The staples of the island must be cultivated after 1840 as now, because if not, the negroes could not obtain the comforts or luxuries, of which they are undoubtedly very desirous, from cultivation of their grounds.
The fruits and roots necessary for the public markets are already supplied in profusion at tolerably moderate prices: if the supply were greatly increased, the prices could not be remunerative. There is no way in which they can so readily as by labor for wages, _obtain money_, and therefore I hold that there must ever be an adequate supply of labor in the market.
The negroes are in my opinion very acute in their perceptions of right and wrong, justice and injustice, and appreciate fully the benefits of equitable legislation, and would unreservedly submit to it where they felt confidence in the purity of its administration.
There is not the slightest likelihood of rebellion on the part of the negroes after 1840, unless some unrighteous attempts be made to keep up the helotism of the cla.s.s by enactments of partial laws. _They_ could have no interest in rebellion, they could gain nothing by it; and might lose every thing; nor do I think they dream of such a thing. They are ardently attached to the British government, and would be so to the colonial government, were it to indicate by its enactments any purposes of kindness or protection towards them. Hitherto the scope of its legislation has been, in reference to them, almost exclusively coercive; certainly there have been no enactments of a tendency to conciliate their good will or attachment.
The negroes are much desirous of education and religious instruction: no one who has attended to the matter can gainsay that. Formerly marriage was unknown amongst them; they were in fact only regarded by their masters, and I fear by themselves too, as so many brutes for labor, and for increase. Now they seek the benefits of the social inst.i.tution of marriage and its train of hallowed relationships: concubinage is becoming quite disreputable; many are seeking to repair their conduct by marriage to their former partners, and no one in any rank of life would be hardy enough to express disapprobation of those who have done or may do so.
WM. HENRY ANDERSON.
_Kingston, Jamaica, 24th April, 1837_.
The following communication is the monthly report for March, 1837, of Major J.B. Colthurst, special justice for District A., Rural Division, Barbadoes.
The general conduct of the apprentices since my last report has been excellent, considering that greater demands have been made upon their labor at this moment to save perhaps the finest crop of canes ever grown in the island.
Upon the large estates generally the best feeling exists, because they are in three cases out of four conducted by either the proprietors themselves, or attorneys and managers of sense and consideration. Here all things go on well; the people are well provided and comfortable, and therefore the best possible understanding prevails.
The apprentices in my district _perform their work most willingly_, whenever the immediate manager is a man of sense and humanity. If this is not the case, the effect is soon seen, and complaints begin to be made. Misunderstandings are usually confined to the smaller estates, particularly in the neighborhood of Bridgetown, where the lots are very small, and the apprentice population of a less rural description, and more or less also corrupted by daily intercourse with the town.
The working hours most generally in use in my district are as follows: On most estates, the apprentices work from six to nine, breakfast; from ten to one, dinner--rest; from three to six, work.
It is almost the constant practice of the apprentices, particularly the praedials or rural portion, to work in their own time for money wages, at the rate of a quarter dollar a day. They sometimes work also during those periods in their little gardens round their negro houses, and which they most generally enjoy without charge, or in the land they obtain in lieu of allowance, they seem ALWAYS well pleased to be fully employed at _free_ labor, and work, when so employed, exceedingly well.
I know a small estate, worked exclusively on this system. It is in excellent order, and the proprietor tells me his profits are greater than they would be under the apprenticeship. He is a sensible and correct man, and I therefore rely upon his information. During the hurry always attendant on the saving of the crop, the apprentices are generally hired in their own time upon their respective estates at the above rate, and which they seldom refuse. No hesitation generally occurs in this or any other matter, whenever the employer discharges his duty by them in a steady and considerate manner.
The attendance at church throughout my district is most respectable; but the accommodation, either in this respect or as regards schools, is by no means adequate to the wants of the people. The apprentices conduct themselves during divine service in the most correct manner, and it is most gratifying to perceive, that only very little exertion, indeed, would be required to render them excellent members of society. This fact is fully proved by the orderly situation of a few estates in my district, that have had the opportunity of receiving some moral and religious instruction. There are sixty-four estates in my district over twenty-five acres. Upon four of those plantations where the apprentices have been thus taught, there are a greater number of _married_ couples (which may be considered a fair test) than upon the remaining sixty. I scarcely ever have a complaint from these four estates, and they are generally reported to be in a most orderly state.
In the memory of the oldest inhabitant, the island has never produced a finer crop of canes than that now in the course of manufacture. All other crops are luxuriant, and the plantations in a high state of agricultural cleanliness. The season has been very favorable.
Under the head of general inquiry, I beg leave to offer a few remarks. I have now great pleasure in having it in my power to state, that a manifest change for the better has taken place _gradually_ in my district within the last few months. Asperities seem to be giving way to calm discussion, and the laws are better understood and obeyed.
