prohibited. The Trade as to other Things, is left in the fame State it was before that Act was made, as it will appear to any Perfon that fhall read it: And there are yearly large Quantities of other Goods openly carried to Canada, without any Hindrance from the Government of New-York. Whatever may be faid of the Severity and Penalties in that Act, they are found infufficient to deter fome from carrying Goods clandeftinely to the French; and the Legislature of this Province are convinced that no Penalties can be too fevere, to prevent a Trade which puts the Safety of all his Majesty's Subjects of North America in the greatest Danger,

Their next Affertion is, All the Indian Goods have by this Alt, been raised 251. to 30 1. per Cent. This is the only Allegation in the whole Petition, that there is any Ground for. Nevertheless, though the common Channel of Trade cannot be altered without fome Detriment to it in the Beginning, we are affured from the Cuftom-house Books, that there has been every Year, fince the paffing of this Act, more Furs exported from New-York, than in the Year immediately before the paffing of this Act. It is not probable, that the greatest Difference between the Exportation any Year before this Act, and any Year fince, could fo much alter the Price of Beaver, as it is found to be this laft Year. Beaver is carried to Britain from other Parts befides NewYork, and it is certain that the Price of Beaver is not fo much altered here by the Quantity in our Market, as by the Demand for it in Britain. But as we cannot be fo well informed here, what occafions Beaver to be in greater Demand in Britain, we must leave that to be enquired after in England. However, we are fully fatisfied that it will be found to be for very different Reasons from what the Merchants alledge.

The Merchants go on and fay, Whereas on the other Hand, this Branch of the New-York Trade,

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by the Difcouragements brought upon it by this Act, is almost wholly engroffed by the French, who have already by this Act, been encouraged to fend proper European Goods to Canada, to carry on this Trade, fo that fhould this Act be continued, the New-York Trade which is very confiderable, must be wholly loft to us, and center in the French. -Though NewYork fhould not furnish them, the French would find another Way to be. fupplied therewith, either from fome other of his Majesty's Plantations, or it might be directly from Europe. -Many of the Goods which the Indians want being as eafy to be bad directly from France or Holland, as from Great-Britain.

This is eafily answered, by informing your Excellency, that the principal of the Goods proper for the Indian Market are only of the Manufactures of Great-Britain, or of the British Plantations, viz. Strouds, or Stroud-Waters, and other Woollens, and Rum. The French must be obliged to buy all their Woollens (the Strouds especially) in England, and thence carry them to France, in order to their Transportation to Canada. The Voyage to Quebeck through the Bay of St. Lawrence, is well known to be the most dangerous of any in the World, and only practicable in the Summer Months. The French have no Commodities in Canada, by reason of the Cold and Barrennefs of the Soil, proper for the Weft-India Markets, and therefore have no Rum but by Veffels from France, that touch at their Ilands in the Weft-Indies. New-York has, by Reafon of its Situation, both as to the Sea and the Indians, every Way the Advantage of Canada. The New-York Veffels make always two Voyages in the. - Year from England, one in Summer and another in Winter, and feveral Voyages in a Year to the WestIndies. It is manifeft therefore, that it is not in the Power of the French to import any Goods near fo cheap to Canada, as they are imported to New

York.

But to put this out of all Controversy, we need only obferve to your Excellency, That Strouds (without which no confiderable Trade can be carried on with the Indians) are fold at Albany for 10%. a Piece: They were fold at Monreal before this A&t took Place, at 13l. 2 s. 6 d. and now they are fold there for 257. and upwards: Which is an evident Proof, that the French have not, in thefe four Years Time (during the Continuance of this Act) found out any other Way to fupply themselves with Strouds, and likewife that they cannot trade without them, seeing they buy them at fo extravagant a Price.

It likewife appears, that none of the neighbouring Colonies have been able to fupply the French with thefe Goods; and those that know the Geography of the Country, know it is impracticable to do it at any tolerable Rate, because they must carry their Goods ten Times further by Land than we need to do.

We are likewife affured, that the Merchants of Monreal lately told Mr. Vaudreuil their Governor, that if the Trade from Albany be not by fome Means or other encouraged, they must abandon that Settlement. We have Reason therefore to fufpect, that these Merchants (at least some of them) have been practifed upon by the French Agents in London; for no doubt, the French will leave no Method untried to defeat the prefent Defigns of this Government, feeing they are more afraid of the Confequences of this Trade between New-York and the Indians, than of all the warlike Expeditions that ever were attempted against Canada.

But to return to the Petitioners, They conceive nothing can tend more to the withdrawing the Affections of the Five Nations of Indians from the English Intereft, than the Continuance of the faid Alt, which in its Effects reftrains them from a free Commerce with the Inhabitants of New-York, and may too probably, eftrange

eftrange them from the English Intereft, whereas by a Freedom of Commerce, and an encouraged Intercourfe of Trade with the French and their Indians, the English Interest might in Time, be greatly improved and strengthened.

It feems to us a ftrange Argument to fay, that. an Act, the whole Purport of which is to encourage our own People to go among the Indians, and to draw the far Indians through our Indian Country to Albany (and which has truly produced thefe Effects) would on the contrary, reftrain them from a free. Commerce with the Inhabitants of New-York, and may too probably estrange them from the English Interest, and therefore that it would be much wifer in us to make ufe of the French, to promote the English Intereft; and for which End, we ought to encourage a free Intercourfe between them and our Indians. The reverse of this is exactly true, in the Opinion of our Five Nations; who in all their publick Treaties with this Government, have represented against this Trade, as The Building the French Forts with English Strouds: That the encouraging a Freedom of Commerce with our Indians, and the Indians round them, who must pass through their Country to Albany, would certainly increase both the English Intereft and theirs, among all the Nations to the Weftward of them; and that the carrying the Indian Market to Monreal in Canada, draws all the far Indians thither.

The laft Thing we have to take Notice, is what the Merchants afferted before the Lords of Trade, viz. That there has not been half the Quantity of European Goods exported fince the paffing of this Act, that used to be.

We are well affured, that this is no better grounded than the other Facts they affert with the fame Pofitiveness. For it is well known almoft to every Perfon in New-York, that there has not been a lefs, but rather a greater Quantity of European Goods imported

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imported into this Place, fince the paffing of this Act, than was at any Time before it, in the fame Space of Time. As this appears by the Manifests in the Custom-houfe here, the fame may likewise be easily proved by the Cuftom-house Books in London.

As all the Arguments of the Merchants run upon the ill Effects this Act has had upon the Trade and the Minds of the Indians, every one of which we have shown to be afferted without the leaft Foundation to fupport them, there nothing now remains, but to fhow the good Effects this Act has produced, which are fo notorious in this Province, that we know not one Perfon that now opens his Mouth against the Act.

Before this Act paffed, none of the People of this Province travelled into the Indian Countries to trade: We have now above forty young Men, who have been several Times as far as the Lakes a trading, and thereby become well acquainted, not only with the Trade of the Indians, but likewife with their Manners and Languages; and these have returned with fuch large Quantities of Furs, that greater Numbers are refolved to follow their Example. So that we have good Reason to hope, that in a little Time the English will draw the whole Indian Trade of the Inland Countries to Albany, and into the Country of the Five Nations. This Government has built a publick Trading-house upon Cataraqui Lake, at Irondequat in the Sennekas Land, and another is to be built next Spring, at the Mouth of the Onondagas River. All the far Indians pafs by these Places, in their Way to Canada; and they are not above half fo far from the English Settlements, as they are from the French.

So far is it from being true what the Merchants fay, That the French Forts interrupt all Communication between the Indians and the English, that if these Places be well fupported, as they easily can be from