quality of the commodity rather more minutely than he does at prefent. Such APPENDIX. examination is, indeed, now, in a great meafure, out of the queflion; as the buyer, like a creditor, depends on the artificial laws enacted to relieve and protect him, in all cafes*. 742. But on the natural fyftem of weight and standard, every able, and of course, accredited affayer would become a natural banker; or the banker, from an ignorant money-holder, would be obliged to become a fcientific affayer of gold and filver; and his note would be taken in payment, within the circle of his connections, as money, and it's validity or eftimation would be proportioned to the natural credit fuch an affayer had obtained. (3.) If there were no fpeculation commerce, how would focieties be provided with neceffaries? (Sce § 114.) 743. I answer, that all speculation, in articles of the first neceffity, ought, in a well regulated community, to make a part of the duty of the government: or, if that should be found difficult or impracticable, a commiffion-commerce might eafily be organized fo univerfally, that, from the most distant individuals, orders might be conveyed from one commiffion tradesman to another, even to the last commiffion merchant. All these might in such case obtain a decent and fecure living, proportioned to their different degrees of trouble and risk. This commercial fyftem, indeed, might easily be introduced even into our present focieties; fince all kinds of property may be effectually fecured by the established modes of infur ance. 744. A representation of the filver and copper coin, introduced into the colony Weight and of S. Leona, is inferted in the large Map. Fig. 1, represents the Dollar, which is called a Cent piece. Fig. 2, the half Dollar or half Cent. Fig. 3, the 20 Cent, and Fig. 4, the 10 Cent. Fig. 5, the copper coin of which 100 makes one Dollar. One Dollar contains 400 grains of pure filver. 100 coined copper Cent pieces weigh 3lb. This would certainly be a very great, and, I should think, a very proper check on fpeculation commerce, which at prefent hurries on business with the tumultuous celerity of a hunting match. One man pushes another, he a third and fo on, whether they can bear pushing or not, with fuch diforderly eagerness that many tumble and trip up others, while the leaft deferving often fhare the greatest prizes in this mercantile fcramble. In the mean time, intellectual improvement, and every other kind - of improvement, perfonal, domeftic or focial, is entirely neglected: for when a man's whole time and attention are engroffed by one low fordid pursuit, every nobler purpose of his being must be overlooked-See also that excellent work, Walker's Geography; Second Edition, 1795, § 150. denominations of S. Leona coin. NOTE APPENDIX. S. Leona, fimilar to the W. Indian. NOTE X. 1. See § 425 et feq. 742. If the reader has given that attention, which the fubject fo well deferves, to what is faid on cultivation (from § 131 to 140 inclufive) he will not fuppofe me a very warm admirer of the fyftem adopted; or rather, I would fain hope, only under trial, at S. Leona. The part of my book just quoted, which touches on cultiCultivation at vation, was printed feveral weeks before I had an opportunity of perufing the arti cle on the fame fubject, in the second report of the Directors (see § 425 et jeq.) and at which, I confefs, I was both grieved and furprized. I was grieved at obferving fo much fimilarity between the fyftem of cultivation adopted, or tried, at S. Leona and that practifed in the Sugar Iflands: and I was surprised that any thing like an imi tation of that mercantile fyftem of cultivation fhould be tolerated at S. Leona, after it's oppreffive confequences to the unhappy flaves on fugar eftates, in the W. Indies, had fo clearly appeared in evidence, before the British Privy Council and House of Commons *. The fimilarity which I lament, appears in the following particulars: (1.) As on West Indian fugar eftates, the grumettas, on the Company's plantation, have a flated, though certainly a more liberal, allowance of provifions; and their dinner is dreffed for them in the manager's houfe, as for weakly negroes, and for children on moft plantations in the fugar iflands. This mode will fave time; but I much doubt if it will tend to improve the natives in the arts of household œconomy. * That oppreffion is infeparable from the prefent mode of cultivating the fugar cane in the W. Indies, appears by inference from Long's Hift. of Jamaica, and explicitly in Dickson's Letters on Slavery. This laft writer (p. 23) particularly describes the manner in which the cane-holes are dug and the dung diftributed. "I have seen," fays he, " land lined off into fquare spaces 4 feet each way, which I believe, is the general rule in Barbadoes. The cane-holes, therefore, may be about 3 feet square, and 7 or 8 inches deep, with a space or "distance" between each, and another space or “ bank” at right angles to the distance, to receive the mould. The holes are dug, with hoes, by the flaves, in a row, with the driver at one end, to preferve the line. They begin and finish a row of these holes as nearly at the fame instants as poffible; fo that this equal task must be performed in the fame time, by a number of people who it is next to impoffible, should be all equally strong and dexterous.”