it cannot be for the interest of this people to encourage manufactures in general, for the following reasons.

ift. Because in all countries manufactures are iet up at the expence of husbandry, or other general employment of the people, and if they have not peculiar advantages over husbandry, they will, by difcouraging the latter, do the country more harm than good.

2d. That in this country manufactures are fo far from having peculiar advantages, that they lie under unfurmountable difficulties, of which thinness of people, and the consequence of it, high price of labour, are the chief: and therefore they can never balance the mischief they will do by taking hands off of husbandry and fishery.

3d. That at all times it behoves us to avoid setting up any bufinefs which may be detrimental to the mother country, as the preservation of a good understanding between Great Britain and her colonies is effential to the welfare of both.

4th. That at the time when we are petitioning for redress, to give particular encouragement to manufactories will look like a threat against, and a defiance of Great Britain, and will bring a refentment against the province, as, it is faid, the like proceedings have already done against the town of Bofton.

5th. That if by thefe, and other means, an actual breach fhould be made between Great Britain and her colonies in general, or this in particular, whoever gets the victory, we are undone. Wherefore he humbly begs leave to enter his diffent to the faid refolutions, and to pray it may be entered in the journal.

Feb. 29th, 1768.

TIMOTHY RUGGLES.

In the House of Reprefentatives, Feb. 29, 1768.

The honourable Timothy Ruggles, Efq; offered this paper to the house; and the queftion being put, whether the fame shall be entered on the journals of the houfe. Paffed in the negative.

Atteft,

SAMUEL RUGGLES, Clerk.

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Extract

From the Penfylvania Gazette, May 9.

Extract from a letter, dated Turk's Ifland, March 23, 1768, from the master of a vessel belonging to this port, to the

owners.

THI

HIS ferves to acquaint you of my fafe arrival here from Saltertuda, after staying there forty-one days for nothing. His majefty's fhip the Scarborough, commanded by Captain Robert Gregory, arrived at Saltertuda the 3d inftant, (March) and, on Monday the 7th, the brig Thomas was boarded by the cutter and pinnace, double manned and armed, which took 453 bags of falt out of the brig, and then went and took all the falt from every veffel at the place, that did not belong to his own fleet. He also took all the falt we had raked the fecond raking, which I believe was about 800 bushels.-To-morrow I fhall make a protest, (the governor being not now at home) and fend it from North Carolina. I propofe to fail to-morrow evening, as here is no profpect of getting any falt for three weeks to come, and then uncertain, for one fhower of rain would carry it all off.

Captain Elias Young, bound to Bermuda, failed with me from Saltertuda, and was one, who with many others (of whom I shall send you a lift, with fome remarks) shared the fame fate with me. I hope you and all the fufferers will be able to get well paid for your falt.

I am yours, &c.

Tortuga, March 9, 1768. At ten this morning arrived here, from Barbadoes, the Scarborough man of war, Robert Gregory, Efq; commander, with eight fail of veffels under his convoy. Capt. John Roberts was then ready to fail, waiting only for one boat load of salt,-but was stopped till further orders, and told by Captain Gregory, that he should be obliged to take all the falt, and divide it among the fleet under his convoy. Captain Gregory then fent his lieutenant on fhore, to acquaint all the captains of the veffels, that all their falt fhould be taken from them, and divided among his fleet, and to order that none of us, or our people, fhould prefume to go any more into the pond. On this we all defifted and came out.

About two o'clock captain Gregory, with one of the mafters under his convoy, came on fhore himself and repeated to us the fame things.-We expoftulated on the hardfhip of being thus deprived of the falt we had acquired by a long continuance of very hard labour and great expence. He

told

told us he could not help it, and, after viewing the pond, went on board. Soon after, a fignal being made, about a dozen of us went on board the Scarborough to know his orders. He told us his orders were to take all our falt, and keep our veffels as long as he thought fit. I told him I was short of provifions, and, if detained much longer, fhould do myfelf the pleasure to wait on him for a fupply. He answered, he was fhort of provifions himself, and would not spare any. I told him, if he took away my falt, I fhould ufe my beft endeavours to obtain payment for it, as alfo for the detention of the veffel. Mr. Knowles (his firft lieutenant) asked me if I knew where I was, and if I was spokesman for the rest. I told him I knew I was on board his majefty's fhip Scarborough, and that I spoke only for myself, my veffel and owner. -Captain Gregory faid he should act up to the orders he had received from admiral Pye,-told us he did not want us all, but that we might settle the matters among ourselves, choose a committee, and let him know our determination. However, he forbid us from taking any of the falt we had raked, and fent fome of his mariners to prevent it.

At five in the afternoon we all met, and chose for a committee five of our number, viz. the captains Thomas Griffiths, Elias Young, Jofeph Kennicut, John Rocket, and Ephraim Dean. We alfo agreed to pay no convoy money, as we had been fo long without one, had no profpect of getting a quantity of falt fufficient to defray the expence, and thought ourselves in no danger from the Spaniards.

