978 TIMEHRI. 
satisfaétion, which continued down to the emancipation. 
Estate owners who could obtain capital to ere& machi- 
nery, succeeded in making their properties pay, but the 
poor man with his mill driven by mules went to the wall. 
Those who remained raised money on mortgages which 
took into account not only the land, buildings and 
machinery, but the human property as well—in faét the 
last was of more value than all the rest. This produced 
so much trouble at the final emancipation that it may be 
considered as the main cause of the strong opposition. 
For, if a mortgage were given to the amount of two- 
thirds of the value of the negroes alone, without anything 
else, and the compensation was only one-third, or half 
the amount, the money lender had no hopes of ever 
getting the remainder. Then, the rumour of negro 
freedom shut up the purse of the capitalist, for what was 
the use of a plantation without labour. ‘‘Oh!”’ said the 
planter, ‘the British Government cannot interfere with 
private property; they might just as well take away 
your land and buildings.” But, the cautious financier 
shook his head and the would-be mortgager had to do 
the best he could. 
This uncertainty continued for about twenty years, 
producing such anxiety as is hardly conceivable now-a- 
days. The incomes of widows and orphans, besides 
those of planters, merchants and capitalists, were depen- 
dent upon a system which had been undermined, At 
last it fell, and with it came disasters hitherto unknown. 
Those who have talked with old people, both white and 
black, will remember what they said of the troubles which 
fell upon both. There were white people in Georgetown 
who sunk so low that they had to depend upon their 
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