. The Danish West Indies under company rule (1671-1754) . ). 28 Mandate of April 12, 1725. Martfeldt MSS., I. 29 See above, pp. 127-130. 166 THE DANISH WEST INDIES ing those five years, but of only twenty-five per cent, in thenumber of plantations. Clearly St. John was rapidly forg-ing ahead as a sugar island. St. Thomas, on the otherhand, had begun to decline as a plantation colony; muchof its ground had been under cultivation for half a of its planters, as the census lists show, secured planta-tions on St. John which they managed by means of hired over-seers, they themselves rem
. The Danish West Indies under company rule (1671-1754) . ). 28 Mandate of April 12, 1725. Martfeldt MSS., I. 29 See above, pp. 127-130. 166 THE DANISH WEST INDIES ing those five years, but of only twenty-five per cent, in thenumber of plantations. Clearly St. John was rapidly forg-ing ahead as a sugar island. St. Thomas, on the otherhand, had begun to decline as a plantation colony; muchof its ground had been under cultivation for half a of its planters, as the census lists show, secured planta-tions on St. John which they managed by means of hired over-seers, they themselves remaining on St. Thomas.^ The difficultyso often experienced by planters in securing honest and capablemanagers (Mesterknegte) intensified the dangers of absenteelandlordism. It was not always possible for all the plantationowners to keep their plantations supplied with white overseersdespite the Companys threats of fines and confiscation. The uprising of the slaves on St. John began late in Novem-ber, 1733. During the spring and summer preceding there had. been a long period of drought, followed in July by a destructivehurricane which had inflicted considerable damage upon thealready suffering crops as well as upon buildings and shipping.^^A plague of insects had destroyed many of the products of theislands, and the negroes were threatened with famine. Anotherstorm in the early winter was especially severe on the maizecrop on which the negroes largely depended for their order to check the disorders among slaves which such a suc-cession of disasters naturally encouraged, Philip Gardelin, 0 Land Listefor St. Jan, 1733; ibid, St. Thomas. 1733. ^ The governor and council reported two ships, thirteen barks, two schooners,and two two-masted boats, many canoes, sloops, and ships boats to have beenwashed ashore and practically destroyed. Martfeldt MSS., Vol. VI, 227 et seq.(July 28, 1733). In the report (Generalbrev) sent by the St. Thomas govern-ment to the Directors on June 18,
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