266 TIMEHRI. 
sible, for it is with these that all the disorders originate 
that render such plans futile. 
On this subjeét a few words will be necessary concern- 
ing the granting of lands. It is well known, that with 
little labour, virgin land yields a great proportion of pro- 
duce, whereas lands that have been long cultivated 
require double or treble the labour to give the same 
return. Notwithstanding this the British Government 
refuses to make grants of the new or forest lands for pur- 
poses of general cultivation, on the humane plea of not 
increasing the labour of the negro beyond his present 
proportion. The absurdity of this measure shows the 
folly of legislating in detail for the Colonies on the other 
side of the water, since it is evident that if a planter is 
obliged to send home 500 hhds. of sugar from an estate 
that has been long planted he must keep 500 acres of 
cane in cultivation. Whereas if he is allowed to culti- 
vate new land, 250 acres will give the same return, by 
which the labour of his negroes is diminished one-half. 
The inhumanity of the restri€tion is evident, and where 
the quantity of fine land is so very over proportioned to 
the number of negroes it oughc to be the policy of 
Government to give the greatest range of choice, and 
rather to encourage the removal of negroes from worn 
out estates, where the labour becomes every day more 
severe, to newer and richer portions of soil, where the 
labour for the same return is much less. The same 
train of argument applies to the stoppage of the impor- 
tation of negroes from the W. I. Islands. 
Most estates are mortgaged to certain Houses till such 
mortgage is paid, The original slave population being cal- 
culated more for immediate returns of labour, than for the 
