USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > Manchester > History of Manchester, formerly Derryfield, in New-Hampshire : including that of ancient Amoskeag, or the middle Merrimack Valley, together with the address, poem, and other proceedings of the centennial celebration of the incorporation of Derryfield at Manchester, October 22, 1851 > Part 45
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The first importation consisted of twenty-seven chests, and came consigned to Edward Parry, of Portsmouth, and was landed before the people knew of its arrival, on the 25th day of June, 1774. The people became greatly excited, and the Se- lectmen forthwith issued a notice for a Town Meeting at the North meeting house, on the 27th instant. The proceedings of this meeting were as follows ;
"Province of New Hampshire, Rockingham. ss.
At a Town Meeting, held at the North Meeting House in Portsmouth, on the 27th day of June, 1774.
Voted, Mr. Thomas Hart, Moderator.
At the same meeting, a committee of eleven respectable in- habitants, were elected to treat with the consignee, and to de- liberate what would be most expedient to be done in a cause of so much difficulty and intricacy, and to report at the adjournment the result of their proceedings.
Voted, That a watch of twenty-five men be appointed to take place at 8 o'clock, P. M. at the expense of the town, to take care and secure the tea, being 27 chests, in the care of George Meserve, Esq., and prevent any insult that may arise to any individual until the adjournment of this meeting.
Voted unanimously, That the proceedings of this meeting. hitherto are satisfactory to the town, and the watch are desired to give the earliest notice to the Inhabitants, should any dis- turbance arise, by ringing the bell or any other method, and the inhabitants be and hereby are desired to use every method in their power to prevent such disorder, and to keep up the good order and peace of the Town.
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TEA AT PORTSMOUTH.
Voted, That this meeting be adjourned to Tuesday the 28th inst. three o'clock in the afternoon.
Met according to adjournment.
Voted, That three gentlemen be and hereby are a committee to wait on Edward Parry, Esq. and desire his attendance at this meeting.
At which time the committee reported as follows ;
"We the Committee appointed by the town to consult what is expedient and necessary to be done with twenty-seven chests of Tea, lately imported and landed here, consigned to Edward Parry Esq., having taken into our calm and serious consideration, the general uneasiness and anxiety which pre- vail among the inhabitants of this and neighboring towns on account of said Tea being sent and landed here at this critical juncture of public affairs, while the same is subject to a duty imposed by the parliament of Great Britain, for the purpose of raising a revenue in the British Colonies, without their consent and after this, and all the other governments upon this conti- nent have repeatedly and publickly signified their disapproba- tion of the impotation and sale of Teas subject to a duty upon being landed in the colonies, the knowledge of which we im- agine must have been communicated to the consignor, pre- vious to the exportation and consignment of said Tea to his friend here, likewise the dependent state of this town and province upon our sister colonies, even for necessary supplies, which would undoubtedly and justly be denied the inhabitants of this town and government, in case they should tamely suf- fer the sale and consumption of said Tea among them ; and being tenderly concerned for the support and preservation of the peace and welfare of this town and province, for the se- curity of the property of the consignor, the interest of the con- signee, and in order to prevent said Tea from being destroyed by the hands of violence which we greatly fear would be the consequence if the same should not be immediately reshipt and sent out of this port. We therefore reccommend to the con- signee as the result of our deliberation, that the same Tea should be reshipt and sent ont of this port by twelve o'clock, Wednesday next, and that he would please to give his answer in writing to this request by twelve o'clock this day.
Portsmouth, 28th June, 1774.
To which the consignee gave the following answer ;
To the committee appointed by the town of Portsmouth for.
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THE HISTORY OF MANCHESTER.
consulting what is expedient and necessary to be done with the 27 chests of Bohea-tea, consigued to Edward Parry.
Portsmouth, June 28, 1774.
Gentlemen,
I have received this morning your proposals and recom- mendation of such measures as you think proper for me to pursue to preserve the Tea consigned to my address, as a pri- vate commercial commodity. I am unwilling to irritate the minds of the people, and should be glad of acting consistent with my duty to my employer who consigned the Tea to me without my advice or knowledge, and I am confident he would not have shipped it, unless he thought it would have been agreeable to the country, by the unhappy commotions in these colonies having subsided. As you have expressed your oppin- ions for the towu, that you are under great apprehensions of violence and danger to the Tea, I am willing for its preserva- tion, as also for the peace and quietness of the town, and the fatigue and trouble of such a great number of persons to watch it, that if you chuse to take the protection of it, that it may be safely preserved and put on board the first proper ves- sel that I can procure to ship it out of this port to some other place for its greater security, and that the vessel and Tea may be sufficiently protected out of this port by you or such proper persons as you appoint.
