heathens, have done it by unabated pains and zeal; for no other reward but that promised by their Father in Heaven." Not for a living merely, and trafficking with their holy profession, as some (clergymen) of our church do,who refuse baptism, unless paid for it, by the slave or his master; and after such vended rites, abandon them (the-slaves) to fall into their own vicious inclinations. But, under your lordship's paternal and vigilant care, and the deep interest you have extended to this remote part of your province, I scruple not to expect, that an efficient amendment will ensue. lately deceased proprietor, Mr. Woollesy) who is likewise in Great Britain. In that case, the sum of fifty pounds sterling per annum each, and a servant, would amount to about three hundred and eighty pounds currency yearly; and four servants, a house, &c. clear. I would (as no doubt the other gentlemen would) provide, or add, any other requisite for his benefit. Your lordship has judiciously pointed out the radical source of depravity in our slaves; still, I perceive that your ideas are very short of the dreadful consequences arising from a promiscuous intercourse of the sexes, and you will shudder when informed, that one fourth of the deaths of adults may be traced to that as the proximate, or remote cause. I am constrained to notice farther, that this horrid devastation may be, in part, attributed to the negligence of our overseers, and the private hospital doctors of our estates; and it. will continue irremediable, until a more active and discerning policy advances our white population, by internal seminaries for education, to keep and attach our natives to the soil. The plan suggested by Dr. Bell, for "Parochial Schools," has one insuperable objection; which he could not be aware of; the extent of our parishes, and the fatiguing distance children would have to walk. I humbly submit, as a substitute,-that three, or more, proprietors, should fix and jointly support a teacher, in some situation central to their estates; that he should be qualified to preach to, or exhort, the negroes; and moreover, that he should be of some profession, a farmer or mechanic (as is usual among the Moravians) to pursue on work- Our cultivation, which is altogether madays, and thereby separately provide for his nual, is no less destructive; and reflects disfamily, should he have one. He should be credit on the enlightened gentlemen who possessed of zeal and firmness, to overcome are interested in it, for the neglect of the arta the first shocks he would have, at the sight and implements of husbandry. Holeing, of the habits, vices, and discipline, on his otherwise trenching, (for most of our canes arrival and entering on his mission ;-for your are planted in trenches) our stiff and hard sunlordship may rest assured, that the first experi- baked lands, with hand-hoes, is most perniment will determine the general progress; and cions to the pregnant women; and should be when, and wherever made, should be ap-inhibited by every humane and intelligent proved and ardently sanctioned by the Proprietors. * Such situation I possess on my estate, convenient to Canaan, belonging to E. Jervis Ricketts, Esq. now in England, Retrieve, under the guardianship of two clergymen, also in England, the Rev. Mr. Sweet, and Mr. Beck. There, I should be happy to make the trial, with the co-operation of the said gentlemen; and would contribute ten to twenty acres of land for the teacher's use, and allow him one hundred currency, per annum for his extra services, if a practical or experienced farmer, or a mechanic, to superintend my ploughmen, or tradesmen. Would your lordship condescend to recommend such a character, and obtain the conjunction of the gentlemen mentioned? I think to them and myself a fourth estate (Midgham) might be added, upon application to Peter Campbell, Esq., (executor to the Nephew to Lord St. Vincent. ↑ Mr. John Vaughan, merchant in London, is their agent. -Mill or wheelwright, joiner or carpenter, mason, smith, or cooper, coach and chaise maker: planter, where the situation and fitness of his soil will admit the prime operation of breaking it up with beasts and ploughs. The: most toilsome labour would be thereby dimi nished, and transferred from man to beast. Whatever may be advanced against this prac tice, is unanswerably refuted by the exemplifications I have given, by breaking up and planting eighty-five acres, on each of two succeeding years. Vices, injuries, and corruptions, are con tracted and disseminated, by the ancient cus tom of allotting land, (called negro grounds). for which the law exacts one day out of fourteen, from the master, during the recess of crop, for the slave to cultivate, and support, himself in bread-kind. This is, generally, a Saturday, which gives two days in succession to the slave, in which to travel to a distance from his house, (as most of them do, frequently) and indulge in excesses, contract bad habits and diseases, and communicate them on his return, to his fellow-servants, But another injury too often follows. Fatigued and inebriated, he is unable to appear in the fields, or to perform his usual work, and incurs consequent punishment. Unless this system is abolished, it will greatly inte fere with the observance of the sabbath, as I allow me to suggest, that the chief difficulty d