75 



eighty per cent, on its marketable value, 

 when manufactured. 



It is carefully cultivated in all the French 

 and Spanish settlements in the warmer parts 

 of America. For what reason our ministerial 

 policy should have so widely differed from 

 that of the neighbouring courts, I am unable 

 to guess ; but I trust that the alteration which 

 has lately taken place in the duty on cho- 

 colate, will prove a benefit to our revenue, 

 an advantage to our colonies, and a credit to 

 the ministers who adopted this measure. 



It is certain that the cultivation of the 



cacas plantation was both extensive and 



successful in the British sugar islands, for 



many years after they had become subject 



to our government. Blome, who published 



a short account of Jamaica in 1672, speaks 



of cacas as being at that time one of the 



chief articles of export: " There are/' says 



he, " in this island, at this time, about sixty 



cacas walks, and many more now planting/' 



At present, I believe, there is not a single 



cacas plantation from one end of Jamaica 



to the other. A few scattered trees, here 



and there, are all that remain of those 



flourishing and beautiful groves which were 



once the pride and boast of the country. 



" They have withered with the indigo ma- 



