712 A. D. 1701. 



&c. Its foil is good ; and the colony might be confiderably augment- 

 ed.' 



' 3. Martinique is the principal colony : about 60 leagues in circuit; 

 has a good foil, abounding in fugar and cacao, with fome indigo, cot- 

 ton, &c. It had 'formerly 3500 men bearing arms, and 16,000 ne- 

 groes. It has three good harbours, fundry good roads for (hipping, 

 and two fmall unwalled towns, with a good fort at Cul-de-fac-royal.' 

 ' 4. Guadaloupe has a pretty good foil, producing fine fugar, cotton, 

 and ginger. It is not peopled; though it had formerly 1500 men 

 bearing arms, and 8000 negroes.' 



' 5. Marigalante has a pretty good foil, which produces fugar, indigo, 

 cotton, and ginger. It was taken in the laft war by the Englifh, who 

 afterwards abandoned it ; though it has not been able to recover itfelf, 

 having but three or four fugar plantations as yet.' 

 ' 6. Santa-Cruz had formerly 600 men bearing arms, and many fu- 

 gar plantations. It was abandoned laft war, becaufe difficult to be 

 kept ; and its inhabitants tranfported to St. Domingo. Yet this is a 

 very good ifland, producing fugar, indigo, and cotton ; has a good 

 and fafe harbour, and a very good bafon for careening fliips.' 

 ' 7, The laft colony 'of St. Domingo, or Hifpaniola ; about 500 

 leagues in circuit. The one half of it is poflefted by France, from 

 Cape Francois to the ifle of Vaches, and the Spaniards have the other 

 half. At Cape Franyois there is a good port, 900 men bearing arms, 

 and 2000 negroes. The diftrift of Leogane is confiderable : it is the 

 feat of the French governor and fovereign courts : it has 2000 men 

 bearing arms, and 15,000 negi-oes. Petit-guaves has a good port; 

 has 600 whites, and 2000 negroes. There are ferae other ifles, as Les 

 Saintes, St. Martin, and St. Bartholomew ; but of very Httle import- 

 ance, and almoft uninhabited.' 

 After reflections on thofe iflands being badly conduced by a com- 

 pany, and of the felfiflmefs, &c. of exclufive companies in general, they 

 add, ' it is not the Canada company's fiiult too, that that colony is not 

 ' entirely ruined. It is' (fay they) ' a moft certain maxim, that no- 

 ' thing but competition and liberty in trade can render commerce benefi- 

 ' cial to the Jlate ; and that all monopolies or traffic, appropriated to com- 

 ' panics exchifive of others, are inconceivably burdenfome and pernicious 

 ' to it.' Next they condemn the ' Guinea company, as enhancing 

 ' the price of negroes. And that, in time of war, (like the dog in the 

 ' manger) they would neither carry negroes from Guinea themfelves, 

 ' nor fuffer others fo to do, being poflefted of exclufive powers : that 

 ' the many prizes, taken in the laft war from the Englifli, have ftiewn 

 ' to France how rich and ufeful that commerce is. Wherefor they 

 ' advife the abolition of all companies. Alfo to lower the duty on fu- 

 ' gar, and permit French fliips to carry that commodity to foreign 