It is said in other colonies as well as here, that there has been, and still continues to be, a great want of natural affection among the negro parents for their children, and that great mortality among the free children has occurred in consequence. This opinion, I understand, has been lately expressed in confident terms by the legislature of St.
Vincent"s, which has been fully and satisfactorily contradicted by the reports of the special justices to the lieutenant-governor. The same a.s.sertion has been made by individuals to myself. As regards Barbadoes, I have spared no pains to discover whether such statements were facts, and I now am happy to say, that not a _single instance_ of unnatural conduct on the part of the negro parents to their children has come to my knowledge--far, perhaps too far, the contrary is the case; _over indulgence_ and _petting_ them seems in my judgment to be the only matter the parents can be, with any justice, accused of. They exhibit their fondness in a thousand ways. Contrasting the actual conduct of the negro parents with the a.s.sertions of the planters, it is impossible not to infer that _some bitterness is felt by the latter on the score of their lost authority_. When this is the case, reaction is the natural consequence, and thus misunderstandings and complaints ensue. The like a.s.sertions are made with respect to the disinclination of the parents to send their children to school. This certainly does exist to a certain extent, particularly to schools where the under cla.s.ses of whites are taught, who often treat the negro children in a most imperious and hostile manner. As some proof that no decided objection exists in the negro to educate his children, a vast number of the apprentices of my district send them to school, and take pride in paying a bit a week each for them--a quarter dollar entrance and a quarter dollar for each vacation. Those schools are almost always conducted by a black man and his _married_ wife. However, they are well attended, but are very few in number.
To show that the apprentices fully estimate the blessings of education, many females _hire their apprentice_ children at a quarter dollar a week from their masters, for the express purpose of sending them to school.
This proves the possibility of a _voluntary_ system of education succeeding, provided it was preceded by full and satisfactory explanation to the parties concerned. I have also little doubt that labor to the extent I speak of, may be successfully introduced when the apprentices become a.s.sured that nothing but the ultimate welfare of themselves and children is intended; but so suspicious are they from habit, and, as I said before, so profoundly ignorant of what may in truth and sincerity be meant only for their benefit, that it will require great caution and delicacy on the occasion. Those suspicions have not been matured in the negroes mind without cause--the whole history of slavery proves it. Such suspicions are even _now_ only relinquished under doubts and apprehensions; therefore, all new and material points, to be carried successfully with them, should be proposed to them upon the most liberal and open grounds.
J.B. COLTHURST, _Special Justice Peace, District A, Rural Division_.
_General return of the imports and exports of the island of Barbadoes, during a series of years--furnished by the Custom-house officer at Bridgetown_.
. s, d.
1832 481,610 6 3 1833 462,132 14 4 1834 449,169 12 4 1835 595,961 13 2 1836 622,128 19 11
IMPORTS OF LUMBER.
Feet. Shingles.
1833 5,290,086 5,598,958 1834 5,708,494 5,506,646 1835 5,794,596 4,289,025 1836 7,196,189 7,037,462
IMPORTS OF PROVISIONS.
| Flour. | Corn Meal. | Y"rs.| bbls. |1/2 bbls.| bush.| bbls.| -----+--------+---------+-------+------+ 1833 | 21,535 | 397 | 629 | 265 | 1834 | 34,191 | 865 | 1675 | 1580 | 1835 | 32,393 | 828 | 160 | 809 | 1836 | 41,975 | 433 | 823 | 1123 | -----+--------+---------+-------+------+
| Bread and Biscuits. |Oats & Corn.| Y"rs.| hds.| bbls.|1/2 bbls.|kegs.|bags.| bags.| qrs.| -----+-----+------+---------+-----+-----+------+-----+ 1833 | 49| 2146| 30 | " | " | 430| 50| 1834 | 401| 8561| 99 | 57 | " | 100| 1025| 1835 | 2024| 10762| " | " | " | 2913| 3134| 1836 | 4| 4048| " | " | 1058| 8168| 3119| -----+-----+------+---------+-----+-----+------+-----+
IMPORTS OF CATTLE, ETC.
Cattle. Horses. Mules.
1833 649 462 65 1834 549 728 24 1835 569 1047 43 1836 1013 1345 104
RETURN OF EXPORTS--SUGAR.
hhds. trcs. bbls.
1832 18,804 1278 838 1833 27,015 1505 651 1834 27,593 1464 1083 1835 24,309 1417 938 1836 25,060 1796 804
VALUATIONS OF APPRENTICES IN JAMAICA.