I shall wait your answer. EDWARD PARRY.
The committee having reported to the town their proposals to Edward Parry, Esq., and his answer to the same, Voted that this town will lend their kind assistance to protect the Tea, safely on board any vessel that may be provided by said Parry, for carrying the same Tea out of this port as soon as may be ; and that they will further assist to protect it while in port, upon said Parry's agreeing he will not import the same again into this province, until Tea is allowed to be freely im- ported and sold here, which was agreed to by the consignee.
Voted, That the same Committee be appointed to assist Ed- ward Parry, Esq., in getting said Tea safely on board immedi- ately, and to see the foregoing vote carried into execution as soon as may be.
Voted, That the same watch or major part thereof be ap- pointed to protect said Tea until the same is carried out of this port in manner aforesaid.
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TEA AT PORTSMOUTH.
Voted, That it is agreeable to this town that Captain Ben- jamin Partridge carry the satd Tea out of this port at the re- quest of said Parry.
Voted, That this meeting be and hereby is adjourned to Wednesday 29th inst. at three o'clock in the afternoon.
June 29, 1774. Met according to adjournment.
Voted, That there shall be a new committee appointed to take care that the said Tea be sent safely out of port as soon as may be.
Voted, a committee of seven persons further to treat with Mr. Parry, the Consignee, and inform him, that the town ex- pect the sloop Molly, owned by Mr. Benjamin Partridge, hav- ing now on board said tea, proceed out of this port on her in- tended voyage within four hours of seven o'clock, in the af- ternoon of this day, and to take every prudent measure to pre- vent any injury being doue to said tea, and that said Commit- tee be desired to inform the Consignee, that the town will hold themselves under no obligations to give him any further assistance after that time is expir'd. $
Voted, That this meeting be and hereby is adjourned to Thursday morning 30th inst, at ten o'clock.
Met according to adjournment.
Voted, That the committee be and hereby are impower'd to enquire the reason why the said sloop does not proceed on her voyage, and report the reasons to this meeting at the adjourn- ment.
Voted, That this meeting be adjourned to four o'clock this afternoon, to be held at the Revd Dr. Haven's meeting-house.
Met according to adjournment.
When the committe reported, that the sloop was detained some time to get water, since which, she had left the port, and proceeded on her voyage.
Voted unanimously, That the thanks of the town be given to the present committee for their good services.
Voted unanimously, That the thanks of the town, be also given to those other gentlemen that have given their kind at- town.
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THE HISTORY OF MANCHESTER.
Voted, That a committee of eleven persons, they or any sev- en of them be and hereby are a committe of Inspection to ex- amine and find out if any Tea is imported here, and upon dis- covery of any being brought into this port, or Town, to give the earliest notice thereof to the Town.
Voted, That three persons be appointed a committee to make report to the town at the adjournment of this meeting of a draught against the importation, use, consumption or sale of all Teas, in this town while the same are subject to a duty.
Voted, That this meeting be adjourned to Friday the 8th day of July, next ensuing, at 3 o'clock in the afternoon to the north meeting house, and is accordingly adjourned."
In this matter the Governor's sympathies were understood to be with the people, and it is known that he was in favor of every conciliatory measure, that should allay excitement, and prevent an open rupture with the government. The excite- ment somewhat subsided, when on the 22d of July, Capt. Odiorne, returned from Halifax and reported the safe arrival of the tea at that port. The announcement was made thus in the public print ;
"On the same day, arrived the sloop Molly, Capt. Odiorne, in seven days from Halifax, being the same vessel that carried the tea from this place. The Captain assures us that he safe- ly landed that disagreeable commodity there, though much against the minds of the inhabitants, who are determined not to purchase it."
At the meeting. on the 20th of June, three persons were ap- pointed to draw up "a draught against the importation, use, consumption, or sale of teas, while the same are subject of du- ty." The committee reported such an agreement at an ad- journed meeting on the 8th of July.
