IX. 4770. CHAP. committee was then appointed+ to wait on the lieutenantgovernor, and inform him, that the reply made to the vote of the inhabitants is by no means fatisfactory; and that nothing lefs would fatisfy them than a total removal of the troops, and that immediately. This vote was laid before the board of council, who declared themselves unanimously of the fame opinion; however, there was no other removal made at that time than of the 29th rcgiment; the lieutenant-governor having declared, in anfwer to another petition, that he had no authority to order the king's troops from any place where they were posted by his majefty's order. A folemn proceffion was made through the town of Bofton at the funeral of the people who had been killed; the fhops were fhut up; all the bells in the town, as well as thofe in the neighbourhood, were tolled; the bodies were carried through the streets in proceffion, and the people followed in great crowds, making the deepest lamentation, as if a defign had been difcovered of murdering every one of them. haviour of the colo. nifts. While the minds of the people ftill continued to be agiViolent be- tated in this manner, news arrived of the repeal of the ob noxious acts of parliament, excepting only the trifling duty of 3d per pound on tea. The prediction of oppofition, that this would be fufficient to continue the difturbances, was then verified in its utmost extent. Violent refolutions were every where formed against the importation of Britifh goods, particularly the article of tea; proposals and refolutions were continually made for the encouragement. of their own manufactures, the confumption of home-products, and the retrenchment of fuperfluities. These took place not only at Beflon and throughout the New-England colonies, but through the whole continent, not excepting even thofe provinces which depended moft on the mothercountry for their fupport and fubfiftence.. They were further exafperated by fome late regulations, by which the governors and judges were rendered totally independent of the people, in confequence of their falaries being paid by the crown. This was looked upon as a most violent encroachment on the liberties of the people, and fuch dangerous marks of popular difpleafure attended it, that very tew of the judges had courage to enter upon their offices, and those who did, were either forced to refign, or intcr rupted in the execution of their bufinefs, to fuch a degree, This committee was compefed of the principal leaders of the pos pular party. Their naines were John Hancock, Samuel Adams, Wiliam Molincaux, William Phillips, Dr. Jofeph Warren, Jashua Henshaw, and Samuel Pemberton. 1771. that they were obliged to take shelter in fortified places, or CHAP. on board fhips of war. The animofities and jealoufies be- IX. tween the governors and their affemblies were perpetual; affemblies were no fooner called than diffolved, and the new ones proved equally refractory, fo that it was evident that all intereft of government was entirely at an end, and even then, if Britain meant to maintain the authority fhe had affumed, a war was inevitable. A fchooner Ifland. The rigorous exertion of the fmuggling laws gave occa fion to the first daring act of violence, which might, with propriety, be called an act of hoftility against government, burnt at This happened at Providence in Rhode-Island, where, on Providence, the roth of June, 1772, the Gafpee schooner was burnt, in Rhodeand the captain wounded by a mob, exasperated at the vigilance he had manifefted in the execution of his office. A reward of 500l. was offered for the discovery of those concerned in fuch an attrocious proceeding; but fo agreeable was it to the universal voice of the people, that not one was found to accept the offered reward. June re. 1772. animofities governor About the fame time, the animofity between the people of Maffachusetts Bay, and their governor, was in- Violent flamed to the utmoft, by the following accident: During occafioned. the time of the former difputes with the mother-country, by the dif a number of letters had been written by the governor and covery of deputy-governor of the colony, to fome of the English Hutchinminiftry, in which a very unfavourable account was given fon's letters, of the people in general, as well as of the views of their leaders; and violent measures, as well as a very confiderable change in the conftitution and fyftem of government, was declared to be neceffary, in order to ensure obedience. On the death of a gentleman who had kept these letters in his poffeffion, they, by fome unknown accident, fell into the hands of Dr. Benjamin Franklin, the agent for Maffachusetts Bay, at London, who inftantly trafmitted them to the affembly at Bofton, which happened to be fitting when they were received. The arrival of fuch a packet, at the time when fo much ill-will already fubfifted, could nót fail of producing the moft violent effects. The affembly, after expreffing their utmost indignation at the conduct of their governors, delivered the letters to the council, with exprefs injunctions not to truft them out of their hands even for a moment. The council proceeded in a fimilar manner; the letters were prefented to the governor; but when he defired to examine them, the council refufed to truft him with them, and he was obliged to fubmit to the affront of having them tranfmitted to him by a committee to examine them in their hands, as well as to 1772. CHAP. the mortification of owning the fignature, after having inIX. fpected it in this difgraceful manner. The confequence of this was a petition and remonftrance to his majesty, in which the American governors were charged with betray ing their truft; with giving private, partial, and falfe information against the people they governed; declaring them enemies to the colony, and praying for speedy juftice against them by their removal. Thefe extraordinary proceedings were carried by a majority of eighty-two to twelve. The utility of the tea fcheme denied in Europe. In the mean time, the ferment occafioned by the teafcheme, continued to operate univerfally. Even in Europe its utility was doubted, although it had been fet forth by the minifter as a proper compenfation for the enormous fums extorted from the Eaft-India company, as well as the feizure of their territorial rights. This fcheme was fanctioned by an act of parliament, whereby the Eaft-India company were allowed to export their teas into America, in fuch quantities as the lords of the treasury fhould judge proper, and were allowed a drawback upon exportation, while a duty was impofed upon its importation to America. It was particularly objected to by one gentleman, who remonstrated, that it was more proper for the establishment of the revenue-law in America, than