 | CHAPTER III. The free-trader, or, The cruiser of Narragansett Bay |  |
3. CHAPTER III.
The Colonial merchant, whom we
have introduced to the reader in the foregoing
chapter, was the leading rich man
of the town of Newport. He had been
in earlier years a crown-officer and
secretary to the king's governor; but
subsequently he engaged in commerce,
and at the period of our story he was
one of the most opulent of the New
England merchants, and exercised a
wide influence, both on account of his
intelligence and wealth, over the minds
of those who came in contact with him.
In the oppressive measures of the
mother country towards her colonies,
he had long since beheld the germs
of a serious quarrel between them: for
he well knew the haughty pride of England
would never yield its power, and
that the firm spirit of resistance to oppression
on the part of his colonial
countrymen would never bend itself to
tyranny. He had written to British
ministers, warning them of the danger
they were in of exciting rebellion in the
colonies, and calmly remonstrating with
them; but in vain. The British ministers
laughed at the idea of a colony,
without an army and without a single
armed vessel, daring to defy or resist
the laws of so formidable a power as
Great Britain; and, as if desirous of
testing the experiment, they pushed the
colonies to the utmost limits of forbearance.
Then it was that the spirit of the
American people was roused as the spirit
of one man! The leading men in
the chief towns corresponded with each
other, and consulted upon the perilous
condition in which stood the liberties
of the colonies. Then it was that Samuel
Adams went out from Boston, and
visited the most influential persons in
the Bay Colony and the adjacent ones,
and felt the pulses of men's hearts. In
his tour he came to Newport and was a
guest of Paul Frankland, who suggested
the formation of secret societies of
resistance to the oppression of the Crown.
These societies, the first of which was
held in the library of the rich merchant's
mansion, under the name of “The Sons
of Liberty,” in a few weeks were established
all through New England;
and their influence was dally extending,
and their numbers becoming more formidable,
at the time the chapters of this
romance are opened.
Paul Frankland was a widower with
an only daughter, Barbara, or “The
Heiress,” as she was universally designated
on account of the immense
wealth of her father. He loved her
with the most devoted affection; and,
although he indulged her in every wish
of her heart, she was naturally so good
and generous, and was blended with
such wisdom and discretion that she
was unspoiled either by his lovish fondness
or the flattery of those who were
around her. She loved to be the instrument
of happiness to the needy, and
her purse was always open to the poor;
so that it was well and truly said of her,
“that while Barbara Frankland lived
there would be no more poor in Newport.
The meeting of the merchants, which
has already been alluded to as having
taken place the evening preceding the
appearance of the English war-ship in the
Frankland at his own house; for he had
three vessels at sea which were daily
expected in, each of which was laden
with cargo that was dutiable under the
new revenue law; and as men talked
much about what he would be likely
to do, he therefore resolved to assemble
the merchants at his own house, that
some rule of action for all might be laid
down.
At this meeting the resolution was
passed which we have already quoted,
and he was the first to subscribe his
name to it.
“Now, gentlemen,” he said smiling,
as the last merchant of the company
signed the paper, “now we are committed!”
“And you will be likely to have
your resolution first tested, Mr. Frankland,”
said one of the gentlemen, “as
you are hourly expecting a ship in!”
“Yes, and I shall not flinch from my
duty, either to myself or my country.
If we submit to this, gentleman, the
crown will next tax our windows and
chimney flues, as is done in England,
and, 'fore God! our wives and children.
Our only safety against farther tyranny
is firm resistance to the present. If
we submit to the yoke to-day, to-morrow
they will harness us into the van and
make us draw. If they can't bit us,
they can't ride us. We must, therefore,
resist the bit!”
“Suppose that one of your vessels
should arrive to-morrow, sir,” remarked
one of the merchants, who soon expected
in a schooner laden with wine from
Madeira, “would you have her hauled
up to your whart and discharged, even
if the commissioners were on board?”
“I should take care not to let them
on board; but if they got there, I would
treat them civilly so long as they re
mained quiet; but if they attempted to
stop the unloading, I should feel it my
duty to take their swords away and put
them on shore!”
“And we should have a king's ship
here in a week after,” said one of the
gentlemen.
“The rest of our conduct we have
nothing to do with,” answered the fearless
merchant. “It is my duty to have
my cargo loaded free of duty, and I
shall see it done, though the whole
English fleet anchored the next day in
Newport harbor!”
Little did Mr. Frankland anticipate
that ere sixteen hours had passed a
twenty gun ship would actually drop
anchor opposite the town; and when
he saw her and understood from the
officers that landed, that her business
there was to protect the revence officers,
he did not abate in his resolution to land
his own cargoes free of duty if it could
be done. But the other merchants, on
seeing the sloop-of-war, began to feel
somewhat intimidated; and to question
the propriety of resisting, in the face of
so formidable a force. Two of the most
influential among them, who had been
of the company at his house on the previous
evening, even waited upon him
and recommended that in case any one
of his vessels should arrive while the
vessel of war was in port, he should
suffer his goods to be stored by the commissioners,
rather than create a serious
quarrel with the crown officers.
“If you store them and let them-remain
until you can write to England,
protesting against the duties,” said one
of the gentlemen, “it may prevent
bloodshed.”
“It will do no good to write and protest.
