living in it in January, 1759, when it was offered for sale, at public
vendue, at the Merchants' Coffee House. We find no record of transfer,
but we are inclined to believe that it was purchased by the firm of
DeLancey, Robinson and Company, dealers in East India goods and army
supplies, composed of Oliver DeLancey. Beverly Robinson and James Parker,
for they moved into it shortly after and were the owners of it in 1762,
when it was purchased by Samuel Francis, the deed bearing date January
15th of that year and the consideration named being two thousand pounds.
The co-partnership of DeLancey, Robinson and Company did not expire until
December, 1762; in all probability they remained in the house until that
time; at any rate, Francis was in it in April, 1763, when he had hung out
the sign of Queen Charlotte and opened an ordinary, announcing that dinner
would be served every day at half past one o'clock. The house thereafter,
for many years, was known as the Queen's Head.
John Crawley succeeded Willett as landlord of the New York Arms. In 1762
the Assembly were having their meetings here, in what they designated as
"Crawley's New Rooms." In April, 1763, Crawley sold out the furnishings of
the house at public vendue and George Burns moved in from the King's Head
Tavern, in the Whitehall, who announced that he had "two excellent Grooms
to attend to his Stables and takes in Travellers and their Horses by the
Month, Quarter or Year on reasonable Terms." Burns occupied the house
during the turbulent period of the Stamp Act, and it was the scene of much
of the excitement incident to those times. In 1764, while Burns was
keeping the Province Arms, the Paulus Hook Ferry was established and the
road opened from Bergen to the Hudson River. This enabled the stage wagons
from Philadelphia to bring their passengers to Paulus Hook, where they
were taken over the ferry to New York. The opening of the Paulus Hook
Ferry placed the Province Arms in direct line with travel passing through
the city between New England and the South, and it became largely a
traveler's tavern, and in later times the starting point in New York of
the Boston, Albany and Philadelphia stages.
[Sidenote: The Stamp Act]
The French and Indian War, which had commenced in 1755, resulted in the
conquest of Canada; and when the British army came down to New York for
embarkation they met with an enthusiastic reception and the officers were
entertained by the wealthy merchants in the most hospitable manner. The
province had suffered from the constant conflict on its borders and the
prospect of relief from the incursions of the French and the horrible
terrors of savage warfare which had been instigated by them, was the cause
for great satisfaction and rejoicing. No longer threatened by the French
the people were filled with hopes of great prosperity. Trade and commerce
soon revived and a period of remarkable activity had just opened when all
the bright hopes of the merchants and of the people of New York were
turned to gall and wormwood by the unwarrantable acts of Great Britain,
who, instead of gratitude for the material assistance in the late war, was
now calculating how much revenue might be counted upon from provinces that
had shown such energy and such resources. The first important step in this
direction was the passage of the Stamp Act, which received the King's
signature on the 22d of March, 1765. It was not unexpected, for the
colonists had for some time been in a nervous state, with the dread of
some serious encroachment on their rights and liberties. The news of the
passage of the act was received in New York in April with great
indignation. It was distributed through the city with the title of "The
folly of England, and the ruin of America." By law the act was to take
effect on the first of November following. In the meantime it was proposed
that the sense of the colonies should be taken and that they should all
unite in a common petition to the King and parliament. Accordingly a
congress of deputies met in New York in the early part of October, 1765,
in which nine of the colonies were represented. Before this meeting the
assembly of Massachusetts had denied the right of parliament to tax the
colonies and Virginia had done the same. The sentiments of the congress
were embodied in a very dignified and respectfully worded address to the
King, drawn up by a committee of three, one of whom was Robert R.
Livingston, of New York. Committees were also appointed to prepare
petitions to parliament which were reported and agreed to on the 22d of
October.
[Sidenote: The Non-Importation Agreement]
On the last day of the same month a meeting was held by the merchants of
New York to consider what should be done with respect to the Stamp Act and
the melancholy state of the North American commerce, so greatly restricted
by the Acts of Trade. They resolved not to order any goods shipped from
Great Britain nor to sell any goods on commission until the Stamp Act
should be repealed. Two hundred merchants of the city subscribed these
resolutions and the retailers of the city also agreed not to buy after the
first of January, 1766, any goods imported from Great Britain, unless the
Stamp Act should be repealed. This meeting was held at the Province Arms,
the house of George Burns, and here was signed this celebrated
non-importation agreement. This was the most important political event of
this eventful period, and one which, combined with like resolutions made
by the merchants of Boston and Philadelphia, had more influence in causing
the repeal than all the addresses, petitions and other influences put
together.
On October 23d, while the Stamp Act Congress was in session, the ship
Edward arrived with the obnoxious stamps on board, and was convoyed to
the Fort by a man-of-war, all the vessels in the harbor lowering their
colors in sign of mourning, and an excited crowd watching the proceedings
from the river front. In a few days the stamps were deposited in the Fort.
During the night after the arrival of the Edward, written notices were
posted about the city warning any one who should distribute or make use of
stamped paper, to take care of his house, person or effects. The
excitement among the people grew more and more intense as the time
approached for the law to take effect. The morning of November 1st was
ushered in by the ringing of muffled bells and display of flags at
half-mast. The magistrates notified Lieutenant-Governor Golden that they
were apprehensive of a mob that night. The people gathered in the Fields,
and after parading the streets with effigies of the lieutenant-governor,
appeared before the Fort and demanded the stamps. They broke open the
lieutenant-governor's coach-house, took out his coach, sleighs, harness
and stable fittings and with the effigies burned them on the Bowling Green
in front of the Fort. The mob then went to Vauxhall, the house of Major
James, who had made himself very obnoxious by his braggart threats of what
he would do to enforce the stamp act and stripping the house of all its
furniture, books, liquors, etc., even to the doors and windows, made a
bonfire of them.
As the mob passed the Merchants' Coffee House, they were encouraged by
the approbation of those who frequented that place. During the day there
had been on view here an open letter addressed to Golden, assuring him of
his fate if he should persist in trying to put the stamp act in force. It
also stated--"We have heard of your design or menace to fire upon the town
in case of disturbance, but assure yourself that if you dare to perpetrate
any such murderous act you'll bring your gray hairs with sorrow to the
grave." * * * and "any man who assists you will surely be put to death."
This letter was delivered at the fort gate in the evening by an unknown
hand. The next day threatening letters and messages were sent in to
Governor Colden at the fort and he made a promise not to distribute the
stamps, but to deliver them to Sir Henry Moore, the newly appointed
governor, when he arrived. This did not satisfy the people, who demanded
that they should be delivered out of the Fort and threatened to take them
by force. It was then agreed that the stamps should be delivered to the
mayor and deposited in the City Hall. This was done, the mayor giving his
receipt for them, and tranquillity was restored.
Sir Henry Moore, the new governor, arrived on the 13th of November, and
was received with all the formalities usual on such an occasion. He
evidently made a favorable impression. The situation of affairs, however,
presented for him a difficult problem. His first question to the council
was, Could the stamps be issued? which was answered unanimously in the
negative. Business had come to a standstill, and the people were fretting
under the restraints which the situation imposed. There were two classes;
the men of property, who could afford to await the issue of conservative
methods, and the middle and lower classes, who insisted that business
should go on regardless of the stamps. Livingston says that a meeting of
the conservatives was held at the Coffee House at ten o'clock in the
morning and that although "all came prepared to form a Union, few cared
openly to declare the necessity of it, so intimidated were they at the
secret unknown party which had threatened such bold things." This secret
society was known by various names, but in November we find that they had
adopted the name, "Sons of Liberty," and this name was soon after used in
the other colonies. The Sons of Liberty presented Sir Henry Moore a
congratulatory address and on Friday, the 15th of November, met in the
Fields, erected pyramids and inscriptions in his honor, and one of the
grandest bonfires ever seen in the city.
