Two scarce, anonymous works published in the lead up to the passing of the 1733 Molasses Act: the first is a strident defence of the British Sugar Trade, the second is a bill which seeks to legislate some of these protectionist measures.
In a bid to deter American consumption of sugar from non-British colonies, the Act levied a charge of sixpence per gallon on molasses imported from French, Spanish, Portuguese, or Dutch holdings. Though in practice this was often ignored, and indeed replaced in 1764 by the Sugar Act, it’s worth noting that the cost of sugar from British plantations was far higher than that from the French, and that this act would have a substantial impact on the colony of New England. British Prime Minister, Robert Walpole, had the difficult task of trying to balance the interests of two of his most important colonial groups.
Published at a time when the plantation economies in the Americas were becoming increasingly profitable, The Case of the British Sugar-Colonies, argues that support for them should be proportionate to the advantages Great Britain receives. The first page lists the benefits of the trade, namely, prosperity through the sale of sugar surplus to British requirements. The author notes that this is allowed for the purchase of “Woollen and other Manufactures, Wearing Apparel, Household-Goods” made in Britain herself and supports multitudes of British sailors and her ship building industry. It concludes by saying: “And as the Interest of the Sugar-Colonies is closely united with that of Great Britain, they must always be dependant on it, and be supplied from hence, because they have no Trade of Manufactures which can interfere with those of Great Britain.”
This is followed by a list of all the detriments to Great Britain when “the People of New-England and other Parts of the Continent, have supplied the French Sugar-colonies with Provisions, and Necessities of all kinds for their Plantations, and have taken from them Sugars, and great Quantities of Rum, which the French have never made before (as interfering with French Brandy) till they found a Vent for it by this Trade.” The increased prosperity of French colonies, and thus an increased number of plantations, had an obvious knock-on threat to British markets in Germany, Holland, Spain and the Levant.
The piece argues further that “tho’ the Northern Colonies may be Gainers upon the whole by this Trade; yet the French Sugar-Colonies receive much more Advantage thereby than the Northern Colonies do, Rum and Molasses being clear Profit to the French; and the Cattle and Lumber they receive, absolutely necessary for them, and which they could not have from any other Place.”
In conclusion, the author finds that “If this Trade to the Foreign Sugar-Colonies be not speedily and effectually prevented, the British Sugar-Colonies will be in Danger of being ruined”, to the additional detriment of both the British maritime industry and “the African Trade.”
The second work in this volume, A Bill for Better Securing and Encouraging the Trade of His Majesty’s Sugar Colonies in America, was preparatory for the Molasses Act which was passed the following year. The Bill was extremely aggressive in seeking to ban all such consumption of foreign-grown sugar outright. While the Act of the following year was more moderate, this Bill is evidence of both the high stakes and high feelings in Britain at that time.
These two documents together are of real interest demonstrating the pressure placed on Walpole to shore up the interests of the Sugar lobby. Ultimately, Walpole found a way to appease both groups. “By passing the act, he legally appeased the British West Indian planters. By doing little or nothing to enforce it, he appeased the New England rum merchants” (Draper).
Case [1731]: ESTC T20672; Hanson 4222. Bill [1732]: ESTC N59019; ESTC: “Perhaps the work entered in the records of William Bowyer as ‘Bill for ye sugar colonies’; another edition appears not to be his. His records show 1000 copies printed for Williamson” (Bowyer Ledgers, no. 1759); not in Hanson. Draper, T., A Struggle for Power: The American Revolution (New York, 1996), p.96.
