The trade of Revolutionary Connecticut, Part 9

Author: Van Dusen, Albert E. (Albert Edward), 1916-1999
Publication date: 1948
Publisher: 1948
Number of Pages: 886


USA > Connecticut > The trade of Revolutionary Connecticut > Part 9


Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).


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their account books. Typical of the town merchants of the revolutionary ‹ era was William Ellery of Hartford from whose account book several entries


4 have been selected.29


C. C., February 18, 20, 1778.,/


t Book, 1774-1785. With the emooptica


of the 8 are not verbatim and spelling bas bom


moderai


815


@ 12 1/5 109:1419 1/2


2


124.


[Jemary 2, 1775} : "Barnabas Demma Det individual itone as listed To 2 Sett China Coffee Cups


r." ter round in 1775, which is atout mise it


(April 14, 1775] Austin Ledyard Cr. cort t. By Si gallons rua : @ 3:h. 1 1: 1: 2: 4:130


[April 17, 1775] Instin Ledyard


To 1 "stoma jag !! . € 1/Ousocable, Tiriz Orli6 0:1:0


To 1 1b. tobacco


e': ' w. To 1 pint elever: rit. today's pr 0:0:10-t


-


..


Esthandel Nather, Windsor, April 21, 1775


To 5 gals. Tenerif wins


1:3:4


12 1/2 lbs. loaf engar S


0:15:7


1 gal. brandy 0:610


1 ps. desenter


2 dos. lines 0:2:4


£ 280:5


rallan. **


[Angast 22, 1775] Consider Bart, Dr.


0:517 To 1 leaf sugar, 6 3/4 1b. @ 1/2


[March 12, 1776] Watson, Dr.'


1/4 0:218


14 1bs. a


5 qts. rua 1/2 0:618


Captain Jeremiah Wadsworth seems to have dropped in frequently to


-


buy or sell at Willian Ellery's store, or to mail a letter, as Ellery 20 Co.Pant


was postmaster. One fizes such entries as these in 1775:


Capt. Jeremiah Wadsworth, Dr. To 2 aty dry hogshonds @ s/ 0:6:0


Capt. Jeremiah Wadmerth, Dr. 1 starling in dollars.


To 1 hhd. leaf magar, Bo, & .


1


621


1


81.5


@ 12 1/4 : 2107 The. : 100:1419. 1/2/2.275


.


+


$


1


i.


Credit by Cash


14:8


..


125.


It is of interest to note the prices upon individual items as listed above. Sugar then was a much greater luxury than today as it cost approximately one shilling per pound in 1775, which is about twice its cost today, 30 though the present general price level is far above that of 1775. ' [.'


Limes at Ish. 4d. for two dozen were more reasonable. This would com to about 8.13 por dozen, hardly comparable with today's prices; but


undoubtedly relatively meny fewer people then had the necessary eight pense for the dozen, SI


iciand colozira, this


Apparently brandy, rum, and wine, if anything, were cheaper relatively in 1775 than today. Wine at 4ch. 8d. ($.93 approximately) per gallon


was well below the price for good wine now. Prosent commoisseurs of good % brandy would greet with delight a price of six shillings (#1.20) per : gallon. Likewise, run at Ish. 4d. (9.27) per quart would represent a good bargain in modern terms.


Selling on board ship was fairly common in the towns located upon · important navigable bodies of water, such as Hartford. A shipmaster with ١٠ a full cargo of salt, or limestone, or fish, or West Indian goods would offer bargain prices to lare large and mill buyers aboard. Thus, the time and expense of unloading would be avoided."" The elimination of the middleman's profits undoubtedly appealed and helped render possible the lower prices. For example, Thomas Nye advertised in the Courant fer October 21 and 28, 1776:


Sugar in March, 1948 was about $.10 per pound.


The August 25, 1947 valuation of the pound sterling in dollars of $4.0275 has been need, A shilling therefore equals about 20 cents; and one pence, 1.67 conts.


