British Royal Proclamations Relating to America, 1603-1783

1772, August 26.

[For Apprehending Destroyers of the Gaspee.]

BY THE KING.

A PROCLAMATION:

For the discovering and apprehending the Persons who plundered and burnt the Gaspee Schooner; and barbarously wounded and ill treated Lieutenant William Dudingston, Commander of the said Schooner.

Whereas We have received Information, That upon the 10^th Day of June last, between the Hours of Twelve and One in the Morning, in the Providence or Narrowganset River, in Our Colony of Rhode-Island and Providence Plantations, a great Number of Persons, armed with Guns and other offensive Weapons and led by Two Persons, who were called the Captain and Head-Sheriff, in several armed Boats, attacked and Boarded Our Vessel called the Gaspee[1] Schooner, then lying at single Anchor in the said River, commanded by Our Lieutenant William Dudingston, under the Orders of Our Rear-Admiral John Montagu, and having dangerously wounded and barbarously treated the said William Dudingston, took, plundered and burnt the said Schooner: We, to the Intent that such outrageous and heinous Offenders may be discovered, and brought to condign Punishment, have thought fit, with the Advice of Our Privy Council, to issue this Our Royal Proclamation: And We are hereby graciously pleased to promise, that if any Person or Persons shall discover any other Person or Persons concerned in the said daring and heinous Offences, above mentioned, so that he or they may be apprehended and brought to Justice, such Discoverer shall have and receive, as a Reward for such Discovery, upon Conviction of each of the said Offenders, the Sum of Five Hundred Pounds. And if any Person or Persons shall discover either of the said Persons who acted as, or called themselves, or were called by their said Accomplices, the Head-Sheriff or the Captain, so that they, or either of them, may be apprehended and brought to Punishment, such Discoverer shall have and receive, as a Reward for such Discovery, upon Conviction of either of the said Persons, the further Sum of Five Hundred pounds, over and above the Sum of Five Hundred Pounds herein before promised, for the discovery and apprehending any of the other common Offenders, abovementioned; and if any Person or Persons concerned therein, except the Two Persons who were called the Head-Sheriff, and Captain, and the Person or Persons who wounded Our said Lieutenant William Dudingston, shall discover any one or more of the said Accomplices, so that he or they may be apprehended and brought to Punishment, such Discoverer shall have and receive the said Reward or Rewards of Five Hundred Pounds, or One Thousand Pounds, as the Case may be, and also Our gracious Pardon for his said Offence. And the Commissioners for executing the Office of Treasurer of Our Exchequer, are hereby required to make Payment accordingly of the said Rewards. And We do hereby strictly charge and command all Our Governors, Deputy-Governors, Magistrates, Officers, and all other Our Loving Subjects, that they do use their utmost Diligence in their several Places and Capacities, to find out, discover and apprehend the said Offenders, in Order to their being brought to Justice. And We do hereby command that this Our Proclamation be printed and published in the usual Form,[2] and affixed in the principal Places of Our Town of Newport, and other Towns in Our said Colony, that none may pretend Ignorance.

Given at Our Court at St. James's, the Twenty-Sixth Day of August, 1772, in the Twelfth Year of Our Reign.

God save the King.

Printed by Solomon Southwick, Printer to the Honorable the Governor and Company of the Colony of Rhode-Island and Providence-Plantations, in New-England.

1 p. folio. Copy in R. I. Historical Society. Entered in Privy Council Register, III Geo., vol. 9, p. 428. Printed in "R. I. Colonial Records," vii, 107.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] The numerous documents relating to the burning of the Gaspee are printed in R. I. Colonial Records, vol. 7, pp. 55-192; also in R. I. Historical Society Proceedings, 1890-91, pp. 80-92, and Publications, vol. 7, pp. 238-244.

[2] This is the only proclamation of which the editor finds record that was printed outside of Great Britain. A marginal note appended to the entry of the proclamation in the Privy Council Register (III Geo., vol. 9, p. 428) reads: "N. B. The original proclamation under the Great Seal was sent over to Rhode Island with the Commission &c by the Secretary of State." In the London Gazette of September 8, 1772, an article dated at Whitehall, August 29, and evidently officially inspired, recites the circumstances of the attack upon the Gaspee, the appointment of a commission of inquiry, and the issuance of a Proclamation which was "to be printed and published within the said Colony of Rhode Island." Under date of December 22, 1772, Governor Wanton of Rhode Island wrote to the Sheriffs of the several counties: "In obedience to the King's command, signified to me, by the Right Honorable the Earl of Dartmouth, one of his principal secretaries of state, I have caused to be printed His Majesty's proclamation for discovering and apprehending the persons who plundered and burnt the Gaspee schooner; copies of which, I send you by express, which you are forthwith to affix in the most public places of the several towns within your colony" (R. I. Colonial Records, vii, 117). John Howland relates that the proclamation was posted near the Market house in Providence, but was struck down by a patriotic citizen and "mingled with the filth of the street" (Stone's Life of Howland, p. 37).

The editor could find no printed copy of this proclamation in England, but a few days after returning to America had the good fortune to discover one of the original broadsides, which was purchased for the R. I. Historical Society.

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