July 1.
New York. |
10. Governor Lord Cornbury to the Council of Trade and
Plantations. Your Lordshipps' letters of May 7, 1707, I had the
honour to receive on June 25th last at Shrewbury in New Jersey,
from whence I returned to this place on June 28, at my
arrivall here, I was informed that a ship would be ready to
sail in few days directly for Bristoll, which opportunity I was
glad to embrace to acknowledge the receit of these letters, which
are the only letters I have been favoured with, since the Queen
has been pleased to grant her Commission to your Lordshipps
of which I beg leave to wish your Lordshipps much joy.
Your Lordshipps are pleased to inform me that it is H.M.
pleasure and expresse command that the Governors of all
forreign Plantations doe, from time to time, give unto your
Lordshipps frequent and full information of the state, and
condition, of their respective Governments, etc. In all these
things I shall endeavour to observe H.M. commands punctually,
as soon as time can possibly allow it, for some of the things you
are pleased to require of me, will take a considerable time to
transcribe, as, for example, the proceedings in the Councill,
and Assembly, and the Supreame Court, all which shall be done as
fast as possible; I wish with all my heart that packet-boats were
established to some part of this Continent, then we should not
only have frequent, safe opportunitys of writing to England,
but we should hear more frequently from thence, whereas now
we are some times many months without hearing any thing,
perticularly at this time, till I had the [favour] of these [letters]
of May 7, [I have not had] one line from your Lordshipps'
Board, nor from the Rt. Hon. the Secretary of State these
15 months, and we have but two safe ways of sending into
England, which are the Virginia fleet, and the mast fleet from
New England, from the first of those places there is noe post,
soe that it is very hard to know when that fleet is to sail,
for either we must know it by some vessell that comes from
thence to this port (and that is not above two or three in a
year), or else by some traveller who comes from thence by
land, soe that some times a letter is six weekes coming to
this place from Virginia, some times longer, by which means we
loose the opportunity of sending by that fleet, from Boston
there is a post by which we can hear once a week in summer
time, and once a fortnight in winter, soe that we have a sure
conveyance by the Mast fleet, the conveyances by the West Indies
have proved very uncertain, for severall of our vessels
have been taken every year during this warr, besides that severall
of the packet boats from England have been likewise taken.
Your Lordshipps are likewise pleased to inform me that the
said Governors are to transmit unto you yearly accounts by
way of Journall etc., all which I shall take care to observe.
I can't but be extreamly surprised to find by your Lordshipps'
letter relating to this Province of New York, that there are
not in your Office any Minutes of Councill, or Assembly, or
accounts of the Revenue, since my coming to the Government,
because I must assure your Lordshipps, that I have never
failed of sending the Minutes of the Assembly by the first
opportunity after each Sessions, and some of them, I am sure,
got safe into England, and I hope, if you are pleased to
order Mr. Popple to look among his papers, he will find them.
However, they shall be all transcribed fair, and sent to you;
the accounts of the Revenue have been constantly sent by
the first opportunity [after] the Deputy Auditor has audited
them, but in [deed] that Mr. Clark, the present Deputy Auditor,
has refused to do, ever since Mr. Byerley was suspended,
which was in April, 1705, soe that it has been impossible for
me to send those accounts as I ought to have done, for I
must have sent them unaudited, or not at all; as for the
Minutes of Councill, I sent to your Lordshipps two years agoe
all the Minutes of Councill during the time that Mr. Cosens
was Clerk of the Councill, and last year I sent all the Minutes
of Councill since Mr. Clarke has been Clerk of the Councill;
these likewise shall be all transcribed as fast as the length of
them will permitt, and shall be sent by the first opportunity
that offers. I here inclosed send your Lordshipps a list of
the present Councill, and likewise a list of the names of such
persons as I think by their circumstances most proper to fill
up any vacancy that may happen in the Councill, in these
lists, I have distinguished where the persons named live; and
I intreat your Lordshipps that what vacancys are first to be
filled, may be filled with persons inhabiting in this City, because
very often I find it difficult to get five together, soe many of
them living at a distance. As for the number of inhabitants of
this Province, I sent one exact list of them about four years
agoe, and another two years agoe, where they were distinguished
by whites, and blacks, males, and females. I will take care
a new list shall be taken and sent by the first opportunity.
