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General  Plai. 


I 

Flale .  /. 


THE 


\ 


COFFEE-PLANTER ; 

OR, 


AN  ESSAY 


On  the  Cultivation  and  Manufacturing  of 


THAT  ARTICLE  OF 

W  E  S  T-I  N  D  I  A  PRODUCE. 

I 

BY 

JOHN  LOWNBJES , 

M  ' 

PLANTER , 

tfie  parity  of  &amt  pawl, 


PRINTED  AND  PUBLISHED  BY  C  LOWNDES, 
MARQUIS-COURT,  DKURY-LANE. 


1807. 


\ 


* 


■*». 


* 


THE  PLANTERS , 

A  ND  INHABITANTS  IN  GENERAL, 


OF 


THE  IS E AMD  OF  DOMINICA, 


Author  set  about  committing  to 


Paper  the  following  pages,  he  had  not  the  least 
idea  of  committing  them  to  Print. 

They  were  merely  intended  as  a  series  of  obser¬ 
vations,  and  instructions,  for  the  guidance  of  who¬ 
soever  might  happen  to  be  his  manager,  at  the  time 
of  his  departure  for  Europe. 

He  assumes  to  himself  no  great  merit  from  the 
performance  ;  which  is  no  more  than  methodizing 
what  is  already  known  : — yet  should  it  prove 


B 


only 


(  4  ) 


only  so  far  of  use,  as  to  inform,  in  some  points* 
the  unexperienced  in ,  or  to  recal  to  the  memory  of 
the  experienced  Planter,  any  part  of  the  practice 
of  the  species  of  Plantership  it  treats  of,  it  will,  he 
trusts,  be  admitted  a  sufficient  apology  for  his  ob¬ 
truding  it  upon  the  notice  of  the  public. 

.  \ 

Another  motive  was,  the  pleasure  he  takes  in 
offering  this  tribute  of  his  attachment  to,  and  to- 
ken  of  his  interest  in,  the  welfare  of  a  Colony, 
which  has  for  such  a  length  of  time  been  the  seat 
of  his  and  his  family’s  residence  ; — of  testifying  his 
regret  at  parting  with  some  valuable  and  esteemed 
friends  ; — and  of  manifesting  his  respect  for  its  in¬ 
habitants  in  general  ;  of  whom  he  begs  leave  to 
subscribe 

The  most  obedient  Servant 
and  well-wisher, 

THE  AUTHOR, 


Dominic a9  July  J,  1806c 


THE 


COFFEE-PLANTER; 


OR, 

M 

An  ESSAY, ,  $c. 


It  is  singular  that  the  importance  of  our  West- 
India  Productions  has  not  excited  more  ardour  in 
those  capable  of  treating  on  the  manner  of  the 
Culture  and  manufacturing  ofthem. — Some  treatises 
have  appeared  on  the  subject  of  Sugar  Planting,  but 
none  of  any  great  degree  of  merit;  and  some — vile 
abominable  trash.* — A  Mr.  Laeorte,  in  his  cc  St. 
Domingo  Coffee- Planter,  ”  has  handled  the  Subject 
with  considerable  ability  :  But  his  Book  is  rather 
calculated  for  a  Proprietor  cf  an  Estate,  than  the 
Manager,  or  Conductor  of  one.  He  occupies  too 
many  pages  on  the  Subject  of  making  or  crea  ing 

an 


*  Peter  Ptterkin’s  Book,  for  instance. 


(  6  ) 


an  Estate,  to  be  of  much  use  to  the  latter ;  ancl  is 
too  minute  in  the  description  of  certain  useful  im¬ 
plements  which  stand  in  need  of  no  description.  I 
shall,  on  the  contrary,  not  conduct  my  Reader  to 
the  forest  clothed  in  its  native  umbrageous  vesture, 
but  set  him  down  upon  a  settled  plantation,  and 
give  him  some  plain  and  simple  directions  for  con¬ 
ducting  it. 


In  the  course  of  so  doing  I  shall,  of  course,  treat 
of  that  part,  of  extending  the  cultivation,  and  en- 
creasing  the  revenue  ;  which  will  bring  me,  of  ne¬ 
cessity,  to  lay  down  nearly  the  same  Rules  as  Mr. 
Laborie  gives  for  making  or  forming  a  Planta¬ 
tion. 


THE 


(  7  ) 


THE  MANAGER.  * 


THE  requisite  qualities  and  talents  of  the  person 
to  whom  should  be  entrusted  the  conducting  or 
management  of  a  Plantation  are  so  numerous,  that  it 
is  in  fact  rare,  if  not  next  to  impossible,  to  find 
them  all  concentered  in  one  Man  ;  and  this  being  the 
case,  it  can  only  be  recommended  to  give  a  prefer¬ 
ence  to  the  person  who  possesses  the  most  of  them. 

In  the  first  place,  he  should  be  prudent,  even- 
tempered,  and  sober  ;  for  he  is,  in  fact,  when  in 
the  midst  of  his  Sable  Tribe,  the  miniature  of  a 
petty  absolute  Prince  surrounded  by  his  Subjects  : — 

Plis 

*  This  is  a  term  applied  to  the  Chief  Officer,  or  dire&or  of  an 
Estate,  which  on  my  first  arrival  in  the  West-Indies  sounded  in 
my  ears  as  rather  out  of  the  way ;  though  habit  has  since,  in 
some  degree,  reconciled  it.  I  should  suppose  some  strolling 
Player,  having  turned  Planter,  was  the  first  who  conferred  or  as¬ 
sumed  it.  In  Jamaica  this  Officer  is  termed  the  Overseer;  and  him 
whom  we  term  Overseer,  is  there  called  the  Book-Keeper :  the 
reason  of  which  is,  we  suppose,  because  his  business  is  not  to  keep 
books,  but  to  pad  about  the  Field  and  Works,  and  perform  the 
menial  offices  thereof. 

On  reading  thus  much  of  this  Note  to  an  Intelligent  Friend,  he 
cast  a  light  upon  the  matter,  of  which  we  must  acknowledge  our 
previous  ignorance,  viz.  that  the  Officer  of  the  subaltern  white 
Superintendant  in  Jamaica  had  got  so  out  of  credit,  that  young 
men  would  not  emigrate  to  take  the  situation,  under  the  title  it 
then  bore,  in  consequence  of  which,  the  Proprietors  resident  in 

Europe, 


(  8  ) 


His  dictate  constitutes  the  Law,  from  which  there 
is  no  appeal.  He  therefore  ought  to  govern  by 
the  Rules  of  the  most  impartial  justice;  and,  in 
the  distribution  of  his  rewards  and  punishments, 
to  inflict  the  latter  only  on  full  conviction  of  the 
demerits  of  the  subject,  nor  suffer  himself  to  be 
guided  in  the  former  by  caprice  or  partiality. 

Thus  much  for  his  situation  in  a  general  point 
of  view  :  we  shall  now  descend  more  into  par¬ 
ticulars. — 

He  should,  above  all  things,  possess  humanity  and 
moderat  on,  with  firmness  to  enforce  discipline,  and 
punish  disobedience.  He  should  possess  as  much 
of  the  knowledge  of  Physic  as  can  be  extracted 
from  Buchan’s  Family  Physician  ;  that  is,  to  know 

_ 

Europe,  or  the  r  Agents  employed  to  procure  them,  thought  fit 
to  change  the  term  to  that  of  “  Book  Keeper,” — (in  which,  we 
cannot  but  admit,  was  an  unpardonable  departure  from  candour) 
in  order  to  do  away  the  odium  which  the  previous  appellation  had 
acquired.  Let  it  not,  however,  be  inferred  that  we  hold  the  si¬ 
tuation  in  a  way  disreputable. — A  prudent  sober  Overseer  is  a 
highly  reputable  character;  and  is  a  step  of  the  ladder  which  has 
raised  many  to  the  most  respectable  situations. 

Could  I  effect  a  reform,  I  would  call  the  Chief  Director  the 
Superintendant  ;  his  subordinate  Assistants  /^Supervisors; 
and  the  Driver  (  a  term  I  ever  held  in  aversion  )  the  Overseer  : 
the  names  would  then  bear  some  analogy  to  the  Office. 

