THE BOSTON PORT BILL | "An Act to discontinue, in such Manner and for such Time as are therein mentioned, the landing and discharging, lading or shipping, of Goods, Wares, and Merchandise, at the Town, and within the Harbour, of Boston, in the province of Massachusett's Bay, in North America," in The London Gazette. No. 11444. London: Printed by Thomas Harrison, from Tuesday, March 29, to Saturday, April 2, 1774

Property from the Eric C. Caren Collection

THE BOSTON PORT BILL

"An Act to discontinue, in such Manner and for such Time as are therein mentioned, the landing and discharging, lading or shipping, of Goods, Wares, and Merchandise, at the Town, and within the Harbour, of Boston, in the province of Massachusett's Bay, in North America," in The London Gazette. No. 11444. London: Printed by Thomas Harrison, from Tuesday, March 29, to Saturday, April 2, 1774

Small folio newspaper, 8 pages (11 7/8 x 7 3/8 in.; 302 x 187 mm), the last blank, text in two columns, small stamp in lower right corner of first page; lightly browned, disbound with tiny marginal loss from earlier sewing. The consignor has independently obtained a letter of authenticity from PSA that will accompany the lot.

First printing of the first of the Intolerable Acts. The Boston Port Bill closed the Boston harbor until the town provided restitution to the Crown's treasury and to the East India Company for damages caused by, and for revenues lost due to, "dangerous Commotions and Insurrections [which] have been fomented and raised in the Town of Boston … to the Subversion of His Majesty's Government, and to the utter Destruction of the publick Peace, and good Order of the said Town." The Boston Tea Party is cited by the Act as one of the "dangerous Commotions."

The Boston Port Bill was passed by Parliament 31 March 1774 and took effect on 1 June. The title of the Act appears on the first page of this issue, together with the titles of the several other Acts to which King George assented that day. The full text of the Port Bill occupies all of pages 2 and 3 and part of page 4. The Bill was reprinted in the following issue of The London Gazette (no. 11445) as well, and that issue is sometimes mistaken as the first appearance since it is printed on the front page.