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ever such a measure is practicable. On leaving 

 the island, I impressed this wish of mine upon the 

 minds of my agents with all my power; but the 

 only result has been the creating a very con- 

 siderable additional expense in the purchase of 

 ploughs, oxen, and farming implements ; the awk- 

 wardness, and still more the obstinacy, of the few 

 negroes, whose services were indispensable, was 

 not to be overcome : they broke plough after 

 plough, and ruined beast after beast, till the at- 

 tempt was abandoned in despair. However, it was 

 made without the most essential ingredient for 

 success, the superintendence of an English plough- 

 man ; and such of the ploughs as were of cast-iron 

 could not be repaired when once broken, and 

 therefore ought not to have been adopted ; but I 

 am told, that in several other parts of the island the 

 plough has been introduced, and completely suc- 

 cessful. Another of my farming speculations 

 answered no better : this was to improve the breed 

 of cattle in the county, for which purpose Lord 

 Holland and myself sent over four of the finest 

 bulls that could be procured in England. One of 

 them got a trifling hurt in its passage from the 

 vessel to land ; but the remaining three were 

 deposited in their respective pens without the 

 least apparent damage. They were taken all pos- 

 sible care of, houses appropriated to shelter them 

 from the sun and rain, and, in short, no means of 

 preserving their health was neglected. Yet, shortly 



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