How the above sum is divided between the republic of Holland and this colony, shall be my business to state in the second place.

The town of Amsterdam affords about fifty ships, at an average of 400 tons burtheneach, which receive, for importation freight of various commodities, the sum ofƒ. 6,000
For exportation freight of the above productions, which grow in the colony[11] 32,000
Thus each vessel gets for freightƒ. 38,000
Which, multiplied by the No of vessels 50
Makes exactlyƒ. 1,900,000 — —
For Rotterdam and Zealand I calculate together about 30 vessels more of differentburdens: thus 1,200,000 — —[[201]]
And for the brick that serves for ballast, passengers, &c. 80,000 — —
Each Guinea ship, importing yearly from 250 to 300 negroes, lowest value, atƒ. 120,000
Thus supposing the number of vessels[12] 6
Amounts to 720,000 — —
To all these I shall add the merchandize imported from Holland, such as wine, spirits,beer, salt-beef, pork, and flour, silk, cotton, and linen-manufactures; cloaths, hats,shoes; gold, silver, and steel ornaments; arms and ammunition; even masons and carpenterstools, &c. &c. at an average of about 50 per cent. profit. Besides correspondents charges, insurance, duty, store-house expences, portersfees, wharfage, and package, which last articles cost the inhabitants ten per cent. more.
Thus altogether 1,100,000 — —
Which makes already the sum ofƒ. 5,000,000 — —
Still let me mention the interest of 6 per cent. for the national debt of five millions sterling, due by the colony, and what theyare defrauded of by usurers in Holland, where prodigious other charges are broughtin; and where those who have made their fortunes go to spend it; and the amount willbe found to produce at least 1,000,000 — —
The whole of which items added together, produce no less a sum yearly thanƒ. 6,000,000 — —[[202]]
Which is clear profit to the republic, viz. principally for Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Zealand. Thus the inhabitants of Surinamget, for their share of the above treasure, only 5,000,000 — —
Which make together, as I said, one million sterling, orƒ. 11,000,000 — —

In the third place, I shall now show in what manner the internal expence of the society of Surinam is defrayed by taxes; which amount to no trifle, as shall be seen.

Having already mentioned, when speaking of the government, that the public revenue officers were five in number, I will now point out how they collect the cash respectively each, for the support of the above expences.

The first of these is that of Importation and Exportation Duties.

To this is paid, viz.
By all Dutch vessels, 3 ƒ. per tonthus for tonnage, ƒ. 90,000
By Americans, &c. 6 ƒ. per ton
By Americans, &c. for all imports and exports, 5 per cent. 60,000
Sugar pays 1 ƒ. per thousand or barrelin 1771 paid 260,000
Coffee 15d. per 100 lb. weight
Cacao 1 ƒ. 15d. per 100 lb. Do
Cotton
————ƒ. 410,000 — —
Thus receives yearly about the sum ofƒ. 410,000 — —[[203]]
The second is the office of excise and small duties.
To this is paid, viz.
For a barrel of beerƒ. 3 — —
A Do of claret 12 — —
A pipe of madeira 23 10 —
All wines, per quart bottle — — 1
The tax on publicans, is 600 — —
Do on small retailers 300 — —
And which amounts to a yearly produce of at least 100,000 — —
Then follows thirdly the office for taxation on heads; which receives for all inhabitants,black and white, without exception, viz.
For or men and women ƒ. 2 10this produces yearly 150,000 — —
For boys and girls under 12, ƒ. 1 5
Next comes the office for sales and slaves, which gets, viz.
For selling dead stock, including estates, &c. 5 per cent.thus, 130,000 — —
For selling newly-arrived or imported negro slaves, 2½ per cent.
And finally, the office for re-taking negro deserters, which was then erected, theother taxes not being sufficient; which produces yearly, viz.
By an additional tax on heads, black and white, at 1 ƒ. is 80,000
By 4 per cent. of every profit got during the year upon oath, is 400,000
Which makes exactly 480,000 — —[[204]]
Still let me not forget what is yearly paid for what is called the support of thecommon or grass fields, viz.
For a house, according to its size.
For a coach 20 — —
For a whiskey 10 — —
For a saddle-horse 10 — —
Which add to the above impositions again 12,000 — —
And these, if summed together, make a yearly revenue of no less thanƒ. 1,282,000 — —

Having now clearly demonstrated, partly by the assistance of Dr. Fermyn’s Tableau de la Colonie de Surinam, and partly by my own experience, that the intrinsic value of this settlement is worth yearly above one million of sterling money, which, by proper management, might be still increased; also that the greater part of it goes to the republic, while the people are thus burthened on their estates by almost insupportable taxation, which induces many to be rogues, who would perhaps otherwise be honest; I shall, by way of appendix, give some short account of the trade carried on in this colony by the North Americans:—These people arrive with small brigs, sloops, and schooners from Virginia, Rhode Island, New York, Boston, Jamaica, Grenada, Antigua, Barbadoes, &c. from which places they export flour, beef, pork, herrings, salt, mackarel, and leaf-tobacco for the negroes; also fir-boards, English rum, and other spirits; loaf-sugar[13], [[205]]spermaceti-candles, onions, &c. Besides each vessel is bound to bring in one horse[14], which they often supply by a head only; affirming, that they put on board a horse, but that he died on the passage. For the above commodities the American traders export all the melasses of this colony to distil into rum at home, and frequently ship-loads of other productions and merchandize, though this is done in a clandestine manner, by which both the seller and buyer are considerable gainers, being ready cash for the one, and a cheap bargain for the other. From the Leeward Islands these vessels also import private mulatto and quaderoon slaves, which being generally young and handsome, whatever may be their moral character, sell for considerable prices.

Having thus shewn, according to the best information I was able to acquire, in what the commerce and intrinsic wealth of this fine colony consist; I will now take my leave of the subject, and continue my narrative.

On the 21st of February, Mr. Reynsdorp, the son-in-law of Mrs. Godefroy, took me in his sail barge for change of air to Nuten-Schadelyk, one of his own coffee estates; where I saw a white man who had lately lost both his eyes in one night by the bats or vampires, as they are called; and the following day, sailing up Comewina River, we proceeded to the delightful Cacao plantation [[206]]Alkmaar, the property of the above lady; where the negro slaves are treated like children by the mistress, to whom they all look up as to their common parent.—Here were no groans to be heard, no fetters to be met with, nor any marks of severity to be seen—but all was harmony and content. The superb house and other offices of this charming estate, where pleasure and hospitality ever reign, I have already represented in plate No X.; while the fields and gardens, nay, even the negro houses, bore all the marks of perfect peace and plenty.