Agents of Barbados to the Council of Trade and Plantations on Duties, War Losses, and Sugar Decline (6 December 1700)
| Artifact Summary | |
|---|---|
| Artifact type | State paper |
| Creator/author | Agents of Barbados |
| Date | 6 December 1700 |
| Period | Stuart |
| City and country of origin | Barbados |
| Abstract | |
Entry
[Calendar of State Papers, Colonial Series: America and West Indies, vol. 18, 6 December 1700.] Series witness: Internet Archive volume. Printed reference: [Board of Trade. Barbados, 8. No. 63 ; and 45. pp. 181-185.]
Dec. 6. 981. Agents of Barbados and others to the Council of Trade and Plantations. Barbados by its situation and trade has been a store house and defence to all His Majesty's other Plantations to windward of Jamaica, and hath in all times of need very much contributed by great expence of money and people to the security of them, and particularly in the late war, by raising and equipping three regiments of foot-soldiers at its own charge for the reduction of St. Christopher's and invading the French islands, wherefor and for the hire of transport ships, the inhabitants subjected themselves to a very great debt, and by so many white mens' going off the Island, as those regiments consisted of, they were forced by a law for the incouraging importation of white servants to be at the charge of above 40,OOOZ. sterl. to recruit their militia. By their great losses at sea during the war, the very high duties laid on the commodities of the growth of the Island exported, by the mortalities of many thousands of their negroes, which reduced them from 70,000 to about 40,000, whereby more than one-third part of their lands which used to be planted for sugar, ginger and cotton, lie uncultivated, and by that means not above 220 or 230 ships are yearly imployed, whereas there used to be near 400, the inhabitants are reduced to so weak and declining a condition by these and other misfortunes that they have been unable to keep the forts and fortifications in repair or to furnish their magazeen with the stores requisite, and they are in a very defenceless condition, and the sence they had of the danger they were exposed to in the late war, put them upon supplicating His Majesty that an ingeneer might be sent from hence to view the state of the fortifications there and to consider what might be necessary for the defence of the Island. Whereupon Mr. Talbot Edwards was sent. His report is before your Lordships, and the General Assembly think it their duty to represent the weak condition of the Island, in the hopes that by your Lordships' favourable interposition in a time of peace, what is needful may be done. In order thereunto, as we are instructed, we humbly represent that there is a duty of 4£ per cent, of the commodities of the growth of the Island exported thence, collected by His Majesty's officers there, which was granted by an Act of the Island to King Charles II for maintaining the honour and dignity of His Majesty's authority, the charge of the publick meetings of the Sessions, the often attendance of the Council, the reparations of the forts and all other publick charges. This impost hath been diverted from the purposes for which it was given and therefore it is humbly hoped that your Lordships will lay this matter before His Majesty that he may be graciously pleased to order that it be applied to the uses mentioned in the Act (Sept., 1663), whereby the forts of the Island may be in some measure put into repair. Signed, Kendall, Richd. Bate, Samll. Burwick, M. Crowe, Wm. Allamby, Wm. Walker, Wm. Cleland, Nath. Rous, Jon. Harwood, Will. Boothe, Rich. Grey, Tho. Maxwell, John Gray, Tho. Sutton, Robert Walke, Richd. Parsons, Thos. Gonning, Edw. Littleton, Wm. Bridges, Mel. Holder. Endorsed, Reed. Read Dec. 6, 1700. 1 large p.
Editorial note: This page reproduces the printed calendared abstract, not the underlying manuscript in full. Continued across 1 adjoining OCR segment(s) in the local witness. Shortened the title while preserving its central economic claims. Mapped to Barbados. The printed reference from the series has been separated from the body for readability.