If I store them I shall have to
pay the duties, ere I can take them out,”
answered Mr. Frankland, firmly. “No,
uncompromising. I expect that this
wind will bring in “The Free-Trader,”
for she has been a week due, and be
assured that on her arrival, I will test
the authority of the crown to plunder
duties upon her cargo! I have already
sent Master Finch, who used to sail in
my employ, to the signal-station to keep
a look-out for her all day. If he sees her,
he is to let me know and I shall signalize
her to stand off till night, and to run
in under cover of the darkness as far
as Indian Rock, when I shall board her
and bring her in to the wharf.”
“You are very bold, sir! I hope the
best; but I fear you will lose your brig
and forfeit your liberty,” said the timid
townsman.
“Be it so,” responded the merchant,
in a resolute tone; “I am willing that
my case should establish the precedent
for all that follows. I am ready, If I
have a vessel arrive first, to test in my
own person and goods whether an American
citizen is to be imprisoned for
resisting an unjust law. If the country
demands a mortgage, I am prepared to
sacrifice myself! I repeat, sir, I will
not give one cent to the crown for revenue
under the existing law!”
The courageous and patriotic merchant
then attired himself to appear a
a dinner-party given by the King's
Commissioner to the captain and officers
of the sloop-of-war; for as yet the merchants
and the crown officers had not
yet come into hostile collision; and
the usual courtesies of citizens passed
between them. Indeed, the Chief Commissioner
was, like Mr. Frankland, a
native of Newport, and had received
the appointment from the crown for his
strong attachment to the ministry, an
attachment which, about this time, began
to be designated by the term toryism.
Between Mr. Pitt Riverton, the
head-commissioner, and Mr. Frankland
there had existed, even up to this time,
the most friendly intercourse, as well,
also, with the other officers of the customs,
who were appointed from citizens
of Newport. The merchant had openly
declared to Mr. Riverton, on hearing
that he had been commissioned to collect
the obnoxious revenue, that he should
resist his authority. As this was spoken
with a smile, the crown-officer paid little
regard to it, though he well knew
how unpopular the law as well as his
office was to the commercial community.
Nevertheless, hearing the next day
a good deal of bitterness of language
touching the new law, he had thought
it best to strengthen his authority; and
for this purpose had despatched a messenger
to New London for the sloop-of-war,
which, a few days afterwards, had
so unexpectedly appeared in the harbor.
The meeting held in Mr. Frankland's
library was kept secret from the commissioners;
and willing to conciliate
the principal merchants, he had invited
them to a dinner which he gave the
officers of the ship. Mr. Frankland
attended, and had an opportunity of
coming into friendly (externally so) intercourse
with persons whom he looked
upon as his country's oppressors. But
his hostility did not fasten itself upon
the mere agents of the crown, but upon
the ministry itself; and in his heart he
felt that he could not blame the officers
of the armed ship, though he did the
commissioners for the part they were
taking in the execution of the evil laws.
The subject of the revenue was carefully
kept under in the conversation at
the table, each party willing to keep
quiet upon a theme on which it was
well known existed a grave difference
of opinion. But the length to which
the merchants of the town had gone in
having held a secret meeting, and in
were not suspected either by Mr. Riverton
or the captain of the sloop. The
dinner passed off well, though not without
a certain degree of restraint; and
soon after returning from the commissioner's
mansion, Mr. Frankland hastened
to his own house to learn if there
was any intelligence from the signal-station.
Then he was told by his
daughter, whom he had left to keep
watch from her window upon the hill
occupied by the mate, that no flag had
yet been hoisted by him.
“We will walk up there, Bab,” he
said; “the afternoon invites to exercise,
and perhaps we may discover some
vessels either coming in or going out.”
“I never refuse a walk, father, especially
on the signal-hill,” she answered;
“and, besides, I was wishing
to walk that way, for, I—I have—”
Here the maiden blushed, and laughed,
and added—“ It is no matter. I
will walk with you, dear father.”
And in a few moments she was ready,
with hat and shawl, and accompanied
him towards the hill. The residence
of Mr. Frankland was one of the most
imposing in the town; and, situated on
the south side of it, was an extensive
garden which reached nearly to the foot
of the eminence; while in front of the
house, between it and the town, was a
wide lawn and flower-garden very elegantly
kept.
They passed out of the house by a
door which led upon a gallery, from
which a flight of stairs descended into
the garden walks. Crossing it by a
shady avenue, they left it by a gate at
the farther end, which conducted them
to the open hill-side. Here a path
wound its way up the declivity to the
flag-staff, and by it they soon reached
the eminence.
The armed schooner now continued
rapidly to make her way up the bay,
before a fair wind, and, as she got nigher,
she hoisted her colors.
“English, by the lord Harry!” cried
the mate, as he saw the dark-red ensign
blow broadly out upon the breeze.
“The woman is a witch!”
“If she was able to see that the
schooner was a vessel of war, Master
Finch, it was easy to guess her flag,”
said the merchant; “for we have none
but English armed cruisers in our waters
in these days.”
“That is true, your honor; but I
believe Maggy is more of a witch than
a Christian woman.”
“She has no knowledge of witchcraft,
that poor woman, be assured, good mate
Finch. She is only an unfortunate,
broken-hearted thing, her mind shattered
by the impressment of her son. But
let me have the glass. There is another
sail in the offing! It is a mere
white speck on the horizon!”
| CHAPTER III. The free-trader, or, The cruiser of Narragansett Bay | |