In last week’s episode of “Annapolis 250 Years Ago,” a ship had just arrived from Rhode Island, where it was reported “that the Inhabitants of that Colony have broke through the Association entered into by the Provinces in general.” Would Annapolitans hold firm to their own boycott agreement, or would they welcome the opportunity to acquire some of the captain’s cargo?
On June 6, 1770, a public meeting was held at which a “Letter from the Committee of Correspondence in Philadelphia to the Merchants of Annapolis … was read, advising that the Inhabitants of New-Port, Rhode Island, had violated the Non-importation Agreement.” Philadelphians had resolved to have “no further commercial Intercourse with the Colony of Rhode Island, until they return to, and keep their former Non-importation Agreement, so long as any of the Revenue Acts remain unrepealed.” Annapolitans decided “nemine contradicente”—without dissent—to follow Philadelphia’s lead and cut their own business ties with Rhode Island.
Unfortunately, some locals hadn’t been able to resist the temptation of purchasing “Rum, Molasses, &c. from Capt. Whitney, from Rhode Island, knowing at the same time that the Merchants there had violated the Non-importation Agreement.” Were these Annapolitans also guilty of breaking the American boycott? Again, the affirmative answer was unanimous.
So who was/were the guilty party/parties? Fortunately, our answer is right there in the same June 7, 1770 issue of the Maryland Gazette, although the accused protested his innocence and that of his company in the notice that he paid to have published.
Thomas Williams claimed “that at the Time I made Captain James Whitney the Offer for that Part of his Cargo of Molasses and Rum, which the said Whitney accepted, I did not then know that the Rhode-Islanders had broke through their Non-importation Agreement.” He and his partners didn’t deserve all the “public Odium” cast on them, and he noted that “others, both in and out of this City” had innocently bought some of Capt. Whitney’s cargo without knowing the potential political baggage that came with it.
Unfortunately for Thomas Williams, his wasn’t the last word on the matter, and his company’s business practices were going to come under closer scrutiny in the summer of 1770.
You can read the full June 7, 1770 issue of the Maryland Gazette starting here: https://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc4800/sc4872/001281/html/m1281-1046.html
Glenn E. Campbell
HA Senior Historian
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