ASS 



ASSIENTO, orAssicNTA, in matters of (?^)»im^;w, a 

 Contrail or coiivoiitioii between the king of Spam and 

 otlier powers for furniniliig the Spanith dominions in Ame- 

 rica uit!i neijro i1.ives. 



The term is originally Spanifli, and fignifies a bargain : 

 accordinjjly the lir!l aliiento was a treaty or contraft made 

 witii the French Gninea company whereby they were put 

 in pofltffion of this privilege, in conlidcration of a certain 

 duty which they were to pay to the king of Spain's farms, 

 for every negro thus furnifhtd. 



Tiie Spaninrds, having almoft deftroyed the natural 

 inhabitants of Sjianilh America, have been many years, and 

 ttill arc obliged to perform the work of their mines, and 

 other laborious biifnufs, by negroes, of whjm they could 

 fcarce ever, obtain the number they have wanted : and it is 

 certain, if they were fully fupplicd, they would get yearly 

 above twice the filver perhaps they now do, or have done 

 for many years p;i(L It nuiit be confcfied, they have ufcd 

 variety of mtafures to obtain them. The Genoefc under- 

 took to fupply them at a concerted price between them ; 

 for which end they formed a company called the afTiento, 

 who had their fadlors at Jamaica, Cnrafoa, and Brafil ; but 

 by their ill management made nothing of this contract ; nor 

 did tlteir fucceli'ors the Portuguefe. After them it fell in- 

 to the hands of the French, who made fo much of it, that 

 they were enabled, by a computation made from the regif- 

 ters of Spain, to impojt into the French dominions, no leis 

 than 204,000,00: of pieces of eight. Yet they at length 

 overglutted the market, and became fuffercrs towards the 

 conclulion. 



By the treaty of Utrecht, Philip V. being declared king 

 of Spain by tiie allies, it was one of the articles of the peace 

 between England and France, that the alTientoeontriicl fhould 

 be transferred to the Engli'h. Accordingly a new inllru- 

 ^ment was figned in May 171 3, to lall thirty years ; and the 

 furnidiing of negroes to Spanilh America was committed 

 to the South-fea Company, jull then ercfted ; though the 

 full convention for this purpofe was made in or about the 

 year 16S9. ^ 



In virtue whereof they were yearly to furnilh 4800 ne- 

 groes ; for which they were to pay at the fame rate as the 

 French, with this condition, that during the firft twenty- 

 five years, onlylialf the duty fliall be paid for fueh as tliey 

 fliall import beyond the ilated number. 



The lad article gives them a farther privilege not en- 

 joyed by the French ; which is, that the EngliPn afiientids 

 ihall be allowed, every year, to fend to the Spanidi America 

 a (hip of five hundred tons, loadtn with the fame commodi- 

 ties as the Spaniards ufuully carry thither ; with a licence 

 to fell the fame concurrently with them, at the fairs of Porto 

 Bello, Carthagena, and Vera Cruz. This additional article 

 was fuppoled as advantagfous to the company, as the wliole 

 contrail befides ; being granted contrary to the ufual Spanilh 

 policy, which has evi;r folicitoully prcfervtd the commerce 

 of their America to themfelvcs. 



Some new articles were afterwards added to the ancient 

 afTiento ; as, that the Englifh (lionld fend their regifter-fiiip 

 yearly, even though the Spanifli flota and galleons did not 

 go ; and that, tor the firft ten years, the faid fliip might be 

 of 650 tons. 



Finally, as the vSouth-fea company had on the whole been 

 Jof»;rs by their trade, and at the time of the treaty of Aix- 

 Ja Chapelle, in 174S, they had or.ly four years more of their 

 affiento term remaining (the war between Spain and England 

 having connnenced in J 739, and interrupted the continuance 

 of it), which Spain was determined not to renew, at leall 

 j!ot on any promifing terras j for thefe and other reafons, it 



ASS 



was concluded by the Britllh court to inflruft her tniniftef 

 at Madrid, to obtain the bell equivalent that could be pro- 

 cured for the remaining Ihort time of the company's afiicnto 

 contract. 



