owner, is in fact proportionably equal to a fugar plantation yielding double the profit to the planter; and poffeffes, befides all that stability, certainty, and fecurity, the want of which is the great drawback on the latter. An English gentleman, when either extreme of dry or wet weather injures the crop on his lands, has no other concern in the calamity than fuch as the mere feelings of humanity may dictate, and it is but justice to him to fay, that, fo long as the stock of his tenant is found a fufficient security for his rent, he commonly displays the most perfect philofophy and compofure under the poor tenant's misfortunes. Nor is he under the difagreeable neceffity in time of war, of paying large premiums for infuring his eftate from capture by a foreign enemy. This is another tax, which the unfortunate Weft Indian, refident in Great Britain, muft add to his expences; or fubmit to the difagreeable alternative of paffing many an uneafy day and fleepless night, in dreadful anxiety for the fate of his poffeffions, and the future fubfiftence of his family;-harassed, perhaps, at the fame time, by creditors whofe importunity increases as their fecurity becomes endangered. To this account of the taxes, contingencies, and impofitions laid on the fugar planter, muft likewife be added fome part, at leaft, of the high duties on his produce, which fwell the revenues of Great Britain. The general opinion, I well know, considers it as a certain and established fact, that all these duties fall ultimately on the confumer. I fhall hereafter point out, and I trust with such precifion and certainty, as will admit of no difpute, in what cases they fall on the confumer, and in what cafes on the planter. No question has, I think, been more strangely misunderstood than this, and yet none, in my opinion, is fufceptive of clearer illustration; but as the confideration of this matter belongs more properly to the commercial system established between Great Britain and her fugar colonies, it is unnecessary at this time to enter on the investigation; my prefent intention being only to apprize the reader, that the duties payable in the mother country, on the produce of the West Indies, are not wholly to be overlooked, in a fair estimate of the expences to which the planter is liable. : But there is a question, naturally arifing from the premises, to which it is proper that I fhould, in this place, give an answer; and it is this feeing that a capital is wanted which few men can command, and confidering withal, that the returns are in general but small, and at best uncertain, how has it happened that the fugar iflands have been fo rapidly fettled, and many a great estate purchafed in the mother country, from the profits that have accrued from their cultivation? It were to be wished that those who make fuch enquiries, would enquire, on the other hand, how many unhappy perfons have been totally and irretrievably ruined, by adventuring in the cultivation of thefe iflands, without poffeffing any adequate means to fupport them in fuch great undertakings? On the C. R. N. ARR. (XI.) May, 1794. C failure failure of fome of these unfortunate men, vaft eftates have indeed been raised by perfons who have had money at command: men. there are who, reflecting on the advantages to be derived from this circumftance, behold a fugar planter ftruggling in diftrefs, with the fame emotions as are felt by the Cornifh peasants in contemplating a fipwreck on the coaft, and haften with equal rapacioufnefs to participate in the spoil. Like them too, they fometimes hold out faite lights to lead the unwary adventurer to deftruction; more efpecially if he has any thing confiderable of his own to fet out with. Money is advanced, and encouragement given, to a certain point; but a fkilful practitioner well knows where to ftop: he is aware what very large fums must be expended in the purchase of the freehold, and in the first operations of clearing and planting the lands, and erecting the buildings, before any return can be made. One third of the money thus expended, he has perhaps furnished; but the time foon arrives when a further advance is requisite to give life and activity to the fyftem, by the addition of the negroes and the frock. Now then is the moment for oppreffion, aided by the letter of the law, and the process of office, to reap a golden harvest. If the property anfwers expectation, and the lands promife great returns, the fagacious creditor, instead of giving further aid, or leaving his too confident debtor to make the best of his way by his own exertions, pleads a fudden and unexpected emergency; and infifts on immediate re-payment of the fum already lent. The law, on this occafion, is far from being chargeable with delay; and avarice is inexorable. A fale is hurried on, and no bidders appear but the creditor himself. Ready money is required in payment, and every one fees that a further fum will be wanting to make the eftate productive. Few therefore have