The cultivation of tobacco was at first free ; but the necessities of the state, and the expences of the govern ment of Caraccas and its dependencies, at length in duced the king to reserve to himself the exclusive privilege of planting and selling it here, as he had done long before in the kingdoms of Mexico, Peru, and Santa Fe. A cedule, executed in 1779, severely prohibited all persons from sowing tobacco, and fixed upon the places which were considered the most suitable in the different provinces for cultivating and preparing tobacco on the king's account. In each of these places administrations were established, all subject to a director general of tobacco, residing at Caraccas, with a salary of 4000 dol lars. The persons entrusted with these administrations, distribute allotments of the land appropriated to the culture of tobacco to such as apply for them. The quantity allotted is proportioned to the abilities of the grantee, and to the number of cultivators which he engages to employ. Advances of stoney are even made to him, which are deducted from the amount of the first tobacco he delivers to the exchequer. An express injunction is laid upon him, to sow all the land gi' en him with tobacco alone, and to deliver to the king's officers all the tobacco which he raises, rt ithout retaining a single leaf; and he is paid according to the quality. The Spaniards of Caraccas give their tobacco two kinds of preparation: one of which they term cura sccai or the dry preparation ; and the other cura negra, or black pre paration. The only distinction of the cura negra consists in the degree of fermentation which it receives. The object of this preparation is to obtain from it a juice highly esteemed in the country. For this purpose it undergoes an operation which blackens it, and front that circumstance it derives its name. Both the cura scca and cura negra are divided into three qualities, the prices of which, paid to the cultivators by the king, are very different. In classing them, great abuses take place, which the law has never heen able to prevent. Accord ing to a wise, but ineffectual regulation, passed on the 2tI of June 1787, the delivery, reception, weight, and qualities of the tobacco, must be determined according to certain forms, in presence of the factor, book-keeper, administrator of the magazines, the visitor or inspector, the cultivator, and the commissary-general of the planta tions. The tobacco is classed by the inspector, who is not to be impeded in the discharge of his duty. The cultivator, if dissatisfied, may appeal to the assistants, whose unanimous voice can change the classification ; if they are divided in opinion, they rekr the decision to persons of experience. Though the tohacc may not have all the qualities requisite to preserve it folk length . of time, it is received according to its class and value, provided its corruption does not take place within five or six months. While the tobacco is weighed in pre sence of the above-mentioned company, the steel-yard is held by one of the guards nominated by the adminis tration. Two invoices are made of it, and signed by all the assistants. One of them remains at the factory, the other is consigned to the commissarv-general of the plantations. The cultivator is paid for his tobacco at the following rates : For a quintal of the cura negra, first quality, eleven dollars ; second quality, ten ; third quality, seven. For a quintal of the cura acca, first quality, ten dollars ; second quality, eight ; third quality. three.
A stranger, in travelling through this country, the most lovely and luxuriant perhaps in the world, is as tonished to find its plantations so trifling and unproduc tive. A planter is considered rich, whose annual income amounts to 4000 or 5000 dollars ; nor are there twenty plantations within the captain-generalship of Caraccas which yield a greater revenue. This is not owing to an over minute division of property ; but it is rare to see one-tenth of a plantation cultivated. It is a fact, ex
tremely disgraceful to the government of Caraccas, or to the inactivity of its inhabitants, that, in this wide and fertile district, there is raised not one-tenth part of the produce which the industry of the French extorts from St Domingo, a country 200 times less spacious, incom parably less watered and less fertile, and with not more than one-half of the white population.
Five causes are assigned by Depons for this backward state of cultivation. The first is, the number of mort gages with which every estate in Caraccas is more or less burdened. As the Spaniards never alienate any pro perty, however poor they may be in reality, they must still maintain the appearance of wealth. When in want of money, they borrow it at an interest of 5 per cent. on their landed possessions: loans, which are the more easy, because the low state of commerce prevents money from rising to a high rate.
A still more serious evil arises from the pious legacies and prebends with which many estates are encumbered. These legacies, augmenting from generation to genera tion, cannot be bought up by payment of the capital, but keep the planter under an obligation to pay regular in terest, and thus deprive him of the means of increasing his productions. It would be infinitely more conducive to the public prosperity, if all these pious donations were discharged in full, even though it should be neces sary to sell all or part of the fast property, rather than them to accumulate on the possessions, the annual interests of which consume their revenues, and paralyse the industry of the most active proprietors. Adverse seasons, which destroy two or three crops successively, ruin for ever a planter, however industrious he may be, who is burdened with mortgages. The debt is con tinually augmented by expellees ; chagrin overcomes his activity ; his property is sequestrated, and passes with the same charges to another planter, who is threatened with the same fate.
A third obstacle to culture, more pernicious, if pos sible, in its operation than the two former, is the pride of the planters, who disdain to take any charge of thei: plantations, which they entrust wholly to overseers. To this is added their extravagant mode of living. Every proprietor has his residence in a city, where his retinue of serval & and household expellees are regulated ac cording to the revenue of the plantation, which is gene rally calculated on the proceeds of the most fertile and prosperous year. The expenditures, of course, almost invariably exceed the receipts ; and the planter accuses the seasons or the laws for the difficulties in which he is involved by his own indiscretion.
The ambition of the Spanish Americans for public employments, is another circumstance which operates nearly in the same way as their extravagance to the prejudice of agriculture. The prospect of unbounded wealth from a large and rich plantation could not induce a Spaniard to relinquish his desire of a military rank, a place in the finances, a judiciary office, or the cross of an order. To secure these grand objects, every planter of consideration has his agent at Madrid, who collects for him all the necessary information, and takes the pro per measures for obtaining any place or appointment which he thinks will suit the inclination of his client. Before this be done, however, he must be handsomely paid ; and every Spaniard in America considers a remittance of money to Madrid as a preliminary essential to the success of his solicitation. Many plantations are mortgaged, in order to raise these necessary remit tances ; the source of landed wealth is thus dried up ; and, at any rate, men aspiring to public distinctions, can not stoop to the concerns of an estate, which, whatever riches it might yield, can confer no splendid honour.