But, it may be inquired, what was the fault of negroes? Surely they must be crimes of great magnitude to call for so severe a use of the whip. In answer, we can only observe that these faults, or crimes, or errors, call them what you will, were various. For example: sometimes a mule or two strayed into a cane-field and cropped the young canes, or part of the herd of cattle broke away from the cattle-keepers when inattentive to them, and devoured, or trod down, a piece of yams. Some of the slaves ran away for a day or two, and others returned saucy answers, (which all negroes are very competent to do;) some were lazy, some did their work ill, and some again were behind the time in which they were required by law to commence their daily labour in the field; the list was called over by the overseer before they arrived, and they were reported “absent.”
Another frequent crime was theft. In times of slavery, as already shewn, instead of giving money to the negroes as a recompence, every necessary was found them by their owners—their dress, their houses, their doctor, and their food. The common practice upon estates was, to distribute to the negroes dresses twice in the year, and their provisions once or twice in the week. This consisted (as mentioned in a former part of this work) of so many yards of cloth, shirting, flannel, and so many woollen caps, handkerchiefs, &c., for their wardrobes; and for their weekly provision so many pounds of yams, herrings, or mackerel, &c., for each grown person; and at Christmas time, a further supply of salt pork and wheat flour.
The little children had their own allowance, and upon those estates where the proprietor or manager cared for their welfare, an old woman was employed to boil it for them; and about noon they all marched up to the “great house” with their calabashes in their hands, which answered the purpose of plate and bason, to partake of the “savoury messes” not “which the neat-handed Phillis dresses,” for these pic’ni’es cook was anything but neat-handed or clean.
I have often been amused, upon visiting an estate belonging to Sir Geo. Thomas, Bart., where the attorney was a kind and humane master, at seeing these little people eat their dinners. There was a large paved court before the door, around which the little blackies were seated, waiting in silence for their share. The old woman having seen them well arranged, returned for the pot, which was placed in the centre, and contained various ingredients, as yams, potatoes, corn-flour dumplings, herrings, with a good supply of water, &c., forming a kind of “olla-podrida.” How many little black sparkling eyes were fixed upon that pot and its contents, while the old woman took the important office of distributing it into the numerous attending calabashes. When the information “All done, massa,” meaning that the pot was empty, was given, (for the master was present to see that these poor little children got their proper portion,) and Mr. ——, with an arch smile, asked, “No more herring left?” and the negative given, they all rose, one by one, and fetched their own share, when, without any spoon but what Dame Nature gave them in their fingers, it quickly found its way to their mouths, without a drop being wasted; the calabashes turned down, shewed the important business was over, and the old woman and her charge departed to their accustomed pursuits.
Years have passed since I witnessed those scenes, but I fancy I can see that old woman now. Age is not famous for loveliness, and I am sure none was there. She must have been in her youth very tall, but when I knew her, time had bent her form and grizzled her woolly hair. Her complexion was of a coal black, with a most sinister expression of countenance; her dull black eyes were never still; her face looked as if every moment added another wrinkle, while an immense pair of elephant legs completed the picture. She was very famous, I afterwards found out, for giving the children the liquid portion of the mess, and reserving the herrings for herself, which occasioned Mr. ——’s question.
But to resume the sadder part of my picture, (for the digression I have been led into may be termed one of the “lights” of slavery,) slaves’ crimes and slaves’ punishments. Upon the “allowance days,” as they were called, the negroes were very flush of provisions; and having no thoughts of a “rainy day,” or, in other words, putting by a portion for the other days of the week, they sold them for anything that took their fancy. The consequence of this was, that for the rest of the week they were in a state of starvation, and unless any friend ministered to their wants, they very likely entered their master’s provision grounds, and stole part of the productions. This, of course, was discovered in the morning, the culprits generally detected, and they received their punishment, varying in degrees of severity, according to the disposition of their masters. At one time this system of bartering the food given them by their owners for indifferent articles was so prevalent, that complaints were laid before the house of assembly; and in the year 1814, an act passed which was intended as a preventive against this practice.
