J 



5,8 JAMAICA. 



treaty ; and betook themfelves, 

 fome to planting, and lb incor- 

 porated with the land-men ; and 

 fome to piracy in other parts of 

 the Weft-Indies, — 5°^ 



5,026 



Women and children — I2JH 

 and the whole number appears 



to have been about — 7,539; by fome, computed 10,000. 



Several defertions happened aboutlhiFtime and afterwards, in con- 

 fequence of fome arbitrary meafures of government ; which doubt- 

 lefs reduced the number, and retarded the increafe of the colony: 

 the number which left the ifland was computed at five hundred or 

 upwards. 



About the year 1702, the Negroes imported were S43, exported 

 27; fo that no more than 516 remained to fupply all the planta- 

 tions in the ifland. Even in 1720, their confumption amounted to 

 no more than 2,249; ^""^ i" ^734' ^° 2,904. If therefore we con- 

 fider the demand for Negroes, as one fure teft to judge of the in- 

 creafing population of a Weft-India colony, which it manifeftly is; 

 and that the inhabitants were all this while kept almoft perpetually 

 in arms, to oppofe the Marons, who deftroyed many infant fettle- 

 ments, and hindered others from being formed ; I do not think, that 

 the number of Whites can be fuppofed to have rifcn at any time 

 much above 8, or 9,000, until the pacification with thofe difturbers. 

 The author of an ingenious tra£t (entitled " Account of the 

 European fettlements in America") allots 25,000 Whites to Jamaica. 

 If he had meant all the refident Whites, and thofe of white extrac- 

 tion, he would not probably have been very wide of the true ftate ; 

 but, if his eftimate includes none other than the unmixed Whites, 

 1 judge it much too high an allowance, and the rather, as he has 

 not favoured us with any Jaia, or grounds whereby we might exa- 

 mine how far it fhould be relied on. 



For a general rule of loofe calculation, perhaps allowing nine 

 Whites to everyone hundred Blacks, will come neareft toexaftnefs. 

 To take one example, the board of trade rcprefented the number 

 to be 7,644 in the year 1734. In that year, the number of Negroe 



flaves 