The  Driver,  though  taken  from  among  the  blacks,  is  an  Officer 
of  importance  and  respectability.  Two,  three,  or  more  may  be 
necessary  on  large  Estates.— In  fact,  the  requisites  for  properly 
filling  this  station  are  almost  as  numerous  as  those  of  the  Ma* 
pager*  He 


(  9  ) 


by  the  pulse,  tongue,  and  other  external  tokens, 
if  a  subject  who  complains  is  really  sick  :  It  were 
well  if  his  skill  in  Surgery  went  to  phlebotomy  and 
the  setting  of  a  limb  :  He  should  know  a  sufficiency 
of  Farriery  to  make  the  proper  applications  for 
diseases  of  Horses,  Mules,  and  horned-cattle  : — 
He  should  be  sufficient  of  a  Mechanic  to  superin¬ 
tend  the  erection,  at  least,  of  rough  buildings  : — 
He  should  be  so  much  of  a  Mathematician,  as  to 
be  able  to  measure,  and  cast  up  the  contents  of  a 
piece  of  Land  ;  to  trace  Roads,  and  level  Ca¬ 
nals  for  conducting  Water  : — He  should  possess  a 
knowledge  of  Law  and  natural  Justice,  to  decide 
correctly  and  impartially,  in  contests  for  property, 
and  other  disputes,  among  the  Class  of  people  com¬ 
mitted  to  him  ;  and  enough  of  the  Sacerdotal  cha¬ 
racter,  to  inculcate  a  love  of  order  and  morality, 
without  permitting  his  doctrines  to  partake  of  the 
cant  and  hypocrisy  of  Methodism. 

All  these  requisites,  with  a  thorough  knowledge 
of  his  business,  it  must  be  admitted,  are  very  rare 

to 

He  should  preserve  a  steady  impartial  authority  ;  he  should  exact 
silence  and  order  at  the  work  : — he  should  keep  himself  clear 
from,  and  discover,  and  expose,  all  cabals  : — he  should  be  vigi¬ 
lant  in  the  extreme  over  the  conduct  of  the  people  in  their  Houses  | 
for  as  his  resorts  will  be  so  much  more  immediately  among 
them,  than  the  whites,  he  cannot  but  be  informed  of  all  that 
passes: — he  should  be  tenacious  of  the  respect  due  to  his  situa¬ 
tion  ;  and  even  at  their  feasts,  diversions,  and  recreations,  pre¬ 
serve  a  proper  distance  and  reserve  This  Officer  is  allowed  to 
punifh,  for  negligence  or  remissness,  as  far  as  half  a  dozen  lashes  ; 
but  no  further,  without  orders  from  the  Chief  Director  of  the 
Estate. 


(  10  ) 


to  be  found  united  in  one  person. — And  when  we 
look  round  and  see  the  many  drunken,  ignorant,  il¬ 
literate,  dissolute,  unprincipled  Characters,  to  whom 
the  charge  of  Property  is  confided,  (sometimes  by 
the  careless,  or  less  conscientious,  Attornies  of  ab¬ 
sent  Proprietors) ,  it  is  no  wonder  the  Estate  goes 
to  ruin  and  destruction. 

In  my  choice  of  a  Manager,  I  would,  contrary  to 
the  system  of  many  people,  prefer  a  married  Man — 
and  that  for  a  variety  of  reasons  : — the  objection 
“  that  he  will  require  more  servants  55  is  a  very  idle 
one.  What  a  portion  of  attendance  do  we  not  see 
exacted  by  a  coloured  Mistress  ! — A  prudent  white 
Wife  will  voluntarily  occupy  herself  among  the  sick 
Slaves  : — Her  affection  to  her  husband  will  induce 
her  to  do  it,  to  ease  him  of  the  burthen  :  Your 
Estate  will  be  the  domestic  seat  of  order  and  deco¬ 
rum,  instead  of  drunkenness,  revelry  and  riot :  — 
And  the  Manager  will  of  course  be  more  attached 
to  his  home,  where  domestic  comfort  awaits  his  ar¬ 
rival,  than  he  who  returns  to  the  taunts  of  an  ex¬ 
torting  coloured  Concubine,  or  any  imperious  fe¬ 
male  Slave  selected  from  your  gang ;  who,  with 
the  whole  of  her  family  and  connexions,  must  be 
pampered  and  indulged,  and  thus  spread  jealousies, 
murmurs,  and  discontent,  throughout  all  the  other 
Negroes  of  the  Plantation. 

* 

It  is,  however,  but  justice  to  admit,  although  I 
am  no  advocate  for  the  open  libertinism  which  is  too 
charitably  glanced  over  in  this  Clime,  nor  solicitous 

of 


(  11  ) 


of  conciliating  the  goodwill  of  those  Nymphs 
who  kindly  bestow  their  endearments  on  the  youth 
of  the  other  Sex,  whose  circumstances  and  situation 
incline  them  not  to  Matrimony, — that  although  I 
have  known  some  coloured  Damsels  possessed  of 
such  a  portion  of  the  termagant,  as  to  breed  such 
strife  that  their  Keeper  could  retain  no  situation 
whatever — yet  have  I  known  others  possessed  of 
sufficient  moderation,  and  useful  industry,  to  con¬ 
duct  themselves  in  a  Way,  not  only  not  to  injure ,  but 
to  be  of  service  to,  the  property  conducted  by 
their  paramours. 

Mr.  Laborie  has  been  so  very  minute  as  to  be¬ 
gin  by  the  choice  of  soil  and  situation — by  describ¬ 
ing  the  mode  of  cutting  the  Trees,  and  clearing 
and  preparing  the  ground  for  planting  ;  and  even 
to  present  engraved  Plates  of  the  implements  em¬ 
ployed  for  these  purposes.  But  as  most  of  my 
readers  know  what  an  axe,  a  grubbing-hoe,  a  pick¬ 
axe,  and  a  saw  are,  I  shall  begin  my  directions 
from  the  process  of  lining  the  ground  for  planting  ; 
and  in  this  I  perfectly  agree  with  Mr.  Laborie,  of 
keeping  an  account  of  the  number  of  the  Picquets, 
(as  by  that  means  you  ascertain  the  quantity  of 
land  planted)  and  of  driving  them  well  into  the 
ground  with  a  wooden  mallet. 

o 

Previous  to  this  part  of  the  process,  wre,  how-, 
ever,  pre-suppose  the  clearing  of  the  land  ;  and 
here  arises  a  quere ,  on  the  manner  in  which  it  is 
to  be  effected,  and  of  the  convenience  which  may 
arise,  in  point  of  expedition,  with  the  alledged  per¬ 
nicious,  effects  of 


V 


c 


BURNING 


(  12  ) 


\ 


BURNING  the  BRUSH, 

LESSER  BRANCHES, 

I 

AND  RUBBISH,  ON  THE  GROUND. 

- ■ 

AS  I  sometimes  refer  to  the  practice  of  my 
neighbours,  ancl  sometimes  confine  myself  to  the 
mode  suggested  and  adopted  by  myself,  it  may  be 
proper  here  to  consider  the  practice  of  burning, 
to  clear  the  land  of  the  bushes,  rubbish,  and  the 
lesser  branches  of  the  Timber,  which  occupies  its 
surface  after  the  process  of  felling,  and  junking  the 
Trees.  Burning  it  on  the  surface  has  been  the 
mode  generally  adopted  and  the  mode  which  I 
have  followed  ;  I  am,  however,  much  inclined  to 
the  opinion,  that  it  would  be  better  if  the  contents 
of  the  surface  could  be  permitted  to  rot  between 
the  rows.  It  is  true,  it  would  afford  a  lesser  space 
for  provisions  ;  but  provisions  might  be  planted 
in  ground  apart.  I  shall  therefore  strengthen  my 
opinion  by  the  authority  of  the  writer  already 
referred  to,  who  justly  observes,  that,  after  this 
general  conflagration,  44  a  quantity  of  small  wood 
“  sometimes  remains  unconsumed.  Thiss”  says 
he,  44  must  be  gathered  into  heaps,  and  burned 
44  again.” 

But,  ”  continues  he,  c<  this  must  be  avoided 

44  as 


(  13  ) 


“  as  much  as  possible,  by  proper  precautions  in 
“  the  first  burning ;  because  the  ground  is  often 
41  burnt  into  brick  by  these  great  fires,” 

i 

44  Nay,  in  general,”  continues  he,  44  though 
“  ashes  are  a  kind  of  manure,  on  account  of  the 
44  alkaline  salt  they  contain,  it  is  to  be  wished  that 
“  burning  could  be  dispensed  with,  because  it 
64  destroys  more  of  the  salts  contained  in  the  soil 
44  than  the  ashes  supply  ;  and  besides,  the  mould- 
44  ering  of  the  raw  wood  affords  a  manure  which 
44  is  hereby  annihilated,  But  if  this  is  attempted, 
44  the  quantity  of  wood,  sometimes  very  great, 
44  should  be  arranged  into  straight  and  parallel 
44  rows,  between  which  the  Coffee-trees  may  be 
44  planted.  Where  these  must  be  at  small  distances 
44  from  each  other,  it  would  become  extremely 
44  difficult.  Besides,  nothing  could  be  planted  in 
44  these  thick  covered  intervals,  On  the  other  hand, 
44  this  practice  would  be  attended  with  the  addi- 
44  tional  advantage  of  furnishing,  in  process  of  time, 
44  a  good  manure,  of  sheltering  the  young  Coffee 
44  from  the  wind,  and  dividing  the  streams*  of  rain- 
44  water,  which  are  equally  hurtful.  This  I  know 
44  has  been  practised  with  success  in  plantations 
41  where  there  was  a  great  number  of  hands,  and 
44  the  trees  were  planted  at  large  distances.  But 
44  I  would  not  venture  to  try  it  in  the  first  settle- 
44  ment,  where  a  few  negroes  are  employed  ;  and 
44  where  every  spot  must  be  converted  into  use,  for 
44  a  speedy  and  ample  supply  of ground  provisions, 
44  and  vegetables  of  all  sorts,” — 


So 


(  H  ) 


So  far  the  judicious  Laborie. — For  my  part,  I 
must  confess,  I  regret  a  thick  layer  of  half  rotten 
leaves,  small  branches,  and  other  ingredients,  con¬ 
genial  to  vegetation,  should  fall  a  prey  to  the  ra¬ 
vages  of  that  devouring  element,  Fire. —Yet  after 
all,  the  devoting  them  to  this  fate  is,  perhaps,  un¬ 
avoidable. 

