| OCR Text |
Show 94 JAMAI(;A. Here we met with the utmost civility from our kind friends, of the firm of Atkinson, Hosier and Co., who presented us, on our arrival, with letterH enough to occupy our attention for two or three days. We could now understand the full meaning of King Solomon's saying, "As cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country." We landed at Kingston, after a voyage of eight days, on the 26th of theSe. cond mouth (February.) John Candler and his wife had arrived in Jamaica many weeks before us, having come from England, on behalf of our Society there, for the purpose of apply. ing a fund raised among the Friends, for the benefit ·of the negro population; not without the further ob· ject in view, of promoting the welfare of all parties in the colony, by setting an example of temperate, con· ciliatory conduct, and by extending such Christian counsel as they might be enabled to give. On two successive evenings, at their lodgings, we met circles of religious people of various denominations, to whom was related our story of the islands to the windward; and we endeavored, I trust, to provoke each other to "love and to good works," in the name of the Lord. On the 29th we commenced our " labor of love"for such it was, however feeble-with visits to the House of Correction, and County Jail; the former airy and tolerably commodious, its inmates employed in breaking stones; the latter utterly inadequate for its purpose-the prisoners being stowed in small rooms, with little air. We held religious meetings in each of these prisons, and I am sorry to add, that our audience in both cases was numerous. The scum of .JAMAICA. 95 the population, since the date of emancipation, has found its way into the city, and the consequence is an increase there of petty crimes. But we were cheerer! by the information, received through various channels, and from the best authority, that, taking the island as a whole, crime is decidedly diminished since the abolition of slavery; in many of the country districts, it has almost ceased. These meetings were attended by several of the magistrates, and it may be worth mentioning, that amongst them were two black aldermen, as respectable in their demeanor, and RO far as we could judge, as fit for their office, as any of their colleagues. The lst of the Third month (March) was the First of the week, and we were glad to see that the day was remarkably well observed at Kingston-:iust as it is in many of the cities of your highly favored Union. Wonderful was the scene which we witnessed that morning in Samuel Oughton's Baptist Chapel which we attended, without having communicated to the people any previous notice of our coming. The minister was so obliging as to make way for us on the occasion, and to invite us to hold our meeting with his flock, after the manner of Friends. Such a flock we had not before seen, consisting of nearly three thousand black people, chiefly emancipated slaves, attired after their favorite custom, in neat white raiment, and most respectable and orderly in their demeanor and appearance. They sat in silence with us, in an exemplary ~anner, and appeared both to understand and appreCiate the doctrines of divine truth, preached on the occasion. The congregation is greatly increased, both |
