1836.] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



115 



manage his slaves; nothing was omitted which 

 he could think of. 



Nor was Mr. satisfied here. Most of 



my duties he had commmitted to writing, and I 

 was recjuired to keep them as a constant guide to 

 me in the management ol' his plantation. Whe- 

 ther lliey were excellent or not, shall appear, 

 when I speak of how f managed his estate; tijr 

 let me assure you, Mr. Editor, that if I have heen 

 successful as an overseer, 1 attribute all, to the ad- 

 vice of my employer. 



When I connnenced my duties as overseer with 



31 r. , I was firmly impressed with the he- 



liei; that "knowledge is power." I fell tliat whe- 

 ther applied to the sciences, or to the pursuits in 

 which I was emharked, that information of every 

 kind was useful to me. Without being obtrusive, 

 therefore, I determined to pick up from every 

 planter and overseer, what I could learn as to my 

 business. 1 found that the most ignorant man 

 could teach me something which I had not known 

 before. What I learned, I always submitted to 

 my employer, when I could do so with conve- 

 nience. Sometimes he would dissent from what 

 1 proposed; and then I was never ashamed to ar- 

 gue the point with him, and show him the reasons 

 why 1 thought myself correct. I pursued the 

 same plan with the driver. Whatever I was to 

 do, 1 always consulted him about. This save 

 him confidence and responsibility in himself, and 

 character in the eyes of those he had to superin- 

 tend. 



Speaking of the driver, brings me to notice my 

 management of him more particularly. I always 

 required of him, that he should dress myself bet- 

 ter than the other negroes. This caused him to 

 maintain a pride of character before them, which 

 was highly beneficial. Indeed, I constantly en- 

 deavored to do nothing which would cause them 

 to lose their respect for him. With (his view, I 

 made it a rule never to scold or lecture my driver 

 before the other negroes for any inadvertence or 

 fault. If he did any thing which was out of the 

 way, I took him by himself and lectured him se- 

 verely. If the fault was of a flagrant nature, as was 

 once the case with him, I publicly flogged him be- 

 fore the other negroes, and disgraced him b}- ap- 

 pointing another in his place. I would never listen 

 to every tale that the negroes might have against 

 the driver; but whenever they could urge any thing 

 which seemed plausible or correct, I would con- 

 sent to have him tried. At these trials, I would 

 preside as umpire — would listen to the evidence 

 for and against, and my decision always awarded 

 a punishment of some kind to the guilty party — 

 to the driver, if guilty, or to the accusers if they 

 did not make good their charges. Persons might 

 suppose that the fear of not making out their case, 

 would prevent the negroes from accusing when 

 really they had been injured; but I never found a 

 case of the kind. 



Every night, it was my driver's business to en- 

 quire of me what I would have done the next 

 day. Although, he frequently had his duties al- 

 lotted to him for a week ahead, he was neverthe- 

 less required to do this regularly every evening. 

 He was also at the same time required to report 

 the work of the day ended. It will be asked 

 what was the necessity of all this, when I 

 superintended every thing that was done my- 

 self.' I answer, it gave the driver a habit of 



regularity, and prepared him for a proper dis- 

 charge of his duties, should I be sick. The 

 more the driver is kept aloof from the negroes, the 

 better. The truth is, he cannot maintain too 

 much pride in his conduct towards them. Once 

 let them believe that they are his equals, and all 

 control is lost. 



I have said so much about the driver, that I 

 have little room to speak of the negroes. Their 

 proper manatiement constitutes the chief success 

 of the planter. If he has not a proper control 

 of them, he had much better give up plant- 

 ing; for as sure as he continues, they will ruin him. 



Having laid down rules for the regulation of 

 your plantation, the first consideration is the study 

 of the character of your negroes. This will not 

 take you long to do; in one month the full charac- 

 ter of very slave you superintend might be learnt. 

 For the breach of every rule, certainty of punish- 

 ment is every thing. If a negro is permitted to 

 go once unpunished for a fault, he will at any time 

 afterwards do the same, and risk being flogged. 

 I have always discovered that where the overseer 

 is positive, that the negroes are better disciplined, 

 more mildly treated, and consequently more hap- 

 py; once, however, a negro has been punished, 

 the fault should be overlooked, and his spirits 

 should not be broken down by continually remind- 

 ing him of his past misconduct. Not observing 

 this rule, has very often ruined some of the very 

 best negroes. I have frequently met with negroes, 

 whom the whip would ruin, with whom a little 

 flattery could do every thing. I will state an in- 

 stance of the kind. Ten years ago, I bought, at 

 auction in Charleston, a stubborn, ill looking fel- 

 low, sold as runaway. Upon examination, I 

 found that he had the marks of having been re- 

 peatedly whipped. I asked the fellow the reason 

 of this, he said it was because he could not do his 

 work. I was convinced that Ben, (for that was 

 his name) had not been properly managed. I 

 accordingly purchased him, at a reduced price, 

 took him home, and put him to woik by the side 

 of some of niy best worker's. I pointed out 

 what I would require of him; and in a flatter- 

 ing way, observed to the other fellows, that I was 

 now going to give them a push. "Now," said I, 

 "Ben, 1 will expect you to do your best; keep 

 close to those fellows, and if you f jIIow them up 

 close, you may feel proml of yourselti" He seem- 

 ed pleased at my remark, said he would, and com- 

 menced as if he intended to do his best. I left 

 Ben to himself, and in a i'ew hours after returned 

 to where he was working: he was getting on ex- 

 ceedingly well, for which I complimented him. It 

 was in this manner that I urged him on through- 

 out his day's work. That evening he finished 

 his task, did it well, and went home much 

 pleased with himself This was the first step to- 

 wards the reformation of Ben. By following up 

 my treatment, I so entirely reclaimed him in a k\v 

 months, that from being a runaway and rogue, 

 I made him one of my primest and trustiest ne- 

 groes. 



Order should be strictly maintained among ne- 

 groes. By this, I mean order, in their occupa- 

 tions and duties. Once or twice in the month, I 

 made it my business to visit each negro house; I 

 examined ev^ery thing therein; saw that the ne- 

 groes permitted no dirt or filth to be collected about 

 ihem, and as invariably punished them where I 



