Let’s see about ten of you tax returns R MONEY, or, get out of my party co-founded by my kindred, Jessie Benton.
Jon Presco
Like most gentlemen who held office under the Crown,
Tryon was an adherent of the Church of England, and he used
his best efforts to strengthen its establishment. Taxes, as in
England, to maintain it, were collected from churchman and
dissenter alike ; bnt beyond an approval of this injustice the
Governor never went. Doctor Williamson, in his History of
North Carol ina,-i;. remarks: “It was fortunate for the dis-
senters that Govenior Tryon was not a bigot. He did not con-
ceive that a vicious life could be expiated by persecutions in
favor of an established church ; nor did he believe that any
worship, in form or substance, could be acceptable to the Su-
preme Being that was not offered up with an approving
heart.”
In an address on the Church of England in the Province of
North Carolina,^ which he delivered in Calvary Church,
Tarborough, 1890, at the celebration of the centennial of the
Diocese, the Eeverend Joseph Blount Cheshire, who has since
become Bishop of North Carolina, refers to Tryon in these
words: “With the administration of Governor Tiyon a new
era of activity in ecclesiastical affairs begins. Gabriel John-
ston and Arthur Dobbs were both zealous churchmen, but
Tryon’s activity in seeking to advance the cause of the
Church and of religion in the province was quite beyond any-
*Williamson”s History of N. C. Vol. U, pp. 118-119.
tChurch History of N. C. p. 80, “ote.
t Williamson’s History of N. C. Vol. 11, p. 118.
§ Church History of N. C. p. 75.
20 GOVERNOR TRYON
thing which had been seen before. Yet it was not the zeal
of a mere sectarian bigotry. All our historians have ad-
mitted that he met the dissenting interests of the country with
a generous appreciation and tolerance wliich to a very great
extent won their good-will. Upon the outbreak of the first
Regulation troubles in 1768 the Presbyterian ministers
imited in an address to him, in which they declared that they
had the highest sense of the justice and Ijenevolence of his
administration, under which they say that they enjoyed all the
blessings of civil and religious liberty, or words to that effect.
They also put forth a pastoral letter to their people, quite as
ardent in its expressions of loyalty to King George as was
Parson Micklejohn’s sermon before the troops at Hillsboro’
ujxin the text, ‘The powers that be are ordained of God.’
Governor Tryon, on his part, always speaks of the Presby-
terians, and also of the Quakers, with the highest respect.
As a civil administrator, bred in the school of military disci-
pline, he had less respect for the ruder and more extravagant
forms of religious enthusiasm, the ‘Xew Lights’ and the
‘Separatists,’ who were becoming so nmaerous in some quar-
ters. But no complaint has come down to us from any reli-
gious Ixidy against his ecclesiastical administration.”
Tiyon’s friendshij) for the Lutherans is shown by tlie fact
that he and “the Honorable Miss Tryon” (probably his sister)
joined in a subscription to aid them in securing a minister and
a school-master for their congregation in the county of
Rowan.*
The Moravians, too, came in for a full share of Tryon’s
resjicct and admiration. From a wi>rk, by the Reverend
•Colonial Records of N. C. Vol. VIII. pp. 630-633.
o
OF NORTH CAROLINA. 21
John H. Clewell, entitled the Ilistori/ of Wachovia* we have
a delightful picture, written in the conniiiniity diary of the
Moravian settlement (in what is now Forsyth county, N”ortli
Carolina), when that place was visited by Governor and ^Irs.
Tryon in September, 17(17. The entries given by Doctor
Clewell were made originally in German at the time of
Tryon’s sojourn, and, as the testimony of eye-witnesses, are of
great value historically. On September ISth it is said of
the visiting party’s entry into the town : “As the company
approached, our band of musicians with French horns and
trumpets greeted them. Half an hour later they dined in the
hall of the single brethren’s house, the musicians furnishing
music while they sat at table. At the conclusion of the
repast the governor, accompanied by some of the gentlemen
of the party, took a walk through the village, inspecting the
property, the stables and the farm. As it began to rain,
they returned to their rooms. In the meantime, ]\Irs. Tryon
was entertained by the ladies of the congregation, she con-
versing with them in a charming and lovely manner. When
comfortably seated in the room, the governor had a long and
familiar conversation with Gratf. He was greatly interested
in our constitution and government.” On the following day
we have the chronicle: “After having breakfasted, the gov-
ernor and his pai-ty went across the great meadow to Salem.
He examined everything with interest. He was pleased with
the regularity of the streets, and the care with which every-
thing is laid out. When we returned to Bethabara, dinner
♦CleweU’s Historj’ of Wachovia, pp. 99-102.
22 GOVEBNOE TBYON
was served, as yesterday, in the large hall, and later His Ex-
cellency examined the potter shop). The party then went to
Bethania, spending some time at the mill. In the evening
we were again in Bethabara, the governor having expressed
himself as greatly pleased with what he saw. As he passed
and greeted the young people, and saw them in front of the
houses, he said the coimtry would be blessed in these happy
children.” Of Mrs. Tryon we also liave an attractive view
(Sunday, September 20th) from the same source: ”We had
arranged for a quiet afternoon for our visitors, but Mrs.
Tryon expressed a desire to play upon the organ ; and as she
played, a number of the girls sang. This pleased her. She
later requested Graif to perform on the organ, and he did
so. By this time the governor became interested in the mu-
sic, and came to the meeting hall from his room. An hour
was pleasantly passed in this way.” Before leaving the
Moravians, Governor Tryon advised them to secure repre-
sentation in the Legislature, as the importance of their com-
munity fully justified such a privilege. In reply he was
told that such a step might arouse the jealousy of otlier sec-
tions, but his answer was that their prosperity would probably
arouse envy and jealousy whether they were represented or not.
On the 21st of September, Tryon returned to Salisbury from
this visit, after a hearty interchange of good wishes with his
hospitable entertainers.
One missionary of the Church of EiiglaJid, writing from
!Sorth Carolina in 1767, referred to Governor Tryon as “by in-
clination, as well as by his office, the defender and friend, the
patron and nursing father of the church established amongst
OF NORTH CAROLINA. 23
US ; a religious frequenter of its worship and a steady adherent
to its interest, prepared in times of the greatest danger and
distress to suffer with and for it.””” This extravagant praise
does not bear out the statement made by one historian that the
only reason for Tryon’s tolerance was his utter indifference to
religion in general.