On November 25th notices were posted in all parts of the city with the
heading, "Liberty, Property and no Stamps," inviting a general meeting of
the inhabitants on the 26th at Burns' City Arms Tavern in order to agree
upon instructions to their representatives in the general assembly.
Although opposition to the Stamp Act was unanimous the people were not in
accord on the means of redress. The notices were twice torn down by those
who did not know or who were not in sympathy with the objects of the
meeting, and were as often replaced by the promoters of the meeting. About
twelve hundred persons assembled.[1] The committee appointed to present
the instructions was composed of Henry Cruger, John Vanderspiegel, David
Van Home, James Jauncey, Walter Rutherford, John Alsop, William
Livingston, William Smith, Jr., Whitehead Hicks, John Morin Scott, James
DeLancey and John Thurman, Jr., who fairly represented the different
shades of opinion.
[Sidenote: The Sons of Liberty]
Early in January, 1766, the Sons of Liberty threw off the mask of secrecy.
On the evening of January 7th, a great number of members of the Society
met at the house of William Howard, the tavern previously occupied by Sam
Francis and John Jones, in the Fields, which for a time became their
headquarters. They agreed to a series of resolutions advocating action of
the most vigorous nature towards all those who "may either carry on their
business on stamped paper or refuse to carry it on independently of the
odious act." They adjourned to meet at the same place a fortnight later,
and continued to meet at regular intervals thereafter. At a regular
meeting on Tuesday, February 4th, a committee was appointed to correspond
with the Sons of Liberty in the neighboring colonies, composed of Lamb,
Sears, Robinson, Wiley and Mott. The next meeting was appointed to be held
on Tuesday evening the 18th instant.
[Sidenote: Repeal of the Stamp Act]
On March 18, 1766, the King gave his assent to the repeal of the Stamp Act
"in sorrow and despite." Thereupon there was great rejoicing in the
English capital. The happy event was celebrated by dinner, bonfires and a
general display of flags. On the 24th there was a meeting of the principal
merchants concerned in the American trade, at the King's Head Tavern, in
Cornhill, to consider an address to the King. They went from this place,
about eleven o'clock in the morning, in coaches, to the House of Peers to
pay their duty to his majesty and to express their satisfaction at his
signing the bill repealing the American Stamp Act. There were upwards of
fifty coaches in the procession.[2]
On Tuesday, May 20th, the glorious news of the repeal was received in New
York from different quarters, which was instantly spread throughout the
city, creating the greatest excitement. All the bells of the different
churches were rung and joy and satisfaction were on every face. The next
day the Sons of Liberty caused to be printed and distributed the following
Hand Bill:
"THIS DAY
"On the glorious Occasion of a total Repeal of the Stamp Act there
will be a general Meeting and Rejoicing at the House of Mr. Howard,
The Lovers of Their Country loyal Subjects of his Majesty, George
the Third, King of Great Britain, real Sons of Liberty of all
Denominations are hereby cordially invited to partake of the essential
and long look'd for Celebration.
"The city will be illuminated and every decent measure will be
observed in demonstrating a sensible Acknowledgement of Gratitude to
our illustrious Sovereign, and never to be forgotten Friends at Home
and Abroad, particularly the Guardian of America."
Preparations were accordingly made and measures taken for carrying out
these designs. The Sons of Liberty repaired to the "Field of Liberty," as
they called the Common, where they had often met, where a royal salute of
twenty-one guns was fired. Attended by a band of music they then marched
to their usual resort, which was the house of William Howard, where an
elegant entertainment had been prepared for them. After they had dined in
the most social manner they drank cheerfully to twenty-eight toasts, the
number of the years of the King's age. At the first toast--The King--the
royal salute was repeated, and each of the following was saluted with
seven guns. In the evening there were bonfires and a grand illumination.
