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the fatal confequences that must attend the island, whenever a war broke out with France with fuch a deadly enemy lying in its bofom. Their mortal en

mity to our government and people was alfo much infifted on; and it was concluded upon the whole, that there was no other alternative, but that either his majesty's natural fubjects, or the Carribs, muft quit the island, if the latter are permitted to continue in their prefent state of independence.

After feveral strictures upon the nature of this evidence, and on the interested views by which it was faid to be apparently directed, the following motions were made, ift, That the expedition against the Carribs in the island of St. Vincent was undertaken, without fufficient provocation on the part of thefe unhappy people, and at the inftigation of perfons interested in their deftruction, and appears to be intended to end in their total extirpation; 2dly, That the fending the troops, part of which were totally unprovided with camp equipage and neceffaries on that fervice, in the unhealthy feafon of the year, is not juftified by any neceffity of immediately increafing the military force in that ifland was contrary to the voice of the governor, and must prove unneceffarily deftructive to fome of the best troops in the fervice, probably defeat the purpose for which they were fent, and bring difgrace on his majesty's arms; and, 3dly, That an humble address be presented, defiring that his majesty will be graciously pleafed to acquaint the house, by whofe advice the measure was undertaken of attacking the Carribs in the island of St. Vincent; and of fending the troops for that purpose in the most unhealthy feafon of the year; a meafure equally repugnant to the known humanity of his majefty's temper, difgraceful

to

to his arms, and dishonourable to the character of the British nation.

These motions were principally fupported upon the injuftice of the meafure, and the difhonour it brought upon our national character, as being equally a violation of the natural rights of mankind, and contrary to his majesty's proclamation of the year 1764, in fayour of the Carribs; on the extreme cruelty of at tempting to transport a whole people from their native foil, and to land them defenceless on the coaft of Africa, where they had no right, no property, no connection, and where they must be liable to all the dangers and enmities, to which Europeans, or any others, who were turned adrift in a strange country, would be fubject; that they had been guilty of no act of forfeiture, even fuppofing them to be natural fubjects of Great Britain, unless an oppofition to a violent invafion of their rights and properties, was to be confidered as fuch; that the only evidence of any weight against them, was himself, the devifer of the projects that had been formed for their extirpation, was deeply interested in their deftruction; that on the contrary, the united teftimony on the other fide, where there was not a poffibility of fuppofing the finalleft biafs or partiality, was uniformly in favour of the Carribs, and represented them as a quiet, peaceable, and inoffenfive people, and to all appearance, well affected to our government, until they were urged by violence and injustice to a different conduct. Thele arguments, with fuch others as the ftate we have already reprefented afford, were concluded with fevere ftrictures on the weakness of thofe counfels, which had blindly adopted the views of avaricious, rapacious, and mercilefs planters, and thereby rendering government the inftrument of their iniquitous defign, engaged it in

cruel

cruel, unjust, and difhonourable measures, which were not more injurious to the Carribs, than destructive to ourselves, by wantonly sporting with the conftitutions and lives of fome of our braveft troops, whofe former fervices merited another return, and who were now facrificed upon an inglorious fervice, in which they were ashamed to draw their fwords.

On the other fide it was obferved, that an amazing fund of tendernefs and humanity had been displayed in favour of the Carribs, while the smallest degree of either was refused to our natural born fubjects and countrymen, who had purchased eftates at high prices from the crown, under the fanction of its protection and fecurity, and whofe lives and fortunes were at ftake in the event of the prefent expedition. That the charge of injuftice was ill founded, as the yellow Carribs, who were the aborigines, and real proprietors of the island, were in no degree affected by the prefent measures, except only fo far as they would obtain fecurity, by the reduction or removal of a cruel and perfidious race of favages, by whom they had been nearly exterminated; that it could not be pretended, that the black Carribs had any legal or natural rights in the island, but those which they had obtained 'through the kindnefs and hofpitality of the natives; and that thofe rights, would, in the eye of the ftrictest justice, have been fully cancelled, by their fubfequent conduct and ingratitude.

That the charge of cruelty was equally ill founded; the removal of the black Carribs being the laft refort; and only to be put in execution, in cafe of their proving fo incorrigible, that all means would be found ineffectual for reducing them to fuch a ftate of fubmiffion to government, as was abfolutely neceffary, not only for the fecurity but the prefervation of the island;

that

that even in that laft extremity, the measure of tranfportation was guarded from being accompanied with any circumftances of cruelty, or even of hardship, except thofe which might be fuppofed to arife from their feelings, on quitting a country in which they had hitherto lived, and going to another, equally fit for them, but, with which they were not yet acquainted; that whether they were removed to the coaft of Africa, or to the ifland of St. Matthew, care had been taken, that they were to have fufficient lands affigned them for their fupport, and were to be laid down, in nearly the fame degrees of latitude and climate, and in a country furnifhed with much the fame advantages as to fishing and hunting, which they had enjoyed at St. Vin

cent's.

It was faid, that government had neither adopted the views, nor been misled by the schemes of interefted planters; that it had duly weighed, as well the circumftances of the island, as the reprefentations of the governor, council, and affembly, together with thofe of the commiffioners for the fale of lands; that as the Carribs were poffeffed of near two thirds of the profitable lands, and the French inhabitants of a great part of the remainder, it was evident that we never could in that ftate, have a natural intereft or ftrength in the island, fufficient for its fecurity; that as these lands were of no particular value to the Carribs, who had neither means nor inclination to cultivate them, equitable terms had been repeatedly propofed to them for an exchange, all of which, they not only contu maciously rejected, but daringly difclaimed all allegiance to the king, and refufed all obedience to government. As to the ftrictures that had been paffed, with refpect to the employment of the troops in any unhealthy climate and feafon, they were aufwered by

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the neceffity of the occafion; and the meafure juftified upon that principle, by the practice of all ages.

Upon a divifion on the feparate questions, after long debates, the firft motion was rejected by a majority of 206, against 88 who fupported it; the majority was lefs upon the others; as the house

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About the fame time, the expedition which gave birth to this enquiry, was alfo terminated. The Carribs, notwithstanding the ftrength of their faftneffes, their courage, in which they were not at all deficient, and their expertnefs in the ufe of fire arms, were under many disadvantages in this war. They were furrounded by fea and land, their quarters becoming every day more contracted, were cut off from their great fource of fubfiftence by fishing, and their bodies worn down by continual watching and fatigue. Our troops alfo fuffered infinitely in the fervice. Without a confiderable reinforcement, it was probable, the reduction of the enemy could not be effected. The object, either for advantage, or glory, was not worthy of fo much toil and pleafure, even if the juftice of fuch. a war could be clearly defended.

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Thefe mutual fufferings, and the difpofitions they gave rife to, brought on a treaty between the Carribs and Major General Dalrymple, who commanded. the forces, by which the former obtained better conditions than they had reason to expect, The original object of the war, the tranfplantation to Africa, was wholly abandoned. The Carribs on their part acknowledged his majefty's fovereignty without referve, agreed to take an oath of fidelity and allegiance, and to fubmit to the laws and government of the ifland, fo far as relates to their intercourfe, and to all tranfections with the white inhabitants; but in their own diftricts,

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