Under date of July 31, 17(55, Governor Tryon wTote to the
Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, with reference to
religious and educational matters, a letter in which he said
that if the Society would send for his distribution as many
well-bound Bibles and Prayer Books for the ministers’ desks
as there were parishes, it would have a better effect than a
ship-load of small books recommending the duty of a Chris-
tian ; for the igiiorant would hear their duty delivered out of
the fonner, when they could not instruct themselves in the lat-
ter. This incapacity was dxie, he thought, to a want of
schools in the province, which consideration impelled him to
solicit the Society’s bounty and encouragement to Mr. Tom-
Hnson, the teacher then seated at jSTew Bern. The Governor
said he had recently held a long conversation with Mr. Tom-
linson, and was much impressed by the sense and decency
of his behavior, and the general good character he maintained.
In conclusion, Tryon remarked that he could not close his let-
ter without acquainting the Society that the Reverend George
Whitefield had preached a sennon at Wilmington in the pre-
ceding March which wouhl have done him honor had he deliv-
ered it at St. James’s, allowing some little alteration of cir-
•Colonial Records of N. C, Vol. VU, p. 520
24 GOVERNOR TRYON
cumstances between a discourse adapted to tlie Royal Chapel
and one prepared for the coiirt-honse at Wilmington.*
In the above-mentioned letter Governor Tryon stated that
considerable sums of money had been subscribed for finish-
ing the churches at Wilmington and Brunswick, and he
thought both would be completed in less than twelve months.
He does not mention that he himself had made a personal
contribution of forty guineas toward building the one at
Brunswick, yet such was the case.f The walls of the historic
edifice last alluded to, St. Pliilip’s Church, are still standing
at old Brunswick.
In his work entitled Tales and Traditions of the Lower
Cape Fear.\ Mr. James Sprunt, of Wilmington, says:
“St. Philip’s Church was built of large brick broiight from
England. ‘ Its walls are nearly three feet thick and are solid
and almost intact still, the roof and the floor only luiving dis-
appeared. Its dimensions are nearly as large as those of our
modem churches, being seventy-six feet six inches long, fifty-
three feet three inches wide, standing walls twenty-four feet
four inches high. There are eleven windows, measuring fif-
teen by seven feet, and three large doors. It must have pos-
sessed unu’li architectural beauty and massive grandeur witli
its high-pitched roof, its lofty doors, and beautiful chaucel
windows.
“Upon the fall of Fort Fisher, which is a few miles to
the south-east of Orton, in 1805, the Federal troops visited
the ruins of St. Philip’s, and with jiick-axes dug out the cor-
• Colonial Recortls of N. C, Vol. VU, pp. 103-104.
t Colonial Records of N. C. Vol. VH, p. 164.
X Sprunt’s Tale.s and Traditions of the Lower Cape Fear, pp. 73-74.
OF NORTH CAROLINA. 25
ner-stone, which had remained undisturbed for one hundred
and twenty-five years, and which doubtless contained papers of
great interest and value to our people. It is a singular fact
that during the ten-ific bombardment of Fort Anderson,
which was erected on Orton, and which enclosed with earth-
works the ruins of St. Philip’s, while many of the tombs in the
church-yard were shattered and broken to pieces by the s.torm
of shot ajid shell, tlie walls escaped destruction; as if the
Power Above had shielded from annihilation the building
wliich had been dedicated to His seiwice.
“This sanctuary has long been a neglected ruin, trees of
larger growth than the suiTounding forest have grown up
within its roofless walls, and where long years ago the earnest
prayer and song of praise ascended up on high, a solemn still-
ness reigns, unbroken save by the distant munnur of the sea,
wliich ever sings a requiem to the buried past.”
The parish in Wilmington (organized in 17291 has been
more fortunate than the one at Brunswack, and is still in
active operation, though its house of worship, St. James’s
Church, is not the same which was used in the days of Gov-
ernor Tryon. The present building was erected many years
after tlie Revolution.
To what we have said concerning Tryon’s efforts to ad-
vance the cause of education, it should be added that his
exertions were not designed to benefit the eastern part of the
province alone. In a message to the Colonial Legislature, on
December 5, 1770, he recommended to that body that, as soon
as funds could be raised, a seminary should be established in
the back-country settlements.* In reply, the Assembly prom-
• Colonial Records of N. C, Vol. VUI, pp. 285, 239, 312.
26 GOVEK’S’OR TIJYON
ised favorable action as soon as the state of the public finance
justified such an expenditure, saying that an institution of
this character was very much to be desired, as morals and
good government largely depended upon the early training
given citizens of a country. At the same session, by Chapter
III of the Laws of 1770,* Queen’s College (sometimes called
Queen’s Museum) in Charlotte was incorporated ; and, for its
support, the trustees were authorized to levy and collect a
duty on all rum and other spirituous liquors brought into and
disj^osed of in Mecklenburg coimty. The trustees of this
college were nearly altogether men of the Presbyterian faith,
though Edmund Fanning and Abner Nash, two members of
the Church of England, Avere also on the board. Upon be-
ing submitted for the approval of the authorities in England,
according to the usual procedure, the act incorporating this
institution was annulled ; and another act, Chapter IX of the
Laws of 1771 (later passed as an amendment), became of no
effect in consequence thereof. It was not until the Revolu-
tion upset British authority that the desired legislation could
be made effective. Then, by Chapter XX of the Private Laws
of 1777 (April session), a charter was obtained vesting the
government of the college in a board of trustees, on which
were Thomas Polk, Adlai Osborne, Waightstill Aveiy,
Ephraiin Brevard, several of the Alexanders, and many other
prominent Presbyterians. At this time the North Caro-
linians were not so anxious to honor royalty, and Queen’s
College became Liberty Hall. By Chapter XXIII of the
Private Laws of 1778 (April session) all moneys coming
*In the publication of Laws only the caption of this act is jrivcn. For full text see
Colonial Records of N. C, Vol. VIH. p. 486.
