eting in the Old South was over, there was a
cry in the gallery of 'every man to his tent.' We repaired
to the wharf. I went on board both ships, but saw no person
belonging to them. In a few minutes a number of men came on
the wharf, (with the Indian pow-wow,) went on board the
ships, then lying at the side of the wharf, the water in the
dock not more than two feet deep. They began to throw the
tea into the water, which went off with the tide till the
tea grounded. We soon found there was tea on board the brig
also. A demand being made of it, the captain told us the
whole of his cargo was on board; that the tea was directly
under the hatches, which he would open if we would not
damage anything but the tea, which was agreed to. The
hatches were then opened, a man sent down to show us the
tea, which we hoisted out, stove the chests and threw tea
and all overboard. Those on board the ships did the same. I
was on board the ships when the tea was so high by the side
of them as to fall in, which was shovelled down more than
once. We on board the brig were not disguised. I was then
nineteen years old; I am now (1830) seventy-five."

Peter, the son of Benjamin Edes, the printer, in a letter to his
grandson, Benjamin C. Edes, written in 1836, says of the tea party:

"I know but little about it, as I was not admitted into
their presence, for fear, I suppose, of their being
known.... I recollect perfectly well that in the afternoon
preceding the evening of the destruction of the tea, a
number of gentlemen met in the parlor of my father's
house,--how many I cannot say. As I said before, I was not
admitted into their presence; my station was in another
room, to make punch for them, in the bowl[20] which is now
in your possession, and which I filled several times. They
remained in the house till dark,--I suppose to disguise
themselves like Indians,--when they left the house, and
proceeded to the wharves where the vessels lay. Before they
reached there they were joined by hundreds. I thought I
would take a walk to the wharves as a spectator, where was
collected, I may say, as many as two thousand persons. The
Indians worked smartly. Some were in the hold immediately
after the hatches were broken open, fixing the ropes to the
tea-chests, others were breaking open the chests, and others