Ball & Shot 33 cwt. 588 Packages of Liquids That the Saguina appears to have) entered inwards at Detroit on the 5th Augt from Fort Erie (omitted by the Superintendant there in his return) W Warren 1.2,880 Gallons of Spirits Casks not mentioned Chests Barrels 34 cwt That on the 19th Octobr The Weasel entered at Detroit 47 Barrels Fish from St. Mary falls. That on Sept 12th The Weasel cleared from Detroit for St. Mary fails. On Board the Saguina Augt 12th 162 Packs Furrs 7 bbls Ginsing Do 100 Do 66 But the Superintendant of Fort 313 Packs Furrs 13 bbls Ginsing The 5 The Committee presume they were transported from Fort Erie by Land to Niagara, from thence shipped on board some of His Majesty's Vessels for Kingston and from Kingston brought to Montreal in Battoes or Canoes.— To bring that transport into more regular order & view, and clearly to detect the Smuggling of Furrs into the American States, it is submitted to fied. Your Lordship, Whether His Majesty's ships carrying Furrs and Merchandizes from part to port on the great Lakes ought not to enter and clear the same at the Superintendant's office of the Port as Merchant Vessels are or may be by Law bound to do. and if it is Your Excellencys desire to be informed of the quantity and quality of the different species of Furrs and Merchandizes imported & exported, where Superintendants are Established, it will be necessary that the Merchants be directed by a Law to be made, if other means do not occur to Your Lordship's greater wisdom, to make regular entries of their Shipments enumerating the articles specifically, or such of them as shall be required, after the manner usually practised at His Majesty's custom houses in the sea port Towns. The Committee do not perceive that much trouble or difficulty will arise to the Merchant in adopting a similar system. Without it there is not a possibility of checking ascertaining or estimating the valuable Trade & Commerce carried on with the extensive and numerous Indian Nations Inhabiting His Majesty's Dominions Westward of Montreal or of knowing the progress of the encreasing Commerce and Agriculture in the new Settlements of the numerous Loyalists daily establishing themselves under Your Lordship's fostering care, upon the wastes of the Crown bordering on the Lakes. And if it is Your Lordship's wish completely to effect so useful a purpose, the Committee humbly suggest the necessity of appointing a superintendant of Navigation at Montreal, or rather at La Chine. For tho' no port for Shipping can ever be at the latter, yet the Canoes and Battoes or Vessels in which the Exportation and Importation of the Western Country is carried on, may be said to sail from, and arrive at La Chine. The Superintendant of Fort Erie is of opinion that the quantity & quality of liquor contained in each cask should be marked on the head thereof.— It will not be necessary in the opinion of the Committee to give the Merchant that trouble, if the following method of entering Goods at the Superintendant's Office was adopted. The Committee are of opinion that the Superintendants ought not to permit any Merchandize, Furrs or Effects to be shipped until the Owner or his Agent has made entry thereof as above, or as nearly correspondent thereunto as Commercial business, and the Conduct of it will admit, in the respective parts of the Inland Navigation. The Packages, Qualities and Quantities so ascertained together with the Masters Manifest of his Cargo, which is also upon his oath, will enable the Superintendants to Execute the trusts reposed in them, and perfect their Quarterly and annual Lists & Returns agreeable to Your Lordship's Instructions and the Laws of the Province made & provided. The inconveniences represented by Mr. McGill Mr. McGregor and Major Close, in the Extracts of their Letters before the Committee, respecting affidavits, Bonds and Registers for Vessels built upon the Lakes owned by persons resident at Montreal or Quebec, may be obviated without any amendment of the late Law of the Province whenever it shall please Your Lordship to Commission Superintendants for those Ports. The Papers and Documents required by the Law for the security of the Crown and the subject may be entered into and obtained, at offices there; and the Registers so taken out may be transmitted by the Merchant to his Agent, or Correspondent, where the Vessel for which it is intended is building or has been built. The Committee at present have further but to remark that the Superintendant of Detroit in his Letter of the 1st of Novemb'r informs Your Lordship that six new Vessels will be then in the Register of that Port in the course of the present year.