The Sun.
London, England, 1809-08-05 00:00:00

BRITISH REVIEI,.

The following description of the, situation of a'
West-India estate, and:Of the method of regnlathlg
and concluding the operationsof the Negroes, are,
derived from a gentleman who resided traure-ars in
that- part.of ti7eworrd, arid .i.vltO has given the.te.;
suit of his inquiries and, observations talhe'pu4lic,
in a well written Account of Jamaica.

. .
c`. The situation best adapted -for
.a Veit India
esffitelig a fertile level valley, well watered, at -Su
easy convenient distance ;from the sea side. But few
estates in Jamaica. can,. front the nature lof the i)!
.
country, be so favourably situated. The greater part
are more or'les's interAeaed with ridges of 1110WItairfs,
a .number 'are,ivithent the conveniency of tontigu-
ouswater, and many arellecessarily placed at a great
distance from the barquedier,• or shipping place. If
an estate lies in a MotiritainoUS:diStria, the hills on

which the 'sugar cane -pian.fed, are the betiti for
being4al easy ac.clivity; and facing towards the rising

.sun. But the.steepest. acclivities sotnetimes consist
of a most fer'tile soil, acid produce the most luxuriant
canes : --There is, hoWeVer,.a greatadditional-difilculty •
in removing them •from-. these - eminences‘.,to ,the
mill; ao4.kreinote estate _requires double tbe.no9a-
ber of oxen which are On one situated by the sea
in'order to transport its prodti"Ce to the S6'r ping'
place.:.
• •
" An . estate which has a water-mill, .sages con-..
siderably in stock, as one without such conveniency
must work their mills with cattl'e' an incites : 'if,
however, it he situated near the sea, it may be sup,:
plied with a wind-mill. In the interior • thej..breeze_
is too unsteady and precariou's. for such a machine,
• , •..
and is too liable to 'be intercepted by tine natural'
inequalities 011 the country. The works of an eslater;-
or building for the.manutaeturing of the prokiiice,-ar9
placed iu the most central`sit.uation of the. cane-
land; 'at the sanse time an eye to other con-:

ag'a stream of water (this'-beidg a exist
essenual:ackrantage,,, ,in pohita at view); Au
easiness of..acc,es,s, and a •proper eXtent of. eligible
ground tor building on, a` id tor a good si4able area
around tor dryine 'trash, &c.
" These buildings are a mill (sometimes two, a

water and cattle-mill and wind-mill,
two caitie-inilli, according to the size of the
estate); a boiling-hinse,'a curing-honse, (where the
sugar is cured), --a • distilling-house-; one, two, or.
three trasli,houses (for drying the eane-trash for
fuel ;) one or two mule sheds, and a cooper's and
carpenter's shop.
-"" The otherbuildings on the estate,are the pro-

prietoCs house,• the overseer's -house, -an hospital for
sick negroc,s; and, sometimes a house for the sur-
geon though sorheth i ues he resides n the Over-

seer's house:

The land is portioned out in .the following man,
per :—lf a large estate, consisling„of about 1500
acres, about, a fifth part is planted, in canes'; two-.
nuns 'are laid-out in guinea-grass andicorornon pas-
ture one-fifth is occupied in 'plantain walks;
and pegroe ground's; and the remaining filth.con-
si,ts in woods, ruinates, and I :nd lying. fallow.—
'fhis -proportion varies, 'however, according to cir-
cumstances.

1 . • "-The fields.. of canes and :pastures are enclosed
either with logwood fences or stone walls; the for-
mer is most common, and, when kept in Opt order,
' are a beautiful ornament to an- estate ; it much re-
' seephies fife haNivthorn. The- fields of 6110 contain
irons ten. to twenty acres., having
.between . kern
roads or intervals of tweiNe or fiftten feet vilide.

" The negroes houses are grouped together, nitd
stand isolated froin all the other buildings, forming a
sort ot,rustic village, incloied by a stone and
displaying an intermixture of, gardens and various
fruit-trees, which has a 'pleasing 'sylvan appear-
ance.

"-Formerly the - slave's on the estates.. were
cruelly and. injudiciotisly.madeto perform [Mich su-
pernumerary work,
,at improper times. After. the
labours of the crop were over, and they should have
enjoyed a little.. additional respite, they were, on
many properties, harassed to a shameful degree.,-r
Not even the light'of heaVen circumscribed their la-
bours, burthey were made to work for hours.after
it was dark, and for boars before light dawned in
the morning.- At present their labour is light,. and this
supernumerary toil is 10 longer exaCted.
On a property Which has 50.0 acres of land in
cultivation-(including pasnire and Provisions) there
are 20(? slaves, about half of Willa number are
constantly employed in' the- ag. ricultural dutieS of
the estate,,and manufaauring the prOduce. luEng-
land an estate of this extent wonid be cultivated. by
the tenth of this number. It is true the mode of
cultivation is here different. • This proportion shews
at least that the work the:. slaves here perfOrm is fair
from being•eitceSsive. The routine of their daily
work is as follows
" They
_assemble in the fields at day-break.; about v
ten in the forenoon, they are allowed abort half an -
hour to eat -their breakfa,t;whichis brotight out into
the fields by negroe 'Cooks ; at one they go to dinner,
and in about two hours after are again assemble 4 in
the fieldS (either by a bell, or, as is Most usual, by
the sound of conque "Shelliwhich -is heard at a veNy
great distance) ; and they thaw off from workin she
twilight of the eveniog. Once a fokinght, out of
crop, they are allowed a Clay; but drain 4 crop none .
can be allowo,. as that is too buSy a season for any I.
extra allOwance of time.. l'erhaps, if one day Out
of every week throughout the year was allowed, be-
sides, Sunday, which should rather--lie deemed a day
-of itst„irl conformity with our holy religion, it woirid
not be, more than humadity entitles. them to; and
if that'were iinpraEtiCable, as in truth ii is.during- ole
season of the crop, kome compensation might: be
lowed in lieu of the deprivation ()fit. At Christia's
they are allowed. three days, and at the end 'of crep,
or.harveSt.hoine, one day to Make merry. Though
these son of crop brings along: with it many. a-pi-
tionat labours, yet it is theg4y.etandmost
(di Ar throughout the'ye to the negroei.: At'tLis tinge
they seem-animated with a livelier flow of
Iperriment and song every wlp.,.ry resound: in
a Stranger,with the anticipation of being a wit, •
ries of nought depression and misery, I,vpl.lW I:P.t
astonished and v delighted- With this exterior..shew.
of happiness, bOth dt.
this time and at Christina,c
when they give 'Way 'to' unrestrained felicity. •' It is-

, . .
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I PL:blislied by WI LEA AM ii:RMIk;:E R 'SCR I PPS; •Scitzt,ll Nlll,-;n4..,trcet,S; • covenor.stitta'r:.
or the Papir, Lellrrs for-the. E4tor, Sze• 1 Oast -haitz) must by addknied.
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