THE BOSTON TEA-SHIPS. 67 



a warm friend to the American cause. In answer to a taunting 1 speech from Grenville, 

 he 'replied : " We are told that America is obstinate that America is almost in open 

 rebellion. Sir, I rejoice that America has resisted. Three millions of people so dead 

 to all the feelings of liberty as voluntarily to submit to be slaves, would have been fit 

 instruments to make slaves of all the rest/' The Stamp Act was repealed March 19th, 

 1766, and in London itself was received with so much joy, that there was a general 

 illumination, amid the ringing of church bells; and in America it was hailed with 

 satisfaction, although subsequent action on the part of the English Government soon 

 obliterated all memory of the concession. 



Passing over political complications which led to the American Revolution, we must 

 allude to the Tea Tax, the resistance to which was as strong as to any previous measure 

 of our misguided Government. The Government decided to enforce it, although they 

 were aware of its unpopularity, and the East India Company, which had the vast stock 

 of 17,000,000 Ibs. on hand, freighted several of their ships to America. Mark 

 the result.* 



On the 28th November, 1773, the ship Dartmouth appeared in Boston Harbour with 

 one hundred and fourteen chests of the East India Company's tea. To keep the Sabbath 

 strictly was the New England usage. But hours were precious ; let the tea be entered, 

 and it would be beyond the power of the consignee to send it back. The Select men held 

 one meeting by day, and another in the evening, but they sought in vain for the 

 consignees, who had taken sanctuary in the castle. 



The Committee of Correspondence was more efficient. They met also on Sunday ; 

 and obtained from the Quaker, Potch, who owned the Dartmouth, a promise not to enter 

 his ship till Tuesday; and authorised Samuel Adams to invite the Committees of the five 

 surrounding towns, Dorchester, Roxbury, Brookline, Cambridge, and Charlestown, with 

 their own townsmen and those of Boston, to hold a mass meeting the next morning. 

 Faneuil Hall could not contain the people that poured in on Monday. The concourse 

 was the largest ever known. Adjourning to "The Old South" Meeting House, on the 

 motion of Samuel Adams, the assembly, composed of five thousand persons, resolved, 

 unanimously, that " the tea should be sent back' to the place from whence it came at all 

 events, and that no duty should be paid on it." "The only way to get rid of it," said 

 Mr. Young, " is to throw it overboard." The consignees asked for time to prepare their 

 answer ; and, " out of great tenderness," the body postponed proceeding with it till the 

 next morning. Meantime the owner and master of the ship were convented, and forced 

 to promise not to land the tea. A watch was also proposed. " I," said Hancock, " will 

 be one of it, rather than that there should be none ;" and a party of twenty-five persons, 

 under the orders of Edward Proctor as its captain, was appointed to guard the tea-ship 

 during the night. 



The next morning the consignees jointly gave in their answer: "It is utterly 

 impossible to send back the teas; but we now declare to you our readiness to store them, 

 until we shall receive further directions from our constituents !" that is, until they could 



* The above account is principally derived from Bancroft. 



