Friday [May 12, 1775], 3 o'clock. ー They have just hauled another boat over to Back Cove, and left it with the former. The boat belongs to the ship. They have this day carried off Mr. [William] Tyng's Bishop, a piece of plate said to be worth five hundred Pounds, (old tenour,) and his laced hat; but they say they only take these things as pawns, to make the owners behave better, or to that purpose.
Friday, 6 o'clock. ー The Gorham Company being the only one that remained here since Wednesday evening, excepting [Samuel] Thompson, are now gone out of Town, being urged and coaxed to it by Colonel [Edmund] Phinney. The Town thinks itself greatly relieved by it.
These companies paid no regard to the fast yesterday. I cannot find that any of them attended publick worship, except one; nor any of their officers, except Colonel Phinney. He was sent for to Back Cove by Colonel [Jonathan] Mitchell and Colonel [Moses] Merrill, who were vexed at the proceedings of the armament, and came to give advice. But Thompson would not wait on his senior.
The soldiery thought nothing too bad to say of the Falmouth gentry. Some of them were heard to say as they walked the streets yesterday, "this Town ought to be laid in ashes." I find the plan was concerted beforehand on purpose to humble Falmouth, for its arrogance in sending a message to Thompson last week, to dissuade him from coming to take the ships. He then wrote to Colonel [Enoch] Freeman that he had wholly laid aside his design; and being reminded of it, his answer was, "there is policy in war."