The agreement was as follows ;
Whereas, the Importation, Sale, and Consumption of any East-India Teas, at this particular time is productive of Conse- quences fatal to ourselves and our posterity ; and as we con- ceive it to be an insult upon, and an open Affront to any mem- ber of this Community, to be told that he has not Virtue or Resolution enough, to resist so trifling a temptation as the Use of TEA, when the LIBERTY in which God has made him free, is endangered ; and Generations yet unborn may feel the Effects of, such an unmanly Attachment-We the Subscribers
2.
403
TEA AT PEMBROKE AND COHOS.
being determined to rise superior to such reflections, do hereby plight our Faith and Honor to each other-that from and af- ter the loith day of July 1774, we will not import, sell, pur- chase or consume any Kind of East-India Teas, nor suffer the same to be used in our respective Families with our Knowl- edge, until the present Duty on Teas imported into the colo- nies shall be taken off and the port of Boston opened."
This agreement was generally signed throughout the Prov- ince.
Meantime, but few dared to expose for sale the obnoxious article, and those only the most obnoxious tories. A Mr. Dix persisted in selling teå at Pembroke, but a company of "sons of liberty" from the adjacent towns, under the command of Andrew McClary, made him a visit, and taking the tea from the store, made a bonfire of it in the public street. At Haver- hill, the tea of a pedlar was seized and disposed of in like manner. The Gazette thus noticed this affair ;
"We hear from Cohos, (a remote part of this province ) that some Time last Week, a number of honest Savages, Friends to the Rights of America, having information of a small quantity of Bohea-Tea lodg'd by a pedling Trader, at the house of an Innholder in Haverhill, entered the same without Ceremony, and having seized on the execrated Weed, convey'd it into the public Road, and immediately made a burnt offering of the Whole. A Proof this, that the same spirit of freedom pervades and enlivens the remotest Parts of our English Settlements."
On the 8th of September, the town of Portsmouth was again thrown into excitement by the arrival at its port of thir- ty chests of tea, in the mast ship Fox, Capt. Zachariah Nor- man, Master, consigned by Anthony Bacon, Esq. of London. What added to the excitement was the fact, that the tea was consigned to Mr. Edward Parry, the same man who had been consignee of the tea landed on the 25th of June, and who now expressed a determination to accept the consignment of the tea. The knowledge of this fact transpiring, the populace collected in large numbers on Thursday evening, Sept. 8, 1774, and marching with drum and fife to the residence of Mr. Par- ry, assailed him with various opprobious epithets, broke in his windows, and threatened a second visit with a coat of tar and feathers, should he accept the consignment of the tea on board the Fox, or should not re-ship it immediately. Mr. Parry put
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THE HISTORY OF MANCHESTER.
himself under the protection of the Government, by the fol- lowing paper ;
"To His Excellency the Governor, and the Honorable His Majesty's Council.
The Petition of Edward Parry-humbly sheweth-
That a merchant of the City of London has ship'd Thirty Chests of Tea being his private property for the port of Pis- cataqua, by the ship Fox, Zacha Norman, Master, which is ar- rived, and the same is consigned to your Petitioner for sale, without his being previously acquainted therewith or advising or recommending thereto.
That your petitioner is under the greatest Apprehensions of danger to himself and property from the violence of the con- duct and proceedings of numbers of persons within the Prov- ince, should he attempt to vend the tea consigned to him ; and yesterday Evening a mob violently assembled with Fjfes, Drums, &c. threw stones &c. at your petitioner's lodgings, broke his Windows, and the stones were thrown with such violence, as to force open the inside Window Shutters, of the room he inhabited, and that the resolves and proceedings of the town of Portsmouth, the 16th of last December, the 27th, 28th 29th and 30th of June following, are intended to be expresive of the general sense of the town to which I beg leave to re- fer your Excellency, and the honorable board.
Your petitioner therefore begs leave to resign himself and the property committed to his care to your Excellency and Honors as Guardians and Protectors of the People; humbly praying that measures may be directed for the landing and securing the Teas until your Petitioner can be at Liberty openly and safe- ly to dispose of the same, or until he can receive directions from His Constituent.
And your petitioner will ever pray, &c.
EDW. PARRY.
Portsmouth, New Hampshire,
September, 9th, 1774,"
From this it would seem, that it had been his object to "vend the tea consigned to him."
The Governor summoned a meeting of the Council, and the assistance of the Magistrates, and no farther violence was committed.
