Chap. ill. of the E N G L I S H in AMERICA. 
Torrid Zone, doss the Duty, and is liable to run tlie 
Hazard of a Camp in the Time of War, and in Time 
of Peace live the hardeft Life of all the Inhabitants under 
the Sun. That this is truly the Cafe of the Planters in the 
Sugar Colonies, all Mankind that are acquainted with them 
will atteft ; but it may be evinced from the Nature of the 
TFeft-Indian Eftate itfelf, which is fubjed to Ruin by the 
French^ to Fire from the combuftible KLture of the Sugar- 
Canes, which are its Produd ; from the vaft Expence of 
Materials and Edifices for making Sugar and Rum, and from 
the like Expence in Negroes, Cattle, and Mules ; from 
the Rifque of Mortality in this Part of their- Property, 
which is always half the Value of a well fettled Planta- 
tion : And laftly, the Expence of feeding, the Care, 
Anxiety, and prudent Condud of governing two or three 
hundred Negroes, with ftrid Juftice and Humanity, and 
with Advantage to himfelf, is the Station of a Planter : 
And is not this a Station that requires as much Forti- 
tude, Induftry, and Oeconomy, as catching Fifh, or 
buying Skins from the Indians oi New England? In Ihort, 
without a good Share of all the Qualifications neceffary 
to condud an Affair the moll complicated in its Nature, 
furrounded with Difficulties and Hazards, and in which 
the niceft Oeconomy and Order muff be obferved, it is 
impoffible a Planter fhould reap any Profit from his 
Eftate *, therefore if Planters are rich, they muft be the 
beft Oeconomifts, and the moft induftrious Men in the 
World, and therefore deferve what they acquire. 
To the ninth Objedion, That the Trade of the Englijh 
Sugar Colonies is at prefent vaftly profitable •, for the little 
Ifland of Barladoes in the Year 1730 imported twenty 
thoufand feven hundred and fixty nine Hogfheads of Su- 
gar, of which they made 340,396 /. clear Profit. It is 
admitted to be true, when Rum and Moloffes bear a rea- 
fonable Price ; then a- Plantation may, with the niceft 
Oeconomy, pay its own Charges out of thofe Articles. 
But if the New England Traders take Rum from Fo- 
reigners, and Moloffes to be diftilled into Rum by them- 
felves, then the Rum and Moloffes will be fo far from 
bearing fuch a Charge *, that, on the contrary, they will 
bear no Price at all ; but the Moloffes muft be given to 
the Hogs, as the French ufed to do, ’till New England 
taught them how to make a better Profit of it. Have not 
then the Barbadians reafon to complain ? By the Affiftance 
of the New England Traders the French now have that 
great Advantage, and the French Plantations are now in- 
creafed above one third of the annual Value, purely by 
that pernicious Trade. This Increafe to Foreigners is a 
proportionable Diminution of our own Sugar Colonies, 
and confequently a Difadvantage to Great Britain. But 
is the Produd of that little Ifland Barhadoes no lefs than 
340,396/. brought into the Ports of Great Britain^ in 
one Year, what a Fountain of Treafure muft this be to 
the Kingdom, even by the Confeffion of the Enemies 
to our Britijh Sugar Colonies ? Do therefore the New 
England Traders imagine that the Parliament of Great 
Britain will facrifice this immenfe Treafure to the Advan- 
tage of a few New England Diftillers ; or if it was a Dif- 
advantage to all New England (from whence Great Britain 
derives no Advantage in comparifon of that) would it not 
be juft Policy to fupport the Sugar Colonies but when 
: the prefent Oppofition is confidered, as founded on a Trade 
I with the French^ the natural and implacable Enemies of 
this Kingdom, what honeft Englijhman will look upon it 
: but with Difdain ? efpecially after it has appeared evident 
from Reafon, from undoubted Teftimony, and even by 
. the implicit Confeffion of the New England People con- 
' cerned in this Oppofition, that the French have increafed 
one third per Atmum in their Wealth by this very Trade ; 
that our Sugar Colonies have declined in Proportion, as 
has been proved already ; and to compleat the Misfor- 
Traders have drained even the 
BritiJh Sugzr: Colonies of all their current Caffi, for no 
, ^her Purpofe but to purchafe Moloffes and Rum of the 
{French. S^is is a Fa6l known by all the Inhabitants of 
who are ready to prove it in the 
moft folemn Manner. 
