THE respectable and increasing numbers of those,
who, from motives of humanity, have concurred in rejecting
the produce of West-India slavery, cannot but afford
a subject of the sincerest joy to every friend of mankind.
Even those who, from motives of interest, still favour
or engage in the trade, have been obliged to be silent
upon the injustice of first procuring the Negroes, and
have not had the hardiness to excuse or palliate the
horrors of the middle passage: but still they
assert, that the treatment the slaves meet with in the
West-Indies amply counterbalances their previous sufferings,
nay, they have not scrupled to extol a state of servitude
as a happy asylum from African despotism, and calmly
maintain, that the condition of the labouring poor in
England is much harder than that of the Negroes in the
West-India islands. Upon this ground, the opposers of
slavery are willing to meet its advocates, and the design
of the following extracts is to enable the public to
form an impartial and decisive judgment on the subject.
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WHEN a ship arrives at the port in the West-Indies,
the slaves are exposed to sale, (except those who are
very ill, they being left in the yard to perish by disease
or hunger.) The healthy are disposed of by public auction,
the sickly by scramble. The sale by scramble is thus
described; the ship being darkened by sails, the purchasers
are admitted, who, rushing forward with the ferocity
of brutes, seize as many slaves as they have occasion
for. In none of the sales, is any care taken to prevent
the separation of relatives or friends; but husbands
and wives, parents and children, are parted with as
little concern as sheep and lambs by the butcher. Abstract
of the evidence, as laid before a committee of the British
parliament, page 45 and 47.
With respect to the general treatment of the
slaves, Mr. Woolrich says, that he never knew the best
master in the West-Indies use his slaves so well, as
the worst master his servants in England. Abstract of
the evidence, see page 53.
To come to a more particular description of
their treatment, it will be proper to divide them into
different classes: the first consisting of those bought
for the use of the plantations: the second
of the in and out-door slaves.
The field slaves are called out by daylight to their
work : if they are not out in time, they are flogged.
When put to their work, they perform it in rows, and,
without exception, under the whip of drivers, a certain
number of whom are allotted to each gang. Such is the
mode of their labour : as to the time of it,
they begin at daylight, and continue with two intermissions
(one for half an hour in the morning, the other for
two hours at noon) till sunset. Besides this, they are
expected to range about and pick grass for the cattle,
either during their two hours rest at noon,
or after the fatigues of the day.
Sir G. Young adds, that women were, in general, considered
to miscarry, from the cruel treatment they met with
; and Captain Hall says, that he has seen a woman seated
to give suck to her child, roused from that situation
by a severe blow from the cart-whip. Abstract of the
evidence, see page 53, 54, 55.
The above account of their labour is confined to that
season of the year which is termed out of crop.
In the crop season, the labour is of much longer duration.
Mr. Dalrymple says, they are obliged to work as long
as they can, that is, as long as they can keep awake
or stand. Sometimes, through excess of fatigue, they
fall asleep, when it has happened to those who feed
the mills, that their arms have been caught therein
and torn off. Mr. Cook, on the same subject, states,
that they work, in general, eighteen hours out of the
twenty-four : he knew a girl lost her hand by the mill
while feeding it, being overcome with sleep, she dropped
against the rollers. Abstract of the evidence, page
55, 56.
To this account of their labour, it should be added,
that it appears, that on some estates, the slaves have
Sunday and Saturday afternoon to themselves; on others,
Sunday only, and on others, only Sunday in part. It
appears again, that in crop, on no estate have
they more than Sunday for the cultivation of their own
lands. Abstract of the evidence, page 56.
The point next to be considered is the food
of the slaves, which appears to be subject to no rule
; on some estates, they are allowed land ; on others,
provisions ; and some are allowed provisions and land
jointly. The best allowance is at Barbadoes, of which
the following is the account. The slaves, in general,
says Gen. Tottenham, appeared to be ill fed: each slave
had one pint of grain for 24 hours, and sometimes, half
a rotten herring. When the herrings were unfit for
the whites, they were bought up for the slaves.
Nine pints of corn, and one pound of salt-fish a week,
are, in general, the utmost allowance As a proof that
some have not food enough, Mr. Cook says, that he has
known both Africans and Creoles eat the putrid carcasses
of animals through want. Abstract of the evidence,
page 57 and 58.
As to the accusation of their being thieves, all the
evidences maintain, that it was on the account of their
being half starved. Abstract of the evidence,
p.58.
Concerning the property of the field-slaves,
all the evidences agree in asserting, that they never
heard of a field-slave amassing such a sum as enabled
him to purchase his freedom. Abstract of the evidence,
page 60.
Having now described the state of the plantation, it
will be proper to say a few words on that of the in
and out-door slaves.
The in-door slaves are allowed to be better
clothed and fed, and less worked, than the plantation
; on account, however, of being constantly exposed to
the cruelty and caprice of their masters and mistresses,
their lives are rendered so wretched, that they not
unfrequently wish to be sent to the field : the out-door
slaves are porters, coopers, &c. who are obliged
to bring to their masters a certain sum every day.
The ordinary punishments of the slaves are inflicted
by the whip and cow-skin. This, says Mr. Woolrich, is
generally made of plaited cow-skin, with a thick strong
lash, it is so formidable an instrument, that some of
the overseers can by means of it take skin off a horse’s
back, he has seen them lay the marks of it into a deal
board : the incisions (according to Dr. Harrison and
the Dean of Middleham) are sometimes so deep that you
can lay your finger into the wounds, and are such as
no time can erase. As a farther proof of the severity
of the punishments, the following facts are adduced.
Mr. Fitzmaurice has known pregnant women so severely
whipped, as to have miscarried in consequence of it.
