USA > New York > New York City > History of the city of New York, from its earliest settlement to the present time > Part 28
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" Resolved, That whoever shall transgress any of these "resolutions, we will not deal with or employ, or have "any connection with him."
The spirit of these resolutions, coupled with the energetic preparations of the New York patriots, demonstrate clearly the reception which they held in store for the tea-ship on its arrival. But the expected vessel encountered a severe tempest on her way, and was
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forced to put in at Antigua for repairs. Intelligence having been received that she might hourly be expected, on the 16th of December, the very day of the Boston tea-party, the Sons of Liberty assembled in the City Hall, and unanimously resolved that no tea should be landed under any pretext. In the midst of their delib- erations, the mayor and recorder entered, bearing a message from the governor, in which he assured the people that the tea should be sent back in the ships that brought it, but must first be taken into the fort to await an order for its return from the council. The snare was a subtle one, and it nearly entrapped the assembly. But John Lamb detected the artifice, and, springing to his feet, he read the Act of Parliament, and pointed out therefrom that if the tea were landed, the duty must be paid. "Shall it be received ?" asked he, in conclusion. "No! no ! no !" was the unanimous reply, and the dis- appointed ambassadors withdrew to carry to the governor the tidings of their failure.
The winter wore away without much event. The long expected tea-ship, delayed by contrary winds, failed to make her appearance, yet the patriotic citizens relaxed nothing of their vigilance, but, through their committees of correspondence, kept themselves notified of every suspicious movement on the part of their enemies. On the 7th of April, Tryon set sail for England, leaving the" government in the hands of Colden. As yet there had! been no rupture between him and the people, who were disposed to regard him with favor for his lax observ -- ance of his rigid instructions, and he quitted the province . with their sincere regrets.
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On the 18th of April, 1764, the Nancy, Captain Lockyer, arrived off Sandy Hook, bringing the tea destined for the port of New York. Apprised of her coming, the Committee of Vigilance had instructed the pilots to detain her in the lower bay, as well as the London, commanded by Captain Chambers, which, they had been informed, was also on the way with a consid- erable quantity of the prohibited tea. Faithful to their orders, the pilots refused to bring the vessel up to the city ; while a part of the committee proceeded on board, and, securing the boats to prevent the desertion of the crew, took possession of the vessel until she should be ready to return to England. The captain entreated permission to go up to the city to consult with his con- signee, and to obtain the necessary supplies for his return. This was granted him on condition that he should not approach the Custom House, and he was sent under strict surveillance to the wharf, where he was met by the committee and a large concourse of citizens. Seeing that all attempts at evasion would be in vain, he proceeded at once to his consignee, who refused peremp- torily to receive the cargo, and advised him as his best course to return with it to England. This advice was seconded by the Vigilance Committee, who rendered every facility for preparing the vessel for sea, but refused to suffer a single sailor to come on shore, while they kept a watchful eye upon all the movements of the captain,
The vessel being nearly ready for sea, it was deter- mined to give the captain a public leave-taking, and numerous placards were posted through the city, inviting
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the citizens to join in the demonstration .* On the day after these were issued-the 22d of April-the London with her recreant captain, a New Yorker, who had once received the public thanks of the city for refusing to bring tea on a previous voyage, appeared off Sandy Hook, where she was instantly boarded by two of the Vigilance Committee. The captain assured them that there was no tea on board his ship, and, as none was to be found on his manifest, he was finally permitted to come up to the city. The wharf was thronged with cit- izens, and was a scene of intense excitement. Hardly had the vessel touched the shore when she was visited by the whole committee, who demanded the delivery of the tea. Chambers repeated his denial. He was told in reply that they knew that the tea was there, and that they would search every package in the ship till they found it. Finding it impossible to escape the dreaded search, he at length confessed that there was really some tea on board, but insisted that it was only a private adventure, belonging to himself, and shipped without the knowledge of the East India Company. The Com- mittee then withdrew to the Coffee House on the corner of Pearl and Wall streets to deliberate, taking the
* The placard in question ran as follows: "To the Public .- The sense of the city " relative to the landing of the East India Company's tea, being signified to Captain " Lockyer by the Committee, nevertheless, it is the design of a number of the citizens " that at his departure hence, he shall see with his own eyes their detestation of the " measures pursued by the ministry and the India Company to enslave this country. " This will be declared by the convention of the people at his departure from this city, "which will be on next Saturday morning, at 9 o'clock; when, no doubt, every "friend to this country will attend. The bells will give notice about an hour before "he embarks from Murray's Wharf.
