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.
WAR MATERIAL FOR AMERICA (1774).
Source.—Calendar of Home Office Papers (1773-1775). Pp. 240 et seq.
Earl of Suffolk to the Earl of Dartmouth.
31 Aug.—Sends extracts from two letters from Sir Joseph Yorke relative to large quantities of gunpowder said to be purchased in Holland and shipped for some of the ports in North America.—St. James’s.
The enclosures. It was the house of Crommelin at Amsterdam which was chiefly concerned in this trade. A great quantity of war material was exported by the Dutch to St. Eustatia, the centre of all contraband in that part of the world.