Between 1775 and 1789 the population of the Bahamas increased substantially. During this period the Treaty of Versailles returned the Bahamas territory to British rule and Florida to Spanish rule. These events created an exodus of loyalists, seeking sanctuary in the Bahamas as they evacuated Florida. Thus the majority of immigrants to the Bahamas came from Florida, however this reduced in March 1785. New York also provided Bahamas with 1000 refuges. Which is reflected in the instance where, Sir Guy Carleton (Commander in chief of British forces in America) was notified that four hundred New York refugees wanted to settle on Abaco. Another reason for immigration was Advertisements published in gazettes repeatedly to lure migrants to the Bahamas As of June 1788 the population of the Bahamas had reached 9300. It has been predicted that 5000-7000 loyalists and slave refugees came to the Bahamas during this time. From 1784 to early 1785 refugees arrived to the Bahamas in an overwhelming scale. As of June 1788 the population of the Bahamas had reached 9300.
Within this population increase Negros made up nearly two thirds of the population, representing a majority on the Bahamas. This is illustrated in population of 11,300 in 1798 where Negros accounted for 8,000 of that statistic. Along with the immigration of loyalists migrating to Barbados there was a significant amount of Negro immigrants, many of who were ‘free’. In once instance, out of eight eight blacks immigrating