^^o A. D. 1760. 



To prevent the dreadful alarm, which the news of the infurreaion 

 mil ft have excited at home, General Bailing, lieutenant-governor of Ja- 

 maica, prudently withheld all communication of the commencement 

 of it from being fent to Britain, till he was enabled alio to announce 

 that the danger was over *. 



The governors of the Britifli forts on the coafl of Africa, belonging 

 to the African company, fent home heavy complaints of the Dutch 

 governor of Elmina, for forcibly monopolizing the trade with the Por- 

 tuguefe vcflds upon the coaft to the wellward of the river Volta, which 

 the Dutch affirmed they had a right to do by treaty with the Portuguefe. 

 In fubfequent letters the fame governors complained of conftant en- 

 deavours and arts praclifed by the Dutch to flir up the natives againft 

 the Britifli interefl. 



Great efforts had been made, and great funis had been expended, to 

 coUedt fettlers from various parts of Europe and America to cultivate 

 the province of Nova Scotia. But government feemed now to be 

 weary of the great demands for the fupport of that unproductive co- 

 lony, and refolved to be more fparing in their grants for the future. 

 The expenfe of the civil eftablifliment for the province in the year 

 1759, was /?i 1,568: 2 ; for this year, ;Ci 1,785 : 6:io; and the efli- 

 mute for the eniuing year (1761) was made up at ^^9,095 : 12 : 9, with 

 perhaps an allowance of ;,(^iooo for contingencies. 



A mofl pernicious illegal trade had been for fome time carried on 

 between the Britifh colonies in North America and the French fettle- 

 ments in the Weft-Indies, and on the rivers Mobile and Miffifippi, un- 

 der the fan (ft ion of flags of truce, whereby the French were fupplied 

 with the provifions and lumber of North America, fo indifpenfably ne- 

 celFary for carrying on their plantations, and moreover with large fums 

 in money in payment of their produce and of the manufactures of 

 France, the balance of the trade being greatly in favour of the French. 



Such practices being in open contempt of the authority of Great Bri- 

 tain, Mr. Secretary Pitt (afterwards earl of Chatham) had written (23d 

 Auguft) to the feveral governors of North America, directing them to 

 ufe their utmoft efforts to detect and punifla all perfons concerned in fo 

 iniquitous a traffic f. 



The vaft advantages of inland water-carriage began to be confidered 

 in England in the reigns of Charles 1 and Charles II J, and feveral 

 improvements upon the navigation in the natural beds of rivers were 

 attempted during the reigns of thefe two princes. In the fucceeding 



* 111 November 1760 he wrote, that it was al- vent inicit trade, being deeply engaged in this 



mod fiipprctTed ; and in the beginning of January fcandalous commerce. 



1761 he wrote, that the difturbanccs were entirely :f In the year 1675, an author, who takes only 



at an end. the name of R. S. pubhfhed Avona, or a vwiv 



\ I was credibly informed of at leail one in- of making riven in this kingdom navigable. 

 ftance of a man, whofe official duty it was to pre- 



