Chao. Ill of the ENGLISH in A M E R 1 C A. 139 
Corn and Cattle ; fome quantity of Filli they do like- 
wife kill, but that is taken and cured altogether by 
“ their own Inhabitants, which prejudices our New- 
“ foundland Trade ; where, as has been faid, very few 
“ are, or ought, according to Prudence, to be employ- 
ed in ihefe Fifheries, but the Inhabitants of Old Eng- 
“ land. The other Commodities we have from them are 
“ fome few great Mafts, Furs, and Train Oil, of wfoich 
“ the yearly Value amounts to very little; the much 
“ greater Value of Returns from thence being made in 
“ Sugar, Cotton, Wool, Tobacco, and fuch like Com- 
“ modities, which they firft receive from fome other 
of his Majefly’s Plantations, in barter for dry Cod-fifli, 
“ Salt, Mackrel, Beef, Pork, Bread, Beans, Flower, 
Peafe, ifc. wliich thtj Barbadoes.^ Jamaica., Ode. 
“ with, to the Diminution of the Vent of thofe Com- 
“ modities from this Kingdom ; the great Experience of 
“ which, in our own bFef India Plantations, would foon 
“ be found in the Advantage of the Value of our Lands 
“ in England., were it not for the vaft and almoft in- 
“ credible Supplies thofe Colonies have from New Eng- 
“ land. 
“ 2dly, Idle People of Neu} England, by virtue of 
“ their primitive Charters, being not fo ftridtly tied to the 
“ Obfervation of the Laws of this Kingdom, do fome- 
“ times aifume the Liberty of trading, contrary to the 
“ Ad of Navigation, by reafon of which many of our 
‘I American Commodities, efpecially Tobacco and Sugar, 
are tranfported in New Englijh Shipping, diredly into 
S^am, and other foreign Countries, without being landed 
in England, or paying any Duty to his Majefty *, which 
“ is not only a Lofs to the King, and Prejudice to the 
“ Navigation of Old Englatid, blit alfo a total Exclufion 
“ of the Old Englijh Merchant, from the Vent of thofe 
“ Commodities in thofe Ports where the New Englijh 
“ Veffels trade ; becaufe there being no Cuftom on thofe 
“ Commodities in New England, and a great Cuftom 
“ paid on them in Old England ; it muft neceffarily fol- 
“ lov/ that the New Englijh Merchant will be able to 
‘‘ afford his Commodity much cheaper than the Old En- 
“ glifj Merchant ; and thofe that can fell cheapeft, will 
“ infallibly engrofs the whole Trade fooner or later. 
‘‘ 3dly, Of all the American Plantations, His Majefty 
“ has none fo apt for the Building of Shipping as New 
England, nor none comparably fo qualified for the 
“ breeding of Seamen, not only by reafon of the natu- 
“ ral Induftry of that People, but principally by reafon 
“ of their Cod and Mackarel Fifheries ; and, in m.y poor 
^ ‘‘ Opinion, there is nothing more prejudicial, and, in 
“ Profped, more dangerous to any Mother Kingdom, 
“ than the Increafe of Shipping in her Colonies,; Plan- 
“ tations, and Provinces. 
