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such bondage, they, either by nature or 

 custom, are no more fit to conduct them- 

 selves than children. They appear to be 

 idle by nature, the greater part of them 

 are thieves ; so that, when they are free, 1 

 instead of working, they employ them-- 

 selves in shooting squirrels, opossums, 

 birds of different descriptions, and in 

 trapping partridges, &c. To do this, they 

 keep a number of dogs, which^ are a very 

 great expence ; and the chief part of their 

 time is devoted to actual theft. Thus they 

 do little or nothing towards tilling the 

 land, to raise the necessaries of life for 

 themselves. Some of them have a little 

 patch of land, and raise truck; which gives 

 them a sanction to sit in the market, and 

 renders them less liable to be suspected for 

 what they steal. From this practice, when 

 free, they are liable to become plunderers, 

 and worthless upon earth. It is well 

 known that these free negroes are stealing 

 poultry and fruit in the season in the night, 

 to sell in the market in the towns and 



