The character of the overseers is, in general, such as might be expected amidst this universal mismanage ment. Without honour, emulation, or intelligence, they are indebted, even for the indifferent crops which they raise, to a fertility which seems to defy their ignorance and carelessness. The few plantations which prosper, are conducted by proprietors themselves, ambitious to increase their revenues, and proud of the name of culti vators. Those which decline, belong invariably to per sons who only visit them as strangers, and who, in the indulgence of extravagance and dissipation, or in the pur suit of favours and employs, disdain the low cares of a planter, and would think themselves insulted by being supposed to know any thing of the condition of their own estates.
The last cause assigned by Depons for the decline of culture, is the want of a sufficient number of negrocs. Though the Spaniards were never allowed the direct im portation of ncgroes from Africa, they were permitted to purchase them in the Antilles, to pay for them in the produce of the country, excepting cacao, and to resell them in Terra Firma. But the revolt of the ncgrocs in St Domingo, in 1791, spread such an universal alarm, that for twelve years, not a single negro arrived in Ca raccas. The labours of the country of necessity languish ed, its productions were diminished, and a new supply of labourers became indispensably requisite. Caution, however, was necessary, lest negroes should be import ed from the French colonies, who would bring along with them the seeds of revolt. With a view of supply ing the pros inees, permission was given by the king to Edward Barry & Co. for the introduction of 4000 ne groes; but the grantee's death arrested the operation, and only particular permissions were given. Two mer chants obtained, in May 1604, two of these permissioris, each amounting to fifteen hundred negroes. By this re gulation, those who introduce black slaves are known. and can be made answerable for any irregularity in their behaviour. Still, however, these supplies are very ina dequate to a country which does not contain the 20th part of the population necessary to cultivate it ; where the births of slaves arc far less numerous than the va cancies made by their deaths, and where the benevolence and piety of the masters annually transfer a considerable number of individuals from the class of slaves to that of freedmen. We can hardly agree with Depons with re gard to the strong necessity of facilitating the introduc tion of negroes; but we cordially agree with him in con sidering the employment of the idle hands of free men of colour, and of the Indians of doctrinaries and missions, as a measure of the last importance to the agricultural prosperity of Caraccas. The Canary Islands, whose youth have a decided predilection for America, might also furnish a considerable number of active and useful la bourers; and were the salaries of workmen punctually paid, and their emulation excited, idleness would give place to activity, and agricultural operations would go on with spirit and effect. Mr Semple, who visited Ca raccas little more than a year ago, informs us, that charm ing plantations extend in all directions from the town of Maracai, and have an air of prosperity and activity which he was at a loss to account for, till he learned, that on these plantations work was chiefly performed by free labourers, and that the use of slaves for the great purposes of society was, comparatively speaking, little known.
From this view of the state of agriculture in Caraccas, it follows almost as a corollary, that its commerce must be in a very languishing condition. A nation, which, even at this day, estimates the value of its colonies by the quantities of gold and silver which they furnish, cannot be supposed to derive much advantage from the more substantial riches of their soil, or to be aware of the resources, almost inexhaustible, that a well-regulated commerce would open in a country, which, in fertility, in climate, in the abundance and value of its vegetable productions, has no parallel in any quarter of the globe. So little were the Spaniards capable of appreciating the value of their possessions in Terra Firma, that, for up wards of a century after the discovery of Caraccas, it fur nished to the parent country no article of commercial produce : one vessel alone arrived annually from Spain, not to receive any valuable cargo, but to convey the ne cessaries of life to a country capable of maintaining the whole of Europe. It was not till the Dutch settlers in Curacoa had commenced a traffic with the neighbouring continent, about the middle of the 17th century, that the inhabitants of Caraccas began to perceive the advan tages of their situation ; and the merchants of Spain thought it an important favour, to have permission to send two trading vessels to Venezuela. The absurd po liey of the court, whose permission to trade with its co lonies, after being obtained with much difficulty and ex pence, was rendered of little value by the enormous du ties imposed on every article of merchandise, deprived the Spaniards of all chance of successful competition with the traders from Holland, who could supply the same articles free of duties, and directly from the manu factories of Europe. The two Spanish vessels were corn to sell their cargoes at a kiss of sixty per cent. ; and the other merchants ()I' Spain, warned by their fai lure, left the llollanders in the undisputed enjoyment of the trade to Caraceas. The remainder of the 17th cen
