422 A. D. 1765. 



of the ftamp ad in the colonies of New-England, New- York, Ncw-Jer- 

 fey, Pennfylvania, Mary kind, Virginia, and the two CaroUnas. Thofc 

 at the northern and foiuhern extremities of the continent fubmitted to 

 the authority of the Britifli legiflature, as did alfo the Britifh iilands in 

 the Weft-Indies, excepting St. Chriftophers and Nevis, the inhabitants 

 of which were induced by fome New-Englanders in their harbours to 

 burn the ftamped paper, and commit outrages on fome of the fervants 

 of government *. 



In the courfe of this fummer the French fhowcd a difpofition rather 

 hoftile to our trade in the Weft-Indies. A fleet of about forty fail from 

 Martinique went upon the coaft of Honduras to cut logwood, in preju- 

 dice of the Britifh logwood-cutters, to whom that privilege was fecured 

 by the 17th article of the treaty of peace in 1763. Orders were alfo 

 fent from France to feize every Britiftivefl'el, which did not depart from 

 Cap Fran9ois in forty-eight hours, in confequencc of which fome veft'els 

 from New-York were actually feized, and the people imprifoned. As 

 the refort of the Britifti- American veflels to that port was by no means 

 improfitable to the French, the condudl of the French court is perhaps 

 to be accounted for from a Britifti ft^ip of war having taken formal pof- 

 feflion of Turk's iflands, which they, after having feized, and then evacu- 

 ated them in the preceding year, wilhed to be confidered as neutral. 



The African territory, including the rivers Senegal and Gambia, and 

 extending from Cape Blanco to Cape Rouge, being by a6l of parliament 

 f5 Geo. III^ c. 44] refumed from the African merchants, and vefted in 

 the crown, the king erected it into a province, to be called Senegambia, 

 and appointed General O'Hara governor of it, (December 28'), to be 

 afhfted by a council in matters of government ; the commercial depart- 

 ment being put under the direction of a fuperintendent of trade, fub- 

 ordinate to the governor and council. 



Since Newfoundland was firft reforted to as a fiftiing ftation, it had 

 generally been the delire of government, that the fifliery ftiould be car- 

 ried on by fliips going from Great Britain every feafon, rather than by 

 ftationary fifliermen upon the iftand. This plan had not, however, been 

 uniformly adhered to ; and fo, by ading alternately upon different, or 

 rather oppofite, principles, the nation loft the benefits, which would have 

 followed from a fteady perfeverance in either of the plans. A claim of 

 right was fet up to all parts of the beach, convenient for curing the fifti, 

 by the inhabitants and the owners of bye boats, to the utter exclufion 

 of the fifliermen of the fliips from Great Britain, and alfo ot thofc from 

 France, entitled, under the treaties of Utrecht and Paris, to a concurrent 

 fifiiery between Bonavifta and Point-Riche. There being no proper 



* Many events and ciicumftanccs of the Ame- ers of the time, arc omitted in this vrork, at belong- 

 rican difturbances, which were related by the writ- ing to general, rather than to commercial, hiftory. 



