The free port Paramaribo

In the year 1848 it came so far that Paramaribo becomes a free port "for all people who live in friendship with the kingdom of the Netherlands". The flags solidarity was past, however the foreign ships had still to pay double fees until 1851. In the same period the money market was also renewed . On one hand gave it thereby new possibilities on the other hand gave it problems with the consequences of the abolition the slavery. Like one this circumstance of stoppage named " personnel problem" tried to solve is interpreted and written down in the article over the immigration . It is not completely clear what it means, but it is exceeded known that between 1850 and 1865 the value of the export (curb trading) and the import with approximately 1.500.000 F (1860 to example : If value pulled in 3.056.946 F, and export value 4.524.001 F). After that was the balance to 1910 negatively besides 1895 : If value pulled in 5.203.029 F , export value 5.490.735 F. After that became it again better. Before 1913 were the numbers for example import value 7.113.420 F , export value 9.457.787 F.

The development of the plantationsThe indulged of the plantations is recognisable from following report. ( A plantation is larger than 25 ha . Smaller agriculture organisations are named in Suriname "ground" ; Decision 1896)

1668 23 plantations

1683 50 plantations

1687 200 plantations

1730 400 plantations

1785 452 plantations ( from 350 plantations the owners lived outside of Suriname)

1832 451 plantations

1840 383 plantations

1853 263 plantations

1862 200 plantations ( a year before suspension of the slavery)

1903 82 plantations

1913 79 plantations

1922 less than 80 plantations

1976 less than 20 plantations

With the small agriculture it ran differently.

1873 1181 farmers with 1228 ha

1903 19756 farmers with 7886 ha

1969 30000 farmers with 20000 ha

These numbers show that the loss of the persons wanted to work on the plantations meant the preliminary end the large agriculture as economic activity. The small agriculture is laid out primarily for personally provision and after that for the local market. Changes in this situation came first after world-war 2 with the foreign aid.

Export-Production in the Colony Suriname in the years 1700- 1787

From this table we learn that the best export goods over this period were coffee, cacao, sugar and cotton.

From the mid-seventeenth century to the first quarter of the nineteenth century, around a total of 215,000 slaves were imported to Suriname, all from an area between today's Senegal and Angola. These slaves worked on the seven hundred plantations that were established in Suriname over the centuries and most of which were eventually closed down.

Suriname's plantation economy reached its zenith in the second half of the eighteenth century. In around 1770 there were some 110 sugar and 295 coffee plantations in operation and the colony had a population of some 60,000 slaves, 3,000 free persons, mainly Whites, as well as a further 1,500 soldiers. From that period, the colony entered a gradual economic decline.

An example of the struggle between the merchants and the government is to be read from the following papers:

[Colonial Papers. Vol. 28, No. 63.]

To the Right Honorable S^r Thomas Lynch K^nt his Mat^ies Leif^t Gouerno^r & Comander in cheife of this Island of Iamaica, & Vice-Admirall to his Royall Highnesse the Duke of Yorke &c.

That whereas yo^r Hono^rs Pet^rs haue to their great Content & Satisfaccon observed y^e infinite Care yo^r hono^r euer since yo^r comeing hither hath beene pleased to take, To incourage those y^t Adventure to this Island, & to remove all those thinges w^ch might in y^e least hind^r or obstruct y^e Advantage of his Mat^ies good Subjects, Soe y^t being fully satisfied & assured, That yo^r Hono^rs Care reaches & respects not onely psons, But likewise y^e interest of yo^r poore Pet^rs, Wee are imboldened to informe yo^r Hono^r of those p^r judices & inconveniences, w^ch Doe not onely at p^rsent Accrue to us, But Likewise more & more doe Threaten vs; & y^e infinite Number of Iewes w^ch daylie resort to this Island & Trade amongst, contrary to all Law, & Policy; There being a possitive Act of Parliam^t w^ch giues a generall procripcon to y^m all, & since y^t severall others haue beene made, to forbidd Possitively any Aliens to Bell any thinge by retayle, & vnless it bee Three or foure amongst y^m Whoe haue obtained their L^rs of Denizacon the others ought to bee respected & vsed as Aliens, they haueing hitherto onely Traded vnder y^e coull^r & Countenance of y^e rest.

