TRADE AND MANUFACTURES OF THE PROVINCE OF NEW-YORK.
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[Load. Doc. XXII.]
The Trade of New York is chiefly to Britain & the British Plantations in the West Indies ; besideswhich we have our wines from Madeira & a considerable Trade with Curacoa ; some with Surinam & some little private Trade with the French Islands—The Trade to the West Indies is wholly to theadvantage of this Province the balance being every where in our favor so that we have moneyremitted from every place we trade with, but chiefly from Curacoa and Jamaica , these places taking°ff great quantitys of Flower for the Spanish trade The Trade to Barbadoes is more considerablethan to any one of the rest Provisions being; carried thither not only for the supply of that Islandbut likewise for Transportation to the Spanish coast while the Assiento Factors were settled there,to the French Islands, so that tho’ we consume more of the produce of that Island in Rum SugarMolasses than of all the others put together we have money frequently remitted from thence on* Is of Exchange for England The Trade to Madeira is to our Loss this Province consuming morewine from thence, than can be purchased with our commodities which obliges the Merchant eitherto send money or to pay the Ballance of Bills of Exchange for London But whatever advantagesWe have by the West India Trade we are so hard put to it to make even with England, that themoney imported for the West Indies seldom continues six months in the Province, before it isremitted for England The Current Cash being wholly in the Paper Bills of this Province and a fewLyon Dollars
Ju the time of the last war when the great scarcity of provisions happened in France , we had aVer y profitable Trade with Lisbon for wheat, by which several have made estates but that TradeWas of no long duration, for the Distance made the carriage so chargeable being the Ships wereobliged to return empty, that the Trade could not be carried on any Longer without Loss, afterwheat 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 Provisionshappens over Europe as did then
The Staple Commodity of the Province is Flower & Bread which is sent to all Parts of the WestJudies we are allowed to trade with, Besides Wheat , Pipe staves and a little Bees Wax to Madeira,Me send likewise a considerable quantity of Pork, Bacon , Hogshead Staves, some Beef Butter &a ^ e w Candles to the West Indies . The great Bulk of our commoditys in proportion to their value,ls ^be reason we cannot Trade directly to the Spanish Coast as they do from the West Indies it beingUecessary to employ armed vessels to prevent Injuries from the Spaniards and Pirates, but we some-times send vessels into the Bays of Campeachie & Honduras , to purchase Logwood & we have itimported from thence frequently by Strangers. This commodity is entirely exported again for
Eugland
From Barbadoes we import Rum, Molasses & Sugar which are all consumed in the Province, fromAntigua & the adjacent Islands, Molassus & some Rum for the country consumption, & sometimess Ugai & Cotton tor exportation to England, From Jamaica some Rum, Molasses & the best Musco-Jada Sugar for the consumption of the Country & sometimes Logwood, but the principal returnsrom thence are in Spanish money, From Curacoa the returns are in Spanish money & Cocoa whichls exported again for England Surinam returns nothing besides Molasses and a little Rum which areconsumed in the Province, in the time of War when the English could not trade with the French there was gome considerable Trade to the Island of St. Thomas The Danes from thence supplying