What a field is here opened to difplay the comforts and bleffings of life, which this commerce diftributes among fo many thousands of induftrious fubjects in the mother-country! What multitudes participate the fuftenance and conveniences derived from it, who, without it, would either ceafe from existence, or not exist to any useful purpofe! If we should carry our ideas further, and imagine double the number of acres to be occupied in the island, and equally cultivated, it would then yield a profit of full two millions and a half yearly to our mother-country; a grand profpect this of future maturity, which offers a large fphere for the exercise of patriotifm! To establish wholesome laws; to help and promote induftry, commerce, and trade; to adminifter impartial juftice; to reclaim uncultivated lands, and make them profitable; is to ftrengthen a state, more than it can be by conquefts; it is, in fhort, to acquire new countries and a new community of useful fubjects, without making any one perfon miferable, or fhedding one drop of human blood. The present fituation and circumstances of Jamaica afford opportunities of ftrengthening and improving it, by various means (fome whereof I have prefumed to fuggeft,) and that, not only without making any one miferable, but by beftowing real happiness; by adopting the fentiments of a mild and free government; by relieving from indigence and oppreffion, and inviting ftrangers to a comfortable means of fubfiftence for themselves and their pofterity; there is no doubt, but if this ifland was well inhabited, and its lands fufficiently cultivated, it could not fail to reward the moft liberal attention bestowed upon it, by becoming infinitely more valuable to Great Britain than it is at prefent.'

It appears from the quantity of fugar imported into England from Jamaica, that the spirit of planting has of late years much increased the number of fugar-works; it is neceffary therefore, that industry and economy fhould keep pace with that avidity for cane-planting. Cultivating the wafte for the breed of mules and cattle would undoubtedly yield to the private as well as public value of every eftate; we may venture to affert, from the information we have received, that in those two articles, the ifland might fave annually 50,000l. and if we combine every adfcititious circumftance arifing from a vigorous cultivation, what immense treafure pours in upon the expanded mind!

But if we believe our Author, we feem to want courage to catch at those many advantages, which commerce presents us with. He fixes this accufation particularly to a valuable difcovery, from an experiment upon the Cactus or Indian-fig; we will give his own words in evidence to fupport the charge.

It is well known that thefe plants bear a fucculent fruit or berry at the extremity of their leaves, filled with a juice of a delicate red colour, and agreeable tafte. This juice is the natural food of the cochineal infect, which owes to it the value and property it poffeffes, as a dye in fome of our principal manufactures. The exuviæ and animal falts of the infect are, from the minutenefs of its parts, infeparable from the effential principles of the dye; whence it follows, that

fuch

fuch an heterogeneous mixture must neceffarily deftroy the brilliancy of colour inherent in the juice of this fruit; and that the juice itself, which alone contains the dying principle, muft, if unmixed and brought to confiftence, yield a true perfect colour, lively and brilliant, as we find it in its natural state.

Upon this hypothefis Mr. David Riz, an ingenious gentleman of Kingston in this island, proceeded in feveral experiments, to obtain from the plant, artificially, what nature accomplished in the infect, and at length happily fucceeded by infpiffating the juice; but the means he used are not yet communicated to the public. Encouraged by this discovery, he went to England with feventy-fix proceffes differently manufactured, to try which would anfwer best as a fubftitute to the cochineal. After a great number of experiments, he found one procefs which communicated a crimson colour to filk and wool, fuperior to that given by cochineal; trials of which were made before a number of the principal dyers in and about London, at the. museum of the Royal Society, invited there for that purpose. He alfo found two other proceffes, which promised, with very little alteration in their manufactory, to afford the colour-making dyes of fcarlet and purple. Upon a moderate calculation it was found, that his colour would go further than three times the quantity of cochineal, which he accounted for by remarking, that there is a great part of the infect, as its fkin, &c. which affords no dye, but that the whole of his process was genuine colour, with little or no impurity.'

