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NOTES DU CHAPITRE V.

I.

(Raynal, Histoire philos. et politique, t. IV, liv. XII, p. 290).

Ceux qui l'ont parcourue (la Trinidad) avec assez de réflexion et de lumières pour démêler à travers les épaisses forêts qui la couvrent ce qu'elle pouvait valoir, l'ont jugée propre à rapporter abondamment plusieurs sortes de productions, même d'un grand prix. Cependant elle n'a jamais cultivé que le cacao, mais il y était si parfait, qu'on le préférait à celui de Caraque même, et que les négociants Espagnols, pour s'en assurer, le payoient d'avance à l'envi les uns des autres. Cet empressement qui peut quelquefois augmenter l'industrie d'un peuple naturellement actif, perd infailliblement des hommes chez qui le goût du repos est une passion, et presque un besoin de la nature ou de l'éducation. Les propriétaires ayant reçu plus d'argent qu'ils n'en pouvoient rembourser avec l'unique denrée qui faisoit toute leur fortune, tombèrent peu à peu dans le découragement. A la vue d'un travail excessif, ils se mirent à ne rien faire. Depuis 1727 on ne trouve plus de cacao dans l'île. Elle devint à cette époque tout à fait étrangère à sa métropole.

II.

(E.-L. Joseph, History of Trinidad, part. II, ch. v, p. 144 et seq.)

Pour mettre le lecteur au courant de toutes les opinions émises sur la cause de la ruine de la culture du cacao, nous donnons ci-après celles que mentionne notre devancier :

According to the same authority (i. e. Gumilla), so excellent was the cacoa of Trinidad, that the planters used to sell it before it was gathered; this enabled the cacoa planters to defraud the clergy of their dues all, except one planter, named Rabelo, who continued to give a tenth to the priests, and his estate was the only exception to the total decay of the cacoa trees.

I have heard from tradition another version of the story. The planter referred to had planted the trees called Forastero from the Brazils, which gives an inferior kind of cacoa but in greater quantity, and is withal a hardier tree, hence he could not sell his crop before it was gathered, nor so easely evade the tithes; and on the other side, his stronger trees withstood the general blight better than those of his fellow colonists.

The assertion of Gumilla satisfies no one that this island was ever sterile; but we may be assured that the inhabitants were not very obedient children of their spiritual Fathers. This we further learn from the old minutes of the cabildo. Abbé Raynal who in his Historical Romance, which he denominated Histoire politique et philosophique des deux Indes, never scruples to assign a cause for every event

says, the failure of the cacoa trees in Trinidad was occa

sioned by the north winds. Tradition, however, assigns the remarkable drought of that year as the cause.

A more probable explanation of the event was given to me by an old gentleman before referred to, who stated it to be the opinion of the cacoa planters, in his youth, that the trees which so generally perished were a variety of the cacoa which gave excellent fruit, but were far more tender than the two varieties of Forastero and creole cacoa so generally planted in Trinidad since the year 1756. I am not sufficiently acquainted with cacoa to judge on this subject; my informant has spent the whole of his long life on cacoa estates.

Whatever was the cause of the decay of the cacoa plantations, the effects were ruinous to the colony. It was abandoned by the greater part of its inhabitants; and there are many letters and other documents in existence which speak of the misery of those who remained behind: they had to dispose of their few articles of plate, and even of their negro slaves, to supply themselves with such necessaries as they could not raise on their plantations.

III.

La traduction anglaise des minutes du cabildo que nous possédons est l'œuvre de M. James Meany, qui fut chef de police sous l'administration du gouverneur sir Ralph Woodford.

On lit dans les archives de la corporation, à la du 19 février 1816:

A translated abstract in english of the Autos or minutes of the Illustrious Board of cabildo from the year 1733 to the

commencement of the month of june 1813, extracted by M. Meany was, by His Excellency the president, ordered to be laid before the Board; and, being approved of, it was directed that it should undergo a revision, be abridged and sent to England to be printed. The sum of £ 1,200 was voted and directed to be presented to Mr Meany in testimony of the thanks of the Board for the correct manner in which he executed the same.

Non seulement ce précieux document, le seul registre authentique qui nous reste des actes de l'administration espagnole, n'a jamais été révisé, ni abrégé, ni imprimé, mais il s'est égaré pend int près de quarante ans, et n'a été heureusement retrouvé dans une malle de vieux papiers appartenant à un particulier qu'en 1878, par M. Lionel M. Fraser, à qui nous devons toute notre reconnaissance.

NOTES DU CHAPITRE VI.

I.

(Meany, Abstract of the minutes of Cabildo, 1733-1813, ms., p. 31.)

TARIF des denrées alimentaires et autres productions de l'ile, approuvé par S. E. le Gouverneur, le 11 avril 1746.

Maïs, à la ville, la fanègue de 110 livres..

Maïs, à la campagne,

Pain de cassave, de 2 livres

Quartillo ou quarteron de manioc, de 6 3/4 livres.

1 1/2 livre de porc frais.....

1 livre de porc salé

1 livre de bœuf frais..

1 1/2 livre de bœuf salé..........

8 réaux.

6

1/2

2

1

1

1/2

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