person may infinuate himself into the favour of the public, rent a store and turn vendue master; the five per cent. commission on all goods he difposes of is fure and safe profit, and in time he may make some money, get credit, and turn merchant; indeed any huckster or grog-shop keeper with care, industry, and a little roguery, will make money fast, and may commence a merchant; a young man who is fent out supercargo, if he conducts himself very prudently, may gain the good will of his friends, and they may fet him up in business; I knew many supercargoes who were intrusted with confiderable properties forgot themselves and lived more extravagant than men of fortune; had their merchandize fold at vendue at the last at less than first cost; and by bad management and diffipation ruined themselves and friends. From what I have said, you will very naturally conclude, that though they are styled merchants in the West Indies, they are only factors; and here I must observe, that I have often wondered how European merchants can possibly give fuch large and long credits to those factors, confidering the precariousness of life, the uncertainty of payments, the distance of place, and the difficulties and risques they so frequently run, even at the laft, of getting paid at all, by adopting either mild, litegative, or coercive methods. " Look round, and fee what others do, A's As foon as a man gets possession of some property, though it may be all on credit, or at best three fourths of it, he is stimulated by cruel pride and haughty ambition to signalize himself in some public character, untill he is elevated, step after step, as I shall now mention; the first honour conferred upon him is that of a justice of the peace; next he infinuates himself into the favour of the few freeholders of the parish wherein his involved or mortgaged property lies, and gets chofen a reprefentative of the assembly: I have known the most illiterate, rude, aukward tradefmen, such as carpenters, bricklayers, mill-wrights, tinkers, taylors, shavers or barbers, legislators in the West Indies. The next manævre is to get himself chosen one of the council or assistant judges; in order to accomplish which, he artfully infinuates himself into the favour of the commander in chief, or the president, by giving a few good dinners, &c. &c. When a man is appointed a justice of the peace he should have four volumes of Burns | Justice by him; and if he be of a fiery arbitrary nature, he should endeavour to curb and moderate his paffions, to steer clear of prejudice, and to look upon all men to be as good as himself; and never to be so weak or filly to think that all the law is contained in Burns Justice, least he brings himself into trouble: Burns Justice is only an index to part of the laws-" a little learning is a dangerous thing." I know a magiftrate : : gistrate who was put to vast expence at common law for fending a poor man to goal for killing his cat; it appeared that the cat had frequently stole the poor man's poultry, and one day he shot the nine lived animal as it ran out of his fowl-house; so that magistrates should be exceeding cautious in their commitments, and of every kind of encroachment on the liberty of the subject, least they pay dear for it. When a man gets into the assembly, or becomes one of the council, he should study the laws of the island, and the profperity of the people in general, and learn by speaking to himself in private, to argue with some degree of logic and graceful oratory; not to follow the precepts of his caliloo, or pedling little minded brethren, when they meet in affembly, chattering of canes and corn pieces, of grass penns and cattle, or of beef and butter, rotten cheese, herrings, &c. &c. fuch conversation may fuit cowskin heroes or clerks, but it is highly improper in the kings house. Any man, though ignorant of the law, may be appointed chief or assistant judge, which I think is very improper, for none but old experienced barristers should fill such places. Should you be elevated to a tribunal of justice, say little, look grave and attentive, and you may pass for a man of fenfe, but I would advise you, however, to pay particular attention to the evidences, to let common sense direct you, and not to be baffled baffled by the quirks or chicanery of lawyers; and You do swear, that you will, according to So help you GOD. This may prevent you from censure before God and man; for every fubject, the meanest as well as the greatest, has an equal right to justice. Justice should not be bought or fold, nor should it be delayed from any man, for " every man has a natural unalienable right to look upon himself equal to any man whatsoever." It is not estates or titles that makes one man better than another; men only excell in fouls and fentiments... When judges or magiftrates shew favour or affection, hatred or malice, to any particular individual (even to the poor tar, who has been barbaroufly treated on his voyage by the remorseless 1 remorseless Guinea captain) who applies to them for justice, it is a violation of the law, and a strong proof of the depravity of the human heart. How odious must men appear who are chosen out from among the rest to distribute justice, when they are capable of corruption?-and I am forry to be obliged to say that there are too many of this kind, not only in Jamaica, but all over the West Indies. "When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when the wicked beareth rule, the people murmur." From all I have now faid, you may be assured, that if you do not behave yourself courteously, humble, and submissive, and keep your tongue as it were with a bit and bridle, and your mind close to yourself, you never will be a great man: Shakespeare says most pointedly, -But it is a common proof, Those who are born in the country are called Creoles, the men in general, fave only those who drink strong liquors to excess, are of a fickly, pale, yellowish complexion, meagre, weak, and emaciated |