ship building; and, if the trade to the Weft India islands is confined to British shipping, it is expected that many more persons of that description will be induced to fettle in Nova Scotia, where they will find timber of every fort fit for shipbuilding; and, as the tide in the Bay of Fundy rises very high, the harbours of that country are better fitted for building fhips than any of the continent of North America. -Information has been also given to the committee, that before the war, fhips of between 200 and 300 tons were built in Canada, for which they have timber in great plenty; and that, befides what have been mentioned, the intercourse between the West Indies and America will be carried on by floops belonging to the Bermuda and Bahama iflands, which have always had a principal fhare of this trade.

The accounts produced by the Weft India planters and merchants, before stated, fhew, that the number of veffels which entered the ports of the British West India islands in 1772, with the produce of North America, was 1208; and that, * on an average of three years preceding the war, the number of veffels that entered those ports with the produce of North America was 1610, containing 115,634 tons, and navigated by 9,718 men but, as the veffels employed in this trade were generally able to make 3 trips in the year, the above numbers must be divided by 3, in order to fhew the number of ships or veffels, the quantity of tonnage, and the number of men actually fo employed; the real number, therefore, will turn out to be 533 ships, containing 38,544 tons, and navigated by 3,339 men and it has been fhewn, by three different calculations laid before the committee, that the value of this freightage, in a commercial light, is not lefs than 245,000l. a year.

Proofs in Support of the Fourth Allegation.

IN fupport of the fourth allegation; viz. "That the planters in his Majesty's Sugar Colonies can no otherwise pay for the fupplies received from the dominions of the faid United States, than by the produce of their eftates; which produce, in many inftances, does not find any adequate vent in Great Britain, and, if not taken off by the North Americans, would remain a dead weight upon all the reft of the produce of the faid Sugar Colonies ;"—the planters and merchants produced accounts to fhew, that, besides smaller articles, there was exported to North America,

They alledged, that the Americans then took, from the British West India islands, their produce in payment for nearly the amount of what they imported. They admitted, that the rum exported to North America was for American confumption only, and none of it afterwards, re-exported. They alledged, that before the war, no foreign rum was confumed in North America, except fome fmuggled from particular places, none being permitted to be made in the French islands until lately, that the governor of Martinique had iffued a proclamation, giving licence to American merchants to erect a rum diftillery at the Bay of Gallery, and proper cifterns for keeping melaffes near the town of St. Pierre-That the Americans took melaffes from the French iflands, which they diftilled into a rum of very inferior quality, known by the name of New England Spirit; that a trifling quantity of the fame was exported to Africa, and fome used to be sent to Canada, until distilleries were established in that province. And the planters and merchants informed the

committee, that, it was univerfally understood at Jamaica that a gentleman, formerly of London, was gone from Jamaica to the French islands, with a view of pushing to the utmost extent the diftilleries for rum established in the French islands, and improving the manufacture of that commodity; and they observed that the bringing those distilleries to a condition proper for fupplying the demand for rum from the United States must be a work of time; and that the true rule whereby to form a judgment of the effect the said distilleries might have upon the export of rum from the British Weft Indies, was not either from the prefent price, or the present demand; but that we ought to look forward to a future period. The planters and merchants brought with them no account of the present prices of rum, either at Jamaica or the other islands; and letters were produced to fhew the low prices and small demand for rum, in February and March last, at Granada and Saint Christopher's, being fo low as 3s. and 2s. 6d. per gallon; and it was agreed, by all whom the committee have examined on this head, that rum was the principal article which the British West India islands fent to America before the war, in return for the produce of that continent.

The price of fugar in the British islands is so much higher than in the other islands, that the Americans always preferred going to the latter for the purchase of that article. The quantity of rum fent from the British West India islands to North America, on an average of three years, was, according to the account of imports and exports in North America, 2,800,000 gallons in a year; and the quantity of the melaffes 250,000 gallons-This laft may be confidered as fo much additional rum, as it is probable the greatest part of it was diftilled into that spirit in America. The whole quantity of rum, therefore, the produce of our islands, which the Americans took from them, may be fairly stated at 3,050,000

F

gallons. This quantity, great as it is, is but a part of the rum neceffary for the consumption of North America; for it is faid, that almost all the melaffes of the French islands. were imported into it, and diftilled into rum, chiefly in the New England provinces; and this is probable, as the price of melaffes in the French islands has of late years very much. increased, in confequence of the great demand for it.

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It was alfo fewn to the committee, that the confumption I of rum in North America was not annually less than 7,000,000 gallons; and there is no reafon to fuppofe that this consumption will be lefs in future; and if the French distil their own melaffes, it can make no difference in the quantity of rum diftilled.

BY an account of prices current of fugar, rum, and coffee, at Kingston in Jamaica, on the 18th day of January last laid before the committee, it appeared that those articles then fold at prices at least as high as they were, on an average, between the years 1770 and 1775; and the, committee have been informed, that by accounts lately received, dated 20th March, the produce of that island had risen, in the course of the last month, nearly ten per cent. This rife is alledged to be owing to the present demand for the American market.

A correfpondent at Savanna la Mar, in a letter to a merchant of London, doubts whether he can execute the orders he had received from London for rum within the time appointed; because there were at Savanna la Mar several purchasers for rum and sugar from Kingston, for the American market.-Rum had broke, at Savanna la Mar, at 2s. 6d. per gallon, which is as high as any purchased at that port during the last five years, and higher than it usually broke at in times of peace.Rum fold at Kingston, upon the 20th of March, at 25. 9d. ;

and, by the last accounts from the Leeward Islands, dated in February, the price of new rum was expected to be at 2s. 3d. and ftrong Granada rum at 2s. 6d. ; which, the committee are informed, is at least as high as rum usually broke at in those islands in times of peace. And, from the prefent price of rum, and the demand for it, there is no reafon to apprehend that there will be any want of a sufficient vent for this article of produce.

It appeared by the account of imports and exports produced to the committee, that there were imported into Canada, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland, before the war, 998,672 gallons in a year; and that in the year 1774, 748,491 gallons of rum were imported from the West Indies, and from the continent of America, into that colony only.

By another account produced, it appeared, that in fome years there has been a large importation of rum into Canada. from Great Britain; but it is probable that a confiderable portion of this might be for the use of his Majefty's troops. This, however, was but part of the confumption of those provinces: great quantities were fmuggled, particularly into Canada, where there was a high duty; and still more into Newfoundland, where there was not only a high duty on rum imported from the American continent, but where there was one custom-house only; and great quantities were fold by the Americans, out of their veffels, to the fishermen on the banks. When it is confidered, therefore, that the people of Nova Scotia have in the last year been more than doubled by the new fettlers, and that the people of Canada are also much increased, there can be little doubt that the confumption of rum will be greatly increased in the remaining British colonies, especially if all duties upon the rum of our islands, imported into Canada, be taken off, or at least greatly diminished, and foreign veffels allowed as little intercourfe as poffible with our fishermen at Newfoundland.-What the quantity