earnings, to answer all their wants. Rice, salt, salt-GLISH COPYHOLD BOND-SLAVES ENJOYED; they still con fish, barrelled pork, Cork butter, flour, bread, bis-tinuing to be the freehold property of their mas cuit, candles, tobacco, and pipes, and all species of ters, and unalienably attached to the land, unless by clothing, are provided and furnished from the store forfeiture they should lose those valuable rights. at the lowest market prices. An account of what is "In order to which, I shall premise, that every paid for daily subsistence, and of what stands in their planter in this colony, being obliged to secure & arrears, to answer the rents of their lands, the fines competent number of laboring slaves for the culti and forfeitures for delinquencies, their head-levyvation of his land, the, purchase or value of the land and all other casual demands, is accurately kept in columns with great simplicity, in books which check one another."

and its laboring slaves must be taken together, as if they were one incorporated subject; since neither of them could be truly productive or profitable "Now every species of provisions raised on the without the other. Therefore we shall only have plantations, or bought from the merchants, is charg- to consider separately, what may be the present aned at the market price to the copyhold store, and nual expense of maintaining a stock of slaves, comdischarged by what has been paid on the several petent to the cultivation of an estate containing in accounts of every individual bond-slave; whereas for the whole about twice as many acres as slaves. And all those species heretofore, I never saw in any plan- then, in the next place, to estimate what might be tation-book of my estates any account of what be- the expense of maintaining the same number of came of all those several species, or how they were slaves, if converted into copyhold bond-slaves, on disposed of, nor of their value, other than in these the same estate, paying a reasonable rent for their concise words, They were given in allowances to tenements (the profits and produce whereof may the negroes and stock." Every year, for six years be nearly sufficient to maintain them) and receivpast, this great plantation has bought several hun-ing at the same time, beside the profit of their tene dred bushels of corn, and was scanty in all ground ments, reasonable wages for their daily labor in the provisions, our own produce always falling short; service of their landlord. Let it be also premised, this year (one thousand seven hundred and ninety,) that an aere of good land, duly cultivated and plantsince the establishment of the copyholders, though ed with all the proper varieties in succession, for several less acres were planted last year in Guinea crops suited to the soil and situation in this clicorn than usual, yet we have been able to sell seve-mate, will produce on a moderate estimation to the ral hundred bushels at a high price, and have still a value of 15. curr. [10/. 14. 3d. sterl.] per annum. great stock on hand. I can place this saving to no And that therefore, a landlord, who shall grant sich other account, than that there is now an exact ac-good plantable and productive land to his copy hold coust kept, by all produce being paid as cash to the bond-slaves, may reasonably charge them at a rent of bond slaves; and also, as all our watchmen are obliged 37. or one-fifth per acre of the value of its probable an to pay for all losses that happen on their watch, nual produce. And now, in order to form the com-. they have found it their interest to look well to their parison, let us state, that according to the present charge; and consequently, that we have had much mode of governing negroes, the annual expense to less stolen from us than before this new govern-a planter of maintaining 300 slaves, of all ages and ment took place; which happened in the right sea-sexes, sick or well, able, superannuated, or infants, son, about two months before Guinea corn was in exclusive of the negro-tax, but including medicines and medical attendance, cannot be estimated at less He then tells how, besides the gangs which labor- than about 51. 14s. curr. [41. 18. 5d. sterl.] per head, ed in the field, he put breeding women having chil-amounting in the whole to 1710. curr. [12217. 8s. dren in a third gang; young children, fit to do little services, in a fourth, with good old superannuated women as drivers; and playing children in a fifth Then suppose the same 300 negroes converted gang, with another old woman for their governante into copyhold bond-slaves, with certain copyhold tethese all eat together, under charge of an old wo-nements of land at the rate of 31. rent per acre on man as their cook. The sucking children were in one hand; and on the other, receiving a reasonable the sixth gang, and taken to the field and there tend-, compensation for their services to their landlords, ed by two or three old women as dry nurses--the "mo- according to their stations, ages, and abilities. thers (says he) not being allowed to work with them at their backs as they formerly used to do, when it was not uncommon, after a hot day, to bring the child home dead!"

ear."

