FOR THE DISCOVERING AND APPREHENDING THE PERSONS WHO PLUNDERED AND
BURNT THE GASPEE SCHOONER; AND BARBAROUSLY WOUNDED AND ILL TREATED
LIEUTENANT WILLIAM DUDINGSTON, COMMANDER OF THE SAID SCHOONER.
Whereas We have received Information, That upon the 10^{th} Day of
June last, between the Hours of Twelve and One in the Morning, in
the Providence or Narrowganset River, in Our Colony of Rhode-Island
and Providence Plantations, a great Number of Persons, armed with
Guns and other offensive Weapons and led by Two Persons, who were
called the Captain and Head-Sheriff, in several armed Boats, attacked
and Boarded Our Vessel called the Gaspee[1] Schooner, then lying at
single Anchor in the said River, commanded by Our Lieutenant William
Dudingston, under the Orders of Our Rear-Admiral John Montagu, and
having dangerously wounded and barbarously treated the said William
Dudingston, took, plundered and burnt the said Schooner: We, to the
Intent that such outrageous and heinous Offenders may be discovered,
and brought to condign Punishment, have thought fit, with the Advice
of Our Privy Council, to issue this Our Royal Proclamation: And We are
hereby graciously pleased to promise, that if any Person or Persons
shall discover any other Person or Persons concerned in the said
daring and heinous Offences, above mentioned, so that he or they may
be apprehended and brought to Justice, such Discoverer shall have and
receive, as a Reward for such Discovery, upon Conviction of each of
the said Offenders, the Sum of Five Hundred Pounds. And if any Person
or Persons shall discover either of the said Persons who acted as,
or called themselves, or were called by their said Accomplices, the
Head-Sheriff or the Captain, so that they, or either of them, may be
apprehended and brought to Punishment, such Discoverer shall have and
receive, as a Reward for such Discovery, upon Conviction of either
of the said Persons, the further Sum of Five Hundred pounds, over
and above the Sum of Five Hundred Pounds herein before promised, for
the discovery and apprehending any of the other common Offenders,
abovementioned; and if any Person or Persons concerned therein,
except the Two Persons who were called the Head-Sheriff, and Captain,
and the Person or Persons who wounded Our said Lieutenant William
Dudingston, shall discover any one or more of the said Accomplices,
so that he or they may be apprehended and brought to Punishment,
such Discoverer shall have and receive the said Reward or Rewards of
Five Hundred Pounds, or One Thousand Pounds, as the Case may be, and
also Our gracious Pardon for his said Offence. And the Commissioners
for executing the Office of Treasurer of Our Exchequer, are hereby
required to make Payment accordingly of the said Rewards. And We do
hereby strictly charge and command all Our Governors, Deputy-Governors,
Magistrates, Officers, and all other Our Loving Subjects, that they
do use their utmost Diligence in their several Places and Capacities,
to find out, discover and apprehend the said Offenders, in Order to
their being brought to Justice. And We do hereby command that this Our
Proclamation be printed and published in the usual Form,[2] and affixed
in the principal Places of Our Town of Newport, and other Towns in Our
said Colony, that none may pretend Ignorance.
Given at Our Court at St. James's, the Twenty-Sixth Day of August,
1772, in the Twelfth Year of Our Reign.