"From the 1st of August, 1834, to 31st of May, 1836, 998 apprentices purchased their freedom by valuation, and paid 33,998. From 31st May, 1836, to 1st November, in the same year, 582 apprentices purchased themselves, and paid 18,217--making, in all, 52,216--a prodigious sum to be furnished by the negroes in two years. From the above statement it appears that the desire to be free is daily becoming more general and more intense, and that the price of liberty remains the same, although the term of apprenticeship is decreasing. The amount paid by the apprentices is a proof of the extent of the exertions and sacrifices they are willing to make for freedom, which can scarcely be appreciated by those who are unacquainted with the disadvantages of their previous condition. The negroes frequently raise the money by loans to purchase their freedom, and they are scrupulous in repaying money lent them for that purpose."
The above is extracted from the "West Indies in 1837," an English work by Messrs. Sturge and Harvey, page 86, Appendix.
We insert the following tabular view of the crops in Jamaica for a series of years preceding 1837.--As the table and "Remarks" appended were first published in the St. Jago Gazette, a decided "pro-slavery"
paper, we insert, in connection with them, the remarks of the Jamaica Watchman, published at Kingston, and an article on the present condition of slavery, from the Telegraph, published at Spanishtown, the seat of the colonial government.
A GENERAL RETURN OF EXPORTS _From the island of Jamaica, for 53 years, ending 31st December, 1836--copied from the Journals of the House._
___________________________________________________________________ . | | | | | d | | |MO-| | e | SUGAR | RUM |LAS| GINGER | t | | |SES| | r |____________________|_______________________|___|____________| o | s | | | s | s | | | | | | p | d | | | n | d | | | | | | x | a | s | s | o | a | | s | | | | E | e | e | l | e | e | | l | | | | | h | c | e | h | h | s | e | s | s | | r | s | r | r | c | s | k | r | k | k | s | a | g | e | r | n | g | s | r | s | s | g | e | o | i | a | u | o | a | a | a | a | a | Y | H | T | B | P | H | C | B | C | C | B | ___________________________________________________________________ 1772| 69,451| 9,936| 270| | | | | | | | 1773| 72,996|11,453| 849| | | | | | | | 1774| 69,579| 9,250| 278| | | | | | | | 1775| 75,291| 9,090| 425| | | | | | | | 1776| | | | | | | | | | | 1788| 83,036| 9,256|1,063| | | | | | | | 1789| 84,167|10,078|1,077| | | | | | | | 1790| 84,741| 9,284|1,599| | | | | | | | 1791| 85,447| 8,037|1,718| | | | | | | | 1792| | | | | | | | | | | 1793| 77,575| 6,722| 642|34,755| 879| | | | 62| 8,605| 1794| 89,532|11,158|1,224|39,843|1,570| | | | 121|10,305| 1795| 88,851| 9,537|1,225|37,684|1,475| | | | 426|14,861| 1796| 89,219|10,700| 858|40,810|1,364| | | | 690|20,275| 1797| 78,373| 9,963| 753|28,014|1,463| | | | 259|29,098| 1798| 87,896|11,725|1,163|40,823|2,234| | | | 119|18,454| 1799|101,457|13,538|1,321|37,022|1,981| | | | 221|10,358| 1800| 96,347|13,549|1,631|37,166|1,350| | | | 444| 3,586| 1801|123,251|18,704|2,692|48,879|1,514| | | | 12| 239| 1802|129,544|15,403|2,403|45,632|2,073| 473| 205|366| 23| 2,079| 1803|107,387|11,825|1,797|43,298|1,416| | |461| 51| 3,287| 1804|103,352|12,802|2,207|42,207| 913| | |429|1,094| 1,854| 1805|137,906|17,977|3,689|53,211|1,328| 133| 167|471| 315| 2,128| 1806|133,996|18,237|3,579|58,191|1,178| | |499| 485| 1,818| 1807|123,175|17,344|3,716|51,812|1,998| | |699| 512| 1,411| 1808|121,444|15,836|2,625|52,409|2,196| | |379| 436| 1,470| 1809|104,457|14,596|3,534|43,492|2,717| | |230|2,321| 572| 1810|108,703| 4,560|3,719|42,353|1,964| | |293| 