was of no long duration, for the Distance made the carriage so chargeable being the Ships were obliged to return empty, that the Trade could not be carried on any Longer without Loss, after wheat fell to its usual price, tho the Wheat of America, be of greater value there than the European, & we cannot hope for a return of this Trade unless such a general scarcity of Provisions happens over Europe as did then

The Staple Commodity of the Province is Flower & Bread which is sent to all Parts of the West Indies we are allowed to trade with, Besides Wheat, Pipe staves and a little Bees Wax to Madeira, We send likewise a considerable quantity of Pork, Bacon, Hogshead Staves, some Beef Butter & a few Candles to the West Indies. The great Bulk of our commoditys in proportion to their value, is the reason we cannot Trade directly to the Spanish Coast as they do from the West Indies it being necessary to employ armed vessels to prevent Injuries from the Spaniards & Pirates, but we sometimes send vessels into the Bays of Campechie & Honduras, to purchase Logwood & we have it imported from thence frequently by Strangers. This commodity is entirely exported again for England

From Barbadoes we import Rum, Molasses & Sugar which are all consumed in the Province, from Antigua & the adjacent Islands, Molassus & some Rum for the country consumption, & sometimes sugar & Cotton for exportation to England, From Jamaica some Rum, Molasses & the best Muscovada Sugar for the consumption of the Country & sometimes Logwood, but the principal returns from thence are in Spanish money, From Curacoa the returns are in Spanish money & Cocoa which is exported again for England Surinam returns nothing besides Molasses & a little Rum which are consumed in the Province, in the time of Wa when the English could not trade with the French there was some considerable Trade to the Island St Thomas The Danes from thence supplying the French with our Provisions. We have Cotton from thence & now from the French Islands we sometimes have Cocoa Sugar & Indigo, the far greatest part of which are exported again from England

Several of our Neighbours upon the Continent cannot well

subsist without our assistance as to Provisions for we yearly send Wheat and Flower to Boston & Road Island as well as to South Carolina tho not in any great quantity Pensylvania only rivals us in our Trade to the West Indies, but they have not that Credit in their Manufactures that this Province has

Besides our Trade by Sea this Province has a very considerable inland Trade with the Indians for Beaver other Furrs & Peltry & with the French of Canada for Beaver, all which are purchased with English Commodity except a small quantity of Rum. As this Trade is very profitable to England, so this Province has a more considerable share in it than any other in His Matys Dominions & is the only Province that can Rival & I beleive out do the French, being the most advantagiously situated for this Trade of any part of America

This Government (since the arrival of the present Governor) considering that the French of Canada buy yearly of the people of this Province great quantitys of English Goods in English Cloaths fit for the Indians use, & being convinced that the French cannot without great difficulty and expence import these goods directly from Europe & that without them they cannot carry on their trade with the Indians exclusive of the English: did by a severe Law prohibit the selling of any Indian Goods to the French At the same time considerable encouragement was given to a number of young men to go into the Indian Country as far as the Pass between the great Lakes at the Falls of Iagara, to learn the language of these Indians, and to renew the Trade with the far Indians which our Traders have disused ever since the beginning of the Wars with France This they could not be persuaded to undertake of themselves having of late fallen into the more safe and less toilsome Trade with the French tho less profitable

The Government has pursued this with a good deal of diligence notwithstanding many difficultys put in the way by the merchants who trade with the French & these measures are likely to have a very happy effect, to strengthen the British Interest on this continent. For if the Indians shall be once convinced that the French cannot supply them with the Goods they want or that

they are furnished much cheaper by the English it will take off the dependance of the remote Indians on the French, which has been increasing of late to the Great Danger of this province, in case of a War, as well as to the loss of its trade in time of Peace, What is already done has had so good effect, that but a few days ago 80 Indian Men, besides Women & Children arrived at Albany from the furthest nation who live about the place called by the French Missilimakenak 1200 miles distant from Albany, they could not be stopt in their design by all the art of the French who in several places endeavored to divert them When they came to Albany they entered into a League of Friendship with this Government & desired to be added to the Six Nations under this Government, and that they may be esteemed the seventh Nation under the English Protection-The Language of those Indians is not understood by any Christian among us, & is the first time we have had any League with them-It is the opinion of many here that by the arts of Peace, with the assistance of a less sum than a tenth of what the expedition to Canada cost the Nation the settlement of Canada would be rendered useless to the French, and that they would be obliged to abandon it