OF XOKTH CAKOLIXA. 27
from the sale cif town lots in Charlotte were given to the ■^
college. Though it had done much good in the cause of edu-
cation (for it ran some years without a charter), this in-
stitution did not long siu’vivc the Revolution. Chapter
XXIX of the Private Laws of 1784 (October session)’
changed its name to Salisbuiy Academy, and it was then re-
moved to Rowan county. We find the Oshornes, Brevards,
Polks, and others who had been interested in Liberty Hall,
among the earliest trustees and patrons of the University of
Xorth Carolina at Chapel Hill, which began its existence
shortly after the war.
In Liberty Hall, as if by way of retribution for the King’s
j)ast injuries to it, were held the meetings, in 1775, which
brought forth the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence.
Neither the remnants of this college nor the place of its loca-
tion seem to have made a very profound impression on Gen-
eral Washington in 1791, when he visited that part of North
Carolina. In his Dianj* on May 28th, of the year men-
tioned, he says: “Charlotte is a trifling place, though the
Court of Mecklenburg is held in it. There is a school
(called a college) in which, at times, there has been fifty or
sixty boys.” As Washington, according to a well-known ac-
comit handed down to us by the Reverend Mason L. Weems,
“could not tell a lie,” perhaps his description of the Char-
lotte of that day should not l)e questioned ; j’et, could the
General i-epeat his visit, he would now find a town no longer
“trifling,” but enlightened educationally and progressive com-
mercially. And it may be here mentioned that one of the
* Washington’s Diary (edited by B. J. Lossing, New York, ISCO), p. 197.
28 GOVEKNOE TKYON
principal streets of Chariotte is called for Governor Tryon.
It has been said that the royal approval was denied the
act incorporating Qneeu’s College because the institution was
not in iniison with the Church of England. This is probably
true ; but the fact that Great Britain was then afflicted \\’ith a
monarch who sometimes over\vorked himself in performing
the arduous duties devolving upon him as “Defender of the
Faith” was not the fault either of Tryon or the North Caro-
lina Assembly.
In February, 1706, Governor Tn’on became a member of
the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreigii
Parts, making a handsome donation in money to that organ-
ization at the same time.*
One of the most laughable jjictures we have of the religious
transactions in the colony about the year 1766 is found in a
letter from the Eeverend Charles Woodmason, of the Estab-
lished Church, to the Society for the Propagation of the Gos-
pel.f Among other things, this worthy divine says that wlien
the Presbyterians saw they were not strong enough to cope
with the Church of England along the sea-coast, they cramped
its usefulness by building a chain of meeting-houses which
hedged it off from the back-country. Then, says the par-
son, the Almighty allowed the Presbyterians to be caught in
the nets they set for others, as the Baptists came down from
Pennsylvania and wormed them out of their strong-holds;
wherefore the rancor between the two sects was so gTeat tliat
a Presbyterian would prefer having ten children married to
members of the Church of England than one to a Baptist, and
•Colonial Records of N. C, Vol. VII, p. 1G2.
t Colonial Records of N. C. Vol. VII, p. 287.
OF NORTH CAROLINA. 29
the same was true of the antipathy horno l\y the Baptists to-
wards the Presbj-terians. As a consequence of these jeal-
ousies, said he, the C’hiu-ch of England was reaping great
good ; but, with some misgivdiig, he adds : “The Baptists have
great prevalence and footing in North Carolina, and have
taken such deep root that it will require long time and pains
to grub up their layers.” In considering this statement, we
are impressed ^\^th the belief that the reverend gentleman
did not overestimate the difficulties his church had to en-
counter ; for, even at the present writing’, the foundations or
“layers” of the Baptist denomination in North Carolina
have not been entirely grubbed up, and what further amount
of “time and pains” will be required to effect that end is diffi-
cult to estimate.
We shall now leave the churchmen and dissenters to their
three-cornered fight and take a look at the mountainous sec-
tion of the province. Though somewhat devoid of that re-
finement which first reached the sea-coast counties, the in-
habitants of the west were even then noted for their self-
reliance, and for the fearless love of lil>erty which was des-
tined to make King’s Mountain the turning point in Ameri-
ca’s gTeat struggle for freedom, fifteen years thereafter.
Vivid, indeed, is the portrayal both of locality and people
given in 1765 by Attorney-General Eobert Jones, junior
(sometimes known as Eobin Jones), wlio had recently visited
that section for his health. To Edmund Fanning he wrote :
“The coiuitry, I suppose, is as healthy as any under the sun ;
for although the cold is very intense in Winter, occasioned by
the north side of the mountains being continually covered
30 GOVEE^’OIl TRYOX
Avitli snow from December till the middle of March, the
weather, I am told, is not liable to those sudden changes from
hot to cold that we experience here, and, in the Summer, the
air is the most agreeable medium between those extremes that
can be conceived, accomijanied by pleasant breezes. The in-
habitants are hospitable in their way, live in plenty and dirt,
are stout, of gi’eat prowess in manual athletics; and, in pri-
vate conversation, bold, impertinent, and vain. In the art of
war (after the Indian manner), they are well-skilled, are en-
terprising and fruitful of strategies ; and, when in action, are
as bold and intrepid as the ancient Romans. The Shawnese
acknowledge them their superiors even in their OAvn way of
fighting. The land, such as is capable of cultivation, is fei’-
tile beyond conception, being much better than any I ever
saw before ; but of that there is a vei^ small proportion, much
the greater part being too stony and baiTen. It may be truly
called the land of niOTintains, for thej’ are so nmnerous that
when you have reached the sununit of one of them, you may
see thousands, of every shape that the imagination can sug-
gest, seeming to vie with each other which should raise his
lofty head to touch the clouds. The mountains and valleys
abound with medicinal herbs of almost every kind, and there
are some curious flowers and other curiosities well worth
seeing. There ai-e warm, hot, emetic, and sweet springs,
most of which I saw, but their virtues time must discover.
However, it seems to me that nature has been wanton in be-
stowing her blessings on that countiy, and that these waters
are the choicest of them.”*
•Colonial Records of N. C, Vol. VII, pp. 100-101.
OF NOKTH CAKOLIXA.
Reluctantly departing from the beautiful scenes so graphi-
cally depicted by the above writer, Ave shall now carry our nar-
rative to the town of Brunswick, on the Cape Fear river,
where Governor Tryon tarries before proceeding to ‘New
Bern, at which place he purposes to meet the uewly-elected As-
sembly. The Parliament of Great Britain has passed the
Stamp Act ; and news thereof is brought to ^North Carolina,
where officers of the Crown hear it without misgiving. Little
know they that a great storm is brewing — the pi-elude to a
storm still greater, which will sweep every vestige of royal
rule from the thirteen colonies.
