A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THE PRESENT Declining State OF THE WEST-INDIES: In Reference to Its TRADE; And in Particular, That of the BARBADOSS.  
AS ALSO Somewhat Offered for its RELIEF.  
By a WEST-INDIA MERCHANT.  
LONDON: Printed for John Harris, at the Harrow in the Poultry. 1695.   

A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THE PRESENT Declining State OF THE West-Indies, etc.  
THe Many and Great Advantages that England Receives from the West-Indies, in Respect of the Revenue, Navigation and Trade, do Abundantly Recommend their Worth, Obliging the Government thereupon to their utmost Care, so as to ease them under those Insupportable Weights which have and doth befall them; and to the Removing those Feared Evils which they are so much possessed with the dread of; it being one great Maxim of Trade, according to its Advantage, more or less, to proportion a due Regard thereto: It is not my design to Discuss all the particular Advantages Accrueing to this Nation, from the West-India Trade; yet I shall Reflect on such of them, as may tender their Calamities the more Affecting; The Vast Quantities of our Home Manufactories almost of all kinds, thither Exported; the Islands making frequent Visits to our Shops of all sorts almost, to supply their Constant and Repeated Wants; likewise how Great we are, and how much Depended upon, for their Great Produce; Holland, Hambrough, and sundry parts of Germany being abundantly Supplied from thence; and also what great numbers of our own Subjects are employed in the Manufacturing, especially of their Sugars and Cotton: These must be allowed to be weighty Considerations, and will assuredly appear so, when we do on the other hand, reflect on the Consumptive and Dying State of these Islands, and those Unaccountable Mischiefs this Nation must share in, from the want of the aforementioned Benefits resulting from the West-India Trade; a Trade that hath been far more remarkably and dismally Wounded, than of any othet parts we Negotiate with, so as even Barbadoes hath Lost in about eight months' time, Fifty Sail of Laden Ships, besides their present Loss, of Six parts of their Fleet out of Eight; their Losses have been indeed successive, that is most evident, from great numbers of Loaden Fleets, as well as single Ships that have been frequently Lost; not only from the mere events of War, but from their being Detained by the Government, in Sailing Outwards and Homewards; that they have not gone at a proper Season of the Year; but on the contrary, in the Fatal Winter Season to Return; then having great numbers of Privateers to be exposed to also, so as Convoys at that time have not been Secure, though most Useful in Summer Season; indeed thus Mis-Timing of our Ships, in their Outward, and consequently, in their Home Voyages, is, and hath been, the chief cause of our most Melancholy Losses; besides the Mischiefs our Perishable Goods meet with from such dilatoriness, as they have been worthless on their Arrival; and the Vast Charge Owners of Ships are at, not to be omitted, besides the Ships themselves being greatly injured both here and in Barbadoes, as mightily Fouled; eaten by the Worms, and weakened by their lying long Loaden; for as they load Deep, so they ought to have the most dispatch, and the best season of the Year to move in, which they have miss of; so that here is the source of our Losses, that have been so stupendiously Great, so Great of Late, that some single Merchants, have lost, within the Compass of Twelve Months, nigh Thirty Thousand pounds' value in their Consignments; and so rendered uncapable to Pay the Planters Bills of Exchange, that will issue at length to their utter Ruin, both in their Credit and Estates; they being not Worth so much as they were before the War, by a Third Part.  
Now for our Remedy, these following Considerations, are with submission Proposed.  
1. That the Government Allow one Large Fleet of Ships for Barbadoes, so many as may bring all the Crop almost away once a Year, that they depart hence in December at furthest, Casualties excepted, they may Arrive at the time of their Crop; being Loaden, that they Sail the beginning of May with a Convoy, and what Ships may drop in from Guiney, New-England, or other parts, will Load in about Six Weeks, that they Sail after the former Fleet with Convoy also, as soon as Loaden; that there be timely notice given to the Concerned, both here and in Barbadoes hereof; by this means we may on good grounds be safe in our Trade; and their so coming in Summer time, the Seamen will be more ready for the Governments use than they have yet been, and at such times when they are most wanted.  
