Alexandria daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1803-1808, 1807-10-10
Report Of a Committee Of The British House'
of Comm0ns, on The Vest India Gozo.
sa,ies.

| State OF The gvsst India Coionies, and 10 re.
pprtseheir proceedings, from .in,c 10 time,
4 to the House Of Commons. and who were
empowered 70 rrporr the minutes OF evi.
dence taken before them and 20 whom oil
4 minutes OF evidence which were taken be.
fore the ConlmMee 10 the last. session Of
| Parliameints 90 the ~ es, sIndia Pian,er'spe !.
titions, together whh their proceedings,
-wefe. referred have, pursuant 70 the or
derof the House exaruinsd the, aaatters 10
| themrtferred, and have agreed ID the fol.
lowing Repofs.
Your Committee have though, It their
dUly, iE thetfrst plae G, to inquire into the.
situation Of the West India Pian.ersSat the I
present Eonens, and for several years Pre-.
ceding aud have examined various NJ
| specialize witnesses, propristors of estates,
who have resided many years7inthe West.
indles, aud who have had the prppertiesf
| several absentees under their management;
and also many merchants Intimately ac-1
qaainted with the expences and profits Of a
great variety Of estates, and generally CON-
versant with the West India Commerce.
From their testimony isappears. that since
the year a799, there has TAX enplsee pro
gressive deteriorasionint the situation ofthe
planters resulting from progressive DIM
button of the price Of Sugar. although Ct
the same Time The du.ys and aH1he expenses
attending the cultivation have been increas.
ing, till st length the depression cfthe mar
kels has, become such, thas The. prices OBJ
+ = u,
the expeccs Of cultivation, except opon e
states OF very great scale, making sugar.
Of very superior quality, ., enjoying other
extraordinarily advantages. Calcula,ionsi
| have been laid before your Committee,
from the accoua:s of tke estates bo,hin Jasl
maica and the osher islands. by which il 4
appears, that the British supplies and the
island expenses amount to 2os iOd in the
former, aud 19s Sd in the latter. On the !
cwt of sugar. after accounting and giving
credit for the amount received Tor the sale
Of rum. AS these calculations are formed
upon an average of years, and upon estates
of the ordinary scale, and in no respects
unusually circumssanced, it appears 20
your Com mi,see. tia, these sums per cwt
Of sugar may DC taken as the average eg-
pence of cultivation, independent ofinser-
es. upon The capital anu your Committee
are confirmed 10 this opinion by finding a
similar calculation IN The report made BY
the Sugar D,s,illery Committee, 10 the
last Parli snene 20 this mus be added an
espeoce Of ,5s aud Cd 20 les per cwt ne
cessarily incurred tor freight, Insurance,
and other Daercantile charges, between the
shipping the goods In the colonies aud their
being offered 10 fasrkes in this kingdom,
| forning Together she amount Of from SIS
10 Sos which appears upon this evidence.
70 be the absolute cost to the Planter per
ca, cf Sugar, before any return Of capital
can altach. Upon reference to the ave
rage prices published in the Gazette. for
|. the last eight mouths, which vary from Sos
TO Els giving medium price OF 33s Cd II
appears eviden, that the planters must haze
cultivated their estates at loss
lhe interest which has been stated 10
your committee as what should be the fair
profit upon the capital ofsuc: nature. as
that OF sugar estate, consisting no. merely
of land aud negroes. but buildings Of greas
ex.en. and cost. necessary for the carrying
on Of such a manufacture, and subjecs 10
various and peculiar risks and ylci.sisudes,
is not less than o per cent,
During the period Of prosperity prcvi.
Gus to 1900. iii stated that in general the
profits did not exceed thar sum and that
!, from that period, they have gradually di-
minished TO 2 I 2 aud i 1.2 per CENT. till
at the present momsns there is 40 rg!urn
of interest Whatever.
! 1t may perhaps be right to notice one
exception, namely, Of an estate most fa.
sorably circumssanced 10 every respect,
where sheprofss are stated to have amount.