to be outwitted himself, he is at last
kidnapped, sold, shipped off, reduced to bondage,
forced to work, and induced to employ all the
low arts of deceit consequent on such a position.

From this stock the Jamaica negro was
produced, and for many years the system was
continued without any progress being made towards
his moral improvement. Suddenly he was given
his liberty. Long accustomed to look upon
labour as the one great evil of life, and long
unaccustomed to bestow a thought on his own
wants, which had all been supplied for him, he
believed himself to be ill used and deceived
when he found that he was forced to work to
live, and was at all events determined to work
as little as possible.

Naturally improvident and indolent, he sought
a fresh scope for his hereditary cunning in
sharp-witted schemes to meet his wants and
gratify his appetites and vices. When, failing
in this he was satisfied barely to exist, he
gradually fell lower and lower in the scale of
humanity: not, however, without crying out
against the oppressors who would not feed
him in idleness, and not without repeated
attempts at rebellion, in the senseless hope that
by murdering those oppressors and seizing their
property he would at last attain the goal of
affluent indolence.

The population of Jamaica has probably
increased since the date of emancipation, while
the annual produce is scarcely more than one-
fourth of what it then was.

One of the most marked characteristics of
the negro—his idleness apart—is the perverted
ideas his mind holds of religion; a very painful
characteristic this is. When religion is an
abstract question, and not a practical thing, with
the best educated as with the worst, it teaches
nothing of charity, humility, patience, brotherly
kindness, love. Under religion's cloak, murder
calls itself vengeance of the Lord; the negro
says, "I will repay for the Lord's sake;" he
who does me an injury, willingly or unwillingly,
is "my enemy and the Lord's;" the
persecuted man is David, the aggressor is Saul.
David's denunciations are quoted; faith in God's
vengeance and in His wrath and anger is strong
and perverted; faith in long-suffering, forbearance
and forgiveness, has little or no existence
in the negro's mind. Cant reigns mighty and
omnipotent among them, and their most
objectionable acts are almost invariably prefaced by a
Bible quotation or an appeal to the Lord.

It is painful to view humanity under such
an aspect, and equally painful to consider that
it springs as much from the influences which
have surrounded the negro, as from his
hereditary instincts. Even those among the race
who may be considered the respectable exceptions
to the general state of degradation have not
been able entirely to divest themselves of those
instincts, as the following anecdotes, jotted
down from a personal experience during five
years' residence in the tropics, will exemplify.

The first man of colour who entered my
service, well recommended, was William, as cook.
He was a smartly-dressed clean-looking man,
with a manner at once intelligent and respectful.
The result of his advent being, for some days, a
series of good dinners, I congratulated myself
on my valuable acquisition. "We are very well
satisfied with your cookery," said I one day, in
my innocence; whereat William grinned and
writhed, and answered with that gentle humility
and discretion which always characterised his
speeches: "Take it very kind of missus to say
so. When she do be pleased, I am proud. When
she have any obsarwations or c'reckshans
(corrections) to make on style of de cookery, beg
she do so, and I 'trive to c'rect what she
disapprove." What a happy footing between master
and man, or mistress and man! Here was a
paragon who would, doubtless, prove one of
those dear faithful old servants so often recorded
in the history of the man and brother, and
who would dwell with us all his days.

But these days were already numbered.
Shortly after my poor meed of praise had been
offered, came William, sorrowful, embarrassed,
but ever humble, discreet, and conscious of his
own rectitude, to "say a word to missus."

That word was to this effect: "Master
and missus were good to him; he wanted
nothin', he could pass his life happy and
contented in deir sarvice, his work was light,
his victuals was abundant, but ah!—Ke-aptin"
(captain) "of de steamar" (not specified)
"him offer so much" (naming nearly double the
wages of the place), "and missus she give so
much less. For himself what cared he? But,
alas! he had a wife and family to support. He
would do notin' underhand, he merely stated de
fac'. Mustn't a husband and fader work for de
sake of him wife and children?"

"Too true, O William! I admit it. I would
have raised your wages five pounds a year, but
I cannot give you such high wages as the
steamers give. Of course I will not stand in your
light; only find another cook before you leave."

He did find another cook, who made the
trifling mistake of cooking the whole day's
provisions for one vast substantial breakfast.
Shortly afterwards a message was brought
me that William had returned, and requested
audience.

Beautifully he was dressed. Clean, meek,
respectable as ever, he stood before me with
downcast eyes, holding an open letter.

"Missus, I received a letter from my wife dis
mornin'. She tell me I done very wrong to
leave so good a master and missus for de sake
of gain. Beg missus read what she say."

I opened and read the letter. Here is an
extract of its contents:

"What, William, do you think to earn the
blesing of the Lord by ingratitode, by running
after gain, and forsaking the master and misus
as have alays been kind to you? Trust in
your Hevinly Father to fead you and your
children, return to the place you have left, 'trive
by good conduc to repare the pas, and umbly
ask pardon of a justley fended misus, but ask
pardon yet more of a fended Father."