The New Hampshire Gazette And Historical Chronicle

To the Printer of the Public LEDGER.

Mr. Printer,

There appeared in your paper of Thursday last an extract of a letter from our Sugar Colonies advising that the French have made St. Lucia, a free port ; by which they hope to be supplied from our northern colonies, with every other necessary to support a war, soon expected. But that the good people of England may not be imposed upon, this is to acquaint them, that the Northern Colonies have nothing to support them except provisions, and those provisions will not keep good in that hot climate above six months at farthest. Therefore, what end can they answer to the French, if they had magazines as large as MOUNTAINS. when in six months all would be rendered unfit for use? As to ammunition they have none in the Northern Colonies, except what they import from England and Holland. In short, the true State of the case is this : the Planters of our Sugar Colonies want to prevent all his Majesty's subjects obtaining sugars from any body but themselves, by which means the price of English sugars would be enhanced equal to the scarcity; for by a nice calculation, our own islands don't produce more sugars than would answer the consumption of Great-Britain only. An entire prevention, thereof, of getting Sugars from the French and Spaniards, would render that article a medicine to the poor people. Instead therefore of preventing the Northern Colonies bartering their provision for French and Spanish sugars, they ought to be enabled to do it without interruption ; for these sugars would answer their demands to their mother country for all sorts of dry goods, and therefore encourage the manufactory of England. But if you prevent them from this opportunity, they must raise more sheep and flax, and manufacture them amongst themselves, as they do now in a great measure. It is well known that three fourths of the inhabitants of the colonies of Pennsylvania, New-Jersey, New-York, Connecticut, Rhode-Island, Massachusetts, and New-Hampshire, cloath themselves for want of commodity to answer their demands for goods from their mother country. Thus it is plain that England loses the cloathing of three fourths of even hundred and fifty thousands inhabitants in those cold colonies (where the demand is great) unless she will make it the interest of those people to take their goods of her. For tho' an inhabitant of America may have a love for his mother country, yet he will wear a coat of his own handy work, if it comes one penny less expensive ; and the only method to be taken is to suffer them to supply every sugar island, whether French, Spanish, Dutch or Danish, with provisions, for which they might receive sugars, cotton, cocoa, coffee, &c. all which would center in England, and enable them and make it their interest to import goods for consumption, cheaper than those of their own manufactory. Some other circumstances to the benefit of this island, would naturally and unavoidably follow, The price of these goods would be lower, as the market would be supplied with a greater plenty, and the duty arising to the government would be rendered much more considerable.