HISTORICAL OUTLINE. 
17 
either sex, being a Eoman Catholic, a free grant of thirty- 
two acres, and half that quantity for every slave that 
should be possessed ; and to each free coloured person of 
either sex half the quantity of land granted to whites, 
and, similarly, half the quantity for each slave. Article 
Six stipulated that no personal tax should he levied on 
the settlers, except an impost of one dollar for each 
slave, but this only after the new settler had been ten 
years in the colony. They were also exempted from 
various other taxes for the same period of ten years. 
The total population was, in 1783, 2,765 — viz., 126 
whites, 295 free coloured, 310 slaves, and 2,032 Indians. 
This liberal measure induced a steady influx of popu- 
lation from Grenada, St. Lucia, Martinique, Guadaloupe, 
and San Domingo, so that in 1798 the population had 
increased to 17,718 individuals, of whom 2,151 were 
whites, 1,082 Indians, 4,476 free people of colour, and 
10,000 slaves. The colony, in the meantime, had rapidly 
progressed, being Trench in everything but government ; 
in fact, the French had, in a great measure, superseded 
the Spanish language, and all public documents were 
published in both languages. Even after the capitula- 
tion of the island to the British forces, the French idiom 
was preserved, together with that of the conquerors, for 
all public purposes, until the year 1823, when the English 
language was exclusively adopted. 
It appears that it was only in the year 1730 that a 
governor was appointed, for the first time, to administer 
the affairs of the island, and from that date to the year 
1784 thirteen governors successively filled office. In 
September, 1784, Don Jose de Chacon entered on the 
administration of the colony, and that at a very critical 
moment. England being then at war with Spain, a 
British expedition, consisting of twenty vessels and about 
10,000 men, sailed from Martinique in February, 1797, 
under Admiral Harve}^ and General Sir Pialph Aber- 
crombie, to take possession of Trinidad. The island was 
defended by five men-of-war and about 2,200 troops. 
c 
