way;
and his sloop Liberty, in the ordinary course of trade, carrying six
pipes of "good saleable Madeira" for the coffeehouse retailers, four
pipes of the "very best" for his own table, and "two pipes more of the
best... for the Treasurer of the province," entered the harbor on May
9, 1768. In the evening Mr. Thomas Kirk, tide-waiter, acting for the
Commissioners, boarded the sloop, where he found the captain, Nat
Bernard, and also, by some chance, another of Mr. Hancock's skippers,
young James Marshall, together with half a dozen of his friends. They
sat with punch served by the captain all round until nine o'clock, when
young James Marshall casually asked if a few casks might not as well be
set on shore that evening. Mr. Kirk replied that it could not be done
with his leave; whereupon he found himself "hoved down" into the cabin
and confined there for three hours, from which point of disadvantage
he could distinctly hear overhead "a noise of many people at work,
a-hoisting out of goods." In due time Mr. Kirk was released, having
suffered no injury, except perhaps a little in his official character.
Next day Mr. Hancock's cargo was duly entered, no pipes of Madeira
listed; and to all appearance the only serious aspect of the affair
was that young James Marshall died before morning, it was thought from
overexertion and excitement.

Very likely few people in Boston knew anything about this interesting
episode; and a month later much excitement was accordingly raised by
the news that Mr. Hancock's sloop Liberty had been ordered seized for
nonpayment of customs. A crowd watched the ship towed, for safe-keeping,
under the guns of the Romney in the harbor. When the Commissioners, who
had come down to see the thing done, left the wharf they were roughly
handled by the incensed people; and in the evening windows of some of
their houses were broken, and a boat belonging to a collector was hauled
on shore and burnt on the Common. Governor Bernard at last informed the
Commissioners that he could not protect them in Boston, whereupon they
retired with their families to the Romney, and later to Castle William.
There they continued, under difficulties, the work of systematizing the
American customs; and not without success, inasmuch as the income from
the duties during the years from 1768 to 1774 averaged about 30,000
pounds sterling, at an annual cost to the revenue of not more than
13,000 pounds. This saving was nevertheless not