The Suppression of the African Slave Trade to the United States of America 1638-1870 | Page 9

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,
XXXIV. 261. " 1756, 46,225. McMahon, History of Maryland, I. 313. "
1761, 49,675. Dexter, Colonial Population, p. 21, note. " 1782, 83,362.
Encyclopædia 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
circumstances of settlement, slavery as an institution 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
institution 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 ships of the
numerous private Dutch trading-companies which early entered into
and developed the lucrative African slave-trade. Ships 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.
12. Restrictions in New York.[6] The early ordinances of the Dutch,
laying duties, generally of ten per cent, on slaves, probably proved
burdensome to the trade, although this was not intentional.[7] The
Biblical prohibition of slavery and the slave-trade, copied from New
England codes into the Duke of York's Laws, had no practical
application,[8] and the trade continued to be encouraged in the
governors' instructions. In 1709 a duty of £3 was laid on Negroes from
elsewhere than Africa.[9] This was aimed at West India slaves, and was
prohibitive. By 1716 the duty on all slaves was £1 12½s., which was