 This migration built strong ties between the two locations, and a strong packet trade between New England and Cape Verde developed during the early to mid-19th century.The Erie Canal was started in 1817 and finished in 1825, encouraging inland trade and strengthening the position of the port of New York.Although the amount of tonnage registered in foreign trade did not equal that of the years 1815-17 or the figures of the next two decades, the proportion of American carriage in the foreign trade reached 92.5 percent in 1826, a larger percentage than has been attained before or since.