#br want o# praetrieeiifbut this is ‘certainty a 1 most absurd notion, as
there-Will always be in husbandry Some taskwherefche strength
can be-exercised j and in fact this method of sowing,ddes not require
any strength a tall, 'though ibis -the most paiOfultemployment performed
by the negroes. The cacao and the indigo are likewise-sown
in the same manner;-but the latter is not mucfecultivated here, and
very fortunately, for in the preparation for bringing it tb the required
colour, as it-iS necessary to1 pass into a state of- petrifaction, the
negroes who are’employed Upon it frequently becofme ilk and sometimes
die; this business ought therefore to be exercised only by
criminals, until anew method shall be discover^!; o f extracting the
Colour without the necessity of suffering jEhe plants to fall into--a
putrescent state, which endangers the health and lites 'of those
concerned in the process, ;«NW, if agricultural utensils and more
cattle were introduced intothis colony, the-imported negroes would
find. themselves^ here,' better offthan iin-Afiafea, where their masters
do not procureffor thfem 'thesdhdTantages.i.'
Withregard to the hours Of labour, the negroeS at- Surinam
begin work at six: o’clock -in •-'the morning, and continue till nine,
when they are called bff by the blowing of a shell,' to breakfast, for
which half an hour is allowed ; then the signal ns agam given with
the shell, to return to- work, which lasts till twelve, then they are
called, to dinner, to which an hour and-half is allotted; from half
past one' -they work again till six in the evening ;''so! that out of
twenty-four hours, they have fourteen at their qwn disposal, as well
as Sundays; and some particular holidays. According to the laws
of this country, a penalty of five hundred 'guilders is leviedtcpon
any one who compels his negroes to work ;on Sundays, and this «regulation
may naturally be expected to be attended- to, «since the
fiscal gets half the fine : anr exception ;is-indeed made for, th e sugar-
estates; as the times when the canes are in perfection, and also the
state of the spring tides, when the canesaretobe pressed, must be
attended to ; but, then,, thenegroes^bave for every« Sunday they
work, nnotherf.duyiqji|qwcdlt|iwnv*R thei, week for their rest., During
thegathering in.of crops« pfsugarr.canes,, they :p/l;en work at tiigbh;
but; then this is dope r©g|darty;;;aAd by,turn, an,4:a,sufficient, time
is allpwcdifhcpt; fpr{rest. t-$|: sardvttetY .thpy* j[ikq ,it, .ap« tlje nights
gife much; cppj§r,i to -PQ?kin^|; Jt ig ^th^i^^rvftdjilhattdwring tfef
time office sugar hqPYe&t». AS it may be property termed, the negrp.es
are most cheerful; but of this J. am^npt. comp©te.pt tp ju d g e fp r
though I havje .sepnj ^t, several tixnps . the whole process ofsugar
making,. yet I never« hp.ye been present in,; the , crop season, on the
sugar estate.r
> As to the nourishment«of the negi-ops,pn.the plantations, by the law
of this colony every individual ty/jtqo'OC^yeHev^y.f^tnight; a basket
taycg:roots, and two bunches, pf ban a n a s a bunch contains
aboy-t fifty bananas, which are in the shape of a cucumber,.near a foot
teng, and about as thiqk as. a largp,European
negrpes preprareiqr. their, meals, various ways. . These two. articles
the negro is entitled to demanda and] if, ha dqqs noffreepty©; htyd#^t
pqrtion*ty% juay-complainto the fiscal; iff qp^sequeqef qf which the
plantation.is visited .by two deputies, and ifthecomplaint is found
to be true, themanagerpf.the-;eslate; ispunished., j In addition tp
these articles, the negroes receive in general ;Qthe£,species of- yegq-
tables, as potato,es,cassayy, See. apd,frequently«a portion of salt fish,
pnd salt meat,; but,the,]best;prqoI th^ti th&jOwners-and directors,do
no|,,negl,qc1v th? «pegrpes, with regard, tpj food* is manifested in the
vigorous appearance of the negroes, in this. cplosnB ,whiehi gi-eatty
surpasses, tboscIjh^Yc.§ien!ip the WpsiIndia islands; though it must
be allowed that thiacpuntryffnrnishes abundautty more «means ,ff>r
the sppporkfOf the pegrpes than, those: islands do*. as-the large, rivers
here aboupd in. fish^whtyb the negroswitha hook can .easityeqatch,
and the master .ahpws Jhem at qertaipjqnnptity* of s^ff tA/cure them.
The negroes are here very, dexterous in .making« traps and snares to