Mr. Stcele states, that in forty years the stock of slaves on his plantations, had been reduced by hard usage from 492 to 246--a waste of human life far superior to that by the Spaniards in Mexico. On one of his estates the decrease had been at the rate of 4 per cent. per annum! A like destruction appears to have been general in Barbadoes.

His cle, shewing the division of his slaves into gangs, and the allowances made to them, &c. is so important that we shall give it entire:

"Now all that remains for me, is to lay before you a fair estimate of what a gang of negroes costs us, under the present vulgar system (which, perhaps, was the only one that was practicable 150 years ago, with an untamed set of savages) and on the other hand, to exhibit what might be our expense, if we were to convert our present NATIVE and NATURALIZED NEGROES inte BOND SLAVES, with coPYHOLD TENEWENTS, under such LEGAL PROTECTION as the Es

7d. sterl.]

Persons.

125

Acres.

ESTIMATE FOR COPYHOLD BOND-SLAVES.

Year's wages.
Currency.
1.
&. d.

62 1-2 Suppose 125 men and women in first gang,
including tradesmen, and head-men at 7 1-2.
wages per day, for each, for 260 days in the
year (48 days, besides Sundays, &c. to be allow
ed them at sundry times in the year, not all at
once; but at seasonable times, and to a few more
or less at a time, for cultivating their copyholds
of half an acre each bond-slave)

75 25

45 0

18 9

27

Second gang, (or such as rank with 20 gang) of both sexes, at 5 pence per day each, for 276 days in the year. 3 days being allowed in like manner, for coltivating their copyholds of onethird of an acre, each; being sopposed to be young single persons without clnldren)

Third gang, or meat pickers, at one penny farthing per day, or a bit per week, for 52 weeks, to be applied by their parents to their mainte

Dance

Servants about house, garden, stable, dairy,
poultry and hogs, in constant, but light service,
with some advantage of the kitchen, or the
master's table, and with leisure at proper times
to cultivate their tenem nts of hal' on cre
each, and wags at two bits or 15 pence per
week, for 52 weeks

0 Children too young to work, to be maintained
and clothed by their parents, until they enter
the meat picking gang

1015 12 6

431 SO

73 20

SE 10 0

000

Amount of annual wages
One hundred and one acres and a half at
three pounds per acre, to be deducted from the
gunual amount of wages

The neat expense of employing the labor-
of 300 copybold bond slaves

Whieb is less than the expense of the same number of slaves, as now usually clothed and fed from the master's stores, by

Expense of 300 slaves at 57. 145. each,

426 50

1.1710 0 0

wages of a second gang laborer, for the same time, two-thirds of a bit, or twenty farthings.

4th. If a laborer, male or female, is absent from the work by sickness, or when working by permission in their own ground, as part of the stipulated number of days allowed them for that purpose, they will be allowed no wages during such absence.

5th. But if any laborer or laborers are absent from the plantation work, and cannot prove by good evidence, that they were nevertheless in the planta. tion (as mentioned in No. 4.) such absentee shall be fined in the value of two days' wages, for each and every working day of such absence out of the plantation.

6th. Watchmen who are employed as such, without other labor, shall be allowed the price of a day's "Out of this saving of 4251. per annum, the planter labor, for every twenty-four hours of watching, or may well afford to continue to bear the usual ex- of six days' labor for the whole week; but they pense of medicines and attendance for his sick slaves; must be strictly accountable, and must pay for any besides paying their wages when they work. In plundering or trespass committed upon the charge other respects, the comfort and general happiness under their care, according to a fair estimate of such of the negroes, under this new condition, would ren-damage.

