goes a wenching with as much ease and tranquility as if he was going to a fermon. The following song is applicable for a cowskin hero. AIR. Irish Hautboy. Tho' * he may growl and grumble, From fultry toil and labour, And with his girl toy and play. My book-keepers I humble, * Alluding to the attorney. My My driver I've made crazy, The flaves under due command; He still, when they are lazy, I plant fields of Indian corn, Young men, before they leave their native and peaceful habitations, form strange ideas of the West Indies; their minds are fed and inflamed by fickly Hope's delusive dreams, so that every adventurer is buoyed up with the chimerical notion of acquiring abundance of wealth without much difficulty, but not one in forty succeeds; and even those who do, only shine away for a little time, great in their crimes," and go off in a stink, like the snuff of a candle. ८८ Some years ago the West Indies suited poor adventurers vastly better than at present; formerly transports acquired large properties; it was not thought strange for convicts after fix or seven years bondage was over to enter into marriage with G2 1 with their master's daughters, and thereby get possession of slaves and cultivated plantations; and the offspring of those (scum of prisons) now flourish. Of late, the British colonies in the West Indies are so over-run with the sons of peasantry, from different parts of Great-Britain and Ireland, particularly from Scotland, the latter well educated men in general, that it is very difficult for poor men of any other nation to fucced as they do; for the Scotch are partial and friendly to each other, are keen and cunning, and infinuate themselves with wonderful dexterity into places and pensions; yet there is no rule without an exception; I have known many candid, openhearted, impartial, and friendly Scotchmen; fo that you must not despair of success, for you will have a chance as well as another. I shall now endeavour to point out to you the different gradations, in both the planting and mercantile lines, which young men commonly go through to arrive at any degree of greatness. When a green-horn, as he is properly called, arrives, he enquires and delivers his letters of recommendation, and is got into business, as I observed to you before; indeed, if he has no letter nor friend, his own modest behaviour and appearance will recommend him in the country, for overseers are glad to get green-horns, because they can impose hardships on them, and make them subserviant to their interests. Here I must observe, that letters of recommendation, if they are are to good men, may be of essential service to a stranger, by introducing him to respectable connections; and yet I would not have you depend much on the promises of great men. I was warmly recommended to his Excellency general Darling, the honourable Richard Welch, and others; and though each took me by the hand, and gave me dinners at times, and though I conducted myself as prudent as I possibly could, because I did not fawn, cringe, and put up with a little-minded cowskin hero's abuses, they did nothing for me at last, The usual falary for a book-keeper in the country is £40 per annum, with board, washing and lodging, the fame as the overseer; in the windward islands, book-keepers are not permitted to mess at overseer's tables, for which reason they are not fo much respected as in Jamaica. In the windward ifslands the falary is greater, as they must board themselves; in those islands any man may get an overseer's birth (called a management) through interest; in Jamaica it is not fo; for I never knew an overseer there who did not serve at least two or three years, (fave only Little Consequence before mentioned). When a young man gets into a good employ, I mean where the attorney, without favour or affection, makes it an established rule to prefer the oldest book-keepers in rotation, he should strive to please the overseer, and remain in it as long as poffible; if he continues three or four years G3 on on one plantation it will be a recommendation to him; and if the attorney is a good man he will take notice of him accordingly. Nothing can be more hurtful than many movements; "a roll"ing stone gathers no moss." Should he and the overseer difagree, though his friends support him and fend him elsewhere, they will naturally conclude that he is in fome measure culpable; befides, overseers, being low-lived fellows, will, to justify themselves, tell false stories, which may gain some credit, so that every movement will lessen him in his friend's opinion, and retard his steps to preferment. If a man has friends he should not boast of them, nor tell every person who they are; it is bad to tell an enemy your strength or weakness, for he will divise methods to attack and encounter you accordingly. Overseers are commonly jealous when they perceive that their book-keepers have friends, or merit; fo you will please to observe this, to be fecret, and not to let any man know the bottom of your heart. It is good to have friends, and bad to be too troublesome to them, but worse to need their afsistance. The first charge a book-keeper gets is that of the sheep, goats, fwine, and poultry (called the small stock) with the keys of the corn, and other stores; he must be very particular in getting up early every morning to hasten to the field to call the list and return to feed the small stock, and to count them exactly; he must keep an exact account |