have thought fit to charge all foreign Sugar, Penneles,' Rum, Spirits, Molasses and Syrups, imported into Great Britain, with certain Duties which are abundantly higher than the Duties upon the like Species of British Growth.

By an Act pass'd in the 6th Year of King Geo. II. cap. 13. [1733] all these Commodities are prohibited from being imported into Ireland, and a Duty of five Shillings per Hundred is laid on Sugar or Penneles, nine Pence per Gallon on Rum or Spirits, and six Pence per Gallon on Molasses and Syrups of the Product of any Plantation in America, not in the Possession of his Majesty, imported into any of the British Plantations in America,

NOTWITHSTANDING these good and wholesome Laws for encouraging the British Sugar Colonies, and discouraging those of Foreigners, it is well known that they are notoriously evaded, and great Quantities of foreign Sugar, Rum, and Molasses are clandestinely imported for a British Consumption, without paying more Duties than the British Subject, and in some Instances without paying any Duties at all.

THE high Duty of six Pence per Gallon Sterling on foreign Molasses imported into the British Colonies, and the small Number of Officers on the extensive Shores of the Northern Provinces, for want of a Fund to pay Salaries to proper Officers, obstructs the Intention of that Part of the said Act, passed in the 6th Year of the Reign of King George II [1733], for the better securing and encouraging the Trade of his Majesty's Sugar Colonies in America, since there is as much foreign Molasses imported into those Northern Colonies as there was before the passing of that Act, which cannot amount to less than 10,000 Hogsheads, or 1,000,000 of Gallons per Annum, and little or no Duties have been paid by virtue of that Act, notwithstanding the several Precautions before mentioned. And considerable Quantities of foreign Sugar and Rum are also frequently imported into those Northern Provinces without paying any Duties at all.

C. Smuggling in the Colonies, 1757 2

It was inevitable that efforts should be made by the colonists to evade the navigation acts when these interfered with a profitable branch of trade, and as a

1 A coarse sort of sugar made from molasses.

2 Report of Sir Charles Hardy to the Lords of Trade (1757). In Documents relating to the Colonial History of New York. Edited by E. B. O'Callaghan (Albany, 1856), VII, 271.

matter of fact a great deal of illegal trade was carried on down to the very time of the Revolution. The following letter from Sir Charles Hardy, former governor of New York, to the Lords of Trade, shows something of the extent of this trade.

My Lords,

Halifax, 10th July 1757

As I have now taken leave of the Province of New York as Governor . . . I trust I shall stand excused to you in offering my thoughts upon two Subjects: in the first the mother country is greatly Interested with regard to its trade with the Colonys which I have used all my endeavours to restrain and put upon a proper footing, and thô I have not been able to do it so effectually as I could wish, yet I flatter myself some good has attended it, and I am sure greater will follow by your Lordships' Interposition with the Treasury and Custom House Boards: I mean the introducing tea, canvas, Gunpowder and arms for the Indians and many other Articles from Holland that render to His Majesty no Dutys in Europe, and almost totally discourage the Importation of these commoditys from Brittain. When I first arrived at New York I found this iniquitous trade in a very flourishing state, and upon inquiry was informed that it had been a common practice for Vessels to come from Holland, stop at Sandy Hook, and smuggle their Cargoes to New York and carry their Vessels up empty; this I was determined to put an end to, when this Trade took another course by sending their Vessells to the Ports of Connecticutt, from whence it is not very difficult to introduce their goods thrô the sound to New York, and even to Philadelphia; I acquainted Governor Fitch with some informations I had obtained of this practice, and requested him to direct the Custom House Officers of his Colony to do their duty, assuring him I would direct the King's Officers in my Province to seize any goods they could find Any Body attempting to introduce into my Government; I believe some small seizures was made in Connecticutt upon it, but much more in the Province of New York. Another method the Importers take is to stop at some of the Out ports of Britain (in their outward bound passage from Holland) and make a report and enter only half of their cargo, by which the King is defrauded of his Duty on the other half; In short My Lords, if some effectual means are not used, the greatest part of the commerce of the American Colonies will be withdrawn from the Mother Country, and be carryed to Holland.

D. An Act to Prevent Iron Manufactures in the Colonies, 17191

The determination to crush out manufactures in the colonies in order to reserve them as a market for English goods showed itself early in the colonial policy, as shown in the proposed legislation of 1719. The project was revived again about twenty years later, but not until 1750 did the agitation result in legislative action. In this year an act was passed allowing the free importation into England of colonial pig-iron, and of bar-iron at the port of London, but prohibiting iron manufactures in the colonies. By this time the colonies were sufficiently developed to undertake simple manufactures, and this act caused irritation against the colonial policy of England.

In this same year 1719, a bill was brought into Parliament, For rendering the laws concerning the importation of naval stores from the British American plantations more extensive, by extending it to all sorts of timber from thence. . . . But the people of the northern colonies were so surprised and disappointed, on account of certain clauses put into that bill, that, rather than they should stand part of it, they were very glad to have it dropped altogether. Such, for instance, as

"That none in the plantations should manufacture iron wares of any kind whatever, out of any sows, pigs, or bars whatsoever; under certain penalties:" - By which clause, says an ingenious author, on this occasion, in behalf of the colonies, no smith in the plantations might make so much as a bolt, spike, or nail; whereby the colonies must have been brought into a miserable condition; the smith being, above all other trades, absolutely necessary in all other employments there. Amongst the rest, that of ship-building would have hereby been utterly destroyed, although by that article they make a great part of their returns for the purchase of British manufactures.

