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Tea Leaves: Being a Collection of Letters and Documents relating to; the shipment of Tea to the American Colonies in the year; 1773, by the East India Tea Company. (With an introduction,; notes, and biographical notices of the Boston Tea Party)Drake, Francis S. (Francis Samuel)

History

Tea Leaves: Being a Collection of Letters and Documents relating to; the shipment of Tea to the American Colonies in the year; 1773, by the East India Tea Company. (With an introduction,; notes, and biographical notices of the Boston Tea Party)

Name: Tea Leaves: Being a Collection of Letters and Documents relating to; the shipment of Tea to the American Colonies in the year; 1773, by the East India Tea Company. (With an introduction,; notes, and biographical notices of the Boston Tea Party)
Author: Drake, Francis S. (Francis Samuel)

Drake, Francis S. (Francis Samuel)

Boston Tea Party, 1773; Tea tax (American colonies)

"The people repaired to Griffin's wharf, where the tea
    vessels lay, proceeded to fix tackles and hoist the tea upon
    deck, cut the chests to pieces, and throw the tea over the
    side.... They began upon the two ships first, as they had
    nothing on board but the tea, then proceeded to the brig,
    which had hauled to the wharf but the day before, and had
    but a small part of her cargo out. The captain of the brig
    begged they would not begin with his vessel, as the tea was
    covered with goods belonging to different merchants in the
    town. They told him 'the tea they wanted, and the tea they
    would have, but if he would go into his cabin quietly, not
    one article of his goods should be hurt.' They immediately
    proceeded to remove the goods, and then to dispose of the
    tea."

From the "Evening Post" of Monday, December 20, 1773:

    "Previous to the dissolution, a number of persons, supposed
    to be the aboriginal natives, from their complexion,
    approaching the door of the assembly, gave the war-whoop,
    which was answered by a few in the galleries of the house,
    where the crowded assembly was convened. Silence was
    commanded, and prudent and peaceable deportment again
    enjoined. The savages repaired to the ships which contained
    the pestilential tea, and had begun their ravages previous
    to the dissolution of the meeting."

Extract from the log-book of the "Dartmouth:"

    "Thursday, December 16. This twenty-four hours rainy
    weather, terminating this day. Between six and seven o'clock
    this evening, came down to the wharf a body of about one
    thousand people, among them were a number dressed and
    whooping like Indians. They came on board the ship, and
    after warning myself and the custom-house officers to get
    out of the way, they undid the hatches and went down the
    hold, where was eighty whole, and thirty-four half chests,
    of tea, which they hoisted upon deck, and cut the chests to
    pieces, and hove the tea all overboard, where it was damaged
    and lost."

       *       *       *       *       *

John Andrews, an eye-witness, in a letter to a friend relates
particulars not elsewhere mentioned. While drinking tea at his house he
heard "prodigious shouts," and went to the Old South Meeting House to
ascertain the cause:

Tea Leaves: Being a Collection of Letters and Documents relating to; the shipment of Tea to the American Colonies in the year; 1773, by the East India Tea Company. (With an introduction,; notes, and biographical notices of the Boston Tea Party)

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