Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1857-07-07

Willow BECK, Bedford county,
June 30 1857


meeting friend on the plantation of Col Andrew ].
Polk, near Commerce, on the Mississippi river.
was Hospitality received and entertained by the
/ proprietor, and whilst waiting for the Memphis
packet spent the forenoon in riding around with
him in his usual morning inspection of his planta-
ton. | was glad that accident had afforded me the
| opportunity of doing so, as / saw much which
prised me very agreeably, and considerably modi'
fed my preconeeved notions of plantation life and
economy. 1t all depends, however, upon the ad-
ministrative capacity of the head; but from what
| have seen since then in rather extensive tour
| through the States Of Louisiana and Arkansas, |
| am satisfied that this plantation is not an inapt
type of large class under the control of intei-
! gent planters. Our first visit was to the negro
| quarter, situated in the open field, about half a
mile from the dwelling 1t is composed of two
rooms of comfortable frame cabins, closed in with
upright weather boarding. having each porch in
front, all neatly white-washed, and having shade
trees planted around. They face each other so as
10 form wide street, at one end of which, and
taeingit is house for the overseers family This
is neat framed tenement, with two rooms and q
passage, shaded in front by porch of the whole
length. The whole makes a very pretty little vii
lagos consisting of about thirty houses-situated
for convenience near the centre of the plantation
with no decaying vegetable matter around, exposed
TO every breeze, and thus getting the benefit of all
the circulation, they adapted to the greatest
amount of comfort and health which the climate
allows
Apart from the main street is a large building of
hewn logs, consisting of two rooms, each % feet
oil hv bolI faot viii orIs bo
tered each side by porcbes II feet WIDE running
the whole length. This is the nursery and kitchen
for the whole quarter. In one of the rooms the
children are left during the day, while the mothers
are at work in the field. 1t is kept scrupulOusly
clean and well ventilated, and the children are I'M
der the and supervision of two or three of the
more infrm women, specially deputed for the pur-
pose. No filthy, disgusting sights, offensive
smells could be perceived. The infant childre
were sleeping in cradles, arranged in rows Until
the age of eight months the mothers are allowed
to come in three times day to them, besides
taking them to their separate rooms at night The
older children play about the room, the passage and
galleries, lie asleep the floors, suits their
fancy. There were about 60 of them under the age
of or years, aud merrier, heartier looking set
of youngsters it would be hard to pick up at ran
dom anywhere. Hound here in perfect operation,
a system which have seen proposed in the northern
papers, for the benefit of the female operatives,
who are mothers Of young children, and whose ne
cessities require them 10 work away from home
The other large room is strictly tG5ooed only
the children, but to all others, young old, except
the prestesses of the mysteries. Here all the
cooking is done. Each negro of the place brings
up TO the door and hands in at stated times, his
little bucket of provisions, which is cooked and re-
turned in due There is a large stove in the
middle of the floor, capable of cooking for 80
people. boiler on top is kept continually filled
with water and kept hot night and day, TO be ready
for any emergency which may arise. In the sickly
season it serves another purpose. Then it is made
every morning full of coffee. Before the hands go
out in heavy dews aud mists of the morning, each
one is served with tin cup full, to enable his sys-
TEN to resist The unhealthy influences which are
then more powerful. Two women kept in the
kitchen. The floors, the side tables, and all the
utensils are secured day. Barrels fixed on
seds arc kept ready into which all filth and ofal is
thrown and hauled away. The strictest vig-
lance is observed to insure the utmost cleanliness,
and the whip becomes sometimes necessary 10
effect it. The African race not tidy, and it is
impossible to make them clearly from pride or even
a regard to their own health and comfort. They
be coerced TO be well or decent. The sanitory
regulations also require that each negro should leave
his cabin door ajar when he is too unwell to go out
and each door is furnished with ring, for hitching
the horse of the physician proprietor, alighting
too see what is the matter Their diet is also vigo
81. e Ill
Each negro is allowed pounds of bacon and peck
Of meal per week, and vegetables of the season dd
HjituH. They drink only cistern water, which is
supplied in abundance, at the quarter and GIN
house, and other parts of the plantation. Their
clothing is comfortable and they arc required to
keep it reasonably clean and in order. 1t is sort
of compulsory socialism, much more harmoniously |
carried out than they have been enabled TO do in
their pbalanxes.
Proceeding to the cotton fields we found the gangs |
at work. There are about one hundred effective |
hands. believe more contented and cheerful set
of operatives can be found in no country. They
are worked regularly, but not overtasked and have
some time of their own, for their amusement or for
private gains. Many of them keep regular accounts
for extra work, and some make for themselves as
Inuch as % or AZ uOllarS year. out NOS an. tui-
fee is useful to the world and being capable of
his share of the eDjoyments of life but, unlike
Falstaf, he will be reasonable only on compulson.
He has proclivy for the shade (or rather for rest
in the sunshine should say, for the 'agniai Pdgi'
has no poetry for HIM and fear much if freed he
would live on catfish and pumpkins and go naked.
We can form some idea then of what would become
of the great staple of the world from the fate of
Jamaica. The Overseer's whip is not a sentimental
thing to contemplate, to be sure no more than the
dentists fOrceps but it has its also for humans
ty. Whilst it makes Cuffee a gentleman in his
habits and keeps him healthy and happy, it docs
much and far more for others than Cuffee. In the
hand of that thin there, sitting on his mule
with his straw hat, brown jeans coat, and white
pants stuck in his boots, 1t drives all the spndes of
Manchester. Its crack may be a little harsh at
lines, but without it how would the swarms of pretty
factory girls at Lowell dress themselves so well,
EDUCATE their younger brothers and sisters support
heir INDECENT parents, and have something left be-
ides for those exciting lectures, where their good
title hearts bleed much at the shrieks for Free
lOm? L
These appearances presented themselves to a
usual and unexpected visitor. They are constant h
nd the result of system The overseer is required Il
o keep daily diary of the work. and every thing r.
f consequence-also meteorological observations