Page:Benezet's A caution and warning to Great Britain and her colonies.pdf/10

[ 8 ] and three herrings are reckoned a full week's allowance for a working slave, and in the System of Geography it is said, That in Jamaica the owners of the Negroe-slaves, set aside for each a parcel of ground, and allow them Sundays to manure it, the produce of which, with sometimes a few herrings, or other salt fish,  is all that is allowed for their support. Their allowance for cloathing in the Islands is seldom more than six yards of osenbrigs each year: and in the more northern Colonies, where the piercing westerly winds are long and sensibly felt, these poor Africans suffer much for want of sufficient cloathing, indeed some have none till they are able to pay for it by their labour. The time that the Negroes work in the West-Indies, is from day-break till noon; then again from two o'clock till dusk: (during which time they are attended by overseers, who severely scourge those who appear to them dilatory) and before they are suffered to go to their quarters, they have still something to do, as collecting of herbage for the horses, gathering fuel for the boilers, &c. so that it is often half past twelve before they can get home, when they have scarce time to grind and boil their Indian corn; whereby it often happens that they are called again to labour before they can satisfy their hunger: and here no delay or excuse will avail, for if they are not in the field immediately upon the usual notice, they must expect to feel the overseers lash. In crop-time (which lasts many months) they are obliged (by turns) to work most of the night in the boiling-house. Thus their owners, from a desire of making the greatest gain by the labour of their slaves, lay heavy burdens on them, and yet feed and clothe them very sparingly, and some scarce feed or ' clothe