for fix months. One, the man who meafured the work, and who of
courfe had a confidence repofed in him, received the additional
punifhment of 200 lafhes, which he amply merited.
Some reprefentations having been made to the governor from the
fettlers in different parts o f the' colony, purporting that the wages demanded
by the free labouring people, whom they had occafion to
hire, was fo exorbitant as to run away with the greateft part of
the profit o f their farms, it was recommended to them to appoint
quarterly meetings among themfelves, to be held in each di ft rift,
for the purpofe o f fettling the rate of wages to labourers in every
different kind o f work; that, to this end, a written agreement fhould
be entered into and fubfcribed by each fettler, a breach of which
fhould be punifhed by a penalty, to be fixed by the general opinion,
and made recoverable in a court o f civil judicature. It was recommended
to them to apply this forfeiture to the common benefit; and
they were to tranfmit to the head-quarters a copy o f their agreement
with the rate o f wages which they fhould from time to time efta<-
blifh, for the governor’s information ; holding their firft. meeting as
early as poffible.
It mull appear from this, that every neceffary and ufeful regulation
was fuggefted that could promote the convenience and advantage
o f thefe people, who being in poffeffion o f land that; yielded the
moll ample returns, nothing but the greateft worthlelfnefs on their
part could have prevented their getting forward, and becoming men
o f property. That too many o f them were o f this defcrlption wiH
appear evident, from its being notorious that their crops were no
fooner gathered, than they were inftantly difpofed o f for fpirits, which
they purchafed at the rate o f three, nay, even four pounds per gallon-,
and of a fpirit often lowered one fourth or more o f its ftrength with
water. It was alfo equally notorious, that fome o f them, when too
idle and-diffipated to hoe and properly prepare their ground for feed,
have^carclefsly thrown the grain over the old ftubble, and afterwards
chipped it in, as they termed it, going lightly over the ground with
a hoe,
a hoe, and barely covering the feed. Yet, with no greater affiftance
than this, the lands thus flovenly prepared have been known to yield
abundant crops.
On the- i ith arrived the Mercury, an American brig, from
Manilla, bound to the N. W. coaft of America. Being extremely
weak and leaky, the mafter put in here to refit, which he requefted
he might be allowed to do. He brought no other news than the
detention o f feveral Englilh ffiips at Manilla, which feemed ftrongly
to indicate the approach o f hoftilities between the two nations, the
effe£t, no doubt, o f French fraternity with the Spaniards.
The infant part of the fettlement having at this period become
very numerous, with a view to fave them, if poffible, from that ruin
in which the infamous examples o f their abandoned parents were
but too likely to plunge them, the clergyman, the Reverend Mr.
Johnfon, began to examine them publicly every Sunday in their
catechifm, and other'points o f religious duty, at the conclufion of
the afternoon fervice. Some building that might ferve as a fchool
whereto children at a certain age might be removed from their parents,
and receive education,, was now become abfolutely neceffary ;
but many other works equally neceffary were ftill in hand ; and the
labourers employed to ere£t them were comparatively fo inefficient,
that it was impoffible to think of any other work until they were
completed, though both the clergymen offered their fervices to fu-
perintend the erection of a building for this purpofe.
Such was the weaknefs o f the public gangs, that it often became
neceffary to require the affiftance o f the officers and other per-
fons who were allowed fervants from government. In this way,
by calling on each officer and fettler to fend in a certain number of
men for three days in the week, the public roads between the different
diftridts were put into good order. This, befides very much
facilitating the carriage of goods by land, conduced very effentialiy
to the detecting o f thieves and vagrants, who in general were found
to be very quick in their motions.