82 
importing lumber and provisions in- 
to the island*; and--when’ the 
assembly addressed the governor to 
recal this resolution, he expressed 
his regret, that in consequence of 
the iinperative orders transmitted to 
him from England, it was not in 
his. power to comply with their re- 
quest, and advised them to make a 
representation of their case to his 
majesty t. An address to that 
effect was ‘accerdingly transmitted 
to his'majesty from the assembly, 
stating that’ without an intercourse 
with the United States of America, 
“the island could not be supplied 
with lumber and provisions ; that 
an adequate supply could not be 
obtained from the British North 
American colonies ; and that in time 
of war, British ships and British 
seamen could not be procured to 
carry on the trade.t No satisfac- 
tory answer to this address having 
been received, the assembly after 
several months delay, made asecond 
yepresentation to the governor, in 
which, after recapitulating the 
sufferings of the island on a former 
occasion, when similar measures had 
been tried, they urged in the 
strongest terms the necessity of 
keepitg open their ports to neu- 
trals, as the only means of averting 
the horrors of famine from the 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 
1806. 
island.§ But the governor, who 
‘had received no instructions from 
Lngland, authorizing him to give 
directions for continuing the inter- 
course between Jamaica and the 
United States, declined a second 
time to comply with their request ; 
and it was not till the very day be- 
fore the ports of the island were to 
have been definitively closed against 
neutrals, in virtue of his former 
proclamation, that he ventured to 
extend for six months longer the 
permission to import lumber and 
grain into the island, in neutral bot- 
toms. || Still however, one very 
essential class of provisions were not 
included in this permission. Salt 
fish, beef and pork, articles indis- 
pensably necessary for the subsis- 
tence of the negroes, were not al- 
Juwed to be imported by neutrals ; 
and therefore a new representation 
was made to the governor by the 
assembly, stating that there was 2 
great deficiency of these provisions — 
in the island, and that a rise in their 
price had already taken place in 
consequence of the scarcity. Upon 
which they were told, that since the 
proclamation of martial law, dire~ 
tions had been given to the custom- 
house officers, to admit neutrals 
with salt provisions on board into 
all the ports of the island, till the 
* Resolution of the governor and council of Jamaica, Nov. 21st, 1804. 
+ Address of the assembly of Jamaica to lieut. governor Nugent and his excét- - 
lency’s answer, Dec. 8th, 1804. 
t Address of the.assembly of Jamaica to his majesty, Dec. 18th, 1804. 
§ Memorial and remonstrance of the assembly of Jamaica to the governor there- 
of, April 20th, 1805. In this remonstrance the assembly state, that only one 
twelfth of the total supply of Jamaica from the continent of North America is ob- 
tained from the British colonies ; and that six-sevenths of what they receive from 
the Usited States is imported in American shipping: and they calculate, that, if 
this intercourse is to be interdicted, 456 additional British vessels, navigated by — 
2862 seamen, must enter immediately into the American trade, to prevent the 
absolute ruin of Jamaica. 
|| Lieutenant governor Nugent’s proclamation, May 20th, 1805. 
arrival 