32 GOVEKNOR TKYON
CHAPTER III.
atte:mpts to enforce the stamp act— resistance by
the colonists— armed demonstration against the
sloop of war di li a eyce— crew of the sloop viper
captured and imprisoned— meeting of the gov-
ernor’s councii^public printer suspended from
office— repeal of the stamp act— perfiojxel of the
governor’s council.
The month of October, in 1765, was marked by the first re-
sistance offered to the Stamp Act. Doctor William Hous-
ton, a resident of North Carolina, was appointed to dis-
tribute such stamps as should be sent into the province. The
sloop of Avar Diligence, which brought the first — and last —
cargo, uuili’r that hated enactment, arrived at Cape Fear on
the 28th of jSTovember, 1765.* Previous to this time, on
October 10th, about five hundred people had assembled in the
streets of Wilmington and hanged in effigy “a certain hon-
ourable gentlenmn,” whose name does not appear in tlie
North Carolina Ga-zetie,-]- from which we get the acco\mt
The reason of this demonstration was tliat the gcntleuian
in question had expressed himself in favor of the stamp duty.
After the figure was cut down and consigned to tlie flames,
all male inhabitants of the town were brought to the bonfire.
Here they were compelled to drink the toast : “Liberty,
])roperty, no stamp duty, and confusion to Lord Bute and all
liis adherents.” On the 31st of the same month, says the above
paper, a great number of peo]ile again assembled “and pro-
• A Colonial OOiccr and His Times, by Alfred Moore Waddell, p. 84.
t Reprinted in the Colonial Records of N. C, Vol. VII. p. 123. ct seq.
OF NORTH CAROLINA. 33
cUiced an effigy of Liberty, Avliicli tliey put into a coffin and
marched with it in solemn procession to the churchyard, a
drum, in mourning, beating before them, and the town bell,
muffled, ringing a doleful knell at the same time. But be-
fore they committed the body to the ground they thought it
advisable to feel its pulse ; and, when finding some remains of
life, they returned back to the bonfire, ready prepared, placed
the effigy before it in a large two-anned chair and concluded
the evening with great rejoicings on finding that Liberty
had still an existence in tlie colonies.”
On November 16th it was the fortune of Stamp-Master
Houston to be an unwilling participant in some impressive
ceremonies in connection A\’ith the above matters. Imme-
diately upou his coming to Wilmington, three or four hiin-
dred citizens, with drums beating and colors flying, gathered
at the house where he lodged, and demanded whether he would
attempt to execute his office. He replied that he would be
sorry to perfonu any duties distasteful to the people of the
province. ISTot content ■with this evasive answer, the multi-
tude carried him to the court-house, where he was compelled
to sign a paper in which he declared that he woiild never at-
tempt to perform the duties devolving upon him as Stamp-
Master, and which he closed mth the not overtruthful state-
ment that tliis resignation was made of his own free-will and
accord. “As soon as the Stamp Officer had complied with
their desires,” says the newsj^aper already quoted, “they
placed him in an ann-chair, carried him first round the court-
house, giving him three huzzas at every corner, and then pro-
ceeded with him round one of the squares of the town and sat
34 GOVEEXOP TEYON
him down at the door of his lodgings, formed themeslves in a
large circle around him and gave him three cheers. They then
escorted him into the house, where was prepared the best
liquors to be had, and treated him very genteely. In the
evening a large bonfire was made, and no person appeared on
the streets without having ‘Liberty’ in large letters on his hat.
They had a large table near the bonfire, well furnished witli
several sorts of liquors, where they drank in great form all the
favorite American toasts, giving three cheers at the conclusion
of each. The whole was conducted with great decoinim, and
not the least insult was offered to any person.”
Verily, these bibulous champions of liberty M-erc a decorous
set ; and the above circiunstances go to show that on one
occasion, at least, in the histoiy of North Carolina, matters
were so arranged as to avoid the complaint (said to have been
made at a conference of Governors in after years) that it
was “a long time between drinks.”
In addition to the above account in the Gazette, its editor,
Andrew Stuart, gives a tale of woe in relating his personal
experiences. He was visited by a committee which de-
manded whether or not he would continue his business as
heretofore and piiblish a newspaper. lie replied that ho
could not lawfully do so withoiit stamped paper, and he had
none. Then followed threats of violence, when he said that,
rather than run the hazard of his life, of being maimed, or
having his printing-office destroyed, he would issue his paper
as usual.
In his Field Booh of the 11 evolution””” I^ssiug gives a de-
•Lossing’s Field Book of the Revolution (edition 1851-’52), Vol. IT. p. 877 (priving illus-
trations).
OF NOKTII CAKOLIXA. 35
scriptioii of the stamps sent to America. He says the impres-
sion was made upon dark blue paper (similar in appearance
to that now coimnonly known as tobacco paper), to which was
fastened a narrow strip of tin-foil. The ends of the foil were
passed through the parchment or paper to which the stamp
was to be attached, then flattened on the opposite side ; and a
piece of paper, with the rough device and number of the
stamp, pasted on to secure it. The device was a double Tu-
dor rose, enclosed by the Royal Garter. Above this was a
crown, and below was named the money value of the stamp.
Seeing the serious turn affairs had taken, Governor Tryon
sent out a circular-letter to the principal gentry of the Cape
Fear section, inviting them to a conference at his house near
Bi-unswick on the 18th of Xovcmljcr, 1705.* AVlicn they
came in response to his summons, he addressed them at some
Icng-th on the events of recent occuiTence and exhorted obe-
dience to the decrees of Parliament. The right of Great Bri-
tain to tax the colonies, he said, would not constitute his
theme of discussion, but that he hoped no one desired to
destroy dependence on the mother country. He then dwelt
on the advantages that would result from North Carolina’s
acceptance of the law, saying that her commerce would there-
upon extend, while the rural colonies were obstructing their
own trade by a refusal to take the stamps. As a further in-
ducement, he offered to pay, at his own exj^ense, the duty
on all stamped paper on which he was entitled to fees. Nor
was this amount inconsiderable, for it included fees on land-
patents, testimonials, injunctions in chancery, marriage li-
censes, and letters of administration; on four wine licenses
•Colonial Records of N. C. Vol. VH. pp. 127-131.
