œconomy in their management of the public revenue. But this spirit of prudence has been by no means accompanied, with what are too frequently its attendants, meanness or parsimony. They have, as has been already mentioned, supplied the governor with a very handsome salary; and they have provided in the most ample manner, for all the other public servants of the colony.

The revenues of the island are perpetual and annual*. The former were instituted by the revenue law passed in the year 1728, the origin of which has been already noticed: The latter are occasional grants of the legislature. The perpetual revenue law raises about twelve thousand pounds per annum, of which eight thousand pounds is particularly appropriated as formerly mentioned, and the surplus is applied, in addition to the an nual funds, to defray the necessary expences of the govern

ment.

The public debt of the island, though from various causes lately considerably increased, is so small as scarcely to deserve notice; and the wisdom of the legislators prevents them from increasing it. The taxes are neither numerous, weighty, nor oppressive. The chief of them are, a duty on Negroes imported; an excise on rum, and other articles consumed within the island; a pecuniary penalty incurred by every owner of an estate, for each white person deficient of the number required by law; a poll tax on slaves and stock; and a certain rate on rents, and on wheel carriages. Occasional taxes are also laid on by the legislature, as exigencies require.

A considerable portion of the revenue is exhausted by the extra allowances given to those regular British troops, which are stationed in the island; and when they exceed three thou

* See Note (m.)

sand in number, it is usual for the legislature to provide wholly for the surplus. Yet such is the economy of the legislators, such the prudence with which the taxes are appointed and levied, so lightly are these burdens felt by the inhabitants, or such are their good sense, and their confidence in the honesty and wisdom of the legislators, that complaints are never heard of the weight and inequality of their taxes.

1

The current coins of this island, are, Portugal pieces of gold, called half johannes, each valued at two pounds fifteen shillings currency; Spanish gold coins, called doubloons, at five pounds five shillings, and pistoles, at one pound six shillings and eightpence. The silver coins are, Spanish milled dollars, valued at six shillings and eight-pence, which are divided into various parts, forming separate Spanish coins, halves, three shillings and four-pence; quarters, one shilling and eight-pence; eighths, ten-pence; and sixteenths, five-pence currency. There is also a small silver coin, called a bitt, the value of which is sevenpence halfpenny currency. An English guinea passes for one pound twelve shillings and six-pence, which is considerably higher than the usual rate of exchange. One hundred pounds sterling amounts to one hundred and forty pounds currency*, But owing to various causes, in time of war, the rate of exchange is seldom at par; five, ten, and even fifteen per cent. being often paid in Jamaica, for good bills on London.

(

From the geographical situation, and the nature of the population of Jamaica, it is obvious, that the establishment of a militia must be a measure of the highest importance, and the most urgent nécessity. Accordingly, all white males from the age of fifteen to that of sixty years, are obliged by law to provide themselves with their own accoutrements, and to enlist

* See Note (n.)

either in the cavalry or infantry. In times of apprehended danger, either from foreign invasion, or from domestic revolt, the commander in chief, with the advice and consent of a general council of war, in which the members of assembly have votes, may proclaim martial law. His power is then arbitrary; all persons being subject to the articles of war.

The habits of this militia are certainly but little calculated to produce a complete military subordination. Men accustomed to be looked upon as a superior race of beings to slaves, submit with reluctance, if they submit at all, to be treated, as if they enjoyed no will of their own. And though it is a fact, that the subordination is by no means complete, yet, on all occasions of real danger, no troops in the world have behaved with greater spirit or courage, than the militia of Jamaica.-The total number of inhabitants able to carry arms, including free Negroes and Mulattoes, will amount to about ten thousand; while the whole population of whites does not exceed thirty thousand. The free Negroes and people of colour amount to about ten thousand; and of slaves, there are at least two hundred and sixty thousand. The population of the island of Jamaica, therefore, amounts on a moderate calculation, to three hundred thousand souls.

Commercial Productions, viz. Sugar, Rum, Melasses,-CoffeeCocoa,-Cotton,- Indigo,-Pimento,-Ginger. Their History, Description, Value, and Mode of Cultivation.

THE sugar-cane, the arundo saccharifera of Linnæus is the

most valuable of all vegetables, and is the chief source of the opulence of the West India colonists. It is a native of the east, and has been cultivated in India and Arabia from the · earliest ages. At what time, the inhabitants of these regions discovered the art of granulating its juice by evaporation, is not now known; but it appears probable, that sugar was conveyed to Europe by the navigation of the Red Sea, at a very early period. Whether this plant be a native of the West Indies is a question of some doubt, which it would be difficult to determine. Some writers are of opinion, that it was conveyed thither by Christopher Columbus from Old Spain, or the Canary Islands; whilst others contend, with equal, if not greater probability, that it grew spontaneously in various islands of the new world. But this being merely a question of curiosity, which cannot possibly lead to any practical purpose, does not seem to merit a minute investigation.

The sugar-cane is a jointed reed, terminating in leaves or blades, the edges of which are finely and sharply serrated. The intermediate distance between each joint of the cane varies, according to the nature of the soil; but it is, in general, from one to three inches in length, and from half an inch, to an inch

in diameter. The body of the cane is strong, but brittle, and it is, when ripe, of a fine straw colour, nearly yellow. It contains a soft, pithy substance, which affords a copious supply of juice, equally sweet, nutritious, and agreeable. The length of the whole cane depends upon various circumstances. In strong lands richly manured, it sometimes measures twelve feet from the stole to the upper joint. The general height however, exclusive of the flag part, is from three feet and a half to seven feet, and in very rich lands, the stole or root has been known to put forth upwards of one hundred suckers, or shoots.

No soil can be too rich for the production of this plant. The ashy loam soil of the island of St. Christopher's, is supposed to be the best in the world, for the production of the finest and the greatest quantity of sugar. Next to that, is the soil, which in Jamaica is called brick mould; not as resembling a brick in colour, but as containing such a dry mixture of clay and sand, as is supposed to render the brick well adapted for the use of the kiln. It is a deep, warm, mellow, hazle earth, easily worked; and though its surface soon grows dry after rain, the under-stratum still retains a considerable degree of moisture in the driest weather. This soil has also another advantage, that even in the warmest season, it seldom requires trenching. Plant-canes in this soil, especially when of the first growth, sometimes, in favourable seasons, yield no less than two tons and a half of sugar per acre.

There is a particular kind of soil in the north side of the island of Jamaica, chiefly in the parish of Trelawney, of a red colour; the shades of it however vary considerably from a deep chocolade, to a rich scarlet: In some places, it approaches to a bright yellow; but it is everywhere remarkable, when first turned up, for a glossy, and shining surface, and which, if wetted, stains the fingers like paint. It consists of a pure

S

4