The Bounty System. 69 



failed to receive certificates. On making inquiries whether the 

 premium had been paid, the Board learned from the merchants, 

 that they had received bills from the Navy Office "payable in 

 course," but carrying- no interest, as most of the Navy bills did 

 after six months ; so that the importers would not receive above 

 two-thirds of what the act allowed.^ There was, apparently, no 

 separate fund established from which the premiums were paid, 

 and the annoyance of the Navy Board that they should be 

 obliged to pay the importers, added to their half-hearted sym- 

 pathy with the project, probably led to the tardy payment of 

 which the merchants continued to complain. On the other 

 hand, the preference of the colonies for other commodities of 

 trade, and their increasing interest in woolen manufactures and 

 the lumber business combined to discourage the production of 

 naval stores, at the least sign of the abatement of profits. 



In February, 1710, Bridger wrote^ that the merchants in New 

 England were a trifle more encouraged by what the Board had 

 written to Governor Dudley with regard to the importance of 

 the trade, and that they had met several times and agreed on 

 certain suggestions which they desired to have carried out. He 

 was very much discouraged in his attempts to reason with them, 

 by the behavior of Mr. Mico, who had been very hostile to the 

 surveyor in his efforts to prevent the destruction of the woods 

 by the loggers.^ This busybody had attended the meetings 

 and undone Bridger's work, by seeking to dissuade the mer- 

 chants from having anything more to do with naval stores. 

 The memorial which the merchants of Boston and Portsmouth 

 finally drew up, suggested as remedies for their grievances : * 



(i) That the premium should be paid in a short set time, and funds 

 granted. (This last probably means that the government should make 



^Report of Board of Trade, B. T. Plants. Gen. Entry Bk. D., March 

 21, 1711. 



2Mr. Bridger to the Board of Trade, Feb. 1710, B. T. New Eng., 

 S: 89. 



^Cf. Part II, Ch. II. 



^Representation from Merchants of Boston and Portsmouth, B. T. 

 New Eng., S: 61. 