-Therefore he requests an additional supply of the necessary Documents devised by Your Lordship for the Government of the Inland Marine. The discernment of that strength, and of those commercial advantages which are added to His Majesty's American Dominions by the Navies now arising on his Inland Canadian Seas, was reserved for your Lordship's profound & penetrating wisdom. To establish the Empire of the British Flag upon the Fresh water Oceans of the New World and under that powerful protection to send freedom, light and commerce to its remotest parts, was reserved for the 28th year of the illustrious Reign of His sacred Majesty King George the Third. To aid and assist in so glorious a pursuit must be the wish and desire of every Briton. That this Committee should be most anxiously ardent, needs no illustration or assurance. His duty, preservation, and Interests being so obviously combined with those of the Province at large. The Committee will soon have the honour to lay before Your Lordship the Journal of their Entries and proceedings and with Your Excellency's approbation will prepare fair copies thereof to be transmitted to the Right Honourable The Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury and to The Honourable the Commissioners of His Majestys Customs. Those Boards may be inclined to give Lights upon the important business of Revenue and Navigation which this Committee presume not to foresee. All of which is nevertheless most humbly submitted to Your Lordship.By order of the Committee (signed) SIR, His Excellency the Governor having been pleased to nominate you one of the Members of a Board, for the more easy accommodation of persons desirous of forming immediate Settlements on the Waste Lands of the Crown in the District of Hesse. I am to request the pleasure of meeting you at my house on Wednesday next the 17th Inst at Eleven O'clock when the authority under which the Board is formed will be made known I have the Honor to be with regard Sir Your most obed't & hum'l Serv't MY LORD, Since my Letter No 108 I have seen a copy of the treaty concluded by some of the Indian Chiefs with the Americans at Fort Harmar on the 9th of January last. It runs in the name of the Sachems and warriors of the Wyandot, Delaware, Ottawa, Chippewa, Pottawatima, and Sac Nations, ratifies the treaty made at fort McIntosh in 1785, and the boundary therein agreed upon be tween some of those nations and the United States, which leaves to the Indians all the country on the south of lake Erie between the Cayohaga and Miami rivers, extending south nearly to the fortieth degree of north latitude, and cedes to the United States all the lands, east, south & west, of that boundary, with liberty of hunting to the Indians; and within these Indian limits it stipulates the establishment of several trading posts of six miles square by the Americans, with a promise, on the part of the Indians not to suffer any traders to reside among them, unless furnished with a license from the American Governor. It also stipulates the reservation of a tract, six miles deep along the streight of Detroit from the River Rosine to lake Sinclair, and the reservation of the post at Michilimakinac and twelve miles square about the same, to the sole use of the United States, excepting only two villages of the Wyandots within the tract along the Streight of Detroit, which, it is agreed, shall remain undisturbed. This tract includes the post of Detroit, and the adjacent settlements on that side of the streight. Immediate notice to be given reciprocally of any hostile intentions' against either, which may come to the knowledge of the other party; and the Indians are to prevent any nation with hostile intentions against the United States passing their country. Those Indian Nations, who refused to attend Governor Sinclair as mentioned in my letter No. 108, seem now to be determined to remove & prevent, all American Settlements North west of the Ohio. They have dispatched war-pipes to the different nations, and sent a large deputation from the Wabash and Miamis to Detroit to announce their determination for war, and demand a supply of ammunition. It appears they came with an intention of presenting the war-pipes to the commanding officer of Detroit, but the execution of this design was prevented by the prudent management of Mr. MacKee, the officer of the Indian Department who, in a private conference with one of the Chiefs, previous to the Council, had the address to discover their intentions, and to convince them of the inpropriety of such a measure. It is however apprehended, when they meet in greater numbers, that they will be more importunate upon this subject, I am with much respect & esteem The Right Hon'ble Lord Sydney. Your Lordship's most obedient and most humble servant DORCHESTER Endorsed: Quebec 25th June 1789. Lord Dorchester No 120 R. 25 July. [Q 42 p 58.] |