262 THE BRITISH COLONIES. 



us abound with inviting materials. The few we shall give will be 

 from the second volume ; namely, that which relates to the West 

 Indies. Our first extract refers to the monopoly so long enjoyed by 

 the West Indies in the articles of sugar, rum, &c. We are glad to 

 perceive that Mr. Martin advocates the abolition of that monopoly 

 which is alike abstractedly unjust in principle, and injurious both to 

 our new colonial possessions, and the mother country itself. His 

 views are at once liberal and sound, and will, we are certain, be acted 

 on by the legislature at no distant day. He says : 



f It is no longer consistent with justice or sound policy, to continue to 

 the West Indies a monopoly of the supply of the home market; other tro- 

 pical colonies demand our attention, and have a right to insist on equitable 

 treatment from the mother country ; besides, we cripple our own power, 

 and resources, and commerce by the present exclusive protection to West 

 India sugar, coffee, and rum : we impoverish a dense population at home, 

 and (as the experience of the past proves) confer no benefit on the colonial 

 agriculturalists. Let me implore all who value the happiness of their fellow 

 subjects in every clime, to aid in abolishing the wretched policy of pitting 

 one interest against another the West Indian against the East Indian ; the 

 Canadian against the Australian ; the European against the African ; it is, 

 indeed, imperatively necessary that such miserable legislation should 

 cease ; England derives no advantage from it, on the contrary, she mate- 

 rially suffers in her revenue, in her internal and maritime commerce, as 

 well as by depriving herself of free outlets to every part of the globe for 

 her unemployed population and surplus manufactures. I advocate nothing 

 Utopian ; in the preparation of this Work I have been necessitated to look 

 into the early history of the colonies and the mother country, and I inva- 

 riably found that it was owing to commercial freedom that the British 

 West India Islands became peopled, cultivated, and enriched ; whenever 

 restrictions were placed on their trade with America, Holland, France, &c. 

 they immediately began to decline in prosperity, and by a singular coin- 

 cidence the mischiefs inflicted by the cupidity of man were frequently fol- 

 lowed by the terrific visitations of the elements. What with the curse of 

 slavery, the blighting effects of hurricanes, and the far more destructive in- 

 fluence of commercial jealousy, the wonder is how the West India colonies 

 have maintained themselves during the last thirty years; nothing but the 

 unconquerable energy of Britons could have surmounted the ruinous pros- 

 pects and destruction of property which has been annually going on, and 

 which will progress in an accelerated ratio unless the islands be permitted 

 to renew their commercial intercourse with Europe and America, totally 

 unfettered by any legal restrictions from the mother country. Give, I re- 

 peat, the British West Indies that unlimited mercantile freedom, for which 

 their geographical position, fertile soil, and fine harbours so eminently 

 qualify them, and neither the mother country, nor the colonies, have any 

 thing to fear for the future ; Deny it them much longer, and it were far 

 better that the surrounding ocean overwhelmed and sunk them into its 

 fathomless abyss, rather than that they should continue to drag on an 

 anxious and paralyzed existence fraught with misery and ruin to all engaged 

 in those once prosperous, but still highly important and beautiful Isles of 

 the West." 



We had always shared the opinion, so generally entertained, that 

 sugar was both most destructive to the teeth, and very unhealthy, 

 either for man or beast. Mr. Martin corrects the error. He says : 



" Not only do the inhabitants of every part of the globe delight in sugar, 