I will likewise endeavour to give your Lordshipps an account
of the increase, or decrease of the inhabitants since my coming
to this Government. Two sorts of people remove out of this
Government into the neighbouring Provinces, the first are trading men, of these but few are removed since I came hither;
the other sort are Husband Men, of this sort many are removed
lately, espetially from Kings County on Long Island; and the
reasons why they remove are of two kinds, the first is, because
King's County is but small, and full of people; soe as the
young people grow up, they are forced to seek land farther
off to settle upon, the land in the Eastern Division of New
Jersey is good, and not very far from King's County, there
[is only] a Bay to crosse, the other reason that induces them
to remove into New Jersey is, because there they pay noe taxes,
nor noe dutys; the most effectuall way to prevent the removall
of the first sort of people, would be to bring all the Collonys
and Plantations upon the Continent of America, under the
same dutys, and customes, for goods imported and exported,
if this were once setled, the trading men would then consider
which is the healthiest, pleasantest and most convenient place
for trade, whereas now the chief consideration is, where the least
dutys are paid, of this we have had severall instances lately,
since the french destroyed Nevis, severall familys have removed
from that Island, with intent to settle in this place, but when
they have found what dutys people have paid and doe pay
here, and that at Philadelphia they pay none at all, they remove
thither; As for the Husband Men I can't see how they can
be hindred from removing out of one Province into the other.
As for the number of the Militia of this Province, your Lordshipps shall have an exact list of all, in the mean time, I
think I may say they amount to rather more then 4,000 men.
The commoditys exported from this Province to England, of
the growth of the Province are, peltry of all sorts, pitch,
tar, rosine and train oyl, and if due incouragement were given,
good quantitys of hemp, flax, timber, masts and yards might
be sent from this Province to England; but, besides the commoditys above mentioned, we send into England considerable
quantitys of sugars, molosses, logwood and other dying wood,
scochaneel, indigo and cacao nutts, which we have from the
Islands of Barbados, Monserat, St. Christophers, Nevis, Antegoa and Jamaica, to which places we send flower, biscuit,
beefe, pork, bacon and train oyl. Besides the trade we have
with the English Islands in the West Indies, as abovementioned,
we have some vessels that trade to Surinam and Curacao, and
some to St. Thomas's, to the two first of these places we
carry flower, bacon, candles, and train oyl, and some times
horses, from thence we have in return heavy Spanish money,
and sometimes some cacao; from the later we have rum, sugar,
molosses, cacao, and cotton wool, and we send thither flower,
beefe, pork and bacon, but I look upon the trade to St. Thomass,
to be prejudicial to these parts, because the commoditys we
have from that Island, (which is subject to the King of Denmark), are not the produce of the Island, but the produce
of prises taken by the French upon the subjects of the Queen,
and carried in thither, it being a Neutral Port; sometimes we
have a vessell or two, that goe to the Coast of Guinea, and
bring negros from thence, but they seldom come into this
place, but rather goe to Virginia, or Maryland, where they find
a much better market for their negros then they can doe
here. The trade of this Province is much decayed of late
years, I mean for these ten years past or more, for in 1694/5,
it received its most fatall blow by this means, till that time,
noe body was permitted to bolt, but the citizens of New York,
then the bolters were under rule, proper officers being appointed
to view all the flower that was exported, soe that noe bad
commodity was suffered to goe out, but in that year, an Act
of Assembly was passed whereby all persons in the country, as
well as the city, were permitted to bolt, by which means two
great inconvenieneys have hapned, one (which is the greatest)
is, that the commodity is vitiated, for the country bolter being
under noe rule, or checque, does not care what the commodity
is, soe it passe out of his hands, soe that he very often mingles
Indian corn flower with his wheat flower, this being discovered
in the West Indies, has soe cried downe our flower, that the
Pensilvania flower sels for 3/- the hundred more then ours,
whereas the New York flower used formerly to exceed the
Pensilvania flower one, and sometimes two shillings the hundred, and this I look upon as the greatest inconveniency that
has hapned by that Act, the other is, that the country bolter
ingrosses all the corn of the County where he lives, and there
being bolters almost in every County, it is very difficult for
the city bolters to get corn to carry on their trade, the consequence of which is, that the bolters remove into the country,
if they remove, the coopers must remove too, for they will find
noe work in the city, that this will be the case, we see by
experience already, severall having removed themselves, by which
means the City will in some years be unpeopled, these two
inconveniencys have hapned by the abovementioned Act, which
I take to be the greatest cause of the decay of our Trade;
