452 HISTORY 



1827 such slaves were allowed to be set free, but the master so inclined must 

 provide for all such manumitted persons throughout the remainder of their 

 lives. 107 



Holidays. Sunday labor was for the first time expressly forbidden in 

 the later codification of the slave laws of the Colony. Christmas Day and 

 the two following days were allowed as holidays. During these days the 

 managers of gangs of slaves, or of plantations, were strictly required to be 

 present on their plantations, or wherever the presence of their slaves required 

 them for the purpose of keeping order. 108 



Rights and Duties of the Masters. 



Under this head will be considered : Eight to property in the slave, com- 

 pensation in case of manumission, as to runaways, denial of the right to culti- 

 vate land, etc., punishments, general authority over slaves. 



Right to Property in the Slave. The slave code secured to the master the 

 possession of his slave as a chattel. The master held the slave bound to him- 

 self, had power to limit his freedom, to govern his conduct, and to determine 

 his sphere of action, within the limits of the restrictions mentioned above. 

 At best in this Colony, where mildness was reputed to have prevailed 

 in the treatment of slaves, his lot was still that of the slave. With this 

 property the master had the right of purchase and sale* which was absolute 

 within certain bounds. He could alienate a slave just as he could alienate any 

 other property, except when such alienation would involve a removal outside 

 of the Bahamas. Eemovals were regulated by statutes of the imperial Parlia- 

 ment. The time and energies of the slave were at the disposal of the master. 

 By the custom of the place, slaves were allowed some time to work for them- 

 selves, to be utilized, if they saw fit, for the laying up of money for buying 

 absolution from their own bonds. The offspring of slaves were, by law, in the 

 same condition as their parents, and belonged to the owners of the parents. 



Compensation in Case of Manumission. The slave code not only guaran- 

 teed to the master the possession of the slave, but if the latter was manu- 

 mitted, or taken from his master without consent, compensation was 

 allowed for the loss. In case of manumission by agreement between 



107 4 Geo. IV, 6, and 7 Geo. IV, 7. Admiral Fleming states that he knew of a 

 few cases in the Bahamas, in which the negroes had bought their freedom from 

 their masters, but that, in his experience there, he did not know of many cases of 

 that kind. Sess. P., 1831-32, 20, pp. 218-19. 



108 10 Geo. IV, 13, sec. 75. 