By the treaty of Madrid, concluded on the 5th of Ofto- 

 ber 1750, it was agreed that his Britannic majelly P.ioulJ 

 yield to his Catholic majefly his right to the enjoyment of 

 the alliento (if negroes, and of the annual (liip, during the 

 four years Uipulated by the treaty of Aix-la-Chapelie ; and 

 in conlidcration of a compenfation of 100,000 1. (lerling to bs 

 paid by his Catholic majelly to the South-fea company with- 

 in three months, his Britannic majelly agreed to furrender to 

 him all that might be due to that'company for balance of 

 accounts, or in any manner arifmg from the faid afp.ento ; 

 thus all claims, in confcqucnce of this contrail, were finally 

 aboliihed, and a period was put to all the foreign commerce 

 of the South-fea company. 



In confequence of the affiento conveyed to Great Britain 

 by Philip v., Britifli failorieswere ellabliflied at Carthagena, 

 Pan;mia, Vera Cruz, Buenos Ayres, and other Spanifli fet- 

 tlcnients. The veil with which Spain had before this tim.e 

 covered the ilate and tranfadlions of her colonies, was re- 

 moved. The agents of a rival nation, refiding in the towns 

 of moll extcniivc trade, and of chief rcfort, had the bed op- 

 portunities of becoming acquainted with the interior condi- 

 tion of the American provinces, of obferving their dated 

 and occafional wants, and of knowing what commodities 

 might he imported into them with the greatell advantage. 

 In confequence of information fo authentic and expeditious, 

 the merchants of Jamaica, and other Englidi colonies who 

 traded to the Spanifli main, were enabled to affort and pro- 

 portion their cargoes fo exailly to the demands of the mer- 

 chants, that the contraband commerce w as carried on with 

 a facility, and to an extent, unknown in any former period. 

 Befides, the agents of the BritiHi South-fea com.pany, under 

 cover of the importation which they were authorifed to make 

 by til'; (hip aunually lent to Porto Bello, poured in their 

 commodities on the Spanilh continent, without limitatioa 

 or rellraint. Indead of a (liip of 500 tons as llipulatetl in 

 the treaty, they ufually employed one which exceeded 900 

 tons in burden. She was accompanied by two or three 

 fmaller veffels, which mooring in fome neighbouring creek, 

 fupplied her clandellinely with frcih bales of goods, to re- 

 place fuch as were fold. The iufpeclors of the fair, and 

 officers of the revenue gained by exorbitant prefents, con- 

 nived at the fraud. The compaiiy itfclf, however, fudahied 

 a confiderable lofs by the affiento trade ; W'hilll many of its 

 fervants acquired immenfe fortunes. Thus, partly by the 

 operations of the company, and partly by the adlivity of 

 private interlopers, almod the vifliole trade of Spanifli Ame- 

 rica was ingroiTed by foreigners. The immenfe commerce 

 of the galleons, formerly the pride of Spain, and the envy of 

 other nations, funk to nothiifg ; »md the fquadron itfelf ii-- 

 duced from 15000 to 2000 tons fervcd hardly any purpofi , 

 about the year 1737, but to fetch home the royal revcnvie 

 ariling from the fifth, or filver. In order to prevent thefe eii- 

 croaclimcnts, Spain llationcd (hips of force, under the appel- 

 lation of " Guarda Coftas," on the coafls of thofc provinces 

 which were mofl frequented by interlopers. The captain; 

 of thefe guarda codas, by feveral unjudifiable ails of violence, 

 precipitated Grtat Britain into a war with Spain ; in confe- 

 quence of which the latter obtained a final releafe from the 

 affiento, as we have above related, and was left at liberty to 

 regulate the commerce of her colonies, without being re- 

 ftrained by any engagement with a foreign power. Ander- 

 fon's Commerce, vol. iii. P.37H. Robcrtfon's Hid. Amcr. 

 vol. iii. p. 378, &c. 



AsElEJJTO, 



