Anon., A Letter To S[ir] C. M. A Member of Parliament, from an Inhabitant of the Island of Barbados ([c. 1700])

Colonial governance remained a controversial topic to the end of the century. Residents of the Caribbean or those with interests there continued occasionally to bring their concerns about how the plantation colonies were managed to public view through publications such as this one, A Letter to S. C. M., which appeared in about 1700. Its author, a man who was probably a Barbados resident, proposed changes in policy governing the colony. The anonymous author states they they never met the person in question, but believed him to have both the connections and the inclination to assist the colony. The tract lays out a number of problems with the current system of governance, including the inordinate power of the governor and the fact that funds raised for the protection of the island have been routinely sent to England as part of the imperial government’s revenue.