Friday morning seven o'clock an officer from captain Gregory came on board the brig Thomas, took the names of the mafter, owner, and veffel, where built and from, her tonnage, quantity of falt on board, and where bound; alfo forbad my failing without orders from captain Gregory. At nine o'clock our committee attended, and had fome difcourfe with him,-told him our opinion, that we had an undoubted right to gather falt without a convoy, knew of no act of parliament or treaty by which it was reftricted, but if any fuch be in being, defired that he would make known and explain them, and we fhould ftrictly conform to them. His antwer was, that he should act up to his orders from Admiral Pye, &c. At ten o'clock feveral of us went up to the pond and found. they had not yet taken away any of the falt we had left, but the man I had left to take care of it, and of our neceffaries, was retired to the fea fide, being obliged to bring all our things from the pond. Capt. Gregory having threatened if he did not, to fire into the tent, and carry him on board the Scarborough. March 5, Saturday morning, 7 o'clock, fent

N 2

for

for our wheel barrows and other, neceffaries, left they might be taken or destroyed by Capt. Gregory, or fome of his convoy, At nine o'clock, all the matters in the harbour had a meeting, and made a fubfcription of 530l. fterling, for the prosecution of a fuit against Capt Gregory, for his arbitrary proceedings, detention of the vefiels, and the threatened feizure of our property. At ten o'clock our people returned with our things from the fhore, and brought word that the people of the man of war, or his convoy, were unloading Capt. Roberts's floop and carrying the falt on fhore. Capt. Young, and fome more mafters, having walked up to the pond to fee whether their falt was disturbed or not, as they returned, faw Capt. Gregory and feveral masters belonging to his fleet going to the pond, and foon after were overtaken, by two marines, with a meffage from Capt. Gregory, defiring that they would not come up again, for if they did, he fhould take particular notice of them. March 7, Monday morning fix o'clock, the brig Thomas was boarded by the man of war's pinnace and yawl double manned and armed. The first lieutenant came on board and demanded the falt I had in the veffel. I defired to fee his orders, which he immediately fhewed me, from Capt. Gregory. The lieutenant then difpatched an officer in the yawl for the floop Patty, Capt. Peter Boyd, belonging to Hertford, Connecticut, James Caldwell and Daniel Goodwin, of the faid town, owners. Though there was a man of war's officer on board the floop, the faid mafter gave the orders to man the boat, which way to row her, and cunned the men at helm, in bringing his floop along fide the brig to take my falt. Nothing would give me more pleafure than making that fcoundrel pay for the falt.-There are fufficient witneffes to prove that he not only did this in taking my falt, but did the like to feveral other veffels, particularly to one belonging to his own town, Thomas Goodwin, mafter, (who is going from hence to Montferrat, and I expect will get home in April or the beginning of May,) They took from me 453 bags of falt, 3 pecks each. The boats belonging to the convoy were all bufy in taking the falt from my veffe, and other veflels in the harbour, and putting it on board the floop Patty, and another floop belonging to RhodeIland, one White, mafter. March 8, Tuefday afternoon, two o'clock, a schooner of Pifcataway, captain Riker, attempted to get away, but was brought back by the man of war's cutter. This day they finished taking all the falt from the vefiels in the harbour. Captain Thomas Goodwin's floop was carried to the fleet, and the falt, (the greatest part of which he had bought for 1s. 6d. per bufhel) divided among

them.

them. March 9, Wednesday afternoon, three o'clock, captains Griffiths, Young, Seymour, and myself, waited on captain Gregory, to acquaint him of our being ready for the fea. We were on board the Scarborough fome time before we had the honour of feeing him; at last the lieutenant came and told us to go into the cabbin. When we entered, he said to us, what do you want? I told him a receipt for the falt his officer had taken away. He faid, if he has taken it all, that's a jufficient receipt. I then afked him what he intended to do with the falt at the pond? He faid, I have nothing further to do with you may fail whenever you think proper. He faid the fame to the three other mafters. March 10, Thursday, This day captain Sherman told me that captain Goodwin's falt, which had been taken from him and divided among the fleet, was last night brought back to him, and that this day he began to receive it. March 11, Friday morning, ten o'clock, weighed and stood to sea, in company with one brig, a fchooner, and nine floops, all of which had been plundered of their falt.

you,

Salt taken away by captain Gregory, viz. John Marshall, of New York, 453 bags, each three pecks; left at the pond about 750 bufhels.

John Roberts of Carolina, about 150 bushels taken from on board.

Elias Young, James Seymour, John Wells, John Hodgfon, John Robinfon, Edward King, and G. Gibbs, of Bermuda, from on board their veffels and from the pond.

Capt. Sterry, James Alger, Capt. Sherman, Jofeph Kennicut, (Capt. Freeborn made his escape) of Rhode-Ifland from on board their veffels and from the pond.

Thomas Goodwin, of Hertford, Connecticut, from ditto. Capt. Riker, Capt. Gregory, of Pifcataway from ditto.

The following had their falt taken only from the pond.. Thomas Griffith's, James Lufher, Capt. Dunfcomb, and James Dill, of Bermuda. John Rocket, Louifbourg. Ephraim Dean, Halifax. Capt. M'Coy, South Carolina.

Bofton, May 9. The town paffed a vote, nemine contradicente, directing the felectmen to refufe the ufe of Faneuil-Hall to his excellency, the governor and council, on the enfuing election day; unless they fhall be affured that the commiffioners. of the customs will not be invited to dine there on that day.

An