The next day the people assembled in Town Meeting, and Mr. Parry being present, he publicly declared that he would not
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GOV. WENTWORTH DISSOLVES THE ASSEMBLY.
accept the consignment of said tea, nor have any thing to do with it ; and Capt. Norman of the Fox, promised to re-ship it to Halifax, forthwith, at his own expense. A committee was chosen to see these promises executed in good faith, under whose inspection the tea was put on board another vessel, under Capt. Fernald, which with the "pernicious, destructive, troub- lesome, Commodity," on board, sailed down the river accom- panied by the committee, who reported that they saw the tea "on board another vessel," and that vessel, "with the tea on board, outside of Fort Point." Thus ended this excitement which momentarily threatened the peace of the town and the Province.
In this affair, the Governor acted with his usual prudence and sagacity.
Meantime, the Governor had been in difficulty with the As- sembly of the Province. At the meeting of this body in the spring of 1774, the House of representatives appointed a com- mittee of correspondence, and took measures to stem the tide of British oppression.
The Governor tried to defeat these measures, and for this purpose adjourned the Assembly, and afterwards on the 8th of June, dissolved this body, by message thus ;
"Mr. Speaker, and Gentlemen of the Assembly.
As I look upon the Measures entered upon by the House of Assembly, to be inconsistent with his Majesty's Service, and the good of this Government, it is my Duty, as far as in me lies, to prevent any detriment that might arise from such pro- ceedings. I do therefore DISSOLVE the General Assembly, of this province and it is dissolved accordingly.
J. WENTWORTH. Province of New Hampshire,
Council Chamber, June, 8th."
Upon this dissolution, the Committee of Safety summoned the Representatives to meet to consult upon the public safety, and they accordingly assembled in the Representatives' Hall ; but the Governor coming in with the Sheriff of the County, or- dered him to "make proclamation for all persons to disperse and keep the King's peace." The Representatives adjourned to an- other room, and sent circulars to all the towns in the Province, to send delegates to a Convention to be holden at Exeter on the 21st, of July, to take into consideration the alarmning state of
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THE HISTORY OF MANCHESTER.
the country. July 21st the Convention assembled, eighty-five members being in attendance. These chose John Sullivan and Nathaniel Folsom, Esqs., delegates to the proposed Congress at Philidelphia, and recommended that the several towns, "take into consideration the distressed, unhappy condition of the town of Boston, and liberally to contribute towards the relief of the poor of that town."
About this time, the British troops at Boston were without barracks, and the carpenters of Boston and its neighborhood, were so patriotic, that they would not assist in building bar- racks to protect troops sent there to enslave them. In this di- lemma, Gen. Gage, applied to Governor Wentworth to engage carpenters in this Province to be sent to Boston to build these barracks. Governor Wentworth engaged to furnish them, and employed secret agents to hire men for this purpose, in the neighborhood of Wolfborough and Middleton. The secret how- ever got out, and the Province was again in a blaze of excite- ment. The "Committee of Ways and Means" of the town of Portsmouth, at the head of which was an uncle of the Gov- ernor, had the matter before them in form, and after due con- sideration, passed the following Preamble and Resolutions.
PORTSMOUTH, Oct. 27, 1774.
Whereas there has been a Report prevailing in this town, for some Days past, that a Number of Artificers have been procur- ed, at the Town of Wolfborough, and the Towns thereabouts, by some Person or Persons under the crown, to assist the troops now at Boston, in Building Barracks, &c., contrary to the Opin- ion of our Bretheren there.
The commitee of Ways and Means for this Town, having met to consider the same, and having great Reason to Believe said Report, and thinking it our Duty to bear Testimony against such proceedings, Do resolve as follows, viz :
1. That it is our opinion, the Person, or Persons (when un- der the Crown or not,) who has been so cruel and unmanly as to engage Artificers, in this Province to give the least assistance to the Troops now at Boston, when the Inhabitants there have nobly refused ; discovers a Disposition, not only to Ingratiate him or themselves, with Gen Gage, (which is mean and low,) but also to give every Assistance to the present dispotic Measures and therefore should be considered as an Enemy or Enemies to the Community.
2. That it is our Opinion, those men who have been so
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GOV. WENTWORTH EMPLOYS ARTIFICERS.
base, to undertake as Artificers, (and thereby reflecting, not only on their respective Towns but the Province in general, ) should be considered as Enemies to our Liberties, and should not be received at their return, as members worthy of Socie- ty.