It is evident that the whole Industry, Frugality & Trade of this Province is employed to ballance the Trade with England & to pay for the goods they yearly import from thence, & therefore it is undoubtedly y Interest of Britain to encourage the Trade of this Province as much as possible: For if the people here could remit by any method more money or Goods to England they would proportionably consume more of the English Manufactures. We have no reason to doubt that it is truly the desire of our mother country to make her colonys flourish-The only thing in question, is by what methods the produce and Trade of the Plantations can be best encouraged with the greatest advan tage to England. It may be that many in England are not so well informed what their Colonys are able to produce & by what means the people in the colonys will most effectually be put upon such Manufacture or Trade as shall be most beneficial to the Kingdom for the Colonys differ very much in the soil & inclinations & humour of the Inhabitants

It seems to be the desire of the Government of Great Britain that ye Kingdom be supplyed with naval Stores from their Plantations, that they may not rely so much on the Pleasure of foreign Princes for what is so necessary to ye Strength & Wealth of ye Kingdom. Towards this end none of His Matys Provinces can be more useful than this & perhaps no country in the World is naturally better fitted for such produce or manufactures. There is not any where a richer Soil for producing Hemp than in many places in this Province-Such Land as has every year borne grain for above 50 years together without dunging in which I believe this excells all the other Provinces in North America. Our barren Sandy Lands bear great quantitys of Pitch pine for Tar, The Northern parts of the Province large white Pines* for Masts: & for iron we have great plenty of that Oar in many places close by the Bank of the River, where Ships of 3 or 400 Tuns may lay their sides the ground every where covered with wood for the Furnace and no want of Water Streams any where for the Forge

The reasons which have hindred the Inhabitants from going upon any of these manufactures are the difficulty with which people can be persuaded to leave the common means by which they have supported their familys to adventure upon any new methods which are always expensive in the beginning & uncertain in the profits they yield This reasoning has the more force because few of the Planters have any stock of money by them but depend yearly on the Produce of their Farms for the support of their Families. North America containing a vast Tract of Land every one is able to procure a piece of land at an inconsiderable rate and therefore is fond to set up for himself rather than work for hire This makes labor continue very dear a common laborer usually earning 3 shillings by the day & consequently any undertaking which requires many hands must be undertaken at a far greater expense than in Europe & too often this charge only overhallances all the advantages which the country naturally affords &

Neither the Pitch Pine nor White Pine are properly Pines according to the Botanists but are put by them under the class of ye Larix the White Pine being called by Tournefourt-Larix orientalis fructu rotundiori obtuso & by J Bonhim. Cedrus magna, Sive Libani, Conifera. I have not seen the true Pine to the Northward of Maryland.

is the hardest to overcome to make any commodity or Manufacture profitable which can be raised in Europe

The Merchant will not readily adventure his Stock in raising Hemp or making Tar being unacquainted with husbandry and will more difficultly be induced, because he knows the Farmer does not gain yearly half the common Interest of the value of his land & stock after he has deducted the charge of labor

One of the methods already thought of for making this Province more useful as to Naval Stores, is a severe prohibition of cutting any white Pines fit for Masts, No doubt the destroying of so necessary a commodity ought to be prevented & it would be difficult to frame a Law for that end with many exceptions or Limitations which could be of much use on the other hand when the literal Breach of the Law becomes generally unavoidable it must loose its force, The Lands of this Province are granted upon condition that the Grantee within three years after the Grant effectually cultivate three acres for every fifty granted & it will not be supposed that it is the intent of the Law to put a stop to cultivating the Land which however cannot be done without destroying the Timber that grows upon it One at first is ready to fear that the poor Planter is under a sad Dilemma. If he does not cultivate he cannot maintain his family & he must loose his Land; if he does cultivate, he cuts down Trees, for which he is in danger of being undone by prosecution & fines-The inhabitants cannot build Houses without pine for boards & covering, nor send Vessels to sea without masts. It cannot surely be the intent of the Legislature to put the inhabitants under such extreem hardships by denying us necessary timber while we live in the midst of such Forests as cannot in many ages be destroyed-And the more that the King for whose use these Trees are reserved, does not nor has not made use of one Tree for many years in this Province

Nor need we mind the apprehensions of some who tell us of what ill consequence it may be if the People of the Plantations should apprehend that the people of England design to cut them off from the common body of English subjects by denying them the fundamental English Privilege of being tryed by their country