VII. 134. But the West Indians make two objections to CHA P. the plough which are worthy of more ferious answers. -“In the old small islands, many estates are too contracted to afford pafturage, and their cattle and horses have hitherto been fed with grafs and weeds which the slaves are forced to " pick" when they should be taking reft. This fcanty mode of feeding, gives the cattle barely strength to crawl to the shipping places with the produce; but would never sustain them under the labour of ploughing.”—I acknowledge the force of this objection, as far as it goes; but it affects only the old, small islands, and only the smaller estates in those islands, and even in these it might be, in most cases, as in fome it already is, removed by the culture of Guinea grafs, Guinea corn and other provender. This objection, however, applies not to Jamaica, and the Ceded islands, nor even to the larger eftates on the old fmall islands.—Another objection is, that “some estates, or rather fome fields (for it is scarcely true of any whole fugar eftate) are too steep or too rocky to admit of the plough.”—But this cannot be urged against ploughing land that is not too steep and too rocky, and fuch is far the greater part of the cane-land in the fugar colonies. For few fugar works, comparatively, were fixed on lands obstructed with rocks and precipices, and the rafh builders of most works that were erected on fuch spots, have been obliged to give up the culture of fugar for that of cotton, coffee, &c. and, in some cases, have abandoned their works altogether. On the whole then, it will be found that the objections against the plough apply to but a small portion of the Weft Indian colonies collectivly taken; and it will be the fault of the undertakers of new colonies in Africa, if in a country containing fuch immenfe variety of furface, they make choice of a fituation where they cannot have the ad CHA P. vantage of the labour of cattle, in drawing ploughs and VII. Has been fuccefsfully ufed in the other implements of agriculture. 135. If it be asked, Why the first colonists of the Weft Indian islands, did not use the plough, as they had been accustomed to do, in their respective mother-countries? I answer, that they had, at first, neither pafturage nor cattle, and that, even if they had been provided with both, the roots of the trees were fo very tough and hard, in fome of the islands, that no plough could have gone among them. What little strength they had, they were obliged to employ, not in grubbing up roots, but in planting among them for an immediate fubfiftence. No inftrument was fo well adapted for this purpose as the hoe, and the hoe having been once used, the introduction of flavery, which foon after took place, did the rest. For when flavery begins, improvement ends; and fociety, if a collection of masters and flaves deserve that respectable name, finks into a torpid state of stagnation is congenial to flavery, which cramps the powers of invention, and, by deftroying emulation and reward, arrefts the progrefs of every useful art*. 136. Yet fome individual West Indians, nobly bursting the bonds impofed on them by vulgar prejudice and the Weft Indies. practice of flavery, have happily precluded all speculative arguments in favour of the plough, by the fuccessful use of it. It has been found, in Jamaica, that “one plough turned up as much ground in a day, and in a much better manner, than one hundred negroes could perform with their hoes, in the fame time;" and that "the canes planted on the ploughed land turned out near three hogsheads of fugar See Smith's Wealth of Nations, Vol. III. p. 37. per VII. ufed there. per acre, which was one hogfhead per acre more than it had CHA P. been used to yield from the common method of culture*." 137. But, if the plough has been used, in some cases, so Why not uadvantageously, in the Weft Indies, it will no doubt be afk- niverfally ed, why it is not there used univerfally? This is a very fair question, and the volumes juft quoted furnish a very fatisfactory answer to it. "In fome places, where ploughs have been tried and laid by again, experience, judgement and practical knowledge, were not always affifting in the operations +." "I am convinced," fays Lieut. General Matthew, Governor of Grenada, "that experiments have not had fufficient or fair trial, from the want of proper implements, fuitable to the different foils and fituations, and from the want of intelligent labourers. This matter has been given up on flight investigation." 