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Sugar Rum & Molasses on paying the Duties imposed on
such Commodities by Act of Parliament Those Persons in the
Northern Colonies who have been concerned in that Trade,
tho they may be deterred by the Measure now fallen upon
from importing Goods in an illegal manner from Europe will
probably still endeavour to import the produce of foreign
Sugar Colonies without paying the Duties, nor do I know
how Evasions in such cases can be effectually prevented where
the parties concerned disregard the Sanction of an Oath
unless an Officer from the Station'd Ships was to go on board
every Vessel so loaded & see her into port. As some of
these Provinces especially This & Virginia abound with Navi-
gable Rivers & Creeks so that Vessels may be easily unloaded
at places far distant from the Residence of any Custom House
Officer, It might I think be a means of securing His Majesty's
Duties & preventing illicit Trade if no Vessel was to be
admitted to an Entry untill she was come to an Anchor within
a certain small Distance of the Custom House or Collectors
Office, nor permitted to discharge any part of her Cargo at
any place not within View of such Office. Should any thing
else occur to me relative to this Subject I shall agreeable to
Your Lordship's Directions do myself the honour to commu-
nicate my Sentiments thereon to Your Lordship & I beg Your
Lordship to assure The King our most Gracious Sovereign
that I shall on all Occasions pay the most implicit Obedience
. to the Orders I have now received from Your Lordship or
may hereafter have the honour to receive from Yourself or
any other of His Majesty's Ministers. I am —
[Sharpe to Amherst.]
To Sr Jeffery Amherst. Annapolis the 26th of Octr 1763.
Sir
I trouble Your Excellency with this to inform You that as
soon as I had an Opportunity of Communicating to the
General Assembly of this Province the Contents of the Letter
You were pleased to send me the 7th of last month I recom-
mended it to them to prepare an Act for prohibiting for a
time all commerce between the Inhabitants of this Province &
the Western Indians, whereupon the Assembly have framed
such an Act as will I apprehend effectually prevent such
Commerce. I am &c.
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