Timeline of the Passage of the Tea Act

Timeline of the Passage of the Tea Act

Report in the April 27, 1773 Morning Chronicle (London). [1]

Monday, April 26, 1773: the Tea Scheme is Introduced

Amidst ongoing discussions regarding the affairs of the struggling East India Company, Prime Minister Lord North introduced to the House of Commons proposals allowing the EIC to ship some of their enormous surplus of tea duty free to America. He was then challenged by other members of Parliament who observed that the Townshend duty still remained on tea. They argued that that controversial duty posed a stronger obstacle to the legal import of tea to America than the current prices of tea. William Dowdeswell remarked, "I tell the Noble Lord now, if he don't take off the duty they won't take the tea."

North refused to admit his political reasons for wishing to retain the Townshend duty, rather focusing on the need to collect a revenue in America for the administration of government. Other members of Parliament countered and argued that in that case they should repeal the Townshend duty, and then rather than a complete drawback of the duties in England, they should retain an amount sufficient to make up for any lost revenue.

North finally conceded the nature of his desire to retain the Townshend tea duty: "No doubt there are political reasons... of such weight, and strength, that unless I find it is absolutely necessary to take off the duty, I shall be very unwilling to touch that string. I know the temper of the people there is... little deserving favour from hence, unless the reasons are very great...." [2]

Tuesday, April 27, 1773: the Plan is Accepted and a Bill is Ordered

On behalf of a committee appointed by the House of Commons to investigate the affairs of the East India Company Mr. Bacon presented the committee's resolutions. He read them, and then submitted them to the Clerk's table, where they were read again. There were ten resolutions, the first seven of which focused on the determination that the EIC was in need of funds to prevent an economic crisis, the public should provide the funds, and laid out the conditions on which those funds must be repaid. The final three resolutions focused on the proposals Lord North had introduced the previous day regarding the export of tea to America.

1. All tea imported or bought at the regular EIC auction after May 10 and then exported to America should received a drawback of the 25% import duty typically owed.
2. The Commissioners of the Treasury should be empowered to grant licenses for the EIC to export tea to America, provided ten million pounds of tea were to remain in their warehouses. Furthermore, tea so exported should receive a drawback of the 25% percent duty owed upon importation into England, and an exemption of the 25% plus 1 shilling per pound duty owed on the inland sale of all tea.
3. The deposit due on every chest of Bohea tea won at the auction should increase from £2 to £4.

The resolutions were all read through a second time, and then the House of Commons accepted them and ordered a bill to be drawn up on the last three provisions regarding tea exports to America. The bill was to be prepared by Mr. Bacon, Lord North, Mr. Onslow, Mr. Dyson, Mr. Charles Townshend, Mr. Charles James Fox, Mr. Attorney General, Mr. Solicitor General, Mr. Cooper, and Mr. Robinson. [3]

Friday, April 30, 1773: First Reading of the Bill

Mr. Cooper presented the bill entitled "a Bill to allow a Drawback of the Duties of Customs on the Exportation of Tea to any of His Majesty’s Colonies or Plantations in America ; to encrease the Deposit on Bohea Tea to be sold at the India Company’s Sales; and to impower the Commissioners of the Treasury to grant Licences to the East India Company, to export Tea Duty-free". The bill was accepted and read a first time. It was resolved the the bill be read a second time. [4]

Monday, May 3, 1773: the Bill is Committed

The Tea Bill was read a second time in the House of Commons. It was resolved that it be committed to a committee of the whole House, which would meet the following morning upon the bill. [5]

Tuesday, May 4, 1773: Amendments

The House of Commons resolved itself into a committee consisting of the whole House to consider the Tea Bill. The debate, chaired by Mr. Cooper, resulted in a number of amendments being proposed. The House agreed to hear the amendments the following morning. [6]

Wednesday, May 5, 1773: The Bill with Amendments is Engrossed

Mr. Cooper delivered the report of the appointed committee regarding the proposed amendments. He submitted the bill and the amendments to the Clerk's Table. The amendments were then read to the House once, and then read a second time one by one, and approved by the House. The bill, with the amendments, was ordered to be engrossed. [7]

Thursday, May 6, 1773: The Bill Passes the Commons and is Sent to the Lords

The engrossed bill was read to the House a third time and passed in the affirmative. It was given its official title: "An Act to allow a Drawback of the Duties of Customs on the Exportation of Tea to any of His Majesty’s Colonies or Plantations in America ; to encrease the Deposit on Bohea Tea to be sold at the India Company’s Sales ; and to impower the Commissioners of the Treasury to grant Licences to the East India Company, to export Tea Duty free".

Sir Charles Whitworth was ordered to bring the bill to the House of Lords and desire their concurrence. [8]

The House of Lords ordered the bill to be committed to a committee of the whole House, which would consider the bill the following day. [9]

Friday, May 7, 1773: the Bill Passes the Lords

The House of Lords formed a committee of the whole House and considered the Tea Bill. The Earl of Westmorland reported from the committee, “That they had gone through the Bill, and directed him to report the same to the House, without any Amendment.” The bill was then put to a vote in the House of Lords, where it passed in the affirmative. [10]

Mr. Holford and Mr. Harris then delivered a message from the House of Lords to the House of Commons informing them of the Lords' passage of a number of bills, including the Tea Bill, which they had passed without amendments. [11]

Monday, May 10, 1773: the Tea Act Received Royal Assent

The House of Commons was summoned to attend in session with the House of Lords. Once they had all assembled, the Lord Chancellor declared:

"His Majesty not thinking fit to be personally present here at this Time, has been pleased to cause a Commission to be issued under the Great Seal, and thereby given His Royal Assent to divers Acts, which have been agreed upon by both Houses of Parliament, the Titles whereof are particularly mentioned; and, by the said Commission, hath commanded us to declare and notify His Royal Assent to the said several Acts in the Presence of you the Lords and Commons assembled for that Purpose; which Commission you will now hear read."

The various acts given royal assent at that session were then named, the second of which was the now
official Tea Act (13 Geo. 3, c. 44). [12]

Notes:

1. "News." Morning Chronicle [1770], April 27, 1773. Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Burney Newspapers Collection (accessed May 2, 2023). https://link-gale-com.ezproxy.bpl.org/apps/doc/Z2000826902/BBCN?u=mlin_b_bpublic&sid=bookmark-BBCN&xid=fd652f66.

2. Labaree, Benjamin Woods, The Boston Tea Party (Northeastern University Press, 1964, reprinted 1979), pp70–73; Labaree cites the quoted passages from "Cavendish Debates, Egerton Ms. 246, pp4–5,6 (British Museum)".

3. Journals of the House of Commons. Vol 34, p286; for an overview of the duties on tea see Labaree, p6, and the endnotes on p266; Mr. Bacon could be this one or this one. Mr. Onslow could be this one or this one.

4. Commons, p293

5. Commons, p295

6. Commons, pp297–298

7. Commons, pp299–300

8. Commons, p301

9. "House of Lords Journal Volume 33: May 1773, 1-10," in Journal of the House of Lords Volume 33, 1770-1773, (London: His Majesty's Stationery Office, 1767-1830), 626-640. British History Online, accessed April 27, 2023, http://www.british-history.ac.uk/lords-jrnl/vol33/pp626-640.

10. Ibid

11. Commons, p304

12. "House of Lords Journal"; see also Commons, p306