have shewit it doth, with other relative in-will-be, to obtain, in the first instance; “prázsk gredients to the slave's happiness and duty; per schoolmasters. You are as well aware as and to alter it, will be impracticable for an I am, that we cannot look for these in the individual, Like other long-standing errors, natives of this country their habits and b it will need the union of several proprietors in their own ignorance preclude the idea of their 1 a neighborhood, who may resolve to take doing any good; and the attempt had better the matter under their own care, and to keep not be made at all, than be made with others. their grounds in good order, and to feed their probability of a failure, which will operate aзc slaves, by sufficient weekly distribution of a discouragement to the future prosecution provision on Sunday morning; and when as- - of it. To Europe, then, must we look for « sembled, the Master or Manager may repair sober religious schoolmasters, who with minds with them to hear instruction from the already turned to the subject, and anxious>< Teacher. This regulation would effectually for its success, may second the plan with › close a source of inconceivable vices, and pre. skill and ardour. vent great maladies of body and mind. Be sides, its political provident benefits, would be of great moment, in cases of storms, hur ricanes, and droughts, as a magazine of supply under the master's immediate eye. It is upwards of twenty years since, amongst other meditated means of lessening the evils of slavery. I digested a scheme for casing labour, and adding comfort to the slaves; by teaching them to make a coarse cloth, for their own use, from cotton raised here; which would afford stronger and healthier clothing, than the tow and flax Osnaburghs imported, and would aid the progress of civilization, by substituting light manufactures, for heavy labour. I lately committed this plan to some friends in England: but for the present, have been obliged to abandon it, as I find there are several old Acts of Parliament, prohibiting either the necessary machinery, or any man who can work them, from coining oot to this country. I would fain hope, iu accord with the prevailing charitable spirit for reform, and amelioration of the condition of slaves, that these restrictions will be removed, with every other obstacle; more especially, at this, the most calamitous conjuncture, that the devoted planter has ever experienced. A second difficulty has not struck this i Lordship: this is, the wide extent of sour parishes. One schoolmaster, fixed in-the most central part of a parish, could hope to a do little general good; the younger children could not travel five or six miles, through rugged or miry roads, for instruction. HŬTE the exertions of individual planters, it>ap pears to me, much of the hope of success rests Every second, or third estate, should, Er think, have its schoolmaster, whose ine structions might be directed to that cigher bourhood: else the benefit will be partial and fleeting, as the attendance from any distancewill be irregular; and especially neglectede by those of tender years, on whose minds we hope to make the best impressions. I should, therefore, humbly represent to his Lordship, that (at least as a beginning) the best plan will be, to send out to each applying planter, a schoolmaster, whose necessary qualifications and turn of mind, I need not hint and who, if none other could be found, might be a youth from one of the charity-schools, tar be resident on the estate of the planter so re questing him that a certain number of hours in every week, and the whole of Sun day, be dedicated to the instruction of not only the negroes of the estate, hist-of all the neighbourhood, who will or can attend; To Rev. Mr. Harts, St. Joseph's Parsonage. and that his intermediate spare time he dedi*Joe's River, June 25, 1808. cated to the services of the estate, as a storeDear Sir,-I have perused the Bishop's let keeper, book-keeper, or distiller, as may ter most attentively, and assure you it has suit his inclination or ability for these ser made a due e impression on my mind. It is a sub-vices, it will be in the master's power to al ject I have often reflected on. I have long regarded, as one of our principal sins of omission, the neglect which we have shewn to the spiritual welfare of our slaves, by making no effort to instil into them the practical duties of Christianity. Such having hitherto been my opinion, you may suppose, that in me you will find no lukewarm seconder of the Bishop's wishes; and that I am ready to take an early and active part in the good work he has undertaken. I fully coincide with the substance of his Lordship's opinions, and think the plan of Sunday schools unobjectionable; but I think he will low him comfortable board and lodging, and a salary (according to the size of the estate) of from £15 to £25 sterling per annum. This plan will, absolutely, reduce the expence of the undertaking to a mere nothing; while, on the other hand, it would be very great. A schoolmaster for each parishi would require an income of £200 sterling, to enable him to live in a house of his own, and to board himself. In a country like this, where we have no inns, or boarding houses, thus only could he five. The expence of erecting a parochial school' room would be great, and, I