which they did not give, or refused their affent to, we
are told, are the warmest advocates of the present
plan fhould it be executed, it will not be difficult to
prophecy what will be the confequence-Great-Britain
will lofe her islands, as she has loft the continent; not per-
haps in the fame manner-the inhabitants of the islands
are too feeble and difunited to refift.

If the flaves at prefent in the iflands, are fet free, their ruin will be immediate.-If the flave trade is abolished, their produce will in a few years be annihilated. The planter knows too well the impoffibility of inducing white men to attempt fupporting the labours of the field, in this part of the world, to confent to the experiment being tried at his expence. If the petitioners or the public, are willing to run the rifque, the planters will not, I dare fay, make any objections to it, but cede their property to be conducted according to any new mode which shall be adopted, on being paid a reasonable price for their property, Should fuch propofal be approved of, it may not be improper to ftate what will, probably, be the amount of the planters claims on the public.

It is generally believed that the number of
negroes, and other flaves, in the feveral
British fugar iflands, are about 450,000,

which, at 5ol. fter. per head, amounts to 22,500,000
The land they cultivate, with the buildings
thereon, is moderately estimated at double
the value of the flaves,

The land in wood, which in fome of the
iflands government has fold for confider-
able fums of money, and which is parti-

cularly

45,000,000

cularly valuable for fupplying timber for repairs of fugar works, mills, houses, &c. and which the present poffeffors have paid large fums for; houfes in the towns, in the feveral islands, cattle, horfes, mules, carts, &c. &c. will not be furely confidered as estimated highly, at

2,500,000

Total 70,000,000

The whole then will amount to the fum of about feventy millions fterling. It may be difficult for the public to find means, at this juncture, to raise so large a fum of money, efpecially as the abolition of the Weft India commerce, if the new plan of cultivation fhould fail, will occafion a very confiderable diminution of the national revenues.-But the wealth of this world is unworthy the regard of fuch pious men as our petitioners; "fiat juftitia, ruat cælum," fays the Dean of Middleham. If, however, when this matter comes to be debated in Parliament, the number of worldly minded people fhould form a majority confiderable enough to ftem the torrent of reform and fanaticifm, which has diffused itself fo widely, and induce the Parliament to let things run on in the old channel, till the neigh bouring nations fhall grow as religious and humane as ourfelves-the Dean of Middleham, Mr. Glanville Sharpe, and the other petitioners, may ftill do their parts to put a stop to the flave trade.-Let them withdraw themfelves from the support of such a wicked feť of people as they confider these flave-holders to be.— Let them drink no rum, no fugar in their tea, confume no chocolate or coffee, eat no fweetmeats, tarts, or puddings, no currant jelly fauce to their venifon,

nor

nor indulge themselves in eating any other cates into the compofition of which fugar enters, unless they are convinced fuch fugar is of the growth, produce, or manufacture of Cochin China, where, the Dean says, it is prepared without any affiftance from flaves. They may then reft satisfied they have done their part, in putting a stop to the accursed and infernal traffick, in their zeal against which, the mariner, the merchant, and the planter, three of the most valuable characters the community can boast of, are indiscriminately the objects of cenfure, abuse, and calumny. In the mean time, it will not be amifs if they reflect on an epitaph faid to be engraven on the tomb of a Spanish gentleman, in one, of the churches of Seville, which may be thus tranflated:

"I was well, and wanted to be better; fo I took phyfic,-and died."

FIN I S.

In a Series of Letters from the fame Autho Jamaica, to his Friend in London.

Wherein many of the Miftakes and Misrepr tions of Mr. CLARKSON are pointed out, bot regard to the Manner in which that Comm carried on in Africa, and the Treatment of the in the West Indies.

1

0

20352160

99931: In use for large-scale digitisation project. Please

duo ngan hay