f to watch the ships, in order to prevent a single
leaf from being put on shore. This was on the 30th of November, and
on the 14th of December, two other ships freighted by the East India
Company having arrived, another crowded meeting was held at the Old
South Meeting-house, whence orders were sent to the captains of the
tea vessels to return without delay. The answer received was, that the
collector could not give any clearance until the vessels had discharged
their cargoes, and, indeed, if the captains had been disposed to return,
they could not have complied with the demand, as the governor had
ordered that they should not be allowed to pass the forts without a
permit signed by himself, and Admiral Montague had sent two ships of war
to guard all the passages out of the harbour. The meeting waited for the
reply, and when it arrived, a question was put whether those assembled
would abide by their former resolutions respecting the tea, which was
carried unanimously. A message was then sent to desire the governor
to give the ships a permit to depart, and he replied that he could not
consistently with his duty to the king give any pass unless the vessels
were properly qualified from the custom-house. The meeting was about
to consider this reply, when a a person disguised like an Indian, began
uttering the war-whoop in tones so natural that he might have been taken
for a real savage. His yell was succeeded by the cry of "A mob, a mob!"
and some, more cautious than the rest, moved that the meeting should be
dissolved. This was done, and many of the people ran at once from the
old meeting-house to Griffin's wharf, where they were met by a number
of men disguised as Mohawk Indians, and by a still greater number of
skippers, sailors, boatmen, and men of colour. In overwhelming force
these boarded the ships, split open the tea-chests, and having emptied
their contents into the sea, returned, without being discovered, to
their homes. The moment of excitement was followed by trembling anxiety.
The Bostonians now began to tremble for their charter, their property,
and their trade; and, as before, some attempted to throw all the blame
upon the conduct of their governor. As for the governor himself, he
represented to the ministry at home, that it was out of his power to
prevent the destruction of the tea, without yielding to unreasonable
demands, and thereby rendering the authority of government null and
void. It is to be regretted t