WEST INDIES. 
CHAP. V.] 
299 
It might indeed be alleged, and with great truth, 
that nothing can more clearly expose the nakedness 
of that doctrine which affects to consider the sugar 
islands as unprofitable to the nation, than a plain 
and simple display of the productions which they 
furnish, the market which they create for our ma¬ 
nufactures, and the shipping to which they give 
employment. And such a display hath already 
been exhibited in the preceding chapters: but, un¬ 
fortunately, there prevail many popular prejudices 
against the colonies, which are difficult to remove, 
because they are founded not in reason but selfish¬ 
ness. Opinions thus entrenched, are only to be 
encountered by recalling to the public attention, 
such established principles and facts as, being built 
on experience, neither sophistry can perplex, nor 
self-interest elude. 
In most of the late speculative systems that I 
bave seen, which have treated of the British colo¬ 
nies, there appears this great and fundamental er¬ 
ror, that their interests in general are considered as 
distinct from, and in some respects opposed to, the 
general interests of the empire. We speak of thern 
indeed as our colonies, and of their inhabitants as 
our subjects; but in our dealings, we are apt to re¬ 
gard them with a spirit of rivalry or jealousy, as an 
unconnected or hostile people, whose prosperity is 
our detriment, and whose gain is our loss. 
Intimations to this effect were, I admit, promul¬ 
gated by very able writers at an early period, eon- 
