In the earlier part of the year 1712, the Queen’s customs officers (as they were called) boarded the ship St. George and forcibly broke open the carpenter’s cabin. Why? Hidden inside were several canisters of tea and four pieces of fine handkerchiefs—items too valuable to be smuggled or brought in without paying appropriate dues.
Thomas Price, a British East India Company customs official aboard the ship, filed a formal complaint—or “Memorial”—with the Company Board of Directors about the incident. Price reported that the seized goods were swiftly sent off to the Queen’s Warehouse. Whether it was smuggling or simple misplacement, we will never know. But safe to say—this would not be a petty theft considering the preciousness of such cargo.
In 1712, tea wasn't the everyday drink we know today. A single pound of tea cost roughly what an average person earned in two weeks. The East India Company had only started regular tea trading after 1700, making every leaf extraordinarily valuable. The Company held exclusive rights to British trade with China, so even a little bit of smuggled tea was a threat to the fledgling enterprise.
Two Ladies and an Officer Seated at Tea, c. 1715. Artist unknown, formerly attributed to Nicolaes Verkolje (1673–1746). Oil on canvas. Victoria and Albert Museum, London. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
But why handkerchiefs?
My guess is that they were, like the tea, expensive silk handkerchiefs from China rather than the everyday cotton variety that were manufactured in India at the time. More expensive textile, higher the duty.
Another thing of note here is that the door that the customs officers broke open was the door to the carpenter’s cabin. The ship's carpenter wasn't just any crew member—he was a skilled warrant officer whose cabin was a personal space. Carpenters were highly respected artisans who maintained the ship's structural integrity and often guarded valuable cargo. Breaking into his quarters probably caused a lot of unrest on board the St. George.