofton &
New York, and that the faators fhould be allowed for receiving and felling the teas, colle&ing the payment thereof
and remitting the fame, a commiffion of 22 pr cent. on the
amount of the fales.
N.B.-It is fubmitted whether it would not be proper
for the directors of the Eaft India Company to fend two
perfons to Philadelphia, who have been accustomed to pack
and repack teas at the India Houfe, to the end that they
may be employed for that purpofe, and in dividing whole
chefts of black teas into half chefts, for the greater accommodation of the country fhopkeepers.
No. 5.
MR. PALMER'S COMPLIMENTS TO MR. WHELER, ENCLOSES THE
OUTLINES OF A PLAN UPON WHICH THE EXPORTATION OF
TEA ON BEHALF OF THE COMPANY TO AMERICA TAKE PLACE.
MR. P. WILL ATTEND THE COMMITTEE WHENEVER HE IS
DESIRED.
PLAN.
Admitting that an exportation of tea to America by
licence takes place immediately, in order to prevent the




*206


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


colonirfs from becoming purchafers at the fales of foreign
companies, usually made from September to November, and
confequently at leaft difcourage thofe companies from  encreafing their China trade, and alfo to obtain fome information, though imperfedt, before the inveftments for the China
fhips of the enfuing feafon are ordered.  It is propofed
that chefts of Bohea tea, chefts of each fpecie of Singlo tea,
together with a fmaller affortment of Hyfon, Souchong, &
Congou tea be configned to fuch a number of merchants
conjointly as may be thought fufficient, (for whom their
correfpondents in England fhall give fatisfactory fecurity,)
together with fuch perfons as fhall be thought proper for
that purpofe to be fent from thence. That upon the arrival
of fuch tea in Bofton public notice fhall be given thereof
through the Continent, and alfo that it is the intention of
the Eaft India Company, if the fales of this cargo fhould be
found to anfwer, to repeat fuch confignments, in order to
fupply that Continent with teas at leaft equal in price to
what they mutl pay for the fame if obtained in a way of
illicit trade.  That in order to condu6t these fales in the
moft advantageous manner, the parties to whom the cargoes
fhall be entrufted fhall act as one body; that the concurrence of the majority ihall be neceffary for any a6t therein;
that each party fhall be anfwerable for himfelf only, but
that no credit fhall be given to bills received for paying
without the affent of at leaft three of the perfons fo appointed; that it fhall be the object of the perfon who may
be appointed to go with the cargo to obtain all poffible
information refpefting the adual confumption, mode of fale,
fpecies of tea that may be introduced, & opportunity of
remittances at Bofton, where it is propofed the firft confign



LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


207


ment Ihall be made, as it is the only confiderable mart,
where tea from England is at prefent received without
oppofition, and having fo done he fhall vifit fuch other
places on the Continent as may be thought proper, but
particularly New York and Philadelphia, in order to obtain
the fame information at thofe feveral places, and learn, from
being on the fpot, how far the New Yorkers,. &c., will hold
their folemn engagements, when they find the advantages
they will probably reap by receiving tea from England.
They having obtained all fuch neceffary information, he
fhall return to England & report the fame, from which time
it is prefumed there will be full employ for fuch agent
without any additional expence to the Company in preparing
fuch affortments of tea as may from time to time be required for this market, and can be belt fpared from the
neceffary demand of Great Britain & Ireland, and alfo in
negotiating the remittances that may from time to time be
received on account of this concern.
That fuch an appointment is abfolutely neceffary muft
appear to every one at all acquainted with the nature of
the tea trade, not only properly to regulate thefe inveftments, but alfo from time to time to preferve proper affortments of tea for the confumption of Great Britain & Ireland,
and indeed in this particular alone could the directors for
fome years paft have had fuch information, from any perfon
in whofe abilities & integrity they could have placed a proper confidence, and who, from the nature of fuch trufts,
muft be placed above the temptation to any finifter practices
the Company, from the refources of the tea trade alone,
would probably never have been involved in their prefent
difficulties.
23




208


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


LETTER    FROM    MESSRS. GREENWOOD &
HIGGINSON.
Gentlemen:
We are informed that you have come to a refolution to fhip tea to America, we therefore beg leave to recommend our friends, Mr. Andrew Lord, and Meffrs. Willm.
& George Ancrum,' of Charles Town, in South Carolina,
merchants, for the confignments of fuch part as you may
fhip to that place.  Both houfes are of the firft repute, and
have been long eftablifhed there, and alfo to tender to you
our Ihip the London, Alexander Curling, Mailer, to carry
the fame out, who fhall be ready to fail whenever you pleafe
to account.
We are, your moft humble fervants,
GREENWOOD & HIGGINSON.
London, 4 May, I773.
To the Hon'ble the Court of Dire6tors
of the United Company of Merchants
of England, trading to the Eaft Indies.
LETTER    FROM    MR. FRED'K PIGOU, JUN'.
Gentlemen:
Being informed you intend to export teas to feveral
different fettlements in America, to be fold there under the


1 William  Ancrumn, was a loyalist,  in I7824 and his property was conof Charleston, S.C.,  He was banished  fiscated.




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


209


direction of agents to be appointed.  I beg leave to acquaint the Court that I have a houfe eftablifhed in New
York, under the firm of Pigou & Booth, and I humbly
folicit the favor of that houfe having a fhare of the confignments.
Philadelphia being alfo a port to which the Ciompany
will moft likely fend teas, I beg leave to recommend Meffrs.
James & Drinker, of that city, to be one of your agents
there.
Should I be fo happy to fucceed in my requeft, I am
certain the greateft attention will be paid by thofe gentlemen to the Company's orders, and that the Company's
intereft will be made their ftudy in the fales and remittances.
I alfo beg leave to obferve that if fhips fhould be wanted
for this fervice, I have veffels now ready for the ports of
Philadelphia and New York.
I am, gentlemen,
Your moft obed't & very humble ferv't,
FRED'K PIGOU, Jun':
Mark Lane, ist June, 1773.
To the Hon'ble the Court of Directors
of the United Eaft India Company.
LETTER FROM MR. JONATHAN CLARKE.
London, Ift July, I773.
Gentlemen:
I intended to have made a purchafe of teas at your
prefent fale to have exported to America, but the candid




210


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


intimation given by you of an intention to export them to
the Colonies on account of the Company, renders it difadvantageous for a ftingle houfe to engage in              that article.
I now beg leave, gentlemen, to make a tender to you of
the fervices of a houfe in which I am a partner, Richard
Clarke and Sons,1 of Boflon, New England, to condut the
fale of fuch teas as you may fend to that part of America,
in conjunction with any other houfes you may think proper
to entruft with this concern; altho' I have not the honor of
being perfonally known to many of you, I flatter myfelf
our houfe is known to the principal merchants who deal to
our Province, and are known to have always fulfilled our
engagements with pun&tuality & honor, and truft I fhall procure you ample fecurity for our conducing this bufinefs,
agreeable     to  the   diredion, we      may    from    time   to   time receive from you.
1 Richard, son  of Francis Clarke,   instructions respecting the consignment
merchant, graduated at Harvard College,  of tea from the directors of the East
in 1729, and died in London, at the      India Company. Richard Clarke arrived
residence of his son-in-law, John Single-  in London December 24, 1775, after a
ton Copley, the artist, February 27, 1795.  passage of twenty-one days from Boston.
He, with his sons, Richard and Jonathan,  The Clarkes were included in the Act
constituting the firm of Richard Clarke  of Proscription, and their estates were
&  Sons, did business in King (now      confiscated.  Richard   Clarke  was a
State) Street, and became exceedingly   nephew of Governor Hutchinson.     His
obnoxious to the people, on their re-   wife, Elizabeth, was the daughter of
fusal to resign their appointment as     Edward Winslow, of Boston.     Susan,
factors of the East India Company's      his  daughter,  married  Copley, the
tea.  The residence of the Clarke's,    painter, and  became   the  mother of
on School Street, (corner of Chapman     Lord  Lyndhurst.   Another daughter,
*Place,) was mobbed on the evening of    Mary, married Judge Samuel Barrett.
November    17, 1773, but no   serious  Copley's portrait of Richard Clarke repdamage was done.     (This incident is  resents him  as a man of commanding
fully  detailed  on  a previous page.)   presence, with features resembling, in a
Jonathan Clarke was in London in the     remarkable degree, those of Washington,
summer of I773, and received verbal     in the Stuart portrait.




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


21 I


In foliciting this favor, I beg leave to avail myfelf further
of the circumftance of our having for a long time been
concerned in the tea trade, and to greater extent than any
houfe in our Province, with one exception.  Of the difappointment I have met with in my intended adventure, by
which we are deprived of a very valuable branch of our
bufinefs, and on my being on the fpot to take fuch inftructions from you as may be requifite in difpofing of what you
may fend. And give me leave to add my affurances that
the intereft of the Eaft India Company will always be
attended to by the houfe of Richard Clarke & Sons, if you
think fit to repofe this confidence in them.
I am, very refpetfully, gentlemen,
Your molt obed't & humble fervant,
JONATHAN CLARKE.
To the Hon'ble Dire&tors of the
Eaft India Company.
Mr. Clarke alfo enclofed two letters in his favor; one
from Meffrs. Henry & Thos. Bromfield, the other from Mr.
Peter Contencin, merchants.
June 5th, I773.
Sir:
The bearer, Mr. Barkly, is the perfon whom I took
the liberty of recommending to you as a perfon able and
qualified to give you information touching the quantity of




212


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


tea that is now confumed in America, and to ferve the
Company in that part of the World in            cafe  the Diredors
fhall judge it proper to make any eftablifhment there for
felling tea on the Company's account, & I am, sir,
Your moft obedient and moft humble fervant,
GREY COOPER.1
Received from Henry Crabb Boulton, Efq.
Hon'ble Sirs:
Being informed of your refolution to export a
quantity of tea to different parts of America, we take the
liberty of recommending our friends, Meffrs. Willing, Morris
& Co., to be your agents at Philadelphia, for whom we are
ready to be anfwerable.
We are, very refpectfully,
Your honors moft obedient, humble fervants,
ROBERTS, BAYNES & ROBERTS.
8 June, I773.
To the Hon'ble the Committee of Warehoufes.
1 Grey, afterwards Sir Grey Cooper,  and North. He was made a Lord of
studied law at the Temple, London;  the Treasury in 1783, a Privy Counbecame an efficient supporter of the  cillor in 1793, and died at Worlington,
Rockingham party, and held the office  Suffolk, July 30, I80o; aged seventyof Secretary of the Treasury throughout  five.  He was an able speaker and
the American troubles, covering the  parliamentarian.
administrations of Chatham, Grafton,




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


213


London, 9th June, I773.
Gentlemen:
I have underftood that you propofe fixing agents
in the different colonies in America, to difpose of certain
quantities of tea; if fo, I am a native and merchant of
Virginia, and think it will be in my power to execute your
'commands in that quarter, on terms equal, if not fuperior,
to any one in it.
There are fome things refpeding this bufinefs that come
within my knowledge; which are too prolix for a letter, but
if the Court chufes to notice my petition, I fhall be happy
and ready to give any intelligence in my power.
I am, gentlemen,
Your very obed't & hum'ble ferv't,
BENJ. HARRISON, Jun?
At Webbs, Arundel Street, Strand.
To the Hon'ble Court, &c.
Gentlemen:
Being informed that you have it in contemplation
to export tea to the different Provinces in North America,
for fale on the Company's account, I beg leave to recommend my brother, Mr. Jonathan Browne, merchant, in Philadelphia, as an agent for any bufinefs you may have to
transat at that place, and I flatter myfelf his activity &




214


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


knowledge of the trade of that country, acquired by a refidence of upwards of fifteen years, will render him deferving
of your notice.
Any fecurity for his condud I am ready to give, and to
any amount you fhall think neceffary for the difcharge of
the truft you may be pleafed to repofe in him.
I am, very refpetfully, gent.,
Your moft obed't & humble ferv't,
GEORGE BROWNE.
London, Tower Hill, Ith June, I773.
To the Committee of Warehoufes.
Gentlemen:
As many difficulties feem at prefent to attend the
exportation of tea to America in large quantities, on account of the Company, if the expedient is approved by this
Court, of fending about 200 chefis of Bohea tea, and a fmall
affortment of other fpecies to Bofton, by way of experiment,
and you fhould think proper to entruft fuch cargo to the
care of Meffrs. Hutchinfon, merchants, there, I am ready,
as a fecurity, to advance upon the fame the fum fuch tea
fhall amount to, at the prime coft in China & freight from
hence, before the fhipping thereof, provided I am permitted




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


215


to charge intereft upon fuch advance, until remittances for
the fame are received from America.
I am, gent.,
Your humble ferv't,
WM. PALMER.
Dexonfhire Square, 24th June, I773.
To the Hon'ble Court of Diredtors, &c., &c.


Sir:
The Committee of Warehoufes of
Company defire you will meet them at
Thurfday next, at twelve o'clock at noon,
exportation of tea to America.


the Eaft India
this houfe, on
relative to the


I am, fir,


Your molt humble ferv't,


WM. SETTLE.


Eaft India House, 25th June, I773.


To BROOK WATSON,              ROBERTS, BAYNES & ROBERTS,
JONATHAN CLARKE,            WM. KELLY,
FREDE'K PIGOU, Junr.       GREENWOOD & HIGGINSON,
GILBERT BARKLY.             BENJAMIN HARRISON,
GEORGE BROWNE,              SAMUEL WHARTON,
GEO. HAYLEY & JOHN BLACKBURN, Esqrs.




216


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


Gentlemen:
The enclofed newfpapers contain the fentiments
of the Americans with regard to the quantity of teas confumed in that country, and the fatal confequences attending
buying it from foreigners, by leading them to purchafe other
articles of Eaft India goods at the fame markets which
otherwife would not be an obje6t, and which, of courfe,
would be commiffioned from the mother-country.
The memorial, which I had the honor to deliver, lately
points out an undoubted method for gaining this trade.
The Company being the exporters, pays the American
duty of 3d. pr lb., of which they will be amply repaid by
the advance on their fales, and as mankind in general are
bound by intereft, and as the duty of about a fhill'g pr lb.
is now taken off tea when exported, the Company can
afford their teas cheaper than the Americans can fmuggle
them from foreigners, which puts the fuccefs of the defign
beyond a doubt.
It may be fuggefted that the Americans have not money
to pay for thofe goods. The Province of Pennfylvania alone
fhips yearly to the Weft Indies, Spain, Portugal & France,
&c., above 300,000 barrels of flour, large quantities of wheat,
Indian corn, iron, pork, beef, lumber, and above I5,000 hhds.
of flax feed to Ireland, and the other Provinces are equally
induftrious.  The principal returns are in filver and gold,
with bills of' exchange, an incredible part of which will
center with the Company fhould the fame be executed
agreeable to the plan propofed, and fmuggling will be
effectually abolifhed without any additional number of
officers and cruizers.




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


2 17


Warehoufe rent, &c., in America, will come as cheap as
it is in England; and by the mode propofed for difpofing
of the teas, the grocers and merchants will be quickly ferved
without any rifk of lofs by bad debts.  I beg your forgivenefs for the freedom I have taken.  I have the honor to
be, with due refped, gentlemen,
Your moft obed't & humble fervant,
GILBERT BARKLY.
Lombard Street, 29 June, I773.
To the chairman & deputy chairman of
the Eaft India Comp'y.
(See Mr. Barkly's letter in the mifcellany bundle for the
Pennfylvania packet of I7th May, 1773.)
Sir:
Upon my coming to town, I found a letter from
the clerk of the Committee of Warehoufes, defiring my
attendance at the Eaft India Houfe, relative to the exportation of teas to America.
I Ihould have waited on the Committee of Warehoufes at
the time defired, if I had been in town, and I will attend
them if they wifh to fee me any day next week, which may
be convenient to them.  I am, fir,
Your molt obedit- humb. ferv't,
SAMUEL WHARTON.
Argyle Street, June 3oth, I 73
Crabb Boulton, Efqr.




2I8


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


SOME THOUGHTS UPON THE EAST INDIA
COMPANY'S SENDING OUT TEAS TO AMERICA.
Submitted to the confideration of Henry Crabb Boulton, Esq.,
Chairman of the Eajf India Company.
The ufual exports to America, confifting of callicoes,
muflins, and other produce of India, (tea excepted,) have been
feldom lefs than 600o,ooo pr an., as fuch the confequence
of that trade, and the intereft of the merchants concerned
therein, ought to be well confidered before this meafure of
fending out teas to America fhould be adopted, left it
might defeat the one and prejudice the other.
The merchants are much alarmed at this ftep of the
Company, fearing it will prevent, in a great degree, the
remittances from their correfpondents by fo much or near
it as the fales of the teas amount to; for it is beyond a
doubt, that the people in America, if they admit the teas,
(which I much doubt,) will be tempted to purchafe them
with the very money arifing from the fales of muflins,
callicoes, Perfians, &c., bought of the Company inftead of
fending it to the merchants in England, and thereby tend
to encreafe the diftrefs which is already too feverely felt, for
want of remittances. And I fhould not be furprized at the
merchants forming a refolution fimilar to that of the dealers,
viz., not to purchafe anything from a Company who are
interfering fo effentially with their trade, and ftriking at the
root of their interefts. I am of opinion, if a proper application was made to the miniftry, aided by a petition from the
American merchants, it might produce a relaxation of that




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


219


difagreeable and fatal duty of 3d. pr lb., and in cafe of
fuccefs I could almoft promife that in the course of six
months there would be exported not lefs than one million
of pounds of tea, and further, that the ufual annual export
would be upon an average four millions of pounds of teas.
This mode would relieve the Company from its prefent
load, and place the correfpondence and connedion in its
ufual and natural channel.  But admitting that the miniftry
would not comply with such a requeft, is it not too hafly a
refolution before anfwers are come from America if they
will receive the teas through the channel of the merchants,
and particularly when they fee the drawback is encreafed
from 14 to 24 pr cent. ad valorem, and thereby they are
enabled to introduce that article cheaper from hence than
from Holland.
It is well known to every gentleman converfant in trade,
that on account of fome difagreeable Adts of Parliament
paffed here, the people of America formed a refolution,
which was too generally adhered to, not to import any
goods from hence. This refolution continued for two years.
However, the merchants of New York, (who are men of
underflanding and liberal principles,) foreseeing the fatal
consequences that attend England & the Provinces by a
continuance of dif-union with the mother-country, fummoned
a meeting of the principal inhabitants of the town, and then
came to a compromise with the people, that in cafe they
would agree to admit all other goods, they promifed not to
import any teas from England, under very fevere penalties,
until the Ad impofing a duty of 3d. pr lb. was repealed,
and the feveral captains of fhips in the trade were enjoined
upon pain of forfeiting the good efteem of the inhabitants




220


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


to comply therewith.  The like refolutions were agreed to
in Philadelphia & South Carolina.
There is another difficulty which occurs to me in this
bufinefs, and that is, there is not fo much fpecie in the
country as would pay for the quantity faid is intended to
be exported.  The Company fhould be very cautious who
they appointed to receive the produce of the fales, for
fhould the contra&or for money have that power, who are
the general drawers of bills, it would enable them to make
a monopoly of the ready fpecicT and to make exchange
advance 25 pr ct., to the lofs of the remitter.
Thus have I ftated the principal objeCtions to the meafure,
and in compliance with my promife, I ihall give you my
opinion relative to its introduCion, & the proper modes of
fale, admitting the Company perfevere in their refolutions
of exporting the teas on their own account.
A ihip fhould be hired by the Company, capable of carrying the quantity they intend to export, and at fo much pr
month.  She fhould call in the firft place at Bofton, and
there land 300 chefts, under the care of one of the Company's own clerks; from thence to New York, and there
land 300 chefts, in the like manner as at Bofton; from
thence to Philadelphia, and there land 300 chefts, as before,
and from thence to Carolina, and there land Ioo chefis,
under the care of the clerk of the Company, all of which
may be performed in the courfe of three months from her
failing from hence, until her arrival at her laft deftined-port,
provided the people in the different Provinces don't difturb
the voyage upon the arrival of the teas.  Public notice
fhould be given in the papers of each Province at leaft one
month preceding the fale, and the following valuation prices




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


221


affixed for the buyers to bid upon, subje6t to the allowances,
as limited in your own fales: Bofton, (  2s., lawful money,
pr lb.; New York, 2S. 9d., currency; Philadelphia, 2s. 3d.,
currency; Charles Town, South Carolina, Ios. pr lb., cur.
rency.  Thefe prices are for Boheas.  The feveral clerks of
the Company can with eafe correfpond with each other, as
there is a conftant and regular communication by poft, fo
^f'. tt there fhould be an over quantity at one place, and
a deficiency at another, it may be fupplied.  The clerks
fhould have dire&ions to pay the proceeds of the fales to
fome eminent merchant at each Province, who fhould be a
perfon well acquainted with the article, and one who has
great weight with the other merchants and people, both as
to efteem, rank and property; this merchant to remit the
money by good bills of exchange, which he muft guarantee,
and a fecurity given here for such a truft.
Great care fhould be had to regulate the fale by the
confumption of each Province, and not to be held at the
fame time, but to follow each other by the diftance of a
fortnight, fo that in cafe there fhould be more buyers at one
Province than the quantity will furnifh, they may have an
opportunity of writing or going to the next fale at another
Province.
I fear there may be an oppofition made by fome of the
Provinces upon a furmife that Government is aiding in
this plan, and mean to eftablifh principle and right of
taxation, for the purpofe of a revenue, which at prefent is
very obnoxious, as fuch great care fhould be had not to
employ either paymafter, colledtor, or any other gentleman
under the immediate fervice of the Crown, to receive the
money.




222


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


Garlick Hill, ift July, I773.
Gentlemen:
In compliance with your defire, we have refle&ed
on the bufinefs & expence which will attend the fale of
and remitting for fuch teas as the Eaft India Company
may fhip to North America, and confidering that none but
gentlemen of known property, integrity and of experience
in trade can, with propriety and fafety to the Company, be
employed therein, we humbly conceive that five pr cent.
commiffion, and one pr cent. for truckage, warehoufe rent,
brokerage, and other incidental charges, making in the whole
fix pr cent. on the grofs fales, is as little as the bufinefs
can be tranfadted for.  And we further beg leave to fuggeft
that no perfon ought to be employed who will not give
fecurity to the Company, in London, for faithfully following
fuch inftru&ions, as they may from time to time receive
from them, for remitting to the Company all monies which
they may receive on account of teas fold, firft dedu&ing the
above fix pr cent.,- together with fuch freight and duties as
they may have paid on account thereof, and intereft thereon,
till reimburfed, fuch remittances to be made in bills of
exchange, within two months after receiving the money,
which bills, to be drawn upon their fecurity in London,
payable fixty days after fight, or in fpecie, at the Company's
rifk and expence; if in bills of exchange, the fecurity to be
obliged to accept and pay them.    Should the Company
determine to fhip teas on their own account and rifk to
North America, we prefume to recommend to their fervice,




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


223


Benjamin Faneuil, Junr., Efqr., & Jofhua Winflow, Efqr.,1 of
Bofton, jointly, to tranfad their bufinefs, for whom we are
ready to give fecurity to the amount of ten thoufand pounds
for their performance of the before mentioned conditions,
and in like manner a fecurity of two thoufand pounds for
John Butler, Efqr., of Halifax, in Nova Scotia, who we alfo
beg   leave   to   recommend       to  the   Company's fervice.         We
are, with great refpect, gentlemen,
Your obe't, hume ferv'ts,
WATSON & RASHLEIGH.
To the Hon'ble the Committee
of Warehoufe, &c., &c., &c.
Joshua Winslow, son of Joshua and    some other foreign port, return cargoes
Elizabeth Savage   Winslow, born   in   being taken for Bristol.   They also
Boston, in 1737, died there in March,   became considerable  shipowners, and
1775, after an illness of only three days.  had one ship constantly in the London
Joshua, his father, (1694-1769,) third in  trade.  Their place of business was on
descent from Governor Edward, of PlyT  the corner of King and Broad Streets.
mouth, was the son of Colonel Edward    Joshua Winslow, who was one of the
Winslow, sheriff of Suffolk   County.   consignees of the tea, seems to have
In 1720, he founded a mercantile house  been present when they were called
in Boston, in which his brother Isaac   upon by the Sons of Liberty, at Clarke's
(the Tory) was a partner, from 1736 to  warehouse, but does not afterwards
1757, and in 1760 admitted his son,     appear, except by proxy. He must have
Joshua, to a share of the business, he  absented himself from Boston soon after
himself retiring with an ample fortune,  that occurrence, as he did not go with
in 1767.  This firm  carried on an ex-  the other consignees to the castle. He
tensive and profitable trade. With the  married Hannah, daughter of Commoproceeds of consignments from Bristol,  dore Joshua Loring, and left her a
England, vessels were built in Boston,  widow, with one son and four daughters.
and loaded with fish for Leghorn, or
25




224


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


London, July 2, 1773.
Gentlemen:
If it fhould be agreeable to you to confign to the
houfe of Richard Clarke & Sons, of Bofton, New  England,
this fummer or fall, I would beg leave to propofe to you,
that I will find fecurity to the amount of two or three
hundred chefts, that in eight months after the fale of them
in America, the accounts fhall be forwarded you, and the
money for the net proceedings paid to your order within
that time, you allowing our houfe five pr cent. commiffion
on the fales, and one pr cent. for ftorage & other charges,
the freight and American duty to be chargeable on the teas
befides, & we to be free from  the rifk of fire or any other
accident that may occur before the delivery of the tea.
I am, with the greateft refpect, gentlemen,
Your moft obed't, hum. fer't,
JONATHAN CLARKE.
To the Hon'ble Dire&ors, &c., &c.
London, July 5, 1773.
Sirs:
The terms which I had the honor to converfe with
you upon, relative to the fale of teas in America, I take
leave to recapitulate as necefsary, to underftand each other,
viz.: You expeA that the houfes here who recommend their




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


225


friends abroad, and are in confequence appointed as your
fadors to difpofe of that article, fhould ftipulate that it be
fold agreeable to fuch orders as you may think proper to
give for that purpofe, and that the factors pay the cartage,
warehoufe rent, brokerage, and other charges incidental to
the fale, and remit the net proceeds in two months from
the laft, prompt, in good bills of exchange or bullion, for
the whole of which fervice they are to retain a commiffion
of 6 pr cent. on the grofs fales, the Company to be at the
rifk and expence of fhipping the tea out, to pay duty and
entry abroad, and to be alfo at the rifk and expence of
fending bullion home, which terms I do agree to in behalf
of thofe which I fhall recommend, whose names are at the
foot.  And as it feems prudent to guard againft accident
by death, as well as that the Company be fecured againft
the neglect & mifcondudi of its fervants in this bufinefs, I
do hereby, for myfelf and my houfe, here guarantee the fafety
of the houfes named as above, for the execution of this
bufinefs, and alfo that fuch bills of exchange, as they fhall
remit on the above account, fhall be good.
The agents in this bufinefs hope to be indulged with
giving their fhips in the trade the freight of the tea out,
in preference to others.
I am, with the higheft refpe6t, firs,
Your molt obed't & moft hum. ferv't,
WILLIAM  KELLY.