Martin, pp. 13-14; William D. Love, Colonial History of Hartford (Hartford, 1935), pp. 302-303.


126.


TO BE SOLD On board the Sloop DORY, THOMAS NYB, Master, lying the North Side the Ferry, Hartford, One. ton and an Half of 1eng LIVER OYL. -


00 · wasteland Partien


Even though the grand total of merchants in Connecticut was very --- theya. small, the number was increasing rapidly throughout the Colony in the two decades, or so, just before the Revolution. Commeroo depended basically 4. 09 ª :1 upon the production of surplus agricultural goods, in which a healthy


increase concomitant with the population upsurge was occurring. This surplus produce was traded locally, with other miinland colonies, the .


West Indies, and Europe.


Little' true specialization of functions was yet apparent among the merchants. The division into wholesale and retail merchants had not occurred. A few merchanta did specialize in selling one type of : :


merchandise-as jewelry, or groceries. But, most of them, as reflected in the advertisements, offered a wide variety of goods. What little specialisation there was existed chiefly in the largest towns . The small village store-keeper offered a real conglomeration of goods.


also ranked ER


.7.3. 11, 112-14 7


Exmoock, for example 5 º CHAPTER Miinada of this sort.


Trade With the American Mainland Colonies It. Concettout


'oč The colonial -trade of Comooticut with the other mainland English! ? colonies followed' a Emeral pattern characteristic of the northern colonies and constituted a very important portion of the total external trade of the Colony." The chief intercolonial trade may be classified- broadly as the coastal. trade. . A small part of the mainland intersoZontal trade did take part directly by land across the eastern; irestera,'del northern boundaries of the Colony, but due to peer overland transportation facilities;"the great bulk of Connecticut's intercolonial trade moved by


..... Sown idea of the relative amount of coastal trade may be derived from a letter of John Miller of the Her Lendon customs house' to' 81la3 Denne in which he estimates the number of vessels entering and elsaring from Her Londen as follows :: "To foreigners, 400 man, 3100 Tons; 22 Coasters,. 90 mon."1 This would be, only a partial, picture, as For Bavm also, ranked as a port of entry. In addition, there was. mnoh coastal trade: between Commestiout porte .. . Park (wurde, 12%), p. 132.


The most important intercolonial trade was that with Massachusetts. In an economic sense, Boston, in colonial times, ma the "hub of lor England," if not of the Universe, for from a commercial viewpoint it dominated the section. " A floss of mall coasters sailed back and forth between the seaports of Connecticut and Boston, which was a focal point in the distribution of European goods to Commectiont merchants. Thomas


Llas


Domto Correspondence, C.B.S.C., II, 159-140.14/ ormation epum.


-


128.


.


Hancock, for example, did a thriving business of this sort. dependance arpan Boston (and New York ) very mnoh annoyed Connecticut merchants, but they could not easily break away from it. .: Commestiout had little to offer directly to Pagland, and it took much time to develop the various complicated triangular trading routes." Havres, In 177d reported un' The pattern of the coastal trade with Massachusetta was fairlyunlly wifora. - Small coastera loaded up in Connection t ports with such itmmer's, as horses, corn, wheat, rys, barley, peas, pork, beef, flax, harp, cider, 5 tar mitoh, bearde, and pipestaves. "". In return, they brought back. all kinis of European goods including elething, parder, thet,' glass, Esat 3 Indian goods . such as pepper, dyes and silks, tea, and wines. In the early stages of the trade, clothing appears to have been the chief import. Governor Leste declared in regard to Commectiont's surplus .prodnossasarer t "The most is transported to Boston, and thore bartered for elothing.


. The 1761 report to the Board of Trade stated that "beef, pork,


wheat, rye, indian cora, flax, flar-seed and eats" were exported": $ principally to Boston and New York, "therise receiving (of and thro' the hands of marshente there) British manufactures in oxchango.