OF  LINING,  &c. 

The  distance  of  the  rows  is  a  most  essential 
object  of  consideration  ;  and  in  which  the  Planter 
must  be  guided  chiefly  by  the  quality  of  the  Soil. 
Some  Planters  line  at  the  distance  of  ten  feet  each 
way  :  others  ten  feet  by  nine. — My  practice  has 
been  generally  nine  feet  square,  which  I  have  found, 
upon  experience,  in  good  soil,  neither  too  wide  nor 
too  near.  Some  Planters  plant  much  nearer  :* 
But  experience  has  in  many  instances  proved  this 
a  bad  practice  ;  as,  if  your  soil  is  good,  the  trees 
grow  so  luxuriant  that  they  touch  and  crowd 
each  other,  and  exclude  air,  which  prevents  their 
bearing. — I  would  therefore  rather  err  on  the  other 
side,  although  I  should  be  charged  with  a  waste  of 
Surface  :  Nor  would  I,  in  any  land,  except  exhaust¬ 
ed  soil,  where  you  may  expect  your  trees  will  be¬ 
come  stunted,  (and  such  is  scarce  worth  planting 
at  all),  plant  nearer  than  eight  feet. 

The 


*  Mr.  Laborie  talks  of  planting  at  the  distance  of  three  feet 
square ;  and  then  gives  a  Latitude  extending  to  ten  by  nine, 
and  twelve  by  eleven — which,  if  just,  the  soil  must  vary  much  in 
St.  Domingo.-—/7*^  his  Book,  page  113. 


(  15  ) 


The  manner  of  performing  this  part  of  the  bu¬ 
siness  is  so  very  simple  as  to  require  little  explana¬ 
tion.  Indeed,  if  the  Surface  was  of  such  a  kind  as 
to  admit  your  laying  out  the  Ground  in  squares, 
little  direction  on  this  head  would  be  required  ; 
but  as  Coffee  Estates  are  generally  situated  in  the 
up-lands,  where  the  surface  is  very  irregular,  a 
mode  of  reducing  such  irregular  surfaces  to  as  re¬ 
gular  figures  as  possible  may  not  be  improper  in  a 
treatise  on  this  subject.  And  as  the  Author  is  at 
the  present  moment  about  planting  some  new  pieces 
of  Coffee  of  this  description,  he  shall  submit,  for 
the  consideration  of  others,  his  mode  of  doing  it, 
leaving  the  adoption  of  his  method  to  such  only  as 
may  approve  it. 

The  piece  of  Land,  of  which  he  makes  the  ex¬ 
ample  in  the  present  instance,  is  of  the  kind  of  Sur¬ 
face  which  the  Coffee-Planter  will  have  most  fre¬ 
quently  to  deal  with,  viz,  a  hill-side,  circumscribed 
at  top  and  bottom  by  two  nearly  parallel  roads  ; 
on  one  end  by  the  boundary  of  his  Neighbour,  of 
which  the  obliquity  prevents  his  making  that  end 
square,  and,  on  the  other  end,  by  some  rocks  and 
cliffs,  which  oppose  the  same  obstacle  to  regularity 
of  figure. 

Coffee  rows,  like  the  rows  of  Cane-holes,  in 
Lands  having  a  slope,  should  be  planted  as  nearly 
level  as  possible ,  both  for  the  convenience  of  work¬ 
ing,  and  preventing  of  washes  ;  with  this  differ¬ 
ence,  that  the  angular  points  of  Canc-holes,  not 

being 


(  16  ) 


being  so  far  asunder  as  the  Coffee  Picquets,  should 
the  surface  require  it,  a  sort  of  curved  line  may  be 
resorted  to.  But  this,  in  Coffee,  would  have  a 
very  slovenly,  aukward  effect  ;  therefore  a  princi¬ 
pal  line  must  be  struck,  as  near  on  a  level  as  possi¬ 
ble  ;  and  this  line,  being  crossed  by  one  at  right 
angles,  the  whole  of  the  piece  must  be  staked  off 
by  lines  parallel  to  these  two  primary  lines  of 
direction. 

/* 

The  liner  should  therefore  begin  somewhere 
about  the  middle  of  the  piece,  as  at  the  point  A, 
and  there,  running  his  line  right  down  across  the 
piece,  to  B,  in  such  wise  in  the  direction  of  the 
slope  of  the  hill,  that  it  shall  intersect  a  line  at 
right-angles  thereto,  which  shall  be  as  nearly  as 
possible  on  a  level,  as  CD:  from  these  he  lines 
off  his  piece  upwards  to  the  upper  road,  and 
downwards  to  the  lower  one,  throwing  the  irre¬ 
gularity  in  the  number  of  his  picquets  on  the  out¬ 
sides  or  extremities  of  his  piece,  and  preserving  the 
middle  of  it  perfectly  regular  and  square. 

The  implements  employed  in  lining  are,  a  strong 
line  or  chain,  marked  with  pieces  of  coloured  cloth 
at  the  distance  at  which  the  Coffee-plants  are  to 
be  planted  from  each  other  ;  a  rod  or  measure  of 
the  length  of  the  distance  of  each  row  from  its 
neighbouring  one  ;  a  sufficient  parcel  of  good 
strong  stakes  or  picquets,  pointed  at  the  lower  end, 
and  a  mallet  for  driving  them.  The  operation  will 
require  four  people,  viz.  one  to  each  end  of  the 

chain 


(  17  ) 

* 

chain  or  line  ;  one  to  cany  the  bundle  of  picquets 
(which  must  be  previously  counted  into  hundreds, 
and  accounted  for)  ;  and  the  liner  himself,  who  will 
receive  the  picquets,  one  by  one,  from  the  carrier, 
and  drive  them  into  the  ground. 


The  first  object,  in  beginning  to  line  a  piece,  is 
to  establish  your  two  primary  lines  at  right  angles 
to  each  other.  This  done,  the  person  who  holds 
the  end  of  the  chain  or  line  at  A,  moves  it  to  the 
second  picquet  at  D,  and  the  person  holding  the 
other  end  measures  with  his  rod  the  distance  from 
B  towards  E,  and  strains  his  line  from  D  to  E ; 
along  which  the  liner,  as  in  the  line  A  B,  plants  his 
picquets ;  and  thus  proceeds  with  each  succeed¬ 
ing  line  or  row,  till  the  piece  is  completed. 


In  the  process  of  lining,  another  object  of  con- Fences,  or 
sideration  will  occur  to  the  Planter,  and  that  is  the 
number  and  distribution  of  his  Fences  or  Live- 
hedges  :  and,  in  this  place,  it  may  not  be  amiss  to 
enter  into  the  history,  and  first  introduction  of 
these  Fences  or  Live-hedges.  It  is  in  the  memory 
of  most  Planters  of  any  standing  when  Coffee- 
patches  were  planted  like  our  Cane-Fields,  with¬ 
out  any  fences  or  divisions  ;  and,  until  some 
dreadful  ravages  by  Hurricanes  suggested  to  the 
Planter  the  idea  of  protecting  his  plantations  from 
the  wind,  was  the  planting  these  fences  ever 
thought  adviseable  or  necessary. 