To the Hon'ble the Comt. of Warehoufes, &c., &c., &c.




226


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


For New York:
Meffrs. Abraham Lott & Co.1
Meffrs. Hugh & Alexr Wallace.
Mr. Lott Ihas been a merchant of reputation there about
18 years, and Public Treafurer of the Province about 7
years.  The latter is a houfe of long ftanding and of great
credit, and is well known to many gentlemen here, particularly Meffrs. Bourdieu & Chollet.
For BoJlon:
John Erving, Jun'.2
Henry Lloyd.3
Both men of fortune and eftablifhed charaCters as merchants.
For Philadelphia:
Meffrs. Francis Tilghman.
Meffrs. Reefe Meredith & Son.
Both houfes of great credit & eftablifhed reputation.
P. S.- Mr. Kelly, on confideration, thinks that one month
from the laft prompt, will be too fhort a time for limiting
the remittances to be made, and therefore has' taken the
liberty to put down two.


1Abraham Lott, of New York, was
treasurer of that colony, and died in
New York, I794; aged sixty-eight. In
September, 1776, he was ordered by the
Whig Convention to settle his accounts
as treasurer, and pay over the balance
to his successor.  In August, 1781,
some Whigs went in a whale boat to
his residence, robbed him cf six hun

dred pounds, and carried off two slaves.
In 1786, the Legislature of New Yorl
passed an Act, "more effectually to
compel Abraham Lott to account for
money received while he was treasurer
of the colony, and for which he has not
accounted."
2 Colonel John Erving, Jr., a flour merchant, on Kilby Street, Boston, and a




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


227


London, 6 July, 1773.
Sir:
Mr. Kelly will give the Committee my propofals
for doing the Company's bufinefs in Virginia, and if they
require further knowledge of me, Meffrs. Harris & Co., and
Mr. John Blackburn, will give them it.  I am, fir,
Your hum. ferv't,
BENJ. HARRISON.
Mr. Wm. Settle, Clerk,
to the Committee of Warehoufes.


Hon'ble Gentlemen:
Purfuant to your requeft, I beg leave to lay before
you the propofal of my friend, Henry White, Esqr., of New


graduate of Harvard College, (I747,) was
in 1778, proscribed and banished, and
in 1779 his property was confiscated
under the Conspiracy Act.  His mansion, on the west corner of Milk and
Federal Streets, was afterwards the
residence of Robert Treat Paine, a
signer of the Declaration of Independence.  Prior to the Revolution Irving
was colonel of the Boston regiment.
In I760, he signed the Boston memorial
against the acts of the revenue officials,
and was thus one of the fifty-eight
merchants who were the first men in
America to array themselves against
the officers of the Crown. But, in 1774,
he was an addressor of Hutchinson,
and was appointed a mandamus coun

cillor.  In I776, he fled to Halifax,
afterwards went to England, and died at
Bath, in I816; aged eighty-nine years.
His wife, Maria Catherina, youngest
daughter of Governor Shirley, died a
few months before him. George Erving,
his brother, also a loyalist, died in London, in i806; aged seveinty.
8 Henry Lloyd, a merchant of Boston,
agent of the contractors for supplying
the royal army, was an addressor of
Gage, in I775. In 1776, he went to
Halifax, and was proscribed and banished in I778.  He died in London,
late in 1795, or early in I796; aged
eighty-six. His place of business was
at No. 5 Long Wharf.




228


LETTERS AND, DOCUMENTS.


York, for the fale of what teas you may think proper to
commit to his charge, and in juftice to my friend, I think it
my duty to declare that there is no gentleman more capable
of tranfaating this bufinefs, feeing from his long experience
in that branch, that his confequence as a merchant of
fortune he will be capable of advancing the intereft of the
Company in the fale thereof, as well as filencing any prejudices that may arife from the mode of its introduction, viz.:
That the money arifing from the fale of fuch teas fhall be
paid into the hands of your treafurer in three months immediately following the receit thereof, firft deduting 6 pr
cent. in lieu of all charges confequent to their landing, fave
the duty of 3d. pr lb. and freight, and I hereby engage to
join myfelf with one or two more gentlemen of fortune in a
bond for the faithful performance of the above covenant.
I am, with all due refpect, hon'ble gentlemen,
Your moft obedient, &c., &c., &c., &c.,
JOHN BLACKBURN.
Scots Yard,
Tuesday, 6 July, 1773.
N.B.-The firm of Mr. White's houfe is the Hon'ble
Henry White, Efqr., at New York.
To the Hon'ble Dire6tors, &c., &c., &c.
Sir:
Your letter of the 3oth ultimo, addreffed to the
chairman of the Eaft India CompX, having been read in a




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


229


Committee of Warehoufes, they defire you will pleafe to
meet them at this houfe tomorrow, at twelve of the clock
at noon, relative to the exportation of tea to America.
I am, fir,
Your moft ob. serv't,
WM. SETTLE.
Eaft India Houfe,
7th July, I773.
Samuel Wharton, Efqr.
TO THE WORSHIPFUL COMMITTEE OF WAREHOUSES FOR THE
HON'BLE THE EAST INDIA COMPANY.
The Petition of Walter Ma'ielll of the City of London,
Merchant, refpeffully jheweth:
That your petitioner, having received certain information of the Hon'ble Eait India Company's intention to
export large quantities of teas to His Majefty's American
Colonies, your petitioner therefore humbly begs leave to
acquaint this Committee, that he and his partner, Thos.
Corbett, now refident there have long carried on confiderable bufinefs as merchants, in Charles Town, South Carolina,
where your petitioner has been refident himfelf for near 20
yf- and flatters himfelf that he is well acquainted with the


1 Mansell was a South Carolina loyalist, whose estate was confiscated, in I782.




230


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


trade of that and the      neighbouring Provinces.       That your
petitioner has at a very confiderable expence ereated and
built large and commodious brick warehoufes, for the recep.
tion of all kind of merchandize, in Charles Town, and has
a fhip of his own, of the burthen of two hundred tons, -conftantly employed in the Carolina trade only; that your
petitioner humbly hopes and doubts not, but that this
Hon'ble Comt. will upon the ftritest enquiry into his character and circumfiances, being poffeffed of houfes and lands,
in Charles Town, of upwards of 500oo ferling pr an., and
from   his American     connetions find     him   not unworthy of
their countenance and favor.
Your petitioner therefore humbly prefumes to offer his
fervices to this Hon'ble Commtfe      to  tranfact as their agent
any bufinefs relative to    the exportation to    and fale of their
teas in South Carolina, or elfewhere in the Colonies of
America, as they fhall think fitting to commit to his care
and management.
WALTER MANSELL.
Hon'ble Sirs:
We take the liberty of recommending Meffrs. Willing, Morris & Co.,' of Philadelphia, to be your agents there
The firm of Willing, Morris & Co.,  Thomas Willing, (I74I-I82I,) from I754
established in I754, was the most ex-  to I807, held successively the offices of
tensive importing house in Philadelphia.  Secretary to the Congress of Delegates,
They worked actively and zealously for  at Albany; mayor of the city of Philathe non-importation articles of agree-  delphia; Representative in the General
ment, after the Stamp Act and the Tea  Assembly; President of the Provincial
Act were inflicted on this country.  Congress; delegate to the Congress
Robert Morris (I.733-I806,) was the  of the Confederation; President  of
well-known financier of the Revolution.  the first chartered Bank in America,




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


23I


for any quantity of tea you may pleafe to confign them for
fale, and which they will difpofe of in the bell manner they
can for the benefit of the ComY on the following terms:
The tea to be fold at two months prompt, to be paid for
on delivery, and the money to be paid at the exchange,
which fhall be current at that time, into the Company's
treafury within three months after it is received from Philadelphia. Willing, Morris & Co. to be allowed 5 pr cent.
for commiffion, and I pr cent. for warehoufe room and all
other charges, except freight & duty.
Meffrs. Peter & John Berthon are ready to become joint
fecurities with us for Meffrs. Willing, Morris &      Co.
We are, very refpectfully,
Your honors moft obed 'humble fervants,
ROBERTS, BAYNES & ROBERTS.
King's Arms Yard, July 8th, I773.
To the Hon'ble the ComrnT       &c., &c.
London, 8 July, I773.
To the Hon'ble Committee of Warehoufes.
Gentlemen:
We beg leave to recommend Meffrs. James &
Drinker, of Philadelphia, to     be one of your agents at the
and President of the first bank of the  naval and military stores. To the great
United States. He was a man whose  credit and well-known patriotism of this
integrity and patriotism gained him the  house, the country owed its extrication
esteem and praise of his countrymen.  from those trying pecuniary embarrassFrom the beginning of the Revolution-  ments, so familiar to the readers of our
ary war, Willing & Morris were the  Revolutionary history.
agents of Congress for supplying their
26




232


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


difpofal of teas, which you may think proper to fend to
Philadelphia, undertaking that they fhall difpofe of fuch teas
in no other manner than as you dired, on condition of your
allowing them 5 pr cent. for commiffion, for felling and
making remittance, and i pr cent. for truckage, warehoufe
rent or any charge whatever; fhould any teas get damaged
on board of ihips, any expence arifing on them to be allowed by the Company.   We do alfo engage, that in two
months after the prompt day, remittance in bills or fpecie,
fhall be made to the Company, provided the teas are cleared,
the fpecie to be at the rifk of the Company, they paying the
charges attending it.  We further agree, that in cafe any
bills are protefted, we will pay the Company the amount of
them in two months after they become due.  And we are
willing to enter into bond for the performance of the agreements, provided the Dire&ors think proper to allow the teas
to be fent to any other port, if the Penfilvanians refufe to
admit the duty to be paid, or to confume them. in that
country, in the latter cafe, our bond to be void.
We are, &c., &c.,
PIGOU & BOOTH.
We beg leave to folicit the
freight to Penfilvania.
Gentlemen:
Having been informed that the Diredtors of the
Eaft India Company propofe fhipping teas to fome of the
American Colonies, to be there fold by agents on the Conm




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


233


pany's account, and as I apprehend South Carolina may be
fixed upon as one of them, I beg leave to propofe Mr.
Roger Smith, of South Carolina, for whofe folidity I am
willing to become refponfible.
If the intended plan takes effect, and you do give me the
honor to admit of my application, I fhall be ready to attend
you on the bufinefs whenever you may be pleafed to give
me notice thereof.  I have the honor to be, gentlemen,
Your moft obdt h'ble fervt
JOHN NUTT.
New Broad Street Buildings,
I4th July, 1773.
To the chairman and deputy chairman
of the Hon'ble Eaft India Company.
Sirs:
We beg leave to tender you the fervices of Mr.
Samuel Chollet, merchant, in Charleftown, South Carolina,
and Meffrs. Hugh and Alexander Wallace,' merchants, in


1 Hugh and Alexander Wallace,
brothers, were merchants, of New York,
and partners in business. Hugh was a
member of the Council, and second
President of the Chamber of Commerce.
He was arrested as a loyalist, and confined to the limits of Middletown, Conn.,
and his estate was confiscated. At the
peace he went to England, and died at
Waterford, Ireland, in 1788.
Alexander, his brother, also a loyalist,
whose property was confiscated, had


originally been a member of the committee of correspondence, and undoubtedly sympathized with the Whigs, but
like many others, ultimately fell off
from the great body of his countrymen,
and clung to the royal cause.    In
August, 1776, he was arrested and confined at Fishkill.  At the peace he
went to England, with his brother, and
died at Waterford, Ireland, in the year
I800.




234


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


New York, for the fale of fuch teas as you may think
proper to fend there, being perfons in every refpe6t well
qualified to difpofe of them to the beft advantage.
We are willing to enter into fuch covenants as may be
required for the fecurity of the confignments & the remittances of the fales, on the fame terms as are to be granted
to other houfes on the Continent of America, provided we
are allowed a proper confideration for fuch guarantee.
We have the honor to be, firs,
Your molt obedt hble. fervt.
BOURDIEU & CHOLLET.
Lime Street, July 15, I773.
London, I5th July, I773.
Gentlemen:
Hearing that you are going to appoint agents in
America for the fale of your teas, permit us to propofe our
partner, Mr. Daniel Stephenfon, of Blandensburgh, Maryland,
as one (fhould you adopt this meafure,) and we flatter ourfelves, that from his long refidence & connexions in Virginia
& Maryland, in bufinefs, that he will be thought an eligible
perfon, & for his refponfibility, we are ready to give the
fecurity of our houfe, fhould he be appointed on the fame
terms as the other gentlemen.  We apprehend his prefent
fituation is well calculated for this meafure, being at a
proper diftance between New York & James River, & near
the centre of the Maryland bufiness.
We are, refpedtfully, gentm" your moft odbt fervants,
GALE, FEARON & CO.
To the Committee of Warehoufes.




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


235


Sir:
Upon confidering the exportation of teas by the
Company, having no diretion or power from our correfpondents at Bofton or New York, to make terms, we decline
offering any recommendation in the prefent ftate of the
affair, at the fame time think our thanks are due to you,
for your readinefs in attending to any propofitions we might
make.   We are, refpetfully,
Your mofi obt fervt?
DAVISON & NEWMAN.
Fenchurch Street, July I5, I773.
Edwd Wheeler, Efqr deputy chairman.
Sir:
The Committee of Warehoufes of the Eaft India
Company defire you will meet them at this houfe, on
Thurfday next, at twelve o'clock at noon, relative to the
exportation of tea to America.  I am, fir,
Your moft obdt fervt
WM. SETTLE.
Eaft India Houfe, I7th July, I773.
To BROOK WATSON,              SAMUEL WHARTON,
JONATHAN CLARKE,           JNO. BLACKBURN,
FREDE'K PIGOU, Junr.,      BENJN. HARRISON,
GILBERT BARKLEY,           WALTER MANSELL,
GEORGE BROWNE,             JOHN NUTT,
ROBERTS, BAYNES & ROBERTS,  DAVISON & NEWMAN,
MR. -BERTHON,              BORDIEU & CHOLLETT,
WILLIAM KELLY,             GALE, FEARON & CO.
GREENWOOD & HIGGINSON,




236


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


Gentlemen:
In confequence of my converfation this day, with
the gentlemen of the Committee of Warehoufes, relative to
the rate of exchange from Bofton, I beg leave to confirm
the offer I made, of abiding by the ftandard exchange of
~I33 6s. 8d. currency for,'Ioo fterling, upon an allowance
of 21 pr cent., with the provifo of the intended exportation
being made by way of experiment, that is not exceeding 500
chefts to Bofton, before the fuccefs thereof is known.
I am, gentlemen,
Your h'ble ferv't,
WM. PALMER.
Devonfhire Square, 22 July, I773.
To the Hon'ble the Court of Directors, &c.
Sirs:
It is fo perfetly contrary to all mercantile ufage,
to fix a certain rate of exchange for commiffion bufinefs,
that we muft beg leave to decline making any further propofals for your intended confignments to New York and
Carolina, becaufe the revolutions in all exchanges cannot be
forefeen.. We have known the New York exchange at I68
& I90, at prefent it is I77, the par between Philadelphia
and New York is, as i60 at the former, to I70o  at the
latter.




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


237


If you fhould hereafter adopt the regular and ufual mercantile form-of receiving your remittances at the current
exchange of the place at the time of remitting, we fhall be
obliged to you for your confignments to Mefsrs. Hugh and
Alexander Wallace, of New York, and Samuel Chollett, of
Charleftown, South Carolina, for whom we will become fecurity for the ufual commiffion of guarantee of 22 pr cent.
We are, firs,
Your mofl obdt h'ble fervts
BOURDIEU & CHOLLET.
Lime Street, July 23rd I773.
Sir:
The Committee of Warehoufes of the Eaft India
Company defire you will meet them at this houfe tomorrow
morning, at eleven o'clock, relative to the exportation of tea
to America.
I am, fir,
Your moft obdt fervant,
WM. SETTLE.
Eaft India Houfe, 29th July, I773.
To WALTER MANSELL,           FREDERICK PIGOU, Junr.,
WILLIAM PALMER,           WILLIAM KELLY,
BROOK WATSON,             SAMUEL WHARTON,
JONATHAN CLARKE,          GILBERT BARKLEY,
JOHN BLACKBURN,           GEORGE BROWNE.




238


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


Sir:
I am direced by the Commt.e to acquaint you that
the Court of DireCtors of the E. I. C. have agreed to fhip
for Bo/Jon three hundred chefts of tea, and confign to your
correfpondents an equal proportion thereof, of which pleafe
to inform them.
Shall be obliged to you to acquaint me the firm of your
correfpondents at Bo/lon.  I am, fir,
Your moft hum. fervt
WM. SETTLE.
Eaft India Houfe, 4th Augt I773.
To JONATHAN CLARKE,          JOHN BLACKBURN,
WM. PALMER,    > Esqrs. Boston. WM. KELLY,  Esqrs. New York.
BROOKE WATSON, J           FRED'K PIGOU, Junr.. J
GEO. BROWNE,  )
GILBERT BARKLY, 1
FREDK PIGOUN, \j Esqr.s. Philadelphia.
SAM'L WHARTON, J
Sir:
At foot you have the firm of our correfpondents at
Bofton, which we gave into the Comt?. of Warehoufes for
partaking of the India ComY' Tea confignments, and for
whom we are ready to give fecurity.
Benjm Faneuil, Junr,                  Efqc  of Bofton,
Jofhua Winflow, late of Nova Scotia, 5            jointly.
Security —Brook Watfon, Robt Rafhleigh,
Watfon & Rafhleigh.
London, 4th Augt I773.
Mr. Wm. Settle.




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


239


Security offered for Mr. Gilbert Barkly, -Wm. Rofs, Esq'r
No. 24 Auftin Fryars.
Securities offered for Walter Manfell, —Henry Laurens,
Fludyer Street, Carolina Merchants; William Barrett, Old
Palace Yard.
Sir:
The firm of the houfe I have recommended to the
Court of Diredors for New York, is Pigou &   Booth, and
at Philadelphia, Mefsrs. James &  Drinker, as agents for
the difpofal of teas.  I am, sir,
Your moft hum. fert
FRED'K PIGOU, Junr
Mark Lane, 4 Augt
Mr. Wm. Settle.
Sir:
I was favored with your letter of yefterday, la./
night after ten o'clock, acquainting me that the Court of
Diredors of the, E. I. C. had agreed to fhip for Philadelphia
fix hundred chefts of tea, and confign to my correfpondents
an equal proportion thereof, you will be pleafed to inform
the Direaors that I gave notice to my brothers, Thomas &
Ifaac Wharton, (the perfons whom I recommended,) by the
27




240


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


laft night's New York mail, of the refolution of the Court
of Direaors to fhip the above quantity of teas to Philadelphia.  I am, fir,
Your moft hum. ferv't,
SAM'L WHARTON.
Argyle Street, Augt 5, I773.
Mr. Wm. Settle.
Mr. Browne's compliments to Mr. Settle, and begs leave
to inform him that the addrefs of the houfe at Philadelphia,
whom he recommends for an agent for the fale of tea, is
Jonathan Browne, merchant, at Philadelphia.
Aug' 5, I773.
Sir:
Laft evening I had the pleafure to receive yours
of yefterday, mentioning the refolution of the Court of
Diredors of the Hon'ble Eaft India Company relative to
the exportation of tea to New York, and defiring me to
acquaint you with the firm of my correfpondent there,
which is Abraham Lott & Co.   I am, fir,
Yours, &c.,
WILLIAM KELLY.
Crefcent, 5th Augt I773.
Mr. Wm. Settle.




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


241


MR. PALMER'S      OPINION    IN  WHAT     MODE    TO
SHIP TEA TO AMERICA.
The Bohea tea to be taken out of what was refuted by
the buyers laft fale; but particular care to be taken that
none under the degree of middling, or good middling, nor
any damaged chefts are fent, to be marked & invoiced, not
according to the King's numbers, but the Company's, to be
reweighed, by thus marking them, each bed will be kept
feparate, and there will not only be no pretence abroad for
finding fault, as from No. to No., will be exadly of the
fame quantity, having been packed from the faid heap or
pile at Canton, and fince examined in England.  But the
tafte of the Americans will alfo be better known, that is,
whether they prefer a frefh middling tea, provided it is not
abfolutely faint, or a ftrong, rough tea.  A certain quantity
of each of thefe kinds to be fent to each place, that either
may not have the advantage over the other, by having teas
of a fuperior quality, their refpective qualities to be remarked
in the invoices.  A fmall affortment of about a dozen or
twenty fmall chefts of Hyfon, Souchong, Congou, and each
fpecie of Singlo tea, viz.: Twankey, Skin and Firft Sort, to
be fent to each place, with proper remarks thereon in the
refpedive invoices, each of thefe fpecies to be taken out of
fome led or break of teas now laid down, or intended fo to
be, for next September fale, regard being had to their
refpetive qualities, and to be taken out of fuch beds or
breaks, which fhall be fufficiently large, not only to fupply




242


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


each Colony with its quantity, but alfo to leave a confiderable part thereof to be fold at the enfuing fale, by which
means the Company may hereafter compare the prices to
the fame parcel of tea fells for, not only at each Colony,
but alfo at their own fales, which can no otherwife be done,
as each of there fpecies, going under the fame.general denomination of Hyfon, Souchong, Congo and Singlo, vary
almoft 1oo pr cent. in the price they fell for, according to
quality, & not io-pr cent. in the purchafe.
As it would be, a great objedt with the Company to
introduce, if poffible, the confumption of Singlo tea into
America, that being a kind of tea which fpoils by age, much
more than Bohea, and alfo that of which they are much
more confiderably overloaded with, and further, fuch an introduction would have this advantage alfo, that the foreign
countries could not foon rival us, not being themfelves importers of any confiderable quantity of this fpecie of tea.
It fhould be recommended to the agents, to endeavour all
they can, at fuch introdution, which it is conceived may be
brought about, at leaft in fome degree, from the experience
of the confumption here in England, which will appear to
have contfantly gained ground proportionally, as its price at
the Company's fales has approached nearer to Bohea tea,
and in the prefent fituation of this branch of the Company's
trade, it might eafily be made appear, it would be for their
advantage, even to fell it in America, at the quoted price of
Bohea, by which means they might be relieved from the difagreeable alternative of felling it hereunder prime coft, or
keeping a greater quantity unfold in their warehoufes, until
it is fpoiled by age.




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


243


London, Augt 5.h I773.
St. Paul's Churchyard, N~: 55.
Sir:
I am favored with yours of yefterday's date, and
agreeable to your requeft, I fhall immediately communicate
the information therein contained, to Richard Clarke, Efqr.,
& Sons, Merchants, in Bofton, New England, which is the
houfe with which I am connedted, and who I flatter myfelf
will acquit themfelves of the truft the Hon'ble the Court of
Dire&ors have been pleafed to repofe in them.
I would alfo beg leave to folicit part of the freight of the
tea for a veffel which I fhall poffibly have ready in ten
days, provided it will agree with the time you propofe to
fhip them.
I am, fir,
Your moit hum. fervt
JONATHAN CLARKE.
Mr. Wm. Settle, I7th Augt
Wm., Capt Jofeph Royal
Loring, will be ready in 5 days.
Sir:
The Committee of Warehoufes defire you will inform them whether you have a conftant trader to Bofton or
South Carolina ready to fail, as the Eaft India Comn intend




244


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


to export teas to both thofe Colonies, and are defirous of
giving you the preference of the freight.
I am, fir,
Your moft obedit fert
WM. SETTLE.
Eaft India Houfe, 5th Augt I773.
To George Hayley, Efqr
Thos. Lane, EfqrAlex. Champion, Efqr'
a -     ----------
Sir:
The deputy chairman of the Eaft India Corn defires
you would point out to the Comt. of Warehoufes what forts
of tea and quantity of each are, in your opinion, proper to
be fent to Bofton & South Carolina, to make up to the
former of thofe places, an export equal to 300 large chefts
of Bohea tea, and the latter a quantity equal to 200 large
chefts Bohea.
Mr. Holbrook fays if you can be with him this morning,
you will expedite his bufinefs very much, as the Comtee have
direted him to make ready for fhipping immediately.
I am, fir,
Your moft hum. fervt
WM. SETTLE.
Eaft India Houfe, 6th Augt 1773.
Mr. Wm. Settle.




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


245


MR. PALMER'S ASSORTMENT OF TEAS FOR
AMERICA.


