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Cooper, in Pater-Nofter-Row • oooocooowMoesoeoeeoooocota M.DCCLXI. [ Price IS. 6d. ] ifr I ^ A X'' \0~^ V-i*. V i '.I V 1 ^ '*'*'v^^'*^^'*^.^'**^vNfi/*'V*'V*'V*'V5 REASONS FOR /,:• Keeping Gu A DALOUPE, &^c. ^*. ■». »■ A .♦. A A .♦. ■♦. ■♦. -* .i^j* -♦. A -*- -♦- -♦- *- -♦- -*- ■*- '*■ •* -*- -*- -*- -*■ -*- .*- *■ -*- ■*- ^f, ,», ,♦ A ,♦, * * LETTER I. .frtf»? « Gentleman at Guadaloupe, to his Friend in London. ; SIR, ?^3e^"^ H E different opinions of the people concern- ftlf rp )!rf< ing the value of Canada, and the value of wi^ t^ Guadaloupe to Great-Britain, have occa- sML^^JMI Tioned many difputes in private and public, in which private views have too often influenced the debate: thofe who are for acquiring all Canada, and giving up Guadaloupe, and every thing elfe, argue in this manner j That no terms with the French can be fecure or lafting j at the very time they are making a peace, they are contriving how to break it, and will do fo as foon as any opportunity occurs to do it to ad- vantage ; That we entered into the war only upon ac- count of America, that the French invaded our proper- A 2 ties 1 [4] ties there, and were long contriving to do It: now that we have beaten them out of all that country, 'what we did never claim, as well as what we did claim» therefore we ought to keep all America, as the greateft acquifition we can make, or ever was made; for if we allow them the fmalleft footing even in Canada itfelf^ we can never be fecure, they will drive us out of thjit country. That the trade of North- America is the great fountain of all the Britifli wealth and power ; that of late years it furniflies and employs fo many fhips, and fo many failors, makes fo great a confumption of the produce of Great-Britain, fends fo much of its produce to the fugar iflands, and pours in fuch a tide of wealth from the Weft-Indies upon Britain, as enables her to make the figure Ihe now docs, to the reft of the world : That if all North-America were our own, fhe couM be drawn into no more wars on that account, our trade there would rife to the higheft pitch, and that country fo extenfivc, fo rich, and full of fo many lakes and rivers fit fo.r navigation, would foon raife the power and naval ftrength of Great-Britain, to 4 degree beyond any power on earth. That the furr-trade might be entirely our own ; That one fliip of the Hudfon-Bay company is often fo rich as to bring home more value than ten fugar fhips ; That we have fufRciency of the fugar iflands already; That Jamaica alone, if it were properly cultivated, can afford more fugar than England wants, it fends home near 40,000 hogflieads every year, when the third part is not cultivated ; That Guadaloupe is a place of no fignificancy compared with Jamaica, and could add very little ftrength or wealth to Great-Britain j That the French have long out-done us in the hats, a trade that we may have entirely to ourfelves, by acquiring Canada; and that if we leave the French the fmalleft footing or poflefllon there, we never can be fecure, or fafe r.i> i-.sl fife in the reft ; we have done nothing, but muft al- ways be liable to repeat the fame expence. Thofe who wifh the keeping of Guadaloupe, anfwcr as follows : That Guadaloupe we certainly have, and that Canada we have not, the fate of it is ftill dubious, that all the reafoning before-mentioned is fophiftical and unfolid ; That the advantages of North-Americj^ to Britain j exclufive of Canada, are] very great j why join them all to Canada, of itfelf worth little or no- thing, but to give it weight, which it has not of itfelf; if our barrier in America, (hall be fixt by treaty to the certain limits we infift upon, and Cape-Briton retain'd or demolifh'd, we are in a much better fituation there than ever, which would render America of much more advantage to us than it was in former times, and more fecure, nay as fecure as the inftability of human affairs can admit ; The benefit of North-America to Britain does not depend upon Canada at all, it is a frothv and falfe argument, Canada can add nothing but, Fint, A little improvement of the furr-trade, which might be in very great perfection without it ; Secondly, Prevent- ing the French from difturbing us in that quarter of the world for fome time, and even that argument is equally Itrong for taking the Mifliflippi, othcrwife it is not con- clufive. But as it Is argued that the French will never be at peace with us, it muft follow that when ihey cannot make war in America they muft difturb us in Europe ; now let thofe gentlemen anfwer. Whether we have more advantage over the French by a war in America or a war in Flanders, when they have Oftend, iffc, in their, hands ? The prefent war compared with thofe of King William, Qiieen Anne, and the war 1744, foon folves that queflion, Ihe fugar trade is far preferably to the furr-trade J what dot^s a few hats fignify, com- pared with ferving ourfelves and other countries with that article of luxury fugar, the confumption of which A3 is r ! . is daily increafing both in America and Europe, and be- come one of the neceilaries of life ? Jamaica has not increafed in fugars thefe thirty years pait, and never can increafe much, as the greateft part of it is fo mounta- nous, that it is not capable of culture, and cannot an- fwer the expence in many places, of carrying the fugars over mountains to be fhipped, though they have made a monopoly for themfelves of that commodity, of a long time paft, they muft nov^r be the more rcludbnt to part with it. It is our fugar iflands that raife the value of North- America, and pours in fucb wealth upon the mother- country i the more we have of thofe iflands, America becomes from that caufe the more important Jtnd valu- able, and England the richer : in America we have more than enough, in the K'gar iflands a great deal too little, the nearer they can be proportioned to one ano- ther the better for both, and the more trade and wealth" for England ; the furr-trade does not employ the hun- dredth part of the fhipping and feamen that the fugar trade does. ' The having all North-America to ourfelves, by ac- quiring Canada, dazzles the eyes, and blinds theunder- ftandings of the giddy and unthinking people, as it is natural for the human mind to grafp at every appear- ance of wealth and grandeur, yet it is eafy to difcover- that fuch a peace might foon ruin Britain : I fay the acquifition of Canada would be deftru6live, becaufe fuch a country as North-America, ten times larger in extent than Britain, richer foil in moft places, all the different climates you can fancy, all the lakes and ri- vers for navigation one could wifh, plenty of wood for Ihipping, and as much iron, hemp, and naval ftores, as any part of the world } fuch a country at fuch a diftance, could never remain long fubje£l to Britain ; you have taught them the art of war, and put arms in » a/ I ■ I E7) ill ihcir hands, and they can furnifh thcmfelves wilh every thing in a few years, without the afliftance of Britain, they are always grumbling and complaining againft Britain, even while they have the French to 4read, what may they not be luppofed to do if the Frendi is no longer a check upon them j you muft keep a numerous (landing army to over- awe them ; thcfe troops will foon get wives and poiTefnons, and become Americans j thus from thefe meafures you lay the fureft foundation of unpeopling Britain, and flrengthening America to revolt ; a people who muft become more licentious from their liberty, and more factious and tur- bulent from the diftance of the power that rules them ; one muft be very little converfant in hiftory, and totally unacquainted with the paflions and operations of the human mind, who cannot forefee thofc events as qlcarly as any thing can be difcovered, that lies con- cealed in the womb of time j it is no gift of prophecy, it is only the natural and unavoidable confequences of ftjch and fuch meafures, and muft appear fo to every ipan whofe head is not too much aiFeited with popular madnefs or political enthufiafm. But without dipping too deep in futurity, pray what can Canada yield to Britain, in this or any fubfequent age, but a little cxtcnfion of the furr trade ? whereas Guadaloupe can furnifti as much iugar, cotton, rum and coffee, as all the iflands we have put toget'..,.-, and confume a vaft quantity of the Britifh and American produce, from which trade the fhipping and naval ftrength of Britain muft greatly increafe, without any allowance for the cinnamon trade, which of itfelf may bring a good deal of wealth to the mother-country, as we have the wild cinnamon in common with the other iflands, fo we have alfo the true genuine cinna- iron-tree, and have fenthome to England famples of it, as goo'i as any the Dutch have. . r ' A 4. The ^ ' u [8] The confumptlon offugaris dally increafing, both ill Europe and America, and we cannot at this day ferve ourfelves with thar«rtiche, but are we not to endeavour to ferve foreign markets if we can ? Did ever the French bring half fo much wealth to their country from hats as from their fugar iflands? To fay we have fugar enough, is to fay we have trade enough, a new do6lnne truly, and if fo,wwhat ufe have we for Canada ? In a word, it is moft obvious to every impartial eye, that the increafe of the fugar iflands is particularly the in- tcrefl: of Britain, fhe is there too weak, ana as thofe iflands bring moft wealth both to Britain and America, fo from their weaknefs they can never be in any dan- ger of revolting; and that every perfon, as foon as he can make a fortune there, comes home to the mo- ther country and enjoys itj witnefs the number of the proprietors of the fugar iflands that refide at London,' and many of them fit in parliament ; if they dread Guadaloupe as a rival to their private intereft, they niuft at the fame time own, it is a great acquifition to the public w;alth and ftrength. Thus Guadaloup'e, one of the greateft acquifitions ever Britain made, ac- quires many powerful enemies from private views, and has nothing to plead but her public utility and advan- tage, often found too feeble an opponent to the private intereft of a few. r But to conclude, nothing can fecure Britain fo much j againft the revolting of North-America, as the French I keeping feme footing there, to be a check upon them, I if the peace be made with any tolerable attention to our i barrier in America, as we may be moft certain it will, I France muft ever after be an enemy too feeble to be I dreaded in that corner of the world ; but if we were { to acquire a!l Canada, we fliould foon find North- 1 America itfclf too powerful, and too populous to be Jong governed by us at this diftance ; we have often> too often, wafted our blood and trcafure to raife up other )mi / )m' [9I olher powers to wealth and ftrength, only to be once our enemies ; it were much to be wiihed that we could take warning, and do fo no more. After writing what is above, fome new arguments in favour of Canada have appeared in this part of the world, by the Gentleman's Magazine for the month of May. The publifher of that Magazine has ufhered it in with full approbation from himfelf, that it is written with great force of argument, and compleat knowledge of the fubje(St, from which we may conclude the paragraphs given us are the choiceft of the work j the firil remarkable paflage is, ** We want fecurity that *' the French fhall not drive us out of that country of " America." Can any man read or anfwer this without derifion at a time we have driven them out of it almoil entirely ? And when they began the war with a thou- fand advantages they never can have again, and when the author admits we have ten times the number of people they have in that country, but granting we fliould drive them out of Canada, will not thefe people retire and take fhelter in Miffiffippi ? From that circum" fiance will not Miffiffippi be more populous and more dangerous, and all his appreheniions be renewed from that quarter, they will drive us out of America. It is not the extent of territory, but the number of people, that makes a country formidable j Does he require no fecurity that they fhall not drive us out of Britain ? It is America only feems his care. - He has next at great length given us the Indian me- thod of making war, and how little our forts and artillery can ferve as a fecurity to our fettlements, but will he take time to refleft how thefe Indians became our enemies ? By our neglecting to protect them, by our allowing the French to build forts to over-awe them, even upon our own property. It then became their interelt to adhere to the French, but now that the fcene II t to-V (bene is changed, that we are in pofkSion of thefts forts, that wc are mafters of that country, and that we only can prote6t them, thofe Indians muft and will be ours from the ftrongeft motives of any, that of felf- intereii, and which rules thim tfs much as any people on earth, (o that all the terror he would raife from^ thofe Indians, in place of frightening us, becomes fo much additional flrength to us, thus his own dodrine is undone by the arguments he throws out to fupport it, which muft often happen when ingenuity and fancy are let leofe to argue in vita A^nerva, The third point advanced is, " That though American « ihould encreafe to a hundred million of fouls there ♦* would be no danger ftill, they would depend upon^ " and be fubfervient to feven or eight million of fouls " in the North at fuch a diftance.'