W. T. Baxter, The House of Hancock (Cambridge, 1945), p. 189. - Martin, p. 30. 16,


"Sso Chap. X for details about these routes.


5 C. R. III, 297, in "Answers to Queries" by Governor Loete (1680).


. "


+


Baxter, p. 139; Martin, p. 24.


c. P. III, 297.


Mal after ten Hundred and Fifty Years (South


. C. R. XI, 629. The 1774 reperi gives very little information upou intercolonial. trade ... r. .... --


129.


ferahants from a large asaber of tums in Connecticut traded with Boston .: Bor London and New Haven, the two chief ports, naturally predasinsted in this setivity Shaw, Jr., of Her London had considerable business with Bo anta. nasstiout (Getheraflet4)


:>> Colomel David Wogster, co r .of Hos Haven, in 1774 reported that . "Drepeon _end India goods, taken from Postes and Kor York, mmally emout to mbo .40,000 E sterling; for which remittances are made in pork,


beef, who ryo, : Indian cora, flax seed,.pot and pearl 10


indication 5 riven as to what proportion went to.


Faren's losat dirogy mers. trade to Fc


Losion's, more to Boston.


Eren as far east as Stratford (modera Bridgeport); howers ? coasters' traded partly with Boston, even though Her Yer' was moh nearer at band. 11 Iz Normalk, farther cest still, after 1770 Esaias Bentea amed a ship which consted back and forth to Beston,12 23 . .


-


2


Several temas had specifio local products for which there was a mariet in Boston. , Middleton, for example, sens much stame from its quarries to Boston for building, tesbstones, eta. Up in East Windsor Captain Ebeneser Grant and his son, Roswell Grant, were important


Ernest K. Rogers, Commectiont's Haval Office at For London (for London, 1933), p. 6,


.10-statisticks of New Haven," N.H.3.C., XII, 218.


11 I Oroutt, History of the 024 Tem of Stratfor


Bridroport 1


Lesmal R. West, Woreilk efter Two Hundred and Fifty Years (South Korvalk, Commeotiout,


Prinso, 0.3.8.0., III, 879.


-


2


130:


enstomi's et John


bom from when they secured stocks t


dry goods. 14


Boston in 1769 imported 1000 tons of beef and pork, mostly fraa


For Commestiout. The city also depended upon Connectiout (Wethersfield);" for Its!enions of which it took 60,000 repes in that year. Some of "i Bestca


Boston's food also omme fra stora Massachusetts by way of the


Comunsotions Rivar. 15


Proton Mocy Sally.


The member of coastwise entries and clearances recorded at Boston


in 1773 from and for colonies outside of Massachusetts Bay show - " An New Yor


Impressively the significant place of Commestiout in the total pietaro: 16


New Yor


Entries


Clearances


Jay 12, 1774


71


North Carolina


58


MAr :0, 1774


Besfoundland and St. John


$3


45


Virginia


19


Philadelphia


19


25


17


8


Bor York


11


7


--


---


₩ Ter


South Carolina


8


in


....


From the nes of ships entering and oloaring from Now


Ezres and How London17 obtain a good impression of the intercolonial


1


"Ferry B. Stiles, Eistory of Ancient Windsor, Commentient (New York, 1889), p. 483. -


15gsusi R. Horison, "The Comares of Boston on the Ere of the Zopolution, Freoss erisan Antiquarian Society, LII, 43-44.


1ortad., p. 43. The table is probably inocompleto.


oa Customs Emuse cad its records wero burned by.t.c Arnold's troops in September, 1781.


Y.


10


131.


trade of these two busy townsen Certen House


Fer Haven Cus'toma House 18


Ship Entered


Tron


Ship Cleared and Master


For


L May 6, 1774 Sohomner Datien , Daniel 01ds Boston


Bloop Delpain Joseph Ia


Boston


May 6, 1774 . Sloop DoluLin, Joseph Mull


New York


May 13, 1774 Sloep gelly, David Bowiey Boston. . Sloop Bally, Boston


Acg. 21. 377426


.