Bohea,    1. chts'
Congo, fml   d0'
Singlo,      d~'
Hyfon,       d~'
Souchong,    d~'


Boston.
268
20
80
20
I0


So. Carolina.
182
IO
50
I0
5


WEIGHT OF TEA EXPORTE]
Bohea,
Singlo,
Hyfon,
Souchong,
Congou,


New York. Philadelphia.
568     568
20      20
80      8o
20      20
I0      I0
D TO AMERICA.
lbs.
562,421
22,546
5,285
2,392
6,oI5
598,659


Total.
1586
70
290
70
35


Total lbs.,


The Hayley, James Scott, is now ready to fail, & I mean
to  difpatch her I5th Augt-      The   Dartmouth, James Hall,1
will be here about 14 days longer.        These two are conftant
traders to Bofton.
I have no connedtion with the Carolina trade, but I
underftand the London, Curling, belonging to Greenwood &
James Hall, captain of the " Dart-  was consequently proscribed and banmouth," the first tea-ship to arrive in  ished in 1778.
America, was a Boston loyalist, and




246


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


Higginfon, is now ready for failing, and is a conftant trader.
Mr. Settle will pleafe to inform the Comt  - of the above &
thereby oblige,
His humble fervant,
GEORGE HAYLEY.
Eaft India H? io Augt I773.
To GREY COOPER, Efqr' or JN~- ROBINSON, Efqr'
Sir:
By order of the Court of Directors of the United
Eaft India CompY, I tranfmit you the enclofed petition, with
their requeft that you will be pleafed to lay the fame before
the Right Hon'ble the Lords Commiffioners of the Treafury.
I am, very refpeCtfully, fir,
Your moft obedt & hum. fert
PETER MITCHELL, Secy'
To THE RIGHT HON'BLE THE LORDS COMMISSIONERS OF HIS
MAJESTY'S TREASURY.
The humble Petition of the United Company of Merchants
of England trading to the Eaft Indies.
Sheweth:
That by an Ad paffed in the laft feffion of Parliament, it
is among other things enaded, "That it fhall and may be
lawful for the Commiffioners of his Majefty's treafury, or




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


247


any three or more of them, or the High Treafurer for the
time being, to grant a licence or licences to the faid United
Company, to take out of their warehoufes fuch quantity or
quantities of tea as the faid Commiffioners of the Treafury,
or any three or more of them, or the High Treafurer for
the time being, fhall think fit, without the fame having been
expofed to fale in this kingdom, and to export fuch tea to
any of the Britifh colonies or plantations in America, or to
foreign parts difcharged from the payment of any of the
cuftoms or duties whatfoever."
That the faid United Comn." have agreed to export to the
Britifh colonies or plantations in America a quantity of teas,
equal in weight to I700 large chefts of Bohea tea, which
quantity will not in the whole exceed fix hundred thoufand
pounds weight. And your petitioner having in the affidavit
hereunto annexed fhewed unto your lordsP? that after the
taking out of their warehouses the faid quantities of teas fo
intended to be exported, that there will be left remaining
in the warehoufes of the faid United Company a quantity of
tea not lefs than ten millions of pounds weight, as by the
faid Ad is dire&ed.
Your petitioners therefore pray your lordfhips to grant
them a licence to take out of their warehoufes the quantities
of teas above mentioned, not exceeding in the whole fix
hundred thoufand pounds weight, without the fame having
been expofed to fale in this kingdom, and to export fuch
tea difcharged from the payment of any cuftoms or duties
whatfoever.
By order of the Court of Diredtors of the faid Company.
P. MITCHELL, Secy
Eaft India Ho. I9th April, I773.
28




248


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


LICENCE    TO   EXPORT     TEA.
After our hearty commendations.  Whereas, the united
company of merchants of England trading to the Eafi Indies,
have, by the annexed petition, humbly prayed us to grant
them, in purfuance of an Adt paffed the laft feffion of Parliament, a licence to take out of their warehouses a quantity
of teas, equal in weight to one thoufand feven hundred large
chefts of Bohea tea, which quantity will not in the whole
exceed fix hundred thoufand pounds weight, without the
fame having been expofed to fale in this kingdom, and to
export fuch tea difcharged from the payment of any cuftoms
or duties whatfoever, to the Britifh colonies or plantations
in America.  And it appearing to us by the annexed affidavit, that there will be left remaining in their warehoufes
a quantity of tea not lefs than ten millions of pounds
weight, as by the faid A& is provided and directed.  Now
we, having taken the faid application and the feveral matters
and things therein fet forth into our confideration, do think
fit to comply with the'requefi of the laid petitioners.  And
in purfuance of the powers given unto us by the laid At,
we do hereby authorize, permit and grant licence to the
faid Company to take out of their' warehoufes the faid
quantity of tea, not exceeding in the whole fix hundred
thoufand pounds weight, without the fame having been
expofed to fale in this kingdom, and to export fuch teas
discharged from the payment of any cuftoms or duties whatfoever, to any of the Britifh colonies or plantations in
America.  Neverthelefs, you are therein to take efpecial
care, that all and every the rules, regulations & reftritions
and orders direfted by the faid recited Aft, relating to the




LORD NORTH.








LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


251


exportation of fuch teas, or any ways concerning the fame,
be in all and every refpec6 fully obeyed and obferved.  And
for fo doing, this fhall be as well to you as to the faid
Company, and to all other officers & perfons whatfoever
herein concerned, a fufficient warrant.
Given under our hands and feals at the Treafury Chambers, Whitehall, the 20th day of Auguft, one thoufand feven
hundred and feventy three; in the thirteenth year of the
reign of our fovereign lord, George the Third, King of Great
Britain, France and Ireland, and fo forth.
NORTH.
C. TOWNSHEND.
C. J. Fox.
To our very loving friends the Commiffioners, for managing
His Majefty's Revenues of Cuftoms and Excife, now and
for the time being, and to all other officers and perfons
herein concerned.
Eaft India Company, Licence to Export Teas
Hon'ble Sirs:
We have the fhip Eleanor, James Bruce, about 250
tons, (a conftant trader,) which we intend for Bofton, and
(hould be much obliged for the freight of the teas you
intend exporting to that place.
We have no fhip bound to South Carolina, but are much
obliged for the preference given us. We are, firs,
Your moft h'ble ferts.
LANE, SON & FRASER.
Nicholas Lane, 6th Aug.t I773.
The Hon'ble the Court of Diredors, &c., &c.




252


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


John Dorrien, Efqr- recommends for Bofton, the Beaver,
Capt" Coffin.
Sir:
I wrote you under date of the 5t inftt that you
would be pleafed to inform the Committee of Warehoufes,
whether you had a conftant trader ready to fail for Bofton
or South Carolina, but fhould have faid to Bofton only.  I
am therefore to defire the favor of an anfwer whether you
haxe a conftant trader ready for that colony.
I am, &c., &c.,
WM. SETTLE.
Eaft India H~: Augt IO, I773.
Alex. Champion, Efqr
Sir:
In anfwer to your efteemed of the 5th and Ioth current, am obliged by the favor intended, but at prefent have
only one fhip under my care bound to Bofton, who will
depart in a very few days, but fhe is not a conftant trader.
It is not, therefore, in my power to accept of the offer.
I am, fir,
Your moft hum. fervt'
ALEXANDER CHAMPION.
Bifhopgate Street, Augt Io, 1773.
Mr. Wm. Settle.




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


253


Hon'ble Sir:
Being informed you have fome teas to fhip to
America, I have now a veffel, Britifh built, burthen about
I60 tons, which fhould be glad to lett to your honors for
the above purpofe.
I am, with due regard, hon'ble firs,
Your moft obedt fervtt,
THOS. WALTERS.
Carolina Coffee Houfe,
Birchen Lane, I7th Augt I773.
The Elizabeth, John Scott, for any part of America.
To the Hon'ble Diredtors of
the Eaft India Company.
Mr. Abraham Dupies, in Gracechurch Street, will become
obligated for Richard Clarke & Sons, of Bofton.
Gentlemen:
I have a veffel in this port, which will be ready
to return to America in a few days, therefore take the
opportunity to acquaint you that I am willing to take on
board her 600 chefts of tea, either for New York or Philadelphia, at the a cuftomary freight given from hence to
thofe places.
I am, gentln your mofi hum. fervant,
JOSEPH CABOT.
Threadneedle Street, 24 Augt 1773.
To the Hon'ble Committee of Warehoufes.




254


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


London, Augt 26, I773.
Sir:
We pray you to inform the Comt. of Warehoufes
for the Hon'ble the Eaft India Company that we have a
fhip, river built, called the Nancy, commanded by Captain
Colville, compleately fitted and ready to receive the tea for
New York, which we beg leave to recommend to the Committee. We are, fir,
Your moft obedient and humble fervants,
JOHN BLACKBURN.
PIGOU & BOOTH.
WM. KELLY & Co.
Mr. Wm. Settle.
Sir:
Pleafe to acquaint the Hon'ble Committee of Warehoufes, that we have taken up the Polly, Capt Ayres, for
Philadelphia, to carry the Company's tea to that port, which
veffel lays at Princes Stairs, Rotherhith, and was built at
Ipfwich, in the year I765.  She is now ready to take in.
We are, firs,
Your moft h'ble fervk.
PIGOU & BOOTH,
For selves & GEORGE BROWNE,
SAMUEL WHARTON & GILBERT BARKLEY.
Mark Lane, 3ift Augt I773.
Mr. Wm. Settle.




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


255


Sir:
Your remarks to the bond offered you, relative to
the 600 chefts of tea, which are to be exported to New
York, have been laid before the Committee of Warehoufes,
and they are of opinion that the faid bond is according to
the agreement made with the feveral gentlemen for the different Colonies, and the merchants who are concerned for
the tea to Bofton, have executed their bonds agreeable
thereto, and Meffrs. Wharton, Pigou & Barkley have agreed
alfo to execute on Thurfday morning.  Therefore, I am to
defire you to inform me whether you will pleafe likewife to
execute the faid bond.
I am, fir,
Your moft h'ble fervt
WM. SETTLE.
Eaft India Houfe, 3It Augt 1773.
To John Blackburn, Efq'r
William, Kelly, Efqr
Sir:
As the feveral gentlemen mentioned in your polite
note- of this day have executed the bond, I fhall with pleafure follow their example, and on Thurfday next I propofe
waiting on you for that purpofe.  I am fir,
Your molt h'ble fervt
JOHN BLACKBURN.
Scot's Yard, 3Ift Augt 1773.
Mr. Wm. Settle.




256


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


Sir:
Laft evening I had the pleafure to receive your
favor of yefterday, relative to the bond which I am to fign
for New York, and the objedions made to its draught by Mr.
Blackburn, Pigou and myfelf, which at the time appeared
refonable to us, but as others have figned in the form fhewn
to me, I don't mean to be particular, and therefore fhall
conform, relying on the honor of the Comtee in all future
matters.
Tomorrow I am indifpenfably obliged to go out of town
fhall return on Saturday next, wait on you, & execute the
bond.   I am, fir,
Your moft obedit & moft hum. fervt
WM. KELLY.
Crefcent, Sep. Ist 1773.
Mr. Wm. Settle.
Freight of 568 whole, 6  130 half cheJis of Tea, Jhipped on
the Polly, Capt Sam' Ayres, for Philadelphia:
feet.
568 chefts cong for freight,.        8748.6
13o quarter d~-    d~..       656.9
9405.3
9405.3 at is. 6d. pr foot, Philadelphia currency, is /705 7 Io%
tons.
Primage on 2358 at 2S. fterl pr ton, is /23 IO  3




LETTERS ANI) DOCUMENTS.25


257


Freight1 of Tea on the London, to South Carolina:
feet.
i82 chefts meafure 2644.3 at is. pr foot, ~12 4   3
75  d      d       345.9 d0....        17  5   9
257                                      I49 I0  0
Primage, 5 pr cent,...        7 I0. o
~1057 0 0
Freigrht of Tea Jhzpped on the William, for Bof'on:
feet.
58 chefts meafure 585.I11, at Is. 4d. pr foot, ~3    L. M.
Primage.       I 9   6 fterlg.
Freight of 698 cheflZs Tea on the Nancy, for New York:~
feet.
698 chefts meafure 9264.8, at 2s. 3d pr foot, is
Currency,.~1042                                    5  4
Sterling,~3    8  2    Primage,   pr ct..      52  23
~1094 7 7
Freigrht ofjr.4t chefls Tea on the Eleanor, for Boflon:
feet..
I114 cbefts meafure I1383.4, at Is. 4d... 92 4 5 L. M.
Primage.      ~3   9  o
Freight of 112 chefls Tea on the Beaver, for BoyjIon:
feet.
11I2 chefts meafure 1375, at is.4d., is. 91 1I3 IO L.M.
34~/ tons at 25. pr ton primage,. ~3 17   0
29




258


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


Whitehall, Decr I7t I773 -Lord Dartmouth prefents his compliments to Mr.
Wheler, and requefts the favor to fee him at his office, at
Whitehall, on Monday morning next, at eleven o'clock, on
the fubje6d of fome advices Lord Dartmouth has lately receiveid from America, refpedting the importation of tea from
England.
LETTER TO SUNDRY AMERICAN MERCHANTS.
Sir:
The Comtee of Warehoufes of the E. I. Comr defire
you would pleafe to inform them whether you have receivd
any advices from Bojion relative to the faid ComYs exportation of tea to that colony, and if you have, to communicate
the purport thereof to the Committee.  I am, fir,
Your molt obe. fert
WM. SETTLE.
Eaft India Houfe, 20th Decr I773.
To Mr. Wm. Palmer, Bofon.
Brook Watfon,   j
Wm. Greenwood,
South Carolina.
Jo- Nutt,
Jn~. Blackburn, New York,
Wm. Kelly,
Fredk Pigou, Junr New York &e Philadelphia.
Geo. Browne, } Phiiadeph ia.
Sam' Wharton,




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


259


LETTER TO SUNDRY AMERICAN MERCHANTS.1
Sir:
The CommtM of Warehoufes defire the favor of an
anfwer under your hand to my letter of yesterday, relative
to the exportation of tea to BoJfon.  I am, fir,
Your moft obdt fervant,
WM. SETTLE.
Eaft India Houfe, 21st DeCr I773.
Brook Watfon, Efqr' BoJfon.
Wm. Greenwood, Efqr') So       Carolina
T  South Carolina.
John Nutt, Efq'
John Blackburn, Efqr- New York.
Geo. Browne, Efqr Philadelphia.
LETTERS FROM SUNDRY AMERICAN
MERCHANTS,
WITH ENCLOSURES OF ADVICES FROM THE SEVERAL COLONIES.
BOSTON.
From Mr. Palmer.
Mr. Palmer has received no material advices from
Bofton fince the confignment has taken place, but has letters
of as late a date from thence as the 3d of Novemr, one of
which mentions there was no tea then to be bought.
Eaft India Houfe, 2Ift Decr I773
1 These two letters following each anxiety of the Company, in reference
other so closely, plainly manifest the to their shipments of tea to Boston.




260


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


Garlick Hill, 22d Decemr I773.
To the Hon'ble the Committee of Warehoufes. Eafl India Houfe.
Gentm"
In compliance with your requeft, we fend you enclofed extracts from the letters which we have lately received
from Boflon relative to the Coms5 teas fent there.
We are, gent"
Your moft hum. fervts
WATSON & RASHLEIGH.
ExtraSi of a Letter dated BoJfon, z8t OFIto' 1r773:
"But what difficulties may arife from  the difaffeeion of
the merchants and importers of tea to this meafure of the
India Company, I am   not yet able to fay.  It feems at
prefent to be a matter of much fpeculation, and if one is to
credit the prints, no fmall oppofition will be made thereto.
However, I am in hopes it will be otherwife, and taking it
for granted that the tea fhould arrive, and no obftacle
happen to prevent its being landed and difpofed of, agreeably to the inftru&ions of the Company, then I am to add
that you may be affured I fhall ftri&ly conform  to the
inftrutions which I may jointly receive refpe&ing it, paying
all due regard to the contents of your letter.
"I know not how to write more fully hereon until the tea
arrives, and what may poffibly be the confequences attending
it.  My friends feem to think it will fubfide; others are of
a contrary opinion."




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


26i


Extrast of a Letter dated Bojqon, 30 O"r 1773:
"I omitted a letter to you in particular when I wrote to
your houfe the 10th inft., becaufe I thought it was probable,
both from the contents of your letter then received, as well
as from the public reports, that the tea you mention as
coming from the India ComY might every day be expedted
to arrive, as you fay 4 Augt they intended fhipping 300
chefts immediately, but by my letter, this day received by a
veffel from London, it is not to be fent.
"I perceive by the prints, that the clamour is ftill continued againft this meafure of the India Company, and feems
to be purfued with rather more warmth in fome of the
Southern Colonies than in this.  For my own part I am
not fufficiently fkilled in politicks to fee the pernicious confequences which 'tis faid muft arife therefrom. If they would
prevent the Tea A6t being enforced, or the payment of the
revenue arifing therefrom to Government, methinks they
fhould either not import any tea, or rather not confume any,
and then the end would be anfwered at once.  But while
there is fuch a vaft quantity exported every year by fo con.
fiderable a number of perfons, who all pay the duty thereof
on its arrival, I do not fee why every importer, nay, every
confumer thereof, do not as much contribute to inforce the
Tea At as the India CompY themfelves, or the perfons to
whom they may think proper to confign their tea for fale.
Nor can I but be of opinion that the uneafinefs is fomented,
if not originated, principally by thofe perfons concerned in
the Holland trade, and thereby introduce large quantities of
tea, which, paying no duty, by that means they can afford
to underfell thofe who do pay it, and this trade, I am in



262


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


formed, is much more praatifed in the Southern Govern.
ments than this way.
"To what lengths the oppofition to this tea's being
brought or landed, or difpofed of, may be carried, mufi be
left to time to determine."
Extraf of a Letter dated BoJqon, 4 Nov'" 1773:
"Thus far I had wrote you with intentions to forward by
firft conveyance, when I found there was to be a mufter of
the people, to demand that the perfons who are to be employed as agents for difpofing of the tea which may come
from the India Company, would refign their commiffions &
fwear (under Liberty Tree) to return the tea by the fame
or firft veffels for London, &c. You will be fully acquainted
of their unreafonable proceedings.  After the time had
elapfed which was fixed upon for the gentlemen to appear
and refign, on their not complying with the order, they
marched down in a body to Mr. Clarke's ftore, where we
were, and not receiving fuch an anfwer as they demanded,
they began an attack upon the ftore and thofe within, breaking down doors, flinging about mud, &c., for about an hour,
when they began to difperfe, and a number of gentl", friends
of thofe agents coming to their affiftance, they left the ftore
and went upon change, but met with no further infult, tho'
there is' much threatening.  As the tea is not arrived, and
it is uncertain when it may, I purpofe to write you again
fpeedily.
" In the interim, I am, &c."




_ __  ____I_
--— i

~am B   ~     A


MrPF 70 Iwrcy.S/ ^P sed/ea   n, trie0. nso  rfnce  xtt6ne d tfzad le s
reay a,ceera^lP 7  a en1 e, /t.../...e.ar.
S t     l..&..........  Joe sCZ7  2.eco 'd.......  16'7o  Pfn... o  -  17J
T7 eri.............9ls/ot /...  7....^ff r \Are5/n....... 17a
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i8 5...          T w wa    a kep a- 6fnp r q /o.
Fyorttf/i aon   11alrer Steet  Jn^Streer  P C[ornu/
2 Y'r ard' S  e,t  \ o,, arnver reet  0to Mar/Goroug
- /& 3: -<f  Street XCamer 3e  etmt!, |  Sunmer. treet
/vr v            4tond0 -. 8/Cw *7eeS l  Cranye Stveer
R 1I F1r  1 B ~  C E S.
A.Toh w   Hall  D. Governors I[loae. E'ui.l I',.I  K. Cuftinr. Iorde
j.         B ta 'E. " of'0 JIr.<o /i& eeky b.,  f
c~flr C%/5/s  u. j/t ay un, I..S wMfoM y A M.rvon.
/ {       SIe 1t7 9LT oCf Jgme 1773.     fAJ




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


267


SOUTH    CAROLINA.
Letter from Mr. Greenwood.
Sir:
In anfwer to your letter of the 20th inft., I beg you
would be pleafed to inform the Com.e of Warehoufes that I
have yet received no advices from South Carolina, relative
to the CompY's exportation of tea.  When I do, they may
depend I will take the earlieft opportunity to communicate
the fame to them.
I am, fir,
Your moft obet fervt
WM. GREENWOOD
Queen Street, 22d DeCr-, 1773.
Mr. Settle.
From Mr. Null.
Gentlemen:
In compliance with your defire, intimated to me by
Mr. Settle, refpedting any information received from South
Carolina, concerning the teas exported by the Eaft I. Comr
to that Colony, I have the honor to acquaint you that the
veffel in which they were fhipped did not fail from England
before the 18th OCtober, and the lateit dates from thence are




268


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


only the Ist Novr, fo that we cannot expe&t for fome time
to hear of her arrival.  I have the honor to be, gentn-,
Your molt obedt hum. fervtJOHN NUTT.
Broad Street, 22nd Decemr, I773.
To the Comte. of Warehoufes, &c., &c., &c.
NE W YORK.
Letter from Mr. Blackburn.
Sir:
I am honored with your two letters of the 20th &
2Ift currt, defiring me to inform the Comte of Warehoufes
if I have received any advices from New York relative to
the Comn' exportation of tea to that Colony.
The veffel wherein the tea was fhipped was not arrived
when the laft letters were difpatched from thence, confequently no precife judgment can be formed whether or not
it would be permitted to be landed; but I flatter myfelf from
the difpofition of the principal gentlen of New York, who
are men of moderation, candour and prudence, and as firmly
attached to the Government and laws of this Kingdom as
any of his Majefty's fubje&s; that they will, by their example
and influence, be able to fupprefs every riot and difturbance
occafioned by the oppofers of this meafure.




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


269


I expe6t a thip from New York, which was to depart
about the 26th Novemr' by which I fhall receive fome freih
intelligence relative to this bufinefs, and if I fhould be
furnifhed with any advices that regard the intereft of the
Company, I fhall not fail to wait on the Dire&ors immediately.  I have the honor to be, fir,
Your moft obedt & hum. fert
JOHN BLACKBURN.
Scots Yard, 22nd Dec'r I773.
Mr. Wm. Settle.
ExtraSt of a Letter from a merchant in New      York, to Wm.
Kelly, of London, dated 5t' Nov'r 1773:
"The introdudion of the Eaft India Comyany's tea is
violently oppofed here, by a fet of men who fhamefully live
by monopolizing tea in the fmuggling way."
Extratl of a Letter from     Abraham    Lott, Efq'y,  of New
York, to  Wim. Kelly,l of London, dated New      York, 5th
Novr" 1773, d& received with the above mentioned ExtraSI
of Mr. Kelly, 22d Dec"- r773:
" Herewith you will receive feveral papers relating to the
importation of the India ComrnY. tea.   If it comes out free
of a duty here on importation, things I believe may go
1 William Kelly is, I suppose, the  pp. 75, 76. " A certain Mr. Kelly, former
person referred to in the following par- resident of the city, (New York,) then
agraph in Leake's " Life of John Lamb," in London, and canvassing some one of
30




270


LETT:ERS AND DOCUMENTS.


quiet enough, tho' you' will obferve much is faid againft
it even on that fuppofition.  But if it fhould be fubje6t to
a duty here, I am much in doubt whether it will be fafe,
as almoft every body in that cafe fpeaks againft the admiffion of it, fo that, altho' I am  well affured that the
Governor will not fuffer the laws to be trampled on, yet
there will be no fuch thing as felling it, as the people would
rather buy fo much poifon, than the tea with the duty
thereon, calculated (they fay) to enflave them  and their
pofterity, and therefore are determined not to take what
they call the naufeous draft.  A little time will determine
how matters will terminate, that is, if the tea comes out.
If it does, I hope it may come free of duty, as by that
means much trouble and anxiety will be faved by the agents.
I do affure you they have all been very uneafy, tho' at the
fame time determined to do their duty, but in the moft
prudent & quiet manner.  It is now two o'clock, P.M., when
I received the paper figned Caffius, in which you will find
Mr. L    R -   de handfomely complimented, and yourfelf
feverely handled, on a fuppofition that you fhould have
fpoken words to the import, as afferted in the paper.  Mr.


the Ministerial Boroughs for an election to Parliament, ridiculed the apprehensions of those who refused to insure
the cargoes of tea from destruction,
and declared that if animosities should
rise as high as during the time of the
Stamp Act, the tea might safely be
shipped and securely landed.  That
then the Colony had an old man to
deal with (Colden); but now they would
have to contend   with  a  vigorous
military governor, (Tryon,) one who


had shown his energy in putting down
insurrectionary movements in North
Carolina. The Committee of Vigilance
took note of these offensive declarations,
and on November 5, called a meeting
at the Coffee House. The people assembled, denounced Kelly, and burnt
his effigy, and after the representative
was consumed, a gentleman observed
that it was matter of regret that the
principal could not be dealt with in the
same summary and exemplary manner."




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


27I


R     e's name is not mentioned, but there is no doubt but
he is the perfon alluded to, as upon the arrival of the London fhips, who refufed to bring the tea.  It was currently
reported that he had wrote his partner nearly in the fame
words as mentioned in the paper.  You are the beft judge
of the truth of the affertion, but whether true or not, his
condud  is ungenerous and mean.    If the paper fpeaks
truth, that he was offered part of the confignment of tea,
he mutl be a man of great influence to have fo great an
offer made him, when fo many other people of weight were
applying for it and could not obtain it."
From Mr. Fredk Pigou, yunr'
Sir:
Pleafe to acquaint the Cornm  of Warehoufes of the
Hon'ble the Eaft India Company, that from the advices I
have received from Philadelphia, I ihould be of opinion the
tea fent to that place will, if landed, meet with much difficulty in being difpofed of.
At New York, I am of opinion it will meet with lefs
oppofition, and may poffibly be fold in that city.  It would
have been fortunate if the New York veffel could have
arrived as foon or before the Philadelphia fhip.
I am, fir, your moft hum. fervt
FRED'K PIGOU, Jun"
Mark Lane, 2 ft DeCr" 1773.
To Mr. Settle.




272


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


PHILADELPHIA.
Letter from Mr. Geo. Browne.
Sir:
The advice I have from my brother at Philadelphia,
relative to the ComY'. confignment of tea, is, that it was
very doubtful how it would be received there, the meafure
being looked upon in an unfavorable view in general.  He
had only jull received an account (from another hand) of his
being nominated one of the agents, and refers me to the
public prints for an account of the refolutions entered into
by the people in oppofition to it.  I am, fir,
Your moft obedit fert
GEO. BROWNE.
Mr. Settle.
From Mr. Sam' Wharton.
Sir:
I underftand that Mr. Walpole, of Lincolns Inn
Fields, had received fome advices from my brother, refpedting
the teas fent to Philadelphia.  I applied to him for them,
and he requefted that I would fend them to you, with what
intelligence I had myfelf received.  I am, fir,
Your very hum. fervt
SAMUEL WHARTON.
Argyle Street, Decemr 23, I773.
Mr. Settle.




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


273


ExtratR of a Letter from   Thomas Wharton,l Efqr of
Phziadelphia, dated 067. 5, z773, to Sam' Wharton, in
London:
"I have clofely attended to the courfe of your arguments,
and think they are of great weight, but you know it is
impoffible always to form a true judgment from what real
motives an oppofition fprings, as the fmugglers and London
importers may both declare that this duty is ftamping the
Americans with the badge of flavery, and notwithitanding
the Diredors of the Eaft India Company have a juft right
to fend their teas where they think proper, yet the Americans allege they may and ought to refufe to purchafe and
use it.
"A little time after the ihip's arrival we fhall know what
is to be done, and I expedt we ihall before that time have
a conference with the agents from  New York, which I pro.
pofed, that our conduct might be uniform, and as much as
poffible anfwer the end of our appointment."