• Notwithstanding the advantages that might be derived to the nation from this gentleman's difcovery, he met upon the whole with very little encouragement to profecute his manufacture. It was faid, that "our commerce with Spain would be hurt by it;" for this very reafon it ought to have been encouraged. I am a ftranger to the annual importation of cochineal from the Spaniards, but the quantity muft certainly be very confiderable, as it is fo largely confumed in our fabrics, and medical compofitions; but whatever the quantity may be, it is evident that the procefs difcovered by Mr. Riz, gave promises of rendering the importation of that article wholly unneceffary; and as his colour, weight for weight, was found to go further in dying fabrics, than thrice the quantity of cochineal, a great faving would be made by the dyers themselves, and their fabrics would be afforded at a cheaper rate, all which makes in favour of the national balance of trade. There is no doubt but the inventor, for a competent reward (of which he is well deferving,) would have published the fecret of his procefs; thousands of acres now waste in Jamaica, might be cultivated with this plant, with little trouble or expence; and a quantity obtained answerable to the home demand.'

Our Author endeavours to call forth an attention in the people of Jamaica to advance the intereft of their country, by pointing out the infinite ufe that may be made of their 200 rivers, which are permitted to glide idly through their island, many of them unknown, and all of them unregarded; he urges the experiment he recommends, by telling them, that the planters of Hifpaniola give fecundity to their land, by leading the rivers through their eftates from their furtheft fource, and

keeping

keeping as it were the command of the feafons in their own hands. His remark upon our people's neglect, founded upon general obfervation, is judicious and perfuafive:

• One successful attempt of this nature would have more force of perfuafion to recommend it, than all the arguments a writer can make ufe of; operations of this fort appear unfortunately enveloped with horrid difficulties to all thofe (and they are the greater part of mankind,) who chufe to take nature as they find her, and are fo accuftomed to follow a beaten tract, that they tremble to leave it, for almost any confideration; the rifque feems great, the advantage uncertain; it requires perhaps a mind particularly framed, to weigh impartially the whole bufinefs of any projected improvement, and penetrate at once into the practicability of effecting it; to compare the expence of accomplishing it, with the benefit it is defigned to procure; and laftly, when refolved, to perfevere with unabated fteadiness. Such minds fet out with a difpofition to conquer difficulties, not to create them; are prepared to encounter any that may happen to start up, and are therefore generally fuccessful.'

When he looks towards this country for affiftance, he adverts to the wisdom of Cromwell, who eftablished a committee in the houfe of commons for colony affairs; but with fubmifion to our Author, the board of trade is a wifer inftitution; it is a perpetual committee, always exifting, and better informed of the ftate of the islands, than a shifting, unfteady, fet of people can poffibly be. If the committee of correfpondence in Jamaica would explain their wants, to the affociated body of Weft-India merchants in London, they would be the most effential agents to forward and enforce a request to the lords of trade; and if any matter fhould be agitated in parliament against the interest of Jamaica, fo many of thofe merchants having a feat in the houfe of commons, and being mafters of every fubject that may affect their trade, would be infinitely preferable to any felect committee difinterested in, or perhaps prejudiced against, the islands from a political pique, arifing from the pride and petulancy of fome opulent, independent planter.

Our Author ftrongly commends the French policy, which fo wifely contrives not only to multiply fettlements in their colonies, but by inviting commerce from every fource, to enrich them. Befide, they fortify and fecure their country by these additional barriers, and the confequent increase of people: and all this, without the affiftance of, or encouragement from, nature. He fpeaks with astonishment of the progrefs the French have made at Cape Nichola Mole in Hifpaniola, a fpot barren and unpromifing, and with nothing but fituation to give spirit to the undertaking. After prefenting us with the Code Noir, and an edict for the better government of flaves, he observes:

If the principles and genius of the French government are at all confpicuous in the preceding example, which has been given of their civil and political ordinances refpecting their negroe flaves, and flave

owners;

I

owners; they are ftill more fo, in the other departments of their colony-fyftem. These manifeft a degree of forecast, prudence, and vigour, that are not fo obfervable in any movement of our own torpid machine. There is a fpirit in the French monarchy, which pervades every part of their empire; it has felect objects perpetually in view, which are fteadily and confiftently pursued; in their fyftem the ftate is at once the fentient and the executive principle. It is in fhort, all foul; motion corresponds with will; action treads on the heels of contrivance; and fovereign power, ufefully handled and directed, hurries on, in full career, to attain its end. With us, the liberty to which every corporate fociety, and every individual member of those focieties, lays claim, of independent thinking and acting, excludes almost a poffibility of concurrent exertion, to any one finite and determinate point.'

He then gives us an account of the trade to Cape Nichola.-'The number of veffels cleared in the year 1772, from the custom-house, amounted to between two and three hundred fail, confifting chiefly of brigs and fnows, with fome few fhips, all from different ports of North America. Adding to thefe, the other foreign veffels, the French coafters, and European traders, the whole amount is not much short of four hundred fail. Moft of the veffels bound to Jamaica from North America call in here, and few of them but are complaifant enough to pay another vifit on their return.

