﻿

. 





22 



T H 



V 



H 



O R 



community, and fettled (6 



as 



fall chiefly upon the luxury, or neglect of the 



inhabitants. The difpolition, and manner of railing them at prefent is as fol 



lows 



VIZ. 



\ft, By duties on wine, rum, and other fpirituous liquors fold by 



they raife 



abouc 8000 I. per annum, at a medium for the lafl three years 5 of which extraordinary 

 ium the town of King/ion alone contributes about 115/. every week. 





idly, By a deficiency 



or tax 



d 



fuch 



d 



keep and 



number of white fervants, proportioned to the number of their flaves and cattle. 

 This tax was firft inftituted to promote the importation of white people ; and to 

 oblige every man of interefl to encourage them, both for the fafety and welfare of 



the colony -, but the neglect of the public on this occafion, now prod 



fettled 



of about 8000 /. a year 



medium 



whic 



^dfy, By an impoft of twenty, thirty, or forty {hillings per head, laid on imported 

 Negroes, which feldom fails to amount to about 7500 /. per annum, at a medium. 



Thefe levies alone make up a revenue of about 23500 /. per annum, 

 ways employed to promote the public happinefs, and to encourage and reward in- 

 duftry : out of this the governor for the time being, is generally complimented 

 with an additional falary of 2500 /. a year 5 and every officer in the regiment with an 



annual prefent 



tier, to relieve 



and it ferves alfo 



g 



decent encouragement to the new fet- 



the diflrefled, and to promote the labours of the induft 



1 



/ 





T. 



IV. 



* 4 



Of the Inhabitants y Manner of livingy and natural Curiafities 



of the Ifland. 





hitherto laboured to give a clear and fetisfactory idea of the Ifland of 



Have 



Jamaica, with regard to its government, foil, revenues, prod 

 in this I hope I have fucceeded to the fatisfaction of every man who does 



nd trade 



pect a volume on this fubject 



I muft now endeav 



to 



give 



fome 



ac 



of its inhabitants, and I hope every considerate perfon who obferves the me 





thod I have hitherto followed, will not expect that I fhould enter 



any parti 



details here : a general idea of the whole, is what I defigned to communicate 

 and the people in all countries, may be divided into clafles that have fome general uni 

 formity in their fentiments and actions, fufficient to convey a very fatisfactory 



kind 



d 



of that fort. The method I thought natural in a performance of th 



have for that reafon, endeavoured to follow it in the difpolition of the fucceed- 



ing lines. 



Tho' the inhabitants of this Ifland, may be naturally enough diflinguifhed by their 



parent countries into Englijh, Irtjh, Scotch, and natives the defcendants of all. I fhall 



for the prefent deem them but one united people, whom I fhall clafs 



fettlers. merch 



plant 



and dependents ; the moil natural diftinctions to communicate 



fatisfadtory idea of the colony 



Many of the planters are men of very extraordinary fortunes, but the major part 



though 



and 



eafy circumfta 



feldom 



of debt : for 



charges 



attending a fugar fettlement, are very confiderable, and conftant ; the interefl of money 



h, and their natural propenfity. to increafe their pofTemons, conflantly engag 



erv 



ing them in new difburfements and contracts. They are generally men of a free and 



open difpofition, friendly where they take, honefl in their deal 



when the demands does not exceed their ability 



and punctual 



new purchafe engage the pro 



duce of the year ; they are obferved to be remarkably fond of grandeur and diftinc 



tion, 



















r 