* One is really out of countenance to anfwer fuch^ abfurdities in a ferious manner, to ftate them is fuffi- cient to difcredit them, if any man can agree to them> very great is his faith. The fourth maxim is very ingenious, " That though <* none of the American gentlemen come to England *.' to fpend their fortunes, it is of i\o confequence at ** all J is it of any importance, fays he, to the Englilh ** farmer, whether his beef, pork, and tongues are eat ** frefh at London, or falted at Barbadoes, and fo of ** his cheefe, butter and ale, b'/:/'" What can all that fophiftry tend to? Does he know (o little of Ame- rica or the Weft-Indies, as to believe that the gentle- men of fortune in thofe countries live upon falted provifions from England ? In America they have as good venifon, in many countries beef, mutton, and pork, as they have in England, and as good poultry of all kinds. In the fugar iflands men of fortune have as voluptuous tables ^s theyi have in Britain, of frefti meal and [ I; II I ind poultry, frefh fifh of many kinds, and plenty of turtle ; Can he either perfuade himfelf or the world, that u man fpending twelve or fifteen thoufand pounds a year, with opulence and tafte in London, does Eng-' land no more fervice than a man who fpends it in America or the Weft-Indies, where at his table he does not confume fifty pounds worth of Britifh vivres all the year round ? Or does a gentleman of fortune in America or the Weft-Indies, keep twelve or twenty iervants in his houfe living like lords, and cloathed in the beft manufadures of England, as he does when he lives in London ? In the Weft-Indies indeed he is fur- rftunded with as many half-naked negroes in hii houfe^i/ eating the low growths of the country ; that negroes' are allowed, but. this we are told is great force of argu- ment, and compleat knowledge of the fubje^t, though to moft people I ftiould tiiink thofe argument's will appear to have no force or conclufion at all, being founded upon falfe maxims, they become only evafions of the truth ; that caufe muft be very weak indeed, where learning, ingenuity and eloquence, can fuggcft nothing ftronger to fupport it than fuch unfolid fo- phiftry. 4< (C His fifth maxim is, that " Our trade to the Weft- India iflands is undoubtedly a very valuable one, but it has long been at a ftand, our fugar planters, limited by the fcantinefs of territory, fays he, cannot in- creafe uiuch, an evil that keeping Guadaloupe can- not remedy." Now fince the fugar iflands are fo valuable, and long at a ftand from the fcantinefs of territory, does it not follow that more territory ftiould be acquired, if ever an oppo'-tunity to do it, rather than when we have got pofleflion of fuch territory we ftiould give it up; if our fugar iflands are undeniably very valuable, as he afterts, and that all the iflands we have do not yield 90,000 hogftieads of fugar yearly, or above it ? Is an ifland or territory that can certain' ry yield i yield 150,000 hogfheads a year, to be defpired and given up, becaufe we want more territory r Will it make no addition to fupply that fcantinefs he complaihs of ? 1 long to fee how he proves that Guadaloupe can- not increafe our fugar trade, if he know!; any thing at all about Guadaloupe, he will find this point hard to prove, that 150 is lefs than 90, or that 150 added to 90 will not increafe the number ; as fubtle as his fophiftry is, it will meet with obftru£lions in this proofs unlefs he come to the perfuafive aflertion, that Gua- daloupe produces nothing at all, fuch is the conclufive force of thefe arguments, extra(^ed from this celebrated piece, by its admirer, the author of the Gentleman's Magazine. The fixth aflertion is, " That the peopling of *' America does not diminifh the people of England, " that it does drain Britain of inhabitants, he fays, is •' founded upon ignorance of the nature of population *' in new countries." It were to be wilhed at leaft that he were right in this, or that his knowledge in population were commu- nicated to the people of England, as Britain is certainly not encrcafing in its number of inhabitants, and that the number of people is the great wealth and ftrength of every country where induftry abounds ; if two coun- tries trading and dealing fo deep with one another, the one encreafing fo fafl: in people, as our author admits America does, and the other diminiftiing, notwith- ftanding all the advantages of manufailories, trade and agriculture, which have fo greatly advanced of late years ; the caufe is paft doubt, the one is draining the other of people, or which is much the fame in the end, the one encreafinp fo faft muft foon be msfter of the other, that is diminifhing it, or at beft ftanding ftill. If "t >3] If this ingenious gentleman had heen as much z friend to North-America as he would feem to be, hft mi«»^ht eafily have difcovered that tjie acquifition of Guadaloupc! muft raife the value of North-America, and the trade and wealth of Britain, ten times more than all Canada can ever do (without making any allowance for the cinnamon trade ;) that Guadaloupe we have, and Canada yet dubious, fo thofe gentlemen calculate be- fore the time ; but it is the value of Guadaloupe, not its infignificancy, fets fo many pens aftir, and fo much eloquence employed to blind the eyes, and miflead the underftandings of the people of England from being fen- iible of their true intereft, while there is any choice in their power to make, when it is confidercd, what oppo- fition all other fugar iflands make to the keeping Gua- daloupe, what a powerful people they are, how many fit in parliament, and how many of the cities of London, Liverpool, and Briftol, are connected with them in that trade, it can be no furprize that the ftruggle and oppo- fition fliould be great, and all arts employed in fuch a caufe, where from jealoufy and miftakes, they fancy the fugar, and other valuable produce of Guadaloupe, will hurt their private interefts, or fortunes in the other iflands J an effect it will not produce to any fenfible de- gree, while we have fo many foreign markets to go to ; though indeed it might put a ftop to monopolies of that commodity, and make fugar as reafonable in England as in other countries ; but the more our other iflands dread the value and wealth of Guadaloupe, the reafons for our keeping it becomes the ftronger to the nation in general : to them I addrefs myfelf, I hope they will confider that the many advantages, fairly and juftly ftated, arifing to the nation from Guadaloupe, is not all the benefit, as it muft be noticed,' That fo much of the fugar trade taken from France, and added to Britain, mufl increafe the difference of the political balance, in a duplicate ratio j a pound taken out of one fc^le and put ll i H 1 put in the other makes two pounds difFerence in *he balance. . As I have lived on the fpot in Guadaloupe for fomc time, lb from fome intimacy with the Cuftom-Houfe^ ^nd Naval-Office, I have had more opportunities to know the export and import of this ifland, than any l)ody who hath yet written on the fubje^l j both what it has produced, and what it can produce j aiid I look "upon it as my duty to attempt the unveiling of the 'truth to my country, from thofc clouds of darkneii and error, that fo many able pens have been long employed to involve it inj and if I am allowed, I may fooii oblis^e the world with a more accurate defcription of ihefe conquered iflands, as well as an authentic account of ^he export and import of the place, with this obferva7 tion, that fails are Ihibborn things, they will neither bend to the force of faction and private views, nor will they yield to fophiftry and eloquence. Now to conclude, let us fuppofe that we have fugar enough to ferve ourfelves, as has been aflerted by thofe gentlemen, and that Guadaloupe can produce one hun- dred and fifty thoufand hogflieads every year, a fa<3: that can be as diftin£lly proved, as the value of any piece of ground in England, what grain it can yield with common culture ; thofe 150,000 hogfheads mufl be manufactured in Britain, and exported to foreign markets, in which cafe it is not overvalued at 14/. the hogfliead, and fo returns to England two millions one hundred thoufand pounds annually : include what the cinnamon trade may be, with the immenfe quan- tity of coffee and cotton, indico, cocoa, ginger, is'c, exported from this ifland, together with the Britifh manufa(5tories imported here, with the beef, wheat, pork, butter, cheefe, ale, falt-fifli, ^c, a man can then frame fome judgment of the value of this place, brttcr than by a thoufand fuch fophifticated and evafive ' treatifes. y\ i I «5 3 treatifes, as thofe that have appeared in oppofition to Guadaloupe, when f^btilty and refentment 2txe ufed to overturn all the folid maxuns of policy and government, that have flood the tell of fo many paft ages, and con- firoied by fo long experience. . • Methinks the natip.n might reft fafe and fatisfied in the well-known ability and integrity of fuch a miniftry as we are bleft with j jj miniftry who have in fo diftin- guiihed a maoner carried on the war, with fortitude, vigour and judgiijent ; who have (hewn fo juft a know- ledge of theXrue jntereft of their country, and where her natural ftrength and vigour lay : who could judge where to Arike a fatal blow amongft the richeft fpots in the wojLld, while our enemies and our own country were amufmg themfelves with mere empty fhadows i I fay we might remain well fatisfied that fuch a miniftry would make a peace fuitable to, and confiftent with thofe juft fentiments of the true intereft of the nation, that have fhone fo confpicuoufly in managing the war : but no fooner had we fo unexpectedly got footing in Canada, than thofe foes to Guadaloupe, one of the richeft fugar iflands in the world, and which we were adtually in pofleflion of; this it was thought might divert the edge of the war from thefe valuable fugar iflands, where France was fo fenfibly hurt, and fo un- able to defend : and thus the two great men at the helm were addrefled, or rather di^ftated to as fchool-boys, and their inftru<5lions given them with a haughtinefs very unbecoming that dignity and confidence they had fo juftly merited of their country; it were to be wiflied thole gentlemen would defift, and leave the making the peace to thofe much abler heads, who have fo happily conducted the war. I am, ^i: - t The ) r [ i6] The Sugar Iflands yield as follows ditto Barbadoes Antigua, ( Montferrat, ditto Nevis, ditto St. Kitt's, ditto Anguilla, ditto - Tortora, ditto - Hhds. at a medium, annually 12,000 Jamaica, over-valued, at — 15,000 — 3,000 — 3>400 — 14,000 50 2,000 40,000 89,450 LET- i 17] k" 4^ >s -lit- ;>o< 4** :i3t 4 LETTER II. (>* S I R> ?