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)

by Francis S. Drake

Francis Rotch.

PROTEST.

Mr. Francis Rotch, Pardon Cook, and Wm. Hayden, against Consignees and Tea, at Boston, in New England, on the 10^th day of December, in the year of our Lord 1773, and in the fourteenth year of His Majesty's reign.

Personally appeared before me, John Monro, Notary Public by royal authority, duly admitted and sworn, Pardon Cook, master, and Wm. Hayden, mate of the sloop Triton, burthen about seventy-five tons, and Francis Rotch, one of the owners of the said sloop, and they, the said Pardon, Will^m. and Francis, being by the people called Quakers, solemnly affirmed, and each of them for himself, doth affirm in manner following, that is to say, the said Pardon and William affirm and say they sailed from Dartmouth, in New England, with the said vessel, on the 28^th day of last month, then loaded with spermaceti oil, and bound for said Boston, where they arrived on the 8^th inst., and made application to the said Francis to have the said cargo discharged on board the ship Dartmouth, as agreeable to their orders and directions. And the said Francis Rotch affirms that he could not in person, nor by his servants, or any other, unload and reship the said cargo of oil on board the ship aforesaid by reason of her not being cleared of a certain quantity of teas shipped at London, and consigned to Messrs. Richard Clarke & Sons, Thomas and Elisha Hutchinson, Benjⁿ Faneuil and Joshua Winslow, of said Boston, merchants, who have all and each of them, except Joshua Winslow, neglected to demand and refused to accept the said teas, by which the said ship is detained in the harbour of said Boston, and unfit to receive the said oil as intended by the said owner, master and mate; wherefore, the said Francis Rotch, and the master aforesaid, did, on behalf of themselves and all others concerned, and I, the said Notary Public, at their request, and on behalf aforesaid, do by these presents solemnly protest against the said consignees, and each of them, and against the said tea, and against all others concerned, for all and all manner of damages already suffered, and to be suffered, on account of the said oils not being shipped as aforesaid, contrary to the intention and strict meaning of the said owner and master, &c.

Thus done, protested, and given under my notarial seal of office, in presence of Robert Garland Cranch and John Dyar.

In testimoniam veritas,

Jn^o. Monro,

Not. Pub., 11 Jan., 1774.

Francis Rotch.
Pardon Cook.
Wm. Hayden.