Protesters had successfully prevented Preventing_or_letting the unloading Placing of tea in three other colonies , but in Boston , embattled Royal Governor Thomas Hutchinson refused Agree_or_refuse_to_act to allow Preventing_or_letting the tea to be returned Arriving to Britain .

A subsequent Naval Board of Inquiry never determined Deciding the exact cause of the disaster but concluded Process_end that the initial explosion was caused Causation when a mortar round aboard detonated Attack during an unloading operation because it was either dropped Motion_directional or went off when gasoline vapors ignited .

several days after unloading Removing the cargo , while sailing Self_motion to cadiz for repairs , `` glorioso '' was attacked Attack successively near cape st vincent by four british privateer frigates and the ships of the line hms `` dartmouth '' and hms `` russell '' from admiral john byng 's fleet .