llion and a half of
blacks and as many Roman Catholics, having enough already of both. Our
English islands may be more tempting, but there too the black cloud
hangs thick and grows yearly thicker, and through English indulgence is
more charged with dangerous elements. Already, they say, they have every
advantage which the islands can give them. They exercise a general
protectorate, and would probably interfere if France or England were to
attempt again to extend their dominions in that quarter; but they prefer
to leave to the present owners the responsibility of managing and
feeding the cow, while they are to have the milking of it.

Thus the proposal of annexation, which has never gone beyond wishes and
talk, has so far been coldly received; but the Americans did make their
offer a short time since, at which the drowning Barbadians grasped as at
a floating plank. England would give them no hand to save them from the
effects of the beetroot bounties. The Americans were willing to relax
their own sugar duties to admit West Indian sugar duty free, and give
them the benefit of their own high prices. The colonies being unable to
make treaties for themselves, the proposal was referred home and was
rejected. The Board of Trade had, no doubt, excellent reasons for
objecting to an arrangement which would have flung our whole commerce
with the West Indies into American hands, and might have formed a
prelude to a closer attachment. It would have been a violation also of
those free-trade principles which are the English political gospel.
Moreover, our attitude towards our colonies has changed in the last
twenty years; we now wish to preserve the attachment of communities whom
a generation back we should have told to do as they liked, and have
bidden them God speed on their way; and this treaty may have been
regarded as a step towards separation. But the unfortunate Barbadians
found themselves, with the harbour in sight, driven out again into the
free-trade hurricane. We would not help them ourselves; we declined to
let the Americans help them; and help themselves they could not. They
dare not resent our indifference to their interests, which, if they were
stronger, would have been more visibly displayed. They must wait now for
what the future will bring with as much composure as they can command,
but I did hear outcries of impatience to which it was unpleasant to
listen. Nay, it was even suggested as a means of inducing the America