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as the double stars have yielded to this style of questioning, and disclosed a series of relations of the most intelligible and interesting description, we may reasonably hope that the assiduous study of the nebula will, ere long, lead to some clearer understanding of their intimate nature."

We are sorry to take our leave of this delightful volume. We hope, however, that our readers will not fail to acquaint themselves with its contents, and we wish that they may derive as much pleasure from its perusal as we have done.

THE OUTLINE OF A PLAN FOR THE TOTAL, IMMEDIATE, AND SAFE ABOLITION OF SLAVERY THROUGHOUT THE BRITISH COLONIES. By JOSEPH PHILLIPS, late of Antigua. London: J. and A. Arch. 1833.

Ar a time when the ministerial measure of emancipation is occupying so much attention, and exciting so much discussion, it will be interesting to read the outline of a plan for the same purpose sketched by one who has spent a great part of his life in the West Indies. We have only space, however, to extract the essential parts of the plan in the

writers own words. It is as follows:

"I.-That, by an act of the imperial parliament, FREEDOM shall be conferred on all the slaves throughout his Majesty's dominions on and after the first of July, 1834, and that the following regulations be enforced, as necessary and sufficient to secure the welfare of the slave, and the cultivation of the soil :—

"1st. Corporal punishments to be entirely abolished, and the liberated slave admitted to an equal participation of all the civil and religious privileges enjoyed by the free-born subject of these realms."

"2nd. Such of the slaves as have been hi

therto engaged in agricultural labours to be indented to their present masters for the term of one year, being previously duly registered, and provision made for the payment of adequate remuneration. At the end of the first year, it shall be left to the free choice of the labourer either to be indented to the same master, or choose another for a similar period. "3rd. That, to prevent idleness and vagrancy, the magistrates shall have the power to compel all persons found unemployed in towns or elsewhere (who have no obvious mode of living except by manual labour), to engage themselves as agricultural labourers or otherwise, or, on refusal to do so, to send them to the public works.

"4th. That the hours of labour shall be from six in the morning to six in the evening, with an interval of three hours for meals. All agreements between employer and labourer for a specified term to be understood to have relation to the above general regulation, and all labour beyond to be considered extra work, and paid for accordingly."

The particulars of this plan are defended by a number of explanatory considerations, the following of which appear to us to deserve at

tention:

"To provide against the danger which might possibly arise to the agricultural interests of the colony, by suddenly investing the slaves with the power of changing their masters and places of residence, it is proposed that they should be indented to their present masters for the term of one year, the indenture to be renewable at the end of that period, either to the same or another employer. During

these periods, however, the magistrates alone again. The way in which they meet that is— will have the power of enforcing the fulfil- they say, Oh, but where twelve people are ment of the contract, while the labourer will wanted, we put on twenty-four, so that twelve be receiving a just reward. The power thus are always at rest; and that is the fact in one given to the labourer to select, at the end of way, because those women who are attending. each year, a new master, would create such a the mill are squirted all over with the cane competition amongst employers, both in re-juice, and are wet through. spect of general treatment and payment of wages, as would be highly conducive to the comfort of those employed, and supply the most powerful and permanent incentives to industry."

IMMEDIATE AND ENTIRE

EMANCIPATION.

"Q. You are speaking of what yourself knew?

"A. Yes, and what I saw day after day, and night after night.

"Q. If any witness should have stated that those who fed the mill are not wetted with the juice of the sugar cane that spurts out, that is not correct?

"A. No, it is not; I defy any one to feed the mill without being squirted all over with juice. I have done it myself; I have grow We have ever advocated a total and imme- canes as thick as my arm; that cane is put i diate abolition of this atrocious evil; and, in between two large rollers of sixteen to eightee better than bring forward a few additional scarcely can see through it; the cane is, wit the last page of this periodical, we cannot do inches diameter; the roller is so close yo statements calculated to impress the propriety a little impetus, thrust between the roller, an and necessity of such a course. They are ex- that catches hold of it, and draws it in; an i. tracted from a pamphlet just published, con- when the cane is rank and in good order, it Committee of the House of Commons, which playing on the people; they are perfectly w taining selections from the Report of the so full of juice, there is almost a little founta is at once the most authentic source of inform-through, they have nothing on but their lit ation, and that which speaks most conclu- Osnaburgh frock, and their lower clothe sively, in favour of our cause. then if they lie down in that state on the m bed, which at low ground is raised very hig of course they are before a small fire, expos to so piercing a draft of cold, although I r self was clothed warmly as Europeans a and had a Scotch plaid, which I bound rot. my face, I could not stand it.

"William Taylor, Esq. (13 years a resident of Jamaica, in a Commercial capacity, and as a Manager of Estates.)

"Q. Do you think that an essential improvement is consistent with a state of slavery?

"A. I think no essential amelioration can

consist with slavery.

you

"Q. Will describe what you mean by amelioration?

"Q. The crop time is generally in t. coldest part of the year in that country?

"A. The mill is generally put about in bruary, and from February it varies, accord to the climate, for three, four, or six mont on some estates it is crop time nearly the ! round.

"A. For instance, the absence of the whip. I do not see that they can uphold slavery punishment; some motive must be brought to without, physical coercion-without corporeal "Q. Those who feed the mill through bear on men's minds; where there is no mo-bruary and March are subject to sufferer tive you must apply the whip; if you with- tremely from cold? draw that an instant, relaxation takes place of the whole system, and I do not think that, under any ameliorated slavery, they can be kept together. I think a certain degree of it may be called cruel punishment. Corporeal punishment is necessary to keeping them together, and to keep them in active operation.

I do not think that the work of the estate can

be carried on without flogging, and flogging considerably sometimes.

"James Beckford Wildman, Esq. (a Planter, and Proprietor of 640 slaves.) "Q. Did you work the boiling-house in one or two spells on your estate?

"A. The system on one of my estates when I went was a very dreadful one, as I considered, and of which my attorney, although he had been in the island all his life, was ignorant; for when I told him the negroes worked what is called the long spell, that is, in fact, four-and-twenty hours, he denied it, and said it was not so; and it was not until I called up the people, and asked them the question, that he acknowledged it.

"Q. Explain to the Committee what the long spell is?

"A. In the long spell, the negro goes on at 12 o'clock in the day; he then continues the whole four-and-twenty hours in work; he is then relieved, at shell-blow, for two hours, and he works again from that time till dark, so that it is thirty hours labour with the intermission of two hours; then, at day-light, he turns out

• Finis

"A. I consider that as one great reason the destruction of life. The negro comes of the field, after working all day unde tropical sun, and comes in to take the n spell, gets wet through in feeding the 1 and lies down on the mill floor to sleep tw three hours under the cutting wind: I co der that to be one great reason for the dest tion of life on sugar estates.

"Q. Did the long spell exist on your est: "A. On one out of the three. "Q. What may be gained in produce, i your opinion lost in the life of the slave? "A. Over, and over again.

Q. What are the punishments in us the island of Jamaica now?

"A. They are very cruel ones. "Q. Will you state what they are? "A. The general system of flogging is give them a certain number of stripes with. long whip, which inflicts a dreadful lacerati or a dreadful contusion; and then they foll up that by a very severe flogging with ebe switches, the ebony being a very strong w plant, with small leaves like a myrtle leaf, a under every leaf a sharp tough thorn; a then after that they rub them with brine."

Printed by J. HADDON and Co.; and P by J. CRISP, at No. 27, Ivy Lane, Painos: Row, where all Advertisements and Comm cations for the Editor are to be addressed.

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