Announcement was made in the newspapers that "The Sons of Liberty of New
York take this early opportunity of most cordially saluting and
congratulating all their American Brethren on this glorious and happy
event."
Shortly after this occurred the anniversary of the King's birthday and the
people were so rejoiced and elated by the repeal that they resolved to
make of it an opportunity to show their gratitude and thanks, and so great
preparations were made for the event, which was to be on the 4th of June.
More extensive preparations were made than for any previous celebration of
this kind. The day opened with the ringing of the bells of all the
churches in the city. By seven o'clock preparations began for roasting
whole, two large, fat oxen, on the Common, where the people soon began to
gather to gaze at the "mighty roast beef." At 12 o'clock a gun was fired
from the Fort as a signal for the council, the general, the militia
officers, the corporation and gentlemen to wait on the governor to drink
the King's health and never on such an occasion before was the company so
numerous or splendid. Now the Battery breaks forth in a royal salute and
the air is filled "with joyful Acclamations of Long Live the King, the
Darling of the People." Soon after, this salute was answered by the
men-of-war and the merchant vessels in the harbor, "decked in all the
Pageantry of Colors." The people were gathered on the Common, where a
large stage had been erected, on which were twenty-five barrels of strong
beer, a hogshead of rum, sugar and water to make punch, bread and other
provisions for the people, and on each side a roasted ox. At one end of
the Common was a pile of twenty cords of wood, in the midst of which was a
stout mast with a platform on top of it, on which had been hoisted twelve
tar and pitch barrels. This was for the magnificent bonfire. At the other
end of the Common were stationed twenty-five pieces of cannon for the
salutes, and at the top of the mast which had been erected, was a
flagstaff with colors displayed. The grand dinner on this unusual occasion
was served at the New York Arms, the house of George Burns, on Broadway.
It was prepared by order of the principal citizens and was honored by the
presence of the governor, the general, the military officers, the clergy,
the gentlemen of the city, and strangers. "It consisted of many Covers and
produced near a hundred Dishes."[3] One newspaper states that there were
about 340 in the company. At the King's health a royal salute was fired by
the guns on the Common, and at each toast afterward a salute was given up
to twenty-eight, the number of years of the King's age. The Common was in
sight so that signals for these could easily be given. The toasts numbered
forty-one, and are said to have been "respectfully preferred and eagerly
swallowed." We feel justified in the belief that this was the largest
dinner and one of the most important that had ever been served in New
York. In the evening the whole town was illuminated in the grandest manner
ever seen before, especially the houses of the governor and the general.
[Illustration: LIBERTY BOYS]
The assembly met on June 16th, and on the 23d a large meeting was held at
the Merchants' Coffee Mouse, where a petition was prepared, addressed to
the assembly, for the election of a brass statue of Pitt, who was
considered the great friend of America. On the very day of this meeting
the house, it appears, made provision for an equestrian statue of the King
and a brass statue of William Pitt. Tranquillity seems to have been
restored, but it was not long before new causes of dissatisfaction arose.
[Sidenote: Liberty Pole]
The victory of the colonists in causing the repeal of the Stamp Act could
not fail to produce some feeling of bitterness in the officers of the
crown, and there were some who took no pains to conceal their
dissatisfaction. The soldiers, aware of the feeling of their officers,
were ready on all occasions to show their hostility. The mast or flagpole
which had been erected on the north side of the Common, opposite a point
between Warren and Chambers Streets, on the anniversary of the King's
birthday, and dedicated to King George, Pitt and Liberty, later called
Liberty Pole, held by the citizens of New York as the emblem of their
principles, was, in the night of Sunday, August 10, 1766, cut down by some
of the soldiers of the 28th regiment, quartered in the barracks, nearby.
