A. D. 1788. 147 



Jbw as a dollar a head ; and moll: of them die in a very fnort time. 

 And even among the better clafles the mortality is {o great, that it is 

 thought in Jamaica, that, \i fifteen out of twenty new Negroes are aUve 

 at the end of three years the purchafer is very lucky *. 



The mofi: of the Negroes are bought by the planters for the fervice of 

 their plantations. But confiderable numbers of them, efpecially of the 

 inferior clafles, are alfo bought by a new fet of flave-merchants, who re- 

 fhip them, and difpofe of them in the foreign fettlements in the Weft- 

 Indies. 



In the fugar iflands, when a parcel of new Negroes arrive upon their 

 purchafer's plantation, they are generally diftributed among the moft 

 trufty experienced flaves, efpecially thofe of their own nation, whom 

 they affift in the v/ork ot their houfes and provifion grounds, and from 

 whom they learn the Englilh language, fuch as it is ipoken by the Ne- 

 groes f, and the nature of the plantation work. The men are clothed 

 with a fhirt and troufers of ofnaburg and a hat, and the women with a 

 fliift and petticoat of ofnaburg and a hat %, In Jamaica, when the new 

 Negroes have acquired fome knowlege of the nature of the country and 

 of the labour required of them, they get, what may be called, their 

 eftablifliment, that is to fay, a fmall houfe, and a bit of mountain ground, 

 in which they plant proviiions for their own account : and from that 

 their fubflflence is derived, their owners furnifliing them only now and 

 then a few fait herrings or cod. In the fmaller iflands, where there is 

 not fo much wafte land, the owners are obliged to find their flaves the 

 greater part of their provifions, which confift chiefly of Indian corn, 

 rice, beans, &.c. moftly imported from America, together with herrings, 

 cod, or other faked provifion. 



The Negroes work from fun-rife to fun-fet, with intermilfions for 



* ^ee Bcckford's Defcriptl'oe account of yamaica, upon revifing and amending their laws refpe<5lfng 



V. ii; />. 343- — He dtfcnbes a yba;74 clals of the K'cgroe?, the refiilt of wiiich has generally been 



new-imported Negroes, the retufe of the refnfe, favourable to the c?.ufe of humanity. The afTem- 



whom nobody will buy, who are feen lying about bly of Jamaica (29th November 1787) wercafliJu- 



the ftreets, without clothing, without food, and ouHy employed i;i fi-aming a confolidated (lave law, 



without compaffion. — N. B. He wrote fo late as which was intended to change in many refpeftsthe 



1790, when the flave trade was comparal'.vely-h\i' former fyftcm of regulations. ' A council of pro- 



maiiized. < leClion is ellabliflied in each paridi, and a variety 



f It is a jargon compofed of Englilh, ftrangely ' of humane provisions introduced for rendering 



corrupted, and mixed with fome Portuguefe words, • their condition as ealy and happy as pofGble. — 



and others, which, I fuppofe, are African. ' /; Is made felony without benefit of clergy in the fiifi 



\ Principal Negroes get fmne additional cloth- * inflance to murder a flave :' ' a claufe, which, to 



ing of a better quality : and the law, at leaft in Ja- • the great honour of ths houfe, paflcd without a 



niaica, enjoins the mailers to give woollen clothing, ♦ fingle difTenting voice.' The unanimity feems 



which is neceffary to a Negro in the cool of the to be noted as fomethiug extraordinary, and more 



night. Perhaps this law has been better obferved than could have been expefted. True it is, that 



of late than formerly. It may here be obferved, by the former law (enafted in the year 1751) the 



that the philanthropic efforts in fav6ur of the Ne- murder of a flave was piuiilhable only by imprifoii- 



groes on this fide of the water have alfo had the ment not exceeding twelve months and as mucli 



good effeft of fetting the legillatures of the iflands ftiorter as thej-.!dge» pleafed to make it. 



and efpecially of Jamaica, Grenada^and Dominica 



T2 



