682 A. D. 1781. 



* That an a<fl* was pafTed lafl ftilion of parliament for removing any 

 * legal doubts arifing out of the Navigation aft, refpecfling the importa- 

 tion of tobacco of the growth of the colonies in North America, 

 which, having efcaped Britifh capture, had been imported from the 

 colonies in rebellion into thofe Dutch iflands, declaring and enacSling, 



that fuch tobacco might be legally imported from thofe, or any other 

 neutral iflands, into any Britilh ifland, and from thence into Great 

 Britain ;' by which ad the trade to the faid iflands of S'. Eufl:atius 

 and S'. Martin, which had always been in many refpedts legal, be- 

 came an objed of public encouragement, by being extended beyond 

 what the flri(5l conftnidion of law feemed formerly to authorize. 

 ' That fince the pafling the faid adt, and even before, during the 

 prefent rebellion, a great part of the tobacco, abfolutely neceflliry for 

 the confumption and revenue of Great Britain, has been imported 

 through that channel to the manifeft benefit of the navigation of this 

 kingdom : for, if the market had not been fupplied by thofe means, 

 there would have been an indifpenfable necefllty for admitting 

 tobacco from Holland, after having been carried thither from thofe 

 iflands in Dutch veflels ; and Great Britain would, confequently, have 

 been deprived of the profit arifing from the long navigation of that 

 bulky commodity. 



* That fince the commencement of the American rebellion the faid 

 iflands of S'. Euflatius and S'. Martin have been frequently of the 

 mofl eflential fervice to the Britifli Leeward iflands, particularly in 

 the years 1777 and 1778, when the iflands of Antigua and S'. Chrifto- 

 pher would have fuffered all the miferies of adual famine, had not 

 they drawn from S'. Euftatius thofe fupplies which they formerly re- 

 ceived from North America. 



' That fince the capture of Grenada, the Grenadines, Dominica, and 

 S'. Vincent, thofe iflands have been principally fupplied with the 

 fevcral necelTaries for their confumption, and for the cultivation of 

 their plantations, through the medium of S^ Euftatius, and that many 

 Britifli fubjeds, having property in thofe captured iflands, have been 

 obliged to eftablifli houfes in the faid ifland of S\ Euftatius, for the 

 exprefs purpofe of fupplying thofe iflands, and have ordered various 

 articles to be fliipped for S'. Euftatius from Great Britain, as well as 

 from Holland f . 



' That the great want of plantation ftores and other neceflaries in 

 thofe captured iflands has alfo obliged many of the planters to fliip 

 fj-om time to time a great part of the produce of their plantations 

 to S'. Euftatius for the purpofe of purchafing fuch plantation ftores 

 and neceflaries. 



* 20 Ceo. Ill, e. 39. 

 f Set the aanual table* of importe and exports fmce the commencement of the war. 