Stephen Trowy


May 18, 1774 Bloop Lydia, Niech Doano


Rhode Island


Sloop Bir,


Bon York


Abrahan bradley


Seu York


Bloop Sally, How York Willisa Gregory


May 20, 1774


-Morris and Summer's


Davis, Stor, Brooks New York


May 27, 1774 Sloop Detesy, 8. Clark


Boston


My 27, 1774 Sloop Dolphin, 8. Trowbridge Boa York


Sloop Bon femin New York Thomas Davis .


May 27, 1774 Sloep Lilly, A. Bradley New York


May 27, 1774 Schooner Lark, John Ward He Terk


.


Boston


Morris end


Bort Davis, Stow,, 1 Ward, Gordon Ber York


John Clark Fer Yer's


1 - -


May 18, 1774 Sloop Lar'z, John Ward


+


For Har Landon the entries and clearances also provide en exsollont view of the port's trade. In this case, ships to and from foreign parts and British West Indian ports are included to give a suggestion as to the proportion involved in intercolonial and foreign trade respectively.


Garnis May 1776 issues. Only chips to or fren mainland porte


132.


For London Custom House


Entries


1.07Dato 1775


Ship Entered


Master


From


Sebeoner


Sehooner Tally


your


Sloop Fey


Mitoball Brom Rickards Errien


Grenadoos St. Croix


Guadeloupe Boston


May 25, 177420


Church Ingraham


Tri- Darbadoos


"Werport


Ang. 31. 177421


Sloop Greybernd


Bohooner ir


Sloop


Sept. 7, 1774 22


Brigantino Two Brothers Sloop Dolinks


Reod Stillman


St. Eustatia Dednioa


Oct. 7. 177423


Sloop Lizard


Sloop


Sloop Es: 50


Sloop 1.


Brig Truo H.m


Cot. 14, 177424


Sloop Bom


Sloop Les : radon Fack


Schooner CA 11108


Schooner


Theo. Stanton Edward Tinker, Jr. Thomas Fanning Josiah Book


Plymouth Ew York New York Soltartuda


Proket, May 19, 1774. The original spelling has been retained in this table.


20May 26, 1774. 21 September 1, 1774.


22 September 8, 1774.


Gasolto, October 7, 1774.


24 October 16, 1774.


2


:. . ,


Palmer Barris Tinker, Jr. Keone


You York Philadelphia New York For York .


Daniel Starr Jeremiah Harris Icreol Williams Joshua Emmostoad Michael Molally


New York


Salon Capo Frangois Falmouth


May 18, 1774 19


...


133.


Hey London Contóms House "


Entries (Cont.)


Nov. 3, 177425


1


Deo. 21, 177426


Brig L


Champlin Davison


Guadeloupe How York


Mar. 29, 177527


Sehooser Famah


Gray Prisbry Darrow


Dominios Korpers Newport"


Pr


!


Vr de leiand


EGY Torx


Cet. 1, 17,32


(+ :. 11. 177435


.34


1.


27:4.


Gazette, November 24, 1774.


26


t December 21, 1774.


27


roh 30,. 1775.


Chappel Farris Chappel


ـة فــ


Sloop Macaroni


New York Philadelphia Philadelphia


Sloop


Schoener iarlover


1


214028


-


134.


Custom House


Clearance# .... ) .


Date


Ship Cleared


Master


For


DE :


28


May 18, 1774


Mas. 20, 1776'


Bloop 1.


Benton


Sloop CL


Miller


May 25, 177429


Bloop L


Ethridge


Brig


Tinker.


