sary article hath been brought to us at a high
price of late. The reason or pretence of granting this indulgence
to the Northern Colonies, in exclusion of the Southern, we presume
to be to enable them to carry on their fishery to greater
advantage, the salt from the Continent of Europe being fitter for
that purpose than the salt from Great Britain or that from any of
the islands we have mentioned. But surely this reason is but weakly
founded with respect to Pennsylvania, whose rivers scarcely supply
them with fish sufficient for their own use; whereas the Bay of
Chesapeake abounds with great plenty and variety of fish fit for
foreign markets, as well as for ourselves, if we could but get the
proper kind of salt to cure it. Herrings and shads might be
exported to the West Indies to great advantage; and we could supply
the British markets with finer sturgeon than they have yet tasted
from the Baltic. And it is an allowed principle that every
extension of the trade of the Colonies, which does not interfere
with that of the Mother Country is an advantage to the latter;
since all our profits ultimately center with her.

It was pointed out that the English merchants were not above sharp
practices in filling orders for salt; they would reduce the amount
shipped to individuals and provide the captain with all he could carry
extra to be sold at high prices to needy buyers.

The plaint was just another of the rumblings of discontent contributing
to the grand explosion of thirteen years later. The intricacies were
entered into in detail by the Committee:

We have twelve different Colonies on the Continent of North
America. Four of them, viz., Pennsylvania, New York, New England,
and Newfoundland, have liberty to import salt from any part of
Europe directly. The other eight, viz., Virginia, Maryland, East
and West Jersey, North and South Carolina, Georgia and Nova Scotia,
as well as all the West India Islands, are deprived of it.

At present those Colonies on whose behalf the petition is given,
are supplied with salt from the Isle of Mays in Africa, Sal
Tortuga, and Turks Island in America, also a little from England;
but are deprived of the only salt that answers best for the
principal use, viz., to preserve fish and other provisions, twelve
months, or a longer time. What they have from Great Britain is made