Part 3 (1/2)

[37] Bacon, _Laws_, 1754, ch. 9, 14.

[38] _Ibid._, 1763, ch. 28.

[39] _Laws of Maryland since 1763_: 1771, ch. 7. Cf. _Ibid._: 1777, sess. Feb.-Apr., ch. 18.

[40] _Ibid._: 1783, sess. Apr.-June, ch. 23.

[41] ”The last importation of slaves into Maryland was, as I am credibly informed, in the year 1769”: William Eddis, _Letters from America_ (London, 1792), p. 65, note.

The number of slaves in Maryland has been estimated as follows:--

In 1704, 4,475. _Doc. rel. Col. Hist. New York_, V. 605.

” 1710, 7,935. _Ibid._ ” 1712, 8,330. Scharf, _History of Maryland_, I. 377.

” 1719, 25,000. _Doc. rel. Col. Hist. New York_, V. 605.

” 1748, 36,000. McMahon, _History of Maryland_, I. 313.

” 1755, 46,356. _Gentleman's Magazine_, x.x.xIV. 261.

” 1756, 46,225. McMahon, _History of Maryland_, I. 313.

” 1761, 49,675. Dexter, _Colonial Population_, p. 21, note.

” 1782, 83,362. _Encyclopaedia Britannica_ (9th ed.), XV. 603.

” 1787, 80,000. Dexter, _Colonial Population_, p. 21, note.

_Chapter III_

THE FARMING COLONIES.

10. Character of these Colonies.

11. The Dutch Slave-Trade.

12. Restrictions in New York.

13. Restrictions in Pennsylvania and Delaware.

14. Restrictions in New Jersey.

15. General Character of these Restrictions.

10. ~Character of these Colonies.~ The colonies of this group, occupying the central portion of the English possessions, comprise those communities where, on account of climate, physical characteristics, and circ.u.mstances of settlement, slavery as an inst.i.tution found but a narrow field for development. The climate was generally rather cool for the newly imported slaves, the soil was best suited to crops to which slave labor was poorly adapted, and the training and habits of the great body of settlers offered little chance for the growth of a slave system.

These conditions varied, of course, in different colonies; but the general statement applies to all. These communities of small farmers and traders derived whatever opposition they had to the slave-trade from three sorts of motives,--economic, political, and moral. First, the importation of slaves did not pay, except to supply a moderate demand for household servants. Secondly, these colonies, as well as those in the South, had a wholesome political fear of a large servile population.

Thirdly, the settlers of many of these colonies were of sterner moral fibre than the Southern cavaliers and adventurers, and, in the absence of great counteracting motives, were more easily led to oppose the inst.i.tution and the trade. Finally, it must be noted that these colonies did not so generally regard themselves as temporary commercial investments as did Virginia and Carolina. Intending to found permanent States, these settlers from the first more carefully studied the ultimate interests of those States.

11. ~The Dutch Slave-Trade.~ The Dutch seem to have commenced the slave-trade to the American continent, the Middle colonies and some of the Southern receiving supplies from them. John Rolfe relates that the last of August, 1619, there came to Virginia ”a dutch man of warre that sold us twenty Negars.”[1] This was probably one of the s.h.i.+ps of the numerous private Dutch trading-companies which early entered into and developed the lucrative African slave-trade. s.h.i.+ps sailed from Holland to Africa, got slaves in exchange for their goods, carried the slaves to the West Indies or Brazil, and returned home laden with sugar.[2]

Through the enterprise of one of these trading-companies the settlement of New Amsterdam was begun, in 1614. In 1621 the private companies trading in the West were all merged into the Dutch West India Company, and given a monopoly of American trade. This company was very active, sending in four years 15,430 Negroes to Brazil,[3] carrying on war with Spain, supplying even the English plantations,[4] and gradually becoming the great slave carrier of the day.

The commercial supremacy of the Dutch early excited the envy and emulation of the English. The Navigation Ordinance of 1651 was aimed at them, and two wars were necessary to wrest the slave-trade from them and place it in the hands of the English. The final terms of peace among other things surrendered New Netherland to England, and opened the way for England to become henceforth the world's greatest slave-trader.

Although the Dutch had thus commenced the continental slave-trade, they had not actually furnished a very large number of slaves to the English colonies outside the West Indies. A small trade had, by 1698, brought a few thousand to New York, and still fewer to New Jersey.[5] It was left to the English, with their strong policy in its favor, to develop this trade.