176 



A. D. 1731. 



The confumption of rum in New-England is fo great, that an author 

 on this fubjed aflerts, that there have been 20,000 hogfheads of French 

 melafles manufndured into rum at Bofton in one year : and as every 

 gallon of melall'es will make a gallon of rum, this will amount to 

 1,260,000 gallons of rum in one year : fo vafl: is the demand for that 

 liquor by their fifhery, and by the Indian trade. If then, the trade 

 from New-England to the French iflands was to be prohibited, how 

 much would our American fifhery and the Indian trade fuffer for want 

 of rum, feeing that all the rum from our own fugar colonies is now en- 

 tirely taken off by Great Britain and her colonies ? And if our north- 

 em colonies fhould buy up all the melafles and rum which our fugar 

 iflands can make, then, not only the duty on rum imported into Bri*- 

 tain and Ireland would be funk, which now produces a large fum, but 

 the French would bring their rum to the European markets, and would 

 probably run it in upon us. About 40 years ago (i. e. about the 

 year 1 690) the melafles were entirely wafted in Jamaica, where they 

 produced fine fugars long before they made any rum, which they 

 at length learned to make from the Barbadians, and now make it bet- 

 ter than their teachers. At firft our northern colonies took off all that 

 they made ; but when they came to excell in the goodnefs of it, fo that 

 they found it would anfwer better to fend it to England, they raifed the 

 price fo high, that now very little of it is taken from Jamaica by our 

 northern colonies. In fine, if the northern colonies and Great Britain 

 now aftually take off all the fugar, rum, and melaffes, which our fugar 

 iflands can pofllbly produce ; and our northern colonies moreover take 

 off fuch vafl quantities of rum and melaffes from the French of Marti- 

 nico, and likewife get a great deal from Surinam, Guadaloupe, Granada, 

 Cape Francois, Cayenne, &c. fliould all but our omti fugar, rum, and 

 melaffes, be abfolutly prohibited, many great inconveniences would fol- 

 low; for I ft, we fliould lofe the employment of feveral thoufandtons of 

 fhipping, in the trade between the northern colonies and thofe foreign fu- 

 gar colonies: 2dly, the northern colonies could not poflibly be fupplied 

 with near the quantity of rum and melafles which they need for carrying 

 on their moft profitable trades: 3dly, this would put a moft dangerous mo- 

 nopoly into the hands of our own fugar-planters, fo that the Indian and 

 fifhery trades of our colonies could not afford to pay the rates which 

 would be demanded, even fuppofing our iflanders could make fufficient 

 quantities of thofe goods for both the American and Britifh confump- 

 tion : 4thly, it would greatly increafe the French ffiipping and naviga- 

 tion, not only in bringing lumber, horfes, &c. to their own fugar 

 iflands, but in carrying thence to Europe all their rum and melaffes, 

 where no doubt they would find markets for them, as they already do 

 for their fugars, by underfelling us in Holland, and at Hamburgh, Cadiz^ 

 &c.: 5thly, and if the complaint of the Barbadians be true, that their lands 