520| 1,881| 1811|127,751|15,235|3,046|54,093|2,011| | |446|1,110| 2,072| 1812|105,283|11,357|2,558|43,346|1,531| | |151| 804| 1,235| 1813| 97,548|10,029|2,304|44,618|1,345| 382| 874|208| 816| 1,428| 1814|101,846|10,485|2,575|43,486|1,551| 202|1,146|145| 884| 1,668| 1815|118,767|12,224|2,817|52,996|1,465| 574|1,398|242|1,493| 1,667| 1816| 93,881| 9,332|2,236|35,736| 769| 281| 903|166|2,354| 1,118| 1817|116,012|11,094|2,868|47,949|1,094| 203| 916|254|3,361| 1,195| 1818|113,818|11,388|2,786|50,195|1,108| 121| 191|407|2,526| 1,067| 1819|108,305|11,450|3,244|43,946|1,695| 602|1,558|253|1,714| 718| 1820|115,065|11,322|2,474|45,361|1,783| 106| 460|252|1,159| 316| 1821|111,512|11,703|1,972|46,802|1,793| 153| 534|167| 984| 274| 1822| 88,551| 8,705|1,292|28,728|1,124| 9| 442|144| 891| 72| 1823| 94,905| 9,179|1,947|35,242|1,935| 20| 118|614|1,041| 60| 1824| 99,225| 9,651|2,791|37,121|3,261| 5| 64|910|2,230| 52| 1825| 73,813| 7,380|2,858|27,630|2,077| 101| 215|894|3,947| 348| 1826| 99,978| 9,514|3,126|35,610|3,098|1,852| |549|5,724| 517| 1827| 82,096| 7,435|2,770|31,840|2,672|1,573| |204|4,871| 240| 1828| 94,912| 9,428|3,024|36,585|2,793|1,013| |189|5,382| 279| 1829| 91,364| 9,193|3,204|36,285|2,009| 563| | 66|4,101| 168| 1830| 93,882| 8,739|3,645|33,355|2,657|1,367| |154|3,494| 15| 1831| 88,409| 9,053|3,492|34,743|2,846| 982| |230|3,224| 22| 1832| 91,453| 9,987|4,600|32,060|2,570|1,362| |799|4,702| 38| 1833| 78,375| 9,325|4,074|33,215|3,034| 977| |755|4,818| 23| 1834| 77,801| 9,860|3,055|30,495|2,588|1,288| |486|5,925| 116| 1835| 71,017| 8,840|8,455|26,433|1,820| 747| |300|3,985| 486| 1836| 61,644| 7,707|2,497|19,938| 874| 646| |182|5,224| 69|
. | | | d | | | e | PIMENTO | COFFEE | t | | | r |_____________|__________| o | | | | p | | | | x | | | | REMARKS E | | | s | | s | | d | r | k | s | n | a | s | g | u | e | a | a | o | Y | C | B | P | ________________________________________________________________ 1772| | | 841,558| 1773| | | 779,303| 1774| | | 739,039| 1775| | | 493,981| 1776| | | | 1788| | | 1,035,368| 1789| | | 1,493,282| 1790| | | 1,783,740| 1791| | | 2,299,874| August--Destruction of 1792| | | | Santo Domingo.
1793| 420| 9,108| 3,983,576| 1794| 554|22,153| 4,911,549| 1795| 957|20,451| 6,318,812| 1796| 136| 9,820| 7,203,539| 1797| 328| 2,935| 7,869,133| 1798| 1,181| 8,961| 7,894,306| 1799| 1,766|28,273|11,745,425| Bourbon cane introduced.
1800| 610|12,759|11,116,474| 1801| 648|14,084|13,401,468| 1802| 591| 7,793|17,961,923| 1803| 867|14,875|15,866,291| 1804| 1,417|19,572|22,063,980| 1805| 288| 7,157|21,137,393| Largest sugar crop.
1806| 1,094|19,534|29,298,036| 1807| 525|19,224|26,761,188| March 25th, abolition of 1808| 225| 6,529|29,528,273| African slave trade.
1809|21,022| 1,177|25,586,668| 1810| 4,276|21,163|25,885,285| 1811| 638|22,074|17,460,068| 1812| 598| 7,778|18,481,986| 1813| 1,124|14,361|24,623,572| Storm in October, 1812 1814| 394|10,711|34,045,585| Largest coffee crop.
1815| 844|27,386|27,362,742| 1816| 851|28,047|17,289,393| Storm in October, 1815 1817| 946|15,817|14,793,706| 1818| 941|21,071|25,329,456| 1819| 882|24,500|14,091,983| 1820| 673|12,880|22,127,444| 1821| 1,224|24,827|16,819,761| 1822| 699|18,672|19,773,912| Extreme drought.
1823| 1,894|21,481|20,326,445| Mr. Canning"s resolutions 1824| 599|33,306|27,667,239| relative to slavery.
1825| 537|20,979|21,254,656| 1826| 522|16,433|20,352,886| Severe drought in 1824, the previous year.
1827| 3,236|26,691|25,741,520| 1828| 4,003|25,352|22,216,780| 1829| 3,733|48,933|22,234,640| 1830| 5,609|37,925|22,256,950| 1831| 2,844|22,170|14,055,350| 1832| 3,736|27,936|19,815,010| 1833| 7,741|58,581| 9,866,060| Emanc.i.p.ation act pa.s.sed.