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[Page 7]
The six Cutters & two Sloops now on the Stocks compleat the Contract for Government; the terms of which I cannot for a certainty ascertain. The contractors in England are Shedden & Sons, whose Agents here are Shedden & Goodrich, both very respectable Men.
From the Custom House Books which I have very carefully examined I find that the number of Merchant Ships built since 1793 amounts to 405 vessels, of which the tonnage is 30766½. Add to this the Vessels built for Government 41 the tonnage 6665 & it gives a total of 446 Vessels - 37,431½ Tons. Allowing to every Ton from six to seven Trees, which the Master Shipwright tells me is the common Calculation, the fall of Timber during the last thirteen years cannot be estimated as less than 243,301; which I fear is much disproportion'd to the Produce of these Islands. I am sorry further to observe that the number of Vessels built every year since the termination of the last War has gradually decreased, while the Cedar has been rising in Price. After the American War Cedar sold at 10 dollars per 100 feet Inch & quarter Plank: during the years 1798 - 99 & 1800 it rose to 13 Dollars, & the tonnage of the Merchant Ships built during that period amounted to 9292, to which much be added 1680 Tons, the amount of four Sloops build for Government: in all 10972 Tons. And within these last three years while the Vessels build for the Merchant Service amounted only to 3615 Tons & those contracted for by Government to 4985 Tons making together 8600, which is 1/5 less than at the former Period. the Cedar has risen to 16½ Dollars per 100 feet with every prospect of a further rise. And so very scarce is Cedar of a larger Girth & of a quality fit for Furniture that a few Planks of more than two feet broad are now offer'd to sale at half a Dollar a foot.
From the same source of Information (the Custom House) I find my opinion of the declining State of the Country but too strongly corroborated.