—“The weak, therefore, from the very nature of this mode of turning up the foil, muft necessarily be oppreffed. The driver is often obliged to fet fuch negroes as cannot keep up with the reft, to work, in a separate corner by themselves; but I am forry to say he too often first tries the effect of flogging.". —" In diftributing dung, each negro carries on his (or her) head a basket full of it, the driver with his whip bringing up the rear of the gang. Here then, is another equal task, to be performed in an equal time, by people of unequal strength. In diftributing dung, therefore, as well as in holing, the weak are unavoidably oppreffed."—" In this work, the negroes have no help at all from cattle or implements of husbandry, the hoe and the basket only excepted." &c.—The baskets are all of the same size ; infomuch that a dung-basket has become a kind of measure for potatoes, &c. as a trash-basket, which is much larger, is for other things. (2.) They Labourers on the Co's plan tations called out with a horn, eye, 746. (2.) They are called to work in the morning by the blowing of a horn.-On APPENDIX. fome W. Indian plantations a fhell is ufed for this purpofe, and on others a bell. "Shell-blow," as the flaves call it, rouses them about 4 o'clock. In half an hour after, more or lefs, the driver fallies forth bawling "Turn out! Turn out!" at the fame time loudly fmacking his cow fkin, which he smartly applies to the naked bodies of those who come too late into the field.-May no W. Indian overfeer or negrodriver*, ever find means to substitute a flogging for the dram, now given at S. Leona!! 747-(3.) They work under the immediate eye of one of the better fort of natives, while and work unthe planter directs their general operations, fees them often from his window and walks der a planter's occafionally among them."-If, for " one of the better fort of natives," an overseer, or driver, with his whip, fhould ever fteal into the fields of S. Leona, and whether or not such an event is to be dreaded we shall presently fee, then this paffage might be indifferently applied to that colony or to the W. Indies. But, in the Southern ftates of America, the negroes have certain tasks affigned them, which when they have finished, they are at liberty to fish, hunt, work in their own grounds, or amuse themselves for the reft of the day. In this way, they do more work and per, form it fooner, better and more chearfully, without the fuperintendance of a driver than the negroes in the W. Indies who drudge all day long, not only under the eye, but literally under the whip, of the driver. A Mr. Douglas, fome few years ago, carried 60 negroes from Carolina to Jamaica, where he continued his task work, with the fame fuccefs as in America; but as things now ftand in the W. Indies, improvements cannot be introduced without much difficulty. (See Min. Evid. 1790 p. 183, and 1791 p. 218, 250.) I am, therefore, clearly of opinion, that task work, or rather piece-work, would tend, much more than day-labour, to call forth the activity of the native Africans, and confequently to promote their improvement and I would fain hope that as foon as the grumettas on the Company's plantation become tolerably expert, that piece-work will be affigned them, instead of drowsy, lifeless day-labour. cept about 2 748. (4.) The company's labourers appear to be employed from fun rife to fun fet, from fun-rife except about 2 hours for dinner, and, as I am told, a fhort space for prayers, which to fun-fet, exmay be about equal to the breakfast-time allowed to the flaves in the W. Indies. hours. Thus the former feem to be employed nearly as many hours as the latter are, out of crop. I fay nearly; for the latter are generally obliged to "pick" a bundle of grafs, and to carry it to the cattle on the penns, and thus are deprived of a great part of their dinner-time; and at night they have to ferve the cattle. with a fecond bundle of grafs, which they can feldom do till a confiderable time after fun-fet. This is out of crop; but in crop-time, which lafls 4 or * These words are very often used synonymously in Barbadoes and the other windward islands, where the chief of an estate is generally called the Manager. But in Jamaica commonly called the Overfeer. APPENDIX. 5 months in the year, the W. Indian flaves are obliged, after their hard work in the day, to continue their labours in the mill and boiling-houfe, every fecond or third night, according to the ftrength of the gang. Thus I would by no means infinuate that the negroes on the Company's plantation are yet wrought so hard, or for fo many hours, as thofe on W. Indian fugar eftates. But it is to be remembered that in the W. Indies, no other improvement than that of the måfler's property is fo much as pretended to; whereas at S. Leona, the focial and intelle&ual improvement of the natives is the declared end and aim of the whole establishment. much in a trɔ 10 hours daily 749. Now I think it may fairly be queftioned, whether the 10 hours daily, labour, too though moderate, labour, performed by the Company's negroes, under a tropical pical climate. fun, be compatible with any confiderable improvement, either by inftruction or study, or by what, in one view, is equally improving, I mean, attention to their own. little concerns in the house, in the field, or at the market or other focial meeting. (§ 471 n.) In my opinion, the Creator has put this matter out of doubt, by furnishing the tropical regions, not only with a profufion of almost spontaneous vegetable food, but with gourds, calabashes and other elegant, vegetable veffels to put it in. In Europe, before corn can be used, it must be threshed out, winnowed, kill-dried, thelled, ground, fifted and baked. In Africa, moft of thefe operations are unnecessary; and when the maize