Some  Planters  having  adopted  the  System,  and 

essayed 


(  18  ) 


essayed  various  species  of  plants  for  the  purpose, 
Fois-doux. ovcr  aH  which  the  Pois-doux  obtained  (and justly) 
the  preference,  the  rage  of  Plantership  was  all  di¬ 
rected  to  fences  of  that  plant ;  and  many  Planta¬ 
tions  became  so  covered  with  them,  you  could 
scarce  discern  any  thing  else.  There  is  no  doubt 
that,  although  Pois-doux  is  a  plant  favourable  to 
Coffee,  that,  where  Coffee  is  too  much  crowded 
with  it,  it  will  not  bear:  Yet  this  is  not  a  reason 
for  adopting  a  system,  which  some  Planters  are  be¬ 
ginning  to  embrace,  of  cutting  it  all  down.  Having 
escaped  for  a  series  of  years  from  a  Hurricane,  they 
begin  to  forget  its  ravages.  But,  independent  of 
the  protection  afforded  by  this  plant,  at  proper  in¬ 
tervals,  the  Coffee-Planter  must  consider  its  utility 
in  an  horizontal  direction  on  hill-sides  ;  its  cheer¬ 
ing  effects  upon  the  Coffee,  in  contributing  its 
cuttings,  to  prevent  the  thirsty  rays  of  the  Sun 
from  absorbing  the  moisture  of  the  Soil,  and  keep¬ 
ing  down  weeds  and  grass.  Its  various  good 
offices  certainly  require  some  acknowledgment  : 
The  Pois-doux  stands  in  the  predicament  of  a  ve¬ 
teran  Servant  ;  who,  having  faithfully  discharged 
his  duty,  it  would  be  ungenerous  wholly  to  discard, 
because  his  Services  may  not  be  so  frequently  use¬ 
ful  to  us  as  formerly. 

\  '  \ 

But  to  return  to  our  subject  of  lining. — 

%  ,  ^  / 

It  is,  I  believe,  the  custom  of  Coffee- Planters  in  - 
general  to  plant  their  Coffee  in  every  row  picquet- 
ed,  and  afterwards  to  plant  their  Pois-doux ,  at  such 

interval? 


/ 


(  19  ) 

intervals  as  they  may  deem  proper  between  each  two 
rows  of  Coffee  which  shall  occur  in  such  interval. 
Now,  supposing  the  fences  to  be  allotted  to  every 
sixth  row,  and  the  Coffee-rows  to  be  nine  feet  asun¬ 
der,  the  Pois-doux  plant  will  be  only  four  and  an 
half  feet  distant  from  each  of  the  Coffee  plants  of 
the  two  rows  between  which  it  is  situated  ;  and, 
when  it  comes  to  extend  its  branches,  must  so  far 
encroach  upon  the  Coffee  as  to  prevent  those  rows 
bearing  so  plentifully  as  they  otherwise  would  do. 
I  would  therefore  recommend  the  planting  the  Pois - 
doux  in  the  space  occupied  by  every  sixth  row  of 
Coffee  ;  thus  affording  to  every  row  the  equal  means 
of  extending  its  branches  ;  and  the  Coffee  plants, 
as  the  Pols- doux  advances  to  maturity,  may  be  re¬ 
moved  for  supplies  in  the  places  where  they  may 
be  wanted. 

Before  I  dismiss  this  section  of  the  Subject,  it 
may  not  be  wholly  foreign  thereto  to  touch  upon 
the  distribution  of  Coffee-pieces  on  hill-sides. — 
Along  hill-sides  I  would  ahvays  lead  good  broad 
horizontal  roads,  at  convenient  and  proper  dis¬ 
tances  apart  ;  on  the  lower  side  of  which  should  be 
planted  Pols -doux  fences  ;  which  not  only  arrest 
the  further  progress  of  stones  which  may  roll  down, 
but  retain  the  soil  washed  into  them  by  the  rains, 
which  may  be  collected,  and  afford  a  grateful  nu* 
triment  to  the  adjacent  trees. 

Neatness  in  Piantership  is,  as  in  every  thing 
else,  a  very  desirable  object ;  for  though  some  may 

D  say, 


(  20  ) 


say,“  W  hat  care  I  for  symmetry  and  appearance ! — 
“  give  me  revenue  \yy — I  must  insist  upon  it  that 
symmetry  and  regularity  contribute  to  increase  of 
revenue.  And  therefore,  when  a  Planter  is  about 
so  important  a  work  as  the  laying  out  a  piece  of 
Coffee,  which  in  good  soil,  and  well  attended  to, 
will  last  for  ages — I  insist  he  commits  an  unpar¬ 
donable  negligence,  if  his  work  exhibits  a  parcel  of 
unneessary  crooks  and  obliquities  ;  it  being  de¬ 
monstrable  by  mathematical  principles,  that  regular 
figures  will  contain  the  greatest  quantity,  at  least 
afford  the  most  favourable  distribution  of  it. 

planting.  next  come  to  the  business  of  Planting,  a 

process  so  simple  as  to  require  very  little  explana¬ 
tion.  However,  as  even  in  the  most  simple  opera¬ 
tions  method  contributes  to  facility  and  dispatch, 
I  shall  describe  the  mode  by  which  I  have  gene¬ 
rally  been  guided. 

Having  procured  the  quantity  of  plants  requir¬ 
ed,  (of  which  those  raised  in  a  nursery  in  the  open 
ground  should  be  preferred  to  those  which  promis¬ 
cuously  spring  up  under  the  trees,  being  more  hardy, 
and  less  liable  to  be  checked  in  their  growth  by  the 
heat  of  the  Sun)  two  persons  should  be  allotted  to  the 
operation:-— one  of  whom  should  be  provided  with  a 
strong  hard-wood  picquet,  about  five  feet  long  and 
two  inches  diameter,  pointed  at  the  end  ;  and,  if 
shod  with  iron,  it  may  perhaps  be  better  ;  though 
hard  wood  pointed,  and  that  point  a  little  scorched 
in  the  fire,  will  fully  answer  the  purpose.  This  the 

carrier 


carrier  will  forcibly  drive  into  the  ground  in  four 
places,  about  twelve  inches  from  each  picquet,  so  as 
to  form  a  square  circumscribing  it  as  equi-distant  as 
the  eye  will  permit :  And,  having  pierced  the 
ground  to  a  sufficient  depth,  and  opened  the  ori¬ 
fice  sufficiently  wide  to  receive  the  root  of  the  plant 
with  all  its  fibres,  the  carrier  of  the  plant  will  put 
in  four  plants  to  each  picquet,  inserting  them  to 
the  depth  at  which  they  were  growing  originally, 
and  close  the  soil  round  them.  The  reason  of  in¬ 
troducing  four  plants  is,  that  you  may  have 
your  choice  of  the  two  best  of  them,  of  which  you 
will  make  your  election  after  they  are  a  little  ad* 
vanced  in  growth.  The  other  two  may  be  thrown 
away  ;  or,  if  good  plants,  will  serve  to  supply  those 
places  where  the  plants  may  either  fail  or  sustain 
injury. 

It  is  highly  probable  that  single  trees  would  thrive 
better,  and  give  more  produce  than  in  the  above 
mode  of  rearing  them  in  pairs  :  but  as  the  Coffee 
plant  is  obnoxious  to  a  variety  of  accidents,  as  in¬ 
jury  by  the  rolling  of  stones,  disease,  and  even 
a  premature  death,  without  any  outward  visible 
cause  ;  was  the  planter  to  place  his  whole  depen¬ 
dence  on  a  single  Tree  to  a  picquet,  the  destruc¬ 
tion  of  such  tree  would  cause  so  great  a  breach  in 
his  piece  as  would  require  some  years  to  fill  up  : 
Whereas  one,  of  a  pair,  being  destroyed,  its  part¬ 
ner  spreads  its  branches  in  his  place,  and  in  a  short 
time  the  deficiency  becomes  imperceptible. 


Some 


(  22  ) 


Some  Planters,  even  in  new  soil,  dig  a  small  hole 
for  the  plant,  the  soil  of  which  they  plough  up  a 
little  and  return  :  a  practice  I  cannot  conceive 
necessary,  as  in  good  soil  the  earth  is  sufficiently 
free  without  loosening-  The  consequence  of  which 
is,  your  plant  is  exposed  to  be  shaken  by  the  least 
wind,  which  will  inevitably  tend  to  its  destruction. 

Here  we  have  presumed  to  differ  with  the  in¬ 
genious  Laborie,  from  whom  we  shall  extract  a 
short  quotation  : — “  Next,  ”  says  that  Author, 
<c  holes  are  to  be  dug,  of  which  every  picquet  must 
“  as  much  as  possible  be  the  centre  ;  these  must 
“  be  nine  or  twelve  inches  diameter,  and  fifteen  or 
“  eighteen  in  depth.  Perhaps  so  much  is  not  ex- 
ec  pressly  necessary  for  the  success  of  the  plant  ; 
“  but  it  is  obvious  that  the  tender  roots  will 
“  penetrate  more  easily  into  a  soil  well  triturated 
46  and  manured. 

“  The  earth  from  the  hole  is  placed  beneath  it, 
C{  at  the  surface  of  the  ground,  and  the  picquet 
“  is  left  in  the  empty  hole. 

