Caraccas

Such were the beneficial effects produced by the moderate and prudent cooduct of the Company. it was evident, however, that no security existed for the continuance of this good management, farther than the discretion of the directors, who, in process ef time, were Corrupted by the temptations out to them ; and, in place of trading with the colonies upon the equitable principles of commercial ete change, became eager to obtain all the unfair *draw. tages of the most rapacious monopolists. Bribery was resorted to, in order to procure a regulation ef prices favourable to their interests,—the duties were evaded,—the cootmband trade was encenraged,- and by all those transactions the planters were in jured, while the mother country was deprived of the trade whieh the Company had engaged to early oh fbr her benefit. The natural remedy for these abuses was a free trade. A regulation was accordingly issued in 1778, by which all the chief ports- of the Caraccas and of Spain were reciproeally opened to each other's produce, and the trade between them was, in effect, declared free. A seek of duties was at the same time established, by which the articles exported to the colonies were ilivided into three classes. The first ef these consisted of articles the growth or manufacture of Spain, whieh were eharrid at the lowest rate, namely, gk per cent. on leaving Spain, and the, same on being landed in America. All goods, likewise, of which the value was doubled by domestic industry, were placed in the same clam. In the second class were comprehended such artieles as had received a certain augmeatatien of vide* from domestic industry, but not such as to raise their rake one helf. These paid, en their shipment to the colonies, and on their 121 per mint. The third class of articles, which were of foreign workmanship, were liable to a duty of 22 per eent. on leaving Spain. The colosial produce, en its im portation into Spain, was made subject to moderate duties.

From the year 1793 to the year 1796, and free 1796 to 1800, Depots, in hie account of the Cam• css, gives the following comparative statement el the value of the produce exported.

The cargoes exported from Spain to the do not, generally, contain above one-fourth of Spa nish produce and manufactures, the other three fourths being supplied chiefly from Britain, France, the Hanse Towns, and part occasionally by Italy, The articles in the greatest demand at the Caraccas are linens, laces, black stuffs, principally urges, prunellas, satins, and taffeties. These are used for the cassocks and mantles of the priests, and for the dresses used by the women in their devotional exer cises. Thick cloths are also in demand, and most of the whites arc dressed in cassimere or in French cloths. Hats are also a saleable article, and French hats are universally preferred to those manufactured in other countries. No round hats are worn except by the lowest classes, or by boys, all the civil and military officers wearing cocked hats. A consider.

able quantity of boots, for the wearing of which the have acquired a taste, have been lately imported from the British colonies, and have met with a ready sale, As the shoemakers of the country cannot imitate the fashion and the make of these articles, the importer is free from competition, and he is therefore enabled to charge a high price, Shoes, however, are made in the country of a suf6. ciently good quality, and at a moderate price. They do not, therefore, form so profitable an article of im portation. Among the coarse goods, the linens of Brittany, Rouen, Morlaix, and of Russia, are univer• sally used.

The population of the Caraccas is stated by

De. pons to amount to 7g8,000, and he assigns the fal• lowing proportions' to the different' provinces : This diminution of exports is-ascribed by Depons .to the defects of the internal administration, and partly also to the war which, after this period, was begun between Great Britain and Spain. This writ er does not specify particularly the faults to which he alludes; but, in the mean time, no such change had taken place in the domestic administration of the country, as will account for such an enormous defalcation in the value of the produce exported. The war between Britain and Spain appears to be the most probable and satisfactory cause of this di minution. By that event, the whole colonial trade of Spain became the prey of the British cruisers ; and such was their unremitting vigilance, that the in tercourse between the colonies and the mother coun try was almost entirely interrupted. In these cir cumstances, the rigour of the colonial monopoly was .relaxed; the ports of the colonies were thrown open to neutrals ; and, in addition to this intercourse, a contraband trade, to a great extent, was carried on with the British colonies. But of this illicit traffic no return would of course be made in the general account of the colonial trade ; and it is possible, therefore, that the apparent defalcation of exports pointed out by Depons may have arisen from the circumstance of an illicit having taken the place of a contraband trade. In the year 1800, the Court of Spain, swayed by the selfish representations of the Spanish merchants, revoked the liberty granted to the colonies of trading with neutrals ; and the con -sequences of this order were injurious in the ex treme, and would have been ruinous to the colonies, had they not resorted, as before, to the necessary remedy of the contraband trade. This trade was carried on to a great extent with the British colo sties, and was either connived at, or, as was affirmed, was in some cases formally licensed, by the British cruisers During this period, therefore, and gene. .rally indeed during the whole course of the war, no custom-house account of imports and exports can be considered as affording any accurate view of the foreign trade of this colony.