for doing any effential fervice to the company; that though the quantity on hand, viz. seventeen millions of pounds, appeared immense to such as were unacquainted with the state of the trade, it amounted, in reality, to no more than two years confumpt, and it was always intended to keep a year's ftock on hand. Some of the most eminent tea merchants confulted by the company on this occafion, reprefented the scheme as full of abfurdity. By it the company had deviated from the ufual method of procedure, with regard to the fale of their goods, and inftead of difpofing of them to merchants by public fales, was become its own exporter and factor. Thus, it was faid, that the returns of money would be too flow and trifling to answer the present exigencies for cafh; at the fame time that it would be offer ing a great injury to the merchants who had been accuftomed to take their teas at all events, and paid immense fums of money for them. Meafures were propofed for holding two fales within a fhort time, by which the company would probably not only difpofe of all their teas, but receive the first payment in the space of five months; and this would bring in, moft probably, no lefs a fum than 1,200,000l. which might poffibly prevent any neceffity of applying for that fatal loan they were negoci ating from government, and for which miniftry were about CHAP. to make them pay so dear. Thefe falutary propofals, however, were over-ruled; the other scheme, being the favourite with administration, was adopted, and several ships, freighted with tea, were fent off to America, where agents were appointed by the company to dispose of it in the different colonies as foon as it arri ved. But whatever might be the views of the company, and those who canvaffed this fubject in Britain, it is certain that the colonists almost univerfally looked upon the tea-fcheme, as contrived for the fole purpose of introducing taxes into America, and of which, if they fuffered them to be established in any one inftance, no end would ever be found. The new method of difpofing of it, alfo offended all the dealers in that commodity, who were extremely numerous; and at Boston, the tea-confignees happened unfortunately to be nearly related to the governor, whose letters had already produced fuch a ferment. The company was, befides, fo univerfally odious, both on this and the other fide of the Atlantic, that any fcheme profeffedly for its intereft, would have probably met with oppofition, though ever fo juft and equitable in other refpects. At prefent, the colonists reprefented the company as wilfully quitting their ufual line of conduct, and wantonly enforcing a law which they themselves detested; thus bringing them into the dangerous dilemma either of giving up their own liberties, or taking fome effectual measures to prevent this obnoxious article from being introduced among them. IX. 1773. fent out, Though the moft pofitive refolutions not to use any The news more of the India company's tea had been taken by the of the tea Americans, immediately after the partial repeal of the hips being revenue act, confiderable quantities had nevertheless been exafperates fecretly introduced into the colonies. Of this, the leaders the Ameriof the popular faction had been fufficiently fenfible, though cans. no means of effectually preventing its importation were in their power. As foon, however, as the news arrived of the intended voyage of the tea fhips, by which that detefted commodity, would be poured in among them in fuch quantities as would leave no room to doubt of the accomplishment of the purposes of miniftry, they determined, at all events, to take effectual methods to prevent it. The tea-confignees felt the firft effects of these refolutions; being, every where, obliged to refign their employments, or fuffer the entire lofs of their property, not without the greatest danger of their lives. The people affembled every where in great bodies; committees were appointed to infpect the books of merchants, propofe IX. 4773 Tea def CHAP. oaths to profcribe the refractory, by the dangerous appel lation of enemies to the liberties of America, and to affemble the people whenever they thought proper. Thus, every kind of government was entirely at an end, every thing, at leaft what related to the tranfactions betwixt the colonies and the mother country, being carried on by tumultuous popular affemblies. At thefe meetings the British legiflature was treated with the utmoft indecency and contempt; nor were the hand-bills and other temporary publications on the fubject a whit more moderate. Printed papers were difperfed at Philadelphia, warning the pilots not to conduct the tea fhips up the Delaware; at NewYork, they were faid to be loaden with the fetters which had been forged for America, in Great-Britain. The fame fpirit, in fhort, feemed to have pervaded all the colonies like lightning, even the most diftant and least connected with Boston, where, indeed, the difturbances generally began and were peculiarly violent. On this occafion, alfo, Boston was the fcene of the firft pofitive act of hoftility. Three tea fhips having arrived there towards the end of the year 1773, met with fuch an ungracious reception*, Boften and that the captains gladly confented to return to England, provided they had the permiffion of the tea-confignees, the board of cuftoms, and the governor. All this, however, was refused them, and they were obliged to remain in Bofton harbour. The people now perceiving, that if the fhips were permitted to lie fo near the town, their cargoes would be landed fecretly, and the purpofes of ministry thus fulfilled, came to the refolution of deftroying it at once, which was executed by a number of people dreffed like Indians, who threw it into the fea. Hence, we may learn, that it was not the precipitate act of a riotous mob, but a confequence of the plan deliberately laid against fubmiffion to any minifterial interference whatever with the ancient conftitution of the colonies. The governor, and fhips of war, permitted the tea to be deftroyed, without making the leaft effort to fave it. The quantity thrown into the fea was valued at 18,000l. Some fmaller quantities met with the fame fate at Boston, and in South-Carolina; but, in general, the fhips laden with this commodity returned with it again to England; only a small troyed at other places. The American accounts of the deftruction of the tea at Bofton, fhow the difpofition of the people, at that time, in a very striking light, and that fo far from thinking they had committed any crime, they looked upon their conduct as meritorious, not only calculated to free their country from the flavery intended for them, but even the best and tendereft method in which they could have acted towards the India Com pany. |