1 Thomas Wharton was a wealthy and
influential merchant of Philadelphia, and
of the sect called Quakers.  In the
enterprise of Galloway and Goddard to
establish  the "Chronicle," a leading
newspaper, he was their partner, and
the parties supposed that Franklin, who
was a correspondent of Wharton's, on
his return from England, would join
them.  In 1777, he was apprehended,
and sent prisoner to Virginia, and at a


later period was proscribed as an enemy
to his coun.ry, and lost his estate,
under the Confiscation Acts of Pennsylvania. His son, Thomas Wharton, Jr.,
was a distinguished Whig, and President of Pennsylania. In the early part
of the Revolution, and indeed until the
time when blood was shed, father and
son acted together, and were members
of the same deliberative assemblies and
committees.




274


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


Extrafts of two Letters from Thos Warton, Ef'r- of Philadelphia, dated OF. 5 and 0f. 30, r773, to the Hoz'ble
Thos' Walpole, of London:
"About a week before the arrival of the September
mail, a letter reached this city, informing us that particular
perfons (tho' not all of them  the proper ones) were nominated agents for the Eaft India DireCors.  This gave the
inhabitants a knowledge of the intention of the Direcors,
and fome perfons immediately declared, that as the duty
was ftill retained, that, tho' fmall, yet it as implicitly fixed
the power and eftablifhed the badge of flavery, as if it had
been greater. The fame fentiments, I am told, are expreffed
in letters from  New  York.  At prefent, therefore. it is
impoffible to fay what meafures the people will take on this
occafion, but I fhould expeCt they will not hinder the tea
being landed, if they infift on its not being fold, till the
duty is taken off by At of Parliament, or the Eaft India
Diretors fatisfy the Commiffioners of the Cuftoms. in London.  For, notwithftanding, it may juftly be urged that the
Diredors of the Eaft India CompY have a right to export
their teas to-North America, yet, as it is faid, the inhabitants have alfo a right of judgment refpeding the purchafe
and confumption.   I fhould expeCt, that if the oppofition
takes place, it will reft with their adherence to an engagement of this kind.
"I can have no doubt that the India Comr    would find
their fales lucrative, and that an extenfion of trade would
certainly take place, by comprehending the articles of pepper,




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


275


fpices, and filks in their exports; great quantities of the
two firft articles have certainly been introduced in the
Continent from Holland and thro' the Weft Indies, and
therefore it is that I apprehend the London merchants are
miftaken when they fay they already fhip as much as the
Continent can confume, for through them are imported only
fuch quantities of fpices, &c., as the merchant hero can
vend, after the run goods are fold, they being imported
cheaper than thofe from  England, are naturally firft fold.
But if the Eaft India Company fhould think proper to extend their trade, I cannot doubt it would in a great meafure
put a flop to the importation from Holland and the Dutch
Iflands, and large fums would annually pafs from America
to London for thofe commodities.  But perhaps little more
fhould be faid until it is known in what manner our fellow
countrymen fhall view this fcheme of trade."
"Philadelphia, 06O. 30, I773.
"I fhall endeavor to communicate a more full ftate of the
fentiments of my fellow citizens than I could in my laft
letter.  I could then only conjeature what might be the
refult of their judgments refpe6ting the Hon'ble the Diredors of the Eaft I. ComY fending their teas to this Continent.
A communication of fentiments, taking place between the
New Yorkers & the Philadelphians, foon produced a number
of pieces in the public prints and otherwife, moft abfolutely
afferting the rights of the Americans, and denying the power
of Parliament refpecting the internal taxation of the Colonies,
which led into many comparifons, endeavoring to fhew that




276


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


the agency of the tea was equally odious & dangerous as
the execution of the Stamp Ad would have been. I may
fay with great truth, that I do not believe one man in a
hundred was to be met with who approved of the fending
the tea, while the duty was to be paid here.  Yet a great
number of people acknowledged the right of the Eaft India
Diredors to export their teas to America, and declared that
nothing lefs than a confirmed belief that the admitting this
mode of taxation would render the affemblies of the people
mere cyphers, could have induced them to proceed in the
manner they have done; for when it was mentioned to them
that by refufing to admit the tea to be landed, they did as
much deprive the India Company of the natural rights of
Englifh merchants, as the fubjeding us to the payment of
duty poffibly could affed us, they replyed that the At of
Parliament hindered the tea from being landed until the duty
was firft paid or fecured, and confequently as the Directors
knew this, and the oppofition heretofore given by the Americans, they muft take what followed.
"You will perceive by the refolution formed and entered
into on the I8th' into what a fituation the agents were
driven, there being no poffibility of perfuading the people
to wait till we knew the real ftate of fadts.  The meeting
at the State Houfe confifted, (it is faid) of 6 or 700, and be
affured, they were as refpedtable a body of inhabitants as
has been together on any occafion; many of the jfrf rank.
The whole of their proceedings were conduded with the
greateft decency and firmnefs, and without one diffenting
voice.  After the refolution had paffed, they appointed a
Comt. of 12 perfons, who, on the 18th inft., about 12 o'clock,




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


277


called on James and Drinker, and then came down to my
houfe, where they conducted themfelves with great decency,
read the refolution, and informed me they were appointed
by their fellow citizens to demand of Thos & Ifaac Wharton,
whether we would execute the truft if the duty was to be
paid here?  We told them   it involved us in a difficulty
which we could not folve, becaufe we had not received the
leafI intimation from the DireSlors, and therefore it was impoffible to know the exa6d ftate the tea was to be ihipped
in, but that we would, on being acquainted with the fituation
under which it came, openly communicate the fame, and
that we would do nothing to injure the property of the
India Comr or enflave America. This anfwer they received
with great fatisfaction, and in the evening they reported to
a unanimous body of citizens the anfwers they had received,
who gave Thos- and Ifaac Wharton very evident marks of
their approbation for the candid anfwer they gave.
"Should the tea be fent fubjedt to the payment of the
duty, I am fatisfied it will not be fuffered to be landed, and
that it muft return to London, (unlefs the India Diretors have in fuch cafe direCted the captain where to proceed
with it,) which intimation may be in time to fecure the
property by infurance fhould they incline."
Copies of the above advices were, by order of the Comtn
of Warehoufes, fent to Lord Dartmouth in the manner
directed by their minute of the


31




278


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


BOSTON.
LETTER FROM MR. JONATHAN CLARKE TO
EDWARD     WHELER, ESQR.
Bofton, New England, I7th Novr" I773.
Sir:
After a long detention in the Englifh channel, and
a pretty long paffage, I arrived here this morning from
England, and there being a veffel to fail for London within
a few hours, gives me an opportunity of writing you a few
lines on the fubjedt of the confignment of tea, made to our
houfe by the Hon'ble Eaft India Company, in which I had
your friendly affiftance, and of which I fhall always retain
a grateful fenfe.
I find that this meafure is an unpopular one, and before
my arrival fome meafures have been taken to oblige my
friends to make a refignation of the truft, which they have
not thought fit to comply with.  They have wrote to our
friend, Mr. Abraham Dupuis, very particularly, refpedting
the meafures that have been adopted, and to that account I
muft beg leave to refer you, as I have not time to repeat
it by this opportunity, but I fhall keep the Company fully
advifed in future.
I fully fee that we fhall meet with difficulty in executing
this truft, but our utmoft endeavors fhall be exerted to fulfill
the orders we may receive from the Company.
I am, very refpe&fully fir, your moft obliged h'ble fervt
Edward Wheler, Efqr'                 JONA CLARKE.
Received from the Deputy Chairman, 5h Jan'X, 1774.




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


279


LETTER TO MR. ABRAHAM DUPUIS.
Sir.
Mr. Wheler, chairman of the Eaft India Company,
having received a letter from Jonathan Clarke, Efqr. dated
Bofton, I7th November laft, wherein he begs leave to refer
him to you for the meafures that have been adopted at
Bofton, relative to the Company's exportation of tea to that
Colony, I am directed by the chairman to defire you would
be pleafed to communicate to him the advices you have
received from Meffrs. Clarke & Sons, for the information of
the Court of Dire&ors of the Eaft India Company, which
will be a favor conferred on him.  I am, fir,
Your moft obdt ferv,
WM. SETTLE.
Eaft India Houfe, 5th Jany, I774.
Abraham Dupuis, Efqr, Gracechurch Street.
LETTER FROM       MESSRS. CLARKE & SONS, AT BOSTON
TO MR. ABRM DUPUIS,
Referred to in Mr. Clarke's Letter to the chairman, of
the 17t Novr' 1773.
Bofton, Nov?' I773.
Mr. ABRAHAM DUPUIS.
Sir:
We now embrace the firft leifure we have, to give
you an account of the proceedings of fome of the inhabitants




280


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS


of this town, relative to the expedted importation of teas
into this port from the Hon'ble Eaft India Company.  As
foon as it was known here that the Company had determined on this meafure, and that certain gentlemen of this
town were fixed upon as fadors, there appeared a diffatiffaction in many perfons.  But at firft there did not appear
any refentment againft the fuppofed fadors, nor was there,
as far as we ever heard, any mention made of a defign to
bring them under any obligations not to execute their truft,
but the general voice among the oppofers of the Company's
plan was, that the teas muff not be landed, or, if landed,
not fold.  About three or four weeks ago, a printed anonymous addrefs to the Company's fators was brought to this
place by the poll, either from New York or Philadelphia,
but whether it was fabricated at either of thofe places, or
this, we cannot determine.  The defign of it was, to reprefent a number of gentlemen, who cannot juftly be confidered
in any other light than commercial fadors, as Crown officers,
and they, in the faid paper, are expreffly put on the fame
footing with the late ftamp officers, doubtlefs with a defign
to render them odious to the people, and much is faid in it
to diffuade or intimidate them from executing their expe&ed
truft. Soon after this, a fecond anonymous addrefs, but
much more inflammatory, appeared here in one of the newfpapers from New York.   Both thefe were printed in one or
more of the newfpapers of this town, and feveral other pieces
were alfo publifhed here, to roufe the people to an oppofition to the Company's defign, and their rage againft us and
the other gentlemen, fadtors for the Company in this place.
As things were then circumftanced in this place, we judged
it might tend to undeceive many perfons that were milled,




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


281


to publifh fome obfervations on the Company's plan, to
anfwer the objetions that were made againft it, and to point
out fome of the beneficial confequences attending the execution of it. Accordingly we, by the affiftance of a friend,
got printed in  Meffrs. Fleet's Evening  Poft, of the 24th
October, a piece figned Z1, in which this affair is canvaffed
with as much freedom as the temper of the times would
bear, and altho' this was penned in hafte, and under the
reftrition of the afore-hinted fhackle, we have the fatisfadtion
to find, that in the opinion of the molt judicious amongft
us here, every objetion that has been flarted againft the
Company's plan is fully anfwered, and altho' this publifh

1A portion of this article, which fairly
represents the views of the consignees
on the vexed tea question, is as follows:
"The objectors say the tea duty will
be a means of supporting the Parliament of Great Britain in raising money
from us. How it can affect this matter
I am utterly at a loss to comprehend.
Have not large quantities of tea for
some years past been imported into
this Province from England, both on
account of the dealers in tea there and
the merchants here, all which have paid
the American duty? How in the name
of common sense does it differ, unless
it be in favor of America, for a New
England merchant to have his tea
shipped from Great Britain, on his own
account, or receive it on commission
from the grocers there, and on its arrival, paying the customary duty, than if
it had been shipped by the East India
Company, who were the original importers? What consistency is there in


making a clamour about this small
branch of the revenue, whilst we silently pass over the articles of sugar,
molasses and rum, from which more
than three-fourths of the American revenue has and always will arise, and
when the Act of Parliament imposing
duties on these articles stands on the
same footing as that respecting tea, and
the moneys collected from them are
applied to the same purposes? Many
of us complain of the Tea Act, not only
as it affects our liberties, but as it
affects our purses, by draining us annually of a large sum of money. But if
it be considered that by this step the
East India Company have taken of
sending their tea to market themselves
at their own cost, and the saving that
is thereby made to the merchants here
of commissions, freight and charges of
importing it, which will be equal to the
whole annual tax that has yet been paid,
it must silence that complaint."  "Z."




282


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


ment does not feem to have had its defigned effeEt as yet,
it is to be hoped, when the people's temper is become more
cool, that the aforefaid piece, with what has fince, and may
hereafter be published on this fubjed, may not entirely fail
of the defign propofed.
Befides thefe paper fkirmifhes, we would inform you that
we were told that there were about two or three weeks fince,
feveral nightly meetings, held in various parts of the town,
of a large number of perfons, to confult and conclude on
fome method to prevent the execution of the Company's
plan, but what was fixed at thefe meetings we could not
learn. But we were not loft in this uncertainty long, for in
the morning of the 2nd inftant, about one o'clock, we were
roufed out of our fleep by a violent knocking at the door of
our houfe, and on looking out of the window we faw (for the
moon fhone very bright) two men in the courtyard.  One
of them faid he had brought us a letter from the country.
A fervant took the letter of him at the door, the contents
of which were as follows:
"Bofton, ift Nov., I773.
Richard Clarke & Son:
The Freemen of this Province underftand, from
good authority, that there is a quantity of tea configned to
your houfe by the Eaft India Company, which is deftrudtive
to the happinefs of every well-wifher to his country.  It is
therefore expe6ted that you perfonally appear at Liberty
Tree, on Wednefday next, at twelve o'clock at noon day, to
make a public refignation of your commiffion, agreeable to
a notification of this day for that purpofe.
Fail not upon your peril.                   0. C."




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


283


Two letters of the fame tenor were fent in the fame
manner to the other fadors.  On going abroad we found a
number of printed notifications poited up in various parts
of the town, of which the following is a copy:
" To the Freemen of this and the other Towns in the
Province.
Gentlemen:
You are defired to meet at Liberty Tree, next
Wednefday, at twelve o'clock at noon day, then and there
to hear the perfons to whom the tea, fhipped by the Eaft
India Company, is configned, make a public refignation of
their office as confignees, upon oath. And alfo fwear that
they will refhip any teas that may be configned to them by
the faid Company, by the firft veffel failing for London.
Bofton, Nov'r Ist, I773.             0. C., SecreY "
In this you may obferve a delufory defign to create a
public belief that the factors had contented to refign their
truft on Wednefday, the 3d inft., on which day we were
fummoned by the above-mentioned letter to appear at
Liberty Tree, at I 1 o'clock, A.M. All the bells of the meetinghoufes for public worfhip were fet a-ringing and continued
ringing till twelve; the town cryer went thro' the town
fummoning the people to affemble at Liberty Tree.  By
thefe methods, and fome more fecret ones made ufe of by
the authors of this defign, a number of people, fuppofed by
fome to be abont 500, and by others more, were collected
at the time and place mentioned in the printed notification.  They confifted chiefly of people of the loweft rank,




284


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


very few reputable tradesmen, as we are informed, appeared
amongft them.  There were indeed two merchants, reputed
rich, and the felectmen of the town, but thefe aift fay they
went to prevent diforder.  The gentlemen who are fuppofed the defigned factors for the Eaft India CompY, viz:
Mr. Thos Hutchinfon, Mr. Faneuil, Mr. Winflow & Meffrs.
Clarke, met in the forenoon of the 3rd inftant, at the
latter's warehoufe, the lower end of King Street.  Mr.
Elifha Hutchinfon was not prefent, owing to a mifunderftanding of our intended plan of condu6t, but his brother
engaged to ac in his behalf.  You may well judge that
none of us ever entertained the leaft thoughts of obeying
the fummons fent us to attend at Liberty Tree.   After
a confultation amongit ourfelves and friends, we judged it
beft to continue together, and to endeavour, with the affiftance of a few friends, to oppofe the defigns of the mob,
if they fhould come to offer us any infult or injury.  And
on this occafion, we were fo happy as to be fupported by a
number of gentlemen of the firft rank. About one o'clock,
a large body of people appeared at the head of King Street,
and came down to the end, and halted oppofite to our warehoufe.  Nine perfons came from them up into our countingroom, viz: Mr. Molineux, Mr. Wm. Dennie, Doctor Warren,
Dr. Church, Major Barber, Mr. Henderfon, Mr. Gabriel
Johonnot, Mr. Proftor, and Mr. Ezekiel Cheever. Mr. Molineux, as fpeaker of the above Comt., addreffed himfelf to us,
and the other gentlemen prefent, the fuppofed fadtors to the
Eaft India ComY, and told us that we had committed an high
infult on the people, in refuting to give them that moft
reafonable fatisfaction which had been demanded in the
summons or notice which had been fent us, then read a




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


285


paper propofed by him, to be fubfcribed by the fadors, importing that they folemnly promife that they would not land
or pay any duty on any tea that fhould be fent by the Eaft
I. ComY' but that they would fend back the tea to England
in the fame bottom, which extravagant demand being firmly
refuted, and treated with a proper contempt by all of us,
Mr. Molineux then faid that fince we had refuted their moft
reafonable demands, we muft expedt to feel, on our firft
appearance, the utmoft weight of the people's refentment,
upon which he and the reft of the Comt. left our countingroom and warehoufe, and went to and mixed with the
multitude that continued before our warehoufe.      Soon after
this, the mob having made one or two reverfe motions to
fome diftance, we perceived them haftening their pace towards the ftore, on which we ordered our fervant to fhut
the outward door; but this he could not effed, although
affifted by fome other perfons, amongft whom was Nathaniel
Hatch,1 Efq' one of the Juftices of the inferior Court for
this country, and a Juftice of the     Peace for the county.
This gen" made all poffible exertions to ftem the current of
the mob, not only by declaring repeatedly, and with a loud
voice, that he was a magiftrate, and commanded the people,
by virtue of his office, and in his Majefty's name, to defift
from all riotous proceedings, and to disperfe, but alfo by
affifting in perfon; but the people not only made him a return
of infulting & reproachful words, but prevented his endeav1 Nathaniel Hatch, of Dorchester, I776; was proscribed and banished in
graduated at Harvard University, in  1778, and in I779 was included in the
1742, and subsequently held the office  Conspiracy Act, by which his estate
of Clerk of the Courts. He accom. was confiscated. He died in I780.
panied the British troops to Halifax, in
32




286


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


ors, by force and blows, to get our doors fhut, upon which
Mr. Hatch, with fome other of our friends, retreated to our
counting-room.  Soon after this, the outward doors of the
flore were taken off their hinges by the mob, and carried to
fome diftance; immediately a number of the mob rufhed
into the warehoufe, and endeavored to force into the counting-room, but as this was in another ftory, and the flair-case
leading to it narrow, we, with our friends —about twenty
in number-by fome vigorous efforts, prevented their accomplifhing their defign.  The mob appeared in a fhort
time to be difperfed, and after a few more faint attacks,
they contented themfelves with blocking us up in the Itore
for the fpace of about an hour and a half, at which time,
perceiving that much the greateft part of them were drawn
off, and thofe that remained not formidable, we, with our
friends, left the warehoufe, walked up the length of King
Street together, and then went to our refpeftive houfes,
without any moleftation, faving fome infulting behavior from
a few defpicable perfons.  The night following, a menacing
letter was thruft under Mri. Faneuil's door, to be communicated to the' other confignees, with a defign to intimidate
them from executing their truft, and other methods have
fince been made ufe of in the public papers and otherwife,
for the fame purpofe.  The next day, being the 4th inft, a
notification was fent thro' the town, by order of the feletmen, for the inhabitants of the town to meet on this affair
the next day, a tranfcript of which, and the proceedings of
the town thereon, at their meetings on the 5th and 6th inft.,
you have a full account of in the enclofed newfpapers, which,
being long, we fhall only copy the meffage of the: town to
us, and our anfwver, which are as follows: ---




JOHN HANCOCK'S REPLY TO WASHINGTON'S LETTER TO CONGRESS, RECOMMENDING THE BOMBARDMENT
OF THE TOWN OF BOSTON.
"It is true, sir, nearly all the property I have in the world is in houses and other real estate in Boston;
but if the expulsion of the British army from it and the liberties of our country require their being burnt to
ashes, issue the order for that purpose immediately."








LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


289


"Voted, That a Comt. be immediately chofen to wait on
thofe gentlen who, it is reported, are appointed by the Eaft
India ComY to receive and fell faid tea, and requeft them,
from a regard to their own charader, and the good order and
peace of the town and province, immediately to refign their
appointments. And the following gent", viz.: the Moderator
of the Meeting, Mr. Henderfon Inches, Benjn Auftin, Efqc.'
and Mr. John Mafon, & the feled men of the town, were
appointed a com.n accordingly."
Thefe gent" all except Mr. Mafon, came to our houfe
about one o'clock, P.M., but not having an authenticated
copy of the Town's vote, we defired to be favored with one,
which was accordingly fent us, in a fhort time, from the
moderator, John Hancock, Efqr" to which we returned the
following anfwer, viz.:"Bofton, Novr 5, I773.
Sir:
It is impoffible for us to comply with the requeft
of the Town, fignified to us this day by their Comtne, as we
know not on what terms the tea, if any of it fhould be fent
to our care, will come out, nor what obligations, either of a
moral or pecuniary nature, we may be under to fulfil the
truft that may be devolved on us. When we are acquainted
with there circumftances, we fhall be better qualified to give
a definite anfwer to the requeft of the Town.
We are, fir, your moft humble fervants,
RICHD CLARKE & SONS,
BENJN FANEUIL, for felf & JOSHUA WINSLOW, EfqT'
Hon'ble John Hancock, Efqr'
Moderator of a Town Meeting
at Faneuil Hall."




290


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


This anfwer, you'll fee by the enclofed news paper, was
unanimoufly voted to be not fatisfactory to the Town, and
the next day, on Mr. Hutchinfon's fending into the Town
Meeting an anfwer of the fame purport, both his and ours
were voted to be daringly affrontive to the Town, but upon
what reafons this vote was founded they have not been
pleafed to declare.  You may obferve that the Town has
refolved that they will, by all means in their power, prevent
the fale of the teas exported by the Eaft India Company,
and in the preamble to this vote it is afferted that the
quantities of teas imported into this place fince a certain
agreement, which we prefume they defigned fhould be underftood to commence in the fall of I770, at which time the
non-importation agreement ceafed, had been very fmall in
proportion to what had been ufual before faid agreement,
and that by a few perfons only.  In order to fet thofe faCts
in a clear light, we obtained from the cutfom houfe an
account of teas imported into this place from the beginning
of the year 1768, at which time the firft teas that paid the
American duty arrived to this time, and got the fame printed
in the enclofed news paper, by which it appears that the fact
has been groffly mifreprefented, efpecially confidering that
this year's importation would probably be encreafed at the
end of the year two or three hundred chefts, if the expeCted
exportation on account of the Eaft India Company had not
prevented it. Betides the public tranfaCtions relative to this
affair, before recited, we have repeated accounts of the continual nocturnal meetings of the leaders of the mob, and we
are informed that they are determined to make the utmoft
efforts to prevent the fale of the teas; that their prefent
fcheme, or part of it, is to endeavor, by all methods, even




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


29I


the moft brutal, to force the confignees to give up their
truft, and if they fhould fail in this, it is by fome perfons
publickly afferted that the tea fhall not be landed, or if it
fhould be, that it fhall be burnt.'
In our prefent unexpected and difficult fituation, we have
only to defire you to affure the gentlemen, who may have
configned any part of the Company's teas to our houfe,
whom we cannot at prefent write to, as we have not been
advifed who the gentlemen are, that we fhall make ufe of
the beft advice, and exert our utmoft endeavors to carry into
execution the Company's defign, which, as far as we are
acquainted with it, we judge to be beneficial to the Colonies,
and to this Town and Province efpecially, but whether it
will finally be in our power to accomplifh our defign, we
are not at prefent certain.  We beg the favor of you, fir,
to communicate the foregoing to the gentlemen who may
have had the dire6tion of this affair.  We are, with the
greateft efteem and higheft fenfe of our obligations to them
and you, fir,
Your moft obedient & moft humble fervants,
RICHARD CLARKE & SONS.
P.S.-Mr. Faneuil writes to     his friend, Mr. Brook
Watfon, by this opportunity, advifing him of the tranfadions relating to this affair.  In cafe of mifcarriage of
his letter, we defire you to communicate this letter to Mr.
Watfon.


