626 | From the American Board of Customs

    Copy of a Letter from the Commissioners of the Customs in Boston to Governor Bernard.

    Sir

    When your Excellency met in Council last Saturday1 we were in hopes to have heard that effectual Measures would have been taken to aid and protect Us and our Officers in carrying on the Service of the Revenue, and for preserving the Peace of the Town, but we were much surprised to find that a Committee only was appointed to ascertain the facts attending the Tumult of the preceding Night and that your Council was not to sit again till this Day.

    On Saturday Afternoon finding Ourselves utterly insecure in Town, the Major Part of Us were obliged to seek for an Asylum where we now sit as a Board, being persuaded of the Danger of attempting to proceed in our Duty in Town.

    The Disorders of the Town we are sorry to observe are encreasing to such an enormous Pitch as to give it the Appearance more of an Insurrection than a Riot, and We find Ourselves obliged to apply to your Excellency to grant Us such Aid and Protection as may enable Us and our Officers to proceed in our Duty, and that we may be in some degree enabled to judge whether the Aid and Protection you’ll think proper to grant, will be adequate to the distressed & embarassed State of the Service, We ^must^ request that You will let Us know what kind of Aid and Protection we may expect to receive.

    (signed) Hen Hulton

    J Temple2

    W. Burch

    C. Paxton

    J. Robinson

    On Board His Majestys Ship Romney 13th. June 1768

    L, Copy     T 1/465, ff 157-158.

    Docket: 13 June 1768 Copy of a Letter from the Commissioners to Govr. Bernard.__ The RC is not extant and this copy was enclosed in Appendix 6. Variants: CO 5/757, ff 205-206 (L, Copy); CO 5/766, ff 209-210 (L, Copy); BL: Add 38340, f 275 (L, Copy); Letters to the Ministry (1st ed.), 100; Letters to the Ministry (repr.), 133-134. This letter was a formal response to No. 625. FB’s rejoinder is No. 627. Copies of the version enclosed with Appendix 6 were laid before both houses of Parliament on 28 Nov. 1768. HLL: American Colonies Box 1.

    Thomas Gage. By John Singleton Copley, c.1768. Inscribed in yellow paint, lower right: “General The HonbLE. ThoS. Gage/OBT. 1788.” (In fact, Gage died at home in London on 2 Apr. 1787). Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection.