1831.] Sir Henry Parnell on " Financial Reform," $c. 293 



and 200,000 for naval purposes generally, the whole expense does not 

 exceed about a million sterling a considerable part of which sum 

 would be necessary for the maintenance of our commercial and other 

 interests, although we no longer possessed a single trans-atlantic colony ; 

 and were the whole of the money, raised in the West Indies, and 

 applied towards the maintenance of British troops, forts, fortifications, 

 barracks, salaries to Governors, Judges, ecclesiastical establishments, 

 public officers, and miscellaneous services fairly stated, its gross 

 amount would be found equal to more than the whole expense which, 

 under ordinary circumstances, might be necessary for the defence and 

 good government of these possessions, supposing their various institu- 

 tions assimilated to those of the United States. 



Moreover, it will be found on an examination of the documents lately 

 submitted to the Board of Trade by the West Indians, that independ- 

 ently of the immense sum drawn from them in the shape of enormous 

 duties on their staple commodity, they are, by British restrictions, put 

 to an expense of nearly a million and a half in the cost of their supplies, 

 in support of the British fisheries, manufactories, shipping, and other 

 interests not directly connected with these plantations !* 



Whether the business of the colonial department will now be put upon 

 a more efficient footing, so that at least clear accounts may be kept, is 

 matter of doubt ; hitherto we have seen no symptoms of amendment. 



Sir Henry recommends that the system of applying the revenues of 

 the Colonies in paying enormous salaries, building Governor's houses, 

 making canals and roads, and improving in various other ways the 

 estates of the colonial proprietors, should be abolished. " The offi- 

 cial establishments in the Colonies should be revised, and reduced to 

 what is merely necessary ; excessive salaries should be diminished, and 

 none but efficient officers should be appointed." A great part of these 

 reforms would operate in favour of our West Indian Colonies others 

 do not apply to them. " All restrictions on colonial trade" (including, of 

 course, restrictions on the Slave Trade?) "should be taken off, and then 

 each Colony should be made to pay its own expenses." We have no 

 hesitation in saying, that were this to be the case, the West Indians 

 would compete with any Colonies in the world. These restrictions on 

 their trade are, upon close examination and laborious calculations, said 

 to amount to 5*. 6%d. upon every cwt. of sugar, and nearly 6d. on every 

 gallon of rum made in the British West Indies ! while, at the same 

 time, the foreign planter can, in consequence of his continuing to carry 



* These sums are thus stated : 



Enhancement of price paid for fish, to support the North Ameri- 

 can fisheries 75,544 



Enhancement, to suport the British fisheries at home 368,668 



Enhancement, to benefit the British North American Colonies .... 86,677 

 Enhancement of Freights, to support British Shipping in the 



North American Trade 94,801 



Enhancement of price for American articles 187,576 



Enhancement of price for British articles, to support Manufac- 

 turing interests at home 372,57-5 



Enhancement of Freights, to benefit British Shipping employed 



in the European Trade ". , . 513,825 



Total sum paid by the West Indians in consequence of the 



restrictions on their Trade 1,399,665 