The great mischeife w^ch wee suffer by y^m is, That their Tradeing is a perfect Monopoly, For they are a kind of a Company, & Trade w^th a joynt Stocke, Whereby they allwaies Comand ready money, & by y^t meanes doe not onely allwaies buy y^e choicest & best goods, but frequently whole Cargoes, & if yo^r Hono^rs Pet^rs haue at any time a share w^th y^m They will certainely vnd^r sell y^m though to their owne Loss, w^ch They can better beare because of their penurious way of Liueing; But by these Arts at last they gaine Excessiuely, & giues y^e whole measure to y^e Trade themselues, & if y^e Ballance should bee Continued there, How much all y^e English M^rch^ts (& indeede y^e whole Island) will in a short time suffer, may Easily bee app^rhended.

Yo^r Hono^r haueing vissited in yo^r Trauells y^e most Considerable Tradeing Cittyes & places in Europe &c. Cannott but bee Sencible of these Truthes; And how this sorte of People doe Ingrosse to y^mselues the whole Trade where they are, w^ch must needs bee y^e same in a place of soe smale a Trade as this, & where there is such a Number of y^m.

And wee doe further begg yo^r Hono^rs leaue to make this farther Remonstrance of o^r Comp^lt, That y^e great Inducem^t of o^r removeing of o^r selues hither, was the Princely care his Mat^ye did allwaies take of y^e peopleing & setleing of his American Collonies & for y^e better doeing of itt, hath seemed to intend, That y^e whole profitt & benefitt of those places should bee reaped by his owne Subjects; w^ch Intencons & designe very much app^rs in y^e Acts of Navigacon, But more cleare & plainely by those severall Treaties of Comerce, & Trade, w^ch his Ma^ty has lately establish't amongst his Neighbours.

And wee doe Humbly beseech yo^r Hono^r to Consider further, That, These persons remoued y^mselves hither from none of his Mat^ies Dominions, Meerly invited by their Lucre & designe, & what assurance can there bee of their fidelities, who liue vnder noe obligation of Duty & Alleigance, & can never bee supposed to regard or p^rserue Either of y^m any long^r then their owne private int'rest & Advantage Leads y^m to it.

And Although their Tradeing amongst vs makes a noyse, & seemes to giue some kind of Creditt & reputacon to y^e Island; Yet y^e Kingdome of England receiues noe benefitt, because All their Merchandises are brought Directly from Holland where they will againe (certainely) Transport y^mselues, w^th all y^e Gayne & Advantage They shall haue made of this place, & how much y^e Island wilbee Drayned by That, & all his Mat^ies Subiects suffer in it, may Easily be apprehended & foreseene.

Premisses being therefore Considered, Yo^r Pet^rs doth Humbly Pray, That y^r Hono^r, & Honorable Councell, will please onely to allow those y^t are Tollerated to Trade by his Ma^tye by wholesayl, & not by retayle, As all of them at present doe, & forbidd y^e remainder, According to y^e wholsome Lawes of England in y case, made & prouided.

And yo^r Pet^rs shall euer,

Pray &c:

[Signed] THO : SKUTT, HENRY STANDISH and twenty-nine others.

[Endorsed] The Originall Petition of the Merchants at Port Royall to S^r Tho Lynch concerning the Jews.&^c

Read in Councill. 11^th June. 1672.

From St. Thomas, or possibly from Madeira, where they had for a long time been engaged in the sugar trade, the Jews transplanted the industry to Brazil, the largest of the American colonies. Brazil thus entered on its first period of prosperity, for the growth of the sugar industry brought with it the growth of the national wealth. In those early years the colony was populated almost entirely by Jews and criminals, two shiploads of them being brought thither annually from Portugal. The Jews quickly became the dominant class "a not inconsiderable number of the wealthiest Brazilian traders were New Christians."⁽