The people considered the destruction of the pole an insult. When a large
assemblage of two or three thousand people gathered on the Common the
next day, headed by Isaac Sears, to take measures to replace their
standard and demand an explanation, the soldiers interfered and a
disturbance ensued in which the people used stones and brickbats to defend
themselves and the soldiers used their bayonets. As the unarmed people
retreated several were wounded with the weapons of the assailants. On the
12th a new pole was erected on the site of the first. After this
disturbance, the magistrates of the city and the officers of the regiment
met in the presence of the governor, and an amicable conclusion was
reached which it was supposed would prevent further trouble; but
notwithstanding this the second pole was cut down on Tuesday, September
23d. On the next day another was erected in its place, without any serious
disturbance.
The contest over the Liberty Pole continued until the opening of the War
of the Revolution. It made the place where the pole stood a center of
disturbance and the taverns on Broadway, near by, places, at times, of
considerable excitement. On the first anniversary of the repeal
preparations were made to celebrate the event. The people gathered at the
Liberty Pole on the 18th of March and at the appointed time met at
Bardin's King's Arms Tavern to dine and drink toasts appropriate to the
occasion. This could not justly have given any offense, but such rejoicing
by the people was unpleasant to the officers of the army, and the soldiers
looked upon it as a celebration of the defeat of the King and parliament
whom they served. That night the third pole was cut down by the soldiers,
who had become excited by what they had seen during the day.
The next day a larger and more substantial pole was erected in place of
the one cut down, secured with iron to a considerable height above the
ground. Attempts were made the same night both to cut it down and to
undermine it, but without effect. On Saturday night, the 21st, there was
an attempt made to destroy it by boring a hole into it and charging it
with powder, but this also failed. On Sunday night a strong watch was set
by the citizens at an adjacent house, probably Bardin's. During the night
a small company of soldiers appeared with their coats turned, armed with
bayonets and clubs, but finding that they were watched, after some words,
retired. On Monday, about six o'clock in the evening, a party of soldiers
marched past the pole and as they went by the King's Arms fired their
muskets at the house. One ball passed through the house and another lodged
in one of the timbers. On Tuesday, about one o'clock in the afternoon, the
same company of soldiers, as is supposed, took a ladder from a new
building and were proceeding towards the pole, when they were stopped and
turned back. The governor, the general and the magistrates then took
measures to prevent further trouble, and the newspaper states that "we
hope this matter, in itself trivial and only considered of importance by
the citizens as it showed an intention to offend and insult them will
occasion no further difference."
[Sidenote: Vauxhall Garden]
Readers of the literature of the eighteenth century are familiar with the
names of Ranelagh and Vauxhall, resorts of the idle and gay of London
society. The success and reputation of these places brought forward
imitators in all parts of the British dominions; and New York had both a
Vauxhall and a Ranelagh. Sam Francis obtained possession of the place on
the Church Farm, which had, early in the century, been known as the
Bowling Green, later as Mount Pleasant, and opened it as a pleasure
resort, which he called Vauxhall. A ball, which seems to have been of some
importance, was given here about the first of June, 1765. Shortly after it
became the residence of Major James, and was wrecked by the infuriated
populace on November 1st. In June, 1768, Francis announced that while he
had been absent from the city the house and garden had been occupied by
Major James, that they were then in good order, and that he had provided
everything necessary to accommodate his old friends and customers. The
next month, still calling the place Vauxhall Garden, he gave notice that
from eight in the morning till ten at night, at four shillings each
person, could be seen at the garden a group of magnificent wax figures,
"Ten in number, rich and elegantly dressed, according to the ancient
Roman and present Mode; which figures bear the most striking resemblance
to real life and represent the great Roman general, Publius Scipio, who
conquered the city of Carthage, standing by his tent pitched in a grove of
trees." Francis continued in the place, putting forward various
attractions, until 1774. He appears to have been a man of much business.
His absence from the city, which he alludes to, may have been caused by
his interests in Philadelphia, where at that time he had a tavern in Water
Street, in front of which he hung out the sign of Queen Charlotte, the
same as at his New York house.
[Sidenote: Ranelagh Garden]