USA > Massachusetts > Early census making in Massachusetts, 1643-1765, with a reproduction of the lost census of 1765 (recently found) and documents relating thereto > Part 4
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miffioners from both Governments. Four Towns Woodftock Suffield Enfield & Somers which had been granted and fettled by Maffachufets fell within Connecticut. By a preliminary agreed between the two Gov- ernments, if any Towns which had been granted by either Government fhould fall within the other, the Iurifdiction fhould remain to the Gov- ernment which granted and an equivalent fhould be given for the prop- erty : Accordingly an equivalent in other lands was granted by the Maffachufets to Connecticut who received and fold the fame; & the Iurifdiction of the Towns remained with the Maffachufets without dif- pute untill the year 1746; when the Province being exceffively burthened with a Debt incurred by the Expedition to Cape Breton & an intended Expedition againft Canada the Inhabitants of thefe four Towns refufed to fubmit any longer to the Maffachufets Government & applied to Connecticut for protection who by an Act extended the County of Windham to the Maffachufets Line & have ever fince exercifed Iurif- diction over them. The Maffachufets judging it would be of bad confequence in a time of War by Acts of Power to compel Subjection immediately, exhibited their humble complaint to his Majefty in Council againft the Government of Connecticut for this unfair proceeding ; which complaint has not yet been confidered. I am humbly of opinion that if his Majefty fhould be pleafed to order thofe revolted Towns to return to their fubjection to the Maffachufets, that it would be for the peace of both Governments & that the Inhabitants in general of thofe Towns would likewife be well fatisfyed, provided they might be exempted from paying Taxes to the Maffachufets which the Government every year have continued to lay upon them ever fince their revolt. It is but equitable they fhould be exempted for fuch year. as they have paid to Connecticut in the Mean time. But the Taxes for which they were in arrears at the time of their revolt & which are ftill unpaid it is equitable they fhould ftill be charged with. Some queftion has lately been made of the Validity of the Title of the Province to the Lands between the Rivers Penobfcot & S! Croix : the merits of their Claim has been at large laid before your Lordfhips.
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"3. It is impracticable to take an exact account of the Shipping be- longing to this Province & their tonage, as Shipping itfelf is a confiderable Article of trade; And when a Ship is built for Sale She is regiftered freighted & cleared in the fame manner as if fhe was to continue in the trade of the Province, and therefore the Entries of the Naval office & Cuftom houfe afford no certain grounds to eftimate the quantity of the permanent Shipping of the Province. A Lift of the Shipping from 10 tons upwards belonging to the feveral Towns in the Province was taken by order of the general Court in 1761, & the returns amounted to 57.000 Tons : but this was undoubtedly imperfect. The Shipping of Bofton has decreafed of late : This is partly owing to the increafe of the Trade of other towns in the Province & partly to the illicit trade which is car- ried on in Rhode Ifland Connecticut &c. with greater Security than it can be here. Ship building is generally a lofing trade, but it is a neceffary re- fort to make good the ballance due to Great Britain when other branches fail or prove infufficient. The Whale Fifhery has been increafed fince the reduction of Canada : Many fmall Veffels have made profitable Voyages in the Gulph of S! Lawrence ; but I am informed fo little regard has been had to the preferving the Calves or young Whales, & the fifhery has been generally purfued with fuch inemiffion, that the want of the Regulations to which the French fubjected that fifhery, will be foon felt by the total deftruction thereof. The Produce of this fifhery, Oyl & Bone is fhipped directly for Great Britain, & has for the laft year made a confiderable part of the returns. The Trade of the Cod fifhery is carried on at the Towns of Salem Marblehead Glocefter & Plymouth, and at fome other Towns of leffer note. It is not an encreafing Trade, the Scarcity of hands & the high Wages, which are the Natural confequences of War having much checked it : but I am in hopes that it will be improved by the Settling the Peace. The beft of Cod goes to Spain Portugal & Italy, the produce whereof is chiefly remitted to England ; The worft fort is fent to the Weft Indies. There are alfo other leffer fifheries which em- ploy a good many fmall Veffels. Herrings & Shad are taken in the rivers in the beginning of the Summer & Mackrell from July to October. [Thefe