" New York, April 21, 1774.
" BY ORDER OF THE COMMITTEE"
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captain and the owners with them. The people mean- while thronged the wharf, awaiting the result of their council. It was not long before a message was sent out declaring the tea to be confiscated, and directing the Mohawks to be ready to discharge their duty at the proper hour. But the impatience of the crowd could be restrained no longer; at eight in the evening, they boarded the vessel without waiting for the Mohawks, forced open the hatches, hoisted eighteen chests of tea on deck, broke open the lids, and emptied the contents
into the river. The captain wisely kept at a distance to avoid the risk of following his adventure. Everything was conducted decorously and openly, a guard was sta- tioned below to prevent all disorder, the citizens wore their usual attire, and no attempt was made at disguise or concealment. Two hours afterwards, the whole party had dispersed, and the wharf was empty and silent as the grave.
The next day was the one appointed for the festival, for which they had now an additional hero. At nine in the morning, the people assembled in front of the Coffee House in Wall street where Lockyer was lodging. The whole city wore an air of festivity, the bells were ringing in merry chorus, the City Hall and King's College* alone refusing to contribute to the.chime, the flag was hoisted on the Liberty Pole, and the ships in the harbor displayed
* Dr. Myles Cooper, the President of King's College, was a stanch loyalist, and soon became obnoxious to the people by his support of the British government. Hearing soon after that the Liberty Boys intended to attack his cottage, he fled to Stuyvesant's house on the shores of the North River, whence he escaped to the Asia man-of-war then lying in the harbor. He afterwards went to England, where he remained during the war.
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their colors in triumph. The committee who had Captain Lockyer in charge brought him out on the balcony and introduced him to the people, by whom he was received with ironical cheers, the bands, meanwhile, playing " God save the King." The presentation over, his new acquaintances escorted him to the foot of Wall street where a pilot boat was in waiting, where they parted with him, wishing him a pleasant journey. As he entered the boat, a royal salute was fired from the cannon at the foot of the Liberty-Pole in honor of his departure. Captain Chambers, meanwhile, had been escorted to the ship with less ceremony by another committee, and the Nancy set sail with both worthies on board, still under the guard of the Vigilance Committee, who did not sur- render possession of the vessel until she was three leagues from Sandy Hook.
The British ministry, meanwhile, incensed at the colonial reception of the consignments of tea, had made the refractory provinces feel the weight of their ven- geance. The tax was insisted on more strongly than ever, new provisions were made for quartering troops in America, Franklin was removed from his office of colonial post-master, and Boston was punished for her rebellion by a Port Bill, closing her harbor and removing her custom house to Salem. In this emergency, the Bostonians, on the 13th of May, resolved to renew the non-importation agreement, and dispatched a letter by Paul Revere to the Sons of Liberty in New York, urging their cooperation in the measure. This missive was crossed on the way by another from the Liberty Boys, bearing date the 14th, urging the Bostonians to
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energetic measures, and assuring them of the hearty sup- port of their New York brethren.
On the 16th of May, a meeting of the citizens was held at the Exchange to consult on future action. A new Committee of Fifty-one was nominated to corres- pond with the other colonies, and a general meeting of the people was called for the 19th to reject or confirm the nomination. At the latter meeting, the ticket was confirmed, and the request of the Bostonians referred to a sub-committee, consisting of Alexander McDougall, Isaac Low, James Duane and John Jay, to prepare and
report an answer. The. majority of this Committee,- for the impetuous McDougall indignantly withdrew, demanding the adoption of more ultra measures- deemed it inexpedient for the present to renew the com- pact, but recommended a General Congress of Deputies from all the colonies instead, and requested the Bosto- nians to fix the time and place of meeting. For this action, they were then and afterwards censured severely, yet the future career of the men who composed the committee in question is conclusive proof that they were actuated by no lack of patriotism, and that, though their resolves seemed for the moment to chime with the wishes of the royalist party, they only sought to postpone the compact until it could be better matured by concerted deliberation. But the enthusiastic Sons of Liberty would listen to no temporizing, and summoned a meeting of the people in the fields on the 6th of July at six o'clock in the evening, to discuss the conduct of the Committee of Fifty-one.
