Star.
London, England, 1825-01-14 00:00:00

I

AS it is the only statement opposed to the stativtical facts
of Dr. Stobo.
ANOLUS says, Mr. Nottingham, a benevolent Quaker,
emancipated a certain number of Slaves in the Island
of Tortola, the number of whom, in the year 1793, was
twenty ; but, in 1823, they had increased to the number
of fbrty-four. " The increase, therefore," says ANG LUZI,
" had been at the rate of 120 per cent. in thirty•three
"years,' or 3 seven. elevenths per cent. per annum. And
in the fifth letter of ANGLUS, relative to the increase of

these free people, he says •‘1 An increase which is the
more remarkable,beeause the surrounding slave popti-
-44 lation has decreased in the slaw' time, nearly in the
ig same proportion in which the Nottinghams have in-
" creased." The decrease on the neighbour ing estates,
however, is not given, for. the reader. to judge of the
truth of this assertion.. But the general decrea:e of the
island is given, on data which he quotes, and which
decrease amounts only to a small fraction exceeding
one per cent. per annum. In quoting the data, A N0i.(711
avoids all mention of the hurricane in 1819, with re-

ference to the decrease ascertained, from the ilegi.ter's
returns, between 1818 and 1822, although one of the
persons whose slaves he mentions as having decreased
three per cent. per annum (Mr.Hetherington), died t roar
the injury he received in that tremendous st..rof, and
his.wife was killed outfight by his side. When such
was the result to p-roprietors, the effect on Slaves may
be easily conceived ; but ANGLUS ought to have stated
that the event had occurred. Nor does he give the
reader the ages or diseases of those who died, that a
proper judgment might be formed from facts, how
far the decrease arose lrom the three causes assigned
by ANGLUS, viz. " severity of treatment, excess of la-
" boor, and scantiness of ft,od." For example, were it
known how many of those who died were children, and
they should form a considerable number, certainly se-
voiity of treatment and excess of labour could not tea-

sonably be assigned as the cause of their death. Mr.
Nl,Dunnel, in his able work entitled, Considerations on

Negro Siavtry, page 177, shew 3, even in Denierary,
where the planters are compatatively wealthy and food
abundant, that six per cent. mote of Negro children died
there than in Paris.

ANGLUS giving no information on these points, I
return to Dr. Stobo, and perhaps the reader will soon
discover-why ANoLus sneered at the " minute statis-
tical details" of that Gentleman.

When Arrows told us that the persons emancipated
by Mr. Nottingham had increases' at the rate of 120
per cent. in thirty:three years," he observed his usuvl
method of avoiding minute details. These Dr.-Stobo
has supplied, by giving the names of the twenty-five
Slaves manumitted by Mr. Nottingham, on the 30th of
April, 1784. To these persons fifty acres of land were
given, and Mrs. Hannah Abbott, sister of Mr. Notting-
ham, afterwards added a gift of 8161. 16s. sterling, to .
be divided amongst them, which was done by Dr.
Dawson. Although ANGLUS gives the dates of records,
he omits to mention this important fact, relative to the
pecuniary aid given to those free Negroes.
Dr Stobo, in page 286 of the True Patriot, pro:
teeth to give not only the names of the persons
who had children, but the names of the fathers and
soothers, as well as those of the children themselves ;
and instead of all the females emancipated having
children, only five of the original number appear to have
I had offspring, and they were by different lathers, who
were not of the Nottingham party of free Negroes ; some
were Slaves.. Among the male Nottinghams, he gives
the names of those also who had offspring by -females
why wzre alogether unconnectted with the Notting.
hams; consequently half the increase must be am t-
bu-ted to other clan es of pe: sons;
The Reader will now pe:ceive, how very different the
question stands as to the ratio of increase from what
ANGLUS had misrepresented it, from his mode of sup-
pressing those details which Dr. Stobo had supplied.
If Dr. Stobo be correct, the Nottinghams have not in-
creased, and ANGLUS asserts they have increased at the
rate of 120 per cent. in thirty-three years. Dr. Stobo
gives minute statistical details in support of his state- •
ments, which ANcLus does not attempt to confute, but
gives other statements, without those details which are
necessary to form a correct opinion on the subject. The
Reader is left to form his own opinion as to whether
Manus or Dr. Stobo is right j or whether they may
not both be. incorrect. One fact stated by Dr, Stobo
respecting these persons, and not noticed by ANGLUS,
is the present value of their property, amounting to 2381.
13s. whereas they were left, many years ago, 3161. 16s.
by Mrs. Abbott, besides the land given to them by Mr.
Nottingham. The amount of the land also is included
in the sum of 2381. 13s. sterling. So that whilst the
industrious slaves of Tortola have accumulated capital,
by the labour of a portion of their week, not exceeding
two days, these free coloured people, having land of
their own, have become poorer,with the entire command
of their own time during the whole week. If this be
true, and ANGLUS has neither denied nor disproved it,
the inference, in their especial case, is too obvious to re-
quire farther reasoning.
It also appears, that the two good houses in their vil-
lage were built by a Slave and a free man, both of
whom were only connected with the Nottingham: by
marriage; and, moreover, that the Slave hires other
Slaves, occasionally, to work the grounds belonging to
his wife and siz children, who are all free. It is foreign
to my object to give a similar examination of other
statements made by A Nolan, but I trust I have shewn
the necessity of receiving statements made by hint with
great caution, as he appears to rely too much ou the
credulity and ignorance of the Reader, and to depend
too much on the effect of declamation ; and appeals
to the feelings, on a question whereon he takes the po-
pular side.
I have now cleared the question, as to the comparative
agricultural industry of the Slate and free Negro po-
pulation of Tortola, from the confusion into a hich
ANGLUS had brought it, by representing the increase
of capital bequeathed to free coloured persons by their
white parents, as a proof of increased industry ; and
have shown that he is not justified in a.serting, that the
agricultural class of free Negroes have encreased their
numbers by natural means, in the ratio assumed by him.
The argument which I shall use, will now be more
clearly understood by the Reader ; and on referring
to the statistical statements of Dr: Stobo, it will be ob-
served, that he confines himself to the property of free
black people,who had been Slaves themselvessor theit an•
cestors, and who had been freed by benevolent masters
and mistresses; who, also, besides freedom, had be-
queathed to their Slaves land and money, to enable them
to support themselves. And it was the result of their in-
dustry, having all their time to themselves, that I wished
to compare with the result of the labour of Slaves, who
bid only, as AtsoLos justly says, a f. agment cf the
time allowed to them for cultivating their own grounds.
It appears, during that fragment, the industrious Slaves