REPORT ON THE PROVINCE OF NEW-YORK.

61

11. Our principall places of Trade are New Yorke and South’ton except Albany for tbe Indyans,our buildings most wood, some lately stone & brick, good country houses & strong of their severallkindes.

12. Wee haue about 24 townes, villiages or parishes in Six Precincts, Divisions, Rydeings, orCourts of Sessions.

13. Wee haue severall Rivers, Harbours and Roades, Hudson’s River the chiefest & is ab 4 . 4 fathomwater att coming in butt six,tenn or more within & very good soundings & anchorage either in Hud-son’s River or in the Sound , the usuall roade before the town and moulde.

14. Our produce is land provisions of all sorts as of wheate exported yearly about 60000 bushells>pease, beefe, pork, & some Refuse fish, Tobacco, beavers, peltry or furrs from the Indians, Deale &oake timber, plankes, pipestaues, lumber, horses, & pitch & tarr lately begunn to be made, Comodityesimported are all sorts of English manufacture for Christians & blanketts, Duffells for Indiansabout 50000' b yearly, Pemaquid afords merchantable ffish & masts.

15. Wee haue noe Experience or skill of Salt Peter to be had in Quantityes.

16. Our Merch ts are not many but with inhabitants & planters about 2000, able to beare armes,old inhabitants of the place or of England, Except in & neere New Yorke of Dutch Extraction &some few of all nations, but few Serv ts , much wanted & but very few slaves.

17. Noe persons whateuer are to come from any place but according to act off Pari 4 w ch themagistrates and officers of the severall townes or places are to take care of, accordingly the plantaconis these late yeares increased, but noe Genrall acc 4 hath been taken soe is not knowne how much norwhat persons. Some few slaues are sometimes brought from Barbadoes , most for Provisions andsould att a bt 30 Ib or 35' b Country pay.

18. Ministers have been soe scarce & Religions many that noe acc 1 cann be giuen of Children’sbirths or christenings. x

19. Scarcity of Ministers and Law admitting marriages by Justices, noe acc 1 cann be giuen of thenumber marryed.

20. Noe acc 4 cann be giuen of burialls, formes of burialls not being generally obserued & lewministers till very lately.

21. A merch‘ worth 1000 lb or 500 lb is accompted a good substantiall merchant and a planter

worthe halfe that in moveables accompted [rich 11 with all the Estates may be valued at about*150,000. 1

23. There may lately haue traded to y e Collony in a yeare from tenn to fifteen shipps or vessellso about togeather 100 tunns each, English new England and our owne built of w ch 5 small shippsand a Ketch now belonging to New Yorke foure of them built there.

23. Obstruccdns to Improuem 4 of planters, trade, Navigacon and mutuall assistance are y e dis-tinction of Collonies for our owne produce, as if different nations and people, though next neighboursupon the same tract of land, and His Ma tics subjects, we obserueing acts of trade & navigacon &c.

24. Aduantages, Incouragem 4 & Improuem 4 of Planters trade & Navigacon would be more ifnext neighbours of o r own Nation the King’s subjects on the same tract of land might without dis-tinction, supply each other with our owne produce, punctually obserueing all acts of parliam 4 forExportac6n &, would dispose all persons the better for mutuall assistance.

25. Rates or dutyes upon Goods exported are 2 s for each hhd of Tobacco & I s 3 14 on a beaverskin & other peltry proportionably, Provisions and all else paye nothing, Goods imported payes 2 percent except Liquors particulerly rated something more, & Indian trade goeing up the river payes 3per cent, there are some few quitt-rents, as also Excise or license monys for retaileing stronge drinke& a way house or publique Scale: all applyed to ye Garrison and publique charge, to which it hath nothitherto sufficed by a greate deale.