CHAP. IX. PROPOSITION II. 186. That the subscribers do agree to fell, or in the most advantageous manner, to dispose of, all the land which they have purchased, or may purchase in Africa, upon fuch conditions, and to such persons, as the court of directors fhall approve of, as moral, good and useful colonists, and who fhall chufe to go out to fettle, and to cultivate their purchased land within a certain limited time *. 181. *This is nothing more than what took place in the islands of Grenada, Dominica, St. Vincent and Tobago ceded to Great Britain, in 1763. In those islands 174,000 acres of land were fold by commiffioners, authorized by the government, for £620,000 sterling, or £3: 11: 3 per acre, being thirty times the price which the lands at Bulama have coft the subscribers: yet the purchasers in the ceded iflands were bound, under a heavy penalty, to clear and cultivate, at least one acre in twenty, every year, till one half of the land they held was brought into cultivation. (See the evidence of Mr. Campbell and Mr. Greig in Minutes of Evidence before the House of Commons in 1790, p. 166 and 221.)-Cultivation proceeded flowly in Antigua, till the colonial legislature of that island laid a tax of five fhillings per acre, on all manurable lands that should not forthwith be opened and cultivated. The effect was that every man exerted himself to the utmost, or sold fuch land as he could not cultivate; and thus, in a fhort time, all the manurable lands in the island were bearing canes, cotton or other produce. (See Long's Hif tory of Jamaica, Vol. I. p. 409.)—In short, bad roads, scarcity of provisions, the obftruction of population, and the detriment of health, and inability or difficulty of defence, are the certain confequences of fuffering purchased lands to lie uncultivated in a colony, especially an infant colony. For an account of the evils Jamaica has laboured under, from this caufe, fee Long, vol. I. p. 283, 405 et feq. 598.-See alfo Douglas's Hiftory of New England, Poftlethwayt's Com. Dictionary, Art, "Colonies" and "Paraguay."-Reasons for establishing the colony of Georgia, p. 15, 29, and Smith's Wealth of Nations, Vol. II. p. 370. I know not whether I ought to mention that the island of Barbadoes, Antigua and fome others, though they have been rendered incomparably healthier by being cleared, yet, having few or no trees to attract the clouds, have not such plentiful and regular rains as formerly, and fuffer much inconvenience from the want of timber. Certain portions of the ceded islands have, therefore, been reserved in wood. Whether this conduct will be imitated or not in Africa, is not for me to determine. If it were, op 181. That the first subscribers may have it in their tion, however, to go themselves to the colony, and to settle as colonists, and then to be fubject to the fame conditions and terms as the other fettlers; namely, to oblige themselves to cultivate their purchased land within a certain limited time, at the expiration of which the land remaining uncultivated, whether belonging to fettlers, or to subscribers who are not fettlers, fhall be forfeited and disposed of by the court of directors*. С НА Р. PROPOSITION III. 182. That a colonist, his heirs, or executors may have equal rights, in every refpect, with a £60 subscriber, as soon as he has brought into a cultivated state, within any space of time, not exceeding three years, thirty-fix acres of land; and that of a £60 subscriber, who shall go out to the colony, and like the colonists, cultivate his land, shall enjoy the benefit of a double subscription, or that of two subscribers rights, in proportion to every thirty fix acres of ground cultivated by him. PROPOSITION IV. 183. That in confequence of the third proposition, there ought to be a court of directors in the colony, fimilar to were, I would not hesitate, to pronounce that the woods should be facrificed to health; especially as all kinds of provifions and the smaller produce ftill thrive well in the drier islands.-But they are not fo proper for fugar-canes. very * To refide in one part of the world, and to cultivate land in another, will never promote a colonial interest, as such cultivation must evidently be by agents or managers, who will not have an intereft in the prosperity of the colony, like settled colonists, or those who fuperintend their own business on the spot; and the former cafe, it is more than probable, would, fooner or later, end in tyranny and slave-flogging, to the total diffolution of all colonial order and focial virtue. that IX. CHAP. that in Europe, the two courts having a combined interest with each other. That these two courts, or divisions of the company, thus acting in perfect harmony or union, one in Europe, and the other in the colony, fhould be so arranged, that the former may have the general administration of every thing that regards the deliberation upon, and regulation of, the general affairs; and that the latter may have the fuperintendance or direction of such local administration of the affairs as may regard the active, practical or