Wedder peafe, for the negroes. Shads and other pickled fish are likewife Mr. imported from the United States in aid of the fupply of herrings burn. from this country, and falt cod fish are alfo imported from the United States as well as from British North America. Of thefe artieles, the lumber, ftaves, and flour, and pickled fish, I conceive can be procured from the United States only in adequate quantities, and at reasonable prices. You have stated generally, that the returns made by fugar plantations have, during the laft 7 years, been inadequate; what has been the cafe during the laft and prefent year in particular, as applying to the fugar crop of 1806-Many eftates, particularly those making the inferior quality of fugar, I fhould apprehend, have brought their proprietors in debt upon the transactions of that crop; i. e. the fales of the produce have not paid the expences incurred for the making. What is the present state of the market, the profpect of importation of fugar from the colonies, and the probable means of difpofing thereof? The market is in the fame depreffed ftate it has been for many months paft. And, though there has been a very confiderable exportation within these few weeks, it has not caufed an increase of price, the continental markets being fupplied from the hoftile colonies by the neutral carriers, at fuch low prices, that the British colonies cannot afford to enter into competition with them. I have no reason to think that the importation of this year will fall fhort of that of the last in any material degree, and until very lately, a large portion of last year's importation remained on hand. We cannot therefore expect to be able to dispose of our furplus importation at an earlier period, or at better prices than we did last year, unless a new and very confiderable consumptiou is opened at home, or unless the access to the continental markets be by fome means or other facilitated, and its fupply from the hoftile colonies interrupted. What has been the average Gazette price per cwt. exclufive of duty, for the laft 8 months?-It has varied from 365. to 315. per cwt. What is the expence per cwt. of fugar for British supplies, and ifland expences, beyond the produce of the fales of rum --According to the accounts of eight eftates I have laid before the committee, it amounts to 20s. 1od. What is the expence per cwt. of fugar for insurance, freight, merchants commiffion, brokerage, and port charges ?—About 16s. Have you any idea that the eftates with which you are connected have, within the last year, made any interest at all upon their capital ? -They have made no intereft at all upon the average. What has been, in your memory, the difference between the extreme prices of the best and worst Muscovado sugar, and what is that difference now?—I have known the difference between the highest and lowest price of sugars not to exceed from ten to fifteen shillings per hundred weight; and I have alfo known it to amount to from thirty to thirty-five fhillings, which it does at present. Do not the extremes become more diftant when the home confumption is alone, or chiefly in the market, and approach much nearer when there is a strong competition of foreign demand?-Certainly, there is a greater depreffion in the price of the lower qualities compared with that of the higher, when there is the leaft demand in Mr. the market, and that is generally the cafe when there is little or no Wedder- demand for exportation. burn. These accounts will ap pear at Suppofing that a return of barely ten per cent. upon his capital was an adequate compenfation to the fugar planter for his adventure, risk, and labour, in the cultivation and manufacture of fugar, how much do you think, on the best average calculation you can make, ought he to have for each hundred weight of the article he fhips, free from all charges whatever, in order to enfure him fuch return?—I fhould conceive not lefs than thirty fhillings per hundred weight. It depends very much on the capital which may be supposed to be employed, when you come to determine the rate per cwt. that must come net into the planter's pocket, to give him ten per cent. upon his capital. In my answer, I have fuppofed an estate making on an average 200 hogfheads of fugar, of fourteen cwt. each, which cannot certainly be established at an expence of lefs than 40,000/. fterling, and thirty fhillings per cwt. on 200 hogsheads, that is to say, on 2,800 cwt. will give 4,200l. or a little more than ten per cent. I compute the capital of the eftate as follows: 250 negroes, at 70l. fterling, will be 17,500; 180 head of cattle and mules, at 30%. fterling, will be 5,400l.; the buildings for carrying on the manufacture, negro houses, and overfeers houfes, I would value at 7,00c4. fterling, which would leave the land to be valued at 10,100/. I confider the value put upon the land extremely moderate, though it is entirely by fuppofition, because some lands are very valuable in themfelves, and others not worth any thing, but as the means of employing the other capital. I fhould think on fuch an eftate as this, the charge attaching to the fugar, over and above the produce of the rum, would be less than the average of the eight estates I have mentioned, perhaps it might not be more than fourteen or fifteen fhillings per cwt. As the law at prefent ftands, the Weft India merchant is allowed to give only rum and molaffes to the Americans who furnish staves?— I believe it is fo. What proportion of the rum and molaffes do you imagine, on the average, is given to the Americans in exchange for thofe articles?In the quarter of the island in which I am perfonally interested, the Americans who fupply the lumber will not take rum from the estates, the confequence of which is that almost the whole of the rum made upon the estates I am connected with comes to this country, and the lumber and provifions are paid for either in cash or by bills upon this country. Do not they take a great portion of the molaffes?—No, the whole is diftilled into rum on the eftates I am connected with. In the total ceffation of the foreign demand, are not the lower forts of fugar next to unfaleable?-They have been fo during this last seafon; they could only be difpofed of by being put up to public fale, and fold for whatever might be offered, which price offered is far below the real cost of the article. What proportion do the coarfe or low fugars you have spoken of bear to the whole importation?