Familiar Letters of John Adams and His Wife Abigail Adams During the Revolution: with a Memoir of Mrs. AdamsAdams, John
History
Familiar Letters of John Adams and His Wife Abigail Adams During the Revolution: with a Memoir of Mrs. Adams
Adams, John
Adams, Abigail, 1744-1818 -- Correspondence; Adams, John, 1735-1826 -- Correspondence; Presidents -- United States -- Correspondence
There is a general cry against the merchants, against monopolizers,
etc., who, 't is said, have created a partial scarcity. That a scarcity
prevails of every article, not only of luxury but even the necessaries
of life, is a certain fact. Everything bears an exorbitant price. The
Act, which was in some measure regarded and stemmed the torrent of
oppression, is now no more heeded than if it had never been made. Indian
corn at five shillings; rye, eleven and twelve shillings, but scarcely
any to be had even at that price; beef, eightpence; veal, sixpence and
eightpence; butter, one and sixpence; mutton, none; lamb, none; pork,
none; mean sugar, four pounds per hundred; molasses, none; cotton-wool,
none; New England rum, eight shillings per gallon; coffee, two and
sixpence per pound; chocolate, three shillings.
What can be done? Will gold and silver remedy this evil? By your
accounts of board, horsekeeping, etc., I fancy you are not better off
than we are here. I live in hopes that we see the most difficult time we
have to experience. Why is Carolina so much better furnished than any
other State, and at so reasonable prices?
I hate to tell a story unless I am fully informed of every particular.
As it happened yesterday, and to-day is Sunday, I have not been so fully
informed as I could wish. About eleven o'clock yesterday William
Jackson, Dick Green, Harry Perkins, and Sargent, of Cape Ann, and A.
Carry, of Charlestown, were carted out of Boston under the direction of
Joice[170] junior, who was mounted on horseback, with a red coat, a
white wig, and a drawn sword, with drum and fife following. A concourse
of people to the amount of five hundred followed. They proceeded as far
as Roxbury, when he ordered the cart to be tipped up, then told them if
they were ever caught in town again it should be at the expense of their
lives. He then ordered his gang to return, which they did immediately
without any disturbance.
Whether they had been guilty of any new offense I cannot learn. 'T is
said that a week or two ago there was a public auction at Salem, when
these five Tories went down and bid up the articles to an enormous
price, in consequence of which they were complained of by the Salem
Committee. Two of them, I hear, took refuge in this town last night.
I believe we shall be the last State to assume government. Whilst we
harbor such a number of designing Tories amongst us, we shall find
government disregarded and every measure brought into contempt by
secretly undermining and openly contemning them. We abound with
designing Tories and ignorant, avaricious Whigs.
Monday, 21st.
Have now learned the crime of the carted Tories. It seems they have
refused to take paper money, and offered their goods lower for silver
than for paper; bought up articles at a dear rate, and then would not
part with them for paper.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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