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N&voeMstle-wnder-hyne ' y Sir , March 27 ^ 1822 . AF TER this long delay , I feel myself able to comply with the req uest of your correspondent Q ., pp . 665 666 , of your last volume . first it be
And , in the jrface , may proper for me to state , that Jamaica is the only island I visited during my late residence in the West Indies ; and that my knowledge of that colony is confined to the three following parishes : * Hanover , Westmorland and
St . James . I hare , however , been repeatedly assured , by gentlemen who have spent many years in the island , and travelled over the greater part of it , that what I saw may safely be deemed a fair specimen of the whole . The estate upon which I lived i « one of the finest in the parish of
Hanover : at one period it contained a population of four hundred and ten slaves ; but now the number is reduced to about three hundred and ninety . The sole object of my mission was to ascertain the practicability of improving' the condition of the negroes on this property , by means of religious instruction . And , with a view to
render my task as easy and as agreeable as possible , I was authorized by the proprietor-f- to adopt rny own plans of tuition ; provided they should in no respect be found incompatible with the order and management of the plantation . A house was provided for me , pleasantly situated , about a mile from the ne ^ rd village ; and I
was made quite independent of the other white people connected with the slaves . Thes 6 preliminaries being settied , I and my wife' embarked at Gravesend , in the sl $ p Ann , late in October , 1817 , and , After a tedious passage to the Landfts End , and a charming run across the Atlantic , we
* All the parishes of Jamaica are of very large extent , and , in general , pretty thickly populated . St . James contains 25 , 6 * 88 slaves ; JHanover , i » which we were situated all the time we were ; in the
^ and , 23 , & 53 ; Westmorland , 21 , 20 0 ; and the whole island , 324 , 410 ; besides a very large number of whites , browns ^ d blacks of free condition . Se * e the Jamaica Almanack for 1821 . t Hobert Hibbert , Esq ., of Bast-Hide , near Luton , Bedfordshire .
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reached our destined Uarbaur ia the morning of the 25 th of December . It does not fall withm my presestf design to attempt a description of the truly sublime scenery which now presented itself to our view : those who
wish for a true idea of k , must cross the mighty waters . But just after the vessel came to an anchor , a circumstance occurred which , though trifling in itself , made an indelible impression
on our minds . I will here relate it in as few words as possible . Three men came along-side , two of whom ( a negro and a mulatto ) quickly presented themselves on deck , and entered into conversation with us . We treated them as we should have done
any other individuals of their appearance , not suspecting what they were , when , towards the close of the conrersation , they told us we were wrong in taking them for free-men , adding , that they were slaves . The information , like an unexpected clap of thunder , chilled all the blood in our veins : it was the first time we had ever seen
human nature thus fallen . But we were now to become familiar with persons of this description , for they were constantly about us during the three years and four months it was
our lot to pass in the torrid regions . It being Christinas time , we were introduced to the negroe 3 under circumstances of the most favourable
kind . Numbers of them were decked in their best attire , exhibiting a thousand marks of mirth and gladness . For , at this season of the year , they are allowed , throughout the island , a few days' liberty , which they commonly spend in dressing , dancing-,
feasting and singing . On these occasions they seem , indeed , almost to fancy themselves on a par with the whites ; from whom they now experience great hospitalityand even affability . Shortly after we entered our new habitations , several of them came to pay their respects to us ; and , with this intent , most of the slaves
belonging to the estate waited upon us before the end of a fortnight . TVIany of them were exceedingly well dressed , and they all affected great politeness ; assuring us , that they felt particularly happy to see persons of our description amongst them . They inquired after their master and mistress in En-
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Mr . Cooper on tke Disposition of / Negroes to embrace Christianity . 217
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vo XVII . 2 F
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), April 2, 1822, page 217, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2511/page/25/
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