more ships will arrive full of tea chests. If they can’t unload, commerce will stop, because ships can’t find space on Boston wharves.”
“Why can’t they come here to Salem?”
“The smaller ones might, but we can’t take them all.”
Mary’s face fell. “So, what are you telling me, George? That honest people are penalized for no reason?”
George rubbed the back of his neck. “You miss the point. We have a potential disaster on our hands. We want to send the Dartmouth back to England with her cargo. Governor Hutchinson says the ship can’t leave unless the custom’s duty is paid.”
“Why not just pay the fee and send the ship back? It’s better than violence in the streets.”
“Honestly, Mary, I can’t talk to you when you think like a woman. Who pays for something and then leaves it in a warehouse? And who will accept a tax that isn’t owed? In less than twenty days the tax must be paid, or something will break apart.”
Click Follow to receive emails when this author adds content on Bublish
Comment on this Bubble
Your comment and a link to this bubble will also appear in your Facebook feed.