Letter from Thomas Burchell to Mary Anne Rawson (English MS 414/103)
Respected Madam
Yours of the 6th inst I received
a few days since, requesting the communication of
one or two facts respecting the Negroes in the Island of
Jamaica - - I certainly feel considerable difficulty in
writing a narrative of facts without having some speci-
fic object in being, or some subject to illustrate -- how-
ever I will give you the bare relation of two or three inci-
dents which came under my observation & if you consi-
der them worthy of a place in your contemplated vo-
lume, you are at liberty to make what use of them you
please. Perhaps it will be best for you to take the facts
& clothe them with your own language so as to promote
your own purpose & designs & make them suitable for such
abolume.
— You "wish for some fact shewing the readi-
ness with which Slaves will work for even a small remu-
neration" -- On this subject you may obtain important
information in the Evidence of Mr. Taylor contained in the
Parliamentary Report of the select Comte for the Extinc-
tion of Slavery -– The following incident also is direct to
the point & fully proves the disposition of the Slaves to
labour if they are fairly remunerated -- Wishing to
widen & improve a road[?] from the highway to my residence
which was up a steep & difficult ascent & indeed scarcely
passable, I applied to a Master of a jobbing gang & re-
quested him to inform me the lowest terms for which
he would undertake the work; after several interviews
& discussions, he offered to perform it for the sum of £32
I am requiring[?] prompt payment -- Considering this amount
too high, & it being more than I cd afford I was induced
to pursue another plan –- Accordingly one day I took
a Slave, who was Driver of a jobbing gang, & after explain
ing the nature & difficulties of the work, proposed the fol
lowing question -- Supposing I was to hire of Your Master
12 Negroes, & if instead of working there before the while,
I gave each one a fippenny* per day besides paying the
Master**, how many days wd they require to complete the work?
The negro proceeded to examine the nature of the work, when
after some time he return'd & replied that if thus rewarded
they wd do it in 10 days or 11 at the fastest -- Upon this
information I applied to the Master, & hired the Slaves,
who were sent to me on the following Monday -- Before however
appointing them their work, I call'd them together & address'd
them in the following manner -- I have hired you of your
master to perform certain work -- I shall not allow the whip to be
used or carried by the Driver, but if you turn out early in the
morning, & work well during the day, I will give each a fippenny
for himself -- if any one is late to his work, or indolent in
his work, I'll not give him any thing, but will send him home
& obtain another slave in his stead -- When I had thus spoken
one of the Negroes with much good-humour replied, "Massa
no you talk abt sending we home, give we de hammer &
make we go, work" -- They proceeded, & I never recollect to
have seen any persons work better or more cheerfully -- Fre-
* Fippenny - is a piece of money current in Jama
** The Amt. charged by the Master for the hire of each Negro was
26[?] [?] per day
quently when I went to see how they were getting on, they wd
indulge in these jokes -- "Massa you no send we home yet"! Refer
ing to my address to them - one morng I went down abt past
5 o'clock, they have been at work abt an hour, when with
much good humour they said -- "Massa, no you say, if Neger
no turn out soon you send him home? Maybe no use, him
no know when Neger come" -- And at another time as they
were breaking the stone for the road, one remark'd - "Massa
dat fippenny, -- him make de stone break! If de hammer
only fall upon de stone, him break ^all to pieces" I had not
occasion to withold the promised reward from one, or in
deed to find fault with one -- & such was the influence which
this small sum had upon them that they completed the
work within the specified time, so that it cost me but
Should you think proper
£13.15 -- instead of £32 -- -- Should you think proper
to make any use of this fact, you will please not to publish
my name, but acknowledge it as the communication of an
Individual who was for several years a Resident in Jama --
I make this request because it is likely I shall soon be re
turning to the Island, & of course I am desirous not to occa
sion More ill will against myself than at present exists: --
for the same reason I think it undesireable to relate the
case of the Negress to whom you refer, as I cd not state that
without severely reflecting upon the Master. And as that fact
& the parties wd be at once recognized & as I shall have to come
into frequent contact with some of the persons concern'd, it
may do me much injury -- Respecting the for
giving disposition of the Negroes the following circumstance
will afford convincing demonstration -- You are aware of
my arrest & imprisonment, as well as that of other Mis-
sionaries during the sanguinary persecutions of 1831–2 --
The cruel sufferings inflicted upon many of the Christian Ne
groes during that period for their attachment to the Redeem
er & his cause can never be fully related; so that had they
given vent to their feelings by the most indignant expressions
it could not have excited our surprise; but so far from this,
I do not remember to have heard one Christn Slave during the
whole of those cruel persecutions indulge in a vindictive
term towards any of their malignant oppressors -- & the day
of my liberation from incarceration, on my arrival at
my lodgings, crowds of my afflicted friends throng'd to
see me, giving vent to their feelings by their many tears, & their
kindly expressions of sympathy on account of my suffer
ings & congratulations for my triumph over my better
foes who were thristing for my blood -- Amongst many
other interesting remains one poor Christn Negro address is
me in the following manner. "Massa" said he "You
feel too bad. -- We Enemy, -- dem wicked, -- dem bad for true;
Massa's dem take we
we -- dem flog we -- dem pill *1 we blood, as tho' we no worth *2 at
all
-- but Minister we must pray for dem. Dem very
bad -- dem very wicked -- but -- Dem no convert yet"!!! A
noble apology made by one of those despised Slaves on be
half of those cruel men, & which cannot but remind us
of the spirit & prayer of the blessed Redeemer upon the
Cross "Father forgive them for they know not what they
do" -- they are not converted yet --
I must however conclude, as I fear you will con
sider me negligent for not having replied earlier, tho'
I have only received your Letter a few days; and my [rest is missing]
* 1. They spill our blood
* 2. As tho' we were of no value at all