^^)8('*^ S GanacJa and Guadaloupe have long beea A ^ the fubjedl of converfation in'England and elfewhercj fo it has occafioned much writ- y^^M. 'i^g '^^^ many long pamphlets of late to very little purpofe ; where they have generally left the merits of the cafe to follow fhadows and phantoms of their own imagination, or to darken thofe points they offer to clear up to the world. The firft of thofe that appeared in print, in a letter to two very great men, fays, " We have fugar iflands enough of our own *' already j that Jamaica of itfelf fends home 40,000 •' hogfheads every year, when the third part of it is ** not cultivated :" the next of thefe writings, in fup- port of the firft, being anfwers to the remarks on the firft, fays, '* That our trade to the Weft-Indies is un- *' doubtedly a very valuable one ; but it has long been *' at a ftand, our fugar-planters, limited by the fcan- ** tinefs of territory, cannot increafe much." Now, this laft muft appear to be a very fatisfadlory anfwer to the firft, though they are both written on the fame fide of the argument, and to fupport the fame caufe 5 but fuch contradi But we have at all times a French fa£lion feftering in our own bowels, particularly at fuch a jun£ture. If they cannot divert the war from the fugar illands, where France can be fo mortally wounded, nor blind the nation as to the valqe of Guadaloupe, they talk next of the honour of a difinterefted peace. Are we to kavc the honour to negle£l our own intereft, and prefer that of France, that tjfie treaty of Utrecht may no lon- ger blufh ? Has this any other meaning but to fave the French in all fhapes ? Was it not our intereft that^en- gaged us in the war ? Are we now to difcard it, and throw it out of the queftion ? Are we to a£l contrary to our intereft or not, after we have carried on the war with a fuccefs beyond our moft fanguine wiflies and expectations, and where the vaft fums of money fo chearfully paid by the nation for carrying on that war, can be as little paralleled in hiftory, as the victories it produced? Are we.then to talk of no indemniRcatioa for all that expence, for all thofe vaft treafures we have beftowed for five or fix years paft ? A fum of money with which Jugurtha could have purchafed the whole Roman empire in its grandeur. Are we deftined for ever to fight knight-errant battles in all the quarters of the world, without any view of intereft or advantage to ourfelves ? For my own part, I nave always looked upon Machiavel, or cardinal Richlieu, as much better patterns to follow in ftate affairs than Don Quixote : and I (hail ftill hope, that after fo juft and neceffary a war, followed with fo much fuccefs and honour, we {hall have a fuitable indemnification for the blood and treafure we have fpentin doipg ourfelves juftice. What private man in England, engaged in a law-fuit, after {ic has obtained a decree in his favour, but afks and receives coib of fujt ? f !:,! p V. ill. ''.•ri. [26] I hope thefe wolves in iheeps cloathing will be de-. te£led, and no longer lift.ned to, as I think it is made very plain, that when they argue for acquiring Canada^ and giving up Guadaloupe, or when they talk of a dif- interefted peace, the)rhave neither theintereft of Britain or North-America in their view. It is plainly thei jntereft of France they aim at, joined perhaps witH fome fmall advantages to the fugar iflands we havci hut from thefe deftrudive principles, how warmly do they ftruggle againft the trade, wealth, grandeur and honour of their native country (if they are Britifb) i hope is now made very clear to the world. ,.; What may be in our power to. keep: from France at a peace, I (hall not be fo pre&ir.iing as to determine } but I will take upon me to afErmthefe two things^ firft, that a difmterefted peace, if I underftan4 the meaning of it, not to think of our oyirn intefjeO;, but to give up every thing ; and keep no f>roper indemnifif cation for our expence in fo juft i war, would be a peace that the nation might have reafon to beijlow a much harfher name upon than jdifmterefted, and will not fail to do it. And, . ji Secondly, That if Canada and Gukdaloupe were put in our option, to chufe the one and reje61: the other^ no true Britifh fubje£t, who knew any thing of the true intereft of his country, or any North- American, would hefitate a moment in making the choice of Guadaloupe, and rejcdHng Canada : and I know many -Worthy gentlemen in the fugar iflands we have, who I am fure, would frankly and generoufly give up all leififli views of a little private gain, for fuch an ac« quifition as Guadaloupe, which jthey are fenfible mi^ft add fo much to the trade, wealth and dignity of their country. I am, ^c. LET- [27] i i^(%^;g^;g^»^;!s^%^^;^^ 9»«?«R8»1 LETTER III. /» ^eriZr ammg/i faift Brethren^ SI R, HM^N my two preceding jLetters 1 gave you T )^ my thoughts upon the fubje^ of Gua- r: 99!^ y^ daioupe, with the ordinary freedom of ItC^^JJ^ a letter, and without ftudying much me- thod or order; but fometimes anfwering abfurd ar- guments, and at other times ftadng the cafe in its true light ; I fhall therefore go on in the fame manner, and obferye, that fiDce the beginning of the laft century the affairs of Europe have undergone al* moft a total change, in every ftate, lefs or more^ in their trade, policy and government; in a great meafure owing to the new difcovered world ofAme* rica and the Wefl-Indies. Jt would be in vain for me to trace its progrefs, or to ihew the natural caufes that produced thefe alterations, as it could be no way decifive of the point in ifliie ; it may be fufficient for my purpofe to notice, that the trade of Great-Britain is now in a more flourifhing ftate than ever it was, and more fo than any of its neigh- bours. That J^ ¥'t C*8] That three-fourths of the trade and fliipplng of Great-Britain at prefent, confifts in her trade to the Weft-Indies and North- America j the great confump- tion of the manufadures and produce of Great- Britain both in the Weft-Indies and North- America, not only employs fuch a number of tradefmen in England, but aifo furnifhes bufinefs for fo many ijiips and feamen in carrying thofc things to the feveral markets of this new world, and bringing baclc to England the produce of thefe countries, which {he does or fhould .retail to the reft of Europe. And, Secondly, the tride betwixt America and the Weft- Indies in their reciprocal wants, now become very confiderable. Our trade up the Straights and to the Levant, is generally allowed to be much upon the decline, and to the North, in exports efpecially, great- ly diminifhed ; our trade with Spain, once the great fupport of the nation, rather againft us fince the laft war, whcri^ for the^intereft of the houfe of Auftria, we not only gave up Cape-Briton, but even our South-fea" ifhip ; and' yw oiir trade more flourifhing than ever, and our naval ftrength greater, this can oftly proceed from our- fkilful culture of the few fu- gir iflands-we have, and the fine countries of Ame- rica, fron\ their increafe of people and their great dc- tti&nds of tho'produce and manufa^ures of the mother- country.,-- _•' '■■ As En^and very early felt the benefits of this new world, and found greater returns, and more gain from her trade with America than any where elfe; io ihe turned hey thoughts moft that way, and the other branches of her trade in Europe being lefj^ attended to, came to decline, and be more diverted into other channels. What muft be her ftate then, -and to what a deplorable ftate muft (he fink, if (he lofes this trade to Anf;erlca and the Weft-Indies ; which I am afraid will too foon be the cafe, if this giddiness of the - .4.^ peoj:4e. k! [29] people, this midnefs that reigns after North- America^ be not in fome meafure extinguiftjed, or at leaft mode- rated by the prudence and judgment of fo great a mo- narch as fills the throne, and fo patriot a miniftry as now conducts the reins of government. My alTcr- tion I prove thus : That our pofleffions in North-America, fuch as we have an undoubted title to, when they are properly fecured to us by treaty and a well eftabliflied barrier, are rather greater than we are able to manage to any good purpofe. I have already faid that they are of much greater extent of territory than Great-Britain, better and more variety of climates, and even now as they ftand, juft emerging out of infancy, they have already more produce than they can difpofe of. The fugar iflands we have are not able to confume one- half of the lumber, flour, bifcuit, rice, and other produce of America. From which, in my former letters, I drew this plain confequence, that acquir- ing more fugar iflands was chiefly the intereft of North-America as well as Britain : now I (hall fhow it in the following light. That as North-America, our fettlements there I mean, are fo faft increafing in people as to double their number once in twenty years [fo fay the writers for Canada,] then it furely follows, that they muft abate of their application in cultivating the ground, the produce of which is to lie a dead weight upon their hands, ufelefs and un- confumed. They muft naturally put thofe fpare peo- ple to learn arts and trades ; to make deaths, fhoes, ftockings, fhirts, isrV. fmiths, carpenters, braziers, and all the trades that flouriih in England : after this is accomplidied, of what utility will they be of to Great- Britain ? What can they want from her in all times thereafter ? Thus the greateft benefits of North- America fails you at once : but this is not all, for then Ihe will rival you in the Weft-Indies : Ame- rica will furnifti thofe iflands with ever*- thing that now i I' .1 II III 1 m ■til'- C 30 ] now comes from England, and can do It cheaper } fo that the trade and grandeur of Great-Britain foon comes to an end, when America and the Weft. Indies are no longer of any ufe to her. This fatal cataftrophe, which no power on earth could bring upon her by open force, fhe procures to herfelf with her eyes open; and by the advice of falfe, unna- tural, and corrupted children, who can proftitute thofe great talents given them, of eloquence and per- Aiadon, to the deftru£tion, ruin, and murder of the mother who gave them birth, and to tear open thofe tender maternal breafts that fuckled them. tempora ! rmres f Whereas, if we would now embrace this funfliine of profperity, this favourable opportunity that offers to inlarge our poffeflions in the Weft-Indies, to acquire more of the fugar iflands, neutral as well as French, America might thereby be kept much longer in depen- dance upon Britain, by affording her more confumption for her produce, and diverting her attention from trades and manufactures, to follow agriculture, and a prudent attention to every circumftance that can fecure her de- pendance upon Britain, to eftablifh certain and diftindt bounds and limits to the French pofleflions and ours in that country, to reftrain the French from any property upon, or communication with the fea-coaft, and to keep up a political jealoufy of the French in Norths America, and at the fame time to avoid any real danger. Is it poffible to imagine that (o cxtenfive and Co fertile a country as North-America, which we would now grafp at, can long remain dependant upon, and fubjefb to Great- Britain, without fome jealoufies raifed and maintained amongft themfelves, both of internal and external objedls upon their own continent ; in which the [3«I the French fettleraents in Canada, properly limited, may become very inftrumental ? Thus by a prudent and timely ertcreafe of your territory or pofleffions in the Weft- Indies, you not only double the trade and {hipping of Great-Britain, but you bind America lon- ger and firmer to her dependance upon England, by eftablilhing a more equal balance betwixt America and the Weft-Indies, where we are too weak in every fenfe, and every knowing man's opinion. As to this favourite fcheme of colonizing, let us look backwards and fee what attempts the Grecians or Romans made that way. We fhall find few prece- dents there. The Grecians indeed fettled fome few fmall colonies on the coafts of Afia, and left them as often a fhameful prey to the Perfians. In modern times Spain is almcft the only inftance we can