der them continually anxious to preserve themselves 7th. When a young person first enters into the in it, by their good behaviour, And it would soon second gang, the proprietor will furnish each such be found, that when every bond-slave should have person with a proper hoe; but ever after, while they the care of his crops. growing on his own tenement, continue in that gang, they must provide those tools and of preserving them when saved, in his own lit-at their own cost.

tle store-room; the master will be freed from the But when a second gang laborer enters the first expense of keeping a number of faithless watchmen, gang, the proprietor will make such laborer a gift in the vain attempt of defending fields of corn and of a first gang hoe; and ever after, said first gang other provisions, from the plundering, oftentimes, laborers must provide such tools at their own exof the worthless gang, whom those provisions were pense. intended to feed. Add to this, that hoeing, weed- 8th. Other tools, such as bills, picks, crows, &c. ing, holing, &c, when generally paid for by task-will be given out, day by day, as occasion may rework, the cultivation of the estate will be more quire, and must be carefully returned to the storepunctually and expeditiously performed, at the keeper or book-keeper; or paid for by the person smallest expense. For the bond-slaves, not permit or persons who fail to return them. ed to work for any one else than their own master, will take care never to lose their wages, by making blank days; lest, by the failure of paying their rent, they should forfeit their tenements, and all these comfortable rights. But why need I expatiate on a plan so plainly beneficial and infallible?" in as much as it is the same successful method, by which all the ancient slaves in the mother-country were reclaimed from brutal manners, to civilization."

9th. When laborers are holing for canes, or basket carriers are moulding penns, or carrying out dung to cane-holes, they shall be allowed the usual dram and molasses, or the equivalent in money, from the plantation, at their option.

10th. All sorts of work are, by observation and estimation, to be reduced to equitable task-work. 11th. An ample sick-house, or infirmary, with separate apartments for the sexes, with medicines from The following was his little code of laws, in re-Apothecaries' Hall, and medical attendance, are to spect to labor and wages:

"1st. A day's work must be ten hours actual work; that is, six hours before dinner, and four hours after

noon.

2d. When a laborer works more than ten hours for the proprietor, he or she will be allowed a tenth part more of the daily wages, for every hour he or she shall work, over and above ten hours, when so required, whether by day or by night. And every laborer must forfeit a tenth part of their daily wages, for every hour they are absent or deficient in their day's work.

3d. Wages of a first gang laborer, for a day of ten hours, one bit, or thirty farthings (six pence sterl.]

be provided at the charge of the proprietor.

12th, All delinquencies, offences, disorderly be. haviour, disobedience of proprietors', or of his officers' legal orders; disputes or injuries between the negroes, among themselves, and crimes of any sort not specified in the foregoing laws, will be inquired into, adjudged, sentenced, and executed, as heretofore, by the negro court; either by pecuniary fines, or by corporal punishment, or by banishment and forfeiture of delinquent's tenements."

These extracts and remarks, we expect, are suf ficient to give a clear understanding of Mr. Steele's notable plan; by which, while such good effects resulted to himself that the profits of his estates were trebled in the course of three or four years, his ne*Here are a number of facts adduced to shew the groes were happy and contented, sober and indusmoderation of Mr. Steele's estimates. The addi-trious, honest and affectionate-without the use-of tional quantity of work performed would probably be the whip! But this great man died just as he was worth nearly as much more in amount as the first in "the full tide of successful experiment," and it is saving exhibits, probable that old habits were again introduced on his plantations, to gratify the prejudices of education, or indulge in acts of cruelty.

ED. REG.

When Mr. Steele wrote, a bit would purchase from three or four, to fourteen or sixteen pints of corn; very sufficient pay, in addition to the profits of the lots of land mentioned. But corn itself, would no doubt, be a better standard of wages than money. Mr. Dickson's note.

The room already afforded to the present number, compels us to postpone some general remarks we proposed to offer, before we concluded it—but they may answer as good a purpose hereafter.

(AGGREGATE OF IMPORTATIONS-CONTINUED, AGGREGATE OF IMPORTATIONS—CONTINUED