“  A  few  settlers  plant  in  light  crumbly  ground 
“  by  means  of  the  picquet  ;  that  is,  instead  of 
“  digging  the  ground,  they  content  themselves 
“  with  forcing  a  large  pointed  stick  into  the  earth  ; 

“  move  it  round,  and  then  insert  the  plant  into 
“  that  small  hole,  together  with  some  mould  well 
*■  triturated.  These  expeditious  and  lazy  methods 
<£  are  only  mentioned  to  warn  the  reader  from 
“  adopting  them. 55  The  * 


The  reader  here  has  his  option  of  two  very  op¬ 
posite  doctrines.  I  should  be  very  sorry  to  incul¬ 
cate  habits  of  laziness  ;  but  must  observe,  that  the 
Coffee-Planter  will  experience  sufficient  occasions 
to  exercise  his  industry  and  activity,  without  ex¬ 
pending  it  in  useless  labour.  * 

And  now  it  is  begins  the  Planter’s  toil. — ToWeetlms* 
rear  every  species  of  plant  to  a  state  of  luxuriance, 
the  weeds  and  grass  must  be  carefully  extirpated  ; 
and  in  this  point  Coffee,  particularly  in  its  infancy, 
calls  forth  the  strictest  attention.  Your  weeding 
must  therefore  be  early,  and  frequently  repeated  ; 
for,  should  your  young  plant  so  far  feel  neglect  in 
this  most  essential  point,  as  to  change  its  colour 
from  the  luxuriant  dark  green  to  a  pale  yellow,  it 
will  sustain  such  an  irreparable  injury,  as  time  and 
after-labour  can  scarcely  ever  surmount. 

Yet,  whilst  young*,  the  intermediate  spaces  may  Aamis'ible 

J  07  .  1  .  .  plants  m  va- 

be  occupied  by  other  useful  plants,  without  infury  cant  *paces  <>£ 

-i  .  ^  i  •  i  i  i  Coffee-pieces. 

to  the  piece  ;  or  which  the  least  annoyant  is  the 
Tannier,  the  Edda,  or  Malanga  j*.  Plantains  may 
be  thinly  distributed  at  moderate  distances  ;  but 
they  must  be  thinned  as  the  Coffee  advances  to  ma¬ 
turity  ;  nor  will  rows  of  Pigeon- Peas,  or  Pois- 
Angole,  particularly  the  dwarf  kind,  through  the 
centers  of  some  of  the  rows,  be  of  prejudice  ;  but, 
on  the  contrary,  a  protection : — But  Yams,  and 

running 

•  O 

*  Laborie  directs  the  furnishing  of  these  holes  but  with  a 
single  tree. 

f  Called  byLABORiE  Tayaux • 


(  24  ) 


running  Vines  of  every  kind,  ought  to  be  strictly  in¬ 
terdicted,  as  they  wind  about  the  Coffee,  entangle 
in  its  branches,  and  do  it  considerable  injury.  The 
Palma  Christi ,  or  plant  from  which  the  Castor-oil 
is  made,  is  also  among  the  number  of  admissible 
plants  ;  and  indeed  the  occupying  the  spaces  be¬ 
tween  the  rows  with  any  plant  which  does  not  too 
much  exhaust  the  substance  of  the  Soil,  is  of  ad¬ 
vantage,  as  preventing  the  effects  of  the  intense  heat 
of  the  Sun’s  rays  from  absorbing  its  juices,  till  such 
time  as  the  Coffee  plants  themselves  sufficiently  ex¬ 
tend  their  branches  for  that  salutary  purpose. 

Magnioc,  if  you  have  a  French  Manager,  he  will 
be  a  strenuous  advocate  for  introducing,  it  being  a- 
m°n gyoar  Coffee,  and  as  he  terms  his  privileges.  But 
even  was  this  privilege  not  frequently  abused  (which 
is  not  often  the  case)  it  ought  to  be  very  thinly 
planted,  and  continued  for  a  very  short  time  ;  never 
exceeding  one  crop  of  Farine.  In  short,  this  descrip¬ 
tion  of  people  will  be  for  introducing  potatoes,  peas, 
and  corn  ;  for  which  reason  it  will  ever  be  my 
maxim,  and  the  leading  feature  of  my  instructions  to 
my  Attornies,  never  to  employ  a  French  Manager. 

Nor  fear  I  here  to  be  accused  by  the  French  Plan¬ 
ters  with  illiberality,  or  national  prejudice.  The 
French  Proprietors  are  themselves  so  well  convinc¬ 
ed  of  the  justness  of  my  assertion,  that  they  scarce¬ 
ly  ever  confer  the  authority  which  we  annex  to  the 
character  and  situation  of  a  Manager,  on  their 

Monsieur  ly  Econome .”  Some  of  the  most  able  and 

well- 


(  25  ) 


well-informed  French  Planters,  my  friends,  have 
observed  to  me — “  Mon  ami,  il  vous  faut  un  bon 
46  Econome  Fran$ais — mais—  ou  le  trouver  je  ne 
6 4  vous  dirai  pas  ; — car  ce  sont  des  oiseaux  bien 
“  rare.”* — Now  as  I  happen  to  be  precisely  of  the 
same  opinion,  and  observe  the  exactitude  with  which 
they  themselves  follow  the  advice  they  give  me,  (the 
surest  test  of  its  sincerity)  I  should  conceive  my¬ 
self  justly  accused  of  foliy  and  want  of  observa¬ 
tion,  were  I  not  to  perceive  that,  as  they  reside  con¬ 
stantly  on  the  spot,  and  conduct  the  business  them¬ 
selves,  the  being  who  acts  under  them,  as  an  over¬ 
seer,  is  always  prohibited  the  privilege  of  either 
thinking  or  acting.  His  eyes,  to  view  the  perform¬ 
ance  of  the  labour  he  is  to  superintend,  and  ears, 
to  receive  the  orders  of  his  Bourgeois ,  f  are  all  the 
organs  requisite  for  such  a  being.  This  is,  however, 
a  so  much  to  be  envied  character,  that  (if  perfect 
happiness  is  attainable  upon  earth)  add  but  to  his 
privileges  of  magnioc,  pulse,  corn  and  potatoes, 
a  bundle  of  segars,  a  bottle  of  new  rum  in  reserve, 
a  hammock  to  loll  in  during  the  short  periods  of 
the  suspension  of  labour,  and  a  coloured  mistress, 
and  he  is  in  possession  of  it. 

As  in  few  Coffee  Estates  is  to  be  found  a  regular 
uniformity  of  quality  in  the  soil,  the  careful  Plan¬ 
ter  will  direct  his  attention  to  those  parts  which  re¬ 
quire  a  greater  portion  of  labour,  and  the  assistance 

of 


*  “  My  friend,  yon  should  have  a  good  French  Manager — but 
“  where  you  will  find  him  I  will  not  say  ; — for  it  is  a  species  of 
“  beings  very  scarce.”  f  Employer. 


Manure.  0f  manure.  This  he  ought  to  be  particularly  atten¬ 
tive  to,  as  well  from  the  motive  of  exhibiting  a 
handsome  appearance  of  neat  plantership,  as  that 
of  forming  his  work  into  a  compact  compass.  For 
if,  by  parsimony  of  a  little  extra  labour,  he  leaves 
shabby  patches  in  the  midst  of  his  more  flourishing 
pieces,  it  not  only  prejudices  a  discerning  observer 
with  respect  to  the  value  of  the  property;  but 
drives  him  to  the  necessity  of  seeking  those  re¬ 
sources  towards  his  crop,  by  traversing  through 
tracts  of  distant  ground,  which  might  be  found 
nearer  home.  A  poor  patch  of  Coffee  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  buildings  is  therefore  an  unpardonable  negli¬ 
gence  ;  as  the  sweepings  and  cleanings  of  the 
kitchen,  stables,  and  pens,  Coffee-husks,  and  chaff, 
will  afford  sufficient  and  ample  means  of  renovating 
the  powers  of  vegetation.  For  tins  purpose  large 
holes  ought  to  be  dug,  ( the  larger  the  better)  and 
this  compost  mingled  with  the  soil  thence  taken, 
and  a  little  of  the  contiguous  upper  surface  put 
therein  ;  and  in  this  regenerated  mould  the  plant 
should  be  carefully  deposited,  and  sedulously  de¬ 
fended  from  annoyance  by  weeds.  The  manure, 
should  its  effects  appear  to  be  suspended,  or  ex¬ 
hausted,  can  be  renewed  at  the  different  periods  of 
weeding  ;  and  then  the  oldest  land  on  the  Estate,  if 
the  surface  is  of  such  moderate  descent  as  to  retain 
the  soil  and  manure,  may  be  invigorated  so  as  to 
last  for  ages. 