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Thefe are Salted and Barrelled & fent to the Weft Indies. Thefe fev- eral kinds of fifh together with boards ftaves fhingles & hoops com- monly called lumber, with fome provifions & garden ftuff of no great value make up the freights to the Weft Indies: the returns are made partly in remittances to England & partly in rum Sugar & Melaffes. The latter Article (befides what is confumed in Specie by the Inhabi- tants) is diftilled into rum, which is ufed in the trade to Newfoundland, the whole produce of which is remitted to England & is fent to Mary- land & Virginia in return for Corn & Pork : a great part of it is ufed in the profecution of the fifheries ; & fome part (perhaps too much) confumed by the inland inhabitants. But upon the whole I confider the Melaffes diftillery as very neceffary to the chief part of the trade of this province ; and if it fhould be obftructed either by a fevere execution of the prefent laws or by the enacting of new ones for that purpofe, I fear that the confequences would foon be felt by the Englifh Merchants trading to this Country. Indeed there is a fuccedaneum that this people might refort to, if the Melaffes diftillery was obftructed, I mean the dif- tilling Spirits from Grain raifed in this Country : but the misfortune would be that all the ill confequences of the interruption of the Melaffes diftillery would take effect before the New Diftillery from grain could be brought about. If It was not for the danger of this interval, It might be made a queftion, whether it would not be better for the province to diftill from their own produce : But Innovations in matters of trade are fo precarious, that I cannot help recommending the encouragement of the Melaffes diftillery in this Province. This Province alfo fends out confiderable quantities of Provifions to Nova Scotia & to Newfoundland, the produce of which is remitted to Great Britain. I know of no new Trades Works or Manufactures that are or may prove hurtful to Great Britain ; I rather think that the Province wants Trades & Manufactures than abounds in them ; for it is certain that within thefe late years the imports have been greater than the Province can well bear; and they muft be leffened, unlefs New funds can be found out for Anfwering them. Upon the whole as Great Britain will always have what this Country can [fpare
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fpare (at prefent, I believe, She takes rather more than it can fpare) She need not fear Trades & Manufactures fet up here; fince whatever is faved or gained here will be fent to Great Britain to purchafe other things. Superfluities are laid out in luxury ; American Luxury is almoft wholly fupplied from Great Britain; therefore all profit in America muft centre in Great Britain. Even illegal trade, where the ballance is in favour of the Britifh Subject, makes its final returns to Great Britain. For want of a more certain account of the Shipping I hereto add an account of the Ships &c. which paffed Caftle William outward bound from July 1. 1762 to Iuly 1. 1763 viz! Ships 40 Skows 17 Brigs 107 Schooners 178 Sloops 294 total 636. But no conclufion can be formed from hence, as many or moft of them are repeated fome of them 3 or 4 times.
"4. The Inhabitants of the trading Towns Men Women & Children have their whole fupply of Cloathing from Great Britain. Moft of the Women in all other Towns have the principal part of their cloathing of Britifh Manufactures; the Men have more or lefs. The poor labouring people in the County Towns wear their common Cloaths principally of coarfe homefpun linnens & Woolens. Shoes are to be excepted, the Mens being generally manufactured here, the Womens partly only. Moft of the Furniture of the Houfes in the trading Towns is of Britifh Manu- facture. Nails, Glafs, Lead, Locks, Hinges & many other materials for Houfes are wholly imported from Great Britain. Canvas, Cordage & Ship Chandlery Wares for Veffells & in general fuch Manufactures as are exported to the Plantations are confumed here & by the beft Information I can get the Confumption increates rather than decreafes.
