Ottoman Algeria in Western Diplomatic History with ... - Bibliothèque

Furthermore, the expulsion of trading rivals from the British Empire eliminated
competition and expanded colonial maritime routes to reach transatlantic
markets, European and Mediterranean, which had been unheard of so far.
Undoubtedly, such inclusion under the protective umbrella of the British
Empire against competition of rival trading powers gave the colonists
privileges that worked to their advantage. Furthermore, “after New England’s
shipping industry had become fully established,” thus jeopardizing mercantile
interests of the British merchants and shipbuilders at home, the British
government refused to “head the pleas of British ship-owners who wished to
subject it to crippling restraints.” 13 So, even when competitively threatening for
British commercial activities and home industries, the colonials continued to
benefit from imperial protection.
Throughout the colonial period, English settlers of the Thirteen Colonies
used the navigation system to their own best advantages. The navigation acts
were stimulating and protective of colonial trade but in certain cases they were
restraining especially in matters of trade with rival powers; certain
‘enumerated’ goods also were prohibited either to import or export. When
submitted to such restrictive regulations, the colonials did not shy from
recurring to illegal trading activities for the sake of preserving lucrative
businesses. 14
Customs’ laws were simply violated either by smuggling
prohibited commodities in and out of the colonies or by avoiding clearance at
English ports so as to evade paying duties imposed on such commodities in
13 Nettels, “Economic Development of the Thirteen Colonies,” p. 43.
14 Muir, Expansion of Europe, p. 18.
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