On the day appointed, an immense multitude gathered
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Portrait of Alexander Hamilton, from the Original Portrait in the Possession of the Family.
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on the Commons-Alexander McDougall presiding over the assembly-known henceforth as the " great meeting " in the fields." Resolutions were passed, denouncing the Boston Port Bill and sustaining the action of the people of that city ; a subscription was opened for the relief of the sufferers, and the non-importation agreement was again renewed. The Congress recommended by the Committee of Fifty-one was also approved by the meet- ing, and it was resolved that deputies should at once be appointed, and instructed to insist upon the enforcement of the non-intercourse agreement until every duty should be repealed. At this meeting, Alexander Hamilton, then a youth of seventeen, and a student in King's Col- lege made his maiden speech, and gave an earnest of his future brilliant career.
On the following day, the Committee of Fifty-one met and disavowed the proceedings of the meeting. Upon this, eleven of the Sons of Liberty-Francis Lewis, Joseph Hallet, Alexander McDougall, Isaac Sears, Thomas Randall, Leonard Lispenard, Peter V. B. Liv- ingston, Abram P. Lott, John Broome, Jacob Van Zandt and Abraham Brasher-withdrew from the com- mittee, and published an address to the people, in justification of their conduct. The plan of the general Congress had now been decided upon, and polls were opened under the inspection of the mayor and aldermen for the election of delegates, at which all tax-payers were allowed to vote. The nominations had been made by the Committee of Fifty-one, in conjunction with a Committee of Mechanics, and consisted of Philip Living- ston, John Alsop, Isaac Low, James Duane and John
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Jay. For the latter, the seceders endeavored to sub- stitute McDougall ; but the attempt was defeated, the whole ticket was elected, and the delegates soon after- wards set out to join the second Colonial Congress, which assembled at Philadelphia early in September. This Congress adopted a Declaration of Colonial Rights, the composition of which is attributed to John Jay, in which they claimed for themselves all the privileges enjoyed by British subjects, protested against standing armies and parliamentary taxation, and declared eleven acts which had been passed since the accession of George III., to be infringements upon their rights, and therefore unconstitutional. They likewise leagued themselves into an American Association, pledging themselves to import no goods from Great Britain or the West Indies until the obnoxious acts should be repealed, and forbidding traders to increase the price of their goods in consequence of this agreement. The slave trade was also denounced by the Association, and the citizens were urged to develop the internal resources of their country by the encouragement of home manu- factures ; and vigilance committees were appointed throughout the country to see that none of these regu- lations were evaded. The patriots in the New York Assembly endeavored to obtain the sanction of that body to the proceedings of the Colonial Congress, but were overruled by the majority of conservatives ; yet, despite this dissent, the House addressed a remonstrance to Parliament so bold in its tone that the ministry refused its reception. The attempt to procure the indorsement of the resolves of Congress was subse-
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quently renewed with the same result, and on the 3d of April, 1775, the Assembly adjourned, never to meet again. A Committee of Sixty was appointed in the city of New York to enforce the observance of the aforesaid regulations. An opportunity was soon offered them for action. On the 16th of February, the ship James of Glasgow arrived with a cargo of goods, which the consignees attempted to land, but were prevented by the committee, who ordered the vessel to put to sea, again immediately. This order was countermanded by the lieutenant of a man-of-war, then lying in the harbor, the captain of which happened to be on shore at the time. The latter was immediately seized by the com- mittee, and threatened with their vengeance if he did not at once retract the commands of his subordinate. Terrified by their menaces, he promptly obeyed, and ordered that the vessel should be suffered to return- a command which was speedily executed under the supervision of the committee.
The Assembly having refused to make any provision for the appointment of delegates to the next Colonial Congress, it was determined that they should be chosen by a Provincial Congress, composed of delegates from the respective counties. This Congress assembled on the 20th of April in the city of New York, and appointed five delegates to the Continental Congress, which convened at Philadelphia in the ensuing month. In this Provincial Congress-the first in New York- the city and county was represented by Isaac Sears, who had but recently escaped the imprisonment before suffered by McDougall.
