, 1868-03-03
"His Excellency
Governor Birch.
Commander Of the Order Of Dannebr0
napnohrorcYooD
Dannebrogsman.

In the meeting of the Colonial Council of
October 14th last, a committee was elected to
draw up a report Oh Il memorial from the plan
terS Of this Island to Your Excellency for sob
tanning more favorable conditions for the i'm
portation Of the produce of this Island into the
mothercountry.'
The cause for giving in their report so late
as in the meeting of the 18th instant the Com
mlttee have stated to be, firstly, that the confe-
rences which they deemed it desirable to hold
with Your Excellency were interrupted by Your
having to go to st. Thomas in consequence of
the earthquake of November 18th secondly and
principally, the contemporary intelligence of the
sale Of the Islands sale in which there was
then every reason to suppose st, Croix was in
cluded-and after which it would appear super
fuous to petition the Danish Government for
the aforementioned purpose, as the cession of
the Island to America would, even in a much
higher degree-carry with it the advantages de-
sired for it. AS it, however, since the publica-
ton OF the treaty concluded between His Ma
JeSty the King and the President of the United
States, must be considered doubtful whether
St. OrOix also will be coded, there arose in this
Island a painful anxiety, apt to draw the minds
OF the inhabitants to reflect upon their future
relations, such as people must suppose and fear
would arise in the event of our becoming sepa-
rated from the Sister Islands and this Island
ANii"liilu5 VII btHlIdih. NililOtlL an GSSclltldl
change being made in our relations to that coun-
try, favorable to the produce of the Island, and
to It's importation into the mOthercountry. As
now several months have already passed by
without our having had any information of the
intentions of His Majesty the King in regard to
this Island, and as the uncertainty about it has,
besides very much increasing the anxious appre-
tensions in the Island, carried injurious effects
to our interests, the Council feel it a duty to
take the matter up anew, though now only as
something secondary and provisional for the
event that the cession-which the Council deems
necessary-of this Island along with the two
other Islands, should be protracted, in order
then to seek, as quickly as possible, to obtain a
change for the better in the highly oncrous con
dltlOnS on which the produce of the Island must
now be imported into Denmark.
The Council will therefore, whiIerecommend-
ing the memorial Of The planters to the favor
able attention of Your Excellencv, first and
foremost with all due respect express The lively
wish and hope of the population Of this Island,
that st. CroiX will be also ceded to the United
States of America that only thereby can it
hope to attain that total and perpetual ameliora-
ton in its commercial relations, which is indis-
penSable to its existence as sugar-producino
and that It's remaining attached to Denmark
after the ceSSiOn of the two other Islands must,
even with all the care and the sacrifice that
Denmark may bestow on it, lead to a gloomy
future for the Island. With the present high
taxation, including Il not nconsiderable tax on
the export OF the principal produce of the ISL
and, and OnerOuS charges on The same when i'm
ported into Denmark, while its relations to Den
mark almost exclude their produce from being
sold in foreign or nearer markets, it is impos-
slble for planters to realise a reasonable surplus
from their estates, and for not a few among them =
to continue sugar. cultivation on them This
conviction is doubtless shared by Your Excel
lency, and whereas Your Excellency as we'll as
the al-A1ministration of the Colonies in
Denmark, are perfectly acquainted with the re-
lations in question in Their detail, there is no
need of a minute representation thereof by the
Council, an undertaking that, with the cession
of the Island as our principal aim, would appear
superfuous. The Council will moreover aeceed
to the expressions used by the Chairman on the
introduction of the memorial, the correctness
whereofin general, has doubtless been acknowl-
nI~AI Nv NN,., L-~l 80 ~