1 The proposition to burn the tea is referred to by Wyeth.  See ante p. LXXI.




292


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


EXTRACT OF MR. FANEUIL'S LETTER TO
BROOK WATSON, ESQ"MENTIONED IN MR. CLARKE'S POSTSCRIPT.
Mr. Faneuil, after giving an account of the proceedings
of the inhabitants of the 3rd inftant, entirely agreeing in
fubftance with Mr. Clarke's relation, goes on" By comparing this account with what Mr. Clarke writes
his friend, Mr. Dupuis, of London, you will come at the
exat ftate of the affair.  The Governor has given my Lord
Dartmouth an account of the condudt of his Council.  I
will only fay that next day they voted that the AttorneyGeneral be ordered to profecute the perfons concerned in
this riot.  The confequence, I fuppofe, will be, the grand
jury will not find a bill againft them, and there the affair
will end."
On Thurfday, a letter, of which the following is a copy,
was found in my entry:
" Gentlemen: It is currently reported that you are in the
extremeft anxiety refpeting your ftanding with the good
people of this Town and Province, as commiffioners of the
fale of the monopolized and dutied tea.  We do not wonder
in the leaft that your apprehenfions are terrible, when the
moft enlightened humane & confcientious community on the
earth view you in the light of tigers or mad dogs, whom
the public fafety obliges them to deftroy.  Long have this
people been irreconcilable to the idea of fpilling human
blood, on almoft any occafion whatever; but they have lately
feen a penitential thief fuffer death for pilfering a few




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


293


pounds    from   fcattering  individuals.   You    boldly  avow    a
refolution to bear a principal part in the robbery of every
inhabitant of this country, in the prefent and future ages,
of every thing dear and interefting to them.         Are there no
laws in the Book of God and         nature that enjoin    fuch mifcreants to be cut off from among the people, as troublers of
the  whole   congregation.     Yea, verily, there   are  laws   and
officers to put them into execution, which you can neither
corrupt, intimidate, nor efcape, and whofe refolution to bring
you to condign punifhment you can only avoid by a fpeedy
imitation of your brethren in Philadelphia.       This people are
flill averfe to precipitate your fate, but in cafe of much
longer delay in complying-with their indifpenfable demands,
you will not fail to meet the juft rewards of your avarice &
infolence.   Remember, gent", this is the laft        warning   you
are ever to   expedt from    the infulted, abufed, and     moft indignant vindicators of violated liberty in the Town of Bofton.
Thurfday evening, 9 o'clock.
Nov. 4, 1773.                      0. C., Secy' pr order.
To Meffrs. the Tea Commiffioners.
DireCted to B —      F     Efqr'"
On   Friday   we had    a Town     Meeting.     What was done
there, together with    our anfwers and      their refolves, you'll
1This letter, with all its extravagance  lar leaders.  These, however strongly
and exaggeration, undoubtedly expresses  they felt in relation to ministerial agthe popular feeling, the public senti-  gression, were, though direct and forciment of the time.  It is easy to see  ble in their utterances, invariably disfrom its style, as well as from the  creet and temperate in their tone and
sentiments it contains, that it could  language.
have emanated from none of the popu



294


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


fee in the enclqfed news paper.  Juft before the meeting
broke up, feveral gentn, on my telling the purport of our
anfwer, advifed me to leave the town for that night; but I
have not yet flept out of my own houfe, nor do I propofe
to do it, till I find it abfolutely neceffary.  I thought it
belt, however, to conceal myfelf for two or three hours.
But nothing took place more that evening than is ufual on
the 5th Novr  On Friday, we received an information, which
was repeated yefserday, that a number of picked men are
determined to break into our houfe one night this week. I
can hardly believe it, but there continued alarms are very
difagreeable.  I am, gentlemen,
Your moft obedt fervt,
BENJN FANEUIL, Jun"1


1Benjamin Faneuil, Jr., was the son
of Benjamin, a merchant of Boston,
(born, I70I; died, 1785,) and a nephew
of Peter Faneuil, to whom Boston is
indebted for her "Cradle of Liberty."
His place of business was in Butler's
Row, and he resided in the Faneuil
mansion, on Tremont Street.   Before
the building of Quincy Market and
South Market Street, Butler's Row
entered Merchants Row, between Chatham and State Streets. With the other
tea consignees, Faneuil fled to the Castle, in Boston harbor, November 30, 1773,


and being a loyalist, went to Halifax,
when Boston was evacuated, in March,
1776. In the following spring he was in
London, and subsequently resided in
Bristol, Eng., where he died. His wife
was Jane, daughter of Addington Davenport. While in London, in lodgings in
the Strand, almost opposite Somerset
House, he wrote as follows to a friend:
"As soon as the Xmas holidays were
over, the tea consignees presented a
petition to the Lords of the Treasury,
praying a support until the affairs in
America were settled. We are told we




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS


295


PROCEEDINGS OF THE INHABITANTS OF THE
TOWN OF BOSTON, ON THE 5T.' & 6T..
NOVEMBER, I773,
Referred to by Mejfrs. Richard Clarke &         Sons, &   Benj"
Faneuil, 7un'- in their above mentioned Letters, from
the news papers enclofed.
[From the Massachusetts Gazette of Thursday, Nov. II, I773.]
The following notification was iffued on Thurfday ]aft:
The freeholders and other inhabitants of the Town of
Bofton, qualified as the law dire&s, are hereby notified to
meet at Faneuil Hall, on Friday, the 5th day of November
inflant, at ten o'clock in the forenoon, then and there to
confider the petition of a number of the inhabitants, fetting
forth, "that they are juftly alarmed at the report that the
Eaft India Company, in London, are about fhipping a cargo
or cargoes of tea into this and the other Colonies, and that
they efteem it a political plan of the Britifh adminiftration,
whereby they have reafon to fear, not only the trade upon
which they depend for fubfiftence, is threatened to be totally
deftroyed, but what is much more than any thing in life to
be dreaded, the tribute laid on the foundation of that article
will be fixed and eftablifhed, and our liberties, for which we
have long ftruggled, will be loft to them and their pofterity,
shall be allowed ~150 a year. This is a  When we shall be able to return to
fine affair, and we can by no means live  Boston I cannot say, but hope and beupon it, but there are such a confounded  lieve it will not exceed one year, for
parcel of us to be provided for, that I  sooner or later America will be conam told no more will be allowed...  quered, that you may depend on."
33




296


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


and therefore praying that a meeting of the freeholders and
other inhabitants, may be immediately called, that fo the
fenfe of the matter may be taken, and fuch fteps be purfued
as to their fafety and well being fhall appertain."
By order of the Seledt men,
WILLIAM COOPER, Town Clerk.
Bolton, Nov' 4th 1773 -On Friday laft there was a very full meeting of the freeholders, and other inhabitants of this town, in Faneuil Hall,
agreeable to a notification iffued by the Seled men, when
the Hon'ble John Hancock, Efqr' was chofen moderator, and
the Town, after due deliberation, came into the following
refolutions, viz.:
Whereas, it appears by an Ad of the Britifh Parliament,
paffed in the laft feffion, that the Eaft India Company, in
London, are by the faid Ad allowed to export their teas
into America in fuch quantities as the Lords of the Treafury
fhall think proper.  And fome perfons, with an evil intent
to amufe the people, and others thro' inattention to the true
defign of the Ad, have fo conftrued the fame as that the
tribute of three pence on every pound of tea is to be exadted by the deteftable talk maflers here.  Upon the due
confideration thereof, -
Refolved, That the fense of this Town cannot be better
expreffed than in the words of certain judicious refolves,
lately entered into by our worthy brethren of Philadelphia.
Wherefore,
Refolved, That the difpofal of their own property is the
inherent right of freemen; that there can be no property in




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS..297


that which another can, of right, take from us without our
content; that the claim of Parliament to tax America is, in
other words, to claim a right to levy contributions on us at
pleafure.
2d' That the duty impofed by Parliament upon tea landed
in America, is a tax upon the Americans, or levying contributions on them without their confent.
3d- That the exprefs purpofe for which the tax is levied
on the Americans, namely, for the fupport of government,
adminiftration of juftice, and the defence of His Majefty's
dominions in America, has a direl tendency to render affemblies ufelefs, and to introduce arbitrary government and
flavery.
4th. That a virtuous and fteady oppofition to this minifterial plan of governing America is abfolutely neceffary to
preferve even the fhadow of liberty, and it is a duty which
every free man in America owes to his country, to himfelf
and to his pofterity.
5th. That the refolution lately agreed to by the Eaft India
Company, to fend out their tea to America, fubje6ted to
payment of duties on its being landed here, is an open
attempt to enforce the minifterial plan, and a violent attack
upon the liberties of America.
6th- That it is the duty of every American to oppofe this
attempt.
7th- That whoever fhall, diredtly or indirectly, countenance
this attempt, or in any wife aid or abet in unloading, receiving or vending the tea fent or to be fent out by the
Eaft India Company, while it remains fubjedt to the payment of a duty here, is an enemy to America.
8th- That a committee be immediately chofen to wait on




298


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


thofe gentlemen, who, it is reported, are appointed by the
Eaft India Company to receive and fell faid tea, and requeft
them, from a regard to their own charadters, and the peace
and good order of this Town and Province, immediately to
refign their appointments.
And the following gentlemen, viz., the Moderator, Mr.
Henderfon Inches, Benjamin Auftin, Efqr and the SeleCt
men of the Town, were appointed a committee accordingly.
At the fame time, the Town paffed the following refolves,
viz.:
Whereas, the merchants of this Continent, did enter into
an agreement to withhold the importation of teas until the
duty laid thereon fhould be repealed, which agreement, as we
are informed, has been punctually pbferved by the refpeCtable
merchants in the Southern Colonies, while, by reafon of the
peculiar circumftances attending the trade of this place,
some quantities, tho' very fmall in proportion to what had
been ufual before faid agreement, have been imported by
fome of the merchants here.  And whereas, it now appears
probable to this Town, that the Britifh adminiftration have
taken encouragement, even from fuch fmall importations, to
grant licenfes to the  Eafi India Company, as aforefaid,
therefore, -
Refolved, That it is the determination of this Town, by
all means in their power, to prevent the fale of teas exported by the Eaft India Company, and as the merchants
here have generally oppofed this meafure, it is the juft expectation of the inhabitants of this town that no one of
them will, upon any pretence whatever, import any tea that
fhall be liable to pay the duty from this time, and until the
Adt impofing the fame fhall be repealed.




d~neZ1~td.


GOVERNOR GAGE, THROUGH COL. FENTON, TO SAMUEL ADAMS, I773.
" Mr. Adams, you have displeased His Majesty, made yourself liable to be sent to England, and tried
for treason. Change your political course, you will receive personal advantages, and also make your peace
with the King."
Mr. Adams' ReZly: "I have long since made my peace with the King of Kings. No personal consideration shall induce me to abandon the righteous cause of my country.  Tell Gov. Gage it is the advice of
Samuel Adams, to him, no longer to insult the feelings of an already exasperated people."








LETT'ERS AND DOCUMENTS.


301


And then the Town adjourned till three o'clock in the
afternoon.
At 3 o'clock, there was again a very full affembly, and
the committee reported to the Town that they had waited
on Richard Clarke, Efqr' and Son, and Benjamin Faneuil,
Efqr' faid to be fadors of the Eaft India Company, and
communicated to them the refolve of the Town, whereby
they were requefted, immediately, to refign their appointment, and that faid gentlemen informed the committee, that
as Meffrs. Thomas & Elifha Hutchinfon, (who are alfo reported to be fadtors of the faid Company,) were at Milton,
and not expected in town 'till Saturday evening, and as
they chofe to confult them, they could not return an anfwer
to the Town 'till Monday morning.
Then another committee was chofen viz., Mr. Samuel
Adams, Mr. Wm. Molineux and Dr. Jofeph Warren, to
acquaint Meffrs. Clarke & Faneuil, that as they were not
joint factors for the Eaft India Company with the Hutchinfon's, it was fuppofed they could determine for themfelves,
and therefore it was the expectation of the Town that they
return an immediate anfwer to the meffage, and this committee reported to the Town that an anfwer might be
expe6ted in half an hour.
A motion was then made that a committee be appointed
to repair to Milton, and acquaint Meffrs. Thomas and
Elifha Hutchinfon, with the requeft' of the Town, that they
immediately refign their appointment, and John Hancock,
Efqr-,  Mr. John Pitts, Mr. Samuel Adams, Mr. Samuel
Abbott, Dr. Jofeph Warren, Mr. Wm. Powell, and Mr. Nath1
Appleton, were appointed for that purpofe.




302


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


A letter was brought into the hall. figned by Richard
Clarke & Son, & Benjamin Faneuil, for himfelf & Jofhua
Winflow, Efqr, and directed to the Moderator, to be communicated to the Town, viz:
"Bofton, 5th Novmr, I773.
Sir:
It is impoffible for us to comply with the requeft
of the Town, fignified to us this day by the committee, as
we know not what terms the tea, if any part of it fhould
be fent to our care, will come out on, and what obligations, either of a moral or pecuniary nature, we may be
under, to fulfil the truft that may be devolved on us. When
we are acquainted with there circumftances, we fhall be
better qualified to give a definitive anfwer to the requeft of
the Town.   We are, fir,
Your moft h'ble ferv't
RICHARD CLARKE & SON,
BENJAMIN FANEUIL, for felf & JOSHUA WINSLOW, EfqrHon'ble John Hancock, EfqrModerator of a Town Meeting, affembled at Faneuil Hall."
This letter was read, and unanimoufly voted to be not
fatisfactory to the Town, and then the meeting adjourned
'till the next day, at eleven o'clock, to receive the report of
the committee appointed to wait on the Hutchinfons.
The Town met by adjournment, on Saturday, (the meeting
fill continuing very full,) and the committee reported, that
they had feen Mr. Thomas Hutchinfon only, (his brother
being neither at Milton or Bofton,) and that the Town might
expeft an anfwer from him immediately.




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


303


The following letter was loon after fent in to the Moderator, figned Thomas Hutchinfon, which was read, and unanimoufly voted to be an unfatisfactory anfwer, viz.:
"Sir:
I know nothing relative to the teas referred to in
the requeft or vote of the Town, except that one of my
friends has fignified to me by letter, that part of it, he had
reafon to believe, would be configned to me and my brother
jointly.  Under thefe circumftances, I can give no other
anfwer to the Town at prefent, than that if the teas fhould
arrive, and we fhould be appointed factors, we flall then
be fufficiently informed to anfwer the requeft of the Town.
I am, for my brother and felf, fir,
Your h'ble fervt,
THOS. HUTCHINSON, Junr
Hon'ble John Hancock, Efqr'
Moderator of a Town Meeting, now affembled.
It was then voted, that the letter, figned Richard Clarke
& Son, Benjamin Faneuil, for felf and Jofhua Winflow, Efqr-,
and alfo the letter figned Thomas Hutchinfon, which had
been read, were daringly affrontive to the Town, and the
meeting was immediately diffolved.
AN   ACCOUNT OF TEA        IMPORTED AT BOSTON,
Referred to above, i Mr. Clarke's Letter, from the fame.
Mr. DRAPER:
Pleafe to publifh the following account of the importation of teas from Great Britain, from the commence



304


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


ment of the year i768, to the prefent time, for the informa.
tion of fuch of your readers as defire to be acquainted
therewith:
Chests.
In 1768,.,.. 942 by 82 difft perfons.
1769,.....340           33    d~'
I770,.....  I67    22    d~.
1771,... 890    I03    d~o
1772,....       375    70    d~'
I773,..... 378         6I    d~o
N. B.-The merchants in London, not having executed
the orders for tea this fall, on account of the expedted exportation from the Eaft India Company, greatly leffens the
quantity of the prefent year.
Q.
HA L IFAX.
Mr. Michell prefents his compliments to Mr.
Watfon, and by order acquaints him, that the Court of
Dire&ors of the Eaft India Company have agreed that the
Company's teas, which may be rejedted at Bofton, and other
places in America, fhould be fent to Halifax, in the manner
with which Mr. Watfon was acquainted by the Committee,
with whom he this day conferred, and Mr. Michell is to
defire Mr. Watfon will, as foon as may be, name to him the
other houfe here, which is to join in that bufinefs, and the
other gentleman at Halifax, to be concerned in the agency
there with Mr. John Butler, that the neceffary difpatch may
be given to the advices, to go from hence tomorrow, at o0
in the forenoon, to the plantation office, and be there for



LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


305


warded to America.   He is alfo to requeft Mr. Watfon,
will by that time, convey hither fuch letters as he intends
fhould go under the Company's cover, by the fame difpatch
to Halifax, relating to this bufinefs
Eaft India Houfe,
Friday evening, 7th Jany' 1774.
Jofhua Mauger, Efq', Member of Poole, in 1Io,ooo.
Brook Watfon, )
Rbt Rook  atf,  of London, merchants, and in ~Io,ooo.
Rob' Rafhleigh,
Joint fecurity for the due execution of the commiffion for
the difpofal of the Company's teas by John Butler, Efqr', and
Thos Cochran, of Halifax.
NEW YORK.
THE AGENTS OF NEW         YORK, THEIR PETITION
TO THE GOVERNOR,
Referred to in their Letter of the Is Decr'
To His EXCELLENCY WILLIAM TRYON, ESQ:' CAPTAIN-GENERAL
AND GOVERNOR IN CHIEF IN AND OVER THE PROVINCE OF NEW
YORK, AND TERRITORIES DEPENDING THEREON, IN AMERICA,
CHANCELLOR AND VICE-ADMIRAL OF THE SAME.
The Memorial of Henry While, Abrav Loll, & Benjm Booth,
of the City of New York, merchants.
Humbly Iheweth:
That your memorialifts have, by the laft packet,
received advices of their being appointed agents by the Eaft
34




306


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


India ComY' for the fale of certain teas by them fhipped and
daily expected to arrive in this port.
That your memorialifts are informed by letter from the
Diretors of the faid Company, that they have given fecurity
in double the value of the tea, that a certificate of its being
duly landed fhall be returned to the cuftom houfe, in London.
That as the faid tea, on its importation, will be fubjeCt to
the American duty, and as there is on that account a general and fpirited oppofition to its being fold, and being well
convinced from  the nature of the oppofition, that fo confiderable a property of the Company will not be fafe unlefs
Government takes it under protection, your memorialifts
therefore humbly pray that your Excellency will be pleafed
to dire&t fuch steps to be taken for the prefervation of the
faid tea, as your Excellency in your wifdom fhall think moft
conducive to that end.
HENRY WHITE.1
ABRM LOTT.
BENJN BOOTH.
New York, Ift Decr' 1773.


1 Henry White was an eminent and
wealthy-merchant of New York, a member of the Council, and an original
member and finally president, of the
New York Chamber of Commerce. He
acted for a time as commissary, while
the royal army occupied that city, and
being a pronounced loyalist, his estate


was confiscated.  After the peace he
went to England, and died in London,
December 23, 1786.  Eve, his widow,
died in New York, in 1836, at the great
age of ninety-eight. Of his sons, John
Chambers White, became a vice-admiral
in the British navy, and Frederick Van
Cortland, became a general in the army




JN








LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


309


BOSTON.
Proceedings of the inhabitants of the town of Bofton, on
the I8th Novr-, I773, referred to by the agents in their letter
of the 2d Decr, are miffing, fuppofed to be tranfmitted to
Lord Dartmouth.1
PETITION OF THE AGENTS, & PROCEEDINGS
OF THE COUNCIL OF BOSTON THEREON,
Referred to by the Agents in their Letter of the 2d Decemr
To HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR AND THE HON'BLE HIS
MAJESTY'S COUNCIL.
The Petition of Richd Clarke & Sons, of Benjf Faneuil, &
Thos' & Eli/ha Hutchinfon.
That the Hon'ble Eaft India Company, in London, have
fhipped a confiderable quantity of tea for the port of Bofton,
and as your petitioners are made to underftand, will be configned to their addrefs for fale.
That fome of your petitioners have in confequenee of this
been cruelly infulted in their perfons and property; that they
have had infulting and incendiary letters left and thrown
into their houfes in the night; that they have been repeatedly attacked by a large body of men; that one of the
houfes of your petitioners was affaulted in the night by a


See p. xxxv., ante.




3Jo


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


tumultuous and riotous affembly of people, and violent
attempts made to force the houfe for the fpace of two
hours, that have greatly damaged the fame; that they are
threatened in their perfons and property, and further with
the deftruftion of the faid tea on its arrival into the port;
and that the refolves and proceedings of the Town, in their
meetings on the 5th and I8th infi., are intended to be expreffive of the general fenfe of the Town, to which we beg leave
to refer your Excellency and the Honorable Board.
Your petitioners therefore beg leave to refign themfelves,
and the property committed to their care, to your Excellency
and Honors, as the guardians and protedtors of the people,
humbly praying that meafures may be dire6ted to, for the
landing and fecuring the teas, until your petitioners can be
at liberty, openly and fafely, to difpofe of the fame, or until
they can receive diredtions from their conftituents.
Signed,     RICHD CLARKE,
BENJN FANEUIL, Junr'
THOS' & ELISHA HUTCHINSON.
A true copy from the original.
Petition on file.  Atteft:
Signed,   THOS FLUCKER, SecyPROCEEDINGS OF THE COUNCIL THEREON,
At a Council held at the Council Chamber, in BoJton, upon
Friday, Novr J9, 1773.
Prefent:
His Excellency Thomas Hutchinfon, Efqr', Governor.




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


3I


Ifaac Royal,1
John Erving,
Wm. Brattle,2


I Efqr


James Bowdoin,
James Ruffell,
James Otis,


1
I


James Pitts,
Efqrs
Sam1 Dexter,


Efqrs


His Excellency reprefented to the Council the tumults
and diforders prevailing in the town of Bofton, and required
their advice upon meafures proper for preferving the peace,
and for fupporting the authority of Government.  Whilft
the Council were debating on the fubje&t, a petition from
Richd Clarke, Benjn Faneuil, and Meffrs. Thos- and Elifha
Hutchinfon, to the Governor and Council was prefented,
fetting forth that the Hon'ble Eaft India Comy, in London.
have fhip'd a confiderable quantity of tea for the port of
Bofton, which they are made to underftand, will be configned
to their addrefs, for fale, and that fome of them  have, in
confequence of this, been cruelly infulted in their perfons and


1 Isaac Royal, of Medford, died in
England, in October, 1781. He was a
representative from Medford to the
General Court, and for twenty-two years
a member of the Council. In I774, he
was appointed a Councillor under the
writ of mandamus, but was never sworn
into  office.  Appointed  a brigadiergeneral in 1761, and the first who bore
that title here.  He left the country
April I6, 1775; was proscribed in 1778,
and his estate was confiscated.  He
bequeathed upwards of two thousand
acres of land in Worcester County, Mass.,
to found the first law professorship of
Harvard University, and his bequests for
other purposes were numerous and
liberal.
2 William Brattle, F. R. S., lawyer,


preacher, physician, soldier and legislator, son of Rev.' William, minister, of
Cambridge, died in Halifax, N.S., in
October, 1776; aged seventy-four.  He
was graduated at Harvard University, in
1722; was distinguished both for his
talents and eccentricities; was a representative from Cambridge, and many
years a member of the Council; a member of the Stamp Act Congress in 1765;
a major-general of militia, and was a
member of every profession, and eminent in all. For many years he pleased
both the Government and the people,
but finally forfeited the good will of the
Whigs, and accompanied the British
soldiers to Halifax on the evacuation of
Boston, and died there a few months
after his arrival.




31 2


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


property.  They therefore beg leave to refign themfelves,
and the property committed to their care, to the Governor
and Council, as the guardians and protedtors of the people,
and pray that meafures may be direted to, for the landing
and fecuring the teas, until they can be at liberty, openly and
fafely, to difpofe of the fame, or until they can receive
diredions from their conftituents.  After long debate, it was
propofed and agreed that his Excellency be defired to appoint a future day for the Council to fit, and he appointed
the 23d inft., and the Council adjourned the further confideration to that time accordingly.
November 23d' I773. Prefent in Council: His Excellency
Thos" Hutchinfon, Efq, Governor.
Ifaac Royal,,  Efq r. James Bowdoin, 1  James Pitts,
John Erving,J      James Ruffell,  -EfIqr John Winthrop,
James Otis,    J               Efqrs
His Excellency dire&ed the Council to proceed in the
confideration of the petition of Richd Clarke, Efqr" and
others, as entered the I9th inft., for which purpofe he had
ordered them to fit at this time, and a debate being had
thereupon, it was moved to his Excellency that the Council
might fit on a further day, there being only a bare quorum
prefent, to which his Excellency agreed; advifed that all
thofe members of the Council who live within 40 miles of
the town of Bofton be fummoned then to attend, which was
done accordingly, to meet on Saturday, the 27th inft.
Novemr 27th' Prefent in Council: His Excellency Thos.
Hutchinfon, Efqr- Governor.




THOMAS GAGE, THE LAST ROYAL GOVERNOR.








LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


3I5


Samuel Danforth,1 James Ruffel,            James Humphrey,
Ifaac Royal,          James Pitts,         Artemas Ward,
John Erving,          Samuel Dexter,      John Winthrop, Efqrs
James Bowdoin.           George Leonard.
His Excellency, after reprefenting to       the Council the diforders prevailing in the town of Bofton, recommended to
them  to proceed on the petition of Richd Clarke, and others,
relative to thofe diforders, and required their advice. After
a long debate, it was moved to his Excellency that a Comte
of the Council be appointed to prepare the refult of the faid
debate, to be laid before his Excellency, to which he confented, and James Bowdoin, Sam! Dexter, and John Winthrop,   Efqr',  were   appointed    accordingly,     Mr.   Bowdoin
made a report, which was confidered and debated by the
Council, and it was moved to his Excellency that he would
adjourn the Council to a future day for further confideration,
and he appointed     Monday, the 29th' for that purpofe.
Novemr 29th    I773.    Prefent in    Council:   His Excellency
Thos' Hutchinfon, Efqri      Governor.
Samuel Danforth, Efq'r James Bowdoin,           Geo. Leonard,
Ifaac Royal,               James Ruffell,       Artemas Ward,
John Erving,               James Pitts,         John Winthrop,
Samuel Dexter, Efqrs
1 Samuel Danforth, son of Rev. John,  Register of Probate, I731-45; Judge of
of Dorchester, died in Boston, at the  Probate, I745-75; and Judge of the
house of his son, Dr. Samuel Danforth,  Court of Common Pleas, 1741-75. At
27th October, 1777; aged about eighty-  the Revolution he passed out of office,
one.  He was graduated at Harvard   but was so quiet in his deportment that,
University, in I715; taught school; was  though understood to be a loyalist, he
a Selectman in I733-39; representative  was not disturbed in the possession of
1734-38; member of the Council 1739-  his property. He was distinguished for
I774, and several years its president;  his love of the natural sciences.




316


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


His Excellency direaed that the Council proceed upon
the bufinefs for which it ftands adjourned.  After debate
upon the report of the Com^e the queftion whether it fhould
be accepted was put, which paffed unanimoufly in the
affirmative as the advice of the Council to his Excellency,
in the words following, viz.:
Previous to the confideration of the petition before the
Board, they would make a few obfervations occafioned by
the fubjet of it.  The fituation of things between Great
Britain and the Colonies has been for fome years paft very
unhappy.  Parliament, on the one hand, has been taxing
the Colonies, and they, on the other hand, have been petitioning and remonftrating againit it, apprehending they have
conftitutionally an exclufive right of taxing themfelves, and
that without fuch a right, their condition would be but little
better than flavery.
Poffeffed of thefe fentiments, every new meafure of Parliament tending to eftablifh and confirm a tax on them renews
and increafes their diftrefs, and it is particularly encreafed by
the Ad lately made, empowering the Eaft India Company
to fhip their tea to America.  This Ad, in a commercial
view, they think introdudive of monopolies, and tending to
bring on them the extenfive evils thence arifing.  But their
great objection to it is from its being manifeftly intended
(tho' that intention is not expreffed therein,) more effedually
to fecure the payment of the duty on tea, laid by an A&
of Parliament paffed in the 7th year of his prefent Majefty,
entitled, "An AC for granting certain duties in the Britifh
colonies and plantations in America," which Ad in its
operation deprives the colonifts of the right above mentioned
(the exclufive right of taxing themfelves), which they hold to




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.
o


317


be fo effential a one that it cannot be taken away or given
up, without their being degraded, or degrading themfelves
below the charater of men.
It not only deprives them of that right, but enadts that
the monies arifing from the duties granted by it may be
applied "as his Majefty or his fucceffors fhall think proper
or neceffary for defraying the charges of the adminiftration
of juftice and the fupport of the civil government, in all or
any of the faid colonies or plantations."
This claufe of the Ad6 has already operated in fome of
the colonies, and in this colony in particular, with regard to
the fupport of civil government, and thereby has operated
in diminution of its charter rights to the great grief of the
good people of it, who have been and ftill are greatly
alarmed by repeated reports, that it is to have a further
operation with refpect to the defraying the charge of the
adminiftration of juftice, which would not only be a further
diminution of thofe rights, but tend in all conititutional
queftions, and in many other cafes of importance to bias
the judges againft the fubjet.  They humbly rely on the
juftice and goodnefs of his Majefty for the reftitution and
prefervation of thofe rights.
This fhort ftatement of fads the board thought it neceffary
to be given to fhew the caufe of the prefent great uneafinefs
which is not confined to this neighbourhood, but is general
and extenfive.  The people think their exclufive right of
taxing themfelves by their reprefentatives, infringed and
violated by the Ad above mentioned.   That the new Ad
empowering the Eaft India Company to import their tea
into America confirms that violation, and is a new effort,
not only more effectually to fecure the payment of the tea
35




318


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTSO


duty, but lay a foundation for enhancing it, and in a like
way, if this fhould fucceed, to lay other taxes on America.
That it is in its attendants and confequences ruinous to the
liberties and properties of themfelves and their pofterity;
that as their numerous petitions for relief have been rejeaed,
the faid New Ad6 demonftrates an indifpofition in miniftry that Parliament fhould grant them relief; that this is
the fource of their diftrefs, a diftrefs that borders upon
difpair, and that they know not where to apply for relief.
Thefe being the fentiments of the people, it is become
the indifpenfible duty of this Board to mention them that
the occafion of the late demands on Mr. Clarke and others,
the agents of the Eaft India Company, and of the confequent difturbances, the authors of which we have advifed
fhould be profecuted, but to give a juft idea of the rife of
them.
On this occafion, juftice impels us to declare that the
people of this Town and Province, tho' they have a high
fenfe of liberty derived from the manners, the example and
contfitution of the mother country, have, 'till the late parliamentary taxation of the Colonies, been as free from difturbances as any people whatever.
This reprefentation the Board thought neceffary to be
made prior to their taking notice of the petition of the
agents above mentioned, to the confideration of which they
now proceed.
The petitioners beg leave "to refign themfelves, and the
property committed to their care, to his Excellency and the
Board, as guardians and protestors of the people, praying
that meafures may be dire6ted to for the landing and fecuring the tea," &c.