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A short time previous to this, the seventy-four gun ship, Asia, had been ordered from Boston, and anchored off the Battery with her guns bearing on the town, while, at the same time, the troops stationed in New York and New Jersey had been transferred to Boston, to make room for the reinforcements which were daily expected. More barracks became needed in that city in consequence of this arrangement, but the governor found it impossible to induce any Bostonian either to furnish the materials or to aid in the erection. In this extremity, he applied to New York ; but the Sons of Liberty forbade the citizens to render any assistance under penalty of being considered as traitors to their country. Such traitors, however, were found, and the committee was soon apprised that a vessel had been fitted out with a cargo of boards and straw for the barracks at Boston. Upon the receipt of this intelli- gence, a meeting was at once summoned upon the Commons, John Lamb and Marinus Willett were chosen chairmen, and it was resolved to seize the ship and to prevent her voyage. At this meeting, Sears was the chief orator, urging the people to arm and to supply themselves with twenty-four rounds of ammunition- a recommendation which was at once adopted. For this bold proposition, Sears was arrested on a warrant and carried before the mayor. Like his predecessor, McDougall, he refused to give bail, and was committed to prison, but was rescued on his way by the people, who bore him through the streets of the city in triumph, in ironical defiance of the legal authorities.
On Sunday, the 24th of April, 1775, the news of the
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battle of Lexington reached the city. This was the sig- nal for open hostilities. Business was at once sus- pended ; the Sons of Liberty assembled in large num- bers, and, taking possession of the City Hall, distributed the arms that were stored in it, together with a quantity which had been deposited in the arsenal for safe keeping, among the citizens, a party of whom formed themselves into a voluntary corps under the command of Samuel Broome, and assumed the temporary government of the city. This done, they demanded and obtained the keys of the Custom House, closed the building, and laid an embargo upon the vessels in port destined for the eastern colonies ; then notified the members of the fraternity in the other cities of what they had done calling upon them to follow their example.
It now became necessary to organize some provisional government for the city, and, for this purpose, on the 5th of May a meeting of the citizens was called at the Coffee- House, at which a Committee of One Hundred was chosen and invested with the charge of municipal affairs, the people pledging themselves to obey its orders until different arrangements should be made by the Con- tinental Congress .* This committee was composed in
* This committee was composed of Isaac Low, chairman, John Jay, Francis Lewis, John Alsop, Philip Livingston, James Duane, E. Duyckman, William Seton, William W. Ludlow, Cornelius Clopper, Abraham Brinkerhoff, Henry Remsen, Robert Ray, Evert Bancker, Joseph Totten, Abraham P. Lott, David Beeckman, Isaac Roosevelt, Gabriel H. Ludlow, William Walton, Daniel Phoenix, Frederick Jay, Samuel Broome, John De Lancey, Augustus Van Horne, Abraham Duryee. Samuel Verplanck, Rudolphus Ritzema, John Morton, Joseph Hallet, Robert Ben- son, Abraham Brasher, Leonard Lispenard, Nicholas Hoffman, P. V. B. Livingston, . Thomas Marston, Lewis Pintard, John Imlay, Eleazar Miller, jun., John Broome, John B. Moore, Nicholas Bogert, John Anthony, Victor Bicker, William Goforth, 31
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part of men inclined to the royalist cause, yet, such was the popular excitement at the time, that they were car- ried away by the current, and forced to acquiesce in the measures of their more zealous colleagues. An address to the Lord Mayor and citizens of London, justifying the course which the colonists had taken. and assuring them that the city was "as one man in the cause of "liberty," was drawn up and signed by most of the assembly.