" 5. There is a conftant Trade carried on with the Dutch & Danifh Plantations : in one of the former, Surrinam many Englifh have confider- able Eftates. During the War with France and before that with Spain a confiderable Trade was carried on with Monto' Chrifto, the returns chiefly French Sugars ; & tho' the exports for this Trade were chiefly Gold & Silver, it was thought to be advantageous to Great Britain. The Trade immediately to the French Settlements called the flag of Truce [Trade,
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Trade, this Province was never concerned in. For tho' I believed it to be in general (when provifions & Warlike Stores were not exported) very beneficial to Great Britain, yet as I underftood that it was not approved of at home, it was never permitted here. In time of peace, a fmall trade chiefly for Melaffes is permitted at fome of the french Plantations : but this is very precarious, as fometimes a pretence is made to confifcate Veffells, that have been encouraged to come there, contrary to good faith. The Exports to & imports from foreign plantations are pretty much the fame as with the Britifh. There is a fmall trade with the Weftern Iflands in about 8 or 10 fmall veffels in a year carrying Fifh Lumber & Grain & returning with Wines. The Madeira Trade is greatly decreafed by reafon of the high price thofe Wines are got at, not above one fmall cargo coming in in a year. A confiderable quantity of fifh is fent to Spain Portugal & Italy, the returns are chiefly made by remittances to London. Each Veffell generally brings back a load of Salt & from Lifbon fome Wine & Lemmons, which latter coming in fmall quantities & not being in the leaft injurious to Great Britain, differing, in no refpect of trade, from Wine from the Portuguefe Iflands, is overlookt. Lately two or three Voyages have been made with Logwood to Hamburgh & from thence to Peterfburghi, whence they return with Hemp ftopping at Scotland to enter & clear. This is a new Experiment; but it is thought that in time of Peace Hemp may be brought cheaper from Lon- don. There is very little Trade direct from Holland, as no freights can be made but with Logwood; & that is not imported here in any quantity when it is low in Europe-
" 6. The methods ufed to prevent illegal trade are frequent infpections made by the Naval & Cuftom houfe Officers, by whofe care the Laws of trade are better fupported in this Province than in moft others of America. About 2 years ago Great endeavours were made to difable the Officers in carrying the laws into execution, & a public oppofition was made in open Court againft the Superior Court (which is here vefted with the powers of the Court of Exchequer) granting writs of Affiftance ex- cept in fpecial cafes. But the Judges overruled the exceptions & Writs of [Affiftance
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Affiftance are now granted in as effectual a form as in England. The greateft difficulty which attends the execution of the Laws of Trade here arifes from the great liberty which is allowed in fome other Colonies. The Merchants here complain, with great fhow of reafon, of the hard- fhip they fuffer by being Subject to reftraints, which their Neighbours in ports almoft under their Eye are quite Strangers to. The only anfwer to be given to thefe complaints is that the negligence of other governments will not juftify this in the fame : but that it is hoped that the time is near at hand when thefe matters will be liquidated & adjufted ; And there will be but one common rule of reftraint & indulgence through all the ports in America: a fettlement much to be defired.
"7. The Soil of the Country being natural to Grafs, Black Cattle are one principal part of the produce. Notwithftanding the great Sup- plies made during the War to the Weftern Army & the new Settlements which are continually making, there is no fenfible decreafe, except what has been occafioned by the extraordinary drought of the two laft Sum- mers which will foon be retrieved by the plenty of the prefent. About the year 1740 after a long peace, Beef in the Seafon was fold from a penny to five farthings Ster! the pound. The breed of Horfes fuit- able for the Weft Indies hath greatly increafed. The Province cannot properly be faid to have any Staple. If any commodity prevails as to the Value it feems to be Fifh. In fome years there has been room to fuppofe the Oyl near equal to it. Manufactures there are none of any confequence except that of Moloffes into Rum & Iron into Barrs & hollow Ware. There is not fufficient bar Iron manufactured for the ufe of the Inhabitants ; of caft Metal or hollow Ware as it is fometimes called, there is enough made for the Inhabitants & more or lefs exported every year to the other Colonies. There are divers provincial Acts to prevent frauds & abufes in Boards, Shingles, Staves, Hoops, Fifh, the Affize of Cafks & in moft other Articles exported liable to frauds, which have a good effect. They have been at different times enacted & from time to time as the defects are difcovered there appears a good difpofition in the General Court to amend them & render them the more effectual.
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" 8. There are no Mines yet difcovered except of Iron. The Iron Oar in general has a mixture of Copper which renders it unfit to work into Bars, fome of it has been caft into Cannon fhott & Shells. The Bar Iron manufactured here is principally from piggs imported from New York Philadelphia &c fome of an inferior Quality from what is called bogg Oar which lyes in beds in many places of the province about a foot under the Surface & is found at the bottom of ponds in fome parts. From the latter the caft or hollow Ware is commonly manufactured - A New Mine of rock Oar has been lately difcovered; but it has not been workt as yet.