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


319


With regard to the perfonal protedlion of the petitioners,
the Board have not been informed that they have applied
for it to any of the juftices of the peace, they being veiled
by law with all the authority neceffary for the prote6tion of
his Majefty's fubjeds.  In the principal inftance of abufe of
which they complain, the Board have already advifed that
the authors of it fhould be profecuted according to law, and
they do advife the fame in the other inftances mentioned
in their petition.
With regard to the tea committed to the care of the
petitioners, the Board have no authority to take either that
or any other merchandize out of their care, and fhould they
do it, or give any order or advice concerning it, and a lofs
enfue, they apprehend they fhould make themfelves refponfible for it. With refpedt to the prayer of the petition, that
meafures may be dire6ded to "for the landing and fecuring
the tea," the Board would obferve on it, that the duty on the
tea becomes payable, and muft be paid or fecured to be
paid on its being landed, and fhould they dire& or advife to
any meafure for landing it, that would of courfe advise to a
meafure for procuring the payment of the duty, and therefore
by advifing to a meafure inconfiftent with the declared fentiment of both houfes in the laft winter feffion of the General
Court, which they apprehend to be altogether inexpedient
and improper.
The Board, however, on this occafion affure your Excellency that as they have feen, with regret, fome late difturbances, and have advifed to the profecuting the authors
of them, fo they will in all legal methods endeavor to the
utmoft of their power to prevent them in future.
Whereupon advifed that his Excellency renew his orders




320


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


to his majefty's juflices of the peace, fheriffs, and other
peace officers, to exert themfelves to the utmoft for the
fecurity of his Majefty's fubjeCts, the prefervation of peace
and good order, and for preventing all offences againft the
laws.
His Excellency thereupon demanded of the Council
whether they would give him no advife upon the diforders
then prevailing in the town of Bofton, and it was anfwered
in general that the advife already given was intended for
that purpofe.
A true copy from the minutes of the Council.
Atteft:
THOS' FLUCKER, Secy'
PROCEEDINGS OF THE TOWN OF BOSTON ON
THE 29TH & 30TH NOVEMBR, I773,
Referred to by the Agents there, in their Letter of the
2d December, 1773.
At a meeting of the people of Boflon and the neighbouring towns, in Faneuil Hall, in faid Bofton, on Monday, 29th
Novem, I773, nine o'clock, A.M., and continued by adjournment to the next day, for the purpofe of confulting, advifing,
and determining upon the moit proper and effectual method
to prevent the unloading, receiving or vending the deteftable
tea lent out by the Eaft India Company, part of which
being juft arrived in this harbour, in order to proceed with




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


321


due regularity, it was moved that a moderator be chofen,
and Jonathan Williams, Efqr" was then chofen moderator of
the meeting.
A motion was made, that as the Town of Bofton had
determined, at a late meeting, legally affembled, that they
would, to the utmoft of their power, prevent the landing of
the tea, the queftion being put whether this body be abfolutely determined that the tea now arrived, in Capt Hall's
fhip, fhall be returned to the place from whence it came,
at all events, and the queftion being accordingly put, it
paffed in the affirmative, nem. con.
It appearing that the hall could not contain the people
affembled, it was voted that the meeting be immediately
adjourned to the Old South meeting-houfe, leave having
been obtained for this purpofe.
The people met at the Old South, according to adjournment.
A motion was made, and the queftion put, viz.: Whether
it is the firm refolution of this body, that the tea fhall not
only be fent back, but that no duty fhall be paid thereon,
and paffed in the affirmative, nem. con.
It was moved, that in order to give time to the confignees to confider and deliberate before they fent in propofals to this body, as they had given reafon to expedt
would have been done at the opening of the meeting, there
might be an adjournment to 3 o'clock, P.M., and the meeting
was accordingly adjourned for that purpofe.
Three o'clock, P.M.  Met according to adjournment.
A motion was made whether the tea non arrived in Capt




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LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


Hall's fhip, fhall be fent back in the fame bottom.  Paffed
in the affirmative, nem. con.
Mr. Rotch, the owner of the veffel, being prefent, informed that body that he fhould enter his proteft againft
their proceedings.
It was then moved and voted, nem. con., that Mr. Rotch
be direted not to enter this tea, and that the doing of it
will be at his peril.
Alfo voted, that Capt Hall, the mafter of the fhip, be informed that, at his peril, he is not to fuffer any of the tea
brought by him, to be landed.
A motion was made, that in order for the fecurity of
Capt' Hall's fhip and cargo, a watch may be appointed, and
it was voted that a watch be accordingly appointed, to confift of 25 men.
Capt Edward Pro&or was appointed by the body to be
capt' of the watch for this night, and the names were given
in to the moderator of the townfmen who were volunteers
upon the occafion.
It having been obferved to the body that Governor Hutchinfon had required the juftices of the peace in this town
to meet and ufe -their endeavours to fupprefs any routs, or
riots, &c., of the people, that might happen, it was moved
and the queflion put, whether it be not the fenfe of this
meeting that the Governor's condut herein carries a defigned
refletion upon the people here met, and is folely calculated
to ferve the views of adminiftration.  Paffed in the affirmative, nem. con.
The people being informed by Colonel Hancock that Mr.
Copley, fon-in-law to Mr. Clarke, fenr, had acquainted him
that the tea confignees did not receive their letters from




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


323


London 'till laft evening, and were fo difperfed that they
could not have a joint meeting early enough to make their
propofals at the time intended, and therefore are defirous of
a further fpace for that purpofe.
[It is neceffary to note that Mr. Copley, and fome others,
our friends informing us, that to prevent immediate outrage,
it was neceffary for us to fend fomething in writing to the
Seledt men, which we then did, abfolutely refufing to do what
they had before informed us the people expeded; but Mr.
Copley, on his return to town, fearing the moft dreadful
confequences, thought beft not to deliver our letter to the
Select men, he returned to us at night reprefenting this.
We then wrote the letter you fee printed in this paper.]
The meeting, out of great tendernefs to thefe perfons, and
from a ftrong defire to bring this matter to a conclufion,
notwithftanding the time they had hitherto expended upon
them, to no purpofe, were prevailed upon to adjourn to the
next morning, 9 o'clock.
Thurfday morning, nine o'clock.
Met according to adjournment.
The long-expedted propofals were at length brought into
this meeting, not direted to the moderator, but to John
Scollay, Efqr. one of the SeleCt men.  It was, however,
voted that the fame fhould be read, and they were, as
follows, viz.:
"Monday, Novr 29th' I773.
Sir:
We are forry that we could not return to the Town
fatisfaCtory anfwers to their two late meffages to us refpeCt



324


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


ing the teas.  We beg leave to acquaint the gentlemen,
Sele&t men, that we have fince received our orders from the
Hon'Ble Eaft India Comrn
We ftill retain a difpofition to do all in our power to give
fatisfadtion to the Town; but, as we underftood from you
and the other gentlemen, Selet men, at Meffrs. Clarke's
interview with you laft Saturday, that this can be effeded
by nothing lefs than our fending back the teas, we beg
leave to fay that this is utterly out of our power to do, but
we do now declare to you our readinefs to ftore the teas
until we ihall have an opportunity of writing to our conftituents, and fhall receive their further orders refpeding
them, and we do moft fincerely with that the Town, confidering the unexpeted difficulties devolved upon us, will be
fatisfied with what we now offer.  We are, fir,
Your moft humble fervants,
THOS & ELISHA HUTCHINSON.1
BENJN FANEUIL, Junr" for felf and
JOSHUA WINSLOW, Efqr'
RICHARD CLARKE & SONS.
To John Scollay, Efqr"


1 Thomas and Elisha Hutchinson,
sons of Governor Hutchinson, were
merchants and partners in business, and
consignees of one-third of the tea
shipped to Boston.  I have seen no
evidence of a pecuniary interest in this
shipment on the part of the Governor,
as is asserted by the historian Bancroft.
Their names were given to the East
India Company by a London corre

spondent, who solicits the consignment
for them, without mentioning their connection with the Governor. Thomas, jr.,
born in Boston, in 1740, was a mandamus Councillor and Judge of Probate,
and was proscribed and banished. When
the condition of the country became unpleasantly hostile, he left the mansion
house at Milton, and took shelter in
Boston, but left all the furniture, silver




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


325


Mr. Sheriff Greenleaf came into the meeting, and begged
leave of the moderator that a letter, he had received from
the Governor, requiring him to read a proclamation to the
people here affembled, might be read, and it was accordingly
read.
Whereupon it was moved, and the queftion put, whether
the iheriff fhould be permitted to read the proclamation,
which paffed in the affirmative, nem. con.
The proclamation is as follows, viz.:


" Maffachufetts Bay.


By the Governor.


To Jonathan  Williams, Efqr", aiing as Moderator of an
affembly of people, in the Town of BofJon, and to the
people fo ajembled:
Whereas, printed notifications were on Monday, the 29th
inft., ported in divers places in the town of Bofton, and
publifhed in the news papers of this day, calling upon the
people to affemble together for certain unlawful purpofes, in
fuch notifications mentioned; and whereas, great numbers
of perfons belonging to the town of Bofton, and divers
others belonging to feveral other towns in the Province, did


plate, &c., expecting to be able to pass
and repass at pleasure. When Boston
was evacuated, he and his family, and
Peter Oliver and family, embarked for
London, in the "Lord Hyde" packet.
He settled at Heavitree, near Exeter,
in Devonshire, and died there in I8II.
His wife was Sarah Oliver.
Elisha, his brother, born in I745,
graduated at Harvard University, in
I762; was proscribed and banished, and
36


died at Blurton Parsonage, Trentham,
Staffordshire, England, in November,
1824. His wife, Mary, daughter of Col.
George Watson, of Plymouth, Mass.,
died at Birmingham, England, in r803.
" Neither of my sons," wrote the Governor, in March, 1774, "have dared to
appear in Boston since the latter part
of November, to the total neglect and
ruin of their business."




326


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


affemble in the faid town of Bofton, on the faid day, and
did then and there proceed to chute a moderator, and to
confult, debate, and refolve upon ways and means for carrying fuch unlawful purpofes into execution, openly violating,
defying and fetting at naught the good and wholesome laws
of the Province, and the conftitution of government under
which they live; and whereas, the people thus affembled,
did vote or agree to adjourn, or continue their meeting to
this the 30th inft., and great numbers of them are again met
or affembled together for the like purpofe, in the faid town
of Bofton:
In faithfulnefs to my truft, and as his Majefty's reprefentative within the Province, I am bound to bear teftimony
againft this violation of the laws, and I warn and exhort you
and require you, and each of you thus unlawfully affembled
forthwith, to difperfe and to furceafe all further unlawful
proceedings at your utmoft peril.
Given under my hand, at Milton, in the Province aforefaid, the 30th day of Novr I773, and in the fourteenth year
of his Majefty's reign.
T. HUTCHINSON.
By his Excellency's command.
THOS- FLUCKER, Secy"
And the fame being read by the fheriff,l there was, immediately after, a loud and very general hifs.
A motion was then made, and the queftion put whether
the affembly would difperfe and furceafe all further proceed1 Stephen Greenleaf, sheriff of Suffolk 1776. He died in Boston, in 1795; aged
County, was arrested by the Council of ninety-one.
Massachusetts as a loyalist, in April,




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


327


ings, according to the Governor's requirement.  It paffed
in the nege' nemn. con.
A propofal of Mr. Copley was made, that in cafe he
could prevail with the Meffrs. Clarkes to come into this
meeting, the queftion might now be put, whether theyfhould
be treated with civility while in the meeting, though they
might be of different fentiments with this body, and their
perfons be fafe, until their return to the place from whence
they fhould come.  And the queftion being accordingly put,
paffed in the affirmative, nem. con.
Another motion of Mr. Copley's was put, whether two
hours fhall be given him, which alfo paffed in the affirmative.
Adjourned 'till two o'clock, P.M.
Two o'clock, P.M.  Met according to adjournment.   A
motion was made and paffed, that Mr. Rotch and Capt"
Hall be defired to give their attendance.  Mr. Rotch appeared, and upon a motion made, the queftion was put,
whether it is the firm refolution of this body, that the tea
brought by Captn Hall fhall be returned by Mr. Rotch to
England, in the bottom in which it came, and whether they
accordingly now  require the fame, which paffed in the
affirmative, nem. con.
Mr. Rotch then informed the meeting, that he fhould
proteft againft the whole proceedings, as he had done againft
the proceedings on yefterday, but that, tho' the returning
the tea is an a6t in him, he yet confiders himfeif as under
a neceffity to do it, and fhall therefore comply with the
requirement of this body.
Captain Hall being prefent, was forbid to aid or affift in
unloading the teas at his peril, and ordered, that if he con.




328


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


tinues mafter of the veffel, he carry the fame back to London, who replied, he fhould comply with thefe requirements.
Upon a motion, refolved, that John Rowe, Efqr' owner of
part of Capt' Bruce's fhip, expe6ed with tea, as alfo Mr.
Timmins, fa6tor for Capt Coffin's brig, be defired to attend.
Mr. Ezekiel Cheever was appointed captain of the watch
for this night, and a fufficient number of volunteers gave in
their names for that fervice.
Voted, that the captain of this watch be defired to make
out a lift of the watch for the next night, and fo each
captain of the watch for the following nights, until the
veffels leave the harbour.
'Upon a motion made, voted, that in cafe it fhould happen
that the watch fhould be any ways molefted in the night,
while on duty, they give the alarm to the inhabitants by
the tolling of the bells, and that if any thing happens in
the day time, the alarm be by ringing of the bells.
Voted, that fix perfons be appointed, to be in readinefs,
to give due notice to the country towns, when they fhall be
required fo to do, upon any important occafion, and fix perfons were accordingly chofen for that purpofe.
John Rowe, Efq', attended, and was informed that Mr.
Rotch had engaged, that his veffel fhould carry back the
tea ihe brought, in the fame bottom, and that it was the
expe&ation of this body that he does the fame by the tea,
expeCted in Capt Bruce, whereupon he replied, that the fhip
was under the care of the faid maIter, but that he would
ufe his utmoft endeavor, that it fhould go back as required
by this body, and that he would give immediate advice of
the arrival of faid fhip.
Voted, that it is the fenfe of this body, that Capt- Bruce




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


329


fhall, on  his arrival, ftridly conform  to the votes paffed
refpeting Capt Hall's veffel, as they had all been paffed in
reference to Capt' Bruce's fhip.
Mr. Timmins appeared and informed, that Capt. Coffin's brig,
expeded with tea, was owned in Nantucket. He gave his word
of honor that no tea fhould be landed while fhe was under
his care, nor touched by any one, until the owner's arrival.
It was then voted, that what Mr. Rowe and Mr. Timmins
had offered, was fatisfadory to the body.
Mr. Copley1 returned, and acquainted the body, that as
he had been obliged to go to the caftle, he hoped that if
he had exceeded the time allowed him, they would confider
the difficulty of a paffage by water at this feafon, as an
apology.   He   then further acquainted   the body, that he
had feen all the confignees, and though he had convinced
them that they might attend this meeting with fafety,
and had ufed his utmoft endeavors to prevail on them to
give fatisfadion to the body, they acquainted him, that believing nothing would    be fatisfadory  fhort of refhipping
the tea, which was out of their power, they thought it
belt not to appear, but would renew their propofal of
ftoring the tea, and fubmitting the fame to the infpedion
of a committee, and that they could go no further without incurring their own ruin; but as they had not been
ative in introducing the tea, they fhould do nothing to
obflrud the people in their procedure with the fame.
1 John Singleton Copley, a famous  self-taught artist, and after painting
painter, son-in-law of Richard Clarke, many portraits in Boston, settled in
and father of Lord Lyndhurst, was born  London in I775, and acquired a high
in Boston, July 3, I737, and died in reputation.
London, September 9, 1813. He was a




330


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


It was then moved, and the queftion put whether the
return made by Mr. Copley from the confignees be in the
leaft degree fatisfactory to this body.  It paffed in the
negative, nem. con.
Whereas, a number of merchants in this Province have
inadvertently imported tea from Great Britain, while it is
fubjecd to the payment of a duty, impofed upon it by an
Adt of Parliament, for the purpofe of raifing a revenue in
America, and appropriating the fame, without the confent of
thofe who are required to pay it, Refolved, that in thus importing faid tea, they have juftly incurred the difpleafure of
our brethren in the other Colonies.
And refolved further, that if any perfon or perfons fhall
hereafter import tea from Great Britain, fhall take the fame
on board, to be imported to this place, until the faid unrighteous A61 fhall be repealed, he or they fhall be deemed
by this body an enemy to his country, and we will prevent
the landing and fale of the fame, and the payment of any
duty thereon, and we will effecd the return thereof to the
place from whence it fhall come.
Refolved, that the foregoing vote be printed and fent to
England, and all the fea ports in this Province.
Upon a motion made, voted that fair copies be taken of
the whole proceedings of this meeting, and tranfmitted to
New York and Philadelphia, and that Mr. Samuel Adams,
Hon'ble John Hancock, Efqr" William  Phillips, Efqr- John
Rowe, Efqr" Jonathan Williams, Efqr- be a committee to
tranfmit the fame.
Voted, That it is the determination of this body to carry
their votes and refolutions into execution, at the risque of
their lives and property.,




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


331


Voted, That the committee of correfpondence for this
town be defired to take care, that every other veffel with
tea that arrives in this harbour, have a proper watch appointed for her; alfo,
Voted, That thofe perfons who are defirous of making a
part of thefe nightly watches, be defired to give in their
names at Meffrs. Edes & Gill's printing office.
Voted, That our brethren in the country be defired to
afford their affiflance upon the firft notice given, efpecially
if fuch notice be given upon the arrival of Captn Loring, in
Mr. Clarke's brigantine.
Voted, That thofe of this body who belong to the town
of Bofton, do return their thanks to their brethren who
have come from the neighbouring towns, for their countenance and union with this body, in this exigence of our
affairs.
Voted, That the- thanks of this meeting be given to
Jonathan Williams, Efq'., for his good fervices as moderator.
Voted, That this meeting be diffolved, and it was accordingly diffolved.
LETTER     ADDRESSED      TO   GEO. DUDLEY, EsQ"',
Enclojing 3 news papers and an advertzfement, in the name
of tle people, threatening vengeance on thofe who favored
the tea fcheme.
Sir:
The ftate and condition of the Hon'ble Company's
tea in America is as you will find in the enclofed papers.




332


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


Unlefs the Tea Ad is repealed, no tea can be fold in
America.  Repeal the At, and you may difpofe of all your
teas.  The Americans will not be flaves, neither are they
to be trapped under the notion of cheap teas.  Death is
more defirable to them  than flavery,-it is impoffible to
make the Americans fwallow the tea.   The miniftry may
amufe the Company, by telling them their tea fhall be fold,
and the A&t preferved, but they are groffly miftaken. None
of it is yet landed, neither fhall it be.
Your humble fervant,
ANGLO AMERICANUS.
Bofton, New England,
Decr I3h' 1773.
The papers enclofed contain an account of the proceedings of the town of Bofton, on the 29th & 30th November,
and of the refolves of fome of the neighboring towns. (The
papers are in the miscellany bundle.)
LETTER     ADDRESSED      TO   GEO. DUDLEY, ESQR.'
Enclofing a BoJfon news paper of the 16th Dec'" 1773.
Bofton, New England, I7th Decr, I 773.
Gentlemen:
Your tea is deftroyed, which was brought in three
fh'ips, Capts- Bruce, Hall and Coffin, and the brig with tea
is caft away.  If the tea is got on fhore, it will fhare the
fame fate.  Every poffible means has been ufed to fend it
home fafe again to you, but the tea confignees would not




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


333


fend it; then application was made to the commiffioners
of the cuftoms to clear out the veffel,-they would not do
it, then to the Governor to grant. a pafs, which he refufed,
and finally the people were obliged to deftroy it, (fe defendendo,) or elfe, by an unlawful unrighteous A61, impofing a
duty this tea would have deftroyed them.    This whole
province, of fome hundred thoufand people, and the other
provinces on the continent, are determined neither to ufe it,
or fuffer it to be landed, nor pay the duty. Force can never
make them, and if the Company can ever expedt to fell any
tea in America, they muft ufe all their intereft to get this
Tea At repealed, otherwife they will never fell one ounce.
There is the utmoft deteftation of tea; even fome of our
country towns have collected all the tea they had by them,
and burnt it in their public common, as fo much chains
and flavery.  Get the Tea A6t repealed, and you'll fell all
your tea, otherwife you muft keep all.  The people will rifk
life and fortune in this affair,-the very being of America
depends on it.  I am forry the. Company are led into fuch
a fcrape by the miniftry, to try the American's bravery, at
the expence of their property.  The artifice of the miniftry
is to difpofe of your.tea, and preferve the vile Tea Act; but
they'll mifs their aim,-the Americans will not fwallow
cheap tea, which has a poifon in the heart of it.  They fee
the hook thro' the bait.  I am a well wifher to the Company, and alfo to America; but death to an American is
more defirable than flavery.
I am, gentlemen, with all due refpe6t,
Your honors moft obedient, humble fervant,
ANGLO AMERICANUS.
37




334


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


AN ACCOUNT OF THE DESTRUCTION OF THE
TEA AT BOSTON,
As contained in the BoJqon news paper of the r6't Dec'
Bofton, Thurfday, Decr 16th, 1773.
It being underftood that Mr. Rotch, owner of the fhip
Dartmouth, rather lingered in his preparations to return her
to London, with the Eaft India Company's tea on board,
there was, on Monday laft P.M., a meeting of the committee
of the feveral neighboring towns in Bofton, and Mr. Rotch
was fent for and enquired of, whether he continued his refolution to comply with the injuncions of the body on
Monday and Tuefday preceding.  Mr. Rotch anfwered that
in the interim he had taken the advice of the beft counfel,
and found that in cafe he went on of his own motion to
fend that fhip to fea in the condition fhe was then in, it
muft inevitably ruin him, and therefore he muft beg them
to confider what he had faid at that meeting to be the
effe6d of compulfion, and unadvifed, and in confequence that
he was not holden to abide by it, when he was now affured
that he muft be utterly- ruined in cafe he did.  Mr. Rotch
was then afked whether he would demand a clearance for
his fhip in the cuftom houfe, and in cafe of a refufal enter
a proteft, and then apply in like manner for a pafs, and
order her out to fea?  To all which he anfwered in the
negative.  The committee, doubtlefs informing their conftituents of what had paffed, a very full meeting of the body
was again affembled at the Old South meeting-house, on




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


335


Tuefday afternoon, and Mr. Rotch being again prefent, was
enquired of as before, and a motion was made and feconded
that Mr. Rotch be enjoined forthwith to repair to the collectors and demand a clearance for his fhip, and ten gentn
were appointed to accompany him, as witneffes of the
demand.   Mr. Rotch then proceeded with the committee to
Mr. Harrifon's lodgings, and made the demand.  Mr. Harrifon obferved he could not give an anfwer 'till he had confulted the comptroller, but would, at office hours next
morning, give a decifive anfwer.  On the return of Mr.
Rotch and the committee to the body with this report, the
meeting was adjourned to Thurfday morning, at ten o'clock.
Thurfday.
Having met on Thurfday morning at ten o'clock, they
fent for Mr. Rotch, and afked him if he had been to the
colledtor, and demanded a clearance.  He faid he had; but
the colletor faid that he could not, confiftent with his duty,
give him a clearance 'till all the dutiable articles were out
of his ihip.  They then demanded of him whether he had
protefted againit the collecor; he faid he had not.  They
ordered him, upon his peril, to give immediate orders to the
captain, to get his fhip ready for fea to-day, enter a protefl
immediately againft the cuftom houfe, and then proceed
diredly to the Governor, (who was at his feat at Milton, 7
miles off,) and demand a pafs for his fhip to go by the
caftle.  They then adjourned 'till three o'clock, P.M., to wait
Mr. Rotch's return.
Having met according to adjournment, there was the
fulleft meeting ever known. (It was reakoned that there




336


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


were 2000 men from    the country.)   They waited very
patiently 'till 5 o'clock.
When they found Mr. Rotch did not return, they began
to be very-uneafy,; called for a diffolution of. the meeting,
and finally. obtained:  a vote for it.  But the more moderate
part of the meeting, fearing what would.be. the confequences, begged tfhat. they would reconfider their vote, and
wait 'till Mr. Rotch's return, for this reafon, that they ought
to do everything in their power to fend the tea back,
according:to their refolves.
They obtained a vote to remain together one hour longer.
In about.three-quarters of an hour Mrr. Rotch returned, his
anfwer from. the Governor was, that he could not'give a
pafs 'till the fhip was cleared by the cuftom  houfe.  The
people immediately; as with one voicei called for a diffolution, which having obtained, they repaired. to Griffin's wharf,
where: the tea veffels lay; proceeded: to fix tackles and hoift
the tea upon deck, cut the chefts to pieces, and threw the
tea over the fide.  There were two ihips and a brig, CaptsHall,-Bruce and Coffin, each veffel having 1I4 chefts of tea
on board.   They..began upon the two fhips firfl, as they
had nothing on-board but the tea; then proceeded to the
brig, which had hauled to the- wharf but' the: day before,
and had:but; a' fmall part of -her cargo out.  The captain
of the; 'brig: begged they would not begin with his veffel, as
the tea was covered with goods belonging to different
merchants in the town.  They told him the tea they wanted,
and the tea they would have; but if he- would go into his
cabin quietly, not -one article of his goods fhould be hurt.
They immediately proceeded to remove the goods, and then
to difpofe of the tea.




