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Show 8 ROEBUCK. t t. . the leo-islature of that State. lie hac1 scrvca a 1ve 1n o . . . :1· t 1 n severa1 sess1. ons 1. n that body 'vlth n~::iln...g crCCll ''v. lC the death of his father called hin1, at the age of tlurty, t the care of his estate. Thenceforth he dev_oted 0 himself• to agriculture and to t 11 e d utl· es o f a~ pnva~ t. e c1. t· 1. zen. In the manaoo -ement of a large estate, anll In 1 f t h e per· £o r.m n,nc e of his proper part as a gent cn·1 an ho" prominent position and leading infi~enc~ . 111 lS t he found employment for }us alnhty and coun y, f' 1 1 t . . lie was alnOnO' the Inost success· u pan crs energy. o . · h t' lt of Viro-inia. }i""ree from the canker of a vance, e e an ho~orablc ambition to excel in whatever he attempted and a liberal pleasure in the p~·ofitable eLnployment of all the n1eans intrusted .to h1s care. .lie 'vas proud of th~ public benefits 'vh1ch result~d f:Olll the improvements he introduced; he had pr1de 1n a princely revenue; but his benevolence w. .a s not less princely. As a slaveholder a numerous population depended ,1pon him and ,vith his accustomed energy, he exerc" ised ove'r them' the functions both of guar d_" 1an a?' d o-overnor. No slaves had their wants supphecl 'v1th ~ore judicious or provident liberality than his; none were more contented, or with better reason; but n~ne yielded ln,rger profits fi·om their labor. . By regulating their industry accordin(Y' to a well-dev1sed sy~tetn, by b • l attention to their health, comfort and cheertu neBs-by the employment of proper ov~rsee~·s, and by the constn,nt supervision of his O\Vn 1ntelhgence, he derived fi·o1n the moderate exertions of all nn1ple prosperity, of ,vhieh they all partook. Believing the servitude of neoToes under a superior race to be a needful supplmn~nt to their improvident nature, he did not \Vith sentimental inconsistency, shrink from the ' ' ROEBUCK. 9 exercise of the nnthority nnc1 cli:ciplinc 1\'hich f3erv itntle in1plies. lie \•;r~F· a hun1anc n1a "ter, but he \\'~s master. The con1tnnnity under hiH control was burdened \Vith no drones, unless two or three able-bodied but idle pensioners deserved that opprobrious epitho. t. It 'vas a comnn1nity 'vhich produceJ. ·within itsel_ f nearly everything that its essential \Vants requu ·ed. A:nong the servants were carpenters, shoeIna:~ ers, sm1ths, weavers and other artisans, skilful in thmr trades. Besiues the staple crops, the plant:o:.tion produced flax, ·wool and other material. , to be fabricated for the use of the negroes. Every marriec1 sb.ve w·as n,llowcd a "patch," or kitchcn-O':trden proportione~ in size to the nnn1ber of his fan~ily, and the n1ost thnfty among them made more profit fro1n these pat?hes and from sales of fowls and egg', than the ord1n~ry ''~ages of lnborers. They \Vere, of course, supphed \Vlth food and clothing by the n1a.ster. He \V~s not the lenst industrious me1nber of the comn1un~ty. It " ras his hnbit to give the day to bu::::iness, unt1l nea.r the hour of ilinncr, ,vhich ·wa.s about four o'clock. . I~e spent the morning in con·espon<.lence, or exan1uung accounts or other in-door ,vork o:·, :nore ?ommonly, in riding over his plantation, ancl g1v_1ng h1s person:Ll attention to all its operations. Th1s had been his habit for many yea.rs, and no,v, as he approached the age of three score, his industry ,vas not relaxed. So berdgnly crept the ha<.lo~"v of n0·o o:er his a?tive and useful life that "his eye ,va.s ~~~ dun nor lus natural force aba~ed." IIis 'vife, some five years younger than himself, ,vas ::t lady of comely person, and, in character a.nd 1nauners, an agreeable type of mature \VOn1anhood. She was the daughter of a distinguished public 1nan, and 1* |