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MY LORD,

SHALL not prefume to trouble your lordship with any defcription of Jamaica, in thofe particulars which can only prove mere repetitions of every man's relation that has been there, farther than what is neceffary to explain my thoughts of the improvement and advantage, public or private, that has or may be made of the place, with the obftructions and dangers, whether cafual or natural, which feem to threaten it. The largenefs of the island, the many and good harbours, with the abundance of wood therein, are taking praifes with fuch as only think of it in comparifon with populous countries, that are defective in the like; but I am very fure they will foon fall under your lordship's confideration as fome if not the greatest inconveniencies that belong to it. An island of about three hundred miles compafs, as this is, with not above ten thousand inhabitants, befides flaves, in it, muft needs have thofe few difperfed at great diftances, if they plant round the fea coaft only; this makes it difficult, and of great inconvenience to the inhabitants in their domeftic affairs, to unite for their common fafety against any invader, whilft the harbours at the fame time, being too many to be fortified or defended, leave fuch invaders fafe paffage in and out to deftroy their dispersed plantations. The woods too, in the abfence of the matters, become inviting receptacles to the flaves, who, by reafon of the miferies they continually fuffer, will never be unwilling to improve fuch an opportunity. Thefe are not mifchiefs like the common accidents of Eu ropean nations when invaded, which, after fome recefs, foon return into erder again; but, happening there, muft bring affured ruin, because its nourishment and fupport in people and trade, depending upon the reputation the island has at home, that deftroyed, the place is confequently fo. And this I remember, upon difcourfe of it there, fir Henry Morgan did allow, faying to colonel Byndlofs nien with us, that, if he were now a pri

a privateer for the Spaniards, as he had been against them, he would not doubt to ruin the whole country, by burning and destroying the sea coaft plantations, and though it cannot be the Spaniards intereft in those parts, if we let them be quiet, to ftir up a neft of hornets and force them upon privateering again, yet the French, having little to lofe, and many poor rafcals to employ in the Tortugas, do not want knowledge of the inland of Jamaica, nor will enough, I fear, in cafe of war, to put it in execution, fince it is certain the planting part once difcouraged, the privateering trade muft fubfift by devouring the Spaniards as formerly, which produces another benefit to the French, by difturbing their hereditary enemy. So that fo far I concur with fir Thomas Lynch in saying, that planting and not privateering is the true intereft of England in that island, yet I cannot but think, that the greatest mistake could have happened in doing it was the forcing the planters, for want of convenience, to run to the north fide of the ifland; and, where ground may be had at three pounds an acre; although I allow the ground to be as good for canes, when with great charge and labour cleared, yet the vast ex-. pence, for want of favannas, in forcing a competent quantity of pasture for cattle, is a burden for cattle fcarce fupportable, befides the open condition they are in, to all invasions and revolts of the negroes. A tafte of the latter of which mifchiefs they had the last year, when many families were murdered by fome few blacks that went out, and the whole island alarmed and difturbed with fears and apprehenfions of the reft.My lord, I have infifted the more upon this particular, because it has been occafioned by the manner of the former governors proceedings, in fetting out the favannas and other lands on the fouth fide, which, had they been but granted in moderate and improvable portions, would have proved a greater quantity than the incrcafe of the people for many ages could have employed by planting; but, on the contrary, feveral particular first comers, having obtained title to fix, eight, ten, nay fome twenty, thoufand acres a man, have left no room for neighbourhood on that fide, where thofe delicate favannas, if divided into proportionable parcels, had given a comfortable fupport to the planters family by cattle, &c. without the charge of clearing, whilft his neighbouring plantation had been going on in its improvements. This, my lord, forefeen and practifed, had perhaps given a fecurity in the beginning to the moft improvable and beft fituated colony we have in the Indies, both for the commodities it produceth, and the annoyance it might give to any of our trading enemies that have dominion in thofe parts; nor had it then been fubject to foreign disturbance,

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the people being united to refift them, and the enemy landing on the north fide would have found nothing of value to deftroy, nor ufeful to carry away, befides fresh water; and this I am perfuaded might yet, by your fordship's wifdom, be remedied, if you would obtain a law for efcheating all lands that have paid no quit-rents, and are not likely to be improved by the owners on the fouth fide, or at fome additional rent certain to the prefent improving properties; free farms, or the like titles, for a long term of years, might by law be compelled to be granted to the real planters who fhould request it.

The next thing to be wifhed for in that world is a trade with the Spaniards, but will find fo many obftructions from their jealoufies and interefts in the beginning, that will require a more than ordinary care in conducting it, and fome affiftance here at home, by making it practicable. It is not to be thought that the Spaniards can quickly forget all the mischiefs continued upon them by us in thofe parts; mifchiefs, indeed, of fuch a nature that, had not the particular intercfts of private adventurers, that carried on depredations there, made all the rumour of cruelty run against that nation, muit long ago in policy have been prevented; for it may be truly faid, that though it has been the Spanish navigation, yet was it the English trade, that has been difturbed by privateering in thofe parts; and it is not unlikely that we, inftead of the Flemings, had been the convoys and fharers in their rich flotas, if we had given them no frequenter caufe of enmity to us in thofe parts than the Dutch have done. But, my lord, to gain a trade with them, I cannot but think the likelieft way would be, firft, to make fome new contract with the undertakers at Madrid for fupplying the Spanish Weft-Indies with negroes, and this I am confident would be eafy to be done, it your lordship would induce his royal highness and the African company to endeavour it; fince I once tried the matter and found, by advice from Spain, that they were very ready to treat with us, and to break with the Hollanders, who fupply them at prefent from Curacoa. The method then thought of for carrying on the work, if your lordthip pleafes, fhall be prefented to you. Anothe great and effectual ftep to a trade with them, would be for us heartily to endeavour to make the navigation in thofe parts fafe; for fince we have left difturbing the Spaniards ourselves, and getting the little profit that accrued thereby, it fhould be our intereft, methinks, not to fuffer any others to do it, and least of all the French, who, fince fir Henry Morgan fhewed them the way to take Pana

