A. D. 1764. 399 



circulation (they have no paper money) and alfo for remittances to Bri- 

 tain, befides taking off a vafl quantity of goods, which would otherwavs 

 have been bought from thcFi-ench orDutch.and not in the fmallcfl degree 

 offending againft any of the revenue laws, was lliill illegal ; becaufo no fo- 

 reign veffels were allowed to enter the ports of any of the colonies, uti- 

 lefs forced in by dijlrefs ; a plea which had been conftantly alleged, and 

 admitted without any queftion. 



But now in confequence of the great zeal and activity of the navy of- 

 ficers, who, in rigorous obfervance of the a<fl 4 Geo. Ill, c. 15, feized 

 fome of the Spanifh veffels*, and alfo of inftrucfions fent to the gover- 

 nors for the fupprefllon of illicit trade, whereby they were obliged to 

 prohibit all foreign veifels from entering the Britilh harbours in the 

 Weft-Indies, this moft beneficial commerce was completely abolifhed ; 

 and the merchants in Jamaica were involved in great difficulties by the 

 fudden and unexpedled prohibition. 



The effects of the rcflricfions upon the trade of the northern colonies 

 were fuch as were fcarcely expeded on this fide of the water. Becaufe 

 the wool of the American flieep is much inferior to Englifh wool, it 

 was, rather raflilv, fuppofed, that the people of America niuft continue 

 to wear Englith cloth ; not adverting, that, if they could not pay for 

 cloth made by others, they mufl of necellity wear what they could 

 make themfelves, and that, where all wore coarfe cloth, no one could be 

 afliamed of the ule of it. Befides, they were already lb much indebted 

 to the mother country, that, if the fources of their remittances were to 

 be cut off, there muil immediately be an end of importation, whether 

 they chofe it, or not. They therefor entered into aflbciations,whercin 

 it was refolved at once to retrench all luperfluous expenles (and particu- 

 larly funeral mournin;>s) and to encourage every fpecies of manufic- 

 tures : and they actually (et about it with fo much ardour, that they 

 foon produced fuch fpecimens, as emboldened them to think, they 

 could, in cafe of neceflity, live confortably without depending up- 

 on foreign trade for any of the neceflaries or conveniencics of life. 



April 1 8th — For the encouragement of the tilhcry in the province of 

 Qiiebec, fait from any part of Europe was allowed to be imported for one 

 year into that province in Britifli velfcls navigated according to law, in the 

 fame manner as to New-England and Newfoimdiand. [4 Ceo. Ill, c. 19. J 



The cammittee of merchants trading to Africa, who had the manage- 

 ment of the Fritifli intereft on that coaft inffead of the late African 

 company, having reprefented to government, that the annual allowance 



* Mr. Edwards in liis valuable Hijlary nf the 1 765 fell (hort of the year i763/'i68,oco ftcrling. 



Wrjl-Iiidie: [p. I'^l, eil. 1794] very jiillly obfcrves, Ami it appears from the ciilloin-houfc accounts, 



that this was ' a meafurc which in truth wa3 con- that the exports iu the year 1766 fell even a little 



' vertiiiir our navy m\.<j sitarila-cnjlas for tjic king of lower than thofc of 1765. in 1767 thc)- began 



' Spain ;' and that in confequence thereof, thc ex- to rife, 

 ports from Gicat Britain to Jamaica iu thc year 3 