there is another cause for the decay of the trade of this
Province, which arises from the People's own faults, and that
is thus, in the time that Sir Edmond Andros was Gouvernor of
this Province, there was noe Assembly, but all was done by
Orders of the Gouvernor in Councill, he being willing to incourage the trade of the place as much as he could, made
two Orders in Councill. One was to incourage the bolting
trade, by prohibiting the exportation of corn in grain, the
other was to lay a duty of 10 per cent upon all European
commoditys imported into this Province from any part except
from England directly, and that was the first thing that encouraged the people of this Province to build shipping, the
same thing was done since by Act of Assembly, but since
that Act expired (which was since I came), I could never
perswade the Assembly to renew it, though the inconveniencys
that happen for want of it, are many, as follows, now the
people of New England come and buy our corn in grain,
with money which they have clipped to the third part of
the real vallue, they carry it to New England, there
grind it, and bolt it, and ship it off for the West Indies,
on the other hand, they bring us in European goods, for which
they carry away our best money, formerly we had nothing in
return from the West Indies for our flower, and other commoditys, but heavy pieces of eight; now there is not one vessell
in ten that brings any money, only European goods, soe that
if it were not for the small trade our people have with Surinam and Curacao, we should have noe heavy money in the
Province, and though these things are as plain as the sun,
yet it is not possible to prevail with the Assembly to renew
these Acts, and the only reason I can give for it is, that
the Members for the country are more numerous, then those
for the city, they don't care what becomes of the city, provided
they have goods cheap, they think the more goods are brought
in, the cheaper they will be, noe matter from whence they
come nor how much the trade of the Province is destroyed,
thus I have acquainted your Lordshipps with the decay of
the trade of this Province, and the causes of it; if I may
propose a cure for the first of these distempers, I can think
of none but these, first, if the Bolting Act is not already
confirmed at home, that the Queen would be pleased to reject
it; if it is confirmed, either by his late Majesty, or by the
Queen under whose auspicious reign we now happily live, then
I can propose noe other remedy then this, that H.M. will be
gratiously pleased, to allow the City of New York to chuse as
many Representatives to serve in Generall Assembly, as all the rest
of the Province does, by that means they will be able to passe an
Act to repeal the Bolting Act; And that this proposall may
not be thought soe unreasonable, as at first sight it may be
thought to be, I think the last Generall Assembly of this Province
have made it plainly appear to be most reasonable, for in the
taxe of £3000, which was raised for the fortifying this City
last year, when we expected the french to land upon us, the
Assembly thought fit to lay £1,500, one full half of the £3000,
upon the City and County of New York. Now, I think it seems
reasonable that if the city of New York is to bear half the
burthen, the city ought to bear a proportionable share in the
Legislature, but this I submit to your Lordshipps' better judgments; as for the second cause of the decay of the trade of
this Province, I see noe remedy for that, unlesse H.M. is
pleased to signifie her pleasure, that an order of the Gouvernor
in Councill shall be effectuall in that case, as it was in the
time of Sir Edmond Andros. That there has been a great
deal of illegall trade carried on in this Province formerly is
undoubtedly true. I hope it has not been soe bad of late
years, but yet I know there has been illegall trade carried on
between New England, Connecticut and the East end of Long
Island, the only way we have to prevent it is, to send a
small sloop to cruise in the Sound, between Connecticut, and
the East End of Long Island, we have some times had the
good luck to meet with some of their vessels, but those cruizers
have proved chargeable, and the Revenue here is not able
to bear it; Col. Quary has lately settled an Officer at New
London in Connecticut, whose Commission likewise extends to
the East End of Long Island, I hope that will in some measure
checque that illegall trade, though I am well satisfied that the
poor gentleman who goes there, will meet with very great
difficultys; I am of opinion that if a small yacht were built;
of about 50 or 60 tonns, that might cruise in the Sound between
Connecticut, and Long Island, it would be one of the most
effectual means to prevent illegall trade, and the charge of
such a vessell will not be soe great as it may at first sight
seem to be, for, if the iron work, sails and rigging are sent
from England, the timber, masts and building will be found here
for £400, and the only certain charge will be a Master, one
man and a boy to look[t] after the yacht when she is in harbour,
and in winter when she is laid up, and I think it is very
plain, the charges of building such a vessell will soon be
saved, for if we must hire a sloope for that service, the cheapest
we can get her is, £25 a month, or 18/- a day, and we must
