^72. i:he Discoveries and Settlements Book L 
forty-five Pounds, and every thoufand Pounds value of 
Sugar a Duty of one hundred and twenty Pounds. It 
might have been added that it was likewife a great 
Hurt to the Trade and Navigation of this Kingdom, 
as 'well as to the Sugar Colonies, that we cannot fup- 
ply thofe Places with Rum, Sugar, and Moloffes of 
our own Growth, and in Ships and Veffels of this 
Kingdom, without the Difadvantage of paying for our 
Rum and Moloffes a Duty of four and a half Cent. 
when New Engldnd can fupply all the Markets with 
Rum, Sugar, and Molofies, of foreign Growth, with- 
out paying any of thefe Duties. Was it not for this 
Advantage they have over us, a great many of our Vef- 
fels that mifs a Freight of Sugar in the JVeJi-Indies for 
London^ would take fome Rum, Moloffes, and Sugar, 
and go to Newfoundland and barter it for Fifh or Oil, 
and then proceed to fome other Market with it, and 
might probably employ themfelves to Advantage, or 
might, with a little Rum, Sugar, and Moloffes, go to 
North Carolina.^ &c. and barter them for a Cargo of 
Pitch, Tar, and Skins, and bring them to Great Britain. 
As to what is alledged. That the reftraining the Northern 
Colonies from the dilpofing of their Horfes, Provifions, 
and Lumber to the French and Hollanders^ might put 
them upon fome Employment prejudicial to Great Britain., 
it is anfwered, That it hath been fliewn already, that 
there is more Reafon to fear the Hands will not be Ap- 
plied with Lumber as they ought to be, than that the 
Northern Colonies will want a Vent for their Lumber j but 
if the Britijh Colonies could not take off their Lumber, 
they might fend it to Sfain^ or Portugal or to Great 
Britain^ where it might be imported Duty-free. They 
might employ themfelves in railing naval Stores ; the 
Government hath given them a large Bounty upon that 
Trade, which would be of vail Advantage to our Navi- 
gation, and fave the Nation three or four hundred thoufand 
Pounds a Year, which is fent out annually to purchafe 
naval Stores with from the North. But this favourite 
Trade with the foreign Sugar Colonies, hath diverted 
them from that excellent Defign, to the enriching of the 
French., and to the great Prejudice and almoft Ruin of our 
own. As to the fourth Objeftion : That the French would 
diftil their Moloffes themfelves, and fupply the Fillieries 
with Rum, if the Northern Colonies did not j it was an- 
fwered, That French diftil but very little Rum at pre- 
fent, and know little of the Matter j Worms, Stills, and 
other dillilling Utenfils, coft a great deal of Money ; and 
this mult be a Work of Time and very great Expence j 
however, a Poffibility of an Inconvenience that might 
happen ought not to have that Regard paid to it, as to 
prevent our Colonies from being relieved in a Point fo 
very prejudicial to them, as well as to the Malt Spirits of 
Great Britain., with which their Fifheries were formerly 
fupplied. 
To the 5th, That if the Northern Colonies did not 
takeoff the French Sugars, they would carry them to other 
Markets themfelves ; it was anfwered. The French do 
already carry many Sugars to foreign Markets ; if fo, 
they may fell to Advantage, and the Surplus which foreign 
Markets won’t take off, goes to our Northern Colonies, 
to purchafe v/hat is abfolutely neceffary for them, and what 
they could not have conveniently from any other Place ; 
but even here the Profit of the Freight is gained not 
by Great Britain, but by the Northern Colonies only •, 
which is a very fmall Advantage, in Comparifon of the 
Damage done by this Means to our Sugar Colonies, 
efpecially as the French can afford their Sugars cheaper 
than ours, and as the high Duties paid for Sugars in our 
Plantations, make it impoflible for us to vend any to the 
Northern Colonies. 