"9. I was defirous of anfwering this Article as exactly as poffible & for that purpofe had poftponed my return for fome time in order to have the affiftance of the general Court in taking an exact account of the people by returns made in a particular manner upon oath. For this I propofed a Scheme to the general Court at the beginning of laft Seffion: but the Confideration of it having been poftponed to near the End of the Seffion, fome objections were ftarted in the houfe of Reprefentatives, which there was no time to obviate: and the Council & houfe having difagreed upon the Method, it was of courfe put off till next Seffion, when it will be again brought in & I doubt not but it will pafs. In the mean time I muft anfwer this Article as well as I can by conjecture from fuch Materials as I have in my hands. In the year 1761 a Return was made to the general Court of the rateable polls viz! males above 16 which amounted to about 57.000; In this lift were excluded not only the Males under 16 but alfo thofe who were rendered incapable to pay by poverty. If we reckon thefe at one third more, the Number will be 76.000 to which adding the fame Number of females the Sum total will be 152.000. Another Method of computing the people will be by the returns of the Militia, which is generally reckoned one fourth part of the Souls. This in 1759 was 41,000 which multiplied by 4 is 164,000. Another method is by the Number of houfes which in 1761 was 32,000: this multiplied by 5 makes 160,000 by 51/2, 176,000 by 6, 192,000. Upon [the
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the whole I cannot help thinking that the Number of the Souls in this Province amounts to near 200.000 ; for as all the returns before-mentioned were taken in order to make a rate of taxes or perfonal duty, they are certainly fhort of the truth. But I hope to be very exact in this article next Summer. In the fame returns the Slaves, negro & Mulatto, are reckoned at 2,221. The free Negroes & Mulattos are very few; the Indians living within the Settled parts of the province are not many hundreds: perhaps thefe latter added to the former may make 3.000 Indians Negroes & Mulattos. The People here are very much tired of Negro Servants; and It is generally thought that it would be for the public good to difcourage their importation, if it was not at prefent very inconfiderable, not one Parcell having been imported this year as yet.
"10. I have not been able to get a copy of any former return made to thefe Queries & therefore cannot compare the former Account with the prefent computation. Undoubtedly the Inhabitants are increafed within thefe 10 years, but not in the proportion of the ordinary encreafe of the American Colonies. This Province has had few recruits from other Countries ; & therefore it's population muft have arifen allmoft wholly within itfelf: And there have been very great drawbacks to that. After the expedition to Louifbourgh in 1745 fome thoufands of young men were loft by Sicknefs : this has affected the encreafe of the people almoft to the prefent times. In the beginning of the late War Many perifhed by the Sword, but much more by the difeafes incidental to a Campain. In 1760, when I came to this Government, I was furprifed to ee what havock Difeafe alone made among the provincial Soldiers in the courfe of & efpe- cially towards the end of a Campain : & yet I remedied this Mifchief by three Provifions only; having them well cloathed, keeping them from Rum, & fupplying them plentifully with Spruce Beer. If thefe regula- tions had been eftablifhed in the beginning of the War, Many Hundreds (I might fay fome thoufands) of lives would have been faved. Befides thefe drawbacks upon natural population, This Province has fuffered much by defertion, if I may fo call it: Many families have removed & are continually removing to the neighbouring provinces, & efpecially New [Hampfhire,
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Hampfhire, to take up New Lands. In New hampshire only near 200 Townfhips have been opened in that Country which was formerly reputed as part of this Province & was allways defended from the common Enemy as fuch, at the expenfe of this Province only.
" II. By a return made in 1759 there appeared to be upon the alarm lift about 41.000 fencible men; but when all Perfons exempted from training were deducted, the trainband lift did not amount to more than about 35,000. Thefe are divided into 32 regiments each having a Colonel, a Lieut. Colonel & a Major : fome of two battalions having 2 L. Colonels & 2 Majors. Moft of thefe regiments have a troop of horfe belonging to each, fome of which are in uniform. There belongs to the Bofton Regiment, a company of Artillery of 60 men in uniform of blew & red with four field pieces. There are belonging to the Caftle, befides the Garrifon, 4 companies of Artillery of about 300 men in the whole, who are exercifed at the great guns 6 times every year, & two Companies of Artillery belonging to the batteries at Bofton & one at Charleftown. There are alfo to attend the Governor a Troop of horfe guards confifting of about 80 men in an uniform of blue & red, & a company of Cadets of about 60 gentlemen in an uniform of red & buff Colour. The Gov- ernor as Captain General both by the Charter & his Commiflion has the whole command of the Militia, appoints & removes officers at pleafure, orders mufters & marches as he thinks proper, but cannot march them out of the Province without the content of the General Affembly. By Law every man is obliged to train four times a year ; defaulters forfeit 5'/- lawful money each time: out of thefe fines the expence of drums & colours is defrayed. There is no other Expence : when they march in actual fervice, the Province pays them .-