36 GOVEENOE TEYOIf
each for the towns of Edenton, New Beni, Wibniugton, Salis-
bury, and Halifax ; two each for Brunswick and Cross Creek
(now Fayetteville) ; and one each for Bath and Tarborough.
Though recognizing the generosity of his offer, it soon became
evident that the men whom Tryon consulted were contending
more for principle than for money. After due consultation
they returned acknowledgments for the privilege of a con-
ference with the Governor, and declared that Tryon’s known
sincerity left no room to doubt his professions. They also re-
cognized, so the reply stated, that his family influence, for-
tune, and other interests in England would always give
weight to remonstrances which he might make in behalf of
the province. Then referring to the Stamp Act, the convic-
tion was expressed that every view of it confirmed them in
the opinion that it was most dangerous to their liberties as
British sidtjects. To the King they promised every act of
loyalty and obedience consistent with the rights of a free
people. As to the Governor’s offer to pay the fees, they said
that, with an approval of part, they could not deny the act’s
validity as a whole. Assurances were also given that every
effort should be used to prevent insult and violence to officers
of the Crown, except distributors of stamps, who, they said,
were too much detested to be secure from the resentment of
the colonists. In conclusion they expressed a desire to pi’O-
mote the mutual interests of Great Britain and the colonies,
and to render Tryon’s adminisi ration liai>py, easy, iind Imn-
orable.
As noted in the beginning of this chai)ter, the sloop of war
Diligence brought a cargo of stamped paper to the Cape Fear
OF NORTH CAROLINA.
37
on N’ovember 28, 17G5. General Hugh Waddell’s descend-
ant and biogTapher, the Honorable Alfred IMoore Waddell,
in his work entitled A Colonial Officer and His Times* has
given a graphic acconnt of her reception, as follows :
“Twelve days afterward the Diligence arrived in the Cape
Fear river with the stamps, and the welcome which awaited
her captain must have astonished him. His name was
Phipps, and his vessel was a twenty-gim sloop of war, which
was cruising off the coast of Virginia and the Carolinas. He
brought the stamps from Virginia, whither they had been sent
from England, and, doiibtless, anticipated no trouble what-
ever in delivering them to the Collector of the Port of Bruns-
wick. The idea of resistance of any kind probably never
occurred to him, and the suggestion of armed defiance on the
part of the people on shore would have seemed the wildest
absurdity to a commander of one of His Majesty’s war ships.
“Comfortably pacing his deck, as the gallant sloop, with
colors flying and all her canvas set, glided eourtesying across
the bar like a fine lady entering a drawing-room, the captain
was doubtless already enjoying in anticipation the sideboard
and table refreshments that awaited him in the hospitable
mansions of the Cape Fear planters, and eager to stand, gim
in hand, by one of the tall pines of Brunswick and watch the
coming of the antlcred monarch of the forest before the inspir-
ing music of the hounds.
“As the Diligence bowls along ‘with a bone in her mouth’
across the ruffled bosom of the beautiful bay into which the
river expands opjwsite Fort Johnston, a puff of white smoke
* A Colonial Officer and His Times, p. 86. et seq.
38 GOVERNOR TRYON
leaps from lier port quarter, followed by a roar of salutation
from one of her guns; an answering thunder of welcome
comes from the fort, and the proud ship walks the waters
towards the town of Brunswick, eight miles farther up the
river towards Wilmington. An hour later she sights the
town, and a little while afterwards, with a graceful sweep
and a rushing keel, she gi-adually puts her nose in the wind as
if scenting trouble ; and then, at the shrill sound of the boat-
swain’s whistle, the growling chains release the anchor from
its long suspense, and the Diligence rests opposite to the Cus-
tom House of Brunswick, with her gTinning port-holes open
and all her guns exposed. Then her rigging-blocks chuckle
as she lowers and clews her sails, and she rides at her moor-
ings beneath the flag of the Mistress of the Seas.
“The captain at once observes that the little town seems to
be unusually lively and ex]^)ectant. He soon discovers the
cause. A considerable body of armed men occupy the streets
and line the shore. Presently he is informed that Colonel
Hugh Waddcll, an experienced soldier, who had been on the
lookout for the Diligence with the militia of Brunswick
county, had notified Colonel Ashe of iSTew Hanover of his
movements ; and these two gentlemen, with the anned militia
of both counties, confronted him and infonned him that they
would resist the landing of the stamps and would tire on any
one attempting it.
“Here was one of His Majesty’s twenty-gun sloops of war
oj^enly defied and threatened by British subjects armed and
drawn up in battle array. Here was treason, open, flagrant
and in the broad light of day — treason, armed and led by
OF NORTH CAROLINA. 39
the most distingiusbcd soldier of the province and the Speaker
of the Assembly.
“The captain of the Diligence prudently concluded that it
would be folly to attempt to land the stamps in the face of
such a threat, backed by such force, and promised a compli-
ance with the demands of the people. The ‘Sons of Liberty,’
as they were afterwards called, then seized oue of the boats of
the Diligence, and, leaving a guard at Brunswick, marched
with it mounted on a cart to Wilmington, where there was a
triumphal procession through the streets, and at night a gen-
eral illumination of the town.”
In addition to his o^Ta account of the above transaction,
Mr. Waddell quotes another writer, the Honorable George
Davis, who sa^^s: “This was more than ten years l^efore the
Declaration of Independence, and more than nine before the
battle of Lexington, and nearly eight years before the Boston
‘Tea Party.’ The destruction of the tea was done in the
night by men in disguise. And history blazons it, and New
England boasts of it, and the fame of it is world-wide. But
this other act, more gallant and daring, done in open day by
well-kno^\-ll men, with arms in their bauds, and under the
King’s flag — who remembers, or who tells of it ?”
The full name of the commander of the Diligence was
Constantine Jolin Pliipps.* He was a distinguished naval
officer and Arctic explorer, the son of an Irish nobleman,
Baron Mulgrave, of j!^ew Boss, C-oimty Wexford. Upon
the death of his father. Captain Phipps succeeded to the title
“Compare Burke’s Peerage (1895 edition), pp. 1C63-1064, with sig-nature to Phipps’s
letter in A Colonial Officer and Hi3 Times, by Waddell. p. 113; for portrait and sketch of
Captain Phipps (Lord Mulgravc) see Quebec periodical entitled North American Notes
and Queries, July. 19C0. Vol. I, pp. 56, 61.
