Voted, That the thanks of this meeting be given to Jonathan Williams, Esq^r., for his good services as moderator.
Voted, That this meeting be dissolved, and it was accordingly dissolved.
_Enclosing 3 news papers and an advertisement, in the name of the people, threatening vengeance on those who favored the tea scheme._
The state and condition of the Hon'ble Company's tea in America is as you will find in the enclosed papers. Unless the Tea Act is repealed, no tea can be sold in America.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.
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.)
_Enclosing a Boston news paper of the 16^th Dec^r., 1773._
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 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and if the Company can ever expect to sell any tea in America, they must use all their interest to get this Tea Act repealed, otherwise they will never sell one ounce.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 slavery. Get the Tea Act repealed, and you'll sell all your tea, otherwise you must keep all. The people will risk life and fortune in this affair,--the very being of America depends on it. I am sorry the Company are led into such a scrape by the ministry, to try the American's bravery, at the expence of their property. The artifice of the ministry is to dispose of your tea, and preserve the vile Tea Act; but they'll miss their aim,--the Americans will not swallow cheap tea, which has a poison in the heart of it. They see the hook thro' the bait. I am a well wisher to the Company, and also to America; but death to an American is more desirable than slavery.