The veffels which load or unload here, for the greater part, lie close to the town, with their stern anchors on the beach, which shews how conveniently this place is adapted, in every point, to invite trade, and expedite mercantile tranfactions.

'When we reflect that lefs than ten years ago, it had neither house, nor inhabitant, it appears next to incredible, that in fo fhort a time, this defert should be filled with people, the harbour crowded with fhipping, and its whole afpect changed, from poverty and defolation, to a well established, fecure, and opulent emporium, advancing ftill by hafty ftrides to a fuperiority and grandeur beyond the oldest and most boafted feats of trade in any of the British islands. We may envy, but I fear we never fhall equal, this wonderful pattern of French policy in founding, industry and ability in accomplishing, fo truly noble a fabric: unconcerned fpectators of it as we are at prefent, we must expect that the very next war in which we engage against France, will make us most thoroughly fenfible of its valt importance.'

As that quarter of the world is now the great object of national attention, we will fee what our Author further fays concerning this trade, fo beneficial to the French colonies; fo deftructive to ours!

Jamaica takes lumber, flour, and certain other articles from North America, and to a certain annual value; North America takes molaffes, fugar, and rum from Jamaica, but in an inferior value. If each country took an equal value of producs, for their mutual confumption, Jamaica would export no cafh to North America; but Jamaica takes three to one more in value; the therefore pays one third in her products, and two thirds in cash and bills of exchange. I have

fuppofed

R

fuppofed the annual balance with North America to be about 63,0001. If only a third of this is paid in money, and the reft in bills, it is enough to ftrip the island of all its circulating cash in about three years, unless a fupply can be brought in to replace the drain, by our trade with the South American colonies. The misfortune has been, that the improved state of the island, in other refpects, by enlarging the demand for North American fupplies, has yearly increafed the balance against it, while the other trade, which fhould have replaced this draught, has been gradually declining, and lefs productive. If the islanders could furnish themselves from Great Britain, even if the articles came fomewhat enhanced in price, it would be more for their advantage, because Britain takes their produce in payment, whereas the North American fupercargoes muft be wheedled to confent to receive produce for their commodities; and even then, will take only fuch fugars as they are fuffered to pick and cull out for their fuperior grain and complection; the reft they leave in the planter's hands, to be fent to the British market; a circumftance that in time may hurt the credit of Jamaica fugars at home. Nor is the inconvenience and diftrefs they bring on the island, by this mode of exacting their balance, lefs pernicious to its welfare, than the ufes to which they afterwards apply this money; for it is well known that very little of it is carried to circulate among the northern colonies, or remitted to the mother country, but is dropped by the way amongst the French and Dutch, to purchase of them the very fame commodities which Jamaica produces. It is notorious, that many of these traders employ their time, whilft they lie at Jamaica, in fitting up cafks; and, as they are provided with affidavit men, they take false clearances, out of the custom-house there, for large quantities of Jamaica produce, fugar, molaffes, rum, coffee, indigo, &c. without having, in fact, a grain on board, and repair to Cape Nichola Mole at Hifpaniola, which is now become their capital rendezvous; here they buy of the French the very articles they refused at Jamaica, and are afterwards fo protected by their clearances, either from capture by the king's fhips at fea, or feizure by the landofficers at their return to North America, that they find it a very gainful trade; for by this means they can import the French produce without paying alien duties, and depreciate all the British WeftIndia goods of the like fort, brought to the fame market.

This trade is now got to fuch an alarming height, that more North American veffels are feen, in the courfe of the year, at the Mole, than the whole number of fhipping that reforts to Kingston harbour amounts to. I have heard of no less than 400 fail within the year, which either load or call in upon fpeculation. And fo benef cial has this illicit traffic proved to the French, that the Mole, which is furrounded by a rocky barren country, deftitute of every natural advantage, is now become a populous and thriving place of trade; contains 400 well-built houfes; and the harbour which is extremely capacious and fecure, is ftrengthening by fuch fortifications, carried on at the expence of the French government, as threaten to render it extremely troublefome to the Jamaica fleets in time of war.

Some of the North American commodities are allowed to be neceffary to the island, and not to be had elsewhere; all due care

fhould