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Barbadoswas discovered by SirWilliam Carter, in KingJamesI’s time, planted to little purpose until 1627; since which, the Crops have been so advantageous, as to have raised the Price of Ground thirty fold.
We anchored here inCarlisle-Baythe beginning ofAugust, the resort of most Shipping who load at this Island. The Bay is made byNeedham and Pelican Points; the Anchorage 20 Fathom, so clear Water that you may see to the bottom; but so foul and rocky, that the Cables are always buoy’d up with Cask. In the bottom of the Bay standsBridgetown, the principal of the Island, and is the Residence of the Governor, Factors, and Merchants, who transact their Business here and at their Plantations alternately. There is only one large Church, with an Organ, and about twenty Chappels at different parts of the Island, all Episcopal, there having been noDissentersthese many years. The People are for the most part polite and well-bred, promoting Trade by a magnificent way of living; the chief of them are Colonels, or Captains of Militia, and in the Assembly are divided into a Party-Interest, on the civil Affairs of the Island, their chief Distinction; murmuring, or elate, just as they are in or out of the Governor’s Favour, who can abate in the Customs, or imploy in the Application: (tho’ by the way the fewer Officers, and those Menials, the better advantage to him.)
The whole is asweetSpot of Earth, not a Span hardly uncultivated with Sugar-Canes; all sides bend with an easy Declivity to the Sea, and is ever green: This delight to the Planter has its Inconveniencies, that there is no Recreation out of Business, but in Drinking or Gaming.
The Propriety was given by KingJamesI. to the Earl ofCarlisle; andAnno1661, KingCharlesII. purchased it back of LordKinoul, that Earl’s Heir, allowing him 1000l.per Ann.Acknowledgment.
Anno1663, an Act passed by the President (who acts as Governor in their absence) the Council and Assembly, for 4½ in Specie Duty of all Commodities, the Produce of the Island, which it’s computed will amount to 10000l.per Annum.—MadeiraWines imported, at 4l.10s.perPipe, raises 7000l.and this, with one Pound of GunpowderperTun on each Ship, is appropriated for Stores, and Repairs to Forts.
The Governor is appointed by the King, his Salary formerly used to arise at an uncertain Sum of 4 or 5000l.per Ann.from Presents and Perquisites, since fixed at 1200l., 2000l.and now is 6000l.And as the Council,a part of their Constitution, is in a manner of his own Nomination, being appointed by Letters ofMandamus, as they have Power to make Demands on ancient Perquisites, and sway in the Application of the publick Money; there are various ways of obliging, and his Party will always be uppermost in theLegislature, which consists of him, the Council of twelve, and an Assembly of twenty two, chose at the several Parishes by a Majority of Votes.
One Law is,That no Inhabitant shall be carriedoff the Islandwithout Leave; whoever engages in the Project, is liable to the Debts; so that when a Family sees Ruin approaching, (a frequent Case of late years) their Remedy is stealing away in Boats tosome other Place of Subsistence; and if they cannot this way escape a hardCreditor, they comfort themselves in dying, that it may be their Lot next. Those who depart fairly, are obliged to give publick notice at the Secretary’s Office; and no body objecting in twenty one days, are at liberty.
Another Act in 1676, passed against the Industry of the Quakers, whose Conversion of the Negroes, it was pretended, hazarded the Safety of the Island. They are computed at 80 or 90000, and are countenanced in Polygamy; yet not dangerous, because no Mountains to fly to, Detections and Executions would soon follow their Rebellions. TheEnglishare reckoned 20000, the Women among them mostScotchandIrish, very homely, and great Swearers. The Men, contrarily, are very gay, clean, and handsome, from mean Originals, often succeeding with rich Widows; it being but Justice to link a fat Plantation to the truely nauseous Draught of Matrimony.
The way of feeding such a Multitude, and providing Necessaries in an Island yielding little besides Sugar, is principally by their Fisheries and Importations.
The Sea gives them great plenty of flying Fish, Dolphins, Barricuda and King Fish, particularly the first; they bait with their own Specie, which thrown about, the Fish fly in such numbers to the Boats, that they takethem up with Dip-nets, and sometimes the Dolphins with them; the Season goes off at the Autumnal Equinox. Their Importations by Ships fromEngland,Ireland,New-England,Pensylvania,Carolina, orNew-York, constantly supplying any Defect ofFood or Necessaries, every Vessel bringing them something or other of this kind, which the Merchants keep in store and sell the Planters occasionally, who give their Sugars, Rum, and Molosses in return. The Price in what I was acquainted is,viz.
I have heard that the Custom-house Books had one year 35000 Hogsheads of Sugar entred, which at 10l.perHogshead, amounts to350000l.Every Acre was supposed 10s.a year Profit to the national Stock ofEngland, besides what the Planter got, and Mouths fed by it; but I must observe, the Crops of late years have very much failed, and put many of them under great Necessities. The Soil fertile in the Age past, seems now growing old, and past its teeming-time; they endeavour to mend this by a few Cattle kept for the sake of Manure;few, I say, because Land imploy’d this way, gives not1/10its Value. Wherefore when a thoughtless Man has joined to unlucky Events and Seasons an inadvertent way of living, he falls a Prey to the more astronomical Heads of Factors, who supply him with Food and Necessaries. The Hardships of many Planters at this time, through such Inclemencies, cannot be better laid open to the Reader, than in transcribing part of a Sermon, that I am informed was preached by Command of his Excellency the Governor,May1734.
