they had heard at the bar, was no corporate act, and was figned only by fourteen proprietors, out of about feventeen hundred, of which the Company confifted; that the yaft majority by which it was carried through the other Houfe, where the moft ample information was obtained of the Company's affairs, and the very fmall number that had diffented to it, fufficiently fhewed the juftice, propriety, and expediency of the measure. Other charges or cenfures were answered, CHAP. VII. Expedition against the Caribbs in the island of St. Vincent. Same account of thefe people; black and yellow Caribbs; ceffion of the island by the late treaty of peace. The Caribbs refufe to have their lands furveyed, and ta fubmit to the proposed transplantation. New proposals made, and rejected. Troops ordered from North-America; proposal for tranfporting the Caribbs to the coast of Africa. Enquiry Jet on foot in the Houje of Commons, as to the nature and causes of the expedition; witnesses examined; debates; refolutions moved, and rejected upon a divifion. Treaty concluded with the Caribbs. Petition from the captains of the navy for an addition to their half-pay, oppofition to the Petition; received, upon a divifion, and the request complied with. Fate of the Diffenters Bill. Motion relative to refts required in the Universities; rejected by a great majority. N expedition which had been undertaken against the Caribbs in the island of St. Vincent, in the Weft-Indies, had occafioned confiderable debates in the courfe of this feffion. It appears that thefe people confifted of two different races, which, from their colour, were distinguished by the appellations of Black and Yellow Caribbs; the latter, being defcended from the original natives, were the natural proprietors of the island; the former were the offspring of a cargo of African negroes, who being on board an English flaving veffel bound to Barbadoes, had been Fast away upon the coafts of St. Vin AN expedition which had been cent, about a century ago. The negroes having recovered their li berty by this accident, were hofpitably received by the natives, and accordingly fettled amongst them; but having women of their own, they ftill continued, with fome intermixture, a feparate people, and foon became numerous. The twq nations were not more different in their colour, than in their temper and difpofitions; the Americans being timid and inoffenfive, and the Africans hardy, crafty, fufpicious, and daring. With thefe qualities, together with the acceffion of their runaway countrymen from the neighbouring iflands, they foot foon became far fuperior in power and number to the natives, who melted away infenfibly as the ftrangers increased. In this ftate the Caribbs continued for fome time, until the French from the neighbouring ifands infinuated themfelves among them, being tempted by the excellence of the foil, and the cheap purchases which they made of it, for brandy, and the trifling neceffaries that were wanted by the favages; and by degrees got fuch footing as to become poffeffed of all the fertile vallies that interfect the mountains on the leeward fide of the island, and to bring them into a flate of cultivation. Though the French and the Caribbs of both colours, lived in general together upon very good terms, and the latter, in procefs of tine, adopted the religion, and acquired the language of the former; yet the neighbourhood of cultivation and villages, was as little fuited to the convenience and necefities of a people, who fubfifted principally by hunting and fishing, as i was to their genius. Mankind, in any stage near that of nature, fhun crowds, and love retirement; fill withing to live free and unreftrained in their actions, without obfervation or interference. The Caribbs accordingly totally abandoned their ancient poffeffions, and retired to the windward, and level fide of the island. It however ap. pears, though we are uninformed as to the time and particulars, that an attempt was once made by the French to enslave thefe people; and that the Cariots defended their liberty fo floudly, that the French were not only glad to renounce the defign, but were obliged to AC knowledge them as a free and independent people. Notwithstanding this migration and attempt, a friendly intercourfe and correspondence was in general continued, and the French not only feem to have paid a proper attention to their difpofitions and manners, but to have applied themfelves affiduoufty to the gaining of their friendship and affection; while the Caribbs obtained a power of fummary juftice in their own hands, by burning the houfes and plantations of those from whom they had received any injury. It is probable that thefe exceffes were not often committed; and it does not appear, that the French ever confidered them as fufficient grounds for a general quarrel, or revenged them as public injuries. During this ftate of affairs, and until the late treaty of peace, the French King, upon every occafion, treated the Caribbs