Fees in the American Colonies. 
117 
The fees which they might be allowed to collect were therefore 
early prescribed by law. But in this case the fees were regu¬ 
lated and fixed, not so much to prevent overcharges for pilotage, 
as to provide sufficient remuneration in this occupation in or¬ 
der to enable trustworthy and efficient men to make it their pro¬ 
fession. The fees were therefore purposely made high, so as to 
make them an incentive for efficient and reliable men to devote 
themselves to this duty, in preference to the many other prom¬ 
ising fields of employment then open to them. Furthermore, 
the fees had to be comparatively high, if the pilot should ob¬ 
tain a livelihood, because there were so few vessels to make use 
of his service. But the growth of commerce resulted in an 
enormous increase in the income of pilots. The old fees soon 
began to appear burdensome, and finally resulted in an agita¬ 
tion for their reduction by law. Numerous laws followed which 
attempted to establish the fees of pilots, and in various ways 
to regulate the profession. South Carolina even went so far as 
to pay her pilots salaries, and collect all pilot fees at the cus¬ 
tom house for the use of the state. 1 
Harbor fees 2 of various kinds were also charged at the most 
important ports. At first, however, they were not collected with 
any regularity. In the north these duties were usually collected 
for some definite purpose, as the maintenance of fortifications 
or the improvement of harbors, 3 and consisted in a pound of 
powder or more, according to the size of the vessel. 4 In Mary¬ 
land the port duty was fixed at a pound and a half of powder 
and three pounds of shot for each ton of burden. This was af¬ 
terwards commuted into a money charge of 14d. per ton. In 
Connecticut 5 they were collected during King George’s War for 
1 Ibid., 1778, IV, 432, 184, IV, 598. 
2 Statutes , S. C., 1690, pp. 51, 93; 1700, p. 173; 1702, p. 193. 
3 Laics, S. C., 1785, IV, 656. Laws , Va., 1656, I, 176. Tonnage fees 
levied in powder and shot according to the size of vessel. 
4 Harbor fees for the maintenance of fortifications at Charlestown and 
Boston were collected at the rate of 6d. per ton from all other than Eng¬ 
lish and Colonial vessels. The latter were required to pay only lOd. per 
vessel. Col. Laws , Mass., 1645, pp. 159-160. 
5 Taxation in Connecticut, Johns Hopkins University Studies , XIV, 
No. 8, p. 59. 
