The Sun.
London, England, 1834-09-30 00:00:00

JAMAICA PAPERS.

(From the Jamaica Royal Gazette.)
PROCLAMATION TO THE NEWLY MADE AP.
PRENTICES OF JAMAICA.

" The first of August has passed over you, and you are no
longer slaves. You have been raised by the generosity and
humanity of the British nation, and of those who had power
over you, from a state of slavery to that of apprenticeship.
On yourselves alone it now depends, under the blessing of
Divine Providence, whether you pass a happy and short period
of apprenticeship, and then become entire masters of your own
time, or whether you arc continued, in consequence of your
own misconduct, some time longer without that great blessing.
If you misbehave, you will see your friends who are around
you, and who have conducted themselves faithfully and well,
their own masters, and working for the benefit of their own fa-
milies, while you will still be apprentices, and forced by the
law to work for your masters' advantage. lam sure that you
will not be so foolish as to postpone, by your own conduct, the
enjoyment of perfect'freedom.
" You, who are what is called non-prandial apprentices, that
is house servants, and such others as will be pointed out by
the special magistrates, will cease to be apprentices in four
years time, that is on the Ist of August, 1838, unless by your
own misconduct you delay it longer. You will be released
from your apprenticeships two years sooner than than the Prm-
dial or Plantation apprentices ; but in return for this advan-
tage you must, while you are apprentices, give your master
the whole of your time, just as any hired servant does. If you
absent yourself from his service, though your master cannot
punish you now himself, as he was empowered to de when
you were slaves, you will be liable to be punished by order of
a special magistrate. I advise you, therefore to pay the most
diligent attention to your duties ; serve your masters with
cheerfulness, and with the gratitude they deserve. By doing
so you will in a few short years enjoy every privilege which
any other persons in this island, being British subjects, possess.
"You, who are prtedial apprentices, or those employed on
the estates in the cultivation of the soil, or the manufacture of
produce,itshave six years to serve ; but t'ien you have the
great advantage of having_ but a small portion of your time to
give to your masters. Your master cannot claim more than
forty and a half hours of your time in each week, except in
two cases ; but then he has a right to divid3 this forty and a
half hours in such reasonable manner as he pleases, between
the first five days of the week, beginning with Monday, so,
however, that he does not compel you to work more than nine
hours in each day, except in cases of hurricane, tempest, earth-
quake, flood, fire, or other misfortune, the act of God.
" The two occasions on which your master can require more
than forty and a half hours in each week, an-, first—in cases
of hurricane, tempest, earthquake, flood, fire, or other misfor-
tune, the act of God, when he may employ you during the
emergency. Second, at such period of the year as your master
may deem it necessary for the cultivation of the estate or plan-
tation, the gathering in of the crop or its manufacture, he may
call on you to work the four and a half hours additional per
week ; but then he must repay you that time at a convenient
period of the year, and not at the rate of more than three days
together at one time.
" I recommend to your masters to settle, that you should
work eight hours a day each Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,
and Thursday, and eight and a half hours each Friday. The
Saturday and Sunday in all cases you will have to yourselves,
besides all the hours of rest, which you get each day. There
are one hundred and sixty-eight hours in each week, out. of
which you will have to give your masters only forty and a half
hours, and have 127 hours and a half at your own disposal.
Your master must give you. clothes, provision-grounds, and
medical attendance if you are sick. I hope that you will give
him cheerfully and willingly the very small portion of your
time which 4e is entitled to.

" It is provided by the law, that you who are prmdial unat-
tached, or jobbers, shall still continue to work in the same man-
ner—namely, as jobbers ; but you are entitled to the same pri-
vileges as those who are settled on an estate, in point of hours
of labour; and to the same supplies of clothing and medicines,
besides sufficient provision ground or provisions.
" Neither, your master, your overseer, your book-keeper,
your driver, nor any other person can strike you, or put you
into the stocks, nor can you be punished at all, except by the
order of a special Magistrate. If any person, without such au-
thority shall raise a hand to you, or put you into the stocks, he
will be liable to be severely punished himself. If you behave
badly, your master or any special constable may put you into a
cell or place of confinement, but not for more than 24 hours ;
and if a special Magistrate shall not have visited such estate
before those 24 hours shall have expired, he must release you,
but he must bring forward his complaint against you the first
tame that a Magistrate does visit the property; thus, though
you may be released, you will still be liable to be punished for
any misconduct • and your master also will be liable to be pu-
nished if he shall have improperly confined you
" lam your sincere well-wisher ; I have been sent out by
our King to see justice is done to all parties. When you arc
in the right you will be protected. Whoever is in tho wrong
will be punished. I advise you, as the best way to ensure
your happiness, to make your masters your first friends. By
following their advice, you will be most likely to act as you
ought.—Should you, however, be oppressed by any one, go at
once to a special Magistrate, and he will reiress any wrong
you may have sustained. _

".Before I conclude, I wish to say one word to such of you
as have been selected by your masters to be plantation consta-
bles; to have been chosen by them, on this occasion, is strong
proof of the good opinion they entertain of you. I hope that
you will not betray their confidence, but will, by your zealous
and honest conduct, show that you are worthy of the distinc-
tion which you have received. In after-life the character you
will then have acquired, will most probably be of the greatest
benefit to you.

" I am, your sincere friend,
Aigust 16, 1834." " SLIGO, Governor of Jamaica.

MR. I\I4CLEVERTY (LATE OF THE CASTOR)—
The gun-room officers of the Castor have ordered a.handsome
gold snuff-box to be made, which they mean to present to
Mr. M'Cleverty as a mark of their high respect and esteem
for him- as 'a brother officer and messmate.— United Service
Gazette.