Page:The History of the Island of Dominica.djvu/85

 It was a great misfortune, that on the firt ettlement of this country by the Englih, o great a rage prevailed in the new ettlers for having extenive etates, as many of them were no ways qualified for the laborious tak of etablihing a valuable property, by clearing the woods, and proceeding, not only to uperintend, but to get forward by degrees, with indutry and œconomy.

They flattered themelves, that without all this, in the coure of a few years, their fortunes would be made, as they had very large elates; but they did not conider the conequences of borrowing money at eight per cent, which was allowed in Dominica at that time.—The forming new etates with new negroes, intead of eaoned ones, at a time when that climate was, from the quantity of its wood, o unettled, that it rained bet part of the year.—The extra labour of making roads, and carrying materials for building, which took