Bicolor


Williams


Boston


Aug. 31, 177450


Brignatino Formal


Ayres


Koop Dienst


Paris


Abora


Sept. 7, 1774ª2


Sloep Cleriasa


Bor York


Seboomer Folly


Oot. 7, 177482


Sobomn C


Thomas Farming Essekinh Perkins


Bor York Tobago


Sloop Botry er Polly


Oct. 14, 177435


Packet


Ephrata Farnara Joshua Ingraban Jabez Lord


Tebago Newport Hispaniola


Nov. 5, 177454


Bloop Ineretla Sohooper Coolson


- Tinker Bant ing ton


Forth Carolina New York


Fecint, May 19, 1774. The original spelling has been retained in this table. 29May 26, 1774. 30Sep bamber 1, 1776. "September 8, 1774,


Case to, October 7, IT74.


October 14. 1174. , 17 4


"Beraber 24, 1774.


Saço Lord


Sloop


Antigua


- Barbadoss . Boston


Carolina


Jamaica Jamaica Antigua Barbadeos


Balea Bor York Rhode Island


Miller Robinson Fard


135.


: the fifty-six chi; News London Customs Eonse ; taraf


11 the Clearances (Cont.) to of Four parts


Doo. 21, 177455 L Brig Britamia Sehomur Swallow. nay


Tracy Grenades North Carolina


Mar. 29, 1775


8


ric Beig Royall Sloop Betsey Sloop Folly i " 2.


Shepard Mersinioo


Burr Bigolow


New York South Carolina


::


of rede mol


. .


.


1


.


Fan'cet, December 21, 1774.


Separoà 50,. 1778.


135.


1


+ ;. Of the fifty six ships-listed in this sampling twenty-five, crit by forty five: per cent of the total, were sailing to or from ports in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, es New York. +1 .....! wool rart. As mariy "; ! "Oma does not usually associate denger with the coastal trade, but accidents of a serious nature did coour occasionally as this notice imirily


the Eerwich Packet of April. 14, 1774 indiestes.


On the night of Sunday the &d Inst. a Sloop .belonging to Christopher: Leffingwell,:Esq. of. this Town, was, on her Passage from Boston to .Her London, drove upon the Snowdrift, one of:, o's Kantaciet Shoals, two miles distant from the


: Sandy Point of Nonomisk. The vessel -was, lost, but the People, greatest Fart of the Cargo, and


into


One might assume that a large amount of trade would have flowed between Springfield, the chief upper Connecticut River town, and the lower, river toms. Yet the volume actually was small bocanso Springfield ; 1. % -...


. merchants sent to Boston or New York for most of their European goods. They relied, however, chiefly upon Hartford and Middletown for West Indian


. . goods. "


* ; ! ..


Evidenos has already bom addused to show that a moderato trade


existed between Rhode Island and Comestiout. A large. trade was rendered difficult because the surplus products of the tro colonies were of the - same type. Hence any sizeable trade depended upon esch getting products to trade fra other places before trying to sell to the other. .... ',


The trede followed two main routes: (1) coastal from Commeotient ports to Rhode Island, usually Newport; (2) inland from eastern Connecticut tams such as Windham, Plainfield, and Pomfret to Providence and other


Martin, p. 16 ..


187.


Rhode Talan


lo with Massachusetts, that by


3. to have bom a leading colonial wool mart. As early as 1613 Joim Winthrop' imported shoop frem Emport; and, throughout the colonial and revolutionary periods, Comsetient Valley settlers. customarily perobassd wool fras Newport.


+ "= / Whom Darmaby visited New England in 1789-80, ho observed that Rhode.>> Islami preduosd very little of value for expert, or for trade with :' !!. neighbors. He noted, harever, that through


various kinds they levied a high toll upon Comestient.


:". ' A goodly amount 'of produce flowed from eastern Connecticut towns


Into Providence. : James end loses Brown, loading merchants of . and Colory, depended in part upon Connecticut traders for lumber, ." provisions; and esttle. The estile were driven over usually from the


towns of Plainfield, Killingly, and Fout


.4. Commestieu's agents also


pashed up into western Massachusetts, Formant, Hampshire for any prodasta marketable in Providence. Connectie rosants, in return, -


procured ru suger, and molessos from Provid


Thenpean Wa of those who 6 hearts and css ard to obtain gata, pozz, bo , and ashes for the Provider


Clark, p. 78.


