td 



State r.f Public AfaWi In July, 7S0«. {^^g^ ^» 



mander-in-Chief in and over this his Ma- 

 jesty's Island of Jnmaica, and the territo- 

 ries thereon de;,ending in America, Chan- 

 cellor and Vice-Adinil-al of the same. 

 The humble Memorial of the Asscmblj'. 



May it plcLiseyour Honour, 

 That on acknowledging the independence 

 <)f the United States of North America, his 

 Majesty's then Ministers thought it would 

 be proper to depi-ivc them of the benefits 

 they had derived from iheir intercourse with 

 the West-India Islands whilst they compos- 

 ed part of the Kritish don^nions. 



That the inhabitants of Jamaica have evfer 

 been anxious lo promo'e the commercial 

 prosperity and augment the naval strength 

 of the empire ; but, on this occasion, they 

 represented, that Nature had denied to this 

 island the means of subsisting its population 

 lyhilst their industry was directed to the cul- 

 tivation of those staples which alone render- 

 ed it a valuable appendage to the mother- 

 country, and that it was destitute of many 

 articles of the first necessity in preparing our 

 produce for exportation. They submitted, 

 that Great Briiain, with all her rein.iining 

 ttependencies in Norlh-Ainei ica, could not 

 supply the lumber required for buildings and 

 pacKages in the towns and on the planta- 

 lions. or the provisi' ns abso'utelv necessary 

 for the existence of tlie inhabitants, and that 

 they could not be procured from the United 

 States in surficicnt abundance, unless the 

 importation should be permitted in their 

 own vessels. The clearest facts, the most 

 obvious consequences, were disregarded, 

 chiefly through delusive misrepresentations 

 from the settlers in the remaining British 

 colonies in North America, who flattered 

 themselves wiih acquiring immense wealth 

 by a monopoly ot an "extensive market 

 which they Knew must be scantily supplied. 

 After sotiie inteimediate relaxation, the in- 

 tercouise was at length co.i/ii.ed to British 

 vessels, navigaied according to l.n\ . Put- 

 ting the loss and destiuclion of property out 

 ot question, to this country the result was 

 terrible. 



It is briefly stated in a Report of a Coin- 

 mitteeot this House on the subject of the 

 Slave- Trade, which never has been, nor ne- 

 ver can be, controverted. 



' We decline (say the Committee) to 

 enlarge on the consequences which followed, 

 lest we may appear to exaggerate ; but 

 having endeavoured to compute, with as 

 much accuracy as the subject uill admit, the 

 number ot our slaves wh.se destruction may 

 be fairly attributed to the unfortunate mea- 

 sure of inteidict.mg foreign supplies, whilst 

 the country wa. suh"eri;:g under internal ca- 

 lamities, we hesitate not, afier every allow- 

 ance for adveiitiiiouscauses, to fix the whole 

 loss of lives at fifteen thousand. This num- 

 ber we firmly believe to have perished of fa- 

 mine, or ot diseases contracted by scanty 

 and unwholeson)e diet, between the latter 

 end of 1760 and the beginning of 17S7.' 



Such was the waste of life at which the 

 first experiment was made for securing to 

 Great iiritaiii the carrying-trade beuveea 



Jamaica and the United States of North- 

 America ! With the charity of Christians, 

 and loyalty which oppression could not 

 alienate, the .Assembly were willing to sup- 

 pose, that the consequences of the measures 

 adopted were not intended or foreseen ; and 

 thev are brought forward as a defence against 

 new calumnies, and not as a subject of re- 

 crimination for the destruction of their pro- 

 perty. 



It is to be recollected, that this trial was 

 made not only in the time of profound peace, 

 but commenced at the termination of the 

 American War, when a redundancy of ship- 

 ping, seainen, and capital, in the mother- 

 country, M'ere ready for anv new or advaii- 

 tatjeous commerce ; when a great addition 

 of active and enterprising adventurers were 

 poured into the remaining British colonics 

 of Norih-.America, solicitous to profit by a 

 speculation which their misrepieseniations 

 hafi contributed to set on foot. 



Finally, however, it was admitted lo be 

 vain 10 contend against the decrees of Pro- 

 vidence, which had condemned New i. runs- 

 wick and Novii Scotia to perpetual sterility, 

 atid sl-.ut up all intercourse with Canada for 

 more than half the year. When these pro- 

 vinces applied to the Legislature of the mo- 

 thercounirv for, and were allowed, liberty 

 to import lumber and provisions from the 

 tJnited States, it was thought impossible 

 that statesmen could listen to an application 

 for rendering the supply of half a million of 

 British subjects subservient to their blind 

 and indecent avarice. 



Although the expectations bf the inhabi- 

 tants of Nova Scotia, New Urunswick, and 

 Canada, WL-rc completely defeated, it must 

 be acknowledged, that the profit of the caty 

 rving-trade betwixt the United Slates or 

 North-America and the British West-India 

 colonies was for a time secured to the British 

 ship-owners. They were computed 10 get 

 about 245,000 sterling annually, and per- 

 haps the inhabitants of this country only 

 paid about double the freight which the ar- 

 ticles wouUl have cost if imported in Ameri- 

 can vessels. This, however, was during 

 peace. 



When the late war with France com- 

 menced, notwithstanding the immense su- 

 periority ol Great Britain by .sea, and the ad- 

 vantages of an established and regular inter- 

 course, the national shipping gradually dis- 

 appeared. The increasing exigencies and 

 diminished supplies induced the Right Ho- 

 nourable the Earl of Balcarres to assume the 

 responsibility of providing for the wants of 

 the country co.fided to his care, by opening 

 the ports of this island to American ship- 

 ping. 



By thiswise and necessary measure, a se- 

 cond famine was averted ; and, during a 

 period of great diflicuhy, the agricultural 

 capital of the country has been preserved, 

 and the planters look forward to better times 

 to disencumber themselves from the debts 

 aftl-cting it. 



It is our painful duty to represent, that, 

 bv recurring 10 the system of restriction for- 

 merly trjedj the same coniequtnces mu^t 



follow 