-A very small proportion of the importation confifts of what are called fine fugars. Have you brought with you any accounts? I have brought, first, the account by which I make the charge attaching to the sugar crop, over and above the proceeds of rum, amount to 20s. 1od, on an ave burn's rage of 8 estates. I have alfo the account of the produce and expences the end of fix crops of one of thofe eftates (marked No. 1. in the statement of Mr. of the average charge.) The expences, on an average of the laft Wedderfour years, after deducting the proceeds of the rum, forms a charge examinaon the fugar crop of this eftate, of 14s. 2d. per cwt.: the buildings tion. have not required any extenfive repairs, and there has been no purchafe of negroes, nor allowance made for deterioration of capital, though in 1801 there were 345 negroes on the eftate, and in 1806 only 301, the excefs of deaths over births being in that period 44; nor is there any charge for interest made in that account. The fugar generally fells higher than the average price quoted in the Gazette. Valuing this eftate moderately, the capital cannot be taken at lefs than 50,000l. fterling, as it was in 1801, with 345 negroes; though it coft the proprietor a great deal more. The average net return is 2,1487. which gives a little more than 4 per cent. upon the capital; but if the average annual lofs of negroes had been replaced by fresh purchases, the returns would have been only about three per cent. I have felected this account, because the estate has been making regular crops, and been under regular management, and because the charge upon the fugar crop is confiderably less per cwt. than the average I have already ftated. At what rate did you value the feven negroes diminished?—I fuppose the average price to be about 100l. currency, which is about 701. fterling. Had that eftate, which you fay has been well regulated, been able to keep up its eftablishment previously to this? I have not the means of afcertaining the fact, but I confider this eftate as one whose negroes have been extremely well managed, and who have been liberally supplied with cloathing and provisions, and they are well fupplied with provifion-grounds, and yet the refult has been, that they have not been able to keep up their numbers: there has been an average annual decrease of seven negroes from the number of 345, which is about 24 per cent. I have. an account of another of the eight estates, being the one marked No. 3. in the statement of the average charge, which, in this eftate, amounts to only twelve fhillings per cwt. This This aclowness of expences arifes from there being a breeding farm attached countwill to it fufficient to raise cattle for its own ufe, otherwife if they had to appear at purchase cattle, the charge would be at least fifteen fhillings per cwt. the end as the annual expence would have been more than is ftated in the ac- Weddercount by four or five hundred pounds fterling. This eftate has 276 burn'sexnegroes upon it, it has made a full average crop last year, and the ex- amina pences have not been more than ufual. The capital cannot, I think, tion. be taken at less than 45,000/. fterling. The refult of crop 1806 is, that the fugar and rum fold for 3,334.; the British and Irish supplies amounted to 1,290l.; the island contingent expences 2,119/. making a charge of 3,409ĺ. The lofs is therefore 75%. I make this statement in corroboration of what I have said, that estates making low sugar have not paid their expences this last crop of 1806 I have likewife brought an account of the prices at different periods, from the year 1763 down to 1806, of the different articles forming the principal expence in the island. Does it fall within your knowledge, that, in confequence of the low yielding of sugar plantations, various annuitants, children at school, of Mr. Mr. burn. and others dependent upon fuch fugar eftates, have either had their Wedder ufual allowances wholly, or partially withheld, within the last year? -It does not come within my knowledge as relating to any of the eftates with which I am connected, but I have no doubt of the fact from general information. None of the proprietors of the estates with which I am connected are in the fituation described in the question. You spoke of the average expences on eight eftates; was the culti vation increafing, or declining on thofe eftates, during the feven or eight years of which you took the average?The proprietors were endeavouring to keep up the produce to the average rate; there was no great difference, as will appear by the accounts I have given in ; in which the crops are annually stated. Does there appear to have been any attempt at new cultivation ? -No. Upon an estate making 200 hogfheads, you value the land at 10,100%. but you ftate that the value of land varies much; is the fum of 10,100%. in your opinion, the average value of an estate where the capital is 40,000l.-In ftating the value of the land to be 10,00c/. I ftated it on a fuppofition entirely; but the sum of 10,100l. is certainly far short of the value that would have been put on such an estate, in the defcriptions and valuations of eftates in Jamaica. Could you fay whereabouts the average is?—No, I cannot, because the value depends fo much on the fituation, and the nature of the foil. Are there in refpect of the eftates you have mentioned, where the Americans would not take the rum and molaffes in part payment for lumber, any peculiar circumftances which prevented their taking them upon that eftate, or is it a general circumftance in the island, that they will not take rum and molaffes?—It is a general circumftance in that quarter of the island of which I speak. Can you mention what peculiar circumftances in that quarter of the island prevent their being taken there?—I do not say there are peculiar circumftances that prevent the Americans taking rum and molaffes in that quarter of the island more than in others, but I only speak from my own knowledge to the fact, that they do not take the rum and molaffes in payment. Can you fay what circumftances prevent their taking them from that quarter of the island, when they do take them from other quarters of the island?—I cannot say that they do take them in other quarters of the ifland; I only fpeak to my own knowledge, that in that quarter of the island they do not; the impreffion upon my mind is, that in the other quarters of the island they do not take any confiderable quantity. You have ftated the average expence per cwt. on a fugar estate, after deducting the expences, to be twenty fhillings and ten pence on eight eftates; you afterwards particularized two eftates; on one of which the expence was 14s. 2d. what can have reduced that expence fo much below the average?-A combination of circumftances; there is a greater proportion of negroes, and of course less hired labour; it makes large crops, and of course the expence is smaller than on an estate making a smaller crop, it makes alfo a larger proportion of rum than fome others. Wadder burn. What do you mean by hired labour?-Where they hire negroes to Mr. work by the day or the week, who are not their own property. Do you know whether there is land which is not stocked, and on which there are no buildings, frequently on fale?-There have been lots of uncultivated land fold repeatedly, and where there is a small lot of land of a good foil, near to a fugar eftate, a high price is often paid for it; but if a man had a lot of land not in that fituation, and not in cultivation, I do not believe any person would buy it at this moment. Withdrew. (A.) The CHARGE attaching to the Sugar Crop, over and above the Proceeds of Rum, on the following eight Eftates, amounts to 20s. 1od. per cwt. No. 1. being No. 2. £.0 14 2 per cwt. |