the means, who have even the wifh, efficacioufly to aflift the devoted victim. Thus, the creditor gets the eftate at his own price, commonly for his first advance, while the miferable debtor has reafon to thank his ftars if, confoling himfelf with only the lofs of his own original capital, and his labour for a feries of years, he efcapes a prifon for life. That this is no creation of the fancy, nor even an exaggerated picture, the records of the courts of law, in all or most of our itlands (Jamaica especially) and the recollection of every inhabitant, furnish incontestable proof. At the fame time it cannot justly be denied that there are creditors, especially among the British merchants, of a very different character from thofe that have been defcribed, who, having advanced their money to refident planters, not in the view of deriving undue advantages from their labours and neceflities, but folely on the fair and honourable ground of reciprocal benefit, have been compelled, much against their inclination, to become planters themfelves; being obliged to receive unprofitable Weft Indian cftates in payment, or lofe their money altogether. I have known plantations transferred in this manner, which are a burthen burthen inftead of a benefit to the holder; and are kept up folely in the hope that favourable crops, and an advance in the prices of Weft Indian produce, may, fome time or other, invite purchafers. Thus oppreffion in one clafs of creditors, and grofs injuftice towards another, contribute equally to keep up cultivation in a country, where, if the rifques and loffes are great, the gains are sometimes commenfurate; for fugar eftates there are, undoubtedly, from which, inftead of the returns that I have estimated as the average intereft on the capital, nearly double that profit has been obtained. It is indeed true, that fuch inftances are extremely rare; but perhaps to that very circumftance, which to a philofopher, fpeculating in his clofet, would feem fufficient to deter a wife man from adventuring in this line of cultivation, it is chiefly owing that fo much money has been expended in it: I mean the fluctuating nature of its returns. The quality of fugar varies occafionally to fo great a degree, as to create a difference in its marketable value of upwards of ten fhillings fterling in the hundred weight, the whole of which is clear profit, the duties and charges being precifely the fame on Mufcovado fugar, of whatever quality. Thus fine fugar has been known to yield a clear profit to the planter, of no lefs than 1,500l. fterling on 200 hogfheads of the ufual magnitude, beyond what the fame number, where the commodity is inferior in quality, would have obtained at the fame market. To aver that this difference is imputable wholly to foil and seasons in the West Indies, or to the state of the British market, is to contradict common observation and experience. Much, undoubtedly, depends on skill in the manufacture; and, the procefs being apparently fimple, the beholder (from a propenfity natural to the bufy and inquifitive part of mankind) feels an almoft irrefiftible propenfity to engage in it. In this, therefore, as in all other enterprises, whofe fuccefs depends in any degree on hu man fagacity and prudence, though perhaps not more than one man in fifty comes away fortunate, every fanguine adventurer takes for granted that he fhall be that one. Thus his fyftem of life becomes a courfe of experiments, and, if ruin fhould be the confequence of his rafhness, he imputes his misfortunes to any cause, rather than to his own want of capacity or forefight. • That the reasons thus given, are the only ones that can be adduced in anfwer to the question that has been stated, I prefume not. to affirm. Other caufes, of more powerful efficacy, may perhaps be affigned by men of wider views and better information. The facts however which I have detailed, are too striking and notorious to be controverted or concealed.' The length of this extract muft apologife for our paffing over, more briefly, the accounts we find here of the culture of the minor ftaple commodities, cotton, indigo, coffee, ginger, arnotto, &c. under all which heads, the reader will meet with information of great importance, and the latest improvements C 2 explained explained by details of the mechanical operations, and by tables and calculations of the expences and profits. Book V. and laft, relates to the government and commerce. Much of what is given under the former of thefe heads, is fufficiently known. After an account of the various powers entrufted to the governor, Mr. Edwards offers fome remarks to which the attention of government ought to be directed. In nominating to an office which is a confiituent part of the legiflature, which has power to controul the adminiftration of executive justice, and, in moft cafes, has the fole exercife of the vaft and extensive jurisdiction appertaining to a court of equity, it might be supposed that a prudent minifter, amongst