The committee at once assumed the command of the city, and, retaining the corps of Broome as their execu- tive power, prohibited the sale of weapons to any per- sons suspected of being hostile to the patriotic party. They also ordered that all the cannon of the city not belonging to the colony should be carried away, and appointed a sub-committee to inquire into the supply of arms and ammunition then in the city. Everything wore a martial appearance, the stores and workshops were closed throughout the town, and armed citizens paraded the streets, as if the city were in a state of siege. The moderate men of the committee succeeded in pre- vailing on their colleagues to present a placable address to Lieutenant-Governor Colden, explanatory of their
Hercules Mulligan, Alexander McDougall, John Reade, Joseph Ball, George Jane- way, John White, Gabriel W. Ludlow, John Lasher, Theophilus Anthony, Thomas Smith, Richard Yates, Oliver Templeton, Jacobus Van Landby, Jeremiah Platt, Peter S. Curtenius, Thomas Randall, Lancaster Burling, Benjamin Kissam, Jacob Lefferts, Anthony Van Dam, Abraham Walton. Hamilton Young, Nicholas Roose- velt, Cornelius P. Low, Francis Basset, James Beeckman, Thomas Ivers, William Denning, John Berrien, Benjamin Helme, William W. Gilbert, Daniel Dunscomb, John Lamb, Richard Sharp, John Morin Scott, Jacob Van Voorhis, Comfort Sands, Edward Fleming, Peter Goelet, Gerret Ketteltas, Thomas Buchanan, James Des- brosses, Petrus Byvanck and Lott Embren.
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appointment, and assuring him that they should use every effort to preserve the public peace ; yet ominous precautions were taken to put the arms of the city in a serviceable condition, and to survey the neighboring grounds with a view to erecting fortifications.
A rumor was now spread that a large body of troops were on their way to New York, and the people at once petitioned Lieutenant-Governor Colden to use his influ- ence with General Gage, at this time the commandant at New York, to prohibit their landing. The Conti- nental Congress, however, recommended that the troops should be permitted to land and take peaceable posses- sion of the city, but, on no account, should be suffered to erect fortifications, and also, that the warlike stores should be removed from the town, and a safe retreat secured for the women and children in case of a siege.
Some time previous to this, a quantity of military stores belonging to the royal troops had been deposited at Turtle Bay, near the foot of Forty-seventh street on the North River, which the Liberty Boys now deter- mined to take into safe keeping. Headed by their dar- ing leader, John Lamb, they obtained a vessel from Con- necticut, sailed up to the storehouse under cover of the night surprised the guard, and carried off the booty, a part of which was dispatched to the army at Cambridge, while the rest was expended in the Northern campaign. A boat belonging to the Asia was soon after destroyed by the people, but this act was disapproved by the com- mittee and the corporation, and the boat restored at the expense of the city ; and, anxious to prevent all future excesses, as well as to secure the people from possible
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retaliation, the Provisional Congress requested General Wooster, who was hovering in the suburbs, to take up his head-quarters in the city, with which request he com- plied early in June, and encamped with his troops at Harlem.
In the meantime, the expected troops had arrived and encamped in the city, whence they were soon afterwards ordered to repair to Boston. The Sons of Liberty urged that the whole regiment should be made prisoners, but the committee, who were not yet prepared for such a step, gave them permission to depart, stipulating that they should take with them nothing but their arms and accoutrements ; but, heedless of this order, they prepared to embark with all the spare arms in their possession. Intelligence of this proceeding was speedily conveyed to a knot of the Liberty Boys assembled at the tavern of Jasper Drake, in Water street near Beekman Slip, at that time a well-known rendezvous of the patriots, who at once determined to stop the embarkation, and hastily set out by different routes to rally their friends and take forcible possession of the weapons. Colonel Marinus Willett, who was one of the number, hastened to the Coffee-House to give public notice of the course deter- mined on by the party ; then proceeded through Water street to the Exchange at the lower end of Broad street, where he discovered the troops coming down the street, with five carts loaded with chests of arms in front under a small guard. Without a moment's hesitation, he advanced to meet them, and, coming in contact with them at the corner of Broad and Beaver streets, seized the horse that was drawing the foremost cart, and
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brought the whole company to a full stop. The major at once rode forward to learn what was the matter, upon which Willett informed him that the committee had given the troops no permission to carry arms out of the city, and that he intended to stop the proceeding. While remonstrating with the officer, the mayor, who was strongly suspected of inclining to the side of the roy- alists, came up and ordered Willett to suffer the carts to pass, reprimanding him severely for thus disturbing the peace of the city, in which he was supported by Gou- verneur Morris, who happened to arrive at the same time, and who supposed that permission for the removal of the arms had been granted the troops by the committee. Staggered by this opposition, Willett was on the point of yielding, when John Morin Scott came up, and, catching the last words of his remonstrance with Morris, exclaimed in a loud voice, "You are right, Willett ; the committee " have not given them permission to carry off any spare
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