(See page LVII.)








LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


339


Mr. Pownall' prefents his compliments to Mr.
Wheler, and fends him, by Lord Dartmouth's directions,
extrat of a letter received yefterday from the LieutenantGovernor of South Carolina.  If the India Company have
received any advices, Lord Dartmouth will be obliged to
him for a communication thereof.
Whitehall, 29th Jan., I774.
EXTRACT      OF  A   LETTER     FROM    GOV. BULL,2
Dated Charles Town, 24 Decr"' 773, to the Earl of
Dartmouth.
On the 2d init., Capt Curling arrived here with 257 chefts
of tea, fent by the Eaft India Company, with the fame in

1 John Pownall, many years Clerk of the
Reports, Secretary of the Board of Trade
(I754-68,) Deputy Secretary of State
(1768-76,) and afterwards a Commissioner
of the Board of Customs, a Magistrate
and High Sheriff of Lincolnshire, died
in London, July 17, 1795; aged seventy.
His brother, Thomas, Governor of
Massachusetts in I757-60, afterwards,
while a member of Parliament, opposed
the American policy of the Government.
2 William Bull, M. D., LieutenantGovernor of South Carolina, from I764
to I776, was the son of William, who
held the same office from 1738 to I743,


and who was the son of Stephen, one
of the early settlers of South Carolina,
and Surveyor-General of the Province.
William studied medicine at the University of Leyden, and was the pupil
of the celebrated Boerhaave.' He settled
in practice in his native Province; became a member of the Council in 1751,
and in 1763 was Speaker of the Assembly.  Faithful to the Crown, he
accompanied the British troops to England, on their departure in I782, and
died in London, July 4, 179I; aged
eighty-one.




340


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


ftrudtions to agents appointed here as at Bofton, New York
and Philadelphia.  The fpirit which had been raifed in
thofe towns with great threats of violence to hinder the
landing and difpofing of the tea there, was communicated to
this Province by letters, gazettes, and merchants.  Several
meetings of the inhabitants of Charles Town were held, to
confider of meafures to effe& the like prohibitions here, but
tho' the warmth of fome were great, many were cool, and
fome differed in the reafonablenefs and utility thereof.  The
gentlemen who were appointed agents for the Eafi India
Comrn were prevailed upon by threats and flattery to decline
the truft, and in imitation of the northern towns, declarations
were made that it fhould not be landed.
The tea was all this time kept on board the fhip, the captain being apprehenfive of, fome violence on his attempting
to land it, and there being no perfons empowered to take
charge of it.  When the period of 20 days after his arrival
approached, at which time the colledor of his Majefty's
cuftoms, by his inftruftions, is required to feize goods liable to
pay duty, to fecure the payment thereof, tho' the merchants
of the town had generally difagreed to this meafure of prohibiting the landing the tea, yet fome warm, bold fpirit, took
the dangerous meafure of fending anonymous letters to Capt'
Curling and fome of his friends, and the gentleman who
owned the wharf where the fhip lay, requiring Curling to
carry his fhip from the wharf to the middle of the river,
threatening great damages on failure.
Thefe letters being communicated to me, I fummoned his
Majefty's council, that I might do everything in my power
to prevent any fuch dangerous attempts to difturb the public




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


34I


peace, and interrupt the feizure and landing and floring by
the colleaor.  I accordingly, by their advice, gave orders
to the fheriff to be ready at the call of the collecor, (but
not to move without,) with all his officers, to fupport the
colle6dor, in landing it, and to feize and to bring to juftice
any perfons who fhould dare to interrupt him in the execution of his duty.  It being known that fome meafures were
taken, tho' the extent thereof was carefully concealed, the
collector, on the 22d; feized, landed, and ftored the teas in
ftores under the Exchange, without one perfon's appearing to
oppofe him.  The tea is to remain in ftore 'till the collector
fhall receive further orders relative thereto.
Various were the opinions of men on the fubjeCt; fome
were for drinking no tea that paid duty, and were confident
of a fupply of fuch; others were for putting every dutied
article on the fame footing, as wine, &c.; but others confidered wine as a neceffary of life. It is my opinion that if
the merchants who viewed this meafure of importing tea in
a commercial rather than in a political light, had fhewn
their difapprobation of the intended oppofition to land it, by
a5ion rather than by a refufal to fubfcribe to a propofed
affociation, and a contempt of the public meetings on this
occafion, and the agents of the Eaft India Company had
not been fo hafty in their declining to accept their trufts,
all might have gone on well, according to the plan of the
Eaft India Company, and to our benefit in purchafing that
article, now become one of the neceffaries of life, at a much
cheaper rate than at prefent.




342


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


COPY OF A LETTER FROM MR. JOHN MORRIS,
At Charles Town, South Carolina, to his Brother,
at London.
Charles Town, 22d Decr' 1I773.
Dear Brother:
Capt Curling arrived here the 2d infi., with 257
chefts of tea. There were many meetings of the merchants
and planters, but by the refult they came to no determination; the gentlemen that the tea was configned to refufe
receiving it.  The tea ftaid on board 20 days.  We then
gave the captain a permit to land it by funrife.  In the
morning I went on board, and called the captain out of his
bed, begged he would begin to get the tea out of his veffel.
I expeded that he would not have been permitted to land
it, but we immediately got fix chefts into the warehoufe, and
the failors hard at work hoifting out the reft.  We began
about 7 o'clock, and had by I2 about half the tea in the
warehoufe, and the reft before the door.  There was not
the leaft difturbance; the gentlemen that came on the wharf
behaved with their ufual complaifance and good nature to
me, and I believe the fame to the reft of the officers that
were there.  I thought it my duty to exert myfelf on this
occafion, which I did with great pleafure, (as I was ferving
my old matters,) as well as doing my duty as a revenue
officer.
I am, &c., &c.,
Corbyn Morris, Efqr'                  JOHN MRRIS. 1
Cuftom Houfe.
1John Morris, Comptroller of Customs November, 1775, on account of his imat Charleston, S.C., was permitted, in paired health, "to pass and repass to




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


343


LETTER FROM CAPT' ELLIS,
Of /he New    York EftablZ/hment, to the Chairman.
Cox & Mair's Office, 4th FebYSir:
By the Englifh papers I learn you are fully apprifed
of the proceedings of the people of Philadelphia and Bofton,
and the refolves of the New Yorkers.     I have, notwithftanding, fent you   the lateft papers.   The fhip with the teas
bound to Charles Town, is made the property of the
cuftoms, having negleded the ufual forms of office in that
port.   This intelligence I had by a fhip from     Carolina to
New York, the ift JanY', and may be depended on.         I left
New York the 2d ultimo; the fhip bound to that port was
not then arrived.
I have the honor to be, fir,
Your very humble fervant,
J. J. ELLIS,
18th Regt.
his Island," during the pleasure of the  ships. He went to England, and died
Provincial Congress, on condition of there in I778.
parole, to keep away from the King's


38




344


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


BOSTON.
CASTLE WILLIAM, 7th Decr", 1773.
QUESTIONS      PROPOSED      BY  FRANCIS     ROTCH,
AN OWNER, AND
JAMES HALL, MASTR OF THE SHIP DARTMOUTH,
Who has now the Te on board, configned to Meffrs. Richard
Clarke & Sons, Mr. Benji Faneuil, Meffrs. Tho' &' Eljlha
Hutchinson, and Mr. yofhua WinJfow, with the An/wers
of the Confignees, except Mr. Winflow, who was abjent.
Referred to by the Confignees in their Letter of the 7"
Jan., 1774.
QUESTION Is'
By Capt' Hall and F. Rotch, to the gentlemen, confignees,
in writing:
We are now ready to deliver the tea, and beg to know if
you, gentlemen, are ready to receive it, and will produce the
requifites ufual and neceffary to the landing or delivering
the faid tea alongfide the fhip, either in your own perfons
or by your agents?
ANSWER.
Gentlemen: We underftand that there was a large body
of people affembled in Bofton on the 29th & 30th November,
who voted that the tea fhipped by the Eaft India Company,
and configned to us, fhould not be landed; that the duty
fhould not be paid, and that the tea fhould be returned in
the fame fhip that brought it out.  It alfo appears by the




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


345


printed proceedings of that affembly, that you confented it
fhould go back in your fhip.    We alfo underftand that
there is continually on board your fhip a number of armed
men, to prevent it being landed.  We therefore judge it
out of our power to receive it at prefent, but when it fhall
appear to us to be praticable, we will give the neceffary
orders refpeding it.
QUESTION 2D'
As your reply to our firft queflion, gent'" appears to us
not to the point, we muft and do demand a categorical
anfwer whether you will or will not immediately, either by
yourfelves or your order, or otherwife, qualify any other
perfon or perfons to receive the teas configned to you now
on board our fhip, as we are now entirely ready, and will,
if in our power, deliver the faid teas immediately, if application is made?
ANSWER.
Gentlemen: It appears to us that the anfwer we have
ma'de to your firft queftion is a full reply to the fecond.
QUESTION 3D'
As you, gentlemen, by the tenor of your firft and fecond
reply, refufe to give us a dire6t anfwer to our queftions,
whether you will or will not receive the teas mentioned
therein, we now demand our bill of lading given by CaptHall, in confequence of his receiving thofe teas on board in
London River, and the amount of the freight of the faid
tea, fay ninety-one pounds feven fhillings and feven pence
lawful money?




346


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


ANSWER.
Gentlemen: We fhall not deliver up Captain Hall's bill
of lading, nor pay the freight of the teas until we can receive them.
[Copy.]      FRANCIS ROTCH.
JAMES HALL.
THOS' & ELISHA HUTCHINSON.
RICHARD CLARKE & SONS.
BENJN FANEUIL, JUNR.
[Copy.]            AT CASTLE WILLIAM, IN NEW ENGLAND,
I Ith DeCr', I773.
QUESTIONS PROPOSED BY JAMES BRUCE,
Mafter of the ahip Eleanor, burthen about 250 tons, now
lying in the harbour of Bof/on, in New England, with
part of her cargo, from London, confifling of one hundred
and fourteen chefls of tea, configned to MeJfrs. Richaqrd
Clarke & Sons, Thos' & Eli/ha Hutchinfon, Benjn Faneuil
and JoJhua WinJLow, of faid BoIfon, Merchants.
QUESTION I ST BY CAPN BRUCE, TO THE CONSIGNEES AFORESAID,
IN BEHALF OF HIMSELF AND OWNERS.
Gentlemen: I am now ready to deliver the tea configned
to you on board my fhip, and beg to know if you, gentlemen, are ready and willing to receive it, as I can produce
the requifites ufual and neceffary for landing or delivering
the faid teas alongfide the fhip, either by yourfelves, your
agents or affigns; and as my cargo of lumber is ready for




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


347


ihipping on difcharge of the faid tea, I demand an immediate and pofitive anfwer to my queftion.
ANSWER.
Sir: It appearing by the printed accounts of a number
of people affembled, at Bofton, on the 29th and 30th Novr
that they voted the teas fhipped by the Eaft India Company
fhould not be landed, but that they fhould be returned to
England in the fame bottoms in which they came. And it
further appearing that John Rowe, Efqr" part owner of the
fhip of which you are commander, was prefent at faid meeting, and did promife to ufe his utmoft endeavors that the
teas brought in your veffel fhould be fent back, and was alfo
chofen one of a comt. by the faid meeting, and as you now
tell us that you have received orders from certain perfons,
called a comt. of fafety, not to land any part of faid tea,
and that a number of armed men have been and ftill are
kept aboard or near your veffel.  We reply, that for the
reafons mentioned, we think it at prefent out of our power
to receive the teas, but that as foon as it fhall appear
practicable, we will give the neceffary orders for doing it.
2D QUESTION.
As I have no control upon, nor influence with, the people in Bofton who may oppofe the landing of the teas, I
cannot be chargeable with their condut.  My bufinefs is
with you, gentlemen, and it is to you only I can and do
make application for dire&ions how to difpofe of the faid
teas, and you will oblige me and my owners, and I defire
you would let me know whether you will or will not receive
or difpofe of the faid tea, either on fhore or otherwife?




348


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


ANSWER.
As we fee nothing in your fecond queftion effentially
different from  your firft, we muft refer you to our anfwer
already given.
3RD QUESTION.
Will you, gentlemen, or either of you, deliver the bills of
lading, which I figned for faid tea at London, and pay me
the freight for bringing it to Boflon?
ANSWER.
Sir: We will not deliver the bills of lading, nor pay the
freight of the teas, until we can receive them.


[Copy.]


JAS. BRUCE.
RICHD CLARKE & SONS.
THOS' & ELISHA HUTCHINSOl
BENJN FANEUIL, Jun'r


Witnefs:
MUNRO, Not. Pub.


Signed, JN~'


PROTEST.
Capt James Bruce, of the Eleanor, againjI the Confignees, for
refuting to receive the teas at BoJfon, in New England, on
the Ith day of December, 1773, and in the fourteenth year
of His Majefly's reign.
Perfonally appeared before me; John Monro, Notary Public, by royal authority, duly admitted and fworn.  James
Bruce, mafler of the fhip Eleanor, burthen about two
hundred and fifty tons, then lying at Griffin's wharf, with




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


349


part of her cargo from London on board. amongft which
were eighty whole and thirty-four half chefts of tea, configned to Meffrs. Richard Clarke & Sons, Thomas & Elifha
Hutchinfon, Benjamin Faneuil, and Jofhua Winflow, of faid
Bofton, merchants.  And the faid James Bruce, having
requefted me, the faid Notary Public, to attend him to
Caftle William, in the harbour of faid Bofton, we went on
the faid day, and then and there, the annexed queftions and
anfwers were entered.  Written queftions were put by the
faid James Bruce, and the refpedive anfwers were made in
writing (alfo annexed) by the confignees then prefent, and
in my prefence, and in the prefence of each other, interchangeably fubfcribed  and delivered by the faid James
Bruce and the faid Richard Clarke & Sons, Thomas and
Elifha Hutchinfon, and Benjamin Faneuil, and declared by
them to be their fentiments and determinations.
Wherefore, the faid James Bruce, on behalf of himfelf,
and all others concerned, did, and I, the faid Notary Public
at his requeft, and on behalf as aforefaid, do by thefe prefents, folemnly proteft againft the faid confignees, and fuch
of them aforefaid, for all and all manner of damages whatfoever, already fuffered, and which may, can or fhall be
fuffered, by their negle6ing and refuting to receive, demand
and take poffeffion of the tea aforefaid, agreeable to his requeft, made and written, and annexed to thefe prefents.
Thus done, protefted and given under my notarial feal of
office, in prefence of Robert Garland Cranch and John
Dyer.
In teftimoniam veritas,
Signed,                Signed,    JN~O MONRO,
JAS. BRUCE. (-)        Not. Pub., IIth Jany" 1774.




350


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


LETTER FROM MR. ROTCH TO THE
CONSIGNEES,
Referred to in their Letter of the 8" of Jany' '774.
Bofton, 6th Jan. I1774.
Gentlemen:
Annexed you have an account of the freight of 80
whole and 34 half chefts of tea, ihipped by the Hon'ble
Eaft India Company, on our fhip Dartmouth, James Hall,
mafter, from London, configned to you, with the damages
we have fuftained by the faid tea being kept in our fhip by
your not giving the neceffary orders or diredions about it,
or by your not qualifying yourfelves, or otherwife, for receiving the fame.
The charge of demurrage of the fhip, &c., may poffibly at
firft fight appear extravagant, but when you confider the
confequences of a fhip regularly eftablifhed in any trade,
(which, in the prefent cafe will, I expe&, eventually be of
near two hundred guineas damage,) by the lofs of freight
from London in the fpring, when you confider this, with
the extra lofs on a perifhable commodity, as hers was of
oil, the extra frowage of three-quarters of that cargo, and the
difference of advance of the feafon, I cannot but think you
muft be reconciled to the propriety of the charges I have
made.
I enclofe you a copy of Capt' Cooke's and our cooper's
requefts, to fupport the charges of demurrage of the floop
Triton, and the wages and expences of thofe coopers, and




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


35!I


beg to know by the bearer (who will wait your anfwer)
whether you will or will not pay the amount of this account,
fay /289 I9s. 6d. lawful money.
I am, very refpectfully,
Your affured friend,
FRANCIS ROTCH.
To RICHARD CLARKE & SONS,
THOS. & ELISHA HUTCHINSON,
BENJAMIN FANEUIL, Junr., and
JOSHUA WINSLOW.


Owners, Shipters, Conjfgnees, or concerned in 80 whole and
34 half chefls of Teas, Jzipped from  London by the Hon'blc
EaJl India Company, for Bofion, configned to Richard
Clarke &   Sons, Thomas &      Elizha Hutchinfon, Benjn
Faneuil, Jun"t and 7ofJua WinzJow.
To the Owners of the Dartmouth, JAMES HALL, Dr.


I773 -To freight of 80 whole and 34 half chefts of
tea from London,
To demurrage of the fhip from 7 to 20 DeCr,
I3 days.
Dedudt 2 days for gravg the Ihip, 2 days, i  at
/ 12,.....
To Capt James Hall, and his mate's wages, I I
days,..
To demurrage floop Triton, from 9 to 20 DeCr,
12 days, at 48s.,.
39


/9I I7 7


132


0 0


3 i8 3
28 i6 o




352


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


To the captain's wages, 6 days,
To the mate's and 4 hands' wages and vituals,
12 days each,.
To Jas. Smith and 2 journeymen coopers from
Dartmouth, their wages and expences from
7th to 20th December, 13 days, at 6s.,
To cafh paid Samfon, S. Blowers,1 and John
Adams, Efqr's advice,.
To wharfage the fhip and floop, 23 days, at
6s. 8d. per week,
To cafh paid for Protefts, &c., /3   i9s. 6d.
fterling,......


12 0
7  9 854


II 14


0


7 4 o
I 2 O
5  6 o


f289 I9 64


Bofton, 31st December, I773.
Errors excepted.
In behalf of myfelf and the owners of the fhip.
FRANCIS ROTCH.


1 Sampson Salter Blowers, a distinguished lawyer and jurist, a native of
Boston, and a graduate of Harvard
College, (I763,) was, in 1778, proscribed
and banished as a loyalist.  In I770,
he was associated with John Adams
and Josiah Quincy in behalf of the
British soldiers who were on trial for
their agency in the Boston Massacre.
He settled in Halifax, N.S.; became successively Attorney-General and Speaker


of the nouse; Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court, and a member of the
Council, retiring from public life in I833.
Judge Blowers was born March 22, 1742,
and died in Halifax, N.S., October 25,
1842, being over one hundred years of
age.  The fact that he never wore an
overcoat in his life, told us on good
authority, does not satisfactorily account
for his great longevity.




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


353


PROTEST.
Mr. Francis Rotch, Pardon Cook, and Wm. Hayden, againj?
Conjignees and Tea, at BoJion, in New England, on the
o0th day of December, in the year of our Lord 1773, and
in the fourteenth year of His Majefy's reign.
Perfonally  appeared before me, John  Monro, Notary
Public by royal authority, duly admitted and fworn, Pardon
Cook, malter, and Wm. Hayden, mate of the floop Triton,
burthen about feventy-five tons, and Francis Rotch, one of
the owners of the faid floop, and they, the faid Pardon,
Will'" and Francis, being by the people called Quakers,
folemnly affirmed, and each of them for himfelf, doth affirm
in manner following, that is to fay, the faid Pardon and
William  affirm  and fay they failed from  Dartmouth, in
New England, with the faid veffel, on the 28th day of laft
month, then loaded with fpermaceti oil, and bound for faid
Bofton, where they arrived on the 8th inf., and made application to the faid Francis to have the faid cargo difcharged
on board the fhip Dartmouth, as agreeable to their orders
and dire&ions.  And the faid Francis Rotch affirms that
he could not in perfon, nor by his fervants, or any other,
unload and refhip the faid cargo of oil on board the fhip
aforefaid by reafon of her not being cleared of a certain
quantity of teas fhipped at London, and configned to Meffrs.
Richard Clarke & Sons, Thomas and Elifha Hutchinfon,
Benjn Faneuil and Jofhua Winflow, of faid Bofton, merchants,
who have all and each of them, except Jofhua Winflow,,
negleded to demand and refufed to accept the faid teas, by




354


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


which the faid fhip is detained in the harbour of faid Bofton,
and unfit to receive the faid oil as intended by the faid
owner, mafter and mate; wherefore, the faid Francis Rotch,
and the mafter aforefaid, did, on behalf of themfelves and all
others concerned, and I, the faid Notary Public, at their
requeft, and on behalf aforefaid, do by thefe prefents folemnly
proteft againft the faid confignees, and each of them, and
againft the faid tea, and againft all others concerned, for all
and all manner of damages already fuffered, and to be
fuffered, on account of the faid oils not being fhipped as
aforefaid, contrary to the intention and ftrid meaning of the
faid owner and mafter, &c.
Thus done, protefted, and given under my notarial feal of
office, in pretence of Robert Garland Cranch and John
Dyar.
In teftimoniam veritas,
J N~ MONRO,
Not. Pub., I I Jan., I774.
FRANCIS ROTCH.
PARDON COOK.
WM. HAYDEN.    (L)
-S.
PROTEST.
Cap" 7ames Bruce, of the Eleanor, againji the Committee at
Bofton, and others, who Prevented the Landing the Teas.
At Bofton, in New England, on the IIth day of Decemr'
in the year of Our Lord I773, and in the 14th year of his
Majefty's reign, perfonally appeared before me, John Monro,




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


355


Notary Public by royal authority, duly admitted and fworn,
James Bruce, mailer of the fhip Eleanor, burthen about 250
-tons, and he being fworn on the Holy Evangelifts of Almighty God, depofed and doth depofe and fay, that on the
Ist day of this inflant Decem'r he arrived with the faid fhip
at Bofton aforefaid, then loaded with fundry goods or merchandize from London, amongft which were 84 whole and
34 half chefts of tea, configned to Meffrs. Richard Clarke &
Sons, Thos and Elifha Hutchinfon, Benjamin Faneuil and
Jofhua Winflow of Bofton, merchants, that on the 2d inft.,
the deponent was ordered to attend at I  o'clock in the
forenoon of the next day, on a committee of the people of
the faid town, and he having attended accordingly, was then
and there commanded by Mr. Samuel Adams and Jonathan
Williams, Efq', in prefence of, and affembled with, John
Rowe, John Hancock, Wm. Phillips and John Pitts, Efqr':.
and a great number of others, in Faneuil Hall, not to land
any of the faid tea at his peril, but to proceed to Griffin's
wharf, in faid Bofton, and there difcharge the reft of his
cargo. And that the faid deponent was obliged to comply
with the faid orders, and was and is nightly watched by 25
armed men on board the faid fhip, appointed, as he fuppofes
and verily believes, to prevent the faid teas from being
landed.
Wherefore, the faid James Bruce, on behalf of himfelf and
all others concerned in the faid fhip or cargo, did, and I,
the faid notary public, at his requeft, and on behalf as aforefaid, do by thefe prefents folemnly proteft againft the faid
committee and each of them above mentioned, and againft
all others voluntarily ading, watching, and proceeding by
their diretions, and all perfons whatfoever oppofing and




356


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


forbidding the landing the tea aforefaid for all, and all
manner of damage and damages fuffered and to be fuffered,
by means of the commands, watchings, oppofition and prohibition aforefaid.  Thus done, protefled, and given under
my notarial feal, in the prefence of Robt Garland Cranch
and John Dyar.
In teftimoniam veritas,
JN0~ MONRO;
JAMES BRUCE.   (I             Not. Pub., II Jan., I774.
PROTEST     OF CAPT JAMES       BRUCE,1
Of the Eleanor, againf2 the Deflroyers of the Tea.
At Bofton, in New England, on the I7th day of December,
in the year of our Lord, 1773, and in the I4th year of his
Majefty's reign, perfonally appeared before me, John Monro,
Notary Public by royal authority, duly admitted and fworn,
James Bruce, mafter, Jas. Bruce, junr" mate, and John Tinney,
boatfwain, of the fhip Eleanor, burthen about 250 tons, and
the faid James Bruce, junr. and John Tinney, being fworn
on the Holy Evangelifts of Almighty God, feverally depofed,
and each of them doth depofe and fay, that on the evening
of the I6th inft., they, thefe deponents, were on board the
faid fhip, then lying at Griffin's wharf, at faid Bofton, and
part of her cargo from London on board, amongft which
1 Captain Bruce was a loyalist of name was living at Shelburne, N.S.,
Boston, and as such was proscribed  about the year 805. -Sabine.
and banished. A loyalist of the same




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS


357


were 80 whole chefts and 34 half chefis of tea, configned to
Meffrs. Richd Clarke & Sons, Thos' and Elifha Hutchinfon,
Benjn Faneuil, and Jofhua Winflow, of faid Bofton, merchants.  That about the hours of 6 or 7 o'clock in the
fame evening, about one thoufand unknown people came
down the faid wharf, and a number of them came on board
the faid fhip, fome being dreffed like Indians, and they having violently broke open the hatches, hoifted up the faid
chefts of tea upon deck, and then and there ftove and threw
the faid chefts with their contents overboard into the water,
where the whole was loft and deftroyed.  Wherefore, the
faid James Bruce, maifer of the faid fhip, on behalf of himfelf and owners of the faid fhip, and all others concerned,
did, and I, the faid notary public, at his requeft, and on
behalf as aforefaid, do by thefe "prefents folemnly proteft
againft the faid unknown perfons or people, and againft all
others whatfoever and however concerned, for all and all
manner of damage or damages already fuffered, and which
hereafter may, can, or fhall be fuffered by the violence and
proceedings of the faid unknown people, and the deftruction
of the tea as aforefaid.
Thus done, protefted, and given under my totarial feal of
office, in prefence of Robert Garland Cranch and John
Dyar.
In teftimoniam veritas,
(Signed,)
JN0- MONRO,
Not. Pub., iI Jan., I774.
JAMES BRUCE.
JAMES BRUCE, Junr'
JOHN X TINNEY.    -.
mark..




