University of Virginia Library

JANUARY 27.

Another morning with the mill stopped, no liquor in the boiling-house and no work done. The driver brought the most

obstinate and insolent of the women to be lectured by me; and I bounced and stormed for half an hour with all my might and main, especially at Whaunica. They, at last, appeared to be very penitent ashamed a themselves, and engaged never to

behave ill again, if I would but forgive them this present fault Whaunica, in particular, assuring me very earnestly, that I never should have cause to accuse her of " bad manners " again for, in negro dialect, ingratitude is always called " bad manners." My agent declares that they never conducted themselves so ill before; that they worked cheerfully and properly till my arrival; but now they think that I shall protect them against all punishment, and have made regularly ten hogsheads of sugar a week less than they did before my coming upon the estate. This is the more provoking, as, by delaying the conclusion of the crop, the latter part of it may be driven into the rainy season, and then the labour is infinitely more severe both for the slaves and the cattle, and more detrimental to their health.

The minister of Savannah la Mar has shown me a plan for the religious instruction of the negroes, which was sent to him by the ecclesiastical commissaries at Kingston. It consisted but of two points: against the first (which recommended the slaves being ordered to go to church on a Sunday) I positively declared myself. Sunday is now the absolute property of the negroes for their relaxation, as Saturday is for the cultivation of their grounds ; and I will not suffer a single hour of it to be taken from them for any purpose whatever. If my slaves choose to go to church on Sundays, so much the better but not one of them shall be ordered to do one earthly thing on Sundays, but that which be chooses himself. The second article recommended occasional pastoral visits of the minister to the different estates; and in this respect I promised to give him every facility-although I greatly doubt any good effect being produced by a few short visits, at considerable intervals, on the minds of ignorant creatures, to whom no palpable and immediate benefit is offered. It appears, indeed, to me, that the only means of giving the negroes morality and religion must be through the medium of education, and their being induced to read such books in the minister's absence as may recall to their thoughts what they have heard from him; otherwise, he may talk for an hour, and they will

have understood but little-and remember nothing. There is not a single negro among my whole three hundred who can read a line ; and what I suppose to be wanted on West Indian estates is not an importation of missionaries, but of schoolmasters on Dr. Bell's plan, if it could by any means be introduced here with effect. However, in the meanwhile I told the minister that I was perfectly well inclined to have every measure tried that might enlighten the minds of the negroes, provided it did not interfere with their own hours of leisure, and were not compulsory. I mentioned, to him a plan for commencing his instructions under the most favourable auspices, of which he seemed to approve ; during my absence, which may do good and can do no harm ; and, even should it fail to make the negroes religious, will, at least, add another humane inspector to my list.