In the morning, the mist at the West Indies Pier seemed to creep silently up from the bottom of the Thames River, transforming into a layer of damp and cold gray fog in mid-air.
Stacks of cargo boxes piled up on the pier, and through the light brown canvas, one could see the dazzling array of goods inside, including Jamaican sugar, Indian face creams, Chinese tea, and West African ivory.
A large number of laborers carrying burlap sacks shuttled between pulley cranes and lifting towers, alongside low small horses pulling carts, carrying bags of printed fabric and spices to the customs shed.
Not far from the berthing area, a batch of wooden boxes marked with "E.I.C." (East India Company) was being carefully transported by Port Authority people, while several men with metal armbands stood nearby supervising. Given the tax seals, manifests, and invoices in their hands, these were evidently inspection officers from the Royal Customs.