ma, are the only people in the world who, in thofe parts, we should fear, whilft our privateers wear away or are drawn off to planting. And I muft confefs I think there is no difference between our being at war there with Spain, and fuffering others effectually to be fo; for, fhould Panama fall to the French hands, the manufactures of France would fupply the South Sea, and all the riches of the world would be theirs, nor could all the ftrength of Europe ever recover that place, when once fortified by them. I fear I fhall trouble your lordship too much with politics, but yet I cannot but think that a trade with the Spaniards would be worth all the cost of reducing the French to nothing on Hifpaniola and the Tortugas, if a breach with them fhould ever happen to give opportunity for it; and I am very confident that the government of Jamaica for the time being would find the Spanish ports open to all the fhips commiffioned to that end; fo that private trade would more than recompence the charges of the war, and open the way in the end for a public one, under fome regulations of perpetual guarding thofe feas againit privateers, who, as long as they have protection from France, will otherwise forever infeft them.

This true maintaining of the peace would leave the Spaniards without excufe for their perpetual injuries in the Gulph, and make them difarm thofe privateers they now have juft caufe to keep at the Havannah, which place is fituated at the entrance of the channel, that it will be impoffible to avoid their fearches by all the force that could be placed in station there, to guard the paffage through the Gulph of Florida. But fome do project that the taking of the Havanna is practicable, which I will not deny, but neceffary I can never admit it; for, when we fhould attempt it, a war with the Spaniards in thofe parts muft again break out, and then an end to the improvement begun and defigned at Jamaica; befides, if rightly confidered, except that ifland, the Barbadoes, Bermudas, and our confiderable North-Weft plantations, we have too much in that world already. Then if the French fhould take it and make it one of their stations, what would be the confequence of fuch a bridle in our jaws, and the reins in the French hands-no lefs than the total lofs of the trade to Jamaica; for, in any rupture between the two crowns, the Tortugas on the coaft of Hifpaniola, and the Havanna upon Cuba, would leave no paffage from Jamaica but through their very mouth, and then farewel to the trade of logwood, fo much contended for by us, and fo much infifted on by the Spaniards; a trade, indeed, though profitable, that should either

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Be adjusted or deserted; for as the injuries done them by Englishmen daily, under French commiffions, provoke them to eftcem us thieves and truce-breakers, and cause them to arm upon that coaft, fo the logwood they find on board is the pretence and private excufe for their rapine in making us prizes when they take us carrying it in our fhips. And now, my lord, I will prefume humbly to offer your lordship my opinion upon the feveral foregoing particulars, and it is briefly thus: first, that peace with the Spaniards in thofe parts is to be preferred to war. Secondly, that we have fuch peace, it is abfolutely neceffary to prevent the French making war upon them there; for, otherwife, whilst we grow weak they grow ftrong, to our hazard and lofs, as much, if confidered on all fides, as that of the Spaniards. Thirdly, that an abfolute quieting of thofe feas is not only very neceflary and feafible but very cafy. Fourthly, that the doing of it would produce private trade, and perhaps in the end introduce public. Fifthly, that before this can well be done it is abfolutely neceffary to end the controverfy about cutting wood at Campeche, &c. either by faying it is plainly ours, or by difclaiming it to the peril of the cutters. Much of this which I have faid will I believe appear fuperfluous and unneceffary, yet it is in your lordship's power, by neglecting it, to prevent its being troublefome; but, having made fuch remarks, I could not perfuade myself to omit putting them in writing, and waving much more that might be faid. Concerning this colony, as it ftands in oppofition or conjunction to foreign trade and intereft, I fhall prefume to enlarge fomething further, and speak of it as I think it bears to this nation or to itself. As for the thriving and lafting commodities we can expect from the growth of it, they are only fugars, ginger, cottons, indigo, annotta; for as to that pleasant spice called pimento and cocoa, the first of them muft needs be exhaufted, fince the trees from whence it is gathered are, without hopes of replanting, always cut down for it; the fecond, I fear, is as unlikely to thrive, notwithstanding the daily hopes and attempts about it, and it will not be impertinent for me to offer the reafons I have for my opinion in this particular, if it were only to prevent your lordship's wafting money and time about it, fhould you be perfuaded like others to try, till fome of them firft fucceed. The Spanish negroes who came in after our conqueft of the ifland, and of whom fome yet remain free there, did ftill forebode that no cocoa which the English planted would thrive, which hitherto has proved prophecy, though the reafons for it be only fuperftitious; for, upon examination, they impute the good fuccefs the Spaniards had in that plant to the religious ceremonies used at the first

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