On 13th April, 2026, Philip St. Lawrence delivered a really informative talk on the Boston Tea Party, Previously, he has given the Club a talk on Wolfe and the invasion of Canada.                                                                                                                             The American situation originated in an attempt by the British Government to impose a tax on tea imported by the East India Company, which was running at a loss, and to make this tea a monopoly. The colonists by-passed this by smuggling in cheaper Dutch tea (from Indonesia). The British Government made some concessions,but some leading colonists, most of whom became the "founding Fathers" of the Revolution, were making too much money from smuggling, so decided to resist the Government. The British situation was not helped by having an obstinate governor of Boston, who tried to impose the regulations. As a consequence, the colonists organised a raiding party to dump all the tea chests on one East Indiaman into Boston harbour, the spark that ignited the American Revolution.                                                                                                        A bit more understanding on both sides could have avoided this outcome, and America would probably have ended up like Canada and Australia, avoiding the bloodshed of the Revolution and of the later Civil War. Slavery would have ended much earlier, and the native Indians would not have suffered to the extent that they did.

Overall, an enthralling tale, delivered impeccably by Philip - a rating of excellent.