That when Grenada, one of the British islands, was the laft war, the confifcation of private property, or a c providing it (which is nearly the fame thing), was not attemp the private exertions of individuals exercifing public power dreffed in all cafes which were proved; that the brave and fuccefslut exertions of the British officers and foldiers entitle them to the grateful praifes of your Memorialists and of the Public in general; but that their pecuniary compenfation fhould not originate in an act injurious to the rights of individuals, and of dangerous example for your Memorialilts, whofe property will be expofed to fimilar invafion if the fortune of war fhould fubje&t any of our islands to the power of the enemy.

That your Memorialifts will not prefume to enlarge farther upon the injurious tendency of fuch a rigorous and unexampled exertion of the right of conqueft against private property; but they cannot forbear to fuggeft, that if Great Britain means to derive advantage from the conqueft of the French islands, it must be the highest impolicy to deprive the proprietors of thofe iflands of the very limited means for cultivating their lands, which their internal diftractions. have left them.

That whether in any and what degree the honour of the British nation may be affected by this alarming change in the mode of carrying on war, the confifcation of the property of the inhabitants of the conquered places is a queftion of too much delicacy for your Memorialists to enter on; but that they are impelled by their own intereft to make this reprefentation against an act, which, if adopted as a precedent, mult eventually prove ruinous to your Memorialifts themfelves.

Your Memorialists therefore pray your Grace, to reprefent to his Majefty the neceffity of immediately fending fuch additional military and naval force to the West India iflands as may secure them from the danger with which they are menaced; and of giving fuch orders, refpecting the contributions impofed, and other exactions on the inhabitants of the conquered islands, as may conciliate their minds, and prevent the conduct of their conquerors being hereafter, in cafe of a reverfe of fortune, quoted as a precedent to authorife the ruin and deftruction of his Majefty's faithful fubjects, who by the fortune of war may happen to fall under the power of an enemy which they may be unable to refift with fuccefs.

No. 4.

London, 6th February 1795Memorial of the Weft India Planters and Merchants, to his Grace the Duke of Portland, refpecting the Proceedings of Sir Charles Grey and Sir John Jervis, Military and Naval Commanders in the captured French Weft India Iflands.

To his Grace the Duke of Portland, one of his Majefty's Principal Secretaries of State.

The Memorial of the Weft India Planters and Merchants;

Humbly fheweth,

That on the 28th of Auguft laft they had the honour to prefent to your Grace a Memorial, in which they ftated their lively apprehenfions of eventual injury and ruin to the British intereft in the West Indies, from the violent and unprecedented affertion and excrcife of power, faid to have taken place by orders of the commanders of the army and navy, against the private property in the captured French West India iflands; to which Memorial they beg leave to refer.

That, with deep and unfeigned concern, they now repeat their reprefentations to your Grace upon this very important subject; and in fupport thereof entreat your Grace's attention to the official proclamations iffued in the names and by the orders of Sir Charles Grey and Sir John Jervis, the military commanders in the Weft Indies: That it is not neceflary for your Memorialifts to advert to every minute part of thofe feveral proclamations; it being fufficient for their prefent purpose to fubmit to your Grace the marked inconfiftency between the proclamation of the 1ft January 1794, preceding the capture of the island of Martinique, and thofe of the 10th and 21ft May fubfequently issued.

That by the former "full and immediate enjoyment of all lawful property, according to their ancient laws and cultoms, and on the moft advantageous terms," is folemnly pledged and infured to them, in the name of his Majefty; whilft by the latter, this pledge of protection is violated, without a fingle act affigned, by which the right to fuch protection has been forfeited, and a fum adequate to the value of the conqueft, to compensate the foldiery, is demanded, under the penalty of a general confifcation, to be enforced with military rigour.

That neither is it neceffary for your Memorialists to enter into a detail of particular acts of violence committed, fince they underftand that a Committee of Merchants, acting on behalf of fome of the individuals aggrieved, has already made application to your Grace, and has ftated that proof is ready to be produced of fuch facts as are alledged in the Memorial which has been lately prefented to your Grace by that Committee.

That your Memorialifts are unwilling to make the obvious comments upon proceedings fo repugnant in their opinions to established

ufage, to national character, directly committed by the terms of the proclamation of the 1ft of January 1794, to the general intereft of the British empire, and to the peculiar policy of the prefent war; but that they cannot forbear most earneftly to folicit your Grace's attention to the dangerous predicament in which the properties of your Memorialists are placed by this extreme act of military rigour, against the private rights of the French colonists, fince, fhould the fortune of war be reverfed in that quarter, and any of the British islands be captured by the enemy (an event to be apprehended from the reduced ftate of the British forces in thofe iflands, and from the untoward ace dents which have retarded the departure of the reinforcements provided), retaliation, however temperate in its principle and extent, will be little hort of total ruin to the fortunes of your Memorialifts, and to a very confiderable portion of his Majefty's fubjects.

Your Memorialifts therefore humbly pray that your Grace will be pleased to reprefent to his Majefty the probable dangerous confequences (particularly when applied to the Weft India iflands) of thofe principles and acts which have been affumed, declared, and practifed under the authority of Sir Charles Grey and Sir John Jervis, the military and naval commanders in the Weft Indies; and that an inquiry into the public conduct of those commanders may be made, in order to afcertain how far the national character, and the public juftice of the country, have been duly and properly fupported by them, in fach high and refponfible flations; and that your Memorialifts may all events relieved from their prefent anxieties and just apprehenfions of eventual injury and ruin by a public declaration, difavowing the principles fo affumed, declared, and acted upon; which they humbly conceive will be found to be contrary to the honour, juftice, and policy of the British government.