To the next Objedlion : That if the Importation of 
French and Hutch Rum and Moloffes was prohibited, 
and they could have none but what they bought of the 
Englijh Wands, or fell their Lumber and Provifions 
any where elfe, then the Englijh Wands would fet 
what Price they pleafed upon their Rum, and beat down 
the Price of their Lumber and other Goods as * they 
thought fit ; it was anfwered ; If the Cafe was as the 
Objeflion Rates it, the Britijh Sugar Colonies would be 
only upon a Level with New England ; for, as that Place 
is the only Market from whence Lumber is imported to 
the Sugar Colonies, New England, by a Parity of Reafon, 
is a Monopoly of the Lumber-Trade, and therefore does 
exadt in the Price of its Lumber. But this is not, nor 
ever can be, the Truth of the Cafe, either with Regard to 
New England, or the Sugar Colonies ; for as in a Place of 
fuch Extent as New England, where the Lumber Trade is 
carried on by a Multitude of People, with a View to each 
Trader’s feparate Intereft, a Monopoly of Lumber can- 
not properly be made ; fo in the Sugar Colonies that lie at 
a vail Diftance from., and are Rivals ^to, each other, 
by the Produdtion of the fame Commodities, a Mono- 
poly is impradlicable. The New England Traders have 
no iefs than fix Britijh Wands to go to for Rum and Mo- 
loffes ; each of thefe Wands is as independent on the other 
in its Polity, as diftant in Situation. There is little or no 
Intercourfe, and lefs Commerce, between thofe of them 
which are fituated the neareft, and no Intercoiife at all 
between the remoteft of thefe Ifiands ; becaufe the Pro- 
duce of them all being the fame, there can be no Ex- 
change of Commodities, and confequently no Commerce 
or Intercourfe. It follows therefore, where there -is no 
Intercourfe there can be no Combination, no Monopoly. 
On the contrary, .each Ifland is a Rival to its Neighbour, 
producing the fame Commodities, and v/ill in common 
Prudence ufe all proper Means to have its full Share of 
Trade ^ to which End nothing can be more conducive, 
than to fell its Produce at the cheapefl: Rate poffible. ' 
As to the feventh Objedlion, that the French and 
Hutch Colonies furnifh our Northern Colonies with Money, 
which they bring to Great Britain, and lay out in our 
Manufactures, they anfwered. That there is no Money 
among the French and Hutch Sugar Colonies. How 
therefore they can bring Money from Places, where there 
is not enough for the common Ufes of Lite among the 
Inhabitants, is a Paradox which they muft explain be- 
fore the World will take it upon their Word. • If then 
that Affertion be not founded on Truth, it follows that 
they do not lay out Money, brought from thefe Places, 
in the Manufaftures of Great Britain \ their Traffic 
for Fifh in the Streights (a Trade in which they have 
fupplanted Great Britain) may furnifh them with Money, 
but we deny that fuch Money is laid out by them in the 
ManufaClures of Great Britain. On the contrary, it is 
to be prefumed, that their Money is laid out with the 
French and Hutch in Europe, for Eaji-India Goods, 
French Silks, and other foreign Commodities •, for, as it 
appears by their own Evidence, at the Bar of the Houfe 
of Commons, they import fuch Wares into New England, 
and we muff fuppofe they pay for them in Money or 
Filh, till they can prove that Lumber is a valuable Com- 
modity in France and Holland. But fuppofing the New 
England People do lay out their ProduCl of Fifh in Bri- 
tijh Manufadures, is that a fufficient Compenfation to 
Great Britain, for robbing her of the Fifh Trade to the 
Streights Do not the Ne%v England People, by their 
Confeffion, acknowledge by Implication, that they reap 
the Profit of it, both in Navigation and Trade up the 
Streights, which ufed to be enjoyed by great Britain it- 
felf.^ What Advantage is it to Britain to have this 
Money laid out in her ManufaClures ? Would it not be 
a far greater to be the Carrier of thefe ManufaClures to 
the Streights, and to bring home this Money in her own 
Ships, navigated by her own Sailors ^ 
The Inhabitants of the Sugar Colonies, it is faid,. are 
very rich, and very luxurious. That the ProduCl of thefe 
Colonies are of the richefl Sort, and a Mine to Great 
Britain, is allowed, and has been fully proved ; but that 
the Proprietors of the Soil and Manufactures are far 
from being rich, is evident from the Proofs already 
made to the Parliament, that they do not clear five 
Shillings for every hundred pound Weight of Sugar they 
make. This the New England Traders would think but 
a moderate Profit upon one of their fhort Voyages ; 
but it is too much for an Inhabitant of the Sugar Colo- 
nies, who runs infinitely more rifque in the Heat of the 
Torrid 