find to caft our eyes upon : Spain, in the beginning of the laft century, was the dread of Europe : flavery and univerfal monarchy frightened the reft of the world : fhe had naval ftrength to cover and protect her con- quefts of the new world, and could fpare fleets and armies fufficient to make England tremble in its boafted zenith, the reign of Elizabeth. Was not that enter- prize baffled and difappointed by the winds and tem- pefts, more than by the united fleets of her and her merchants. But behold the fatal confequences of fuch pernicious meafures in a ftate. Spain grafped at con- quefts in a foreign country in the new world, fo far above the extent and ability of the mother- country that fhe difpeopled herfelf : and though fhe conquered thefc countries, the inexhauftible fountain of thofe pre- cious mettles that the world hunt after with fo in- fatiable an appetite, yet fhe gradually declined from thofc miftaken maxims to the Itate fhe is now in. Are we then fo infatuated that we can neither take advice nor take warning ? Are not we the only people upon I!;''' III! : I i V I ■ : I I «. /I t'.ii S' &HI [ 3^ 1 Upon earth, except Spain, that ever thought of efta-* bliihing a colony ten times more extenfive than our own ; of richer foils and more variety of climates, pro* duiSlive of every individual thing that our country can yield, and yet fancy, when it comes to maturity, it will ftill depend upon us, or be of any kind of advantage to us : on the contrary, if it does not become our mafter, it muft foon, very foon, ftand our powerful rival in all the branches of our trade. It is a maxim now eflablifhed beyond difpute, that Britain cannot acquire territory upon the continent of Europe to any fort of advantage, but rather to her own detriment, as all her liberty, wealth, and happi-> nefs, are, in a great meafure, owing to her being an ifland difengaged from the dangers and quarrels of her neighbours. I flatter myfelf I have in thefe three letters made it as plain that (he cannot acquire more property upon the continent of America, without more danger ; and that {he has more there already than ihe can ma« nage to any profitable purpofe. It is in the fugar iflands only, that flie can acquire territory to her own advantage, and it is there fhe is moft deficient ; one acre in the fugar iflands is of more real advantage to her than a thoufand in America. It is from thefe iflands that the greateft part of her trade and wealth flow. As iflands they are detached like herfelf from the refl of the world, and muft always be dependent upon her, or ibme other fuch power, while time is, as they produce nothing that the mother- country does ; they muft always be clothed from head to foot by the mother-country, fed from thence in the moft material j*. tides, and every houfe furniihed from that quarter in all its wants, tables, chairs, beds, ca- binets, mirrors, locks, hinges, table and bed-linens ; in fhort, every thing muft come from home ; nor can they ever be in any other fituiuioii, as the expence of living. [ 33 ] living, together with the warmnefs of the ch'matc, renders it impofliblc to manufacture them there fo cheap as you can bring them from England or North- America; therefore they can never fubfift by themfclvcs without you ; muft always remain dependent, and continue the fountain of great wealth to the mother- country. If this be the true ftate of the cafe, as undoubtedly at is, what language, what expreffions can a man ufe to give a lively reprcfentation to the world of that fatality of fentiment, that diftraCUon of mind, or that corruption of heart that can endeavour fo warmly to miflead their country ; not only from acquiring more territory amongft fuch valuable iflands, where fhe c an only make acquifitions to her advantage, but even to give up what (be is actually in poireilion of, and hunt Ker own ruin through the defarts of America ? I con- fefs it is above my reach if I keep within the bounds of decency, therefore I leave it to the reader's own fancy, that I may avoid the imputation of railing more than arguing. Let us now call our eyes upon the French trade and Shipping. What a rapid progrefs they made from the treaty of Utrecht, the captors of their fhips in this and the laft war gives us fome light : thofe who took a view of the French ports before the war was declared, were furprized at the vaft number of Ihipping belong- ing to every port in the channel, and up the bay of Bifcay. Were they employed in the trade to Canada or the Weft-Indies ? The cap^-ors themfelves, and every account publifhed of them, fhows that it was the Weft-India trade that moftly employed them. This great increafe of the French trade fince the peace of Utrecht, was entirely owing to the French pene- tration, and our fatal indolence and fecurity from that period which vvould not allow us to perceive the pro- C grefs li- fe •"I: |. rl '■'■. [34] grcfs they made, and the fugar iflands they pofTefledy nor never make the lead attempt to enlarge our own pofTcflions or territories there : What were the confe- quences ? Why, in the period of Britifti indolence, lethargy or fecurity, France, who could not at the treaty of Utrecht fupply themfelves with the fmall quantity of fugars they confumed, now confume a great deal, and ferve mod of the markets of Europe to a great extent : and we, who at that period exported a good deal of fugar, could not, at the breaking out of the prefent war, ferve ourfelves with thac article j and Ireland theji imported about fourteen thoufand hog- fheads of fugar from Portugal, and other places annually, from a want of that commodity of our own. It was in this branch the (hipping trade and nnval ilrength of France made fuch progrefs : Who then could fo audacioufly aflert to us we had fugar iflands enough already ? Who but thofe proprietors of eflates in the few fugar iflands we have ? If it is aflerted of them, it has fome foundation in truth, becaufe as to them individually, they have enough ; more would hurt the exorbitant prices they have long demanded from their country, much higher than any other mar- ket in Europe. But if it is faid that we have fugar iflands enough for the intereft of the nation, there is no ftiadow of truth in it j 1 flatter myfelf I have a title to fay fo from what is contained in this and my formei letters upon that fubjed ; but I (hall pufli the truth a little further from fa6^s that cannot be concealed, from evidence as clear as the fun at noon-day. Is there a man in Barbadoes, in Antigua, St. Kitts, MoQtferatt, or all the iflands around, who will not own that thefe iflands belonging to Great-Britain are all of them cultivated to the higheft pitch ? that they have more hands than they can employ for want of 7 h l35l territory ; that many people of Jate vears who came over from Britain or Ireland, poflibfy indentured, or at a venture, and have by frugality and good behaviour in a few years acquired ten, hfteen or twenty negroes of their own, yet could not get a bit of foil to work upon or employ thefc hands from want of territory, and were thereby neceflitated to go to Dutch, Danim, French or neutral iflands, for ground to employ thofc hands and fubftft themfe /es. Is it poiTible to think that fuch people could {hake off the honeft Englifh prejudice in favour of their country, to neglecSt the ±)nglifh liberty and property, and go to feek fubfiftence where both thefe bleffings were more precarious, if they had not been driven to it by fatal neceflity, the want of territory of our own to employ them ? No man that belongs to the fugar iflands we have, will be hardy enough to deny the fadts, as they are fo well known, though they may be concealed from the gene- rality of the people of England, that the Danim fet- tlements of St. Croix, and others, as well as the Dutch fettlcments upon the coaft of South-America, where fugar makes fuch progrefs, are almoft intirely peopled from ours, and by thofe only who could not at any rate obtain foil or pollefnon to work upon in our own iflands : nay, fome of thofe adventurers have gone from the other iflands to Jamaica itfelf, before they have determined to go elfewhere, and after a few years trial were fenfible that all the grounds which could be cultivated with any advantage there, were done al- ready J unlefs what belonged to fome over-grown eftates, who choofed to let it lay as it was rather than be at the expence of culture, which might in fome degree leflen the value of what was fo cultivated already. Are we then to be for ever fo fatally blinded to our intereft, as to neceflitate our own people to go away C 2 and m HI* s? [36] and imich all our neighbours, nay our enemies, with their fupcrior (kill in culture } and people the richcft fpots of the world for others, not for ouri'elves ? What a fatal infenfibility is this, when it is demonftratively plain, that we want nothing but fomc more of the fugar iflands to make us great ; nay, to make us the p;rcatell people this day upon earth j and that it is now in our power to eftabiifh that greatnefs by one cafy acquifition of more territory there. The riches of thofe fugar iflands beyond any places wc have or know, is fully demonftrated at London itfelf, where fo many gentlemen can, from no great extent of territory in ihofc iflands, live at London in fplcndour, and rival the nobility in equipage and expence. I am far from re- pining at it, I am glad to fee it, and wifh to have more of thofe iflands, and many more fuch people at London. It is they only that would confine our pofleflions tdere, and limit the number, that they may (hine the brighter thcmfelvcs ; but it moft plainly demonftrates to the world the value of thofe iflands, and convince you that we cannot have too many of them. I was myfelf an cye-witnefs of that fatality of my country I complain of, when the accounts came to London of the capitulation of Guadaloupe, How was it received ? Rather like a misfortune than a blefllng, as a fruitlefs and miftaken expedition ; not lb much as the huzzas of a mob, but one univerfal ridicule of the terms of the capitulation in every coffee- houfe, to divert their attention from the importance of the thing ; they were prepared for this from the time it was known that the fleet and army had left Mar- tinico, and the trocpj landed in the larger and richer ifland of Cjuadaloupe. I decline dwelling any longer upon To difagiceabie a fubjeft, as to run over all the infenftbllity, iand infatuation I was witnefs of; I liiall only fay, in this manner was received the ac- counts [37] counts of a conqucfl the greatcft aiul moft impor- tant England ever made fince the rcdu^^tion of Ireland; of a great deal more confequencc than any thing they ocq'iircd by all her bloody and cxpcnfive wars at the end of the laft century, and the rtrft twelve years of this; how difcouraging then muft it have been to fuch a miniftry a3 we are blcft with, when they had (hewn (o dirtinguiftied a fenfe of the intereft of their country; fo firm a rcfolution to eftablifh her fuperi- ority over France upon the mod folid and national footing, to find it fpurned at, and their country blinded to her intereft ? Might not this be one reafon, amongft many others, that fo fatal a blow to the wealth, trade, and naval ftrength of France, was no further pufhed ? c I fhall turn too warm if I continue this fubjedl any longer, therefore I proceed to mention one argument ufed by the more moderate for relinquifhing Gua- daloupe, and it is thus ; That we may depend upon its being given up to France, becaufe the merchants of England, who are the beft judges of its national in- tereft, have ftiewn no anxiety about Guadaloupe, or expreflcd any inclination to have it kept. To which I anfwcr, tirft, that 1 cannot admit it, nay, I could venture to put the whole fate of it upon the opinions of the merchants, th. t the icquiring more territory in the fugar iflands would increafe the wealth, trade, and (hipping of Great-Britain more than any thing elfe. I will npt fay I would rifque it upon the opinions of thofe that are proprietors of our fugar iflands fingly, though the thing is fo felf-cvident, that I believe I might do it with fafety. But, Secondly, I can by no means admit that the merchants are the beft judges of national meafures, I {hall not fay they are juft the worft, but fure I am they arc far from being the beft ; nor can it be otherwife ; a merchant's bufinefs, as fuch. is to watch the prcfcnt c times, and improve every cir^ i 54'* l?