(Signed)

No. 5.

be at

W. YOUNG, Chairman of the Meeting,

Memorial of the Agents, on behalf of the Inhabitants and Proprietors of the land of Martinique.

To his Grace the Duke of Portland, his Majefty's Secretary of State for the Home Department.

The Memorial of the Agents in behalf of the principal
Inhabitants and Proprietors of the Ifland of Martinique;

Humbly fheweth,

That your Memorialifts are inftructed by many refpectable inhabitants and proprietors or the ifland of Martinique, loyal fubjects of his Britannic Majefty, to reprefent to his Majefty's minifters the injustice and oppreffion exercifed towards the faid inhabitants and proprietors by General Sir Charles Grey, and Vice-admiral Sir John Jervis, the

com

commanders in chief of his Majefty's forces, employed in the con queft of the above-mentioned island.

That the perfons reprefented by your Memorialifts were not the adherents of the pretended National Convention, nor did they oppofe the declaration given on board the Boyne, the 1ft of January 1794; but on the contrary, your Memorialifts are inftructed to ftate, as facts, which either from their notoriety need no further proof, or which can be fubftantiated by indubitable evidence, That when the mayor of the town of St. Pierre, in the island of Martinique, received the firft fummons from his Majefty's commanders, the town and forts were fo abfolutely at the difpofal of the negroes and people of colour, that the white inhabitants could not manifect their defire of furrendering; but that immediately on the retreat of the people of colour and negroes from the town, they did, in a quiet and peaceable manner, fubmit to the authority of the King, and put themselves under his Majefly's protection.

That your Memorialists are further inftructed to state, that the faid inhabitants and proprietors whom they now reprefent, relied with the most implicit confidence on the fecurity held forth in the above-mentioned declaration of his Majefty's commanders, whereby a full and immediate enjoyment of all their lawful property was folemnly promifed, granted, and infured to them.

That your Memorialists are further inftructed to ftate, that in defiance of the above-mentioned declaration, in violation of the British faith, thus folemnly pledged, and contrary to all the rules of war, as carried on by civilized nations, all the produce and provifions in the town of St. Pierre, as well as in fome other parts of the island, were fhortly after feized by order of the commanders, and without any Court of Admiralty being firft held, without any previous adju dication or form of trial what foever, fold for the benefit of the captors.

That your Memorialifts earnestly intreat the attention of his Majefly's minifters to the terms of the declaration iffued the 1ft of January 1794; and humbly fubmit, that the folemn promife held forth in that declaration was directly addreffed to individuals, not to the armed force by which the ifland was held in oppreffion; and that if the voluntary and early fubmiffion made by the white inhabitants of this ifland is not to be confidered as giving them a title to the benefits of that folemn promife, unlefs a formal capitulation had preceded their fubmiffion, this declaration of the commanders in chief must have become a cruel mockery, in cafe the adherents of the pretended Convention had precluded the poflibility of capitulation; and has, in fact, proved an unwarrantable delufion to the loyal and unfufpecting inhabitants, whofe eager fubmiffion overlooked what they had reafon to confider as a needlefs precaution.

That your Memorialists are concerned to ftate, that the feizure and confifcation of the property found at St. Pierre and elsewhere, took place under the pretended fanction and authority of the British government: But confiding in the well-known juftice and lenity of that government, and anxious for the honour and intereft of the nation, that the inhabitants of the island of Martinique, and of the

other

other conquered iflands, fhould continue attached by all the ties of duty and affection to that Legislature, which they have ever regarded with refpect and admiration:

Your Memorialifts humbly pray, that the cafe of the respective inhabitants of Martinique, for whom your Memorialifts are agents, and whofe claims of confifcated property fhall be fubftantiated to your Grace, may be taken into confideration by his Majesty's minifters as foon as convenient; and that fuch redrefs may be granted to each of them, as fhall upon full information appear confiftent with the juftice and liberality of a British government. GEO. WOODFORD THELLUSON, Chairman.

(No date.)

No. 6.

Memorial-Merchants of Liverpool.

To his Grace the Duke of Portland, one of his Majefty's Principal
Secretaries of State, &c. &c. &c.

The Memorial of the Merchants of Liverpool, whofe
Names are hereunto fubfcribed;

Humbly fheweth,

That your Memorialifts have very confiderable property and debts due to them in the feveral iflands in the Weft Indies, lately fubjec to the crown of France; and which, in the courfe of the prefent hoftilities, have fallen under the dominion of Great Britain.

That the faid property and debts originated and were due to them prior to the commencement of the war, in confequence of commercial tranfactions and dealings with thofe iflands; authorised and fanctioned by the Free Port Acts, and particularly by the Commercial Treaty with France in 1787.

That the late indifcriminate feizure and general confifcation of Weft India produce found in the islands of Martinique and Guadaloupe, with their feveral dependencies, alfo the heavy contribution levied upon the unfortunate planters and merchants of St. Lucia, who willingly fubmitted to the first fummons from the commanders of his Majefty's land and fea forces, is matter of moft ferious concern to your Memorialifts, and will grievously affect their property.

That your Memorialifts, conceiving that the horrors of war, at all times dreadful, are by fuch feverities rendered dont' diftreffing and destructive; and, in fact, they apprehend, if it were humane and political in his Majefty's minifters to prohibit the continuance of fuch violent proceedings, and the levying of farther illegal contributions in the conquered iflands, as it moft undoubtedly was, it is not the lefs neceffary, your Memorialifts humbly conceive, to order a reftitution of the inglorious booty acquired by our commanders, and now in the hands of their agents in the Weft Indies and in Europe; because it will fill farther tend to confirm the confidence of

newly