TEA LEAVES: - Yesterday Image

Sir:
The state and condition of the Hon'ble Company's tea in America is as you will find in
the enclosed papers.[332] Unless the Tea Act is repealed, no tea can be sold in America.
Repeal the Act, and you may dispose of all your teas. The Americans will not be slaves,
neither are they to be trapped under the notion of cheap teas. Death is more desirable to
them than slavery,—it is impossible to make the Americans swallow the tea. The
ministry may amuse the Company, by telling them their tea shall be sold, and the Act
preserved, but they are grossly mistaken. None of it is yet landed, neither shall it be.
Your humble servant,
Anglo Americanus.
Boston, New England,
Dec r 13 th, 1773.
The papers enclosed contain an account of the proceedings of the town of Boston, on the
29 th & 30 th November, and of the resolves of some of the neighboring towns. (The papers
are in the miscellany bundle.)
LETTER ADDRESSED TO GEO. DUDLEY, Esq r.,
Enclosing a Boston news paper of the 16 th Dec r., 1773.
Boston, New England, 17 th Dec r., 1773.
Gentlemen:
Your tea is destroyed, which was brought in three ships, Cap ts. Bruce, Hall and Coffin,
and the brig with tea is cast away. If the tea is got on shore, it will share the same fate.
Every possible means has been used to send it home safe again to you, but the tea
consignees would not[333] send it; then application was made to the commissioners of
the customs to clear out the vessel,—they would not do it, then to the Governor to grant a
pass, which he refused, and finally the people were obliged to destroy it, (se defendendo,)
or else, by an unlawful unrighteous Act, imposing a duty this tea would have destroyed
them. This whole province, of some hundred thousand people, and the other provinces on
the continent, are determined neither to use it, or suffer it to be landed, nor pay the duty.
Force can never make them, and if the Company can ever expect to sell any tea in
America, they must use all their interest to get this Tea Act repealed, otherwise they will
never sell one ounce.
There is the utmost detestation of tea; even some of our country towns have collected all
the tea they had by them, and burnt it in their public common, as so much chains and