A. D. 17(^5. 421 



The flrft of November was the day appointed by parliament for the 

 eommencement of the operation of the ftamp a6t in America ; and 

 from that day no bufinefs of confequence could be legally tranfacled 

 without {lamped paper. But of all the ftamped paper, fent out by go- 

 vernment to the various provinces of America, not one flieet was to be 

 found from New-England to South Carolina, the whole being burnt by 

 the incenfed populace, except one fmall parcel, which had been deliver- 

 ed by the governor ot New-York into the hands of the mas^iftrates of 

 the city, who received it on the exprefs condition, that it lliould not be 

 ufed. On that day the warehoufes were fliut up ; the vellels in the 

 harbours exhibited their colours hoifted halfway up in token of mourn- 

 ing : there was no ajipearance of bufinefs on the wharfs, nor on the ri- 

 vers ; the courts of juftice were fliut up ; bufinefs of every kind was at; 

 a ftand ; and an univerfal fpirit of difcontent pervaded ail ranks and 

 defcriptions of people throughout the w'hole country. 



In the meantime a new and general agreement was entered into by 

 the merchants of the colonies, to import no more goods from Great 

 Britain, to countermand their orders for whatever goods fhould not be 

 fhipped before the ill of January 1766, and not to receive on commif- 

 fion any goods configned from Great Britain alter that day. As their 

 agreement did not affedl the trade with Ireland, fuch articles as they 

 could not do without were imported from that country, in return for 

 Hax-feed and hcmp-fced ; fo that the commerce of Ireland reaped fome 

 advantage trom the diiagreement of the colonies with the mother coun- 

 try. In order, however, to be as much as pofllble independent of any 

 lupplics from Europe, the fpirit of manufacturing was revived with 

 great ardour ; and it was patronized and directed by a fociety eflablifli- 

 ed at New-York, upon the model of the fociety for the encouragement 

 of arts, manufadures, and commerce, in London. Linens, cloths, made 

 not only from the wool of fheep, biit alfo from beaver's wool, fpades, 

 hoes, fcythes, and other necefiary articles of iron ware, malt fpirits, pa- 

 per hangings, &c. were manufacl:ured by inhabitants of America, or by 

 people whom liberal encouragement had drawn from Great Britain, and 

 other parts of Europe, to fettle in America ; and th.ey were bought up 

 with the greateft avidity, everyone being defirous of apjicaring in Ame- 

 rican drels, in preference to Britiih manutaclures. The /.eal tor fuj^port- 

 ing tl e native woollen manufitdory, even produced a relolution agamfl 

 eating Iamb, and an agreement not to buy meat from any butcher, wuo 

 ihould kill lambs. 



Not fatisfied v/ith abflaining from importation, they alfo propofed to 

 ])rolubit the exportation of tobiitco to Great Britain ; a mealure which, 

 if it had been carri.d into execution, mull very teniibly have affe.icd 

 the commerce, the navigation, and the revenue, of ilie mother country. 



Such were the principal efFeds, as far as iliey concerned commerce 



