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Show 58 ANTIGUA. only one-tkird, instead of a half, and the number of fre~ laborers whom he now employs, the same, his saving would have been 33k per cent. . Now a subsequent and somewhat extensive enquiry bas led us to the conviction, that on most of the properties of Antigua, and in general throughout the West Indies, one-third only of the slaves were operative. What with childhood, age, infirmity, sickness, sham sickness, and other causes, full twothirds of the negro population might be regarded as dead weight. And further, the number of free laborers employed for the same quantity of work, is now decidedly less than this third. We may therefore fairly reckon that the pecuniary saving, on many of the estates in Antigua, by the change of slave for free labor, is at least thirty per cent. If the interest of money on the investment in slaves is added to the debit amount under slavery, the comparison becomes much more favorable on the sipe of freedom. Besides this affair of arithmetic, however, there is the general consideration, that slavery and waste are twin sisters, whereas freedom is married to economy. Under tbe generous stimulus of equal liberty, short methods of labor are invented, machinery is introduced, every man black and white is thrown upon his own exertions, and into the whole community co-operation infuses wealth. "All circumstances considered," says Dr. Nugent, the late speaker of the Assembly at Antigna, "I am happy to say, that the free-labor system is the cheapest, and incalculably so on those properties which were encumbered by an unnecessary quantity of hands." ANTIGUA. 59 First month (Jan.) l7th.-We had much satisfaction in visiting Newfield, a Moravian establishmentthe missionary has a good school and large congregation. The same remark applies to their establishment at St. John's, which we inspected on a subsequent occasion. The Moravians have actually 12,000 souls under their care in Antigua, one-third of the whole population. We are able to bear a clear and decisive testimony to their usefulness in the British Islands; there it is impeded by no Negro Dutch, and by no holding of their fellow men as property. At Newfield, we were met by Sir William Colebrooke's carriage, which conveyed us to Dow's Hill. As we passed along through a picturesque country, we observed a curious species of cactus, abounding on the road-side; it is called the Turk's head-bearing a strange resemblance to the head of a man-the blossoms at the top looking like a red cap or turban. The Governor's house is built on a hill, overlooking English Harbor, a snug inlet of the sea, very commodious for shipping, with a little town adjoining. From a still higher eminence near at hand, called Shirley Heights, the view of the harbor, and surrounding rocks and mountains, is one of uncommon interest and beauty. One object, which we just descried in the distance, excited peculiar feelings. It was a small Baltimore clipper used in the slave trade, which some British cruiser had captured, under American colors. After the capture she was sent to the United States, disowned by the American government, and finally brought into this harbor. When captured, she was only fitted up for the trade; bnt had previously |