V. tives and origin have fanctified the measure even CHAP. in the opinion of men who are among the loudeft of the declaimers against flavery and the flave trade. Thus the odious feverity of the Roman law, which declared fentient beings to be inter res, is revived and perpetuated in a country that pretends to Christianity! In a few years a good Negro gets comfortably established, has built himfelf a house, obtained a wife, and begins to fee a young family rifing about him. His provifionground, the creation of his own industry, and the ftaff of his existence, affords him not only fupport, but the means alfo of adding fomething to the mere neceffaries of life. In this fituation, he is feized on by the fheriff's officer, forcibly separated from his wife and children, dragged to public auction, purchased by a stranger, and perhaps fent to terminate his miferable exiftence in the mines of Mexico, excluded for ever from the light of heaven; and all this without any crime or demerit on his part, real or pretended. He is punished because his mafter is unfortunate. I do not believe that any cafe of force or fraud in Africa can be productive of greater mifery than this! Neither can it be urged, that, like fome unauthorized cafes of cruelty in the West Indies, it occurs but feldom: unhappily, it occurs every day, and, under the prefent fyftem, will conti The act alluded to, is the 5th George II. c. 7. entitled, "An act for the more eafy recovery of debts in his Majesty's plantations." Of the most violent of the petitioners to parliament, not one has folicited the repeal of this execrable staThe fociety in the Old Jewry, though apprized by myfelf of the grievance, its origin and the remedy, are filent on the fubject. They are men of the world, and with all their philanthropy, probably confider no rights fo facred as thofe of creditors. tute. nue BOOK nue to occur, fo long as men fhall continue to be unfortunate. IV. Let this ftatute then be totally repealed. It is injurious to the national character; it is difgraceful to humanity. Let the Negroes be attached to the land, and fold with it. The good effect of a fimilar regulation in the fyftem of ancient villenage has been pointed out and illustrated by a great many writers; and those persons who now oppose an extenfion of the fame benefit to the Negroes in the Weft Indies, would do well to reflect, that while they arraign the conduct of the refident planters towards their flaves, they are themselves abettors and fupporters of the greatest of all the grievances under which those unfortunate people continue to fuffer. END OF THE FOURTH BOOK. APPEN APPENDIX TO BOOK IV. NUMBER I. As a fupplement to fuch part of the preceding APPEN book, as relates to the treatment of the Negroes in DIX. the British West Indies, it is thought necessary to pre fent the reader with the CONSOLIDATED SLAVE ACT OF JAMAICA, paffed the 2d of March, 1792. The Slave Act of 1788 is already before the public, and its provifions have been spoken of with much approbation, in the very accurate and comprehenfive furvey of the flave laws of the feveral islands, which the Lords of the Committee of Council have annexed to their Report on the Slave Trade, as drawn up by Mr. Reeves, Law Clerk to the Committee. It is prefumed the prefent law will demonstrate to general conviction, that the legislature of Jamaica, availing themselves as well of the reproaches of their enemies, as of the fuggeftions of their friends, have given all poffible encouragement to the raising of Negro children in the island, and fecured to their labourers as much freedom, and as great a latitude of enjoyment ofthe neceffaries, conveniences, and comforts of life as can be done confiftently with their own prefervation. The chief alterations between this law and that of 1788 (which is now repcaled) are printed in Italic. JAMAICA, BOOK Preamble. JAMAICA, An ACT to repeal an act, intituled, “An act to repeal feveral acts and claufes of acts refpecting flaves, and for the better order and government of flaves, and for other purposes;" and alfo to repeal the feveral acts and claufes of acts, which were repealed by the act intituled as aforefaid; and for confolidating, and bringing into one act, the feveral laws relating to flaves, and for giving them further protection and fecurity; for altering the mode of trial of flaves charged with capital offences; and for other purposes. WHEREAS it is for the public good, that all the laws refpecting the order and government of flaves, fhould be confolidated, and brought into one law, in order to prevent confufion, and that justice may more effectually be executed refpecting flaves; and whereas it is found neceffary, for the purpose of giving further fecurity to flaves, that the mode of trial of flaves charged with capital offences fhould be altered; and whereas, in order thereto, it is neceffary that all the herein after-mentioned laws, and claufes of laws, should be repealed; viz. &c. &c. &c. We, your majesty's dutiful and loyal fubjects, the af fembly of this your majefty's ifland of Jamaica, do most humbly befeech your majefty that it may be enacted, Be it therefore Enacted, by the lieutenant governor, council, and aflembly of the faid faid ifland, and it is hereby enacted and ordain- APPENed by the authority of the fame, That, from DIX. and after the paffing of this act, all and every Laws and the faid herein before-mentioned laws, and clauses of claufes of laws, and every part thereof, be and laws to be stand annulled, repealed, and made void, and repealed. are hereby annulled, repealed, and made void, to all intents and purpofes whatsoever; any thing in the faid laws, and claufes of laws, or in any other law, contained to the contrary, in any wife notwithstanding. II. And whereas nothing can contribute more to the good order and government of flaves than the humanity of their owners, in providing for and supplying them with good and wholefome provifions, and proper and fufficient clothing, and all fuch other things as may be proper and neceffary for them, during their being in a state of flavery: For which end and purpose, Be it further Enacted by the authority aforefaid, That, from and after the paffing of this act, Proprieevery master, owner, or poffeffor, of any plan- tors, &c. tation or plantations, pens, or other lands what- to allot foever, fhall allot and appoint a fufficient quan- land for tity of land for every flave he fhall have in flave, and poffeffion upon, or belonging to, fuch plantation to allow or plantations, pens, or other lands, as and for him to the proper ground of every fuch flave, and allow cultivate fuch flave fufficient time to work the fame, in order to provide him, her, or themselves, with fufficient provifions for his, her, or their, maintenance and alfo, all fuch mafters, owners, or poffeffors of plantations, pens, or other lands, fhall plant upon fuch plantations, pens, or other lands, in ground-provifions, at least one acre of VOL. II. land, K every it. |