358


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


Capt' Hezekiah Coffin,' Mailer Jethro Coffin, mate, and
Mr. Wm. Hewkey, mariner, of the brig Beaver, and Mr.
Francis Rotch, part owner, James Hall, mailer, and AlexrHodgdon, mate of the Dartmouth, made the like proteft,
which are among the American papers.
LETTER FROM THE AGENTS AT NEW YORK,
TO   CAPT LOCKYER,
Referred to in their Letter of the 27t Dect" 1773.
New York, Decr 27, 1773.
Sir:
It is our intention that this letter fhould meet you
below, at the Hook, that you may be apprifed of the danger
of bringing your fhip into this port.
All the tea ihipped by the Hon'ble Eaft India Company
to  Bofton has been deftroyed on board the veffels that
brought it.  The fhip Polly, Capt' Ayres, arrived lately at
Philadelphia with the tea deftined for. that port, and was
compelled to return with it without being fuffered to come
into the harbour, and there are advices in town that Charles
Town has made the fame determination with refpedt to the
tea arrived at South Carolina, and you may be affured the
inhabitants of this city have adopted the fame fentiments,
and are fully determined to carry them into execution.
1 Captain Hezekiah Coffin, of Nan- from the destruction of his cargo, tea
tucket, married Abigail Colman, and  enough to enable him to purchase a set
died in I779. It is said that he saved of silver spoons.




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


359


'We therefore think it is a. duty we owe to the faid Company, as we can neither receive the tea or pay the duty, to
apprize you of your danger, and to give you our opinion,
that for the fafety of your cargo, your veffel, and your perfons, it will be moft prudent for you to return, as foon as
you can be fupplied with fuch neceffaries as you may have
occafion for on the voyage.  Certain we are that you would
fully concur with us in the propriety of this advice were
you as well acquainted with the people's fentiments as we
are, which you will learn from  the enclofed papers.  We
ihall be glad to hear from you in anfwer hereto, and to
render you any fervices we can in your critical fituation.
We are, your molt obdt fervts,
HENRY WHITE,
ABRAHAM LOTT & Co.
PIGOU & BOOTH.
To Capt' Benj" Lockyer, of the fhip Nancy.
LETTER FROM CAPT' LOCKYER TO THE AGENTS,
TENDERING THE CARGO,
With their Reply, referred to in their Letter of
the 22d' April, 774.
New York, April 20th, 1774.
Gentlemen:
Having confidered the circumftances mentioned in
your letters, which I received on my arrival, I have left the
40




360


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


fhip and cargo at Sandy Hook, for their fafety.  Have now
waited on you with a tender of the cargo of tea fhipped by
the Hon'ble Eaft India Company, and configned to you.  I
am therefore- ready to deliver the faid cargo according to
the bill of lading.      I am, &c.,
BENJAMIN LOCKYER.
Meffrs. White, Lott & Booth.
New York, April 20, I774.
Sir:
We have received your letter of this date, tendering to us the cargo of tea fhipped on board the Nancy,
under your command, by the Hon'ble Eaft India Company,
to our addrefs, in reply to which we have only to obferve
that we Tome time ago acquainted the Hon'ble Court of
Directors how violently oppofed the inhabitants,in general
were to the landing or vending the tea in this Colony, while
fubje&t to the American duty, and that any attempts in us,
either to effet one or the other would not only be fruitlefs, but expofe fo considerable a property to inevitable
deftruction.  Under thefe circumftances it would be highly
imprudent in us to take' any fteps to receive your cargo,
and therefore we cannot take charge of the fame, or any
part thereof, under our cafe.  We are, fir,
Your moft obedt fervts,
HENRY WHITE.
ABRM LOTT & Co.
PIGOU & BOOTH.
Capt' Benj" Lockyer.




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


36I


PHILADELPHIA.
AN ACCOUNT OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE
INHABITANTS OF PHILADELPHIA,
On the Meajure of the Company's Exporting Tea to tat Place.
[ Taken from a Philadelphia news paper. ]
Monday' Decr 27, I773.
Upon the firft advice of this meafure a general diffatifa&ion was expreffed, that at a time when we were
itruggling with this oppreffive a6, and an agreement fubfifting not to import tea while fubjet to the duty, our fellow
fubjeis in England ihould form a meafure fo dire&ly tending to enforce the Ad, and again embroil us with our
parent fiate.  When it was alfo confidered that the propofed
mode of difpofing of the tea tended to a monopoly, ever
odious in a free country, a univerfal difapprobation fhewed
itfelf through the city.  A public meeting of the inhabitants
was held at the State Houfe, on the 18th Odtober, at which
great nnmbers attended, and the fenfe of the following
refolves (which are entered in page 296, the people of Bofton
having formed the fame refolutions).
In confequence of thefe refolutions, a committee waited
upon the gentlemen in this city who had been appointed
confignees of the expe6ted cargo.  They reprefented to
them the deteftation and abhorrence in which this meafure
was held by their fellow citizens, the danger and difficulties
which muft attend the execution of fo odious a talk, and




362


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


expreffed the united defire of the city that they would
renounce the commiffion, and engage not to intermeddle
with the fhip or cargo in any fhape whatever.  Some of
the commiffioners refigned in a manner that gave general
fatisfa&ion, others in fuch equivocal terms as, defired further
explanation.  However, in a few days the refignation was
complete.  In this fituation things remained for a few days.
In the mean time the general fpirit and indignation rofe
to fuch a height that it was thought proper to call another
general meeting of the principal citizens to confider and
refolve upon fuch further fteps as might give weight and
fecure fuccefs to the unanimous oppofition now  formed.
Accordingly a meeting was held for the above purpofe, at
which a great number of refpe6table inhabitants attended,
and it appeared to be the unanimous opinion that the entry
of the fhip at the cuftom houfe, or the landing any part of
her cargo would be attended with great danger and difficulty,
and would direfly tend to deftroy that peace and good
order which ought to be preferved.  An addition of twelve
other gentlemen was then made to the former committee,
and the general meeting adjourned 'till the arrival of the
tea-fhip.  Information being given of that, the price of tea
was foon advanced, though this was owing to a general
fcarcity of that article, yet all the poffeffors of tea, in order
to give ftrength to the oppofition, readily agreed to reduce
the price and fell what remained in their hands at a reafonable rate.
Nothing now remained but to keep up a proper correfpondence and conne6tion with the other Colonies, and to
take all prudent and proper precautions on the arrival of
the tea-fhip.




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


363


It is not eafy to defcribe the anxiety and fufpense of the
city in this interval; fundry reports of her arrival were
received, which were premature, but on Saturday evening
laft an exprefs came up from Chefter to inform the town
that the tea-fhip, commanded by Cap' Ayres, with her
detefted cargo, was arrived there, having followed another
fhip up the river fo far.  The committee met early the
next morning, and being apprized of the arrival of Mr.
Gilbert Barkley, the other confignee, who came paffenger
in the fhip, they immediately went in a body to requeft
his renunciation of the commiffion.  Mr. Barkley politely
attended the committee at the firft requeft, and being made
acquainted with the fentiments of the city, and the danger
to which the public liberties of America were expofed by
this meafure, he, after expreffing the particular hardihip of
his fituation, alfo refigned the commiffion in a manner that
affedted every one prefent.
The committee then appointed three of their members to
go to Chefter, and two others to Gloucefter Point, in order
to have the earlieft opportunity of meeting Capt- Ayres, and
reprefenting to him the fenfe of the public refpefting his
voyage and cargo.   The gentlemen who had fet out for
Chefter receiving intelligence that the veffel had weighed
anchor about I2 o'clock, and proceeded to town, returned.
About 2 o'clock ihe appeared in fight of Gloucefter Point,
where a number of the inhabitants from the town had affembled, with the gentlemen from the committee, and as fhe
paffed along fhe was hailed, and the captain requefted not
to proceed further, but to come on fhore.  This the captain
complied with, and was handed thro' a lane made by the
people to the gentlemen appointed to confer with him.




364


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


They reprefented to him the general fentiment, together
with the danger and difficulties that would attend his refufal
to comply with the withes of the inhabitants, and finally
defired him to proceed with them to town, where he would
be more fully informed of the temper and refolution of the
people.  He was accordingly accompanied to town by a
number of perfons, where he was foon convinced of the
truth and propriety of the reprefentations that had been
made to him, and agreed that, upon the defire of the inhabitants being publicly expreffed, he would condu6t himfelf
accordingly.. Some fmall rudenefs being offered to the capt
afterwards in the ftreet by fome boys, feveral gentlemen
interpofed and fuppreffed it, before he received the leaft
injury.  Upon an hour's notice this morning, a public meeting was called, and the State Houfe not being fufficient to
hold the numbers affembled, they adjourned into the fquare.
This meeting is allowed by all to be the moft refpe&able,
both in number and rank of thofe who attended, it that has
been known in this city.  After a fhort introduCtion, the
following refolutions were not only agreed to, but the public
approbation teftified in the warmeft manner:
Refolved ISt. That the tea on board the fhip Polly, Capt'
Ayres, fhall not be landed.
2d. That Capt Ayres fhall neither enter nor report his
veffel at the Cuftom Houfe.
3'- That Capt Ayres fhall carry back the tea immediately.
4th- That Cap;' Ayres fhall immediately fend a pilot on
board his veffel, with orders to take charge of her, and proceed with her to Reedy Ifland, next high water.
5th- That he fhall be allowed to flay in town 'till tomorrow, to provide neceffaries for his voyage.




LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


365


6th  That he fhall then be obliged to leave the; town and
proceed to his veffel, and make the beft of his way out of
our river and bay.
7th. That Capt' Heyfham, Capt- R. White, Mr. Benjamin
Loxley and Mr. A. Donaldfon be a committee to fee thefe
refolutions carried into execution.
The captain was then afked if he would conform himfelf
to thefe refolutions.  He anfwered that he would.
The affembly were then' informed of the fpirit and refolution of New York, Charles Town, South Carolina, and the
conduCt of the people in Bofton, whereupon it was unanimoufly refolved:
8th- That this affembly highly approve of the conduCt and
fpirit of the people 'of New York, Charles Town and Bofton,
and return their hearty thanks to the people at Bofton for
their refolution in deftroying the tea rathser than' fuffer it to
be landed.
The whole bufinefs was conduted with a decorum   and
order worthy the importance of the caufe.  Capt' Ayres
being prefent at this meeting, folemnly and publicly engaged
that he would literally comply with the fenfe of the city, as
expreffed in the above refolutions.
A proper fupply of neceffaries and frefh provifions being
then procured in about 2 hours, the tea-fhip weighed anchor
from  Gloucefter Point, where fhe lay within fight of the
town, and proceeded with her whole cargo on her return to
the Eaft India ComY'
The public think the condudt of thofe gentlemen whofe
goods are returned on board the tea-fhip, ought not to pafs
unnoticed, as they have upon this occafion generoufly facrificed their private intereft to the public good.




366


LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS.


Thus this important affair, in which there has been fo
glorious an exertion of public virtue and fpirit, has been
brought to a public iffue, by which the force of law, fo
obftinately perfifted in, to the prejudice of the national commerce, for the fake of the principle on which it is founded,
(a right of taxing the Americans without their content,) has
been effedtually broken, and the foundation of American
liberty more deeply laid than ever.
N. B. - It was computed by two different perfons, unknown to each other, that there were 8ooo perfons affembled,
befides many hundreds who were on their way, but did not
reach the meeting in time, owing to the fhortnefs of the
notice. Capt- Ayres and Mr. Barkley, late one of the confignees, left Arch wharf on board a pilot boat (having been
46 hours in town,) to follow the fhip to Reedy Ifland. They
were attended to the wharf by a concourfe of people, who
wifhed them a good voyage.


FINIS.




ADDITIONS.
JOHN SPURR (see p. 164).


John Spurr was, after the Revolution, a prominent citizen
of Charlton, Mass., and often represented the town in the
State Legislature.  He married the daughter of Rev. Elijah
tDunbar, and left two sons; Elijah  Dunbar Spurr, and
Samuel Danforth Spurr.   The widow of the latter, who
is now living, is the mother of the first wife of Senator
George F. Hoar.


THOMAS MELVILL.
Melvill's Tea Relic, as seen on page 13z.
The publisher, in collecting illustrations for Tea Leaves,
found one or more New England Societies claiming possession of some of this tea.  Therefore it was necessary to
look up the original Melvill stock of Bohea.
We show an illustration of it (full size), copied from a
photograph (made by special request,) from a relative living
in Illinois (since deceased), from whom we learn it has been
handed down to the present generation, and has never been
owned out of the family, and is now in possession of Mrs.
Thomas Melvill's son, Galena, Illinois, to whom we are
indebted for its use on this occasion.
A. O. C.




I




INDEX.


Samuel Adams,
Annapolis Tea-Ship Burned,
Biographical Notices of the Tea
Biographical Sketches;
Ancrum, Wm..
Appleton, Nathaniel
Blowers, S. S.
Brattle, Wm..
Bruce, Capt.
Bull, Wm.
Cheever, Ezekiel
Church, Dr. Benjamin
Clarke, R.
Coffin, Capt.
Cooper, Sir Grey
Cooper, William
Copley, John S.
Crafts, Thomas
Curtis, Obadiah
Danforth, Samuel
Edes, Benjamin
Erving, John
Faneuil, Benj.
Hall, Capt. James
Hatch, Nathaniel
Hewes, Daniel.
Hodgdon, Alex.
Hutchinson, Thos. & Elisha


PAGE
21
85


Party, and List of its Members,.


92-I71


208
30
352
3r1
356
339
46
26
210
358
212
43
329
25
49
315
25
226
294
245
285
49
79
324


Johonnot, Gabriel
Kelly, Wm.
Knox, Thomas, Jr.,
Lloyd, Henry
Lott, Abraham
Lovering, Joseph
Morris, John
Pownall, John
Quincy, Josiah
Rotch, Francis
Rowe, John
Royal, Isaac
Savage, Samuel Phillips
Scollay, John
Tileston, Thomas
Wallace, Hugh and Alex.
Walpole, Thomas
Watson, Brook
Wendell, Oliver
Wharton, Thomas
White, Henry
Williams, Jonathan
Williams, Thomas
Winslow, Joshua.


27
269
49
227
226
49
342
339
6r
41
63
~ 3[I
311
57
37
50
233
204
203
43
273
306
43
230
223
I72-176


Ballads of the Tea Party,
Boston. Opposition to the Tea Act,
Tea- Party,
Destruction of the Tea,
Proceedings of the Town,
Proceedings of the Council,


I9-23, 260-66, 278, 303
64-82, 89-94, 95-17
58-94, 336-357
279-303, 320-36.309-20




370


IN DEX.


PAGE
Clarke R. & Sons, Attack on Warehouse of....28, 266, 284
Residence mobbed,...                 34
Letter to chairman East India Company,.. 279-91
East India Company,.......       I, 89
Franklin, Benjamin......                  85
Green Dragon Tavern,.......           66
Hutchinson, Thomas......                  20
Lamb, John........
Letters and Documents,.....              89, 370
Letter from Mr. Wm. Palmer, enclosing Extracts of several Letters from
Boston, &c., to show the state of the Tea Trade in America, and
estimates of the advantages that will attend the Company's carrying
on that trade to that place,.....    89
Memorial of Mr. Gilbert Barkley, recommending a Plan for carrying on
the Tea Trade to America, and offering himself, and Mr. John Inglis,
Merchant, of Philadelphia, as agents,.....    99
Letter from Mr. Brook Watson, to Daniel Wier, Esq., recommending Mr.
-John Butler, of Nova Scotia, and Messrs. Faneuil and Winslow, of
Boston, as agents,...                                    202
A Proposal of the Hon. Mr. Walpole's, for sending Tea to Philadelphia,     203
Plan of Mr. Palmer, for Exportation of Tea to America,...   205
Letter from Messrs. Greenwood & Higginson, recommending Messrs.
Andrew Lord, and William and George Ancrum, of South Carolina,
as Agents, and offering their ship, the "London," Capt. Curling, to
carry Tea to that place,.......   208
Letter from Mr Fred'k Pigou, Jun., Esq., recommending Pigou & Booth,
of New York, and James & Drinker, of Philadelphia, as Agents, and
offering vessels for those places,.....          208
Letter from  Mr. Jonathan Clarke, offering Richard Clarke & Sons, of
Boston, as Agents,........   209
Letter from   Grey  Cooper, Esq., recommending     Mr. Barkley   as an
Agent,.......   211
Letter from  Messrs. Roberts &    Co., recommending Messrs. Willing,
Morris & Co., of Philadelphia, as Agents,....   212
Letter from Mr. Benjamin Harrison, offering himself as an Agent for
Virginia,.........   213
Letter from Mr. George Browne, recommending Mr. Jonathan Brown, of
Philadelphia, as an Agent,......          214
Letter from  Mr. Wm. Palmer, offering to advance the amount of 200
chests of Tea, on terms therein mentioned,....   215




INDEX.


37I


PAGE
Letter to several American Merchants to meet the Committee,..    215
Letter from Mr. Gilbert Barkley, offering some further thoughts upon
the Exportation,.......           216
Letter from Samuel Wharton, Esq., offering an Apologyy for not attending
the Committee,.......           217
Some Thoughts upon the Company's sending out Teas to America,.    218
Letter from Messrs. Watson & Rashleigh, reciting terms on which the
Tea Agency may be conducted, and offering Security for their
recommendation,....                                          222
Letter from Mr. Jonathan Clarke, on the same,.                        224
Letter from  Mr. Kelly, on the same, and recommending several persons
of the different Colonies, as Agents,.....    225
Letter from Mr. Harrison, that Mr. Kelly will give his Proposals,..       227
Letter from Mr. John Blackburn, with an offer of Terms,...    228
Letter to Samuel Wharton, Esq., to meet the Committee,...    229
Request of Mr. Walter Mansell, for the Agency to South Carolina,.    229
Letter from Messrs. Roberts & Co., offering Terms and Security for
Willing, Morris & Co.,.......    231
Letter from Messrs. Pigou & Booth, offering Terms and       Security for
Messrs. James & Drinker,.......    231
Letter from Mr. John Nutt, recommending Mr. Roger Smith, of South
Carolina, as an Agent,......    233
Letter from  Messrs. Bourdieu & Chollet, recommending several persons
as Agents,...        233
Letter from  Messrs. Gale, Fearon &     Co., recommending Mr. Daniel
Stephenson, of Maryland, as an Agent,.....   234
Letter from  Messrs. Davidson &    Newman, declining any propositions
on the present state of the Tea affair,....    235
Letter to several American Merchants to meet the Committee,..    235
Letter from Mr. Palmer, upon the Rate of Exchange from Boston,.    236
Letter from Messrs. Bourdieu & Chollet, declining to offer any further
proposals,........                236
Letter to sundry American Merchants to meet the Committee,..    237
Letter to sundry American Merchants, advising the quantities of Tea
ordered to be shipped for the several Colonies, and requesting the
firm of the houses they have recommended,....    238
Letter from Messrs. Watson & Rashleigh, advising the firm of their
recommendation,.......                238
Securities offered for Mr. Barkley and Mr. Mansell,...   239
Letter from Mr. Pigou, with the firm of his recommendation,..   239
Letters from Mr. Wharton, Mr. Browne, and Mr. Kelly,...   240




372


INDEX.


PAGE
Mr. Palmer's Opinion in what mode to ship Tea to America,..   241
Letter from  Mr. Clarke, with the firm  of his house, and offering the
"William" for freight,.......   243
Letters to Geo. Hayley, Esq., Thos. Lane, Esq., and Alexander Champion,
Esq., to know if they have any constant traders to Boston or South
Carolina, ready to sail,.......   244
Letter to Mr. Palmer, to point out what sorts of Tea are proper to be
sent to Boston and South Carolina,.....    244
Mr. Palmer's Assortment of Teas for America,....    245
Weight of Tea Exported to America,......    245
Letters from  several Persons concerning Vessels for Carrying the Tea
to America,.........    245
Petition to the Lords of the Treasury, for Licence to Export Teas to
America,.........    246
Licence from the Lords of the Treasury to Export Teas to America,.    247
Letters from  Sundry Gentlemen relating   to Vessels to carry Tea     to
America,.........    251
Letter from  Mr. Settle to Mr. Blackburn and Mr. Kelly, to come and
Execute the Bond,........   255
Letters from Mr. Blackburn and Mr. Kelly, in reply,...    255
Sundry Freight Bills, for Tea Shipped,.....    256
So far concerns the outset of the Tea.
Note from  Lord Dartmouth to the Chairman, to attend at Whitehall, on
the subject of some Advices from America, respecting the Teas,.    258
Letters to - American Merchants to communicate what Advices they may
have received,........   258
Letters from American Merchants, in reply,.....   259
Letter from  Mr. Jonathan Clarke to Mr. Wheler, advising his arrival at
Boston,.......   260
Letter to Abram Dupuis, to communicate advice, referred in Mr. Clarke's
Letter,..........    279
Messrs. Clarke & Son's Letter to Mr. Dupuis,....   279
Mr. Faneuil's Letter to Mr. Watson, mentioned in Messrs. Clarke's,.   292
Proceedings of the Inhabitants of the Town of Boston, on        the  5th
and 6th November, referred to in Messrs. Clarke's and Faneuil's
Letters,.........   295
Note from   the Secretary to Mr. Brook Watson, advising. the Tea is
ordered to Halifax, and desiring the names of the Consignees,.   304
Security offered for Messrs. Butler & Cochran, consignees at Halifax,.   305




INDEX.
The Agents at New York's Petition to the Governor, referred to in their
letter Ist December,...
Petition of the Agents at Boston, and the Proceedings of the Governor
and Council thereon,...
Proceedings of the Town of Boston on the 29th and 30th November,
Letter signed "Anglo Americanus," addressed to Geo. Dudley, Esq.,
enclosing newspapers,..
Letter signed "Anglo Americanus," addressed to Geo. Dudley, Esq.,
advising the Tea's being destroyed,.
Note from Mr. Pownall, to communicate Advices, and enclosing Letter
from  Lieut.-Gov. Bull, of Charles Town; also, Lieut.-Gov. Bull's
Letter,....
Letter from Mr. Jo. Morris, to Corbyn Morris, Esq., advising of the Tea's
being seized at South Carolina,..
Letter from  Capt. Ellis, advising of the Tea's being seized at South
Carolina,....
Questions proposed to the Boston Consignees, respecting landing the
Teas,....
Protest of Capt. Bruce against said Consignees, for refusing to receive
the Teas,....
Letter from Mr. Rotch, to said Consignees, with an account of Charges
and a Protest,...
Protests of the several Captains against the Destroyers of the Tea,
Letters from the Agents at New York, &c., to Capt. Lockyer, and one from
him to them,....
Proceedings of the Inhabitants of Philadelphia, on the measure of Exporting Tea to that place,.......


373
PAGE


305
309
320
331
332
339
342
343
344
346
350
353
359
36i


Liberty Tree,.
Long Room (Whig) Club,.
New York. Opposition to the Tea Act,
Arrival of Tea,.
Petition of the Consignees to the Governor,
Letter from the Agents to Capt. Lockyer,
North-End Caucus,..
Philadelphia lends Opposition to Tea Act,
Tea sent back,.
Proposed Tea Depot in America,
Opposition to the Tea Act,
Resolves and Proceedings of October I8,
St. Andrew's Masonic Lodge of Boston,


24
66
16-I9, 269-271
84-5
305. 358-60
23, 67
17
84
203..     272-277. 361-65
66




374                             INDEX.
Sons of Liberty,..
South Carolina, Proceedings at
Spurr, John,.
Tea Act,.
Introduced into New England,
Consignees,
Guard on Boston tea-ship,
State of Tea Trade in America,
Shipments to America,
Warren, Gen. Joseph
Additions,.


PAGE..                  I18, 24, 26. 84-85, 339-43.                    164..      12
14. 23, 36, 51-53.. 45-50..         191-98.. 256-7..    I78
*                  367


ILLUSTRATIONS.
Tea Leaves, on cover,....                     v.
Destruction of the Tea in Boston Harbor,.... Frontispiece.
Diagram Showing the Route from the Old South Church to Griffin's Wharf,  75
Melvill's Tea Relic,......                131
Edward Proctor's Proclamation,.....           48
Lord North Forcing the Tea down the Throat of America,.      ~   155
Location of Tea Wharf,.                                                 73
Plan of Boston, I775, and the Burning of Charlestown,...   264
PORTRAITS.


Adams, Samuel.
Bradlee, Nathaniel
Franklin, Benjamin
Gage, Gov. Thomas
Hancock, John
Hutchinson, Gov. Thomas
Hewes, George Robert Twelves
Kennison, David.
Lovering, Thomas
Melvill, Thomas.


299
97
i85
313
288
308
117
122
I82
I33


Melvill, Thomas, Hat on
North, Lord
Pitts, Lendall
Purkitt, Henry
Revere, Paul
Rotch, Francis
Rowe, John
Savage, Samuel Phillips
Sprague, Samuel.
Warren, Joseph.


I8o
249
142
*    I5!
I57
40
62
*   338
164
48




INDEX.


375


AUTOGRAPHS.


PAGE
Adams, Samuel..299
Bradlee, Nathaniel.         97
Bradlee, David.         97
Bass, Henry.        96
Church, Benjamin.        26
Cheever, Ezekiel.     46 -Chase, Thomas..02
Clarke, Benjamin..    o3
Crane, John.o8.
Franklin, Benjamin.     85
Faneuil, Benjamin, Jr.,..    294
Frothingham, Nathaniel.            III
Green, Nathaniel.           114
Grant, Moses...    113
Gore, Samuel..    113
Hodgdon, Alexander.            79
Hancock, John..    288
Hutchinson, Thomas.           308
Inches, Henderson..     27
Kennison, David...    122
Lovering, Joseph.    I82
Lincoln, Amos..    125
Lee, Joseph...    124
Molineux, William.           1 37


PAGE
Melvill, Thomas...    35
Newell, Eliphelet.         138
Purkitt, Henry..        50
Prentice, Henry..           46
Pitts, Lendall,...    45
Peck, Samuel..         140
Palmer, Joseph P..         I39
Proctor, Edward..         I49
Russell, John..          159
Revere, Paul..         154
Rowe, John..          63
Rotch, Francis..    41
Swan, James..          68
Sprague, Samuel...  64
Sloper, Samuel...    62
Shed, Joseph..         16
Sessions, Robert...    I6
Savage, Samuel Phillips.     57
Urann, Thomas..          69
Winslow, Joshua...   223
Williams, Jonathan.          4-3
Warren, Joseph..          30
Wyeth, Joseph..    171