fhould be definitively fettled between Great Britain and the faid States: which request the governor of Antigua had refused to comply with. They produced alfo a letter, dated 28th of December, from the faid island, stating, in general terms, that the negro provifions and lumber were at a very high price, and that the smallest estates in the faid ifland must fink under the accumulated disadvantage they were loaded with, and all others must be leffened in their value.-They alfo produced evidence to prove, that upon the arrival of the order in council in the island of Barbadoes, lumber rofe instantly from about 71. to 251. currency per 1,000 feet; but had fince fallen to about 12., in confequence of importation from the islands which were then in the poffeffion of the French.

They further alledged, That the islands which had been conquered by the French had, during the time they were under the French-government, been provided with supplies by the veffels of the United States; and, having been but just furrendered to his Majefty, were not, therefore, in the fame distress for want of these articles as his Majesty's other islands.

In addition to the foregoing evidence, the planters and merchants represented-That in Jamaica the several articles of fupply were ftill very near at the war price, owing to the uncertainty of procuring them; and that accounts had been received from the Leeward Islands of the high prices of those articles there; and they alledged, that a great part of the supply they had of late received was brought by fhips carrying on a contraband trade. They alfo produced a letter from Grenada, dated February 28th, 1784, ftating, that every article of lumber was at a war price there; and another from SaintChriftopher's, of the 4th March, 1784, ftating, that almost every article was very high; and another from Tortola, dated 31ft March, 1784, faying, " At present we cannot buy a stave, hoop, or board in our island, and what

we have by us coft five joes; when in my time I have frequently bought fuch lumber at 1 or 2 joes* per thousand.

They also tranfmitted to the committee, at their defire, the following abstract of the prices current of lumber and provifions at Kingston in Jamaica, as published in the Kingston Gazette, from the 20th of September 1783, to the 20th of March laft, both inclufive; and also an account of the prices of the faid articles in time of peace.

*A joe is the thirty-six shilling piece.

And in the letter of the chairman, tranfmitting this account, it is faid, "That provifions of all kinds are of fo perishable a nature in the West Indies, and the confumption both of provifions and lumber so immense, that, unless the authorized channels of supply are opened, the clandeftine ones are not to be relied upon as fufficient to protect the islands from being again reduced to distress in the course of a very few weeks."

PROOFS E CONTRA, TO THE FIRST ALLE

GATION.

IN oppofition to the facts and observations before stated, particularly in what regards the present state of the island of Jamaica, there was evidence laid before the committee, to the following effect.

That from the return made of the imports into the several ports of the island, previous to the month of November, 1783, the apprehenfions of want in the articles of lumber, &c. by no means warranted the positive and strong affertions, contained in the addrefs of the affembly of Jamaica, to the governor of that island. And that the governor of Jamaica had made early and repeated applications to the governors of Nova Scotia, and Canada, for an immediate fupply of fuch of the articles as were at that time wanted in the island, but which could not be expected to arrive there to answer the then demand.

The distress which enfued upon the publication of his Majesty's aforefaid order in council, was stated to be principally owing to the planters not having expected that any restriction in this respect would take place, and having omitted, therefore, to make provifion of thofe feveral articles by other means: for that it is evident from the abftract of prices current, as before stated, as well as from other evidence, that

C

in the space of about ten weeks the prices of lumber and provifions began gradually to fall in the island of Jamaica, and continued falling very confiderably to the 20th of March laft. And further, that from the 12th of December to the 17th of March, inclufive, feventy-five British veffels, navigated according to law, (the names of which are inferted in the Appendix, N° 1) had arrived at Kingston, with cargoes of lumber and provifions; all which veffels, except about ten, came from the ports of the United States-That these ships brought to Kingston 18,000 barrels of flour, 559,050 staves and heading, 796,253 feet of boards, fcantling, &c. and 1,450,790 shingles.—And it was observed, that the quantity of flour before mentioned, viz. 18,000 barrels, is, according to what was imported in the year 1773, equal to the confumption of the island for nine months.

Letters of various correfpondents laid before the committee, pofitively affert, that the island was in no distress for want of any of the articles before mentioned.-One, dated the 10th of January laft, fays, "We are almost as well fupplied already as before the disturbance took place, and a few more veffels will make every thing very reasonable.”—Another, dated the 18th January, enclosing an account of prices current, fays, "We have received ample supplies for this crop; the prices are nearly as reasonable as they were fold at this market before the war."-Another, dated Kingston, the 22d February, fays, "Never was this market fo overstocked with flour, as it is at prefent; Philadelphia flour can be purchased under 30s. per barrel, and from there being upwards of 20,000 barrels for sale in Kingston, good and bad, none are inclined to speculate in so dangerous an article : two thirds must be unfit for use, before the other third can be used, unless a foreign demand takes place, which at present is not likely."—Another, dated Kingston, the 29th of February, fays, "Provifions of all kinds, and every fpecies of goods from America, are in the utmost plenty."