Page:American History Told by Contemporaries, v2.djvu/125

No. 34 Spaniards, so that they are not able to send those Commodities to England for a market, neither are sailors here to be had to man their vessels.

I humbly propose that if His Maty. will for a time suspend the Duties upon Commodities, and that upon rice also, it will encourage the Planter to fall vigilantly upon making Pitch & Tar, &.c ., wch the Lords Proprs. ought to make their principal care to obtain from His Maty. being the only way to draw people to settle in their Province, a place of greatest encouragement to ye English Navy in these parts of ye world. Charles Town Bay is the safest port for all Vessels coming thro the gulf of Florida in distress, bound from the West Indies to the Northern Plantations ; if they miss this place they may perish at sea for want of relief, and having beat upon the coast of New England, New York, or Virginia by a North West Wind in the Winter, be forced to go to Barbadoes if they miss this Bay, where no wind will damage them and all things to be had necessary to refitt them. My Lords, I did formerly present Your Lordships with proposals for supplying England with Pitch & Tar, Masts & all or Naval Stores from New England. I observed when I were at York in Septr. last, abundance of Tar brot. down Hudson's River to be sold at New York, as also Turpentine & Tar in great quantities from the Colony of Connecticut, I was told if they had encouragement they could load several Ships yearly for England. But since my arrival here I find I am come into the only place for such commodities upon the Continent of America ; some persons have offered to deliver in Charlestown Bay upon their own account 1000 Barrels of Pitch and as much Tar, others greater quantities provided they were paid for it in Charles Town in Lyon Dollars passing here at 58. pr. piece, Tar at 88. pr. Barrel, and very good Pitch at 128. pr. Barrel, & much cheaper if it once became a Trade. The season for making those Commodities in this Province being 6 mo8. longer than in Virginia and more Northern Plantations ; a planter can make more tar in any one year here with 50 slaves than they can do with double the number in those places, their slaves here living at very easy rates and with few clothes.

The inclosed I received from M. Girard, a French Protestant living in Carolina. I find them very industrious & good husbands, but are discouraged because some of them having been many years Inhabitants in this Province, are denied the benefit of being Owners & Masters of Vessels, which other the Subjects of His Majesty's Plantations enjoy, besides many of them are made Denizens. If this Place were duly encouraged, it would be the most useful to the Crown of all the Plantations