574 A. D. 1775. 



' The cafh, or fpecie, of the American ftates, previous to the non- 

 ' importation ad, which took place in 1775, is computed to have been 

 * between two and three milHons *.' 



The legiflature of Jamaica having in February 1774 laid a duty of 

 £2 currency, in addition to thofe already fubfifting, upon every negro 

 imported, the merchants of London, Briftol, and Liverpool, engaged in 

 the African trade, rook the alarm, and petitioned againft it. 



It was alleged by the agent for the ifland, that they could find no 

 other means of raifing money fo ready, that the duty complained of was 

 in fad not paid by the importer, but by the ' conjumer ,'f and that the 

 flave-merchants never failed to charge the buyers with the duty in ad- 

 dition to the flipulated price of the flaves. In December 1774 they 

 laid a ftill higher duty of ^^5 on the importation of negroes above 

 thirty years of age, which was equal to a prohibition. This was repre- 

 fented by the agent, not as a meafure of revenue, but of felf preferva- 

 tion, being intended to check the exceffive importation of negroes, 

 which, fince the great demand occafioned by fettling the ceded iflands 

 had ceafed, was become an objed of terrible apprehenfion. He ftated 

 the number of negroes already in the ifland to be nearly 220,000 J, of 

 whom 52,500 were fencible men ; while the number of white people 

 of every defcription did not exceed 16,000. After confidering the ar- 

 guments on both fides, diredions were fent to the governor of Jamaica 

 to prevent the continuance of the tax. 



Some time after a report was fent home from Jamaica, exhibiting the 

 number of negroes imported into the ifland, and alfo the number ex- 

 ported, from the year 1702 to 1775, both inclufive. In 1702 only 843 

 negroes were imported, and 327 were exported. There was then no 

 duty on their importation or exportation. In no other year is the num- 

 ber imported fo low as 2,200. In 1 719 a duty was impofed of 5/ a- 

 head, which next year was raifed to \of; and that fame year a duty of 

 20/" a-head was laid on the exportation of negroes. About this time 

 the annual importation was from five to above feven thoufand ; but it 

 increafed afterwards to eight or ten thoufand annually, and continued 

 fluduating nearly about thefe numbers till the year 1774, when the 

 heavy duty of j^2 : 10 : o took place, and then it rofe to the unexampled 

 number of 18,448, the number exported that year being only 2,511, 

 though a drawback of £1 was allowed on exportation. The whole 

 number of negroes imported from the beginning of 1702 to the end of 



• I have copied thefe words from Lord Shef- real money in thofe dates was lefs in 1791 than in 



field. \Obfcrvat\ons on the commerce of America, p. 1775? 



ZlOyfixtb eJ.^ But Mr. Coxe fays, that eftimatcs, f Was this word happily, or unhappily, chofen ? 

 carefully made, appear to warrant a belief that the j If fo, above half the number of negroes im- 

 current fpecieof the United rtatesin theyear 1791 ported fnice the year 1702 (fee the next para- 

 was about feren millions of dollars, or a million and graph) mull have died without leaving progeny, 

 a half of guineas. IFieiu of the United Jlates, p. and all the ilFue of the wiiijle, or numbers cquiva- 

 35Z.J Can it be fuppofcd that the quantity of lent, mull have perifhed. 4 



