A. D. 1770. 505 



may fome time ftaive the people, and drive the negroes into rebellion. 

 He propofes the erection of a light-houfe, as a thing abfolutely necefTary: 

 and in time of war, he fays, the iflands fliould never be without a fri- 

 gate. He obfcrves, that notwithflanding the general poverty there is no 

 money fmaller than a half real, and he recommends the introduction of 

 copper halfpence. 



The governor of the Bahama iflands fufpeding, that a great deal of 

 illicit trade was going on at Turks iflands, applied to Captain Wallace 

 of the navy, who fent Lieutenant Dundas in an armed fchooner up to 

 thofe iflands, where he feized a fnow called the Friendfliip ; and the 

 fame officer foon after feized a brig called the Edinburgh in the harbour 

 of New-Providence : and both veflels were condemned in the court of 

 admiralty for taking onboard foreign produce and other goods prohib- 

 ited by law at Turks iflands. 



Sir William Trelawney, governor of Jamaica, reported, that the coun- 

 ty of Cornwall in the wefl; end of the ifland was now fo much improved 

 as to make three fevenths of the whole produce of the ifland. He alfo 

 reprefented the profperity of the north fide of the ifland to be fo much 

 advanced by the great number of new plantations within ten miles of 

 the fea, and by the increafe of commerce at the free ports of Montego 

 bay and Lucea, as to be well worthy of the fpecial protedion of govern- 

 ment by ftationing fome fhlps of war at Port Antonio. ' The almoft: 



* total neglect of this place about the year 1748, it was fuppofed, was 

 ' chiefly owing to the uncultivated condition of the parts about it, the 

 ' people being then fcarcely recovered from their fears of the rebellious 

 ' negroes, and unwilling to rifque precarious fettlements. It is faid 

 ' moreover that the place was unhealthy, that his Majefliy's fliips were 

 ' with diflicuky fupplied with frefla provifions, and that the communi- 

 ' cation by land with Port- Royal was extremely bad. But thefe objec- 

 ' tions are now in a great meafurc, if not totally, removed; for the ad- 



* joining country being now cleared, the rains are become lefs frequent, 



* and the place as wholefome as any other part of the ifland. Very 

 ' large and fruitful pens are now in the neighbourhood, fufficient to 



** fupply with vegetables :md cattle any number of fliips ftationcd there: 



* and confidcrable grants of money have been made by the aflembly, 



* and expended in making good roads from that port 10 the fouthern 

 ' parts of the illmid.' 



In confequencc of an importation from North-America to Jamaica of 

 Spanifli gold coins, which had been mutilated to, or originally manu- 

 factured of, about three fourths of the real value (the irregular form of 

 the Spanifli hammered money encouraging fuch frauds) the alfembly of 

 Jamaica paflcd a fevcre acT: againfl clipping, diminifliing, or forging, the 

 foreign coins currrent in the ifland, or importing fiich deficient coins. 

 In the later end of the year the thriving new fug;ir colony of Toba— 

 Vol. III. " 3 S 