The tvm Houfes having heard the feveral Fafts ftated, 
with the Proofs j and confidered the Arguments and In- 
• Vol.il Numb. 88. , 
ferences drav/n from them," paffed an A<ft of the folioW-^ 
ing Tenor : That after the 25th of December 1738 therd 
ftiould be paid a Duty of Nine-pence a Gallon for all 
Riim and Spirits made in the Plantations, not fubjed td 
Great Britain^ on the Importation of them info any of 
the Britijh Plantations ; that Six-pertce a Gallon ftiOtild 
be paid for all foreign Moloffes and Syrups ifflporfedsi 
and Five Shillings for every Hundred Weight, Englijh 
Money, for Sugar and Paneles imported ; and that no' 
Sugar, Paneles, Syrups, or Moloffes, fhould be imported 
into Ireland^ unlefs fbippcd in Great Britain. And ait 
Allowance of Two Shillings per Hundred Weight motd 
than heretofore granted, on the Exportation .of refined 
Sugars. But the Importation of Spanijh or Fortuguetd 
Sugars into Great Britain is frill permitted by the faid 
Aft. 
Since the Aft, the Merchants and Planters concerned 
in the Britijh Sugar Colonies preferred a Petition to the 
Houfe of Commons., fetting forth, that by two Afts of 
Parliament paffed in the 12th and 2 2d of Charles II. the In- 
habitants of the faid Colonies were reftrained from fending 
Sugar to Foreign Markets before they are firft landed in 
Great Britain. That how prudent foever this Reftraint 
may have been at the Time the Sugar Trade in the Weft- 
Indies was entirely in our Hands, yet now our Sugar 
Hands are in a declining Condition from the Increafe of 
the French Settlements, it would be highly beneficial 
not only to them but to Great Britain to put the Britijh 
Subjeft in a Capacity of difputing foreign Markets with 
the French^ and to permit him to carry his Sugars earlier 
and cheaper to thofe Markets than he can do, under the 
Reftraint aforefaid. That the Sugar Colonies import 
yearly into this Kingdom Sugar enough for our Home 
Confumption, and alfo a large Surplus for Re-exporta- 
tion to foreign Parts ; but the Demand from Abroad has 
greatly decreafed Within thefe few Years, and the Mar- 
kets for that Commodity have been fofeftalled by the 
French^ not only to the Prejudice of the Sugar Trade but 
alfo of the general Trade of Great Britain., which muft: 
affeft the Balance thereof. That if Britijh Ships were per- 
mitted to go to foreign Markets under proper Reftfiftions 
without unloading here, the whole Charge, and in a 
great Meafure, the Rifque, of a double Voyage would be 
faved ; and the obliging fuch Ships to return to Great 
Britain., unload, and take their Clearance here, before 
their proceeding on another American Voyage, would be; 
attended with this farther good Effeft, that they muft 
afford to carry Freight at the cheapeft Rates, or return 
Home empty ; fo that this Regulation would extend our 
Navigation, and contribute to make us the Carriers of 
Europe^ without prejudicing the Revenue, ail the Duties 
on Sugar being drawn back on the Re-eXportation of it 
to foreign Parts. For thefe Reafons the Petitioners 
prayed that Liberty might be granted of carrying Bri- 
tijh Sugar from our Sugar Colonies in America direftly to 
any foreign Markets to the Southward of Cape Finijlerre^ 
upon the fame Conditions that the People of Carolina. 
are permitted to carry their Rice to the faid Markets, 
and alfo of carrying ffich Sugars to any foreign Markets . 
to the Northward of Cape Finijlerre., after firft touching at 
Great Britain., before they proceed on another Weji-India 
Voyage. But the great Tendernefs the Parliament has 
always had for the famous Aft of Navigation, has pre- 
vented thefe Indulgences from being granted, that might 
otherwife perhaps have been yielded to in behalf of the 
Sugar Colonies. 
But the prefent War with France will afford the beft 
Means of coming at the Truth, in refpeft to the Fafts 
afferted in the Papers before-mentioned \ and therefore, 
whenever a general Peace fhail be made, and the Parlia- 
liament is at leifure to look into Affairs of this Nature, 
we have all the Reafon in the World to expeft that this 
Commerce will be put upon fuch a Foot as that the In- 
habitants both^of Great Britain and the Plantations, may 
reap from it the greateft Advantages poftible. In order 
to this, the iatelligent Reader will eafily difcern that the 
following Steps are neceffary. In the firft Place, due 
Care muft be taken to give the Inhabitants of the Sugar 
Colonies all the Relief that is pglTible from any Hardftiips^ 
4 A 
