informant38
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...But of these sophisms and elenchs of merchandise I skill not...
Milton, Areopagitica

Except he had found the
standing sea-rock that even this last
Temptation breaks on; quieter than death but lovelier; peace
that quiets the desire even of praising it.

Jeffers, Meditation On Saviors


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10.11.02

{early documentation of the long history of terrorist activity in New England}


On 16 December 1773 American patriots threw a cargo of tea numbering 342 crates valued at $90,000 (about $1.86m in modern day values) into Boston harbour. The incident has become known as the Boston Tea Party. Boston's Custom House reported on intelligence (see links to image 1 below), showing that action by the local population was going to be taken against East India tea when it arrived in Boston. At a public meeting on 29 November 1773 the Governor of Massachusetts warned the people to stop and placed an armed guard over the ship Dartmouth, which was carrying the tea. After failing to persuade the tea ships to return to sea, the people painted and dressed themselves as Indians. Traveling down to the wharves they boarded the boats and threw the tea into the harbour.
In September 1774 the Boston Custom's House reported on more unrest (see link to image 1 below). The Lieutenant Governor and his senior officials had been forced from their posts in Cambridge Massachusetts. Some had even been assaulted. The officials, fearing for their safety, fled to Boston along with the army regiment from Salem.
By 1776 many local traders in Massachusetts had suffered losses from the troubles in America. Francis Waldo, the Collector and Surveyor of HM Customs at Falmouth, Massachusetts Bay, said that he had sustained losses after the town of Falmouth was burnt down upon the orders of Captain Mowatt of HM ship Canceaux (see the links to image 2 below). His income of �180 per annum (about �13688 in modern values) from a marble quarry and also other property valued at �2244 (about �170654) in modern values) was now lost.

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