world,' is not sufficiently assisted by the machines and tools of husbandry,
which afford so much ease' and convenience' to labourers
in’ modern times. Notwithstanding all that is said of the' European
climate, which makeseits’’ inhabitants strong and ac tive ra
native even of;the most’ temperate part of that, cbnfinent would
think it a“-very? great hardship, if he was «obliged -to cultivate as
much ground, and in the same-manner as the negroes here-dó, and
without “havingi anymiore tools than thtey, have. The great labour
of, the negroes, lies chiefly in tilling the'land,-which is here’performed
by hooks, while in shverhl- parts ofLthe West Indies they
halve begun to make use; of thif plough ; and this mèthod has been
found very profitable. * There!can be np better land for ploughing
than! àMSurinam,;since the groundgp quite level,1,and without stones
to impede the share ; but unfortunately, the rich oi^neis of estates,
Who .foi ght;, profit by. the chatgé of -introducing the plough, do not
reside in the colony ; if they did and tried the experiment, ! am persuaded
the rest of the planters would soon .follow their; example,
After- the land is'Well prepared for cultivating eöttóh,the negro
whose business it is to sow it, makes holes in the earth with; his
finger, and drops into each three or four seeds; but this Operation
ikivery injurious to the labourer,' who is obliged to be continually
stooping,, and thus propels the blood to his head, which is also exposed
to the full forcé of the ardent rays-of the sun. Mqw I think this
might be easily remedied. Let the negro have a stick ofj^p^qk^ess
of his finger, on which shall be fastened a small round piece of board
as a stop,tôdetermiiiè how deep the hole shall be made; then through
a high hollow cane^put afterwards in the holey let him drop-, tie seeds
without at all stooping, and c.oy§Efpygr the hole with his foot.*; When
I asked a director whether this mode was’ not practicable, he replied,
that it would not be so well,, to render evety kind óf labour too
easy to the negroes, otherwise they might possibly lose their strength
* For a farther illustration, the reader is referred to the annexed plate..