Andrer Barnaby, Trave th Amsries in John Pinkerton's Colloott


741.


8. Kintall, Providence i Colonial Times (Boston, 1912),


i prop


* ** t" Conectient.


158.


. ... To a considerable extent, in the later colonial period, the problem of paper money hampered trade relations with Rhode Island. , The paper .... money ismes of the Colony definitely injured ita. trade as, Comoctieut merchants tended to "aby away", from them. . y nilom ...


Sono reference has already boon made to trade with New Hampshire and Vermont. It is very probable that this trade was very limited. ; Both areas were thinly settled, especially Vermont, while New Hampshire was not carreniently located. . Cornostiont merchants tended not to bother with the small market, of northern New Fagland except in prosperous times when they had an unusually, good market available for products from that section, er in dall times when they sought to unload goods umsaleable. .... in normal markets. In the latter elass was a certain Captain Easton, a ship-master and slave-dealer, who, finding poor markets, drove negroes to New Hampshire and Vermont and returned with horses and poles." ,,Trade with New York very much resembled that with Massachusetts and Rhode Island, except that one port, New York City, took nearly all the trade.€3 New York City at that time was less important than Boston in 1 commercial volume, bu's its convenient nearness to most Connecticut son and river ports increased its attractiveness to Connecticut merchants. Boston was still first in distribution of goods by small boats to Cameotiout coastal towns, but New York was beginning to crowd her by -


. Weeden, p. 755.


William Fowler, Historical Status of the Borro in Commotiout (Charleston, 1901), p. 17.


Long Island, despite its propinquity and close historien! associatica, had very little trade with Connecticut.


-


139.


the 1750's .. º1 Shuz hid erter wiss con ings with Pazdermert, s. "" ": The pattern of the trade with New York has already been described -- essentially one of meets, grain, and vegetables to New York in return


for British manufactures handled by New York middlemens 1: defined it One of the New York merchants who dealt on a large scale with Cameotieut tradera was Feter Vandervoort. Thomas Seymour and Jeremiah Wadsworth of Hartford, Nathaniel Shaw and Thomas Allen of How Londcal


Were among those who had important accounts with Vandervoort. For 1. exemple, in August, 1774 Vandervoort put up some of Allen's rum for -, sale, but found the market glutted and had to olose it out at a low price. Throughout that fall, Vandervoort continued to set as a comission merchant for Allena!"


Vandervoort shipped many goods to Connecticut. Typical of this


41


was a small consignment sent in September, 1770 on Capt. Aloot's ship


to Hartford for Thomas Seymour's account. !!


3 Boxes 7 by 9 Glass at 93/ £ 14:5:0


1 Cap & Box Seat pr Post


0:6:9


120 1b. Hails


Kog for afitto]


0:116


Carting Glass to my hous 0:1:0


'Carting d[itto] & Nails on Board


0:1:0


Robert East, Business Enterprise in the American Revolutionary Era (New York, 1938), p. 16. A. K. Schlesinger, The Colonial borebouts and the American Revolution, 1783-1776 (New York, 1918) asserts that after the Parliamentary Lot of Wiol prohibiting emission of legal-tender money in New England the Connecticut merchants diverted trado to New York, p. 26.


37 Thomas All Correspondence, 1774-1777. Letters dated Angust 27,


Septembe 6,


8. 2, November 19, December 3, 1774.


Doardman Coll. X, Doo. 3958.


140.


