3°4 
HISTORY OF THE [book vi. 
“ Before the settlement of our colonies (says Pos- 
tlethwaite) our manufactures were few, and those 
but indifferent. In those days, we had not only our 
naval stores, but our ships, from our neighbours. 
Germany furnished us with all things made of me- 
tion of character, (Reflections d’un Vieillard, &c. 1785,) the author 
States the whole year’s import into France on an average at 
130,000 casks, 
equal to 
valued at 90 million 
of livres, 
ster. 3,937,500 
Against this value he sets the duties and imposts, viz. 
Litres. 
Duties of the western domain - 5,600,000 
Ditto in the West Indies - - 7,344,000 
£.245,000 
321,300 
Ditto on 50,000 casks consumed or re 
fined in France 
}. 
4,592,000 
566,300 
200,900 
Total of imposts and duties, including the charges of ) 767,200 
government, civil and military, in the islands j —.. .-- 
According to this statement, these sugars 
are valued, per cask, at 
And the duties thereon estimated at 
£. s. d. 
30 5 9 * 
J 8 o 
Leaves, clear of duties - 24 17 9$ sterl. money. 
Let us now look to British sugars. 
I suppose 14 cwt. a good average weight per cask at sale and that 
2I. 5s. per cwt. was a high medium of price in Great Britain (duty 
&c. included) for several years previous to the revolt of the slaves 
in St. Domingo: 
I compute the public charges, civil and military, paid in our islands 
by grant of assembly, at not less than 200,000!. per annum : 
And that this rests as a charge upon their sugars of about two shil¬ 
lings per cwt. 