40 GOVERNOR TRYON
and was himself later raised to the jjeerage of the United
Kingdom as Baron Mulgrave, of Mnlgrave, County York.
lu one of his exploring expeditions the future Admiral Nel-
son was a coxswain. Lord Mulgrave was in active service
against America during the Revolution, as was also his
brother and successor, Henry, aftei”Avards created Earl of
MulgTave and Marquis of Nonnanby. These titles are at
present vested in the Marquis of Normanby, a descendant of
the last named.
One of the shrewdest acts of Tryon’s administration in
North Carolina was the prevention of all meetings of the
Assembly during the Stamp Act disputes. More than a year
and a half— from May 18, 17G5, till November 3, 17G6—
elapsed between two sessions. Having the right either to
prorogue or dissolve that body whenever he saw fit, this power
was freely exercised. Hence, when the Stamp Act Con-
gress (composed of delegates from nearly all the provinces)
convened in New York on October 7, 1765, North Carolina
was not a party thereto, as the Assembly, not being in ses-
sion, could not provide for the colony’s rei3resentation — “an
explanation of the absence of such delegates,” says the biogi’a-
pher of General Waddell, “which does not seem to have been
knovi’u to writers who have igiiorantly criticised the State for
a want of spirit at that timc.”f
Though at times powerless to cope with the resistance
offered the measures of the home government, Ti-yon was a
man of strong determiuatinn and bent every energy to carry
* For full record of prorogations and digsolutions, see Colonial Records of N. C, Vol.
Vn, pp. 87-88. 118. 135. 188. 342.
tA Colonial Officer and His Times, by Alfred Moore Waddoll. p. 82.
OF NOETH CAEOLINA. 41
out the decrees of Parliament. At that time Cape Fear was
said to he the ouly spot on the continent where vessels were
actually seized by the British authorities for non-compliance
with the laws concerning stamps, and it was soon learned that
the inhabitants of Cape Fear would be about the last people
on the continent to tamely submit to such a state of affairs.
On the ISth of February, 1766, the colonists drew up and
signed an agTeement Avhich avowed the utmost loyalty to the
King, yet declared the Stamp Act an infringement on the
constitutional rights transmitted to the people of America by
their brave forefathers, and i>ledged the united action of
the signers to prevent entirely the operation of that law.*
The parties to this compact were inhabitants of the vicinity
of Cape Fear. On Febmary 19th they marched to Bruns-
wick, where their force — according to one estimate — was aug-
mented by upwards of a thousand men. At Brunswick news
was received that several hundred more would soon arrive.f
In order to remove any misapprehension in the mind of Gov-
ernor Try on, two of the party (George Moore and Cornelius
Harnett) were deputed to wait on him and deliver a letter
which said that no disrespect or insult shoiild be offered his
person ; but that, being dissatisfied with the restrictions which
were laid on their river commerce, the force assembled was
going for a conference with the commanding officers of His
Majesty’s war ships with the hoj^e of obtaining a peaceable
redress of their grievances.:]: This letter was signed by John
Ashe, Thomas Lloyd, and Alexander Lillington. An offer
•Colonial Records of N. C, Vol. VU, p. 168c.
t Colonial Records of N. C, Vol. VU. p. 168d.
t Colonial Records of N. C, Vol. VU, p. 178-179.
42 GOVEENOE TETON
was also made by this committee of three to place a special
guard for the protection of the Governor, but the proposition
was contemptuously rejected, Tryon saying he had no fears
for his person or property, and hoped their protection would
not be given where it was neither needed nor desired.
When a conference was finally, held by the colonists with the
Collector of Customs and rauliing naval officer, those func-
tionaries agreed that no further restrictions should be placed
on the port unless u]K)n the order of the Sun-eyor-Geueral of
Customs when that officer should arrive.*
At one time during the troubles at Wilmington a general
muster was ordered in the town, and the Governor sought to
win over the militia by having an ox barbecued. He also
opened several barrels of beer for their entertainment ; but the
people rose in riot and “made a Douglas Larder of the feast by
dumping the ox into the river and knocking out the heads of
the beer barrels, f
On the 21st of February a committee was sent for William
Pennington, the Comptroller of Customs, William D17, the
Collector of the Port, and Thomas McGuire, an offi.eer of the
Admiralty Department, with all of whom a consultation was
desired. The two last named made their appearance, but
Pennington sought refuge with the Governor. One of the
party. Colonel James Moore, thereupon went to summon him,
and Tryon made answer that he had hiuiself detained Mr.
Penniug-ton, who was engaged with dispatches in relation to
the King’s service ; but that any person desiring to consult
iiiiii might attend for that purpose. Thereupon a company
• Colonial Records of N. C. Vol. VII, p. lesd.
t Martin’s History of N. C, Vol. II. p. 2U.
OF NORTH CAEOLINA. 43
of men went to the Governor’s house and by threats of enter-
ing and capturing- Pennington by force (also promising safety
if be vohintarily complied), finally prevailed on him to come
out. Then marching off, they formed a circle, in tlie center
of which he and the other customs officers were placed, and
eompelled them to make a solemn oath that they would not
cither directly or indirectly attempt to execute the duties of
their respective offices, in so far as stamped papers were con-
cerned. All court officers and lawyers present were sworn to
the same effect.*
In giving an account of the above affair to the home gov-
ernment, Tryon said that, from the best accounts he could
get, the force in arms amounted to about five hundred and
eighty, with an additional hundred imarmed. He added that
the Mayor and coriwration officers of Wilmington, with some
masters of vessels and nearly all of the planters and other
inhabitants of Brunswick, New Hanover, Duplin, and Bladen
counties coui posed this corps, f
On visiting Fort Johnston, the Governor had the mortifica-
tion to find that the commandant, Captain John Dalrymple,
had pennitted all of the guns to be spiked. This was done
by order of Captain Jacob Lobb of the sloop Viper, to whose
commands Tryon had directed Dalrymple to hold himself sub-
ject. The armament thus temix)rarily disabled consisted of
twenty-three swivel-gims, eight eighteen-pounders, and eight
nine-poimders. Lobb was sharply reprimanded by Tryon for
his action in this matter, but justified himself by declaring he
had received word that several hundred men were approach-
* Colonial Records of N. C, Vol. VII, p. 168e.
t Colonial Records of N. C, Vol. VII, p. 174.