#?>'- [ 38 ] circumftancc to his own gain: his thoughts, {ludy, and i^fledions, as a merchant, are confined to a few years, the Ihorl period he exifts in, very rarely to look above three years backwards or forwards ; from good intelligence to know when to purchafe and when to fell flocks; if 2 war is likely to happen in the north to fell flocks, which mutt fall, and purchafe iron and naval flores, which mufl rife in their prices; to difcern when French cloaths, hats, and other fluffs, from the fatality of war, can be purchafed at very low prices, and vended for our own with very high profits. Even this favourite continent of America, the mer- chants there can eafily difcover, that their lumber, their wheat, bifcuit, rice, and falt-fifll, can give ?, much better price in the French iflands than in oursj that the Fiench fugars and molafTes, from the rangers of navigation, fells at fo low rates, that dv-y carry moft of their lumber and prcvifions to St. Domingo, and c?rry the French fugars and molafTes to America, with much more profit than they can do from our iflands ; not only what ferves themfelves, but fo as to import more fugars to England than any ifland flie has can afford, befides what fugarj America fends of late years to Hollrnd and up the Straights without ever coming to England at all. If rightly informed, I may appeal to the cuflom-houfes in England for the truth of the importation of fugars fromNorth- America ; and the cuflom-houfes of our own fugar iflands can fhew how little there was or has been fhipped for America a year or two pafl. I have no bufinefs to dip deeper into thole afFair.9 at prefent, further than this ; that it is a flrong denionilration how quickly this favourite people of Nor t!\- An erica can think of fhifting for themfelves, independent of Britain. But to return to the merchants, their heads and thoughts are entirely fixed upon the prcfcnt times, where and how to make the greatell gain to themfelves, in which fome can take more liberties than others. But WTM (39 1 But how widely different is this from tliofe who are formed to condu6l the helm of ftate, thofe who muft ftudy the philofophy and policy of government, which teaches them to look back as far as authentic hiftories can condudt them with certainty, to mark the caufes of the rife and decline of antient ftates, to ftudy the paflions and defigns of the great men of thofe times, which were productive of fuch events ; to compare the paiHons and operations of the h»:jnan mind in the prefent times, with t\ofe that are pait ; to carry on thofe obferyations to future times, to mark where the ftate may be ftiip-wrerked, and avoid thofe dangers ; to obferve what may aggrandize her in future times, and take meafures to fecure that, before her cotemporaries or enemies can difcover the danger, or prer*;nt the efFe£l. When thefe two, the merchant and the minifter, are thus briefly compared, how widely different are theyj in reality f.s wide almoft as eaft from weft; let us not deceive ourfelves then in thefe notions, that the merchants are, or can be, the beft judges of the philofophy of government, or the inrereft of a ftate, nor let us be fo unjuft to them as to interpret their mo- deft filence to a proof of their condemning meafures fo much for the intereft of the nation in general, which they cannot but approve of. On the contrary, let us more juftly think that their fiience proceeds from that full confidence they have, and all of us ought to maintain, in the capacity and integrity of thofe mi- nifters who conduit the wheels of government, that they can judge the intereft of the nation and follow it more fteadily than we can direct, or even wifli. I efteem the merchants as the moft ufeful body of peo- ple in the nation ; at the fame time I am very happy to think that we have much better and abler pilots to Condu(^ the ftate. C 4 I [ 40 ] I (hall, in the laft place, take notice of another motive often, mentioned with more appearance of judgment, and it is thus ; That poffibly all our con- quefts muft be reftored to France : it depends intirely upon the fate, of th? war in Germany, the fates of Hanover, ai.tl the king of Pruilia. This favours a good deal more of modefty, and in fome meafurc may be true, but not univerfally fo. As it appears a little dark, let us bring it to the light and examine it. We are furcly under the firongcft ties to prote(St Hanover that can poffibly occur. It h the hereditary dominions o: fo good a king, attacked only in our quarrel, they have made a noble ftand againft the power of France for three years paft, and acquired great honour to themfelves as well as to the prince that condudted them. But they have been as pow- erfiiilly fupported by us as any people could be, with money, provifions, forage, artillery, and Britifh aux- iliaries : and, blcffed be God, France has made no impreflion as yet ; the caufe of liberty profpers there. If cil the power of France could not penetrate into Hanover thefc three campaigns paft, have we any rea- fon to dread fhe can do it next ye«r, when her ftrength is declined, and our capacity of fupporting Hanover become greater ? Will France have plate to coin every vear ? Do not let us betray too vifibly thofc daftarcly fcntiments that have no real foundation : that argument can only be ulcd by thofe who wilh it were fo. Ana as for the king of Pruffia, I have as great eftecm for him as any man fhould have : he has made the moft glorious {^".i\d againft the united force of the greateft empires we know for four years paft, as muft make him the theme of future ages, as well as the prefent. His magnanimity, joined with fuch quicknefs in judging, and fuch rapidity in executing, Jeffords refources in himfclf that cannot be fo obvious to [41] to Icfs exalted minds : his victories have always been obtained with far inferior numbers : the bravery and difcipline of his troops no way abated, and the greatnefs of his own mind remains unfliaken : why then may not the fame caufes, under the direc- tion of the fame Providence, produce the fame cf- fe£ls, while we fupply him with the fame power of mono) ? Neverthelefs, to view where the argument points againfl us, give me leave to fuppofc that the em- pires of Germany and Ruilia fliould get the advan- tage of him, which heaven avert. Thefe two pow- ers have long carried on a war againfl that great prince, from caufes neither founded in reafon, in- tereft, or policy, but from the moft unruly paffions : though the motives may be low, yet they muft be more head-ftrong 'and irrefiftable than when they are gcrrncd by reafon or intereft. Can we then fuppofe that the queen of Hungary, after £he has gained fo favourite a point, will all at once abandon thefe paiBons that v/ere too ftrong to be controuled by her honour and her iinereft both ? Will our ag- grandifing France be a ftronger motive to her than her own intereft was ? on the contrary, this feeming union betwixt the houfes of Bourbon and Auftria, muft appear to the reft of the world as a tempo- rary phrcnzy, or an alliance betwixt a fox and 4 lamb. Her memory muft ftill fuggeft to her, that France was always the hereditary foe of her family, and muft continue fo ; therefore our aggrandifing France muft be obferved by her with a jealous eye and unfatisfied mind : and can never be a motive for her to reftore the king of Pruffia, whofe ruin flie has purfued, almoft to her own deftruftion, in oppofition to her intereft and honour. Or can we furmife to ourfelves that Ruffia will be moved to correal: thofc bcad-Hrong paffions, and to reftore the king of Pruf- [40 Ca from our aggrandifing France, on whom Ihe haf no vifible dependance. For my part, I own this ar- gument drawn from the Htuation of Germany or the king of PrufHa, feems both dark and unconclufive to me : I make no fort of doubt but France will join with you at any time you pleafe to ruin the houfe of Auftria, and fee you with pleafure wafte as much blood and treafure for that purpofe as you have done in former times to fave her. But if Britain looks upon herfelf as kt apart to be the guardian of the liberties of Europe, fhe muft at the fame time look upon France as the vulture lying always in wait to devour them : let her aft then with that fieadinefs and magnanimity becoming fo great a people ; let her coniider, that while Ihe re- tains the 'v^nority over France, now put in her hands, the ' ^ es of Europe arc fecured ; a few members may ■. .er fome temporary inconveniencies, but they may be comforted that the duration is fhort» and their deliverance at hand, while Britain holds the reigns. How will all the ftates of Germany in their turns blefs that Oeadinefs in the councils of Great-Britain, that could not be diverted from main* taining and eftablifhing her fuperiority over France ; the only thing that can in all times to come afford certain relief to the opprefled. Whereas, if (he is tempted or betrayed to give up this long wiftied-for fuperiority (that is now vifibly in her hands) for any motives whatever, or any temporary conveniencies to Germany ; her own liberties, as well as thofe of Germany, muft ever after be precarious and uncer- tain } becaufe Britain had not firmnefs to hold faft that balance fo clearly put in her hands. Let her now aft with fteadinefs becoming herfelf, and think for her own good, for the good of Germany, as well as the reft of the world : almoft every ftate in Europe \s deeply iuterefted in her refolutions upon this [ 43 1 this great and important event ; but if Britain fhould ftand doubting and trembling to betray and give up the liberties of Europe at once, by reftoring the na- val ftrength and wealth of France, centered in the fugar iflands, for any momentary or imaginary dif- treffes whatever, how unlike would it be, to that magnanimity and fortitude of the Roman people we fo much afFefl: to imitate and equal ; who could both projeft and execute the ruin and deftru<^ion of Carthage itfelf, while Hannibal was yet thundering fo jiigh the gates of Rome ? But I am afraid I have faid too much, and wan- dered ou!: of my depth from honeft motives more than from inadvertency ; therefore I Ihall noiy con- clude with refuming what I think is proved, that the acquiring more territory in Europe, or the continent of America, muft certainly be fatal to us : that the Weft-Indies is the only place we can acquire territory in, to any fort of advantage : that it is in our power to do it eafily at this jundture : that fuch acquifitions in the Weft-Indies muft raife our wealth and naval ftrength above France, or any power on earth, and much above what it is. We fee ourfelves blefTed with a great monarch and an able miniftry, with a brave army and invincible fleets ; that vi6lory has already put in our hands a curb to check the power of France, and maintain the liberties of Europe : I hope we ftiall not throw it away tamely or with timidity. For though fome /alfe brethren, fome unnatural children, have arifen amongft us, endeavouring to blaft this fair harveft, and miflead us into error and ruin : yet I hope their artifices are too thin to darken our eyes, and the meafures of our miniftry too fteady to be fhaken or mifled. If our debt (hould be augmenting, fo is our trade and wealth increafing with more ra- pidity]! ,. t44l pidity ; otir abilities to carry on the war rifin? daify, while that of our common enemy finks vilibly to all the world, below even the power of defend- ing any of her colonies.— i— Where can we hefi- tate? ' J Bafleterre, Oftober 26, 1760. 