tury elapsed without the arrival of one v essel from Spain ; and, during. that interval, the inhabitants, aMmated by the advantages of their commerce with the Dutch, had so far cm-Hied their country by cultivation, that the an nual amount or cacao, in the province of Venezuela alone, exceeded sixty-five thousand quintals. The Spanish government, anxious to exclude foreigners front any par ticipation of the riches of this flourishing province, esta blished a severe inspection, for the purpose of prevent ing all communication with the Dutch ; but, in spite of this expedient, not above one third of its produce found its vu)' to Spain, or its possessions, while the residue went off in a contraband trade, which, as it was favoured by the situation of the country, and the interests of the people, no efforts of government could prevent. At length, sonic merchants of Biscay proposed to thc'king, in 1728, to destroy, at their own expellee, the trade of foreigners with the province of Venezuela, on condition that they should be permitted to supply the country, and export its produce to the metropolis. To this proposal his majesty acceded, thought not without imposing. con ditions, which scented calculated to deprive the compa ny of almost all the advantages which they expected from the grant. The justice, moderation, and activity of this company, while they conciliated the favour of the colo nists, afforded complete satisfaction to the court, from which they obtained the privilege of an exclusive com merce. Though this privilege does not appear to have been abused, it excited in Venezuela a general dissatis faction, which was ready to break out into rebellion, when an expedient was adopted to remove the suspicions, to which the hideous form of a monopoly had vet y natu rally given rise. It was agreed, in 1750, that an assem bly should be formed of an equal number of members of the company, and cultivators belonging to the country, in which the governor-general of the province of Vene zuela should preside. By this assembly the price of ca cao to the company was to be decided; no variation of which was, in any case to be permitted, without the for mal assent of the assembly. Such of the planters as were not satisfied with the established price, were allowed to send a sixth part of their cacao to Spain, on their own account, and in the vessels of the company. Notwith standing the restrictions with which this company was hampered, its success was so great, and its influence on the cultivation of the province so beneficial, that, in less than thirty years, the quantity of cacao exported annually rose front 65,000 quintals to 110,659 ; and Venezuela acquired an air of prosperity unknown in any other Spa 1,ish colony. In time, however, the company so fat' for got the principles of honour and moderation, as to em ploy its wealth in tampering with the assembly, destined to curb its cupidity, and even to engage with the Dutch in the contraband trade, which it had solemnly pledged “self to destroy. Such irregularities necessarily occa sioned its dissolution; and by a decree of the Spanish government, of the 12th October 1778, the commerce with Caraccas was declared free to all natives of Spain, and, in effect, to all the Spanish colonies. The import mid export duties underw env at the same time such a reform, as seemed calculated to combine the advan tages accruing to the revenue from the proceeds of the eustom-house, with the lilt e4bary pl OW(11011 to nation. I industry and commercial enterpri•e, and the supply of Spanish America. ‘rticles export? d to the colonies ale di% ided into then classes. Thefiroa chum includes arti cles of the growth or manufacture of Spain, hich are ealledfree article's, because the duties to which they arc subjected are t ompa•atively trifling, though they exceed nine and a half per cent., both un their leaving Spain, and on their entry into America. The occond does, named articles of contribution, are those, whit ly though of foreign production, have received in Spain a degree of workmanship, sullicicht to change or to improve their form. The duties on these articles amount to about twelve and a half per cent. The third cla88 compre hends all articles imported from foreign countries to Spain, and ultimately sent to America. The duty on such articles, on their entry into Spain, is fifteen per cent. ; on their departure for America, seven per cent. ; at their arrival, seven per cent. ; besides other moderate duties, which raise the price of all merchandize, imported from the mother country, about forty-three per cent. With the exception of cacao, co• lonial productions pay but trifling duties on leaving America and on entering Spain, and are totally exempt from duty on their exportation for foreign markets. The trade to Caraccas is far from being lucrative to the Spanish merchants. Cargoes delivered in America acquire, by a common calculation, a value of thirty per cent. above their price in Spain ; and a merchant thinks himself fortunate, when he can sell the whole of his commodities at thirty-three and a third per cent. above first cost, having thus a neat profit of only three and a third per cent. Even this profit, scanty as it, is, may be regarded as in a great measure fictitious; for it is doubtful, if it cover the losses to which the merchant is exposed, by the credit which he is obliged to give.