Nathaniel Shaw had extensive dealings with Vandervoort, apparently with a wide variety of transactions. Shaw's chips often stopped at low York en route to or from the West Indies, and also made direct round : trips on the New London-New York route. "A typical deal is outlined in - this letter of Shaw to Vandervoort of Jammry 15, 1775. - "I Best yrs by Macerome with yo Cash. This is just to lot you know that I intend as soon as Chappell Returns that he will go on Board yo Mimoszeme for West India & will call on you for Vone hundred ter surer rime flower & tro hundred half Johermises which should be glad you would have Ready for him. Hope you " it have been able to get the 100 har of pork at yo price I wrote ?? for from Hartford last week."49


New York marchants advertised occasionally in the Connectiout papers, " and it is likely that their efforts bere fruit. Among those who advertised in the Courant were Jom Horton who had good pig iron at tarenty dollars a tom;63 William Horxhurst who sold anchors; tom, 52 Will and J. Simnet who retailed watebss."> Joshua Chandler (Tale '47) estimated that New Haven merchants were indebted to Her York to the tune of? ? 120,000.56 .


.


Payment of such debts in an age when specie was very source often


1 proved very difficult. Gerard Beckman, merchant of New York, found


Rogers, p. 265.


50ges pp. 133-189.


.. . .


oCourant, August 5, 1772.


July 20, 27, Angust 3, 10, 1773, oto ...


Jazmary 26, February 2, 9, 16, 23, 1773, sto. -


56 Stiles, Itinerarios, p. 83.


141.


payment by his debtors, disgracefully slow and spoke his mind vigorously upon the subject in a letter to Samuel Johnson: "I think 7/8 of the . people I have credited in New England has proved to be dad mgreatful cheating that I am now almost afraid to Trust any Comneotient man tho' he's well recommended from oth . 000% Price


Compostiout's trade with oth mainland colonies was very small. Comsetient ships did stop conasionally at every solowy on the coast, but not to an extent which compared with the trade already deseribed. A very good comparison of the trade of Connecticut with four colonies may be obtained from the following table for the years 1768, 1770 and 1772.


, -


Tornare of Ships


Entering from Connecticut


Clearing for Commeotiout


1768


1770


1772


1763


1770


1772


Boston


509


8240


2022


618


3181


2833


318 ..


4230


..


2787


70


4 4471


2222


Philadelphia


120


90


TO


240


90


253


Charleston


40


:


.


50 .


20


1


There was no solid basis for a largo trade between Comnestiout and Pennsylvania and other selonies soutiarard. In most cases a Commestiout . ship would stop at Philadelphia or a southern port on the return trip -


from the West Indies, "" er at any rate with West Indian goods. An exemple of this trade is represented in this letter of Nathanial Shaw to


Virginia D. Farrington, New York Merchants on the Eve of the Revolution, p. 122. From Beekman Latter-book, December 2, 1754.


Farrington, Appendix G, adapted.


Martin, p. 14 ..


142.


Messrs. Thomas and Isaac Wharton of Philadelphia, dated October 15,"


1774: 58 at rare interne!» ?


"Gentlemen, I Received yours of the 1st & sen Inst . and en Glad to hear that West India Goods are on the Rise. , I now Send you by Capt Chappell a Cargoe of very Good ‘ Melasses and I hope you will be Able to git a Good Prieo for it. Send me One hundred and Fifty barrels of Super Fine Forer, and if you Can Collest any Dollars. I should be Glad you would Send mo near About the Ballanse. If Molasses Continues high I will Send Chappell back with another Cargos


Iron, steel, glass, and flour were characteristic items carried from Failedelphia to Commectieut ports. 59 . Thus it ms in one of, or in a combination of, three forms by which Pennsylvania rendered payment: European goods (such as glass), Pennsylvania goods ( such as flour), or


An example of the interstate trade is afforded by Stephen Austin, a Hartford merchant, who advertised repeatedly in 1772 a sale of buckskin breeches and gloves just received from Philadelphia.ºº .


As already suggested, trade with the southern colonies amounted to very little. . An occasional coaster stopped in at Chesapeake Bay ports, . .




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