STATISTICAL ACCOUNT OF THE 



comes down and takes his coffee, after which, a walk Foundb 

 the buildings, to enquire into the state of the negroes ajid 

 their work, concludes the day. Dutch overseers treat theic 

 principals with the utmost respect : as they approach Myn* 

 heer within half a dozen yards, the hat is immediately doffed 

 as a token of their inferiority, and is placed under the ajni 

 while receiving his orders, to all of which the answer is» 

 '*Ja, weledele gestreenge Heer."-—'* Yes, great and honoured Sir." 

 Such insignificant and unrestrained flattery as this from one 

 European to another, is truly disgusting, and ought, I thinks 

 tor be totally laid aside ; but such are the failings of liuman 

 nature, that I have seen sensible well informed men in other 

 respects, while surrounded by their friends, call up their over- 

 seers to give orders and ask questions, merely to display their 

 greatness, and the respect they are held in, by a public repe* 

 tition of such flattery. The negroes belonging to Dutch 

 estates, copy the overseers' humble poltkeness, and are consi* 

 derably more respectful to whites than those belongiiig to 

 English plantations; A certain erect carriage in John BuB 

 imperceptibly introduces itself into the incult address of the 

 English negroes. Oi* it may arise from their not being kept 

 so strictly, nor considered in so degraded situation as other 

 negroes are. I am convmced, was it made a general rule 

 among European planters to inculcate into the minds of the 

 negioes proper ideas of their situation, as the English do, it 

 would inspire them with a certain^ degree of emulation and 



