An Event Chronology Based on Louisbourg Accounts Not Available in the Archives of the Fortress of Louisbourg, By Eric Krause, Krause House Info-Research Solutions, 2004 - Present

1732

• February 23, 1732

February 23, 1732

Sir,

'If the House be resolved to proceed, I will speak to the Affair in hand; but if otherways, I will not now offer to detain them with any thing that I have to say upon the Subject. [Here he made a Pause, and the House seeming inclined to proceed, he went on as follows.] In the Question now before us, Sir, it is certain that some Relief ought to be immediately thought of for our Sugar-Colonies. Our SugarTrade is without Doubt at present in a most lamentable Condition, and must necessarily in a few Years be quite undone, at least in so far as regards our Exportation to foreign Markets: But, Sir, I am very far from thinking that the Method, proposed by the Bill now before us, is the proper Method for giving Relief to our Sugar-Colonies; I do not think it will afford them any Relief; it may cramp and injure our Northern Colonies in some Branches of Trade now carried on by them, but it never can be of any Advantage to our own Sugar-Colonies, as long as they make more Sugar than is requisite for answering the Consumption within our own Dominions. I should be glad that we could fall upon any way of making the French. Sugars dearer than they are at present, but I am afraid all Attempts of that Nature will prove to be chimerical; and I am sure there is no Method proposed by the Bill now before us, that can in the least answer that Purpose: As to Lumber, Horses, and other Necessaries for Sugar-Plantations, which are now brought from our Colonies upon the Continent to the French Sugar-Islands, there is no Provision in this Bill against their being furnished with such Things from thence for the future; and it would be very wrong to make any such Provision; for it is very certain, that if they could not have such Things from our Colonies, they would soon fall into the way of having all such Necessaries from their own Colony at Canada. It cannot be pretended but that the French Colony at Canada, with a very little Encouragement, would soon be able to furnish the French Sugar-Islands with Lumber, Horses, and all such Necessaries: Though the Navigation of that River be difficult and uncertain in the Winter Time, yet they might easily fall upon a way of bringing all such Stores down that River in the proper Season, and lodging them at their own Settlement at Cape Briton, from whence they could easily be transported to their Sugar-Islands at all Seasons of the Year: This, Sir, would, I am persuaded, be the Consequence of our prohibiting the Exportation of such Things from our Colonies to the French Sugar-Islands; and thus, instead of discouraging their Sugar Plantations, or enhancing the Price or first Cost of their Sugars, we should by a British Act of Parliament do more towards the encouraging their Settlements at Canada and Cape Briton, than they themselves with all their Edicts and Arbitrary Power, have been able to do since the first Establishment of those Settlements. In a little Time we might expect to see those Northern Seas swarming with French Ships and Sloops, and a great Part of the Trade of our own Northern Colonies being thereby destroyed, our own Seamen must either starve at home, or run into the Service of the French for the sake of daily Bread.

'But, Sir, granting that it were impossible for the French Sugar-Islands to have what Horses, Lumber, and such Things they want, from their own Colonies upon the Continent, or from any other Part of America besides our Settlements there, yet we all know that they could have Plenty of all those Necessaries from France itself; and it is well known, that Sugars are such bulky Commodities, that they require a great many Ships to bring them to Europe, which Ships return again to the West-Indies for the most part in Balast, so that the Freight outwards is generally at a very low Rate; by which Means they might have all such Things from Europe, for a very little more than prime Cost: And suppose that the Price of such Things stood them a little more than what is paid for them in our Sugar-Islands, yet we know that such a small Sum of Money is laid out in furnishing a Sugar-Plantation with all such Necessaries, that it bears but a very small Proportion to the other Charges that are necessary in furnishing and managing such a Plantation; the Difference in this Respect between the Charges of a Plantation, in their Islands or in ours, would be so small that it could not be taken Notice of, nor would it any way enhance the Price of their Sugars in any Market in Europe.
As to Rum, I think it is not pretended that the French deal much either in the making or vending of that Commodity, but it is said, That our Northern Colonies purchase all their Molosses from them, and thereby contribute towards the enabling of them to sell their Sugars at the low Price they do at present; and it is farther said, That if our People upon the Continent of America did not purchase their Molosses of them, they could make nothing of them in any other Way: This is realy supposing the French to be a more stupid Sort of People than any of the Native Indians upon the Continent. They know that Rum is made of Molosses; they know that Rum is valuable in almost every Part of the World; they understand the Art of Distilling Rum from Molosses; or if they do not, it is certain there is no such mighty Secret in the Art, but that they may easily learn it. Can it then be doubted, but that if they could not sell their Molosses to our Colonies upon the Continent, they would set up Stills of their own, and make Rum out of their own Molosses? And could not they sell that Rum both in America, Africa, and Europe, as well as we do? To this it is answered, That their Government would not allow them to make or sell Rum; because it would prejudice the Sale of Brandy, which is the natural Product of France itself: But this we have not the least Reason to suppose; for if the very Being, or even the Well-Being of the French Sugar-Colonies depended upon their making and selling Rum, we cannot suppose, that the French Government would ruin them, in order to keep up the Price of their Brandies; unless we were to suppose, that the King of France, and all his Advisers, were Masters of Vineyards and of nothing else: We may as well suppose, that the King of France would make an Edict, for obliging their Sugar-Planters to throw all their Molosses into the Sea; because if they are made into Rum in any Place, either in Europe or America, it may prevent or prejudice the Sale of French Brandies. We must therefore presume, that if the French Sugar-Planters could not dispose of their Molosses in the Way they now do, they would not only be permitted, but would actually set up Stills of their own, and would make their Molosses into Rum, and send it to Europe; also to their own Colonies of Mississippi, Canada, and Cape-Briton, in order to supply all the Indian Nations therewith at a cheap Rate; and they would likewise be able to smuggle a great deal of it into our Northern Colonies, and even into Great Britain and Ireland, notwithstanding any Laws we could make, or any Precautions we could use to the contrary. We may perhaps, by putting Arbitrary Powers into the Hands of our Commissioners of the Customs and Excise, make it difficult to bring French Rum ashore in any of our Dominions; but it would be absolutely impossible to prevent the Sale of it to our Fishing Vessels in the North Parts of America. Thus instead of buying their Molosses at the cheap Rate we now do, and having the Advantage of manufacturing them into Rum ourselves, we should give them the Advantage of the Manufacture, and should buy their Rum at a dear Rate; and instead of giving them Lumber and other such Goods for their Molosses, we should be obliged to give them ready Money for their Rum. As the Sale of our Lumber, Horses, and such Things, even now depends entirely upon the Courtesy of the Governours of their Sugar-Islands, we may depend upon it, that if our People could take nothing but ready Money from them in Exchange for such Goods, no such Sale would ever be allowed of; such strict Injunctions would be sent over, that their Governours durst never venture to permit, or even so much as to wink at, any British Ships ever coming into any of their Ports, and those Goods are too bulky to be smuggled into any Part of the World.

