Horse Raising in Colonial New England 913 



ing prisoners, and in other ways. A very considerable part of the 

 contraband trading, however, was of a more roundabout sort and was 

 effected through the neutral Dutch and Spanish ports. At first the 

 Dutch islands of Curayao and St. Eustatius were the centers of this 

 trade, but, being broken up in these places by the British fleet, the 

 trade transferred itself to the Spanish port of Monte Christi adjacent 

 to the French settlements on the island of Haiti. Here resorted New 

 England vessels laden with the customary plantation supplies, which 

 they exchanged at very profitable rates for French sugar and molasses 

 in addition to bringing in European goods and taking back part pay- 

 ments in coin (119). 



Thus, in spite of difficulties, it w^as still possible to find an outlet 

 for New England horses, and these continued to be supplied to both 

 French and British planters. This is indicated, for example, by the 

 complaint of Governor Hardy to the Lords of Trade in 1757 to the 

 effect that the New England colonies still continued to send supplies 

 to the enemy. Governor Hardy mentions a privateer ^' lately come 

 into port which reports having spoke several vessels off Block Island 

 bound for the Indies with horses notwithstanding the general embargo 

 agreed on bj^ the several governors " (120). In 1762 also the British 

 fleet in the Bahamas seized a similar vessel bound for Cayenne with 

 lumber, provisions, and horses (121). 



After the conclusion of peace between France and Great Britain 

 in 1763, the commerce between the northern colonies and the British 

 islands went on as before. Between that date and the beginning of 

 the American Revolution, horses were again a considerable item 

 of exchange. In the years 1771 and 1774, according to the record of 

 the Secretary of Customs in London, there were imported into the 

 British islands from " North America " a total of 3647 oxen and 

 7130 horses (122). The trade with the French islands, however, fell 

 off considerably ])ecause of the resurrection of the Molasses Act and 

 the establishment of means for its adequate enforcement, as well as 

 other trade acts that were passed (123). 



changes in the production of sugar 

 In addition to the effect of the continued growth of both British and 

 French sugar plantations throughout this period, with the various inter- 



