IMPORTATION OF NEGROES. 67 



arrived in the Ship Treasurer " being manned by the best 

 men of the colony who set out on roving in ye Spanish 

 dominions in the West Indies " and after a successful cruise 

 against the Spaniards returned with their spoils including a 

 certain number of Negroes. Eolfe in alluding to the impor- 

 tation of Negroes says : 



" About the last of August came in, a Dutch man-of-warre 

 that sold us twenty negars." 



Most writers are of the opinion that this was in 1620, one 

 of whom says " in the same year that the Pilgrims landed at 

 Plymouth, slaves landed in Virginia." Another writer says 

 of the introduction of slave labor into the Plantations, "Is 

 there not a probability that the vessel was under control of 

 Argall, if not the ship Treasurer? If twenty negroes came 

 in 1619, as alleged, their increase was very slow, for accord- 

 ing to a census of 16th of February, 1624, there were but 

 twenty-two then in the colony, distributed as follows: eleven 

 at Flourdiew Hundred, three at James City, one at James 

 Island, one at the plantation opposite James City, four at 

 Warisquoyok, and two at Elizabeth City." 



About the same time that " negars " landed in the colony, 

 commenced the arrival of starving boys and girls picked up 

 out of the streets of London. The " negars " are described 

 as follows by an early writer of the colony. " The negroes 

 live in small cottages called quarters, in about six in a gang, 

 under the direction or an overseer or baliff; who takes care 

 that they tend such land as the owner allots and orders, upon 

 which they raise Hogs and Cattle, plant Indian Corn (or 

 maize) and Tobacco for the use of their Master ; out of which 

 the overseer has a dividend (or share) in proportion to the 

 number of hands including himself; this with several privi- 

 leges in his salary, and is an ample recompense for his 

 pains, and encouragement of his industrious care, as to the 

 labor, health, and provision of the negroes. The negroes are 

 very numerous, some gentlemen having hundreds of them of 

 all sorts, to whom they bring great profit ; for the sake of 

 which they are obliged to keep them well, and not over- 

 work, starve, or famish them, besides other inducements to 

 favor them, which is done in a great degree, to such espe- 

 cially that are laborious, careful, and honest ; though indeed 

 some Masters, careless of their own interest and reputation, 

 are too cruel and negligent. 



