A. D. 1783. 19 



upon allowing the Independent citizens of the United ftates a free parti- 

 cipation of the commerce of the Weft-Indies, In fhort, even the go- 

 vernment was like to be carried away with the ftream, and on the point 

 of confirming by law thofe conceflions with refped to the commerce of 

 the Weft-Indies, which were hitherto granted by the miftake, or con- 

 nivance, of fome fervants of the crown, when Lord Sheffield publiflied 

 his Obfervations on the commerce of the American Jlates, who was foon follow- 

 ed by Mr. Chalmers in his Opinions on interejling JuhjeBs of public law and 

 commercial policy arifnig from Jlmerican independence. Both thefe authors 

 infifted ftrongly, that Britain and Ireland with the remaining contin- 

 ental colonies were fully fufficient to fupply the Britifh Weft-India 

 iflands with proviiions and lumber, as they had done during the war, 

 even if all the ftates of America fhould unite in refufing to fell thofe 

 articles to our vefTels, which was, however, by no means to be appre- 

 hended .; and that the manufadurers and merchants of Britain could 

 have nothing to dread from the menaced refufal of America to admit 

 Britifli goods, becaule goods muft ever find their market in proportion 

 to their quality and price, independent of all refolutions, and even 

 laws. 



It was aflerted by the advocates on the other fide, that the planters 

 had been very fcantily fupplied with provifioos and lumber during the 

 war ; that a confiderable part of their fupply was derived from inter- 

 cepted cargoes, which were deftined for the foreign iflands, a refource 

 which the peace put an end to, as it did alfo to the fupplies from Flo- 

 rida, which was now yielded to Spain; and that they had been com- 

 pelled by necelfity to convert their land to provifion grounds, and to 

 draw off" their flaves from their proper plantation employments to cul- 

 tivate provifions and cut lumber ; that the provifions and lumber pro- 

 cured either by importation, capture, or their own labour, were ob- 

 tained at fuch an enormous expenfe, that nothing, but the hopes of foon 

 feeing a change for the better, could fupport them under it ; but that a 

 long continuance of it muft be abfolutely ruinous. Laftly, they urged, 

 as a proof of the bad confequence to Great Britain of turning their in- 

 duftry out of its proper channel, that in the year 1777, before any of 

 our iflands were taken by the enemy, the quantity of fugar imported 

 into England was fliort of that in the year 1774 (when part of the fugars 

 went to the American colonies) full 45,000 hogflieads, the value of 

 which was nearly a million of money, the freight of which would have 

 been j^i 50,000, and the duties payable to the public above ^100,000. 

 It was alferted, that the rum, of which near eight millions of gallons 

 were annually made in the Weft-India iflands, and which, being an ac- 

 ceptable payment to the Americans, ufed to be the principal refource 

 for the fupply of plantation neceflaries, muft now become a dead ftock 

 in the hands of the planters, as the confumption of Great Britain did 

 3 Ca 



