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ceived a regular allowance of provisions twice a 

 week, which he generally sold, as well as his 

 clothes, at the Bay, for spirits; had received an 

 additional portion only last Friday ; and, into the 

 bargain, during the whole of that week had been 

 fed from the house. What he could propose to 

 himself by telling a lie which must be so soon de- 

 tected, I cannot conceive ; but I am assured, that 

 unless a negro has an interest in telling the truth, 

 he always lies — in order to keep his tongue in 

 practice. 



One species of flattery (or of Congo-saw, as we 

 call it here) amused me much this morning : an 

 old woman who is in the hospital wanted to ex- 

 press her gratitude for some stewed fish which I 

 had sent her for supper, and, instead of calling me 

 " massa," she always said — " Tank him, my hus- 

 band," 



January 24. 

 This was a day of perpetual occupation. I rose 

 at six o'clock, and went down to the Bay to settle 

 some business ; on my return I visited the hospital 

 while breakfast was getting ready ; and as soon as 

 it was over, I went down to the negro-houses to 

 hear the whole body of Eboes lodge a complaint 

 against one of the book-keepers, and appoint a day 

 for their being heard in his presence. On my re- 

 turn to the house, I found two women belonging 

 to a neighbouring estate, who came to complain of 

 cruel treatment from their overseer, and to request 



K 