executive province in the colony. That only half the directors, both in Europe, and in the colony, should go out at every new election, in order that the court may always be provided with persons properly acquainted with the affairs of the colony. PROPOSITION V. 184. That after the first election of directors, or after two years, none should be elected but those who have at least once visited the colony, in order that the directors may be properly qualified, by their knowledge of the local fituation and practical state of the colony, to manage the direction in Europe*. PROPOSITION VI. 185. All kinds of oaths to be abolished, from the very be Those who object to the fhare the colonists will, on this plan, have in the direction, will do well to confider, that the present British colonies in the Weft Indies lay their own taxes, and make their own internal laws, which can be reversed by no authority inferior to that of the King in Council, and that only when they are repugnant to the laws and conftitution of Great Britain.-The late British colonies in North America enjoyed the fame privileges.-Abfentees from the British fugar iflands have no vote in the colonial legiflatures, and thofe from Jamaica are additionally obliged, by a law of that island, to pay their "attornies," or factors, fix per cent. of the value of the produce of their eftates, which operates as a heavy tax on them for deferting their civil and military duties in the Island. See Long's Hiftory of Jamaica, Vol. I. p. 387, &c. ginning IX. ginning of the colony, as they do not feem to be neceffary, CHA P. when matters are arranged and managed in fuch an equilibrium, that there are checks upon every action and proceeding, both of the court of directors, and of the inhabitants of the colony *. PROPOSITION VII. 186. That commerce may be free, as well that of the company, carried on by the court of directors, as that of the colonists; so that, on either fide, there may be an equal right of trade. Any person who should be found to deal in flaves, to be expelled immediately from the colony. PROPOSITION VIII. 187. That new subscriptions to the Bulama undertaking may be opened upon the fame plan as the former, viz. at £60 per 500 acres, in order to avoid unequal shares, and that another expedition may be undertaken, as soon as the advanced state of their fubfcriptions, and of the neceffary preliminaries, confpire with the season to render the fame adviseable. * I have been credibly informed, that there are, in London and Westminster above 30,000 lawyers, attornies, and pettifoggers. And I have been led, by my enquiries, to full conviction, that a great proportion of them is maintained in confequence of abused oaths. But this is not all: moft people must have heard of the practice of Jew-bail and the trade of affidavit-men; and the farce of custom-house oaths is not lefs ridiculous than it is fhocking. Mr. Locke and other great men, here and elsewhere, have lamented the multiplicity of oaths required by the laws of most nations; but hitherto, it would feem, too much in vain. Sure I am, that, among honest men, they are unnecessary; and that rogues regard them as an empty form. Why then introduce into an infant community, a practice which long experience has proved to be unneceffary or futile ?-But, if oaths are to be administered, none but men of known integrity should be allowed to make that facred appeal. 188. It CHAP. 188. It should be proposed that such persons as are willing to subscribe, may do it either in commodities or money, at their option; for I have met with many persons who would gladly have subscribed in goods; but who could not spare the money from their business. Subscriptions should therefore be opened in fuch commodities as are likely to be hereafter the produce of the new colony; fuch as sugar, cotton, coffee, indigo, tobacco, rice &c. and the court of directors immediately to take charge of the sale of these articles, at the most advantageous price for the company. And in order that those who subscribe in commodities may not obtain more favourable conditions than others, the price of the commodities may be fixed at a par between the buying and felling price, to which ten per cent. should be added, as a compensation for the risk and trouble of the court in the disposal of them; the company to receive all the benefit, or sustain all the loss, that may arise from the sale of them. Suppose that 2400lb. of muscovado fugar is purchased at 5d. a pound, and fold at 7d.—then 6d. a pound would be the average price, and would make out exactly £60. which is the price of a share of 500 acres; but as it would be an additional trouble to the court to convert these 2400lb. of muscovado sugar into ready money, there should be added 10 per cent. confequently to pay a fhare of 500 acres of land, according to £60 per share, with fugar instead of money, it would be first and 10 per cent. additional 2400lb. 240lb. 2640lb. of fugar to be paid into the company's ftorehouse for a share of 500 acres ;-the fame plan to be followed, with respect to all other goods. PRO |