3. That it is our opinion that should those Artificers, (on reflection )find themselves to have been imposed upon, by their Employers, to undertake a Matter which is so disagreeable, and determine to leave such scandalous Employment, and return to their respective Habitations immediately, may be received to the Friendship of their Townsmen ; but if not, should be consider- ed as in the second Resolve.
By order of the Committee. HUNKING WENTWORTH.
Chairman."
The name of one of the Governor's secret agents transpired ; it was one Nicholas Austin, of Middleton, and at a muster at Rochester, the "sons of Liberty," agreed to send for Austin and deal with him. Accordingly, a Committee of correspondence consisting of John Wingate, John Plummer, and John Mc Duf- fee addressed a note to Austin, notyfying him of their suspic- ions and requesting his attendance before the "'sons of liberty," on the 1th of Nov. at Rochestor. Austin appeared at the time appointed, and being examined under oath before Justice · Plummer, acknowledged he had been employed by Governor Wentworth to hire men to go to Boston ; that he had thus em- ployed four only ; and that the Governor "told him the people would be dissatisfied when they come to know it, but he thought it would be for the best." On his knees, Austin made the fol- lowing confession.
"Before this company, I confess I have been aiding and assist ing in sending men to Boston to build Barracks for the sol- diers to live in, at which you have reason justly to be offended which I am sorry for, and humbly ask your forgiveness ; and I affirm, that for the future, I never will be acting or assisting in any wise whatever, in Act or Deed, contrary to the Constitu- tion of the Country, as witness my Hand,
NICHOLAS AUSTIN.
The conduct of the Governor was censured throughout the Province, and henceforth he retained but the mere shadow of authority.
The people of the Province were more fully awake to their
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THE HISTORY OF MANCHESTER.
condition, and the loyalists as well as the "Sons of Liberty," were busily at work in following out their antagonistic plans. A call had been issued for another Convention of Delegates to be holden on the 25th of January 1775, and pains were being taken to have a full attendance ; meanwhile the loyalists were busy in furthering their plans for ascendancy in the Spring Assem- bly.
About this time, news came of the passage of an order by the King in Council, forbidding the exportation of gunpowder and other military stores to this country,-and Mr. Paul Revere, of Boston, on the 13th of December, 1774, was sent express to Portsmouth with this order, together with the information that the troops were about to be sent to Boston to disarm Fort Wil- liam and Mary, at the mouth of the Piscataqua. Upon this the "Committee of Ways and Means," for the town of Portsmouth, on the 14th of December, secretly, but with great dispatch, col- lected together, from Portsmouth, and from the adjacent towns, some 400 men, for the purpose of removing the powder and other military stores from the Fort. Two hundred of these men under the orders of Major Sullivan and Capt. Langdon, embarked on board of gondolas, and went down the river to in- vest the Fort, while about two hundred men led on by Capt. Thomas Pickering, with fife and drum, marched by land with the same object in view. Arrived at the Fort, Capt. Cochran, the comander of the garrison was summoned to surrender,-but answered the summons by the discharge of three cannon upon the investing patriots, without, however, doing them any injury. Upon this the "Sons of Liberty" rushed over the wall, secured and disarmed Cochran and his garrison, and carried away ninety-seven barrels of powder and sixty stand of arms. On the night of the 15th, sixteen pieces of cannon, a number of barrels of powder and other military stores were taken from the Fort , and these together with the powder taken on the 14th. inst. were carried to a place of safety in the country. The town was filled with people from the country on the 15th, who held a public meeting, and chose a Committee to wait upon the Governor and enquire of him as to the object of send- ing the proposed troops to Portsmouth. The Governor assur- ed the Committen that "he knew of no such design as sending Troops, Ships, &c." Upon this the people went quietly to their homes Yet the expedition was then under sailing orders, doubtless, or upon their way to Portsmouth, as the Gazette of the 24th of December, says : --
"Since our last, arrived here, his Majesty's Ships Canceaux,
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ATTACK ON THE FORTS.
Capt. Mowatt, and the Scarborough, Capt Barclay, both from Boston, with 80 or 100 soldiers on board."
Yet Governor Wentworth may not have known of the expe- dition. This was the first overt attack upon the British forces, in the War of the Revolution- and was of vast importance in that war-as part of the powder thus taken was used at Bunker's Hill,-and the other military stores were of great utility.
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