'Since then, Sir, we cannot propose to make the Cost of the French Sugars higher than it is at present, let us consider and examine if we cannot make the Cost of our own Sugars less, in order thereby to enable our Sugar-Colonies to sell their Sugars at a lower Price, than they can possibly do at present: This, Sir, is the proper and only Consideration for this House to enter into. We ought never to make Laws, for encouraging or enabling our Subjects to sell the Produce or Manufacture of their Country at a high Price, but we ought to contrive all Ways and Means for enabling them to sell cheap; for in all Matters relating to Trade, we ought chiefly to consider the Foreign Exportation; and it is certain, that at all Foreign Markets those who sell cheapest will carry off the Sale, and turn all others out of the Trade: We may indeed confine our own Subjects to the buying of what Sugars they have Use for, from our own Sugar-Colonies, at any Price they please to put upon what they have to sell, but we have no Power over Foreigners; so that unless our Sugar-Planters do sell their Sugars as cheap as any other Sugar-Planters can do, we shall soon lose our whole Foreign Trade as to Sugars: And even as to our Home-Trade, our Sugar-Planters must all join together, and consider nicely the Home-Consumption, if they have a mind to keep their Sugars at a much higher Price, than what they are sold for in other Parts of Europe; for if they in any one Year make more Sugars than we can consume at Home, it will of course run down the Price of all their Sugars for that Year, even at Home amongst our selves. Supposing that we consume 80,000 Hogsheads of Sugar every Year, if they should in any one Year send home 100,000 Hogsheads, the additional 20,000, which we have no Occasion for, cannot be sent abroad, they must be sold amongst ourselves; and the Sale of that 20,000 would run down the Price of the whole 100,000. So that let us put this Affair in what Shape we will, the Methods proposed by this Bill can never be any real Relief to our Sugar-Colonies.

'There are many Ways, Sir, for enabling our Dealers in Sugar to sell their Sugars at a less Price, than they can do at present; one Method the French have long ago chalked out to us, and that only I shall mention at present. The French foresaw the great Advantage of encouraging their Sugar-Colonies; they knew the Hardships that ours laboured under, from their being obliged to send all their Sugars to be unloaded in England, before they could be exported to any other Part of Europe: They knew how greatly this enhanced the Price of our Sugars, at all the Markets in Europe; and in order to give their Sugar-Colonies an Advantage over ours, they gave them a Liberty of sending their Sugars directly to foreign Markets, without unloading, or so much as touching at any Port in France. This is an Advantage over our Sugar-Colonies, which the French Sugar-Colonies have enjoyed for several Years. Let us then follow the Example of our Neighbours the French; let us at least put our Sugar-Colonies upon an equal Footing with their Rivals. This will be one great Encouragement to them, and it is to be hoped, that in the Course of this Bill, a great many others may be thought of, which will be real Advantages to them, without doing any Injury to any of our other Colonies in that Part of the World ...

['First Parliament of George II: Fifth session (part 4 of 4, from 11/2/1732)', The History and Proceedings of the House of Commons : volume 7: 1727-1733 (1742), pp. 208-51. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=37742 ]

• August 21, 1732
  Pennsylvania Gazette (Fair Use © Accessible Gazette Inc.)

[August 21, 1732]

... 'There are three French Men of War at Lewisburgh, at cape breton, one of 60, one of 54, and another of 36 Guns, besides three Frigates from 18 to 30 Guns; they are going to carry Jews to settle the Island of St. John's in the Gut of Canso: Mons. St. Ovide, Governor of cape breton, and several Officers are going thither from Lewisburgh, to settle the boundaries. The Indians upon the Coast between Cape Canso and Cape Sable, complain of having two Indians kill'd by some New-England Men, and others wounded with Swan Shot; one of them shewed the Master of a Scooner one in his Forehead; and they have sworn Revenge, and would have taken it then, had no the English kept upon their Guard. I wish those People that have done this, could be discovered; for it is such Irregularities as these, that make them so much our Enemies. ....