Benns: British West India Carrying-Trade 83 
countered the opposition of the ship-owners of London who 
brought pressure to bear in an attempt to defeat it. They 
found it 
impossible to bring themselves to conceive, that the admitting the ships 
of the United States to trade with the British Colonies would be anything 
short of a measure derogatory to the dignity of the British nation, most 
destructive of the maritime interests of the country, most ruinous to the 
North American colonies; at the same time . . . productive of a 
very small portion of that relief to the planters which they .appear to 
expect from it.^^^ 
But the West India merchants and planters resident in London 
rallied to support the new movement for relaxation, presented 
a petition to the House of Commons, praying for an open com- 
mercial intercourse between the British West Indies and the 
United States, and appointed a standing committee “to watch 
the progress of the approaching legislative measures^.^^s 
pressure of this body of influential capitalists who repre- 
sented, it was said, investments of approximately £70,000,- 
000 in West India plantations, finally prevailed. On July 24, 
1822, the West Indian and American Trade bill became a legal 
act.12^ 
This act permitted the importation of certain enumerated 
articles into certain enumerated ports in the British colonies 
in North America and the West Indies. These articles might 
be imported from any foreign country on the continent of 
North or South America or from any foreign island in the 
West Indies, either in British ships or ships of the country 
of which the articles were the growth, produce, or manufac- 
ture, provided the articles were brought directly from such 
country. The list of articles included chiefly live stock of any 
kind, grain of any kind, provisions, lumber, naval stores, cot- 
ton, wool, and tobacco ; but fisheries products and salted pro- 
visions from foreign countries were still excluded in the inter- 
est of the British North American colonists. The act further 
permitted the exportation from the enumerated ports of any 
articles except arms or naval stores, either in British or 
foreign vessels, in the latter provided they were sent directly 
to the country to which the ship belonged, and there landed. 
The same import duties were to be paid on foreign goods 
St. Christopher Advertiser, June 25, 1822. 
123 May 14, 1822. 
121 Aw. Anntial Register, 1826-27, p. 47. 
125 Aw. State Papers, For. Bel., V, 231. 