fear, would be in most instances, not incurred any thing like taxation, to carry the plan into effect, would not be heard of by the people at large. You are at full liberty to convey (with all due and chastened humility of opinion) to his Lordship, these sentiments, Should they be approved by hiar, I shall feel an honest and virtuous pride, if he will allow this praiseworthy undertaking to commence on my estate, by sending out as speedily as convenient, to me, at the expence of the society of which his Lordship is the head, any person whom he may select, as fit for the purpose. On this person's arrival here, I will receive him as a resident on my estate, and he shall be lodged and boarded, on the most liberal plan (even at my own table, if the Bishop so recommend); and in return for his services (when not employed in our chief object) either as a book or store-keeper, or distiller, I will allow him a stipend of £20 sterling per annum, and defray all the expences of instructing the negroes. I conceive his being thus fixed, seconded by my efforts, will enable him to extend the benefit of his instructions, to a circle of one mile, or perhaps two miles, around my estate, without any individual (beside myself) incurring any expence, as the buildings already on my estate are fully adequate to the purpose of a lecture or school-room. I am happy to observe, that something of the same idea strikes Dr. Bell; who recoinmends (pp. 4 and 46,) instead of maintaining a body of schoolmasters, the employment of book-keepers. Europeans or natives, for the purpose. The latter we know to be out of the question, at least in the commenceinent of the undertaking. We may, hereafter, be able to train the young apprentices on our estates, under the resident Europeans, and send them forth as instructors; and this I shall have a fair opportunity of trying, (should the Bishop fall in with my view of the subject, and enable me to pursue it) as I have five native indented youths on my estate. Allow me to suggest another important end to be obtained by the importation of such a class of men, uniting the offices of teachers and book-keepers on our estates. Could the Society at home furnish such men, whose minds were properly turned to the subject, in no great lapse of time, planters, influenced by that powerful motive, private interest, as well as by motives of duty, would call to the Society most frequently for them. These would rise, very often, in two or three years. to be chief overseers of estates, and in all probability they would continue, not only to promote the undertaking, but by their greater humanity, and gentleness of treatment, would produce a permanent civilisation of the rising generation, both of slaves, and of native peasantry, who fill the situations of مو inferior servants, or of overseers of negroes and whose present want of civilisation, and of Christian morality, much depresses the slave, and prevents his rising from barbarism. chief In such an event, we may look forward to an increase of population, and of the Christian morality of our negroes, as well as to a great general amelioration of the state of slavery which, at present, derives its evils, if not all of them, from the employment (now a matter of necessity) af low, illiterate, uncivilized whites, on our estates, as inferior servants, and sometimes, I fear, as The bad examples these set in morals, not only taints and renders the slaves worse, but often corrupts the few English boys who come out indented to us: and it is in vain, by precept and his own example, that the master tries to check the evil. overseers. To the Clergy and Proprietors of Plantations in the British West India Islands. As the great and pious work of instructing the Negro Children in the first rudiments of the Christian Religion is now actual y begun. in those Islands, I beg leave to recommend to your serious attention the following considerations, which have occurred to ine, on this most interesting and important subject, In the first place, I think it necessary to inform you, that whenever any Proprietor of a Plantation in the Islands wishes to have a Teacher sent to him, to instruct the Negro Children on his own Estate, or two or three neighbouring Estates conjointly; if he will write to me, and specify the salary he is disposed to allow the Teacher, besides his maiy tenance, a proper person, instructed by Dr. Bell, shall be sent over to him; and the expence of his passage will be paid by The Negro Society here, of which I am the President. 2dly, You will please to observe, that the Schools meant to be established in the islands are only Sunday Schools. On the other days of the week, the Teacher may be employed in the service of the Plantation, in the capacity of a Storehouse-keeper, Book-keeper, Clerk, or any other useful office, which will amply repay the Planter for his maintenance; and the Sunday School will absolutely cost him nothing. 3dly. As some objections have, I understand, been made to the introduction of my plan into the Islands, I shall here briefly state those objectious, and my answers to them. The principal, and indeed only plausible objections to my plan, which have come to my knowledge, are these: 1. That the P rishes in the West India Islands are too extensive to admit of Parochial Schools. 