Travels Through North America 



are inconsiderable villages: however, they send mem- 

 bers to the assembly, in the whole about seventy. 

 The number of inhabitants, with negroes, and In- 

 dians, of which in this province there are several 

 hundreds, amounts to 35,000. As the province 

 affords but few commodities for exportation, horses, 

 provisions, and an inconsiderable quantity of grain, 

 with spermaceti candles, being the chief articles, 

 they are obliged to Connecticut, and the neighbour- 

 ing colonies, for most of their traffic; and by their 

 means they carry on an extensive trade. Their mode 

 of commerce is this: they trade to Great Britain, 

 Holland, Africa, the West Indies, and the neigh- 

 bouring colonies; from each of which places they 

 import the following articles: from Great Britain, 

 dry goods; from Holland, money; from Africa, slaves; 

 from the West Indies, sugars, coffee, and molasses; 

 and from the neighbouring colonies, lumber and 

 provisions: and with what they purchase in one place 

 they make their returns in another. Thus with the 

 money they get in Holland, they pay their merchants 

 in London; the sugars they procure in the West 

 Indies, they carry to Holland; the slaves they fetch 

 from Africa they send to the West Indies, together 

 with lumber and provisions, which they get from the 

 neighbouring colonies; the rum that they distill they 

 export to Africa; and with the dry goods, which they 

 purchase in London, they traffic in the neighbour- 

 ing colonies. By this kind of circular commerce 



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