=Source.=--_Calendar of Home Office Papers (1773-1775)._ Pp. 175 _et
seq._
_Lords of the Admiralty to the Earl of Dartmouth._
_27 Jan._--Enclosing a copy of another letter from Rear-Admiral
Montague, dated at Boston, the 17th Dec. last, give an account of a mob
having assembled and destroyed the tea exported from England by the
East India Company.--Admiralty Office.
The enclosure. On the evening of 16 Dec., between 6 and 7 o’clock, a
large mob assembled with axes, &c., encouraged by Mr. John Hancock,
Samuel Adams, and others, and marched in a body to where the ships lay,
and there destroyed the whole by starting it into the sea. During the
whole of this transaction neither the Governor, Magistrates, owners,
nor Revenue officers ever called for the Admiral’s assistance. If they
had, he could easily have prevented the execution of the plan, but must
have endangered the lives of many innocent people by firing on the town.
_Lord Viscount Barrington to the Earl of Dartmouth._
_28 Jan._--Enclosing copies of two letters from Lieut.-Col. Leslie,
commanding the 64th Regiment at Castle William, Boston.--War Office.
The enclosures, dated respectively the 6th and 17th Dec., 1773. In the
first Col. Leslie says that the four Commissioners of the Custom-house
and the five tea agents had taken refuge with him that day week, and
were likely to continue some time. The Governor had not mentioned any
desire of marching the regiment to town. Only two of the tea ships had
then arrived, and Mr. Hancock, “the Governor’s Captain of his Cadet
Company,” was mounting guard on board them, to prevent the landing of
that part of the cargo, “a most daring insult to his Excellency.” In
the second letter he states that the Sons of Liberty had destroyed 340
chests of tea that lay altogether at one of the wharfs. The fourth
vessel was stranded near to Cape Cod; but the tea was got safe on
shore, and it was expected it had shared the same fate as the last.
The regiment was ready, had it been called upon. The Council would
not agree to the troops going to town. “However, it must end in that.
Lenity won’t do now with the people here.” The gentlemen who had taken
refuge in Castle William still continued there.
_Chairman of the East India Company to Lord Dartmouth._
? _29 Jan._--Transmitting copies of several papers lately received
relative to the tea affair in America.--East India House, Saturday
night.
The enclosures; viz., (_b_) Petition from the Company’s agents in
Boston (Richard Clarke and Sons, Benjamin Faneuil, jun., and Thos. and
Elisha Hutchinson) to the Governor and Council; and minutes of the
meetings of the Council held thereupon.
(_c_) Letters from the agents to the Directors of the East India
Company, dated Castle William, near Boston, respectively the 2nd and
9th Dec. 1773.
(_d_) Letters from the Company’s agents (Roger Smith and Leger and
Greenwood) at Charlestown, South Carolina, dated respectively 4 and 18
Dec. 1773.
(_e_) Letter from the Boston agents to the Directors, dated Castle
William, 17 Dec. 1773.
The Boston agents petitioned the Governor and Council to take charge
of the tea on its arrival. The meetings of the Council when this
petition was taken into consideration were several times adjourned
between 19 and 29 Nov. Finally, on the latter date a committee of
Council, consisting of James Bowdoin, Samuel Dexter, and John Winthrop,
Esq., having been previously appointed to draw up a report of the
debate, to be presented to the Governor, their report was discussed
and accepted. It described the origin of the disturbances to be the
Act laying a duty upon tea in America, and, in regard to the petition,
referred the petitioners for personal protection to the justices of
the peace, and declared they had no authority to take the tea, or any
other merchandise, out of the agent’s care, while, if they advised the
landing of it, the duty would have to be paid or secured, and they
would therefore be advising a measure inconsistent with the declared
sentiments of both Houses in the last winter session of the General
Court, advice which they considered to be altogether inexpedient and
improper. They said they had seen with regret some late disturbances,
and had advised the prosecution of their authors. The letters of the
agents give an account of the people’s proceedings, and that they
themselves had been obliged to take refuge in Castle William. The
letter of 17 Dec. announces the destruction of the tea.
In Charlestown, after several meetings of the townspeople, it was
decided that the teas should not be allowed to be landed, whilst six
months was allowed to consume the teas then on hand, after which time
no teas were to be used on any pretence whilst the duty payable in
America continued.