George Bancroft, History of the United States from the Discovery of the American Continent, Vol. 6, 10th edition.

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Every ship owner was forbidden on pain of be-

Chap. L.} 1773. Nov.

ing deemed an enemy to the country to import or bring as freight any tea from Great Britain, till the unrighteous Act taxing it should be repealed, and this vote was printed and sent to every sea-port in the Province, and to England.

Six persons were chosen as post-riders, to give due notice to the country towns of any attempt to land the tea by force, and the Committee of Correspondence, as the executive organ of the Meeting, took care that a military watch was regularly kept up by volunteers armed with muskets and bayonets, who at every half hour in the night regularly passed the word ‘all is well,’ like sentinels in a garrison. Had they been molested by night, the tolling of the bells would have been the signal for a general uprising. An account of all that had been done, was sent into every town in the Province.

The ships after landing the rest of their cargo,

Dec.

could neither be cleared in Boston with the tea on board, nor be entered in England, and on the twentieth day from their arrival would be liable to seizure. ‘They find themselves,’ said Hutchinson, ‘involved in invincible difficulties.’ Meantime in private letters he advised to separate Boston from the rest of the Province; and to commence criminal prosecutions against its patriot sons.¹

The spirit of the people rose with the emergency. Two more tea-ships which arrived were directed to anchor by the side of the Dartmouth at Griffin's wharf, that one guard might serve for all. The peopie