2. That no single Ship be permitted to Sail either Outwards or Homewards, after the Departure of the said Fleets, except those belonging to the Guiney-Trade: If any Ship should drop into Barbadoes, they should not be Allowed to Load for England, after the Fleets for England are gone, but stay the opportunity of the next Fleets Motion; by this means what Sugar is left of the Crop, will be principally Loaded on these two Fleets; what Remains, to be kept till the opportunity of the next Fleet; herein the Planter will be greatly Accommodated, when he knows the time of the Fleets Arrival there, to have two such Fleets so dispatched; for after that the season for Planting approaches, and many times the Rains than comes in, so that their time is chief swallowed up on that account; whereas otherways they would be exposed to great Hurries and Fatigues.  
If any Object, That to Disallow Ships to go alone at pleasure, is an Unreasonable Imposition on Trade; and that great Quantities of Goods, either Exported or Imported, lessens their Value by Cloging the Market.  
Answ. That our Losses have proceeded from single Ships, whereof scarce One in Eight have escaped, thereby strengthening the Enemy, and weakening ourselves; besides, it must be more advantageous to the Planters, when their Goods comes in Fleets, though Sold Twenty per. Cent. Cheaper; the great Risque they run being considered on single Ships; it must be also Allowed, that for the Preservation of the whole, particular interests ought to surrender thereto; hence is it, that our Trade to the Canaries, Virginia, the East-country, and to other parts, have been so safe, while they Sailed in and out in Fleets, with a Convoy, and in a seasonable time of the Year; when as others going in single Ships, they have suffered on that account, as well as the West-indieses.  
3. That Advice-Friggots be appointed to go to and from the West-Indies, not permitted to take in any Goods; hereby the great point of Intelligence, a valuable thing, especially in time of War, would be secured, for the great benefit both of the Government and Traders; the want hereof having been so mischievous to Trade, and may endanger the Islands, as it had nigh occasioned the loss of Jamaica about a Year ago.  
4. That there be a sufficient number of Ships appointed as a Constant standing Guard to the Islands, they staying till the Convoy of the next Fleet arrives, which Convoy should be in their post, and the Guard-ships return in their room as a Convoy to the loaden homeward bound Fleets, hereby the Islands would be preserved in their Trading one with another, which they have suffered in by small Pickaroons of the French, and even the Islands themselves secure, for how easy is it for our Enemies (unless they be so guarded as above expressed) with four or five of rheir Ships of War, not only to harrass the Islands as they may do Barbados, hover round about that Island from one part to another, so alarming them that what through the heat of the Country, the dismal fatigues of their small Force from their frequent Marching from place to place; and the sweeping distemper of the Country, to be so attacked will be of sad Consequence.  
5. That our Ships be not exposed to such wont dangers as they have been, their Men having been Impressed by our Men of War in the Islands, to such a degree that have rendered them defenceless and extreme weak in their Voyages homewards, very often on this very account issiving in their utter loss,  
To conclude, The Islands expecting and craving relief in this their suffering state, their Eyes being upon the Government, what can be done but a speedy application of such Remedies as have been proposed here? As these are more or less executed, such will our success in Trade be; and its great pity that these Islands so Serviceble and Beneficial to this Nation, on so many accounts, should lie … s Languishing, and we no more apprehensive of it: To consider w●●● a worth Foreigners put on their Sugar Plantations, how the Portuguese did raise themselves from theirs, and is now the chief of their Trade; and what a value the French and Hollander put on theirs, and how much our Islands exceed them all in their produce, and capacity to be improved yet, and also and in the vast number of Ships employed, and Seamen thereby nursed up: It must therefore be owned that we ought to exert ourselves to the utmost for their preservation, and to the restoring them to their former Flourishing State; for otherwise if they continue thus bleeding in their Trade, it will issue in Death without speedy Redress, by producing an utter Cessation in Trade. Hence it is that those vast Sums of Money that use to move to and fro on the Ocean, are withdrawn and lodged within ourselves, with little or no circulation; sufficiently evident in their readiness to subscribe to the Banks, arising not only from their forwardness to serve the Government, but also seek that safety in the remaining of their estates there, that they have woefully experienced they could not find abroad. Therefore upon the whole, as much bleeding, or no Circulation, weakness the body Humane, so it will equally affect the body Politic in its Trade.  
FINIS.