with fome diftinction, and feemed to confider them as proprietors of the island. By that treaty, the island of St. Vincent was ceded to Great- Britain, without any notice being taken of the Caribbs. It was then fuppofed to contain between four and five thousand French inhabitants, and the Caribbs to amount to upwards of a thoufand fighting men. As this ifland was one of thofe which had been declared neutral, and the French fettlements on it were infractions of former treaties between the two nations, they were palled over in the prefent, without the finalleft mention, as if none fuch were in existence. Commitioners were appointed for the fale of the profitable lands in thofe iflands; but the French fetders were permitted to hold their former former poffeffions, upon leafes for years, and under certain ftipula tions. A great number, however, of the French, not chufing to live under our government, abandoned their eftates, which, together with the new lands, were generally pur• chafed by adventurers from thefe countries; by which means the English fettlers in the island of St. Vincent, foon became confiderable both as to number and property. Though no ftipulation had been made in favour of the Caribbs by the late treaty of peace, our court gave early inftructions, in the year 1764, that they should not be difturbed in the poffeffion of their land; and the commiffioners for fales were directed, not to attempt any furvey of them, without particular orders for that purpoie. The new fettlers having time to look about them, foon obferved with regret, that the plain and fertile part of the island was in the hands of the Caribbs, to whom its valuable properties rendered it of little more advantage, than any equal extent of the rudeft country, would have been; their cottages being fcattered at a great distance in the woods, and only small spots of ground near them, cleared or cultivated. In fhort, fear and avarice operated ftrongly to make them with the removal of the black inhabitants. Representations were according ly made to government, as well by the principal of the new fettlers, as by the commiffioners of fales, to deprive the Caribbs of their poffeffons, and to grant them fuch an equivalent, whether in the island, or elsewhere, as should be thought neceffary. These representations were fupported by many plaufible reafons, among which the immediate profits to the crown from the fale of the lands, was ftrongly urged; the dangers arifing to thofe who had already made purchases under the faith and protection of government, as well as to the island in general, from the neighbourhood of a lawlefs banditti, who were ftrongly attached to the French, with whom they held a conftant correfpondence in the neighbouring islands, and who, from their religion and manners, were violently averfe to our people and government, were alfo defcribed in the highest degree of colouring. In confequence of thefe reprefentations, inftructions were iffued by the lords of the treafury, in the beginning of the year 1768, for the furvey and difpofal of the lands poffeffed by the Caribbs; for the parts of which that were cleared and cultivated, they were to be paid a certain price per acre, in money, and were to have other lands allotted in return, fufficient for their fupport, in a different part of the ifland. The new lands were to be granted and fecured in perpetuity, to them and their pofterity; were to be free from all quit-rents, charges, and conditions, except peaceable behaviour, and obedience to government; were to defcend among them, according to their own customs and usages of inheritance; and were to be for ever unalienable to any white perfon. Five years were given for effecting this transplantation. The Caribbs, from their connexions with the French, especially in the late war, had imbibed prejudices against our people and government, and were at all times, from our firft poffeffion of the ifland, extremely fufpicious of our defigns and proceedings; and this dilike and fear operated fo ftrongly upon them, that fome years before, they had applied to the French governor of St. Lucia, for leave to fettle on that ifland. For which reafon, the arrangement propofed by the English government excited the most general alarm amongft them. They now concluded, that this meafure was only the prelude to a defign formed, either for their utter extermination or for reducing them to a state of flavery; and a report was fpread and believed amongt hem, that the ancient claim of property, which the Englifh had pretended in the perfons of their ancestors, was now to be revived against themfelves. In this fituation, they applied to the governor of Martinique for advice and protection; the latter of which he abfolutely refused, and as to the former, is faid to have recommend ed to them a fubmiffion to govern ment. This advice, however, had no effect upon their conduct. In anfwer to the applications of the commiffioners, they faid, that the whole island was originally