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named Epsom, who used to be perpetually running 

 away, had been stationary for the last two years. 

 So on Wednesday last, as he happened to come in 

 my way, I gave him all proper commendation for 

 having got rid of his bad habits ; and to make 

 the praise better worth his having, I added a 

 maccarony : he was gratified in the extreme, 

 thanked me a thousand times, promised most 

 solemnly never to behave ill again, and ran away 

 that very night. However, he returned on Saturday 

 morning, and was brought to me all rags, tears, 

 and penitence, wondering " how he could have 

 had such bad manners as to make massa fret." 



February 17- 

 Some of the free people of colour possess slaves, 

 cattle, and other property left them by their fathers, 

 and are in good circumstances ; but few of them are 

 industrious enough to increase their possessions by 

 any honest exertions of their own. As to the free 

 blacks, they are almost uniformly lazy and im- 

 provident, most of them half-starved, and only 

 anxious to live from hand to mouth. Some lounge 

 about the highways with pedlar-boxes, stocked 

 with various worthless baubles ; others keep miser- 

 able stalls provided with rancid butter, damaged 

 salt-pork, and other such articles : and these they 

 are always willing to exchange for stolen rum 

 and sugar, which they secretly tempt the negroes 

 to pilfer from their proprietors \ but few of them 



