9 



282 \ JAMAICA. 



T Coachman, i Key, or fiore -keeper, 



I Poftlllion, I Waiting-maid, 



1 Helper, 3 Houfe-cleaners, 



1 Cook, 5 Waflicr-wonien, 



1 Anirtant, 4 Sempflrelies. 



^'' Thefe amount all together td twenty. If there are children in 



the family, each child has its nurle ; and each nurfe, her affiftant 

 boy or girl ; who make a large addition to the number. Mod of 

 /thefe are onboard-wages, from three to four xVAs per week, beildes 

 their cloathing ; with which they feem to live very comfortably. 

 A fpeculative writer fuppofes it very feafible, in order to increafe 

 the number of white inhabitants, that every family fliould employ 

 white domeftics inftead of Negroes. But he did not reflect, that 

 even in Britain there is no one clafs of the people more infolent and 

 unmanageable than the houfe-fervants. Their wages are enormous ; 

 the charge of maintaining them, their wilful wafte, idlenefs, 

 profligacy, ingratitude of difpofition, and ill behaviour in general, 

 are fo univerlally, and (I believe) with good realbn, complained 

 of, that mod families confider them as necefliiry evils, and would 

 ■gladly have nothing to do with fuch plagues, if their rank or ffa- 

 tion in life, or their own imbecillities, could poffibly admit of their 

 keeping none. What then mull: be the cafe in Jamaica, if thefe 

 gentry are found fo ungovernable and troublefome in Great Britain? 

 None of them would leave home, to ferve in the colony, except for 

 very extravagant wages: even thofe that might pafs over would 

 focn difcover, that, by the policy of the country, there fubfifts a 

 material diftiui^ion between tiiem and the Negroes. If they Ihould 

 chance to meet with any black fervants in the fame family, they 

 would impofe every part of the drudgery of fervice upon thefe poor 

 creatures, and commence ladies and gentlemen. The females 

 would attend to no work, except pinning their lady's handkerchief; 

 and the men, to no other than laying tiie cloth for dinner, and 

 powdering their matter's hair. The governors ufually bring over 

 •white fervants with them ; but are very glad to get quit of them, 

 and fall into the modes of the country. The Negroes arc certainly 

 much better fervants here, becaufe they are more orderly and obe- 

 dient, and conceive an attachment to the families they ferve, far 



ftronger 