The House of Peers added another clause, "That no forge going by water or other work whatsoever, should be erected in any of the said plantations, for the making, working, or converting of any sows, pigs, or cast-iron, into bar or rod-iron, upon pain, &c." - This second clause, says our said author, must have ruined all the iron-works in the colonies, to the great loss of their proprietors, and have given the French a fair handle to tempt them into their settlements which join to ours.

The chief opposers of the manufacture of iron in our American plantations, were the proprietors of our iron-works at home: . . .

1 An Historical and Chronological Deduction of the Origin of Commerce. By Adam Anderson (London, 1789), III, 88.

E. Colonies Levy Tariff Duties on British Goods, 17181

The acts cited below were disallowed by the English government, but the fact that they were passed shows a striking disregard for the British acts of trade and a strong desire on the part of the colonies to regulate their trade in their own way. There were many similar acts passed by the colonial legislatures of which these are typical.

Having received from the Commissioners of your Majestys Customs the Extract of a Letter to them from Colonel Rhett Surveyor and Comptroller of the Customs in Carolina, dated in December last. . . whereby it appears that an act was then passed in that province of a pernicious Consequence to the Trade and Navigation of this Kingdome laying a Duty of 10 per Cent. upon all Goods of British Manufactory, imported into that Province from Great Britaine... Yet, considering the ill consequence of such an Act, . . . Wee most humbly Offer that your Majesty's Pleasure be Signifyed to the Lords Proprietors of Carolina, that they immediately send over to that province their Disallowance of the Same, with directions to their Governor there, never to Give His Assent to any Law of the like! Nature, for the future.

Wee humbly take leave to represent to your Majesty. That by the Act of Trade 15° Caroli 2di. [1663] No Goods of the Growth or Manufacture of Europe can be imported into any of the plantations but from Great Britain, excepting Salt for the Fisherys, Wines of the Madera and Western Islands, Servants Horses and Provisions from Ireland, and also except Irish Linnen from Ireland by the Act, the 3° and 4° Annæ; Whereas this Act of the Massachusetts Bay, not only Allows the importation of All Sorts of Wines and Commoditys directly from the place of their Growth, but charges the said Commoditys with a double duty, if Imported from this Kingdom, from whence only they can legally be imported, except in the cases above-mentioned, besides that there are no Words to Restrain the Importation of such Goods into that Plantation to Such Ships only as by Law may trade thither:- This Act likewise lays a duty of one per Cent. on all English Merchandizes when at the same time it lays not half that duty on any other Goods, and Merchandize, and as a farther discouragement to the British Trade and Navigation, lays a Duty of Tonnage on all Shipping except that of the Massachusetts Bay, and of some few of its neighbouring Colonies: . .

1 Acts of the Privy Council, Colonial Series, (London, 1908) II, 740, selection 1294; 759, selection 1315.

F. Tobacco Growing Suppressed in England, 1619-1670

1

While most attention has been given to restrictions imposed upon colonial development by the acts of trade, it must be remembered that along with the policy of restriction there went also the policy of encouragement. Perhaps no more striking illustration of this can be given than the legislation relative to the growing of tobacco in England. In order to encourage its production in the colonies, and also to render the administration of the customs duties easier, its growth was rigidly suppressed in England, until at last it was absolutely stamped out. While colonial tobacco could be exported only to England, at least it was protected there from English competition.

Whitehall, 3 September [1626]: .

A warrant directed to Henry Somerscales, gentleman of the County of Nottingham or to his Deputie. These are to will and comande you to make your presente and undelayed repaire unto the house or houses of all such persons within the Countyes of Buckingham Lincolne and Yorke, or any other County Cittie or Towne within the Realme of England onely the Citties of London and Westminster or the Suburbs thereof excepted as you shall either knowe, or be probably informed, to receive, conceale, kepe, now sell, or have in their custodie anie Tobacco of the English growth or making, or anie Spanish or foreigne growth or making, or anie Spanish or foreigne Tobacco, except onely such as is of the growth of the English Plantations in foreigne parts [All such tobacco is to be seized and a bond of £100 apiece to be taken of its possessors to appear before the Board to answer for their high contempt].

Whitehall, 21 December [1627]:

This day the Boord, in the presence of his Majestie and by his speciall direction, takeing into their considerations, the english plantations in Virginia, and the Sommer Islands especially, and consideringe that for the present they cannot subsist, but by the vent of their Tobacco planted there, and from thence transported heather, haue thought fitt and soe resolued and ordered: That for the preservation and incouragement of those English plantations abroad, no Tobacco shalbe planted either in England, or Ireland, or any the Islands thereto belonginge, nor any such Tobaco shall be brought: or sold, vttered or vsed, by any but shalbe vtterly destroyed, and consumed wheresoeuer it shalbe found either simply, or mixt, with any other Tobacco; . . . and no Spanish Tobacco, or other Tobacco,

1 Acts of the Privy Council, Colonial Series (London, 1908), I, 109-10, 120-1.