336 
now look forward to with confi- 
dence, namely, a permanent mo- 
nopoly of sugars and colonial pro- 
duce. Although in those lights they 
may be considered as the principal 
“gainers by the war, yet did they ap- 
pear very unwilling te contribute 
their proportion to its vast expences. 
A spirit of discontent, broke out 
with considerable violence in Ja- 
maica, where the members ‘of the 
assembly positively refused to grant 
the necessary supplies, for the main- 
tenance of 5000 troops. ‘To the long 
and laboured reply made to the re- 
quisition of government for that pur- 
pose, they concluded by stating, that 
their resistance to the measure was 
founded on constitutional right 
and justice; but that, if they could 
be induced to depart from their 
duty by an inclination to comply 
with the demand in question, the 
circumstances in which the country 
was at present involved, from the 
great depression of the price of its 
staple article of commerce—the 
‘exorbitant rise in all articles of 
British and Irish merchandize im- 
ported—the advanced prices of 
every article necessary for culti- 
vation and subsistence—the injuri- 
ous regulations and restrictions 
on its produce in the British mar- 
ket—the ruinous and oppressive 
qguties existing and likely to be in- 
creased on iis imports and experts 
fo Great Britain—the difficulties 
attending its commercial inter- 
course with the American. states, 
whence many most essential articles 
necessary for carrying on the culti- 
vation of their plantations, and for 
the subsistence of the inhabitants 
of all descriptions, can alone be ob- 
tained, arising from the prohibition 
to export any article of their staple 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1803. 
productions, excepting rum and 
molasses, in American hottoms— 
and the pressure of a very heavy 
existing debt, for which a high rate 
of intérest was paid, rendered it 
altogether totally impossible for the 
island to incur such an enormous 
amount of additional taxes,as would 
be necessarily required to support 
such an expensive increase of estab- 
lishment. The language and tone 
of this answer, or rather remon- 
strance, appears to be that of com- 
plete dissatisfaction with the whole 
system of the mother country with 
respect to her colonies. Several 
other papers were also printed at 
the same time in defence of their 
conduct, wherein they stated, that 
the vast advantages derived by Bri- 
tain from the monopoly of their 
trade, and the revenue raised on 
the importation of their produce, 
were fully adequate contributions 
from them to the general expences 
of the empire. 
How far the state of the island 
could afford the military establish- 
ment proposed by the governor, : it 
is impossible for us accurately to 
determine; but we can never ad- 
mit the principle, that a colony, 
however rich and flourishing, is 
always to continue a dead expence 
and incumbrance to the parent 
country, and not to contnbute its 
proportion for its own protection and 
security, or even for the general ° 
good of that empire, whose collect- 
ed strength is the protection of 
every part of its possessions, how- 
ever minute or consequential. 
Those uneasinesses to which we 
have adyerted, continued without 
apy intermission throughout the 
whole of the year, and in the 
month of December, when the 
governor 
