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248 ESSAYS IN COLONIAL HISTORY
bacco exports were static and betray no effect of the ris-
ing importance of Baltimore.
Trade to Ireland, which was mostly grain, shows a
marked increase. During the first five years of the period
there was an average of less than 3 ships a year depart-
ing for that island. No significant change in these ship-
ments is recorded until 1769, when a rapid growth set in
culminating in 42 Irish departures in 1770, and averaging
nearly 25 for the last five-year period. The only other
transatlantic trade was the shipment of grain to southern
Europe, mostly Spain and Portugal and their islands in
European waters. During the first six years of the period
1757-1773 there were only four departures for this re-
gion. But beginning with 8 ships in 1763 this trade
jumped to 35 in 1769, and averaged nearly 28 from 1769
to 1773.
The West India trade (including that to the Bahamas,
but not that to Bermuda) ran about 12 departures a year
during the first five years of the period, but after 1761 it
rose irregularly to its maximum of 46 in 1773. The aver-
age for the last five years was over 32." The contrast of
the static condition of the tobacco trade and the rapid
growth of the trade to grain consuming areas is marked.
Undoubtedly the tobacco trade represents chiefly those
parts of the customs district outside of Baltimore, and in
all probability the grain increase is mostly due to the
rising trade of the new city.98
«" It must be remembered that the number of departures does not fur-
nish a basis for comparing the volume of trade between the several trading
areas. The West India ships, for instance, were very much smaller than
those in the British trade.
«9 The Annapolis port books down to 1766 include sailings from the
Chester River subdistrict. Many of these can be distinguished by the place
in which bond was given or by the entry of well known Chester River mer-
chants as owners. After 1766 Chester River sailings are listed separately.
An effort has been made to omit Chester River vessels from all these
figures, but before 1766 errors from this source are inevitable.
I
I
THE EISE OF BALTIMORE 249
Departures for the other colonies of continental Amer-
ica show a gradual shift southward. The period opens
with a large trade to the ports between Cape Henlopen
and Massachusetts. The first five-year period shows an
average of nearly 17 ships a year to this region, but dur-
ing the last five years this average rises to only 21. To
the south, however, an average of about 7 for the early
period mounted to 22 in the later. The volume of trade to
the northward was, without doubt, greater than that to
the southward, for many ships to the south, especially
those to Virginia, went in ballast. It seems probable that
when Maryland began to export her own grain on a large
scale, there was less opportunity for northern ships to
pick up ladings; while the Baltimore shippers in quest
of cargoes to England began to exploit the southern crop
markets.
The industries of Baltimore were only those that are
naturally subservient to these trades. Shipbuilding, dis-
tilling, baking for export, and particularly milling were
the most important. There was an iron industry in the
immediate neighborhood; but since Maryland iron was
usually sold directly to ship captains to ballast the bulky
tobacco cargoes, this was probably of small importance
to the town.
But it is not the purpose of this paper to present a
full analysis of the trade and industry of the city, though
these were the basis of its remarkable growth. In 1744
Baltimore was a scattered group of houses with a rival,
Jones Town, just across Jones' Falls. Probably in that
year was opened the road to the frontier, the results of
which were soon evident. In 1745, in accordance with a
petition of the inhabitants of both towns, the two were
united under the name of the larger.70 This merger left
the boundary very irregular with a strip of land along
TO Records of Baltimore Town, p. rvii; Bacon, Law», 1745, ch. ix.
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