is ripening, a hungry man may go and pluck two or three ears of it and roaft them for his fupper. Yams, fweet potatoes and other roots require not much labour, and the numerous and excellent fruits fcarcely any. Were it necessary to corroborate this argument, I would only ask any man who has been, for any length of time, obliged to labour or buftle under a tropical fun for 10 hours every day in the week, except Sundays, whether, in the evenings, he felt himself moft difpofed to make an addition to his day's work, or to go to fleep? Dr. Smeathman, who was as active as moft men, and as well acquainted with tropical climates, I am pretty fure, would have sent such a man to bed; for, in the plan he published, he proposed only 8 hours labour for 5 days in the week, 6 hours on Saturdays, and the Sabbath to be fet apart, as it now very properly is at S. Leona, for reft and inftruction. (See § 648, No. 15.) Upon the whole then, I cannot but think that 10 hours daily labour, in that climate, is more than what is compatible with any confiderable improvement in the labourers, especially when I recollect that this labour is dull, mechanical day-labour, in the fuccefs of which the labourer is only indirectly interested, through his wages, and not directly, by reaping the produce for his own behoof. 750.(5.) "Their number and regularity have fcarcely varied for above a year, except in their abfenting themselves for a week or two, at the approach of the rains, to work on their own plantations, an interruption which it is thought may in future be prevented."-Here I am conftrained to acknowledge, that if the W. Indians forced or encouraged their negroes to work on their own grounds, on any other day than Sunday, I fhould 3 vance where I fhould certainly, in fo far, prefer their fyftem to that of S. Leona. But encour. APPENDIX. age, or rather force them, to this work, the W, Indians certainly do; and I never heard that they reckoned it an interruption to the plantation work. The truth is, that this paffage, combined with the reft of § 426, ftrongly excites my jealousy for Africa, and raises in my mind very unpleasant fenfations; for I cannot but think that Civilization it betrays a greater regard to the Company's planting concerns, than to the civiliza- cannot adtion of the natives. I allow that the abfence of the native labourers from the Compa- labourers are ny's plantations at the approach of the rains, or the planting feafon, may be incon- not interested in produce, yenient to the Company. But is the abfence of the native labourers, from their own little plantations, at the fame period, no inconvenience to them? In countries where rents are paid by personal service, the abfence of the vaffals, in feed time and harvest, is doubtlefs inconvenient to the landlord. But the inconvenience felt by the poor vaffal, when he lofes his feed-time, or when his little crop rots upon the ground, while with a heavy heart, he is performing his landlord's work, the haughty landlord little regards*.. Now it is impoffible that civilization can prosper where perfonal fervice, or any other fyftem, that tends to leffen the labourer's intereft in the produce of his own toil, generally prevails. This is evident from the rude ftate of those countries where fuch fyftems are ftill adhered to t. And, without fufpecting that any system obftructive of civilization is defignedly meant to be introduced into S. Leona, I will venture to say, that, while the native labourers are confined fo closely to day-labour, as to prevent them entirely from tilling portions of land for their own immediate advantage, their civilization will advance but flowly. For wherein does civilization (exclufive, I mean, of higher confiderations) confift, but in fuch an improvement of the intellect, as enables a man to conduct his own affairs to the best advantage, and to interchange good offices with his neighbours. But how can a man learn to conduct his own affairs who has, properly speaking, no affairs of his own to conduct; who is roufed from his morning flumbers, by an overfeer's horn; who labour's almost all day under his eye, and is fed with food ready dreffed from his kitchen; who has little time to look after his family, and still lefs to ⚫fpend in neighbourly intercourse ? In short, how can any set of beings be expect * I mention perfonal service merely for illustration, without intending any invidious reference to S. Leona; particularly as I am forry to fay that such service is very frequently abused in my own native country Sweden.--I had always fuppofed that this kind of personal service had been long annihilated in one European kingdom at leaft. But I was mistaken; for I have been credibly informed that, whatever the law may be, the practice ftill exifts in two counties in the North of Scotland-not to mention the wretched degradation of the poor Scalags in the Hebrides. See a very well written paper in a periodical work entitled the Bee, published at Edinburgh, by the able, intelligent and patriotic Dr. James Anderson-also the Rev. Mr. Buchannan's account of the Hebrides, lately published. + Even the Emprefs of Ruffia, defpot as fhe is, fanctioned, and perhaps dictated, this noble sentence "L'agriculture ne pourra jamais profperer là où l'agriculteur ne poffede rien en propre." Agriculture can never flourish in a country where the husbandman has no property--Cath.II. Imp. de Ruff. Inft. p. 83. The time, fays a great philosopher, which a country mechanic fpends in going from one job to another, is what prevents him from degenerating into a brute. (§ 122.) |