2. That the instruction of the Negro Children will interfere with the work allotted to them on the Plantation, and consequently lessen the profits of the Planter. 3. That the plan can not be carried into execution without a Tex cher sent from England, properly instructed by Dr. Bell, which, together with their maintenance, will be a great expence to the Planter, and in their present distressed state will be a burthen too heavy for them to bear. 4. That the instruction of the Negro Children will render them proud and insolent, disobedient to their masters, and indisposed to labour. A Whatsoever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men. Col. iii. 23. Be obedient to your masters and please them well in all things; not answering again: not parloining, but shewing all good fidelity, that you may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. Titus ii. 9, 10. Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. 1 Pet. ii. 18. Such are the commands given to slates in whether if the Planters themselves had enthe Sacred Writings; and I beg to know deavoured to impress upon the Slaves a deep sense of their duty, and of the obligations they were under to obey their masters, they and more persuasive language than this for could possibly have found out more forcible that purpose.-I beg to know also, whether the Negro Children who are brought up in read in church (which are the two grear obthe habit of reading their Bible and hearing it consider it as what it really is, the word of God himself, and that they are bound to obey its precepts, under pain of God's displeasure and of the severest punishment in another world, are not more likely, and have stronger inducements to be meek, humble, faithful, and submissive to their masters, than those who know nothing of all these things, and have never received any religious instruction? It is impossible for any unprejudiced man to hesitate one moment in confessing, fairly and honestly, what answer ought to be given to these questions. My answer to these Objections is as follows: -1. I allow that the Parishes in the West India Islands are too extensive to admit of Parochial Schools; and therefore they are not the sort of Schools I wish to recommend, but Schools appropriated to each separate Plantation, or two or three neighbouring Plantations uniting for that purpose. School of this nature has already been established in the Island of Barbadoes by Dr. Holder, a gentleman of large fortune and most respectable character there, for the instruction of the Negro Children on his own Estate, for which purpose I have sent him over a Teacher froin this country, a very ex-jects of a Sunday school); who are taught to cellent young man, who has been well in structed in Dr. Bell's method of teaching; and I hope it will not be long before the Negro Society, of which I am President, will be able to send one, properly instructed by Dr. Bell, to any Planter in any of the British Islands that is willing to found a School on this contracted plan for the Negro Children on his own Estate and two or three adjoining ones. 2. The Instruction of the Negro Children will not at all interfere with the work alted to them on the week days; because the Schools proposed are only Sunday Schools. The Children are to be taught on Sundays' only; the rest of the week they work as usual on the Plantations. 3. The mainteInance of a Sunday School will be no expence whatever to the Planter; because the Teacher may be made a Clerk, or Book-keeper, or Storehouse-keeper, or Distiller, or any other kind of useful Agent on the Estate; by which means he will pay his Master for his maintenance, and at the same time teach the Children on Sundays. 4. The instruction of the Negro Children in the Christian Religion and in reading, cannot possibly make them proud, insolent, disobedient to their masters, and indisposed to labour, but quite the contrary; for in the Scriptures (which they will be taught to read and to understand) God himself expressly commands them to be obedient and submissive to their masters. Be obedient (says St. Paul) to your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; nat with eye-service, as men-pleasers, but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; with good-will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether bond or free. Ephes. vi. 5-8, You will perceive that I hold it an essential and indispensable part of the education of the Negro children, that they should be taught to read; no effectual instruction can be given them without it. It is necessary more espeFirst, because cially for these two reasons: without this qualification, their Bibles, which contain all the above excellent precepts, will be of no use to them, will be literally a dead letter to them. 2dly. Because Dr. Bell's plan for the education of children (as stated in the Appendix to my printed Letter), cannot be carried into execution without it. For one material part of his new system is to teach the children to read, by making them first write the Letters of the Alphabet upon sand. That this qualification has no tendency to make the Children proud and indolent, and unwilling to work, appears from this fact; that in Cumberland, Westmorland, and Scotland, there are Grammar Schools in almost every town and large village, and all the poor children are taught to read; yet there are no where better and more industrious and hardy labourers and workmen than in those coun tries. Fulham House, Dec. 13, 1808. AGRICULTURAL REPORTS. fallows, and wheats. Grazing stock of all denominations I believe thrives pretty well. The potatoes proved a better crop than ex pected and the after feed in the pastures this autumn has been abundant. Suffolk, Dec. 22, 1808.