ricans obtain by treaty a right to participate in that trade, not only will the farther progrefs of improvement in this province be interrupted, but many of its most induftrious inhabitants, unable to procure a fubfiftence here, will be urged to forego the bleffings of the British conftitution, to which they are moft fincerely and zealously attached, and to feek for an establishment in the United States of America. That great advantages would refult to the British nation from providing a fure and permanent fupply of thofe effential articles for its Weft India islands, independent of foreign affiftance, must be obvious. The inhabitants of those islands, forming commercial connexions only with their fellow fubjects, would continue the more unalterably attached in their dutiful affection and loyalty to the parent ftate; and there would be the lefs reafon to dread the confequences of any misunderstanding that might hereafter arife between Great Britain and the United States of America. The introduction into the West Indies of contraband articles, particularly teas, and all kinds of Eaft India manufactures, (a traffic which the Americans now carry on to an enormous extent) would thereby be checked, and the whole benefit of the trade of those islands fecured to British fubjects. If thus aided and supported against the views of the Americans, the trade of thefe northern provinces would speedily acquire new and increasing vigour, and (which may be an important confideration,) foon render them valuable nurferies of feamen for the British navy, that grand fecurity to the commerce and profperity of his majefty's, kingdoms and colonies.

Your memorialists therefore most humbly pray, &c.

Saint John, New Brunswick, 11th May, 1804.

No. VI.

No. VI.

To the Right Honourable Lord Hobart, one of His Majefty's principal Secretaries of State, &c. &c.

The Petition of the Merchants, and other Inhabitants of Halifax, in the Province of Nova Scotia,

Humbly fheweth,

THAT the trade of this province arifes principally from the fish caught on its coafts, great quantities of which are exported annually by your petitioners to the Weft India islands. That in the purfuit of this commerce, your petitioners are rivalled by the citizens of the American States, to whom the ports of those islands are ever open, and who are exempt from duties and other expences to which your petitioners are liable. Your petitioners have heard, that in the exifting negociation, relative to the twelfth article of the treaty with America, the Americans aim at a further extenfion of their trade with the British Weft India iДlands, which, if obtained, would utterly ruin the already declining fifheries of the British colonies, whence the nation has long derived much wealth, and its navy a supply of hardy feamen.

That the coafts of this province, as well as the Gulph of St. Laurence, and the islands of Newfoundland and Cape Breton, abound with fish of the most valuable forts, fo that with encouragement thefe colonies would fatisfy, to its utmost extent, the demand of the West India islands for dry and pickled fish.

Your petitioners, therefore, moft humbly pray, that your Lordfhip, and his majefty's other minifters, would take the premises, and the annexed memorial, into confideration, and would protect the trade and fisheries of his Majesty's fubjects in these colonies, against the views of the Americans, by granting to the British colonifts the exclufive privilege of fupplying their fellow fubjects in the West Indies with the article of fifh caught on the coafts of North America.

(Signed)

William Sabatier, William Smith, George Graffie,

James Frafer,

William Lyon,

Committee appointed by the Merchants, and other inhabitants of Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Halifax, Nova Scotia, March 23d, 1804.

Memorial and Statement of the Case referred to in the annexed
Petition.

AS every British Province and Island in these northern climates is individually able to furnish the Weft India Islands with fome effential article of confumption, which in whole, or in part, is deficient in others, the Petitioners, in the following statement, have extended their observations beyond the limits of the fingle Province in which they refide.

The West India Islands require to be supplied with the undermentioned articles, viz.

From the fisheries.-Dried cod fish, barrel or pickled fish, viz. falmon, herring (of various fpecies), and mackarel and oil.

Foreft.-Lumber, viz. fquared timber, fcantling, planks and boards, fhingles, clapboards, hoops, and oak ftaves.

Agriculture. Bifcuits and flour, Indian corn and meal, pork, beef, butter, cheese, potatoes, and onions; live ftock, viz. horses, oxen, hogs, fheep, and poultry.

Mines. Coals.

Of these articles, the following are produced by the several colonies.-New Brunswick produces, in the greatest abundance, lumber of every kind, except oak ftaves; it yields already many of the smaller articles which ferve to complete a cargo, and its fhores abound with various fish fit for pickling. Nova Scotia produces lumber of all forts, except oak staves, but in a lesser degree than New Brunswick; horfes, oxen, sheep, and all the other productions of agriculture, except wheat and Indian corn; the Eastern and Northern parts of the Province abound in coal, and its whole coaft yields inexhauftible quantities of cod fish, and others fit for pickling.

Cape Breton and Prince Edward Islands; the former yields coal in abundance, its fisheries are confiderable; but without dealing directly with the West Indies, they serve to increase the exports of Nova Scotia. Both these islands fupply Newfoundland with cattle, and with due encouragement would rival fome of the more opulent colonies, in articles of agriculture; their fisheries alfo may be greatly extended, as the whole circuit of thefe iflands abound in fifh.

Canada can supply any quantity of oak ftaves, as well as flour and Indian corn, for fix months in the year. Newfoundland yields little lumber, but its trade in dried cod fifh has hitherto, in a great meafure, fupplied all Europe and the West Indies, and it is capable of ftill greater extenfion.

The petitioners have therefore no hefitation in affirming, that these mother colonies are able to supply the West Indies with dried fish, and every species of pickled fish, for their consumption; and that at no very diftant period they could alfo fupply all the other articles herein before enumerated, except, perhaps, flour, Indian meal and corn, and oak staves.