Davidson knew a negro girl die of a mortification of
her wounds two days after whipping. Dr. Jackson recollects
a negro dying under the lash, or soon after. Abstract
of the evidence, see page 66 and 67.
We now proceed to the extraordinary punishments,
in the infliction of which malice, fury, and all the
worst passions of the human mind, rage with unbridled
license. Benevolence recoils at the dreadful perspective,
and can scarce collect composure to disclose the bloody
catalogue.
Captain Rap has known slaves severely punished, then
put into the stocks, a cattle chain of sixty or seventy
pounds weight put on them, and a large collar round
their necks, and a weight of fifty-six pounds fastened
to the chain, when they were driven afield : the collars
are formed with two, three, or four projections, which
hinder them from lying down to sleep.
A negro man, in Jamaica, (says Dr. Harrison)
was put on the picket so long, as to cause a mortification
of his foot and hand, on suspicion of robbing his master,
a public officer, of a sum of money, which it afterwards
appeared the master had taken himself. Yet
the master was privy to the punishment, and the slave
had no compensation. Abstract of the evidence, page
69.
Mr. Fitzmaurice mentions the practice of dropping hot
lead upon the slaves, which he saw performed by a planter
of the name of Rushie in Jamaica, this same man, in
three years, destroyed by severity of forty negroes
out of sixty. The rest of the conduct of this planter
was suppressed by the house of commons, as containing
circumstances too horrible to be given to the world.
An overseer on the estate where Mr. J. Turry was, in
Granada, threw a slave into the boiling cane juice,
who died in four days.
Captain Cook relates, that he saw a women named, Rachel
Lauder, beat a slave most ummercifully, and would have
murdered her, had she not been prevented ; the girl’s
crime was, the not bringing money enough from on board
of a ship, whither she had been sent by her mistress,
for the purpose of prostitution.
Lieutenant Davidson relates, that the wife of the clergyman
at Port-Royal, used to drop hot sealing-wax on her negroes
after flogging; he was sent for as surgeon to one of
them whose breast was terribly burnt.
If it should be asked, for what offences the punishments
cited have taken place, the following answer may be
given :
Under the head of ordinary punishments, the
slaves appear to have suffered for not coming to the
field in time, not picking a sufficient quantity of
grass, for staying too long of an errand, and theft,
to which they were often driven by hunger.
Under the head of extraordinary punishments,
the following have been alleged as reasons: for running
away, for breaking a plate, or to extort confession
in the moments of passion, and one on a diabolical pretence,
which the master held out to the world to conceal his
own villainy, and which he knew to be false. Women
punish their slaves for being found pregnant, for not
bringing home the full wages of prostitution,
and others without even the allegation of a fault.
All the facts that have been now adduced are of unquestionable
authority having been extracted from the evidence laid
before the house of commons by eye-witnesses of the
facts. Let now every honest man lay his hand on his
breast, and seriously reflect, whether he is justifiable
in countenancing such barbarities; or whether he ought
not to reject, with horror, the smallest participation
in such infernal transactions. To the weaker sex, whose
amiable characteristic it is, to be “tremblingly
alive” to every tale of wo, the friends of the
abolition return their warmest acknowledgments, for
the zeal with which many of them have espoused the cause
of humanity, and for the noble example they have shewn,
in rejecting the produce of slavery and misery.
PRINTED AND SOLD BY SAMUEL WOOD, NO. 362, PEARL-STREET.
[illustrations on left hand margin]
The husband and wife, after being sold to different
purchasers, violently separated ; probably never to
see each other more.
[illustration: husband and wife hugging while
violently being separated by a slave owner.]
When slaves are purchased by the planters, they are
generally marked on the breast with a red hot iron.
[illustration: slaves being marked by a slave
owner with a red hot iron.]
A representation of a slave at work cruelly accoutred,
with a Head-frame and Mouth- piece to prevent his eating
— with Boots and Spurs round his legs, and half
a hundred weight chained to his body to prevent his
absconding.
[illustration: a slave working in the field
wearing a head frame, mouth piece, boots, and chains.]
The manner of fixing the slaves on a ladder to be flogged,
which is also occasionally laid flat on the ground for
severer punishment.
[illustration: a slave fixed on a ladder being
whipped by another slave while the slave owner observes.]
[illustrations on right hand margin]
The manner of yoking the slaves by the Mandingoes, or
African slave merchants, who usually march annually
in eight or ten parties, from the river Gambia to Bambarra
; each party having from one hundred to one hundred
and fifty slaves.
The Log-Yokes are made of the roots of trees, so heavy
as to make it extremely difficult for the persons who
wear them to walk, much more to escape or run away.
[illustration: slaves wearing long yokes.]
A front and profile view of an African’s head,
with the mouth-piece and necklace, the hooks round which
are placed to prevent an escape when pursued in the
woods, and to hinder them from laying down the head
to procure rest.—At A is a flat iron which goes
into the mouth, and so effectually keeps down the tongue,
that nothing can be swallowed, not even the saliva,
a passage for which is made through holes in the mouth-plate.
An enlarged view of the mouth-piece, which, when long
worn, becomes so heated, as frequently to bring off
the skin along with it.
A view of the leg-bolts or shackles, as put upon the
legs of the slaves on shipboard, in the middle passage.
An enlarged view of the boots and spurs, as used at
some plantations in Antigua.
[illustration: front and profile view of a
slave wearing a mouth piece, shackles and spurs. Enlarged
view of shackles, spurs and mouth piece.]
Another method in which the poor victims are placed
to be flogged.
[illustration: a slave being whipped on the
floor by another slave while the slave owner observes.]
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