Show RUM IN COLONIAL DAYS the brockton times the power of rum as a commercial factor in the colonies was at his height about 1750 that year the royal treasury report gave sixty three distilleries to massachusetts turning molasses into rum this formed the store for about vessels engaged in various branch PS of trade in cod in i mackerel fishing whalers chalers etc newport keeps pace relatively with boston refuse codfish paid for much of the molasses I 1 connecticut attempted to prohibit distilling because it made molasses scarce scarce but the prohibition was very hastily stopped when citizens found I 1 that bubines went where rum could be obtained rum proved the best ne new W england commodity in all trading choice in fact his only acceptance as payment for his peltries pel tries it was chosen with equal eagerness by the virginian Virgin lin or carolinian in exchange for his tobacco the newfoundland fisherman sherman fl wished it in return for codfish and most important of all on the guinea coast new england erixna rum entirely vanquished french brandy an aa a for slaves the commerce in rum ruin and slaves afforded aiTor qed all the ready money that paid for any merchandise in england it was the driving power of all commercial machinery the circuit was powerful and very steep the yankee vessel laden with homemade home made rum sailed to the african coast the rum was bartered to great advantage for negroes the negroes were cabied to the west indies and sold at large profit and the distillation in new england and boston started afresh the round of new england moneymaking money making sometimes trade was so brisk that the market was stripped of rum I 1 in the year 1572 issac freeman wanted waited a cargo of rum for the african trade he sent to newport where were then thirty great rum distilleries in full blast his correspondent wrote that he could not fiot have it for three months there are so many vess vessels loading for guinea we cant get out hogsheads hog of rum for cash we have been lately to new london and all along the seaport towns in order to purchase molasses but we cant get one hogshead the shipmasters ship masters were not above watering the rum to make it go as tu fv as possible old merchant potter instructed ted his captains to trade itta the blacks worter ye rum as much im as possible and sell as much by short as you can |