1 am, i^c. w ^ek:^^ 1 Q^m^^ / ' 1 a^:)^ f 1 i X^ ol ..t L E T< IT- / V t [45 1 LETTER IV. SIR, ♦ jHTjyjnuj T appears to me, that any people or na- JH^ T^^ tion muft be happy in thcmfelves, and re- iM r^ fpedable to their neighbours, in propor- ^Jf^jd tion to their numbers and the induftry they are employed in. It is induftry that is real wealth, and the abounding with the neceffaries of life makes the people happy at home, while they enjoy the liberty and fecurity of poffeffing what their induftry produces. Induftry can never be univerfal in any country where liberty and property are not well fecured and prote<5led, as no man will be in- duftrious where he is not fure of enjoying the fruits and profits of that induftry and labour j lo that li- berty and induftry are clofe companions, and ge- nerally go hand in hand ; induftry then is real wealth, not gold and filver, which are only the (ha- dows or reprefentations of wealth and induftry. Gold and filver can never be retained in any country after induftry is gone, no more than you can retain the ihadow after the fubftance is removed. Agri- t culture [46 3 culture at firft fpreads or difFufcs induflry more uni- verfally over a country than any thing elfe can do ; the more that country improves in the knowledge '. "^d ;yrarpe£(s are fet oflF to Aich advantage, as puts me in mind of a fimile in an old Englifh love-fong, where the honefl fin- cerity and fandnefs of a ^oung unpradifed Twain in the hands of a gilded or painted beauty, well trained ifi female artS;, is reprefented as follows : Thus, in the fun be-dropt with gold The bafking adder lies. The fwain admires each fhinir.g fold. Then grafps a fnake and dies. I hope we fhall be wifer than grafp this gilded fnake and be bit to death : will people confider that thofe ihining advantages North-America has beyond any other country we know, is the very thing that cre» ates our danger ; what ought to put us moft upon our guard, he fays, they double their numbers in lefs D 2 than i 50 tlian twenty years. Now let us fuppofc that the in- habitants of our own colonies and all Canada, o\^ and young, male and female, were juft one million,' twenty years hence they are two millions, in forty years four millions, in fixty years eight millions, in" eighty years fixteen millions, in a hundred years, juft one century, thirty-two millions j now will all thofe people look on idle in every, thing but hoeing the ground, as we make the negroes do here in Gua- daloupe, while they have the Tame liberty you have in England, v/hile you fee every week in your news- papers advertifements of high premiums offered to the fkilful in every individual trade ia England, to, indenture for a term of year i to fome part of North- America, artd going off in ev !ry Ihip, this does not' drain us of any ufeful people, he fays, nor will it ever propagate any of thofe trades or manufa3 Utsi 154] Let us Liien defpife his gilded pills of deftrufbion* and follow more folid meafures } let us hold fafl by thofe valuable fu^^^ar ilV.n'is :.\rr.\ whence the wealtn and naval ftrcngth of France las sprung and fub- fifted, thofe IHands that can never endanger our liberty, or ruin our trade, but muft always remain depen- dant, and continue the fruitful fource of our wealth and naval power. In that cafe our wealth and gran- deur may lubfift and endure as long as the inftability of human affairs can permit any ftate to flourifli. He dwells much upon the ewptnce of a ii^ar ia America, and the great merit of preventing the like cxpence for the future, he fees furely what every other man (ees, that the French have ruined their country more than ever they did at any time in fd ihort a period by their ill-judged war in America, *vhere the advantages of circumftance muft always be on our fide, as fuch war is carried on moftly by fea, and that we are much ftronger on the continent of America than they, and more powerful at fea 5 fo that by attempting to fupport the war in America, and their fchemes in that country from Old France by fea, their marine ftrength was weakened and loft, their trade followed, and their wealth from the Weft- Indies being ftopr, bankruptcy enfued. Is it for thefe rcafons he repines (o much at the expence of the war in America, becaufe it has funk the power, ambition, and naval ftrength of France? Thefe authors have told us France will never be at peace with us, therefore we muft exclude them from Noirth- America, the place in the world where we muft have tht greateft advantages over them in war, and which the prefent times have fully demonftrated. Pray, whether is it the intereft of France, or thcintcrcft of England, he has at heart i The [65 1 . The French, he tells us, will eafily part with it : this we abfolutely agree in. I believe they will, as they fee it has nigh ruined them, they will eaflly part with what has been deftrudive, for thofe fugar i^ands which hud raifed their wealth and naval ^rength to fuch a pitch as it had arrived at before ^he war, they will eafily part with it, becaufe they fee how it can be produ£tive of the ruin of Great« Britain in a very mort period, more clearly than I have defcribed in thofe brief letters. But are thefe the folideft reafons for us to a6l by ? What is the intereft of France can never be the intereft of Britain too J for us to follow the tracks pointed out to us by prance, I am afraid would prove the pertaii) paths ofdeftru^on. This author I am now glancing at has given us ^t the end an abftra£i: of the exports from England to North- America, and the Weft-Indies comparatively, and at different periods, to prove to us the great va- lue of North-America above the Weft-Indies, but I think it has a very contrary efFe£l if rightly con- ildered; the firft period is from the year 1744 to 1748, a period of war, when the troops and fleets fent to North- America far exceeded thpfe fent to the Weft-Indies ; and yet the exports to the fmall fpots we have in the Weft-Indies was as great as the ex- ports to all the extendve and populous colonies of North-America to a trifle. The n< nehod is from 1754 to 1758, a time that we have fu^th vaft armies and fleets in that quarter of the world, anri when all the colonies are in arms, they muft have more demands from England than when they are indullri- pufly cultivating the ground, and following their trades and manufactures. In this period America rifes far above the Weft-Indies, but wheh thefe armies and fleets are withdrawn, America will return to what it was. D 4 Is k [ 56 1 Is it not from this very plain that the acquiring more of the fugar iflands would make the exports to thefe iflands double what it is to America, and double the trade from the Weft-Indies to America at the fame time ; and yet all thofe iflands far from the extent of territory that one of thofe American provinces contains, with this diflTerence, that thofe iflands will increafe in their demands from the mother-country, and forever remain dependant; but thofe of America can only have demands from the mother-country while in their infancy, for when they rife to maturity they muft rival Britain in all her manufactures, as they will have wool, cotton, flax, hemp, raw-ftlk, and iron, cheaper than in England, and more hands to employ. The eafy carriage of thefe materials by lakei and rivers from the internal parts of the country to the fea-ports, fo as they may be {hipped for England and manufadlured there, our author has made very plain and eafyj but the fame conveniency arifes to thenifelves for carrying thofe materials round all their manufadfuring towns and villages where they can ufe them, uniefs where you keep troops to take thefe things from them by force, and burn their looms : to prevent which inconveniency to this favourite country, our author has furely hit the moft effec- tual method, and indeed it is the mafter-piece of the book, viz. ♦* To keef no troops there, but *' put arms in the hands of the people j let them ♦* raife troops and forts as they think proper/^ He feems fully fenfible how popular the cry is of faving expencc, and how eafy it is fwallowed without any examination at all. When we are pof- feflied of all North-America, fays he, *^ We fliall *' have no expence in maintaining garrifons there, •* fome few, however, may be neceiTary to fecure *^ the goods of the traders, and prote£l the commerce y in cafe of any fudden niifunderftanding with any , *' tfibfi ^i> ^i> [ 57 ] «« tribe of the Indians ; but thcfe forts will be beft " under the care of the colonics themfclvcs, and gar- /' rifoned by their provincial forces at their own ex- ** pence j their own intercft will induce the American *' colonies to take care of fuch forts, and fee the •* officers do their duty and keep their corps full, tffc,** I (hall copy no more of it, but refer you to the 13th and 14th pages of the book. Now his budget is opened, leaft America fhould not be able to throw off her dependance upon Britain early enough : giving them the power of raifing troops and training them at their own option, without any con- troul or dependance upon Britain, will certainly do the bufinefs, will accomplifh the end propofed mtA efFeftually ; if we (hould keep any troops there and garrifon thefe forts, he fhews you in the 14th page it would be to no purpofe, the Britiih are fo corrupt, abo- minable rafcals, that they would be onlymilitary monks, •and exift no where but in a mufte-rroll on paper. This afperfion upon our country and army, at a junc- ture when all the world admires them, one cannot read without the greateft refentment, as well as be alarmed at the audacioufnefs of the propofal, under all the difguife it is introduced. It is but very lately that the Britifh had arms put in their own hands, every man amongft you remembers that the military bill was thrown out, by a great ma- jority in the houfe of lords. May, 1 756, after full de- bate, and at a junfture when we were fo threatened with an invafion from France, that we neceflarily brought over, 14^000 foreign troops to fupport us againft fuch invafion j who knows, but after we are enervated by a few years peace, that bill may be again thrown out, and England remain difarmed, while her extenfive colonies in North-America enjoy the privi- lege qf raiting what armies they pleafe independant of V US, [58] lis, thefe garrifons, he fays, mud be at Aich a diftance up the country, as we in England could not know if they exiiled any where but in a mufter>roll ; we can far lefs know with any certainty what number of troops the colonies may chufe to keep there, which muft ever be a fecret from us, until they chufe to (hew them in their military capacity; if thofe North-Americans fhali in one century be above thirty millions of people, as we have (hewn from this author, with well-trained annies of their own ; will they ftand waiting till we lend them cloathing from England, or will they make lor themfelves, where they have better materials and cheaper work? What manufacture, or what branch of trade, are they not capable of taking from us ? Now if Canada was to be kept, the neceiHty of baving mor(; Tugar iflands comes with double force uptHi US; becaufe the difproportion complained of be- twixt Dur poileflions in North-America, and thofe of the Weft-Indies, becomes th»'eby much greater in place of being remedied : our author (hews us how fa& tbefe countries will multiply in people, by the ac- ceiliQn of Canada. The few fugar iflands we have, excluiive of Guadaloupe, are not able to ferve the con- fumption of Great-Britain and Ireland by 10,000 hogiheads a year. America muft confume as much ■as Britain, they muft have it, particularly rum, they cannot fubftft without it. Since its plain we can- not iupply them, they muft take thefe things, rum, iugar and molaftes, from the French ; they have (hewn -us even in the prefent war, a war entirely upon their own account, that they chufe to trade with the French fugar iflands, rather than with ours, and neceflitymuft ■compel them more, if Canada ihould be retained by us, without the fugar iflands at the fame time be ac- <}uired. The French fugar iflands of St. Domingo, Guadaloupe, Mary Gallante, Martinico, the Gra- siada'S} Dominico and St. Lucia, in which two laft they [59] they have governors at this hour, muft all of them double their value, by the great confumption from America. I have already (hewn that the great increaf« of the wealth and naval ftrength of France, arofe from thofe fugar iflands ; now it muft be doubled in place of being weakened by this war, and Canada in the pofleiHon of the Britiih, become more inftrumental and productive of the grandeur, (hipping, and wealth of France, than it could polfibly have been while in the poiTeflion of the French themfelves, unlefs we ac- quire the fugar iflands at the fame time ; thofe Freneh fugar iflands will take nothing from thofe Americans but money while they have it, ma(b, l^c, for (hipping, hemp, iron, and naval ftores, or furs and wool, all to fend home to France. In a word, every fcheme in this treatife of the intereft of Great-Britain confidered, whatever way you take it, has a direct tendency to the &gQ:randizing of France, and ruining of Great-Britain £ a mort view of his maxims follows. He fays, page 23, and many other places, that our people in America increafe fo faft as to double their number in lefs than £0 years, and by adding Canada they will encreafe much fafter. Page 37, " ThatPenfil- vania doubles its inhabitants every 16 years," he tells us, at the head of the 17th page, that, *< The bulk of ** the inhabitants of North- America are landed owners, ** whofe lands are inferior to thofe of Great-Britain, ** only by the want of an equal number of people." It has been (hewn, that in one century they exceed 30 millions, four times the numberin Britain, then their lands are better than ours ; at the end of the fame 17th page, he fays, ** Unprejudiced men well know that all the *' penal and prohibitory laws that ever were thought <* on, will not be fu(ficient to prevent manufactures, '< in a country whofe inhabitants furpafs the number ** that can fubfiil by the hufbandry of it '.