IMPOLICY OF THE SLAVE-TRADE. 



307 



mid thus, without any care or attention to this 

 most important subject by the government oi* 

 the country, would the labour of free men be 

 admitted. By the separation of labour into 

 small spots of cultivated ground, (if cultivated 

 it can be called,) as is practised at present, great 

 portions of land are wasted, and only a few fa- 

 milies can possibly exist upon the extent of sur- 

 face (each working for itself) which would give 

 bread to a much greater number of persons, it' 

 they were employed conjointly, — if the labour 

 was paid for by one who wished to obtain a good 

 crop from the land, could pay for the work 

 which was requisite, and gave the necessary at- 

 tention to its culture ; this would bring together, 

 and render useful to each other, the first class 

 of people, who enjoy considerable wealth, and 

 the third class, who do not possess any thing. 

 The second class, consisting of small planters, 

 who live comfortably, have a decent house, 

 three or four slaves, a horse or two, and some 

 other trifling property, would not be affected in 

 the least by this change in the application of the 

 labour of the class which is immediately below 

 them. The secondary people, who cannot af- 

 ford to increase their number of slaves, and yet 

 are not able to accomplish their projects in 

 planting with those which they possess, fre- 

 quently hire free labourers. 



Under the present system, the labour of free 



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