A HARBINGER OF THE REVOLUTION 



and colonies of Connecticut and Rhode Island and Provi- 

 dence Plantation, in North America to Great Britain, Ire- 

 land, and the British islands in the West Indies; and to 

 prohibit such provinces and colonies from carrying on any 

 fishery on the banks of Newfoundland, or other places 

 therein mentioned under certain conditions and limita- 

 tions."' 1 



The bill further provided that after July 1, 1775, no 

 goods, wares, or merchandise, the produce of Massachusetts, 

 New Hampshire, Rhode Island or Connecticut, were to be 

 exported to any other British province except to Great 

 Britain, Ireland, and some of the islands of the West In- 

 dies. Vessels sailing with goods were under bonds not to 

 land any part of their cargoes except as required above; 

 all goods going to these four colonies were to be laden and 

 shipped in vessels in Great Britain, except that goods, the 

 growth and produce of the British West Indies, could be 

 imported to the colonies. 



Lord North recognized the great importance of the fish- 

 eries to the New England people; and he made it plain in 

 his bill that he could conceive no quicker or surer method 

 of securing obedience to British laws than to strike directly 

 at the corner-stone of New England industries. The con- 

 ditions of the bill that referred to the fisheries were very 

 explicit. All vessels and ships which were the property 

 of persons living in New England were prohibited from 

 carrying on the fisheries upon the banks of Newfoundland, 

 on the coast of Labrador, within the Gulf of Saint 

 Lawrence, or upon the coasts of Cape Breton, or of Nova 

 Scotia, or any other part of the coast of North America. 

 The penalty for disobedience was forfeiture of the vessel, 

 her cargo, apparatus and supplies. British war ships were 

 encouraged to visit, examine and search all vessels sus- 

 pected of carrying on these fisheries contrary to the provi- 



i American Archives, 4th series, I, p. 1691. 