** upwards of 30 millions of people can never fubfift upon agricul* ture ' [«o] tOWJ only, if they haw not more confumption for their produce, than the few fugar iflands we have can afford them, therefore manufadlures mult be well advanced, before they have encreafed to 30 millions before one century, (as in fadl they are tolerably advanced already) Add to this the fcheme of putting arms in their hands, page 13, to raife what forts they pleafe, and maintain as many regular troops as they think proper, indepcn- dant of Britain, and then you have a clear, fhort view, of the fcheme he would perfuade you into, and what he aims at. ;'^«..». He does not feem" in any part of his long treatife to difown what I all along advance, that Canada joined lo what we have in America will prove our deftruclion, .but he only (hifts it off to a greater diftance, it muft take fome centuries, he fays j now I think from his maxims as well as mine, it cannot be above the diftance of a century, if fo much, nay, if he is as young as his fchemes are new and unfolid, he may poffibly live to feel the completion of them himfelf. If thofe feparate ilatts or colonies in North--America ihould never unite, as he has been at great pains to prove they never can, (without making many converts I believe) our danger is much the fame ; for if in feparate ilates, they fhould ruin our trades, manufactures and commerce, lb as W9 Jiave no vent for any thing in America or the Weft- Indies, where ftand we? France is both at hand, and united to do the reft of the bufinefs chearfully, effec- tually, and, I believe, might provp rather the worft mafters of the two. I think I need fay no more tQ difcredit this political guide and hi? fchemes, ^ Give me only leave to fuppofe that the French, z moft political people, and who generally gain as much in the negotiating a peace, as they lofe during the war, fenfible of the liberty of the prefs in England, fhould procure hirelings to publifh their fchemes to the peoplp ' . of of Briton, and take every popular handle to delude tfiera ' into error, in what manner would fuch French miifio- rjaries attack us, but by gilding North-America with poetical fiflion ; to inflame the popular, but falfe am- bition of extent of territory, fo often prejudicial, in the annals of hiftory, that as we have found fome ccn- fiderable advantages, from thofe colonies in their in- fancy, we may fancy thofe advantages will ftill rife with the colonies themfelves, without perceiving the certain ruin that follows to our trade and manufawures from fuch ^rov/th of fo extenfivci colonies in the fame,' and finer climates ; that while we are giddy with fuc-: cefs, if we could be fo dazzled with thofe gilded phan- toms of ambition as turn our eyes from the fugar iflands, and leave France in poflefiion of thofe treafures, fliCi would again raife her wealth and marine force, from that quarter, with more rapidity than ever ; while we^ were working our own deltrudlion in America, with- out any expences to them. That in this fcheme,.the' proprietors of the fugar iflands we hive, might probably be drawn in, to co-operate fjom the danger of leffen- ing the value of their pofleffions in the Weft-Indies ; by any more acquifitions there, without duly attending to future cpnfequences, as immediate advantages often blind mens eyes to more remote dangers : that if fo great a body of opulent and wealthy people, could be gained or deceived, their influence would be very con- iiderable in the councils of Creat-Britain. That if we could be yet further deluded (by the plaufible pre- text of faving expence) to keep no troops in America, but leave the colonies the power of what troops and forts they pleafe to raife for their own fecurity, the bu- finefs would foon be accomplilhed ; the feeds" of our deftru(9:ioTi being once planted rind* fprung in fo fer- tile a foil, would foon ripen. Could the French policy and ingenuity lay any £;heme in their prcfent fituation more fubtle, and, at the [62] the (km€ time more efFe<^ual for our ruin, though ie may be flow in its operations, yet it becomes the more certain in its effect, and thus all our fame and vic- tories by fea and land turn to our own ruin, for want of that fteadinefs in u^g fuccefs, that we ihewed in obtaining it j w^ ihall then (land like He^or (hioing in the arms of Achilles, A blaze of glory ere we fade away. But I hope for better things while it is yet In our power to make the choice, that we (hail follow the lure and certain paths to profperity, and leave the dan- gerous and dubious flights of ambition after extent of territory, often if not always deftrudive. If our own patriots ihould then approach us with their advice and eounfel, in the fame manner and ilrain that a French hireling miflionary would do for our ruin, ought we not to take the alarm, and fift thofe counfels and maxims to the bottom, before we adopt them for our guides, maxims, and ichemes, as new as they are dangerous j and fupported by argu- ments as airy and imaginary, as the fchemes are un- folid and deftru6live ? I have already taken one Hmile from an old Englifli ballad, and find myfelf now ftrongly inclined to give you another; as I write only from memory, I cannot direct you where to find it, but it runs thus ; So to fulfil their prince's ends. Some miifion'd devils from hell afcends ; Their budgets with corruptions cramm'd, v The contributions of the damn'd. Which with unfparing hands they flrow. Round all the peopje as they goe : And then at Belzebub's black hall. Complain their budgets were too fmalL [63] I hope the preient French miffionaries (hall fooh have the fame reafon to complain, that their budgets wcce too fmall { that Great-Britain could not be daxzLed with all their gilded profpcds of America. l''hey had {penetration to difcover the treachery and ruin that urks in the bowels of this Trojan horfe ; that .they were fixt and determined to maintain their Aiperiori^ over France, in their own proper marine element.; to crufh the wealth and naval ftrength of France, fb eflentiui ly centered and rooted in thofe fugar iflands ; to leav^ the falfe and deflrudtive ambition of extent of territory, to the more deluded part of thv^ world with whom it may better agree ; that they are Hxt to the point of maintaining the liberties of Europe, from the refllefs ambition of PVancej to defend and pro- te«Sl the proteftant religion every where j and to prevent the faggots of an inquifition from ever blazing in Mid- dlefex ; yet, at the fame time, mod benignly difpofed, to protedt all her Rom?.n catholic fubjedls of her old» as well as new dominions, in the full and free exercife of their religion, and to blefs them with all the pro- teiSlion, liberty and freedom, that their religion will fufFer them to enjoy. I thought I had done, but thefe laft lines have fug- geffcd fomething, which juftice calls on me to explain : I am told it has been indufh-ioufly fpread in England, that the French inhabitants of this ifland, are difTatis- fied, turbulent, mutinous, and regardlefs of the terms of capitulation, than which nothing can be more falfe ; on the contrary, they appe <: to be as well fatis- fied with their circumftances, with the liberties they enjoy »>oth civil and religious, with ihe government they are under, the trade and advantage;; they pofTefs, as any people on earth can be, under the uncertain ftate they are in, dubious to what power they may belong; that they ha/c maintained and adhered to the articles of capitulation in every circumilance, with [64] a fteadinefs and integrity which mud do honour to themfelves, and to any ftate they may belong toj if there has been any deviation at all, I can venture to fay it has been among the loweft dregs of the people, with whom I have no intercourfe, and poffibly may never be rightly informed of what paiTes there ; I can alfo affirm, that there is lefi unfair trade carried on here now at this juncture, and for fome months palt, than in any other part ot the king 4 dominions* - 1 I am, Cs'f. , a LET. [^5] LETTER V. .'ar S I R, J»r)j()j('l< OU fecm to infinuate in your letter that •y. ^ fome people in London think I write par- )Q( tially in favour of Guadaloupe, I am very J^yfdjd ^^^^ pleafed to know the fentiments of every man upon that fubjedl, but might not I have fome rea- fon to fay they judge partially againft that place with- out knowing any thing about it, that they are fo far •--ejudiced againft it as not to allow themfelves to take any juft information upon the fubjef Caiiadaluiipc, rather than any proof of the contrary. K 2 I m [ 68 ] I am at the fame time of opinion that the confump- tion of the Britilh manufadtures will be greatly in- creafed from this ifland, and in a few years double what it is now, thus far I affirm from my own know- ledge of the place, and what I have carefully attended to for about a year paft. This fhort ftate or account of Gr.adaloupe I give as juft and true, conform to the beft of my judgment, and I muft know more of it now than thofe who were never here at all, or gave the leaft attention that way, even the people of An- tigua, who lay fo nigh this place, and frequently at BafTaterrc, have often aflured me that they were almoft as ignorant of the value of Guadaloupe as the peo- ple of England were, and thofe of Jamaica know much lefs of it. Now which of our accounts are to be moft credited, I upon the place, attentively obferv- ing every circumftance I mention, daily converfmg with the people of moft knowledge in thofe branches of trade, and long trained to it in our own iflands, or thofe gentlemen who were never fo near this place as Antigua, thofe who ^6t from prejudice and interefted views, jealous of their private fortunes in the other iflands from the riches of Guadaloupe. I fhall fay no more of the value of this ifland and its dependencies. If people at home will not open their eyes it is their own faults not mine, but I may be indulged to afiert, that fome years ago it was uni- verfally allowed that our deficiency of territory in the Weft-Indies was what limited and confined our trade moft of any thing. Every man who wrote on the fubje£l ftiowed us how deficient we were in the Weft- Indies, how precarious our fettlements there ftood, how powerful the French were in thofe iflands, how much it had raifcd their naval ftieneth and trade fince the treaty of Utrecht, that our colonies in North-America might prove dangerous to us, if our territory in the Weft-Indies were not enlarged, and