COLONY. 



751 



Coiony. greatly exceeded our means of consumption. The planter 

 """Y""" 1 has accordingly been repeatedly forced to send home his 

 produce without obtaining any profit whatever. No 

 consideration of sympathy towards these our unfortunate 

 countrymen was sufficient to overcome the inveteracy of 

 long established prejudice. Our ministers were prevent- 

 ed, by apprehension of clamour, from making any relaxa- 

 tion in the provisions of the law ; and the landed interest, 

 instigated apparently by selfish individuals, acted a part 

 wholly unsuitable to their general character. On two oc- 

 asions, in 1808 and 1811, they mustered all their parlia- 

 mentary strength to prevent the substitution of sugar for 

 corn in the distillery, although examples of the suffer- 

 ings of the poor from deficiency of provision were fresh 

 in their recollection. 



Another class of " enumerated" commodities was 

 composed, not of the produce of a tropical climate, but 

 of articles of northern growth, such as naval stores, 

 hip-timber, iron, copper, &c. Of these, likewise, we 

 coinpellid the importation into Britain exclusively, in 

 consideration of the inadequacy of our own growth for 

 our consumption, and of the advantage of increasing our 

 mercantile navy, by confining to British ships the car- 

 riage of articles which might otherwise be brought to us 

 in the vessels of foreign countries. In one point, how- 

 ever, our colonies enjoyed unlimited freedom we mean 

 an intercourse with each other. No restraint was im- 

 posed on the navigation from North America to the 

 West India islands, or vice versa, so long as the former 

 continued a part of our empire. From the spirit that 

 dictated these various acts of the legislature, it is clear, 

 that while we were always willing to fight for our co- 

 lonies, and, with our characteristic promptitude in pe- 

 cuniary contribution, had no objection to bear the chief 

 part of the burden, we never lost sight of the prospect 

 of a beneficial return in the shape of trade. We calcu- 

 lated, and, as we thought, with unerring policy, that the 

 true plan was to keep the trade almost entirely within 

 ourselves. Hence our resolute adherence to the rule of 

 excluding other nations ; hence also our obstinate pro- 

 secution of the war to bring back the Americana to a 

 state of dependence. We had yet to learn that they 

 might become more profitable to us in a separate and in- 

 dependent situation ; a point which shall be forthwith 

 illustrated in the concluding part. See the General Ob- 

 .tervalions on Colonies, p. 756. 



\V 0,all i.ext present our readers with several Statis- 

 tical Tables relative to our West India colonies. 



I. Population of the British West India Islands in 180.5, 

 takrn from Bryan Eiiwardt' History, and from Lle- 

 turnt to the Ht.ute of tommont. 



In Trinidad the number of coloured people has in- Colony. 

 creased greatly of late years. ^""Y"""' 



II. Proportion of Sugar to the Land and Labour em- 

 ployed in its Cultivation in our respective Colonies. 



In Jamaica, it is computed that, on an average, one- 

 half hogshead sugar is raised per acre; two-thirds per 

 negro. 



Dominica, the same. 



Grenada, three-fourths hogsh. per negro and per acre. 



Antigua, one-third hogsh. per acre, and one-half per 

 negro. 



St Kill's, one hogsh. per acre; one-half per negro. 



St Vincent's, one hogs, and one-fourth per acre and 

 per negro. 



Tobago, one hogsh. per acre and per negro. 



III. Imports of Slaves to British West Indies, on ce- 

 Mediumoflivo Years, 1802 and 1803, from Official 

 Returnn made to Parliament. 



The most remarkable feature in this outline is the ex- 

 traordinary number of negroes imported into the Dutch 

 colonies. The slaves exported from the Bahamas went 

 partly to Cuba, partly to the United States. 



IV. Sugar Produce of Jamaica compared ivilh the Pro- 

 duce of the rest of the British (Vest Indies, agreeably 

 to Return to the Home of Commons, May 6th 1806. 