“Here I should have left off, but I amcommandedby his Excellency the Governor, to exhort you to that Charity, the Necessity of which has been laid before ye.
“Remember therefore, that one of the ways observed of seeking God is, by obeying the Dictates of his Holy Spirit, that Humanity and Charity undepraved Nature feels towards all that are poor and distressed.
“What an excellent Grace of Christianity this is,St. Paulfrom the Spirit of God teacheth, (1Cor.xiii.) saying, that when the Gift of Tongues, of Prophecies, of Miracles shall cease,a greater, even that of Charity, shall never cease in the Church militant, never in the Church triumphant; nor can there be any greater Inducements to provoke us to Charity, thanfirst, it covers a Multitude of Sins, andnext, bringeth God himself (as he is pleased to esteem it) in debt to us;for he who giveth to the Poor lendeth to the Lord, and look, what he layeth out shall be paid him again; paid in Blessings here, and hereafter eternal Life, if no mortal Sin continue in the Giver, to hinder these blessed Effects.—I need say no more to ye who read the Bible, how dear to God those Christians are, who according to their Ability are liberal to poor Persons and Families; so that what remains for me to say, is to expatiate a little upon the miserable State of the Poor of these two Parishes, and leave the whole to your pious Consideration.
“In one of these,St. Philip’s, mine Eyes beheld all the Signs of an approaching Famine;the Face of the Earth appeared as it were a dry Crust, burnt up and gaping for its watry Nutriment; hardly any thing green appeared, and I am told, the Face of the Country is much the same inChrist-ChurchParish. Now how miserable must it be with the single Poor, and with Families! I assure you, several are come into ours, and others are gone farther Leeward to seek for Work and Food. You who are tender Parents, consider how terrible it must be for Families with nothing in their House, nothing growing on their Land, not a grain of any thing to support themselves and dear helpless Children: No Money, and no Credit, no Relief from without, and no Bread, nor Water either, hardly within or without. I have heard of poor Men going about for Work, to sustain their own Bodies, forced to leave Wife and Children at home to starve; sure your Hearts must relent, and every one of you give according as you are able, with a free Mind, and willing Heart. But here some may object, Why should I give to those two Parishes, when our own Poor may be in as great Want? I answer, some may be so; but the Calamity (blessed be God) is not so general here; it is not so bad with us in that one necessary Article of Water. Thirst is terrible, let us then pity our poor Brethren,their Wives and Children, who go so far for Water that they have not due time to get their Bread, were there Work for them to earn it by.
“I believe, you know we have here poor Families in great want, and I could wish our Vestry would meet, particularly to consider it; but in the mean time, let us not forget the poorer People of these two Parishes, as now perishing for want of Food; yea, his L——p and the Council’s Belief is, (you hear) that some have already died for want of Bread.
“What Christian Man or Woman then in Affluence and Plenty, can have an Heart so hard as not to bestow liberally on so great, so sad, so calamitous a Necessity and Misery? and what poorer Christian, who has somewhat, tho’ little above his daily Wants, but will fling his Mite to stop so dread an Evil?
“What Christian Woman, who has young and helpless Children of her own, and Bread to give them, but whose Bowels must yearn and Heart ake to hear, that in these two Parishes are many Infants crying at the empty Breasts of their Mothers, and their Mothers weeping and languishing at the same time for Bread to sustain themselves.
“What compassionate Fathers or Brothers but must grieve to understand, that grown Children too young to work, are nowstarving in these Parishes, and their Parents and Brothers nothing to relieve them.
“What good Children but must bleed at heart to see their Parents starving? yet such is the Fate of some in these Parishes.
“Christians consider, that one way of keeping Famine from us of this Parish, is to bestow our Charity in a Proportion to their Wants, and our Ability: That is the likeliest Method to move God to give us fruitful Seasons, to renew our Springs, and bring a cheerful Green over the Face of our Plants and Seeds.
“May the blessed Spirit, &c.”
The Consequence of this Distress now among theBarbadians, is shifting their old Habitations; several impelled by Necessity, and Wants, (stronger Motives than Religion;) are stealing away to mend it where they can.
The Sufferings of these Islanders, I think, will carry some Similitude to larger Countries; where the remarkable Decay, or Loss of one single Branch of Trade, it’s observed, will sensibly affect Multitudes, not only those immediately concerned in the retailing, who must change Trades, infringing on others, or seek other Countries, but also those not concerned; because as an extraordinary Trade stamps an extraordinary Value on Land, and that on Provisions, when the one fails, or changes hands, as it has and will do, (Venice,theHans Towns,Antwerp,Holland, and which by the way, shews all Countries bordering on the Sea, within 50°° of Latitude, equally advantageous for Trade) the other ought to give way for the lowering of Provisions, and Charge of Subsistence to the Poor, (some ways of it being supposed now to be cut off or curtailed:) and if Landlords do it slowly, the Law should oblige; because, as publick Virtue is no private Man’s Profession, he will take his Lands into his own hands, tho’ with Loss, rather than submit to the Reduction of his Rents; and because he can afford it, will hoard, and suffer Grain to decay and spoil, before he will fall the Price.
In our Plantations, the inferior sort of Merchants are not unlike Sharpers in Gaming; they by a better Skill, know how to prey on the Wants, the Weakness, and Passions of their Customers (the Planters and Artificers) chaining them down by degrees to their Service; many of the Inconsiderate being ruined without knowing it, till the very Day they want Victuals.