other qualifications in the perfon felected, would confider that fome little knowledge of the laws and conftitution of England is indifpenfibly requifite. It is remarkable, however, that the military profeflions (which certainly are not eminent for fuch kind of knowledge) are found to supply most of the gentlemen who are elevated to this high station. It were unjuft, at the fame time, not to allow that fome of thefe have acquitted themselves in the civil department with extraordinary reputation and honour. Both the late fir William Trelawney and fir Bafil Keith, who fucceffively adminiftered the government of Jamaica, were educated from early youth in the navy; yet poffefling found judgments and upright intentions, their conduct as governors gave abundant fatisfaction to the people of the colony, without incurring the difapprobation of the crown; and their names will be remembered there with reverence, fo long as worthy governors fhall be numbered among the benefactors of mankind. But these are rare inftances, and it muft generally be admitted, that the appointment to high civil offices of men, whofe education and past pursuits have not given them opportunities of acquiring much acquaintance with the principles of our limited government, is a very dangerous experiment. Perfons of this clafs, with the pureft intentions, are eafily mifled by felfish and interested men, whom the consciousness. of their own deficiences compels them to confult.-Even while actuated by honeft and laudable motives, they may violate irreparably the first principles of law and a free conftitution, by eftablishing fatal precedents which no integrity of intention can fancy. Mr. Stokes, the late chief juftice of Georgia, relates, that a governor of a province in North America (at that time a British colony) ordered the provo-marfhal to hang up a convict fome days before the time appointed by his fentence, and a rule of court for his execution. "He meant well, fays Stokes, but, being a military man, conceived that as he had power to reprieve after fentence, he had power to execute alfo when he pleased; and the criminal was actually hanged as the governor ordered, nor could his excellency be perfuaded, that, by this very act, he was himfelf committing felony." An anecdote not lefs curious than the former is related by the fame author of another military governor, who, it seems, took it into his head to fufpend a gentleman from his feat in the council, for no other reafon than marrying his daughter without his confent. It may be faid, perhaps, that in these cafes the mischief to the public, exclufive of the precedent, was not very great. I could produce, however, many an inftance, in the conduct of governors, in which fomething more would appear, I am afraid, than mere folly, and the ignorant mifapplication of authority. But the tatk is invidious, and I willingly decline it.' Under the head Commerce, Mr. Edwards is abundantly copious, but as this part of the work confifts of a train of reafoning, founded on accounts, calculations, &c. it is impoffible for us to give the reader any idea of it by an extract. It appears to prefent the most accurate as well as the fullest account of the Weft India trade that can be procured; and the author labours, not unfuccefsfully, to repell the attempts by which, on any temporary advance in the prices of Weft Indian products, the public difcontent is pointed towards the inhabitants of the fugar islands. He contends that fuch attempts are partial, because they confider the burthens and wants of the confumers on one fide, without adverting to the burthens and diftreffes of the colonifts on the other; and that they are unjuft, as their manifeft aim is to extend to rivals and foreigners, whofe trade is not subject to the controui of British laws, thofe advantages which have been purchafed by, and ftand exclufively pledged to, the British West Indies, whofe trade is ftill to be left bound by our regulations. He oppofes, with confi derable strength of argument, the defign of a fugar culture in the East Indies, and maintains that the hopes arising from the fuppofed fuccefs of fuch a scheme, are delufive. We cannnot conclude our fketch of this Hiftory, without recommending it as by far the most perfect and accurate of any we have seen. The candour and abilities of the author, eminently qualified him for the work, and he has executed it with fewer errors than could have been expected in one profeffedly interefted to a great degree in oppofing certain popular doctrines refpecting the importance of the Weft India islands. The ftyle is every where neat, and often animated. But the chicf value of the work arifes from its containing a vast quantity of authentic documents, not lefs interesting to the curious reader, than to the merchant and the politician. A two sheet map is given of the Weft Indies, which, as far as we have examined, bears marks of accuracy. One on a defs fcale would have been more commodious in a book. |