man her, and victual her, the months in which that illegall
trade is chiefly carried on, are the months of May, June, July,
August and September, soe that at £25 a month, the charge will
be £125 a year for the vessell only, besides the uncertainty of
finding a sloop fit for the service at an hour's warning, whereas
such a yacht would be always ready at hand. The number
of vessels belonging to this Port is much diminished of late
years. I have been told that there has formerly belonged to
this Port 32 top sail vessells, besides sloops, now we can't
reckon above 28 top sail vessells, and sloops, the number of
sea-faring men is likewise decreased, chiefly by the losse of
two privatiers, one of which it is thought foundered at sea
with about four-score hands on board of her, and another,
which was cast away at Sandy hook, going out, and 120 men
were lost in her, soe that now by the best computation that
can be made, I [can't find] above 300 seafaring men, of all
sorts belonging to this Port. All sorts of vessells are built
well in this place, but the vessells most usually built here are
briganteens and sloops of both which sorts there are severall
built every year in this place, by direction and for the use of
the merchants in Jamaica, Barbados and others of the Leeward
Islands besides those that are built for the use of the merchants
of this place, which have been a pretty many of late, because
our people have lost a great many vessels this warr, both
going to and coming from the West Indies; and I don't believe
there are above 6 vessells belonging to the place but were
built here. The manufactures setled in this Province are linnen,
and woolen, they make very good linnen for common use, and
I don't doubt but in time they will improve that considerably.
As for the woolen, I think they have brought that to too great
perfection already, and I must be of opinion that that will be
a very great prejudice to England in a few years, and ought
to be taken care of in time, they already make very good
serges, linsey woolseys, and in some places they begin to make
course cloth, and without doubt, in a short time they will soe
farr improve in that, as not to want the assistance of England
to cloth themselves, how farr that may be to the advantage
of England I submit to your Lordshipps' considerations; we
have all sorts of trades here and some of every sort that work
well, there is as good fullers earth and tobacco pipe clay
in this Province as anywhere in the world. The quantity of
train oyle made in Long Island is uncertain, some years they
have much more fish than others, for example, last year they
made 4000 barrels of oyl, and this last season they have not
made above 600, about the middle of October they begin to
look out for fish, the season lasts all November. December,
January, February and part of March, a years will make
about 40 barrels of oyl, a stunt or a whale two years old will
make sometimes 50, sometimes 60 barrels of oyl, and the
largest whale that I have heard of in these parts, yielded 110
barrells of oyl, and 12 cwt. of bone, there might be good
improvement made in the fishery of codd fish and mackrill,
but fish of severall sorts is soe plenty in the Rivers and in
the Bay before this City, that our people will not take the
pains to goe to sea. Thus I have endeavoured to answer the
severall queries your Lordshipps are pleased to put to me
with respect to the Province of New York, as well as the shortnesse of the time of the sailing of this ship would permit,
by the next conveyance I will suply what is defective in this.
Your Lordshipps are pleased to command me to add what ever
I think conducive to H.M. service, to the interest of England,
to the advantage of this perticular Province, and to your assistance in the discharge of the trust reposed in your Lordshipps. There are many things which might be proposed under
these directions, but I dare not undertake to doe it off hand
in the little time this ship allows me to write, but by the
next I will endeavour to offer to your Lordshipps what is
proper upon this subject; in the meantime I think it my duty
to offer one thing to your considerations, which I think very
much for H.M. service, for the interest of England, and indeed
for the perticular advantage of this Province, if the people
would but understand it right. The Assembly of this Province
is not very forward to passe any Act for setling the Millitia,
and the last Act I did prevail with them to passe for that
purpose, they limited to the space of one year, besides, they
are not very forward to inflict penaltys on their neighbours for
not doing their duty; this is soe, not only in this, but in
almost all the Provinces upon the Continent, I therefore offer
it to your Lordshipps' considerations, whether it would not be
for H.M. service, that a short Act of Parliament were passed
in Great Brittain, for the setling and regulating the Militia of
these parts of the world. I am afraid the Millitia here will
never be in the order it ought to be, till that is done; In
the Province of New Jersey it is worse, and in the Province of
Connecticut, though H.M. was pleased by her Commission to
put the Millitia of that Province under my direction, they
refuse to receive any Commission from me, or to obey any
Order. Your Lordshipps are pleased to say that Mr. Burchett
has sent Mr. Popple an answer to my letter of Dec. 14, 1706.