their property; that, however, as they had permitted the French to fettle upon a part of it, their king might difpofe of that part as he pleafed; but that as they were not his fubjects, he had no authority over them, and confequently could not grant or difpofe of the part of their country, which they had reserved to themfelves. They concluded, by abfoluely refufing to part with their lands, or to admit of any exchange. The commiffioners, notwithstand ing, proceeded in making the furvey, and advanced a road into their country. Though the Caribbs expreffed great diffatisfaction and refentment at this measure, they feemed very unwilling to proceed to actual violence Their behaviour and countenance became, however, at length fo alarming, that it was thought neceffary, in the beginning of May 1769, to fend an officer with forty men to protect the furveyors and their people. This fmall detachment, having taken post in the heart of the Caribbee country, where fome temporary huts had been erected for their reception, found themselves immediately fo effectually furrounded, by a ftrong body of well-armed Caribbs, that all communication with their own people, and all means of fubfiftence, were entirely cut off, fo that they were little lefs than prifoners. The prudence and temper of the officer, who confidered the inequality of his force, and the extreme unwillingness which the Caribbs had hitherto fhewn, of bringing matters to the laft extremity, not only preferved the detachment from being cut off, but prevented the fmaileft violence from being offered on either fide. In the mean time the furveyors and their people were fo terrified; that they abandoned their work; and were permitted to retire in fafety; but their huts were demolifhed, and the new roads broke up, fo far as time would admit. The fituation and uncertain fate of the detachment caused an univerfal alarm, and the English settlers. having taken up arms, and joined the few regular troops that were in the island, marched immediately to its relief. However, as they they found the detachment fafe, it was not thought confiftent with prudence, nor authorized by inftructions from home, to proceed to violence against the Caribbs. It was agreed that nothing further fhould be done, until the prefent transactions were laid before the King and council, and their final refolutions known. The Caribbs immediately agreed to thefe propofitions, and a ftop was for that time put to the furvey. Though the planters had not a force in any degree equal to the reduction of the Caribbs, the number of the rivers in the country, and the richness of the foil through which they had now marched, operated fo powerfully upon their paffions, that they could not avoid expreffing the regret which they felt, at being prevented from bringing matters to an immediate extremity, in terms which gave no favourable idea of their equity or humanity. Falfe reports were induftriously raised and circulated, which kept the island in a continual alarm: the moft paffionate complaints were fent home: the Caribbs reprefented as molt daring and incorrigible rebels and their own danger exaggerated in the highest degree. Nothing less than their total extermination could now afford fafety; and it was proposed to transport them to the coast of Africa, or to fome defart island in that quarter. In the mean time, the lieutenantgovernor of the new iflands arrived at St. Vincent's, and iffued a proclamation to quiet the minds of the Caribbs, and to remove their fears and fufpicions; nor do we hear of any further violence they committed than the deftruction of the new roads, and the burning of a houfe belonging to a person who was particularly obnoxious to them; and they quietly fubmitted to the imprisonment of one of their chiefs, who was fufpected of the latter fact; nor does it appear that there was a fingle fhot fired, nor a drop of blood fpilt, in all this commotion. Notwith landing the warm and continual remonftrances that were made at home, government feemed ftill very unwilling to proceed to violence with thefe people. Accordingly the commiffioners, in the beginning of the year 1771, held another meeting with feveral of their chiefs, and propofed a new partition, and exchange of lands, upon a narrower fcale, and terms more favourable to them than the arrangement which had been already agitated; but every propofal for parting with their lands was rejected by the Caribbs with the greatest firmness; and on the queftion being demanded, whether they acknowledged themselves fubjects. to the King of Great-Britai, and would take the oath of allegiance, they boldly replied in the negative; faid they were independent, and were not fubject either to the King of Great-Britain or of France. As the continuance of our tranquillity with the courts of France and Spain, feemed at that time very precarious, there is little room to doubt but that the Caribbs were fpirited to this conduct by the governors of the neighbouring French inlands. |