4-1: CxOVERNOR TEYON
ing, led by Colonel Hugh Waddoll, who purposed to take pos-
session of tlie fort, which was then garrisoned by only five
men and the commanding officer. There was danger, said
Lobb, that the guns would be captui-cd and brouglit to bear
on such of His Majesty’s shijjs as were within range.* The
officer who carried out the order for spiking the guns was
Lieutenant Calder, then attached to the Diligence, imder
Captain Phipps.f He is believed to have been that Admiral
Sir Robert Calder who afterwards figured in naval warfare
against the French.
Captain Dalrymple, mentioned above, was an officer in the
British army, stationed in North Carolina for some years.
He died in the province, at Fort Johnston, on the 13th of
July, 1766.:}: His will was made in 17-43, twenty-six years
before his death, and is now on file in North Carolina. In
it he designates himself “second lawful son to Sir John Dal-
lymple of Cowsland, Baronet, of the Kingdom of Scotland.”
The latter was a grandson of John Dalrymple, fii’st Viscount
Stair, and nephew of the second Viscount (later created Earl
of Stair), both of whom were conspicuous figures in the royal
councils of their day.
Before the Stamp Act dispute was settled the people of Wil-
mington had not been altogether inactive. Provisions on
board the Vipej- began to run low, and a boat was sent to
bring an additional supply. The citizens refused to furnish
this, and complacently dumped the Iwat’s crew into jail. In
•Colonial Records of N. C. Vol. VH, p. 180, et ecq.
t A Colonial OfTiccr and His Times, by A. M. Waddell. pp. 112-113; Alfred Moore Waddell
in North Carolina Booklel for July, 1901, p. 21.
} Colonial Recorila of N. C, Vol. VII, pp. 40, 91, 24), 24G. 445; Slate Records of N. C.
Vol. XI. pp. 1D4-15S; North Carolina Historical and Genealoeical Register. Vol. I, p. 201.
or NORTH CAROLIXA. 45
response to Tryon’s inquiry concerning this action, Moses
John DeRosset, the patriotic Mayor of Wilmington, replied
that gentlemen of the Cape Fear section of the province had
assembled to redress their grievances ; and, hearing that Cap-
tain Lobb was seizing merchant vessels which were without
stamped papers, had determined to cut off supplies from the
men of war until these ojiprcssive measures ceased. Seizures
by the government were made, said Mayor DeRosset, not-
withstanding the fact that nuisters of vessels produced certifi-
cates that no stamped papers could be obtained at the ports
from which they sailed. In conclusion, he added that, since
the local ofiicers had come to terms, sufficient provisions would
now be forwarded, and the Governor might rest assured that
all eiforts woiild be made to sustain His Majesty’s seiwice.*
The Governor’s Council met at Brunswick on the 26th of
Febmary, 1766. By advice of that body, Tryon issued a
proclamation denouncing the late assemblages of the people.f
He also suspended the Public Printer, Andrew Stuart, for
having published a communication whicli was considered
inflammatory.
Thwarted at every turn. Governor Tryon at one time had
contemplated calling on the Crown for a military and naval
force to uphold his authority. But soon, by a communica-
tion dated Mai-ch 31, 1766 (though not received until some
weeks later), notification came that tlie Stamp Act had been
repealed.:}; Furthermore, persons who had suffered by its
operations were indemnified for their losses. Then followed
•Colonial Records of N. C. Vol. VH, pp. 185-186.
t Colonial Records of N. C, Vol. VH, p. 187.
J Colonial Records of N. C, Vol. VII. pp. 189, 193, 202, 217.
46 GOVERNOR TRYON
eoiigratiilatioiis from tlie corjioration officers of Wilmingtou,
to which Tryon returned a polite but rather stilted acknowl-
edgment. Another address, by way of a remonstrance, soon
followed, in which it was said that moderation had ceased to
be a virtue when their rights as British subjects were igniored ;
but that the prudent action of Parliament, in repealing the
law, had relieved them from the unpleasant dilemma.* As-
surances were also given that they knew His Excellency’s
conduct had always been regulated by no motive other than
a generous concern for the j^ublic good. With this the Gov-
ernor was more appeased, and gracioiisly declared that he
stood ready to forget all improprieties of -which the town and
its people had been guilty. In conclusion, he thanked the
gentlemen for characterizing as false an attack recently made
upon him by a Barbadoes newspaper.
The Council of the Province, appointed by the King when
Tryon was made Governor, consisted of James Hasell, John
Rutherford, Lewis Henry DeRosset, Edward Brice Dobbs,
Richard Spaight, John Sampson, Henry Eustace McCulloh,
Alexander McCulloh, Charles Ben-y, William Dry, Robert
Palmer, and Benjamin Heron.f Of these, Dobbs was an
officer in the British anuy, the son of Governor Dobbs, and
had seen service in the French and Indian War. He left the
province al)out the time of his father’s death, and his prop-
erty in North Carolina was confiscated during the Revolu-
tion.
Spaight died in North Carolina 1i(-fore Tryon arrived. He
was a son of George Spaight, who married a niece of Gov-
• Colonial Records of N. C. Vol. VH, pp. 222-223. 2-12-243.
1 Colonial Records of N. C. Vol. VU, p. 137.
OF NORTH CAROLINA.
47
ernor Dobbs: hence Richard Spaight was a great-nephew of
the last named, and not his nephew, as has always been
stated in North Carolina histories. From him sprang Gov-
ernor Richard Dobbs Spaight, senior, and Governor Richard
Dobbs Spaight, junior, each of whom became Chief Magis-
trate of North Carolina after independence was achieved.
The elder Governor Spaight was also a member of the Conti-
nental Congress, and fell in a duel with the Honorable John
Stanly of New Bern on September 5, 1S02.
