88 ■ JAMAICA. 



" in his Catholic majefty's fervice, until further iuftruftions n-JOoU 



*' be given concerning them." 



There needs no (Ironger proof to fhew, that this thievifii prntlice, 

 •fo repugnant to tiic good faith that ou;;ht to fublift between tv;o 

 nations in amity, fo dcftrudive of the Britifli commc rce, fo incon- 

 fiftent with the rules of honefty, that, if it occurred between two 

 private Individuals, the offender would juftly be deemed a felon ; 

 there needs, I fiy, no fuller evidence, that this diflionourable po- 

 licy is countenanced, avowed, and dev.nJed, by the SpaniHi go- 

 vernment. It is plain, that his Catholic majefty's inftruiflions are 

 diredly leveled againft all the Brithh colonies : no mention is made 

 of any other; and probably none other are included in them. We 

 may likewife obferve the latitude of the words : •' coming in what 

 " manner foever ;" under the implication of which are certainly 

 meant, not only thole who voluntarily defert or run away, but all 

 others who are either trepanned, or violently brought away, by his 

 own Spanifli fubjefts : and theie Negroes are to be employed im- 

 mediately in the king's fervice. Whence it is plain, that every 

 Spaniard mud efteem this as an encouragement to him ; nay, he 

 muft think he performs his duty to his lovereign, as a zealous fub- 

 je£t ought to do, in taking all oppoitunities, that happen within 

 his power, to inveigle and fteal away Negroes from the Britifli 

 planters, for the benefit of his monarch's fervice. Unhappily, Ja- 

 maica lies more convenient in its lituation, than any other, for fa- 

 vouring thcfe depredations. One would think, that fo peretflptory 

 an avowal of what is apparently unjuilifiable in itfelf would be 

 fufficient to alarm a Brltilh miniftry, and lead them at leafl to re- 

 fleft, that the emigration of all the Negroes from Jamaica to Cuba 

 is at leaft fojjible ; more efpccially, as the Spaniards boldly allert their 

 intentions to get pofieffion of theiii by all pofTible ways and means ; 

 and that, after they have feduced, or ftolen away, thefe Negroes, 

 or only the major part of them, they will have much lefs difficulty 

 in gaining pofleffion of the ifland itfelf; which is an obje£l that, we 

 have juft apprehenfion for believing, they have all along held in 

 view. If, indeed, they fhould be fuccefsful enough in difpeopling 

 it of the Negroes, we need not hefitate to let them take the land 

 into the bvirgain. I have beard the number of them purloined from 



the 



