Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1855-05-17
VOLUME XII. NO. q.

Boston and neighboring towns to meet at .bs
same time and place as witnesses.
On the appointed day large flag was bnn.
on the pole at Liberty Tree; the bells in the
meetng-honses were rung from eleven till nom.
Adams, Hancock and Phillips, three of the four
representatives of the town of Boston. the ne.
iectmen, and William Cooper, town clerk. with
about five hundred more, gathered around the
spot As the consignees did not make their ap- Z
pearance, the assembly appointed Molineauk,
Warren and others, committee, and marohed
into State Street to the warehouse ofRichard
Clarke, where all the consignees were assembled
Molineaux presented himself fer parley,
From whom are you compi led :.
Clarke. ssa1ss,-
From the whole people. 4.
WHO arsshssdosasas -
| Nothing is now 70 be kept secret, replied
Mollneaux; am one, and he named all. the
rest. =.
And what is your requesti'
Molineaux read paper requiring to promise
not to sell the teas but to return them to Lon.
don in the same bottoms in which they were
shipped
Will you comply!'
Shall have nothing to do with you,' an
swered Clarke, roughly and peremptorily.
The same question was put to the other con-
signees, one by one, who each and all answer
ed -
l cannot comply with your demand
Moiineaux then read another paper, contain
ing resolve passed at Liberty Tree, that the
consgnees who should refuse to comply with
the request of the people were enemies to their
country. Descending into the street, he made
his report to the people.
out with them out with them , was the
cry; but he dissuaded them from violence.
After further details as to the consignees and
of the committees of correspondence and the
council, the narrative proceeds -
The true-hearted people were as vigilant as
they were determined The men of Cambridge
assembled on the 9th, and. after adoptinp the
Philadelphia resolves, ''yery unanimously vo-
ted "that, as Boston was struggling for the lib
critics OF their country, they could no longer
stand idle Spectators, but were ready on the
shortest notice to join with it and other towns in
any measure that might be thought proper to
deliver themselves posterity from slavery" The
next day the town of Charlestown assembled
and showed such spirit that ever after its COM
mittee was added to those who assumed the ex-
ecutive direction.
The combination was hardly finished when on
Sunday, rhe 2Sth of November, the ship Dart
mouth appeared in Boston harbor, with one hun
tired ard fourteen chests Of the East India Com
panys tea. To keep the Sabbath strictly was
the New England usage. But hours were prec-
ious; let the tea be entered, and it would be be-
yond the power of the consignees to send it back.
The seleotmen held one meeting by day and
another in the evening, but they sought in vain
for the conSlgnecs, who had taken sanctuary in
the castle.
The committee of correspondence was more
efhcient' They met also on Sunday, they OBJ
tanned from the Quaker, Rotch, who owned the
dartmouth, a promise not to enter his ship till
Tuesday, and authorized Samuel Adams to n-
vlte the committee of the five surrounding
towns, Dorchester, Roxbury, Brookline, Cam
bridge and Charlestown, with their own towns
men, and those of Boston, to hold mass meet
ing the next morning. Faneull Hall could not
contain the people that poured in on Monday.
The concourse was the largest ever known. Ad-
Journing to the Old South Meeting House JON
athan Williams did not fear to act as moderator.
nor Samuel Adams, Hancock, Young, Molineux
and Warren, to conduct the business of tho
meeting. On the motion of Samuel Adams. who
entered fully into the question, the assembly,
composed of upwards 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 Young,
is to throw it overheard.
Tho consignees asked for time to prepare their
answer, and "out of great tenderness thew
postponed giving it until the next morning.
meantime the owner and master Of the ship were
converted and forced to promise not to land the
tea watch was proposed l, said Hancock,
will be one of it rather than there should be
none' and party of twenty-five persons, un-
: der the orders Of Edward Proctor, as its cap
tain, was appointed to guard the tea-ship dur
ing the night. ~
After detailing further proceedings and the
arrival of more teaships, the narrative concludes
thus -
On Saturday the 1lth, Rotch, the owner of
the Dartmouth is summoned before the Boston
!. committee, with Samuel Adams in the chair,
and asked why he had not kept the engagement
to take his vessel and tea back to London with
q in twenty days of its arrival He pleaded that
e it was out of his power The ship must co.
was the reply the people of Boston and the
3 neighboring towns absolutely require and ex-
pect it !; and they bade him ask for clearance
and pass, with proper witnesses of his demand.
Were il mine, said leading merchant, Il
certainly would send it back. Hutchinson ac-
, ouainted Admiral Montague with what was
/ passing on which the Active and King fisher,
though they had been laid up for the winter,
, were sent to guard the passages out of the har-
Dor. At the same time orders were given BY
the Governor to load guns at the castle, 50 that
no vessel, except coasters, might go to sea with
out permit. He had no thought of what was
to happen; the wealth of Hancock, Phillips,
Rowe, Dennie, and so many other men of prop
erty, seemed to give him security against yio-