138. To account for the " flight investigation" of fo important a matter, will require a few words of explanation. -The proprietors of the West Indian islands, like those of most other countries, are either independent, or involved in debt. The latter, though chiefly resident on their plantations, are unable to afford the expenfe neceffary for the first introduction of all improvements; and their creditors, * Long's Hiftory of Jamaica, Vol. I. p. 449 where the ufe of the plough is recommended by irrefiftible reafoning, and by facts ftill more irrefiftible.-See allo Edwards's Hiftory of Jamaica, Vol. II. p. 213. Mr. E. likewife writes from his own experience. See farther, the Evidence of Sir George Young, the two Mr. Woodwards, Mr. Fitzmaurice, &c, in the Minutes of Evidence on the flave trade before the Houfe of Commons-alfo various pieces of evidence in the anfwers to the 42d, 46th, and 47th, queries in the Privy Council's Report and the fupplement. + Answer by a planter of 1068 acres in Barbadoes, in the fupplement to the Privy Council's Report, p. 32. Privy Council's Report Part. III. Article "Grenada and St. Chriftophers," anfwer to query 42d. VII. CHA P. being chiefly English merchants, who never were in the West Indies, are unwilling" to speculate," as they fay," in new projects," of the practicability of which they are not competent judges. The independent planters, on the other hand, chiefly refide in England, committing their affairs in the Iflands to the care of agents (there called " attornies") who being very often Guinea factors (or connected with fuch) furnish the eftates with imported flaves. The use of the plough would diminish the labour of flaves, prolong their lives, and, of course, leffen the demand for more. Add to this, that, by a law of Jamaica, "these agents or attornies" must be paid fix per cent. on the value of the produce, which is another reason for their not wishing to diminish the labour of flaves; although, if they were not interefted in the flave-trade, this commiffion would no doubt induce them to increase the produce by the plough. These "attornies" appoint the overfeers who refide on the plantations, and who generally lay out their salaries on new negroes, whom they nurfe in their mafter's kitchens, and let out most profitably to hole" cane-land for "weak handed" eftates, at from £3 to £5 fterling the acre. It cannot therefore be expected that overfeers, any more than their patrons, the attornies, will favour the plough, or any other mode of abridging the labour of flaves. In fact, the habits, the prejudices and, above all, the interests both of attornies and overseers are combined against the use of the plough. And fo powerfully do these motives operate, that, a very reRemarkable fpectable Jamaica planter stated in evidence before his Majefty's Privy Council, that though, by means of the plough, without an additional flave, and without injuring the cattle which drew it, he nearly doubled his crop of fugar; yet, after he left the island, in 1785, he could not pre inftance of its fuccefs. 66 VII. vail on his overfeer to continue the use of it*. But vulgar CHA P. prejudice, the efprit du corps, and even the interests of particular claffes of men, though difficult to be overcome, are not invincible: and, from what has already been done in the West Indies, particularly in Jamaica, Barbadoes, and Grenada, we have reason to expect, that a more rational and humane mode of culture, will at laft take place of the wasteful and oppreffive one, which hath hitherto unfortunately prevailed. Mr. In the Eaft Indies canes raifedwith it, 139. In the Eaft Indies, the fugar-cane is raifed by freemen, with the plough, in very great abundance. William Fitzmaurice, who spent feventeen years in Jamai- by freemen. ca, ten of them as a fugar-planter, and who lately went over to Bengal to settle a sugar eftate, approves of their mode of tillage by the plough; though he difapproves of their method of manufacturing the fugart. But, near Batavia, the culture of the cane, with the plough, held by free people, and the manufacture, by a simple and natural division of labour, has been brought to the highest perfection by the Dutch and Chinese. Mr. Botham, who describes it, and who has managed fugar eftates in the Weft Indies, as well as in the East, gives a decided preference to the Batavian practice. At Bencoolen, he fuperintended a fugar eflate, during the late war, on the fame plan, and with fimilar fuccefst. And, in Cochin China, we are affured by M. Le * See the evidence of John Ashley, Efq. formerly of Jamaica, now of Cookham, in the Privy Council's Report. This whole pernicious fyftem is explained at length by Mr. Long, in Vol. I. p. 189, 391, and Vol. II. p. 405, 406 and other pa ts of his Hiftory of Jamaica. See also the evidence of Mr. Coor, Mr. Clappefon, Mr. Fitzmaurice, and Lieut. Davidfon, in Minutes of Evidence before the Houfe of Commons. See his printed letter to the Eaft India Directors. See Mr. B's evidence before the Privy Council, and the Houfe of Commons. |