232 TlMEHRI. 



rule supplies of provisions came in, but this new change 

 of affairs raised the prices of everything to the highest 

 point, and this lasted until the necessary supplies could 

 be procured from the islands first and afterwards from 

 Europe in neutral vessels. 



" The re-taking of the colonies by the French caused 

 great suffering, from which we had been free under the 

 English ; the English Governor came alone, and, having 

 no soldiers, did not think of building a fort, but the 

 French being in a different position, their first care was 

 to fortify the colony, for which the planters were obliged 

 to furnish slaves, so that during 1782 and 1783, thirty 

 thousand days of slave labour were supplied by them. 

 To these hardships must be added a double head-tax in 

 1 782-3, and a great loss to the planters from their produce 

 being transported under neutral flags, by which the net 

 returns of sugar were reduced to almost nothing, and 

 cotton and coffee to half their value. 



"The planters and inhabitants dare flatter themselves 

 that their High Mightinesses will take all these things 

 into their favourable consideration, and treat their far- 

 away subjects equally with those at home when storms 

 and inundations have occurred in some of the provinces, 

 by permitting the remission of all head-money for one 

 year, the granting of which they hereby implore from 

 their High Mightinesses." 



It appears that the planters were very pleased when 

 they heard of the deliberations at the Hague in 1783, 

 but grievously disappointed on hearing the results, which 

 alas, instead of improving, had put matters on a worse 

 footing. The Council of Ten, instead of carrying out 

 the recommendations of the Hague Committee, had 