Having ftated the foregoing facts, the petitioners beg leave to requeft the attention of his Majefty's minifters to the peculiar circumftances of this Province; the permanent establishment of which took

place about fifty-four years ago; for previous to the fettlement of Halifax, there were few inhabitants in it, and but little trade. The mother country, fenfible of the favourable fituation of this colony for fisheries, that its harbours are feldom more than a few miles from each other, and that its extensive sea coaft teems every season with fhoals of fish of the most useful forts, made every effort to establish them. The fisheries, however, until the clofe of the American war, languished from one caufe only the want of inhabitants. The influx of inhabitants at that time, and fince, has promoted industry and domeftic comfort, and a race of people born on the foil have become attached to it. The clearing of the lands, and other causes, have improved the climate; and by a late furvey of the interior of the Province, it is discovered that the lands are not only better than had been imagined, but fuperior to the greater part of the rest of North America.

The prefent fituation of this Province with regard to its trade, refembles that of New England at the close of the feventeenth century; and unless checked at this crifis, it has the moft reasonable expectation of a more rapid increase than the latter ever experienced.

Encouraged by the profpect before them, and confcious of the abuses that have crept into the fisheries, the Petitioners are looking forward to the aid of the Provincial Legislature, and to other means for correcting thofe abuses; and for eftablishing and improving the fisheries, that great source of wealth to the parent state, the colonial hufbandman, and merchant: but they perceive with regret, that their efforts will prove ineffectual, unless the citizens of the United States, according to the ancient policy of Great Britain towards foreigners, are wholly or partially excluded from the islands, or a permanent equivalent is granted to the colonists.

The American Legislature has rejected the 12th Article of the late Treaty; the citizens of the United States would have been excluded from the West Indies, if the Governors of those islands had not, under the plea of neceffity, by proclamation, admitted them. In this trade the Americans poffefs the following advantages over the colonists.

Firft,-In the Islands of Barbadoes, Antigua, Saint Kitt's, and Jamaica, a ftranger's duty of two and a half, or more, per cent. is impofed on imports, and in the Island of Saint Vincent, British subjects exclufively are subject to a duty of three per cent. which must be paid in fpecie, and to procure which a forced fale is frequently made of part of the cargo to great difadvantage. From this duty the Americans, being invited by proclamation, are exempt.

Second,-During the late and prefent war, the citizens of the United States, being neutrals, have not been burthened with the heavy charge of infurance against the enemy, which to the colonists has increased the premium ten per cent. to the smaller islands, and twelve and a half per cent. to Jamaica.

Third, The Northern States have granted a bounty of near 20 fhillings per ton, on veffels in their fisheries.

From thofe circumftances, fo unable are the petitioners to contend with the Americans in the Weft India markets, that they derive greater advantage by felling their fish at an inferior price in the United States; whence the Americans re-export them to the Weft

India Islands under the above-mentioned advantages, fo as to make a profit even on their outward voyage.

It is well known, and in an ample report made to Congress in the years 1790 and 1791, by the now Prefident of the United States, then their Secretary of State, it was fet forth, that the fisheries of New England were on the verge of ruin, and he recommended, what was afterwards adopted,-the grant of a bounty to counterbalance the difadvantages the trade then laboured under. At that period, the fisheries of Nova Scotia made a rapid increase; the whale fishery alone from the port of Halifax confifted of twenty-eight fail of fhips and brigs from 60 to 200 tons burthen; but the fucceeding war and other unfavourable circumstances foon destroyed this important branch of the fishery. By the aid of bounties from the State Legislature, the American fisheries recovered their former vigour, and are now carried on with great fpirit, increafing their trade with the Weft Indies to an incredible extent; confiderable numbers of our best fishermen have emigrated from Newfoundland and this Province, to the United States, within a few months, and more are daily following them; thus it appears evident, that a wife policy, fteadily purfued, will preferve a finking trade, and that this Province is not wanting in exer tion, when favourable opportunities for it are offered.

Should the Americans obtain by treaty an indulgence of their trade in fish with the West Indies, it will prove the ruin of that of the British Northern Colonies, and draw away from them their most industrious inhabitants. The Islands will then depend on Foreign States for fupplies of all the articles before enumerated; and if at any time hereafter differences should take place between Great Britain and the American States, from what quarter, it may be asked, are the Islands to obtain their fupplies? the ruined trade and fisheries of those colonies may prove, too late, the fatal policy of throwing into the hands of foreigners a trade, which, with a little encouragement, might have been almoft, if not entirely, confined to British fubjects.

From these confiderations the juftice and policy of giving encouragement to the Northern Colonies are evident. Should the ftranger's duty, impofed in the Islands, be taken off; fhould a bounty equal to that granted by the State Legislature be allowed, and the prefent war fucceeded by a peace, then may the Weft India Islands re ceive from these Colonies supplies, of all kinds of dried or pickled fish, on terms as advantageous as they are now furnished with them from a Foreign State. It is obvious that the Americans, and the West India planters, have a mutual interest in the free trade to the Islands, but the planters have no right to expect supplies from a neutral nation in time of war, merely because it affords them at a cheaper rate than the British Colonies; they should bear the inconveniences of war as well as their fellow subjects, who have been driven into these northern regions by their zealous loyalty in fupport of the happy conftitution under which they now live. The fupplies required by the Illands cannot greatly increase; while the Northern Colonies, from their great extent and growing population, will every year be more and more able to furnish thofe fupplies. The Islands are, in a measure, limited in their extent; but the Northern Colonies are almost unbounded.