“ 4thly, The People that evacuate from us to Bar- 
“ hadoes, and the other Wefi India Plantations, as was 
“ before hinted, do commonly work one Englijh to ten 
“ or eight, Blacks ; and if we kept the Trade of our faid 
“ Plantations entirely to England, England would have 
“ no lefs Inhabitants, but rather an Increafe of People, 
“ by fuch Evacuation, becaufe that one Englijhman, with 
“ ten Blacks that work with him, accounting what they 
“ eat, life, and wear, would make Employment for four 
“ Men in Englaind, as was faid before ; whereas, perad- 
“ venture, of ten Men that iffiie from us to New Eng- 
“ layid or Ireland, what we fend to, or receive from, 
“ them, does not employ one Man in England.’’^ 
But with great Submiffion to fo knowing a Man and 
fo able a Judge as he was in thefe Matters, what he has 
delivered upon this Subjeft, though hitherto received with 
general Approbation, is liable to many Objedlidns, which, 
being duly confidered, will give the State and Utility of 
this Colony another Afpedt. For, with refpedl to his firft 
Head of Objedtions, it is not the Fault of New Eng- 
land that they have not ^ a ftaple Commodity, as well 
as the Sugar and Tobacco Plantations, but it is our 
own ; fmee we might be furnifhed from thence with as 
great Plenty, and in as great Perfedlion, as from any 
Part of the Baltic, with all the naval Stores, which are fo 
neceffary, and for which we adlually pay, yearly, a vaft 
Sum of ready Money. It is therefore very unjuft to call 
New England a iifelefs Province, becaufe we will riot make' 
life of her Commodities, which we might command fof 
our own Manufadtures, at our own Time, and on our 
own Terms, but rather pay our Money for them to 
Foreigners ; who, whenever an Opportunity offers, ne- 
ver fail to force their own Terms upon us. As to the 
Provifions furniftied to our Sugar Colonies by the Peo- 
ple of New England, it is fo far from being a Difadvan- 
tage to the Nation, that it is a very great Convenience ; 
for without it they could not poffibly fubfift. This, at 
firft Sight, may feem a very bold Aflertion, but I am 
very confident that it is true ; for in Time of Peace, if 
the Sugar Colonies were to draw all their Provifions from 
hence, it would make their Commodity much dearer, 
and confequently enable Foreigners to beat us out of that 
Trade entirely, and in Time of War the People in thofe 
Colonies would be in Danger of ftarving, as the Inhabit- 
ants of the French Sugar Elands generally are ; to avoid 
which Inconveniency they are now labouring, to render Lou- 
vijiana as ufeful to their Sugar Colonies, as New England 
is to ours ; and after all, what the New England People 
get by this Trade comes hither. To this we may add, 
that if we had not fettled New England, the French cer- 
tainly would, the Confequences of which may be more 
eafily *conceived than deferibed. 
The fecond Objedtion admits of the fame Anfwer. We 
have the Benefit of all the Trade the People in this Co- 
lony carry on in Europe, as well as America \ and while 
we have this certain Advantage, there feems to be no juft 
Caufe for our difturbing ourfelves with the Thoughts of 
the Advantages that might be gained if this Trade ran 
in another Channel ; fince thefe are Incertainties, as to 
which, however, our Government has already taken all 
the Precautions that are poffible, or at leaft that are prac- 
ticable, without running into greater Inconveniencies, than 
thofe they are calculated to guard againft. The breed- 
ing of Seamen, and the building of Ships, are not found 
by Experience, to be attended with the Inconveniencies 
that were feared from them; but on the contrary, have 
had many advantageous Confequences, both in time of 
War and of Peace. The fourth Objedtion, v/hich feems 
to have the greateft Weight of any, we know now by Ex- 
perience has in reality no Weight at all ; for, without 
having Colonies compofed entirely of white People, it' 
would be impoffible for us to defend our other Colonies 
againft our Enemies in America ; and, as we ftiall ftiew 
hereafter in fpeaking of Georgia, inftead of repining at the 
Want of Negroes in New England, v/e ought rather to 
wifh that there were fewer Negroes elfewhere. The Read- 
er will eafily perceive that I do not affedl to contradidl 
this great Author, I only exprefs the Reafons why his 
Arguments do not convince me, and, from the Lights 
of Experience, fhew that it is not imipoftible even for the 
greateft Men to be miftaken. 
Sir Jofiah Child faw this himfelf, as appears by 
the Manner in which he finifhes his Remarks, which I 
look upon to be one of the fineft Paffages in his whole 
Work. “ To conclude, fays he, and to do right to 
“ that moft induftrious Englijh Colony, I muft confefs, 
“ that though we lofe by their unlimited Trade with 
“ our foreign Plantations, yet we are very great Gainers 
“ by their diredt Trade, to and from Old England. Our 
“ yearly Exportations of Englijh Manufadlures, Malt, 
“ and other Goods from hence, thither, amounting, in 
“ my Opinion, to ten times the Value of what is im- 
“ ported from thence ; which Calculation I do not make 
“ at Random, but upon mature Confideration ; and, 
“ peradventure, upon as much Experience of this very 
Trade, as any other Perfon will pretend to do ; and 
“ therefore, whenever a Reformation of our Coijefpond^ 
“ ency in Trade with that People fhall be thought on, 
“ it will, in my poor Judgment, require great Tender- 
“ nefs, and very ferious Circumfpedlion.” 
I fhall not dwell much longer upon this Subjedl, or 
pretend to give the Reader any Calculation' of the Value 
of thofe Advantages which from this Colony are deriv- 
ed to Great Britain, becaufe I am fenfible that though 
the Thing may be pradticable in itfelf, yet fufficient In- 
formations are not hitherto fallen into my Power ; I defire 
there- 
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