-The fate sown wheats look remarkably healthy and well. Coleworts and turnips are thin; but appear to be in a thriving state. The farmers are bu sy in getting manure on such lands as will not allow them to do it, except in frosty weather. Hay is selling at or under £4 per ton : straw is selling at or under 40 shillings per tou: potatoes at 4 shillings per sack. POLITICAL PERISCOPE. Midland, Dec. 20. The weather for the greatest part of the month, has been so very fine, that all the different operations of husbandry which are necessary at this season, have been carried on almost without any interruption. The late wheat grounds have been completely prepared, and the seed put in, in the best possible state. The early wheats now in many places almost wholly cover the surface of the land, and have a very fine, healthy, green, appearance. In particular instances they are too luxuriant and forward, but this only regards a few situations, where the circumstances are peculiarly favourable for their vigorous growth. Panorama Office, Dec. 26, 1808. -The taking up of the potatoe crops has now THE Panorama has occasion this month to been every where completed, and these were assume the tone of mingled indignation and perhaps never, upon the whole, more full triumph :-Indignation, that the measures and abundant, in all the northern districts which it took great pains to recommend to our of the kingdom, especially Lancashire, and compatriots, and forwarded with hand and the neighbouring counties. On thrashing out heart, have been, by the principals of the the oats and barley, they are in general found mercantile interest in the City of London, to yield much better than was supposed at adopted at last, but, the delay has deprived the time of harvesting them, affording, in them of that utility, that strongly marked cha most cases, a fair produce. The completing racter of manly decision and promptitude, of the fattening stock has gone on well since which would have distinguished them, had our last, and much meat been brought to they been executed at first. Yet we triumph the different markets. And the bite of grass in the consideration, that the same sentiments for the store stock has continued good unof attachment to the cause of Spanish liberty usually long, on account of the fineness of have retained their vigour to this hour; and the season. This has probably been one in spite of circumstances calculated to abate cause of keeping up the prices in the north- their fervour, will, we doubt not, produce a ern parts of the island, though the demands striking testimony of British munificence and of the midland graziers have not been so con- goodwill toward an insulted and despised siderable this year as formerly.-The turnip, people. Is it possible that the petty distinc cabbage, rape, and other great crops, alltion of person or place, of who signed the promise well at present, for affording a full supply of that sort of food, which is so essential, especially in the northern districts, for the support of live stock. The operations of repairing fens, and forming underdrains where the wetness of the land demands them, have in many cases been performed to considerable extent, from the unusual openness of the weather, especially in the northern counties. It is said there are many sheep rotten this season. But this I believe, to be confined to farms slovenly managed by letting the water lie upon them. This, the mole-plough might obviate, and either that or the spade-sough have been generally adopted; but there are slovens in all trades, and where this has been neglected, in cold Jow situations, the sheep, in seasons like this, are always subject to the rot. Essex, Dec. 22, 1808.-Little can be said respecting the year's growth of all kinds of grain, more than I stated in my last. The weather in general this month has been very beneficial to the lands in particular this present frost does much good to the advertisement, or where the meeting was held, could have proved a real obstacle to men of truly liberal minds That the Rooms in Argyle Street, were not the most conve nient for the Citizens of London to assemble in, may be granted: but no impediment that we know of prevented a Meeting held there, at which that fact had been stated by a Depu tation of Merchants, from being adjourned to the Royal Exchange, or the City of Lon don Tavern. Nothing of which we have re ceived information prevented a similar meeting from being held, in another place, at that period: and had the City of London then fores seen a winter campaign for the Spanish army, though some few ideots might have sneered at the voting of great coats in July, yet those who have any knowledge of the inevitable losses-losses, we say, in many ways, of time, before what is voted in London can be thought the foresight at once sagacious and hodelivered in Castile-such persons would have Compare Panorama, Vol. IV. p. 984, et seq. for an account of the meeting called by Colonel Greville and friends. |