Of the other councilors mentioned above, Hasell was also
Chief Justice and became Governor ex officio, as President
of the Cbimcil, in 1771. Rutherford (who married the
A^dow of Govei-nor Gabriel Johnston) was broiight to North
Carolina by his cousin, James Murray, in 1739. He served
in the French and Indian War ; and was a loyalist diu-ing the
Revolution, as were also Hasell, DeRosset, and Henry Eus-
tace McCailloh, though the last named was not in America
when the war was in progress. Alexander McCulloh lived
in Halifax county. Of Henry Eustace McCulloh later
mention will be made in this work. DeRosset belonged to
an old Huguenot family, still extant in the Cajje Fear sec-
tion, and his loyalty to the House of Hanover was largely-
due to gratitude for the protection rendered his ancestors
when they were exiled from France. He was a brother of
Moses John DeRosset, to whom we have already had occasion
to refer. It is from the latter that the present DeRosset
family is descended.
Berry, another member of the Council, died by his own
hand in a fit of insanity.* He had been made Chief Justice
” For correct account, see A Colonial Officer and His Times, pp. 127-129, note.
48 GOVEKXOR TEYON
(vice Peter Henley, deceased) by tlic King’s commission,
lx!ai-ing date November 27, 1758, bnt did not arrive in the
colony till the Fall of the year following. He took the oath
of office as Chief Justice before Governor Dobbs on the 6th of
December, 1759. His service as a member of the Council also
began during the administration of Governor Dobbs. After
the death of Henley, and before Berry’s arrival in America,
James Hasell was Chief Justice jn-o tempore. Descendants
of Chief Justice Beii-y ai-e still living in North Carolina.
Sampson’s name is preserved by a North Carolina comity
called in his honor. Heron died before the Kevolution, about
1770. When the war came on. Dry became a supjiorter of
the American cause and occupied a seat at the council-board
of the whig Governor. Palmer was probably born in North
Carolina.* He lived at Bath and was Surveyor-General of
the province. He was a loyalist in the Revolution, and his
property in Noi-th Carolina was confiscated. He went to
England and there was pensioned by the government.
To fill vacancies in tlie above board, new eounciloi-s were
sworn as follows: James Murray, July 16, 1767; Samuel
Strudwick, December 14, 1767; Samuel Cornell, October
16, 1770; Martin Howard, November 19, 1770.f Murray,
like some fif the other councilors luentioned above, had also
occupied a similar post under Governors Johnston and Dobbs,
and the failure at first to insert his name in the commission
sent to Tryon was due to an oversight. He was bom in Scot-
laud and came to America in 1735. From North Carolina he
* See will of Robert Palmer, Sr.. in North Carolina Historical and Genealogical Regis-
ter. Vol. I, pp. 65. 369.
t Colonial Rocorcls of N. C. Vol. VII, pp. 160, 42.’>-428, 437, 601, 632; Ibid., Vol. VIII, pp.
119, 1C7. 24’J, 268; Ibid, Vol. IX, p. 1002; State Records of N. C. Vol. XI, page 210.
OF NOKTII CAROLINA. 49
made protracted visits to Boston (later settling in New Eng-
land), and finally his continued absence caused Governor
Tiyon to vacate liis seat, together with that of Edward Brice
Dobbs (then with his regiment in Great Britain), for the
same reason. Murray was a loyalist during the Revolution,
and died in exile about the close of the war, in 1781. Ilis
correspondence has recently been collected in book forai, and
is a most valuable addition to the literature which treats of
colonial life in North Carolina, though it also relates largely
to New England, where the volume was published.* Stinid-
vrick, who accompanied Tiyon to North Carolina, was an
Englishman, the son of Edmund Strudwick of St. Ann’s
Parish, Westminster, ajid came to take charge of the Stag
Park and Hawfields estates which he and his father had
bought from Governor Burringlon and the latter’s son. Lieu-
tenant G«orge Burrington, junior. Cornell resided at New
Bern ; and in Januaiy, 1770, was described by Tryon as “a
merchant of the first credit in the province, a native of New
York, about forty years of age, and of a very genteel and
public spirit.” Cornell’s granddaughter, Caroline LeRoy,
was the second wife of Daniel Webster. The last councilor
to qualify, as above, Mai-tin Howard, came to North Carolina
from Rhode Island, where his advocacy of the Stamp Act
had caused his property to be destroyed during an uprising
of the populace. In addition to occupying a seat at the coun-
cil-board, he filled the office of Chief Justice of North Caro-
lina, and had no superior — if an equal — in the colonial
judiciary. Most historians have dealt very unj\istly with
• Letters of James Murray, Loyalist, edited by Nina Moore Tiflfany and Susan I. Lesley
(Boston. 1901).
50 GOVERNOR TRYOX
his memory; for, thougli a loyalist (like nearly all of the
others mentioned above), he seems to have acted from con-
scientious motives, and was highly respected by members of
the legal profession, including those of the opposite political
faith.
Ujion the face of a commission constituting a board of
magistrates on the 29th of April, 1768, it would appear that
Sir ^Nathaniel Dukinfield, Baronet, and Marniaduke Jones,
Esquire, were then members of the Council ; and, in fact, both
of them were members at a later period, after Josiah Martin
became Governor.* But the commission of the peace, above
mentioned, evidently meant only to refer to these gentlemen
as magistrates; for, on two later occasions, Tryon recom-
mends that they be appointed to the Coimcil. This was ac-
cordingly done on May 1, 1771, though neither of them
qualified until after Governor Martin’s arrival.
Sir Nathaniel Dukinfield lived in North Carolina for some
years, but finally went back to Great Britain. His great-
uncle, William. Dukinfield, Esquire, had been a land o-s\iier
in Chowan Precinct, North Carolina, prior to 1700, and died
alx>ut 1720. Sir Xathaniel was the son of Nathaniel Dukin-
field, Esquire, and a grandson of Sir Robert, first baronet
of the name. The title finally came to the Nortli <\Trolina
baronet through the death, witliout male issue, of several of
liis uncles. f Before being elevated to the Coimcil, Sir Na-
thaniel jnit in a claim for precedence, in wjiicli it was c<iii-
• Colonial Recor.isof N. C. Vol. VII. p. 730; Ibid.. Vol. VIII, pp. 107. 49.S, 001, 024; Ibid.,
Vol. IX, pp. 19, 62, 291.
1 See Betham's BaroneUBC, Vol. II, pp. 370-381; Collection of the Private Law.s of
North Carolina, by F. X. Martin, p. 3; North Carolina Historical and Genealogical Rck'S-
tcr. Vol. I, p. 41 (January, 1900): Colonial Record:) of N. C., Vol. I. pp. 399, 558.
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