NATURAL HISTORY. 



623 



ncousclisbursemerits, are all mate- 

 rial drawbacks from any thing like 

 such extraordinarj' gain common- 

 ly happening in this undertaking. 

 The annual cost of the negroe 

 alone is estimated by each proprie- 

 tor at Honduras, at something 

 more than thirty-five pounds Ja- 

 maicacurrency : anexpensewhich, 

 in the history of slavery, is proba- 

 bly without parallel. As a fact so 

 unusual may require more than 

 naked assertion to support it, it 

 may not be unnecessary to par- 

 ticularise what is commonly 

 granted on such occasions, and 

 which custom has long since 

 brought into regular exaction. 

 First, therefore, of provisions : 



Of Irish salt pork, to £,. s. d. 



each negro, 5lb. per 



week, which, on an 



average of price, may 



be estimated for 365 



days at 8 10 



Of flour, always the 



finest, lib. per day 



each, estimated at . . 10 

 Of rum, supposing a gill 



to be allowed to each 



slave per day, during 



the days that work is 



carrying on, which 



may be numbered at 



260 : the spirits at 



lOs. per gallon .... 4< 13 

 Of sugar, 121b. allowed 



to each, at Is. 3d. 



per lb 15 



Of clothing : two suits 



of fatigue, or work- 

 ing clothes, usually of 



Osnaburgs, at about 



Is. Sd. per yard to 



each, and making . . 1 3 4 



£. s. d. 

 Brought forward ..24 9 7 



One pair of coarseshoes 



ditto 13 4 



Miscellaneous: tobacco 

 and pipes to each ne- 

 groe 1 10 



Medical attendance, or 

 medicine, per con- 

 tract, to each 13 4 



Saturday's labour, inva- 

 riably the privilege of 

 the slave, and which 

 is generally engaged 

 by his owner : esta- 

 blished rate 3s. Ad. 

 per day 8 13 4 



Jamaica currency £ 35 19 7 



Equal in sterling for 



eachslave,perann £25 13 llf 



Carried forward, . . . £24 9 7 



If the slave be not employed in 

 regular mahogany cutting, he is 

 at least engaged in some occupa- 

 tion by his master, which gives 

 him a claim to this compensation. 

 This allowance, however, though 

 it be paid at the nominal rate of 

 3s. 4^. per da}', seldom actually 

 amounts to any thing like so 

 much ; it being in most instances 

 accounted for in slops, trinkets, or 

 liquors, of the most inferior kind ; 

 and which no doubt are given out 

 in this way, at a profit of more 

 than 200 per cent. Besides the 

 principal number of the persons 

 engaged in the cutting of maho- 

 gany being also in trade, of course 

 the above is provided for in the 

 way of business. To those who 

 may not be so situated, of whom 

 there are likewise several, and 

 who must depend on the merchant 

 for such supplies, this expense 