" 12. The Principal Fortrefs in this Province & perhaps throughout his Majefty's American Colonies is Caftle William fituated on an Ifland on the fide of the only Ship Channell about 3 miles from Bofton. The Fort is fmall but well contrived, is a regular Square with 4 baftions & 2 ravelins on the outfide : it mounts 38 Guns chiefly nine pounders & two mortars on the ravelins. There are very confiderable Outworks towards [the
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the Ship Channel, which have good Communications with the Fort. The Royal Battery mounts 29 guns from twenty four to thirty two pounders, at the end thereof is a demi baftion with four forty two pounders. Shirleys battery mounts 19 forty two pounders, at the end is an horfefhoe with 6 twenty four pounders. there are fome other leffer batteries partly compleated & partly defigned only: there is a large block houfe mounted with fmall Cannon to Scour the flatts ; and barracks for 1000 men with a large parade & a picketted breaft work towards the Sea. When all the Works intended are finifhed there will be about 140 Cannon mounted upon the Ifland. The whole Expence is borne by the province & for 7 years paft, altho' there have been no New Works, has amounted £
to 2250 Sterling one year with another. The Garrifon confifts of 60 Men befides the 4 companies of Artillery before mentioned, who live in the Neighbouring Towns, and are exerfifed at the Caftle 6 times in the year. There has lately been built an Armoury for fmall Arms, of which there are at prefent about 2500. In the late War many pieces of Artil- lery & confiderable quantities of Warlike Stores were taken away for the King's Ufe. Application has been made for the replacing them & will be renewed, we hope with Succefs. There is alfo a Fort on Penobfcot river called Fort Pownall garrifoned with 18 men, in which is an Indian Truckhoufe; & another called Fort Halifax on Kennebeck River gar- rifoned with 13 men where there is another Truckhoufe. Fort Weftern on Kennebeck river, Fort Pemaquid upon Pemaquid river & Fort George upon Georges river have been lately difarmed & are now private dwelling houfes ; the Artillery & Stores being removed to the Caftle. There are fmall forts or batteries at feveral of the fea-port towns, capable of repel- ling a privateer ; but as they have no garrifons & have no fund to fupport them, they are of very little confequence.
" 13. There is a fmall number of Indians who were originally of Hudfons River, perhaps 70 or 80 Families, who live upon the Weftern Frontier of the Province at a place called Stockbridge & who have an Englifh Miffionary conftantly preaching to them fupported by the Society
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for propagating the Gofpel in New England & parts adjacent ; about 70 Families more at a place called Mafhpee in the County of Barnftable who by a late Act of the General Court have had certain privileges granted them with a view of civilifing them & bringing them under good Gov- ernment & order ; and between one & two hundred Families in the two Iflands of Nantucket & Martha's Vineyard. All thefe have Miffionaries or Teachers fupported by the fame Society. There are about 20 Families more at Natick & a few fcattering Families in feveral other parts of the Province. The Indians upon the frontiers of the Eaftern Parts of the Province are all ranged under the general name, according to the French, of Abenaquis, of thefe the Arafagunticooks & Wewenocks living on the banks of S! Lawrence properly belong to Canada as the S. Johns Indians do to Nova Scotia : & yet all thefe have occafionally treated with this Province. The Indians that more particularly belong to this Province are the Norridgewalks the Penobfcots & the Paffimaquodies. The two former have been the Subjects of many Wars & many Treaties with this Province : In the laft War they retired to Canada & joined the Arafagun- ticooks & Wewenocks. Since the conqueft of Canada they have come into thefe parts again & have renewed their acquaintance with the provincials. As no formal treaty has been held with them fince they were proclaimed Rebels & Traitors, about two months ago to prevent Mifchief, I publifhed a proclamation declaring a Ceffation of hoftilities & requiring the people to treat them as friends. Since which three of the Penobfcot Chiefs have, with my leave, come to Bofton & in the Name of their own tribe & of the Machias Indians a branch of it, & the Paffimaquody Indians a part of the S! John's Indians fettled on the Weft Side of S! Croix, have defired to be under the protection of this Government & to have their trade with it regulated in fome particulars. Alfo a Norridgewalk Indian has been here in a private Character & defired to know if they may come to their old Town. I difmiffed them all with Satisfactory Anfwers. Thefe People who have for near a cen- tury occafioned fo much expence of blood & treafure to this province are now in a manner reduced to nothing. The Norridgewalks whofe town
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