more carefully at- tended r M < >i( [69] tended to, as there our deficiency was. moft fenfibly felt. If thefe things were as true as they were uni- verftlly acknowledged, furely it follows, that the firft acquifitions we make ought to be in the Weft-Indies, where we were moft weak or deficient, if the intereft of Great-Britain is to be confidered or made the rule. That the fupplying the Weft-Indies properly with negroes from the coaft of Africa, was what had con- tributed fo much to the rapid progrefs the French made in the Weft-Indies, amongft thefe valuable iflands, and the attention they gave principally to that quarter. Now let us look to the fenfe our own miniftry underftood thofe things in, how they con* fidered the intereft of the nation. r " I am pretty confident I fhall efcape the cenfure of partiality in what immediately follows. That the prefent miniftry who have conducted the war hitherto are the beft the nation ever was bleft with in the annals of hiftory, fo far as they can be looked into with any certainty, they have judged of the intereft of the nation upon the moft folid principles, and dif* tinguiftied where her natural ftrength lay, and how to ufe it moft for her advantage j no interefted or private views have influenced their meafures, no fcramble for lucrative pofts or employments has either divided them or diverted their fteadinefs from the true intereft of the nation; no man fo powerful as to be protedled if he was either negligent or remifs in his duty, from the higheft to the loweft, infomuch that envy and detrac- tion are filent, and parties and factions out of coun- tenance, if not fully reconciled. How has this mi- niftry looked upon America and the Weft-Indies ? In what light have they conlidered them ? When the war firft kindled in America and no where elfe, (though it foon broke out in Germany,) they fupported Ame- rica powerfully, as they knew we were ftronger there naturally than France was ; that France endeavouring E 3 to [ 7«> ] to ("upply that deficiency by fea from Old France wouM weaken themfelves, and expolc their fleets to ours ; therefore our fea armaments were more than ever attended to ; as our greateft ftrength lay there, and that the expence of fuch armaments is lefs felt by the nation than any other. America was then all the theme of the people, and the Welt-Indies never mentioned, but our watchful miniftry caft their eyes u^ii the Weft- Indies as well as to America and Ger- many. They fent fleets to the coafts of Africa early, and the hrft conquifls were there. As the French Weft- Indies had increafcd fo faft by their eafy fupplying them with negroes from that quarter of the world ; thus the firft efl^edlual foundation was early laid for fubfequcnt ftrudlures in the Weft-Indies. Soon af- ter this Cape-Briton was taken, which difabled the French from fending any fuccours to North- America, but at the greateft expence and rifque. Our miniftry ient expeditions of men and ftiips te> the coafts of France, which obliged the French to keep many of their troops at home to guard thefe coafts, fuch troops might othcrwife have caft the balance in Germany, and no meafure anpears to have been better judged : When the feafon was over for fuch attempts upon France, then the expedition to the Weft-Indies fet out, unexpected by every body, entirely owing to the ' {>enetration of the miniftry themfelves. There a con- queft was gained by fix regiments only, the moft im- portant ever Britain had made for lome centuries paft, and the PVench received the fevereft blow. How in- fpnfibly it was received at home, and from wnat caufes, " i have hinted in one of thefe letters. But this condu(5l of fo great and able a miniftry made me turn my thoughts towards the Weft-Indies, and, from a little reflcdtion, I difcovered all thofe ad-: v.Tnta2;cs arifino: froin fuch incrcafe of territory there, lAS I have defwribed to you in the couifeof thofe letters^ «- . and >l i m\ f > 'and which furcly had influenced our mini/try in tifiofe ftcps they had ib early taken to pave tiicir way there, when the reft of the world, nor our countrymen at home, were either talking or thinking of it, but amufing themfelves with more empty IhaJows. In the year 17591 the affairs of Germany feemed to require more afliftance, our miniftry prudently and wifely gave it, for if thofe alEdrs had gone wrong in Germany, it might have given our other victories over P ranee in Afia, Africa, and America, a very different turn from what they will have now, by fuch prudent fupply to Germany. The French at that period, to prevent our fupporting Germany, made the moit lively appear- ance of invading Britain with their new invented fcherrie of flat-bottomed boats, which they acted with more vivacity than any of their former invading fchemcs. But our minifl:ry were not at all frightned by thofe dreams, they fupportcd Germany ; they blocked up all the ports of France in the channel, and kept a fuf- ficient guard over Toulon ; at the fame time brought the militia, our natural and conftitutional llrength, to a molt refpedtful and falutary ftatc and fituation. But In thefe circumflances it was impofiible to think they could fpare troops from Britain fuificient for the Weft-Indies. The war in America had lingered a little ; General Amhcrft was not able to get up to Montreal before the fcafon was f;onc, and General Wolf found Qiicbec fo ftrongly covered by fo pow- erful an army, that the ti.king of it at that jundture was next to a miracle ; yet it was done, and that General greatly fell in the attempt, but will ever be remembered with honour. The conqucft of that place then was both late and unexpeficd, fo that no troops could poflibly come from America to the Weft- Indies that feafon, while Montreal was ftill in the French hands, and their ftrcngth there not con- tempiible. E4 But L70 . jBut now that the war in America is Unifhed ; that the French can no longer make head there ; that a great part of the troops in America can be brought home, we fhall foon fee if our great and able miniftry have relinquifhed the Weft-Indies, or continue in the fentiments they fo early di(covered of the importance of thofe iflands both to Britain and France ; by pufli- Ing the war in this part of the world to reduce the French fugar iflands, and thofe efteemed neutral, where the French have governors, fuch as St. Lucia and Dominico. Now only is the time that we could expe6l fuch an expedition from fo circumfpe6l a minif- try } for troops from England as they could not be fpared from duty nearer home, fo they would have been more expenfive to the nation than the troops from America in their return home j thofe troops can compleat the conqueft of thefe valuable iflands with the leaft expence to the nation, and are more fea- foned for the climate than thofe from England could poflibly be ; the fame expence of fhipping and viftual- ing that could bring thefe troops home to England will bring them here, fo that it is not half the ex- pence in money, nor probably half the expence of lives. I would not have people influenced by thefe unfolid conje ( f I \ [ 75 ] Secomlly, thnt the Weft-Indian iflands we have, fmall as they are, confume as much W not more of the produce of Grciit-Britain, than the American colonies do; therefore if the Weft-Indies were doubled at this juncture, fo would the exports from England be doubled ; and the whole trade betwixt Britain and the Weft-Indies, alfo the trade betwixt the Weft-Indies and America ; the Weft-Indit s would demand double from America they now do, and America be thereby enabled to increafe her demands from England. Thus England and America pront confiderably by acquiring territories in the Weft-Indies, but no acquifition of territory in America, can have that effect upon our Weft-India iflands, or rail'e their value. Thirdly, France draws almo-ft all her wealth from the Weft-Indies, fo may we ; the acquiring neutral iflands may in fome fenfe remedy our deficiency, but not totally, as thefe are but few, and may be many years in peopleing ; whereas the French illands are pretty well peopled already. If you leave the French in pnircflion of all the illands they have now in the Weft-Indies, they muft ftill remain too ftrong for us, and raife their naval ftrength with more rapidity from that quarter after the peace. The French iflands being taken from them remedies our deficiency, and alfo deminiihcs their ftrength, it fcrves both ends. You can never humble the trade and naval ftrength of Fiance but by taking their fugar iflands from them, prune ihofe luxuriant branches that carry the faireft and riciieft fruits of France, then you accomplifli the end propofed. i 7'lie fugar iflands miift always be dependant, but America as fhe rifes to maturity, may endanger our trade and liberty both. It muft be abfurd to fay or think, that when America exceeds us in numbers of people, that fiie will ncverthelcfs continue dependant, • • ■ becaufe C 76 ] becaufe independancy is grafped at by all mankind (Ince their Hrft creation : how impatient are all the children in England, as they advance in years, to be indepen* dant of their natural and fond parents ; does not the common converfation of all companies in North- Ame- rica run upon that fubjedt j when they can arivc at in- dependancy, they wait for it, and expert it with as much impatience, as a girl of fifteen does for her mar- riage to break loofe from the reftraint of a watchful mother. Let no man flatter himfelf with thofe empty phantoms, or fancy that he can alter the nature and pailions of men, or make them more fond of depen- dancy in a colle£live body, than individuals are : it muft appear equally abfurd to imagine, that North- America as (he advances in agriculture, and encreafes in numbers of people, will not alfd encreafe in induf- try, arts, trades, manufa to op- pofc the only probable view of aggrandi/Jn:i; Great- Britain, and humbling France her greutolt rival, lead their private fortunes in the few f)ugar iflands we have ihould i'uflcr a little diminution or abatement. If it was not very vain to give thofe gentlemen any advice, I v/ould humbly oft'er one ; To confuier Cerioufly whether 5C00/. a year, upon the furc(t and moft honourable footing, is not pieferable to 6000/. a year upon the moft precarious tenure that can be imagined. I would wifh them to attend to the nev/ favourite play, The Siege of Aquilcia, that they may fee how thofe great Roman people behaved ; young men in the bloom of youth giving themfelves up a facrilice for their country, parents giving up their chiidiv-n to death for that caufc, children who did ib much honour to the father who begot them, as well as to the mother who gave tiicm birth. Thofe Weft-Indians m.iy Kwrn from the ftage, if no where elfe, how ftiamcfullv vain their pretenfions are to imicatc or cijuul the Romans ; when they would betray their country for a little precarious and imaginary gain to tluMnidvts : hovvi-vcr, thefe arc but a icw^ and I hope nt^ver will induence the many. Wc may be comt'orted from reflecting that in the prefent times wc h'ive many infbinces of Romati virtue and fortitude in our countrymen, and blcft with a miniftry who may be juftly placed on a level with the moft eminent of the Roman confuls, Cicero not excepted. I have in the courfe ot thefe letters given you my fentimcnts of the intcrefts of our country in her pre- fent iituation, a period the moft important and intereft- iag of any we have ken, in which the future gran- deur. ) ) t 79] dcur, wealth, liberty, and honour of Britain in a great mcalurc depenJs upon the refolutions (he now takes with regard to America and the Weft-Indies, and I am not inclined at prefent to fay any more on the fubj(.'<5t, for prejudices arifing from interefted views can neither be filcnced, nor will they own con- viflion ; only thus much, th.1t you and your Weft- Indian fall'e brethren can have no handle to fay that this is written with much partiality or animated with any fallics of paflion or prejudice, but a plain narration of fafls, and the clear natural confequences that follow from thefe fads. I am, ^c. Guadaloupe, December I2, 1760. FINIS.