relating to Capt. Fane etc., and that a copy thereof is inclosed
for my information. I beg leave to inform you that I have
received noe such copy inclosed. Capt. Fane is fallen out
with all this Province, he has often publickly declared that he
hates the whole Province and every body in it, and that, if
he met with a New Yorke vessell at sea in distresse he would
give her noe assistance, and indeed he has shewen very lately
how little kindnesse he has for the place, for having taken a
prise in his voyage from Barbados to this place, he would
not bring her into this Port, but carried into Virginia, where
he had noe businesse, and ought not to goe, [this being] his
Port; I don't trouble your Lordshipps with his behaviour to
me, which I believe has noe president; but I hope some other
ship will be sent to relieve him, which will make the Country
easier, under the command of some Gentleman, who will be
more dilligent then this Gentleman has been, for I could never
send him an order to cruise, but he wanted something which
retarded his going out, six or eight or sometimes ten days;
Now Capt. Norbury, since his arrivall here, has always been
ready at 24 hours warning, does his duty with chearfulnesse,
and I believe will make this country very easy. Your Lordshipps are pleased to inform me that an Act of Parliament
is passed for a perfect and intire Union of the two Kingdoms
of England and Scotland, and you are pleased to say that you
have sent me two of the said Acts, that it may be published
in the most solemn manner in this Province of New York etc.;
I must inform your Lordshipps that noe such Acts are come
to my hands, I did procure one from the Attorney Generall of
this Province, who had received it from England, and in obedience to your commands I have taken care to publish it in
the most solemn manner we are capable of. Now I beg leave
to inform your Lordshipps that since the letters I sent to you
by the Mast fleet, which sailed from Boston, March 18, nothing
extraordinary has hapned in this Province; In the beginning
of May, one Jones, Master of a ship bound from Barbados to
Philadelphia, overshot his Port, and was taken by a small French
privatier from Martinico, about three leagues off from Sandyhook, the same privatier had before that taken a small sloop
belonging to this place, and two ships bound from Leverpool
to Philadelphia. I was at Burlington when this hapned, as
soon as I heard of it, I sent orders to Capt. Norbury to put
to sea with H.M.S. Triton's prise, which he did, and since
that, we have heard of no privatier off of Sandyhook, but two
french privatiers have taken station off the Capes of Delaware,
where they have taken 7 or 8 prises, and among the rest,
a very rich ship from London, commanded by one Young,
who was taken in sight of the Capes, severall of the merchants
of that place have writ to me to desire that one of the men
of warr that are here may cruise off of their Capes for some
days to see some of their vessels safe to sea, who dare not
peep out now, the Triton's prise will sail in two days for
that purpose. I hope we shall have a good account of some
of the privatiers; yesterday I had a message from Albany,
from the Commissioners for managing the Indian affairs, to
desire me to make what haste I could up to Albany, in [order
to be there] by the 15th inst., which I will doe, God willing,
unlesse I am hindred by contrary winds, however, I will get
up as soon as it is possible, though I did not intend to have
gone till the end of August, for it is now a hot season, and
this is the hottest summer I have knowne since I came into
America. I intend to make but a short stay there, as soon
as I return, I will acquaint your Lordshipps by the first opportunity what it is the Indians had to propose to me. I had
almost forgot to acquaint your Lordshipps that, being in
New Jersey longer then I expected this Spring, I sent a
Proclamation to the Gentlemen of the Councill of New York,
to adjourn the Assembly of New York, and some days agoe,
upon a message from Albany relating to the Indians, the Gentlemen of the Councill were of opinion that the Assembly
ought to be called together to see if they would raise a fund
for some presents to the Indians. I issued a Proclamation,
requiring their meeting the 25th of this month; two days after
the Proclamation was issued Mr. Philips acquainted me that
severall of the Members of the Assembly had said that they
would not meet, because the former adjournment was by a
Proclamation signed in New Jersey, and that they took themselves
to be dissolved, this is a notion started last year by Mr. Byerley,
when he received an Order from me, dated at Burlington, which
he had noe mind to obey. I did acquaint the late Council of
Trade with this matter, and beg'd their opinions, but I have
not yet had any answer. I beg I may have your Lordshipps'
opinion whether any Order signed by me in one Province is to
be of force in the other or not. Signed, Cornbury. Endorsed,
Recd. 3rd. Read 11th Nov., 1708. Holograph. 12 pp. Enclosed, |
