12 LETTERS OF JOHN ANDREWS.
which proceedings Mr. Palfrey will be able to tell you. The con- signees have all taken their residence at the Castle, as they still persist in their refusal to take the tea hack. Its not only y'. town, bul the country are unanimous against the landing it, and at the Monday and Tuesday Meetings, they attended to the Dumber of some hundreds from all the neighboring towns within a dozen miles: — 'twould puz- zle any person to purchase a pair of p — Is in town, as they are all bought up, with a full determination to repell force by force.
December 18th.* However precarious our situation may he, yet such is the presenl calm composure of the people that a stranger would hardly think that ten thousand pounds sterling of the East India Company's tea was destroy'd the night, or rather evening before last, yet it- a serious truth; and if your's, together with j*. other South- ern provinces, should rest satisfied with their quota being stor'd. poor 11. ..-ton will feel the whole weight of ministerial vengeance. How- ever, its the opinion of most people that we stand an equal chance now, whether troops are sent in consequence of it or not ; whereas, had it been stor'd, we should inevitably have had 'em, to enforce the sale of it. — The affair was transacted with the greatest regularity and de-patch. .Mr. Rotch finding he exposed himself not only to the loss of his -hip lmt for y' value of the tea in case he sent her hack with it, without a clearance from (lie custom house, as y". Admiral kept a -hip in readiness to make a seizure of it whenever it should sail under those circumstances; therefore declin'd complying with his for- mer promises, ami absolutely declar'd his vessel should not carry it, without a proper clearance could be procur'd or he to he indemnified for the value of her : — when a general muster was assembled, from this and all y* neighbouring towns, to the number of five or six thou- sand, at 10 o'clock Thursday morning in the Old South Meeting house, where they pass'd a unanimous vote that the Tea should go out of the harbour that afternoon, and sent a committee with Mr. Botch to y°. Custom house to demand a clearance, which the collector told 'em w as not in his power to give, without the duties being first paid. They then senl Mr. Rotch to Milton, to ask a pass from y 1 : Governor, who sent for answer, that "consistent with the rides of government and " his duty to the King he could not grant one without they produe'd
- The original of this letter, when first discovered at the Arsenal, bore and still
bears abundant evidence of the interest which its contents must have excited in Phila- delphia. It has been so thumbed and worn, doubtless by passing from one curious hand to another, that it fairly hangs in shreds.
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