Another crime of slaves was to milk the cattle upon the estates, and sell the milk in town; and this again called for the use of the whip. Molasses and sugar were also stolen in great quantities, and sold to persons making ginger drink; sugar-cakes, as they are termed, which are composed of sugar, molasses, ginger, and cocoa-nut, boiled up together; and many other different sweets. Even persons who ought to have known better, encouraged slaves in stealing, by buying of them sugar for domestic purposes. This also called for the interposition of the law; and slaves so offending were to be whipped, and sent to work in the street-gang. I have mentioned the street-gang in a former chapter; but it may be well to remark, that the slaves comprising it were worked two and two together, by having an iron collar round their necks, and connected by a chain, not exactly the size and thickness of that formerly shewn in “Aldermanbury;”[[7]] but rather like those used upon the convicts in the different dockyards in England.
These were the most frequent offences of slaves. Those of a higher degree, such as murders, and running away for more than three months, were, as we have already seen, punished in a severer manner. Although the slave-owner had redress by the laws of the island, for all faults committed by his slaves, revolting as it is to think of, there were some masters who thought thirty-nine lashes[[8]] too mild a punishment for such crimes: they would rather take the law into their own hands, and flog their slaves by the hour. They liked to see mangled bodies,—to hear heart-rending groans, and have the supreme felicity of ordering them back to their dungeons, garnished, perhaps, with chains, as in the case of Mr. ——. I have laid before my readers, or at least endeavoured to do so, slaves’ crimes and slaves’ punishments; and it is for them to say whether they deserved such severe discipline. In another part I shall have to enlarge upon the vices of negroes, and their perverseness of disposition; but it now remains for me to give one or two more instances of cruelty; and I will then banish from these pages the melancholy subject.
A gentleman of this island, as I have been made to understand, had a female mustee[[9]] slave belonging to him. This slave committed some misdemeanor, whether great or small I am unable to say; but at all events, her master had her locked up for the night in a place of horrors, called the “Rock Dungeon.” The woman was in the last stage of pregnancy; in that place, removed from all assistance, she was confined during the night; and when the morning came, and that den of misery was opened, her poor baby was found to be devoured by the rats! This deed was done by one of our great men, an honourable too. It may be said, he could not foresee the catastrophe, and the woman might have given him great provocation, which no doubt she did; but still, would any humane master have shut up a female in such a condition in such a place? By the advice of the magistrates, this woman and her remaining children were afterwards sold, as her master and herself could never agree. This is not the only instance in which his name has been brought before the public. Some strange reports were abroad of his shooting one of his negro boys; and of his killing another, and burying him in a pond. These circumstances were brought before the slavery committee of the House of Lords in 1832; and in an examination of a divine, the rector of the parish in which the gentleman resided, he was asked if he knew anything about them? The Rev. Mr. —— returned for answer—“Yes, I heard a report about them, but do not know if they were correct.” And again—“I never heard of his killing a negro; but I heard of his burying a white matross in the sand; but that was only hearsay. I only heard of it from persons, perhaps, that were not his friends. With regard to shooting a negro, he went and gave himself up for that; and I believe he was acquitted, or the coroner’s inquest brought in a verdict of ‘accidental death.’ There was some sort of a trial; but I believe there was a great deal said about it, that probably he did not deserve,—I think so.” This was the rector’s opinion: whether the gentleman alluded to was guilty, is more than I can say; we can but hope he was not. The matter rests between himself and his God; but if he did act in this manner, if he was guilty of these deaths, conscience must at times give him some sharp twinges.[[10]]
I have in a former page referred to the trial of a planter for the murder of his slave. It did not occur in Antigua, I am happy to say; but as Antiguan barristers pleaded for and against the culprit, it may not be amiss to give a short account of it. The offender against justice was a member of the council at Tortola; and upon his estate in that island these horrible cruelties were perpetrated. I cannot go into the details of the case, which were most revolting in their circumstances; but will just give the heads. This man—this vampire he might be called—was found guilty, and executed upon the common gallows, for the murder of one of his slaves, a poor African; but there were eight other indictments for murder ready made out against the same individual, whose cruelty of disposition was proverbial.