700 A. D. 1 78 1. 



December 12"" — Admiral Kempenfelt fell in with a French fleet with 

 a great number of tranfports under convoy : and, though the French 

 were greatly fuperior to him in force, he took fourteen of the tranf- 

 ports ; and five more of them were taken fome days after by two fhips 

 of his fquadron. The prizes were filled with foldiers, artillery, and 

 ordinance ftores ; and the capture may be confidered as an event of im- 

 portance in commercial hiftory, as it was probably the means of faving 

 fome of our remaining pofTeflions in the Wefi:-Indies, perhaps Jamaica 

 itfelf, from falling into the hands of the enemy. 



Such was at this time the glut of Britifli manufadures, and of import- 

 ed goods in general, in the few ports of America, which were under the 

 Britifli dominion, owing to the exceflive fpirit of adventure *, and pro- 

 bably alfo to the large fales of goods greatly under value at S'. Euftathius, 

 that fpeculators, efpecially in New York, found, they could employ their 

 money much more advantageoufly in buying goods on the fpot, which 

 were every day felling under their original coft, than by importing them. 



The antient colony of Barbados contains only 106,470 acres of land, 

 and it has at all times been more populous than any other of the fugar 

 iflands, and, perhaps I might add, more populous than mod parts of 

 Europe, exclufive of great towns. About the year 1670 it is faid to 

 have had 50,000 white, and above 100,000 black, inhabitants; but 

 from the following enumerations, it will appear that thefe numbers 

 nuifi: have been greatly exaggerated. 



The population of Barbados was in 



Wliiie inhabitants. Free people of colour. Slaves. Total. 



1676 - 21,725 - - - 32,473 



J712 - 12,528 - . _ 41,970 



1748 by a Uft - 15,252 107 47.025 



Thefe numbers being made up for the purpofe of taxation, flaves 

 under age were exempted, and the lifts were further falfified by conceal- 

 ments. Governor Grenville reported the real numbers in i 748 to be 



25,000 white and - - 68,000 flaves. 

 In i768they were 16,139 448 - 66,379 " 82,966 



»773 - 18,532 - ._ - 68,548 



From the apparent carelefs manner, in which thefe accounts, at leafl: 

 the earlier ones, have been made up, little dependence can be placed 

 upon them for judging of the progreflive ftate of Barbados. The exports 

 of fugar, the principal ftaple of the ifland, will furniflia better ftandard. 

 According toPoftlethwayte, there were in the year 1736 



22,769 hogflieads containing 295,997 cwts. 

 and on an average of eight 

 years 1740-1 748 they were 

 only i3>948 209,220 



* See the exports to New York, &c. in the tabic at the end of tliis year. 



