Old Boston Days & Ways. Mary Caroline Crawford
of Grenadiers in red with every other apparatus, that equal any regular Company I ever saw both in regard to appearance and discipline, having a grand band of musick consisting of eight that play nearly equal to that of the 64th.
What crowns all is the Cadet company, being perfectly compleat and under the best order you can conceive of, with a band of musick likewise, that perform admirably well. What with these and Paddock's company of artillery make ye compleatest militia in America; . . .
In addition to all this the Town House is fitted up in the most elegant manner, with the whole of the outside painted of a stone color, which gives it a fine appearance." Enter now the dramatis persona of the famous Tea Drama! ..." Arrived Saturday evening . . . the detested Tea. What will be done with it, I can't say: but I tremble for ye consequences should ye consignees still persist in their obstinacy and not consent to reship it. They have softened down so far as to offer it to the care of the Council or the town till such times as they hear from their friends in England, but am perswaded, from the present dispositions of ye people that no other alternative will do, than to have it immediately sent back to London again. . . . Ye bells are ringing for a general muster, and a third vessel is now arriv'd in Nantasket road. Handbills are stuck up, calling upon Friends! Citizens! and Countrymen!
Several of these handbills are in possession of the Massachusetts Historical Society, and one which was reproduced in Draper's Gazette of November 3, 1773, reads as follows: "To the Freemen of this and the neighboring towns: "Gentlemen, — You are desired to meet at Liberty Tree, this day at twelve o'clock at noon; then and there to hear the persons to whom the tea shipped by the East India Company is consigned, make a public resignation of their office as consignees, upon oath; and also swear that they will reship any teas that may be consigned to them by said Company by the first vessel sailing for London.
"O. C. Secretary.
"Show us the man that dare take this down."
On December 1, 1773, Mr. Andrews writes: "Having just return'd from Fire Club, and am now, in company with the two Miss Masons and Mr. Williams of your place, at Sam. Eliot's, who has been dining with him at Col. Hancock's and acquaints me that Mr. Palfrey sets off Express for New York and Philadelphia at five o'clock tomorrow morning, to communicate y' transactions of this town respecting the tea. . . . The consignees have all taken their residence at the Castle, as they still persist in their refusal to take the tea back. Its not only ye town, but the country are unanimous against the landing it, and at Monday and Tuesday Meetings, they attended to the number of some hundreds from all the neighboring towns within a dozen miles."
The next letter, dated December 18, 1773, was all worn to shreds when the editor of the series, Winthrop Sargent, transcribed it. Its battered condition was due, doubtless, to its having been passed from one curious hand to another. The matter in it is the most extraordinary to be found in any original document of American history.
"... Such is the calm composure of the people that a stranger would hardly think that ten thousand pounds sterling of the East India Company's tea was destroy'd the night or rather evening before last, yet it's a serious truth; and if yours together with the other Southern provinces, should rest satisfied with their quota being stor'd, poor Boston will feel the whole weight of ministerial vengeance. However, its the opinion of most people that we stand an equal chance now, whether troops are sent in consequence of it or not; whereas, had it been stored, we should inevitably have had 'em, — to enforce the sale of it.
"The affair was transacted with the greatest regularity and dispatch. Mr. Rotch, finding he exposed himself, not only to the loss of his ship but for y' value of the tea, in case he sent her back without it [the tea], without a clearance from the custom house as ye Admiral kept a ship in readiness to make a seizure of it whenever it should sail under those circumstances; therefore declined complying with his former promises, and absolutely declared his vessel should not carry it without a proper clearance could be procured or he to be indemnified for the value of her: — when a general muster was assembled, from this and all ye neighboring towns, to the number of five or six thousand, at 10 o'clock Thursday morning in the Old South Meeting House, where they passed a unanimous vote that the tea should go out of the harbour that afternoon, and sent a committee with Mr. Rotch to y' Custom house to demand a clearance, which the collector told 'em was not in his power to give, without the duties being first paid. They then sent Mr. Rotch to Milton to ask a pass from y° Governor, who sent for answer that 'consistent to the rules of government and his duty to the King he could not grant one without they produced a previous clearance from the office.' "By the time he returned with this message the candles were light in the house, and upon reading it, such prodigious shouts were made that induced me, while drinking tea at home, to go out and know the cause of it. The house was so crowded I could go no farther than the porch, when I found the moderator was just declaring the meeting to be dissolved, which caused another general shout, outdoors and in, and three cheers. What with that and the consequent noise of breaking up the meeting, you'd have thought that 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: but still, not crediting it without ocular demonstration, I went and was satisfied. They mustered, I'm told on Fort Hill, to the number of about two hundred, and proceeded two by two to Griffin's wharf, where . . .before nine o'clock in the evening every chest from 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 cloathed in Blankets with the heads muffled, and copper color'd countenances, being each armed with a hatchet or axe and pair of pistols. . . . Should not have troubled you with this by this post hadn't I thought you would be glad of a more particular account of so important a transaction, than you could have obtained by common report.
"Sunday evening, I give you joy of your easy riddance of the banefull herb; being just informed by the arrival of the post that its gone from whence it came. You may bless your stars that you have not a H—n and board of Commissioners resident with you. I forgot to acquaint you last evening that a brig belonging to one of the consignees is at shore on ye back of Cape Cod, drove thither by a storm last Fryday week who has the last quota of Tea for this place, being 58 chests, which compleats the 400. — Am informed some Indians were met on ye road to Plimouth, which is almost fifty miles this side of Cape Cod. Its unlucky that brig has ye lamps on board for illuminating our streets. Am sorry if they are lost, as we shall be deprived of their benefit this winter in consequence of it."
The lamps were not lost. John Rowe's Diary for March 3, 1774, records: "Last evening the Lamps were Lighted for the first time — they Burnt Tolerable Well."
"April 14, 1774. Have enclosed you the anniversary oration delivered by Col. Hancock.
Its generally allowed to be a good composition and asserted to be his own production both spirited and nervous."
As a matter of fact this oration was written by Samuel Adams. That wise "mover of the puppets " saw very clearly that it would avail more to the cause if fiery arguments seemed for once to proceed from a rich and well-born gentleman like Hancock. (On another occasion Hancock read as his own a speech which had been written for him by Theophilus Parsons and, when he concluded, one of his friends hastily took the manuscript from him that the handwriting might not be observed. Hancock appears to have lent himself without scruple to these little deceptions, very likely because he really believed that the "salvation of the nation" rested upon him, and that any such expedient was, therefore, justifiable.) General Gage, upon his arrival in Boston, was given a very hearty welcome, — chiefly, as it would seem, because he was to supersede Hutchinson. Andrews describes the affair thus: "Our Militia was yesterday mustered for the reception of General Gage, who was proclaimed Governor, amid the acclamations of the people. He expressed himself as sensible of the unwelcome errand he came upon, but . . . would do all in his power to serve us. Whether they were only words or not of course can't say; am a little doubtfull. There was an elegant entertainment provided for him at Faneuil Hall, and after a number of toasts gave by him in which the prosperity of the town of Boston was included, he gave Governor Hutchinson, which was received by a general hiss. . . .
The damned arch traitor, as he