proof  the  prnc-  j\s  an  instance  in  proof  of  this  assertion,  I  have 

ticabihty  of  r 

renovating  the  a  piece  of  land,  which,  independent  of  its  being 

powers  of  r  ^ 

vegetation.  -  Very 


(  57  ) 


very  unfairly  treated  by  the  proprietor,  my  imme¬ 
diate  predecessor,  laboured  under  all  the  following 
disadvantages.  In  1765,  the  year  in  which  he 
purchased,  he  found  it  in  abandoned  Coffee,  run 
up  wild  to  the  height  of  from  13  to  20  feet:  He 
then  cut  it  down  near  the  ground,  and,  as  the  term 
js,  rattooned  it ;  that  is,  let  it  grow  up  in  sprouts, 
or  new  shoots.  In  1778  he  was  induced  again  to 
cut  it  down,  stump  up  the  roots,  and  plant  the 
land  in  canes  ;  in  which  lie  cultivated  it  several 
years.— -A  new  fit  of  caprice  induced  him,  many 
years  after,  to  exercise  his  vengeance  upon  the 
Can  es ;  which  he  extirpated,  and  lined  and  re-occu¬ 
pied  the  place  of  them  with  Coffee.  At  this  period, 
viz.  1806,  forty  years  from  that  to  which  I  can 
trace  any  knowledge  of  this  Coffee,  (although  it 
was  probably  planted  some  seven,  eight,  or  ten 
years  previous  thereto )  it  exhibits  an  appearance 
of  as  much  luxuriance  and  productiveness  as  any 
piece  of  Coffee  I  know  in  the  Colony  ;  and  affords 
an  irrefragable  proof  of  the  practicability  of  renovat¬ 
ing  the  powers  of  vegetation,  in  a  soil  apparently 
exhausted, 

-  #  |  V  ' 

In  the  cultivation  of  a  Sugar  Estate,  the  making  of 
Dung  is  of  such  importance,  that  the  Cattle-pens 
are  shifted  to  the  pieces  for  which  they  are  destined  ; 
which,  by  being  frequently  trashed  and  moulded, 
soon  increase  to  a  considerable  quantity  :  but  as, 
on  Coffee  Estates,  this  practice  cannot  be  adopted, 
the  careful  Planter  will  avail  himself  of  all  the  in¬ 
gredients  he  can  rake  up  about  the  buildings,  He 

E  must 


must  be  particularly  careful  that  his  manure  is  well 
rotted  ;  particularly  the  Coffee-husks,  or  outer  skin 
of  the  berry,  should  it  constitute  any  considerable 
portion  of  the  composition.  It  may  then  be  con¬ 
veyed  to  the  spot  by  Mules,  and  dropped  in  heaps 
at  convenient  distances,  from  which  it  must  be 
gathered  up  in  baskets,  and  laid  round  the  root  of 
the  tree  :  besides  which,  each  Negro  should  carry 
out  a  basket  full  as  they  go  out  to  the  field.  Should 
the  surface  have  acquired  a  hardness  unfavourable 
to  its  reception,  he  should  employ  two  or  three 
able  people  with  picquets,  similar  to  those  used  for 
planting,  with  which  the  soil  should  be  loosened 
about  the  roots  of  the  trees  A  practice  by  which 
I  have  known  many  a  hard  steril  piece  of  ground 
brought  to  fecundity. 

The  manure,  when  placed  to  the  tree,  should 
be  covered  with  some  of  the  adjacent  dry  weeds,  or 
Pois-doux  branches,  to  prevent  the  sun  from  exhal¬ 
ing  its  juices.  Nor  should  fowls  be  allowed  to 
stray  into  the  piece,  which,  by  scratching  for  worms, 
will  rake  the  manure  away  from  the  trees. 

To  a  careful  and  emulous  Planter,  a  variety  of  ex¬ 
pedients  will  present  themselves,  to  prevent  the  es¬ 
cape  of  the  soil  in  heavy  rains.  Drains,  judiciously 
dispersed,  with  little  declivity,  tending  to  hollow 
paits,  where  the  soil  can  be  retained,  and  large 
holes,  by  some  Planters  called  mould-traps ,  may  be 
made  to  arrest  almost  every  particle  ;  by  which  pre¬ 
caution  the  soil  is  not  lost,  but  only  removed  ;  and 
*  may 


(  59  ) 


hlay  be  collected  and  administered  to  the  roots  of 
such  of  the  next  adjacent  trees  as  may  most  re¬ 
quire  it. 

?« 

V  ,  ■> 

1  shall,  in  the  course  of  this  work,  submit  to  the  Draihing, 
consideration  of  the  reader  the  plan  of  a  mode  I 
had  suggested  for  draining  a  piece  of  ground  of  my 
own,  which,  though  oh  a  slope,  was  a  little  springy* 
in  a  long  continuance  of  rainy  weather. 

When  a  Coffee-piece  is  reduced  to  d  situation  re- Pruning* 
quiring  manure,  Priming  becomes  sometimes  a  ne¬ 
cessary  operation  ;  though  whenever  this  occurs, 
it  is  an  indubitable  sign  of  negligence  ;  for  if  proper 
attention  is  paid  to  the  tree  at  the  different  periods  of 
Weeding,  it  will  only  increase  its  circumference,  by 
branches  which  will  increase  the  quantity  of  its  fruit. 

The  suckers  therefore  (with  what  Mr.  La  boric  terms 
the  gormandizing  branch*)  w7ill  be  all  that  will  re¬ 
quire  removal. 

As  the  Coffee-Planter  may,  however,  be  obliged 
to  resort  to  the  operation  of  pruning,  from  the  neg¬ 
ligence  of  his  predecessor  in  charge,  and  of  that 
species  of  pruning  performed  by  the  sa\v,  and  may 
be  rather  called  amputation,  from  aU  occasional 
failure  of  some  of  the  old  trees,  we  shall  make  that 
operation  a  section  in  this  Essay.  Besides 

*  A  large  branch  which  issues  from  the  top  of  the  tree,  and 
spreads  horizontally  over  the  other  branches.  This  branch  is  ge- 
nerally  so  loaded  with  berries,  that  some  Planters  are  thereby  in¬ 
duced  not  to  remove  it.  But  it  is  alledged  (and  justly)  that  its 
abundant  productiveness  exhausts  the  tree,  and  prevents  its 
subsequent  fecundity.  For  which  reason  it  should  be  removed 
by  the  operation  of  the  knife. 


\ 


(  30  ) 


Besides  the  perpendicular  shoots,  called  Slickers, 
which,  particularly  whilst  the  vegetation  is  strong, 
will  be  constantly  sprouting  from  the  top  of  the: 
tree,  there  are  frequently  others,  from  the  lower 
part,  even  to  the  surface.  If  these  are  Hot  constant¬ 
ly  taken  oft,  they  Require  a  woody  substance,  great¬ 
ly  prejudicial  to,  and,  at  length,  dispute  the  pre¬ 
eminence  with,  the  original  tree,  which  declines 
as  these  upstarts  increase  in  vigour  :  The  conse¬ 
quence  will  be,  if  the  Planters  negligence  has  gone 
thus  far,  that  he  will  be  obliged  to  exercise  the  saw 
upon  the  parent  plant,  and  substitute  one  of  these 
his  offspring  in  his  place,  Which  Will  afford  him  a 
poor  indemnification  for  the  regular  annual  produc¬ 
tion  of  a  tree  at  maturity.  Should  a  tree  fail  by  age 
or  accident,  the  saw  must  be  applied  a  few  inches 
from  the  ground,  and  two  stickers  allowed  to  ascend, 
that  the  Planter  may*  at  a  future  period,  take  hh 
choice  of  the  most  luxuriant  ;  and  this  shoot,  care¬ 
fully  attended  to*  will  yield  you  fruit  in  eighteen 
months  after  the!  operation  of  amputation. 

Another  occasion  for  pruning  may  arise  from 
negligence  in  the  manner  of  taking  off  these 
suckers  ; — from  not  taking  them  off  in  time — let- 
ling  them  increase  into  too  great  numbers,  and 
then  cutting  them  off,  instead  of  stripping  them. 
These  practices  will  increase  the  evil  to  that  de- 
gree,  that  it  will  probably  require  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  to  put  to  rights  a  single  tree.  In  this  opera¬ 
tion,  as  well  as  in  some  others  of  pruning,  the 
operator  must  have  recourse  to  that  kind  of  Saw, 

called 


(  si  ) 


called  by  the  French  a  Passe-par-toat — by  Eng¬ 
lish  mechanics,  a  Compass-Saw  ;  which,  by  the 
narrowness  of  its  blade,  can  be  inserted  among  the 
thickly  interwoven  branches, 

4  •  \ 

Having  now  committed  our  young  plant  to  the 
Soil,  with  an  earnest  injunction  to  the  person  in 
charge  to  take  a  parental  interest  in  its  welfare, 
particularly  by  frequent  and  faithful  weedings,  wc 
must  begin  to  think  of  preparing  for  the  busy  avo¬ 
cations  of  Crop;  to  which,  as  we  consider  this 
Treatise  as  a  guide  for  conducting  an  Estate  already 
formed,  and  having  mature  and  productive,  as 
well  as  young  and  declining  Coffee,  thereon,  the 
anxious  cares  of  the  Manager  must  now  be  called 
forward.  We  will  therefore  here  quit  our  concern 
for  the  yotlng  plant,  which  it  is,  however,  to  be 
hoped  will  not  relax  in  his  attention  to,  even 
through  the  hurry  and  bustle  incident  to  crop-time. 

There  is  another  object  of  considerable  import¬ 
ance  in  the  cultivation  part  of  a  Coffee-Estate, 
which  we  shall  treat  of  when  we  come  to  that  stagfe 
of  our  wrork,  which  is  the  ridding  the  mature  trees 
from  Suckers  ;  a  term  which  we  have  used  under 
the  article  of  Pruning,  and  which  perhaps,  in  order 
to  have  preserved  a  strict  adherence  to  regularity 
of  arrangement,  should  have  preceded  it.  These 
are,  as  before  observed,  certain  exuberant  perpen¬ 
dicular  shoots,  issuing  generally  where  the  alti¬ 
tude  of  the  trees  has  been  arrested,  and  sometimes 
lower.  As  these  are  generally  more  prevalent  af¬ 
ter 


Sucker?. 


(  32  ) 

ter  Crop*  when  its  occupations  lias  occasioned  the 
field  work  to  be,  in  some  degree,  suspended,  and 
drawn  off  the  necessary  attention  to  them  ;  we 
shall  postpone  treating  of  them,  at  least  till  the 
getting  in  of  the  Crop  from  the  field,  when  we  shall 
consider  also  what  young  Coffee  has  attained  a 
sufficient  height  to  require  an  arrest  of  its  further 
perpendicular  progress.  These  Suckers,  as  we  be¬ 
fore  observed,  are  generally  most  abundant  towards 
the  end  of  the  Crop,  and  therefore  should  be  taken 
off  at  the  time  of  gathering  in  the  green  and  ripe 
berries,  or  last  picking; 

Although  the  ripening  of  the  Coffee  berries 
varies  a  little,  there  is  generally  pretty  good  picking 
by  the  latter  end  of  August  or  beginning  of  Septem¬ 
ber  :  and;  therefore,  previous  to  this  period,  the 
Negroes’  clothing  ought  lobe  issued,  as  the  neces¬ 
sity  of  keeping  them  out,  and  exposing  them  to  the 
rains,  which  are  frequent  and  heavy  at  that  season, 
and  the  worse  than  rains,  the  drippings  of  the  wet 
branches  of  the  Coffee*  is  liable  to  occasion  colds, 
indispositions,  and  diseases  among  them.  A  suffi¬ 
cient  stock  of  buckets  should  be  previously  provided, 
and  each  Negro  furnished  with  two,  viz.  one  large 
enough  to  contain  as  much  as  a  Negro  can  pick  in 
the  course  of  a  forenoon,  or  afternoon,  which  is 
generally  placed,  for  a  time  at  least*  in  a  stationary 
situation  ;  and  a  small  one,  which  they  pick  intos 
and  empty  into  the  large  one,  as  often  as  it  is  filled, 

A  Negro  is  very  improvident  of  what  is  furnished 

by 


I 


(  33  ) 

by  his  master  ;  and  therefore  the  baskets  issued  to 
them  for  his  use  are  not  very  carefully  husbanded. 
It  carries  all  the  articles  which  the  Negro  takes  to 
market ;  and  his  plants,  &c.  to  his  ground  :  And 
if  it  was  to  be  replaced  as  often  as  they  would  wear 
it  out,  you  might  devote  half  the  gang  to  the  trade 
of  basket-making.  Therefore  some  Estates,  after  once 
issuing  them,  furnish  no  more;  but  make  the  Negroes 
replace  them  themselves  :  Others  furnish  them  oc¬ 
casionally  with  new  ones,  but  few  so  frequently  as 
annually  :  And  the  way  these  baskets  are  procured 
is  by  sending  an  elderly  or  easiest  to  be  spared 
Negro  into  the  woods  for  the  withes,  and  employ¬ 
ing  another  (or  two)  who  may  be  disabled  from 
work  by  a  sore  leg,  or  other  complaint,  which  does 
not  disable  his  hands,  to  work  up  these  withes  into 
baskets. 


The  quantity  of  Coffee  which  each  Negro  can 
pick  in  a  day  varies.  Simple  as  is  the  operation, 
some  are  more  expert  at  it  than  others  ;  and  it  is 
a  good  picker  who  gathers  a  barrel,  or  four  quarts, 
per  day. 


Each  of  the  larger  baskets  ought  to  contain  two 
quarts,  or  half  a  barrel  ;  and  the  driver,  seeing  each 
Negro  before  him,  conducts  them  each  noon  and 
evening  from  the  field  to  the  mill-house,  where  an 
inspection  takes  place  by  the  manager  or  overseer  ; 
and  delinquents,  who  fail  in  exhibiting  full  baskets, 
are  punished. 


lx 


(  34  ) 


In  picking,  as  in  weeding,  each  picker  should 
take  the  middle,  between  two  rows,  and  pick  on  both 
right  and  left  ;  which  prevents  the  trouble  of  going 
round  the  tree — by  their  doing  which  the  berries 
are  liable  to  be  shook  off ;  and  the  inconvenience 
of  thejr  so  frequently  shifting  their  baskets  is  oh*? 
viated. 


The 


(  S3  ) 


J 


THE  CROP. 


Previous  to  this  period  the  Conductor  of  the 
Estate  pays  due  attention  that  his  Mills  are  in  good 
order  ;  and.  before  he  proceeds  to  setting  them  a- 
going,  which  is  generally  done  in  the  evening, 
and  by  candle  or  lamp-light,  he  makes  experiments, 
with  small  quantities  of  the  Cherry-Coffee,  to  see 
that  his  Mills  are  properly  braced,  and  that  they 
neither  cut  the  Coffee  nor  pass  out  the  grains  with 
the  husks. 


Fortunate  is  the  Planter  who  hath  a  stream  of 
water  sufficient  to  turn  his  Mills  ;  which  will  afford 
great  ease  and  comfort  to  his  Negroes.  If  he  has 
not,  lie  should  be  careful  that  his  Mill-house  is 
warm,  and  closed  from  the  admission  of  the  nffiht- 
air  ;  for,  as  the  toil  is  laborious,  excessive  perspi¬ 
ration  is  inevitable,  and  therefore  an  allowance  of 
Rum  should  be  afforded  them,  as  well  to  excite  them 
to  labour  with  cheerfulness,  as  to  fortify  the  sto¬ 
mach,  on  issuing  hot  from  a  close  house,  through 
the  cold  night  air,  on  their,  way  to  their  own  houses. 

F  "  On 


(  36  ) 


♦ 


On  the  delivery  of  the  Coffee  at  the  Mill-house, 
it  should  be  measured  in  a  common  sized  Beef-bar¬ 
rel,  every  thirty-five*  of  which,  when  it  has  passed 
through  the  subsequent  processes,  ought  to  yield  a 
thousand  weight.  That  is,  thirty-five  barrels  of 
Cherry  Coffee  will  give  you  fourteen  when  dried 
in  parchment,  which  quantity,  when  pounded, 
winnowed,  sifted,  and  picked,  will  yield  you  1000 
pounds  weight  for  market. 

The  advantage  of  having  good  roads  through 
your  Coffee-pieces,  here  particularly  occurs.  In 
climbing  up  a  steep  hill,  a  Negro  may  fall,  and 
overset  his  or  her  basket  ;  in  their  endeavours  to 
gather  it  up  (which  will  not  be  without  the  waste 
and  loss  of  some  of  it)  they  may  mix  therewith 
gravel  or  small  stones  :  the  consequence  of  which 
is,  they  will  get  into  your  mill,  and  spoil  your  gra¬ 
ter,  which  will  cause  a  delay  till  you  can  make  a 
new  one  ;  and,  should  you  not  be  provided  with 

spare 


*  Or  the  proportion  between  the  Cherry  and  Parchment  Coffee 
I  am  not  certain  that  I  am  perfectly  correct,  having  never 
exactly  ascertained  it ;  I  shall,  however,  do  it  during  the  present 
crop,  as  the  experiment  can  be  easily  tried.  For  although  I  have 
consulted  several  experienced  Planters,  it  is  a  point  on  which  I 
have  scarce  met  with  two  who  agree.  I  have  admitted  the  pro¬ 
portion  between  the  Coffee  in  the  two  Stages  at  two  fifths.  Thus 
the  fifth  of  35  is  7,  which  doubled  is  14  : — which  is  the  fafe  side 
of  measuring  to  count  upon  a  thousand  weight. 

This,  however,  is  variable  :  Coffee  from  old  land  is  generally  of 
smaller  grains,  packs  clofer,  and  weighs  moie  ;  of  this  kind 
1 3  barrels  will  produce  a  thousand  weight. 


(  37  ) 


spare  copper  for  the  purpose,  you  may  be  put  to 
the  necessity  of  continuing  the  use  of  this  damaged 
grater,  and  thereby  of  rendering  unmerchantable 
the  remainder  of  your  crop. 

The  Manager  of  an  Estate,  as  I  observed  at  the 
beginning  of  this  Treatise,  ought  to  be  capable  of 
laying  out,  tracing  and  making  of  roads,  wherever 
wanted.  The  process  of  tracing  a  road  is  so  simple., 
that  I  will  engage  to  take  a  field-negro,  who  never 
saw  the  operation,  and  make  him  an  expert  road 
tracer  in  an  hour. 

» 

\ 

The  instrument  most  proper  for  the  business  is 
by  the  French  called  a  Ccibrit  (probably  from 
keeping  its  legs  where  few  other  than  that  agile 
animal  can  do  so)  and  is  no  more  nor  less  than  a 
common  level,  such  as  is  used  by  carpenters  and 
masons,  having  legs  descending  at  right  angles  from 
each  end,  of  such  differences  in  the  length,  as  you 
mean  to  give  to  your  road  either  ascent  or  declivity. 
Some  people,  more  from  affectation  than  utility, 
have  them  of  nice  workmanship,  with  one  leg  run¬ 
ning  in  a  sliding  groove,  graduated  in  inches  and 
parts,  and  having  holes  to  put  a  small  pin  in  to  fix 
it  at  the  length  wanted.  I  have,  however,  generally 
put  them  together  out  of  rough  board,  with  a  few 
nails,  as  their  construction  will  not  take  above  five 
minutes  ;  in  which  case  I  first  make  the  two  legs 
of  the  same  length,  and  saw  off  from  one  of  them 

as 


*  Goat,  or  young  Goat. 


(  3S  ) 


as  many  inches  or  parts  of  an  inch  as  T  mean  to 
give  to  the  road  a  rise  or  fall,  which,  perhaps,  on 
experiment  in  a  small  distance,  I  may  find  requisite 
to  alter  to  more  or  less,  as  I  perceive  the  road 
likely  to  come  out  at  the  point  at  which  I  wish  it  to 
terminate.  An  elevation  of  an  inch  in  a  foot  makes 
a  very  easy  rideable  road  : — above  it,  is  too  steep  ; 
and  less,  lengthens  the  distance  unnecessarily,  ex¬ 
cept  the  point  desired  to  arrive  at  can  be  attained 
with  less  slope,  or  you  want  to  make  a  cart-road. 
Thus,  if  your  level  is  six  feet  in  length,  the  difference 
of  the  length  of  the  legs  should  be  six  inches  ;  and 
its  figure  should  be  as  represented  in  the  plate.  I 
have  also  subjoined  the  figure  of  a  more  elaborate 
one. 

The  mode  of  using  it  is  as  simple  as  its  construc¬ 
tion.  Two  persons  to  carry  and  place  it  will  be 
required,  and  a  third  to  carry  picquets.  If  to  de¬ 
scend,  the  long  end  is  carried  foremost  ;  to  ascend 
the  short  one.  In  either  case,  the  hinder  person 
places  one  foot  of  the  level  on  the  place  the  road 
is  to  commence  from,  under  which  he  drives  in  a 
picquet  horizontally  ;  the  foremost  operator  then 
places  the  foremost  leg  on  the  ground,  moving  it 
either  to  the  higher  or  lower  part  of  the  surface  (the 
hinder  one  keeping  his  end  fast)  till  the  line  to 
which  the  plummet  is  suspended  hangs  over  the 
perpendicular  line  marked  upon  the  upright  board  ; 
he  then  receives  from  the  carrier  a  picquet,  which 
he  drives  in  horizontally  under  that  end  of  the  in¬ 
strument.  lie  then  proceeds  forward,  and  the 

hindmost 


(  39  ) 

hindmost  man  brings  his  leg  forward,  and  places  it 
on  the  last  mentioned  picquet,  when  the  foremost 
man,  on  such  part  of  the  surface  as  the  plumb-line 
directs  as  before,  receives  from  the  carrier,  and  drives 
in,  in  like  manner,  another  picquet and  this  is 
repeated  as  far  as  the  road  is  intended  to  be  carried. 

The  fact  is,  it  is  not  in  the  using  this  level,  that 
is  required  either  skill  or  ability,  but  in  so  direct¬ 
ing  its  proportion  that  it  shall  gain  the  point  you 
want  to  attain  with  neither  more  nor  less  eleva-* 
tion  or  depression  than  what  is  required.  An  ex¬ 
perienced  Director  may  perhaps  change  the  pro¬ 
portion,  and  begin  again  to  more  advantage,  after 
having,  by  a  skilful  glance  of  his  eye,  discovered 
where  the  instrument  is  likely  to  bring  him  to. 

However  sufficient  a  subject  of  regret,  to  him 
who  feels-  it,  the  want  of  a  sufficient  stream  of 
water  to  turn  his  Mills,  still  more  so  must  be  that  of 
a  total  privation  of  that  element  to  wash  his  Coffee, 
that  is,  independent  of  what  is  dispensed  from  the 
bounty  of  the  clouds.  Such  situations,  in  Dominica, 
are  not  very  common,  though  several  there  are: 
and  the  Coffee  sent  to  market  by  Planters  thus 
disadvantageous^  situated  is-^eldom  of  so  good  a 
quality  as  that  of  those  to  whom  nature  has  been 
more  prodigal,  by  affording  a  copious  stream,  which 
requires  not  to  be  ceconomized  ;  and  which  will 
send  the  Coffee  from  the  draining  platform  in  the 
purity  of  cleanly  whiteness,  which  contributes  to 
its  quality  in  the  subsequent  stages  of  its  progress 
to  market.  '  Of 


(  40  ) 


Of  the  utility  or  figure  of  the  hand-barrows,  or 
trays,  having  pierced  Copper  bottoms,  to  carry  the 
wet  Coffee  from  the  cistern  to  the  draining  platform, 
I  shall  not  enter  into  the  description  further,  than 
that  they  have  four  handles,  and  are  carried  by  two 
Negros,  like  a  Sedan  Chair.  I  shall  content  my¬ 
self  with  observing  that  all  Coffee- Planters  should 
have  them  ;  but  as  I  shall  not  be  at  the  trouble  of 
making  a  drawing  of  their  figure,  I  shall  recom¬ 
mend  to  those  who  want  them  to  take  the  model 
of  their  construction  from  those  of  their  neighbours. 

At  this  period  it  will  be  well  for  our  Planter  to 
lay  in  a  good  store  of  patience,  and  to  bring  into 
action  his  whole  stock  of  activity  and  diligence. 
If  he  is  so  fortunately  situated  as  to  have  spacious 
and  convenient  platforms  for  the  drying,  and 
roomy  and  commodious  buildings  for  the  receipt  of 
his  Coffee,  when  dry,  his  work  will  go  on  with 
comfort  and  satisfaction.  This  in  some  situations  of 
this  Island  is  the  case.  When  such  opportunities 
offer  for  the  manufacturing  the  crop,  it  is  scarce  a 
toil.  Although  in  many  places  where  there  are 
good  and  roomy  buildings,  they  are  frequently  so 
injudiciously  contrived — so  unconnected  and  dis¬ 
persed,  as  greatly  to  retard  and  impede  the  progress 
of  the  manufacture. 

Indeed  it  has  seldom  occurred  that  an  entire 
new  set  of  Coffee-works  has  been  erected  on  a  pro¬ 
perty  of  considerable  importance  at  one  time.  They 
have  commonly  gradually  sprung  up  as  the  Estate 

has 


(  41  ) 


has  advanced  in  extent  of  cultivation  and  increase 
of  produce  ;  and  the  Proprietors  have  in  general 
been  content  with  making  the  absolutely  necessary 
additions  to  the  buildings  he  first  constructed,  or 
found  thereon,  or  to  erect  additional  new  ones 
near  them,  without  the  least  view  to  contrivance, 
convenience,  or  design  ;  so  that  it  frequently  hap¬ 
pens  that,  instead  of  having  all  your  work  imme¬ 
diately  under  your  eye  in  one  commodious,  conve¬ 
nient,  judiciously  constructed  Building,  you  are 
obliged  to  wander  from  place  to  place,  through  a 
number  of  as  ill-contrived  as  ill-constructed  Hovels; 
an  inconvenience  in  many  places  not  likely  to  be 
remedied — as  it  is  not  every  Planter  who  is  gifted 
with  a  head  capable  of  contrivance,  of  suggesting 
improvement,  or  of  a  spirit  of  enterprize  sufficient 
to  adopt  and  execute  such  as  may  be  hit  upon  by 
others  ;  the  majority  of  them  religiously  adhering 
to  the  laudable  determination  of  going  on  in  the 
old  j  og-trot  way,  declaring  it  has  hitherto  answer¬ 
ed  all  their  purposes,  and  they  will  not  depart  from 
it. 


DISTRIBUTION 


(  42  ) 


V 


DISTRIBUTION  of  BUILDINGS. 


Although  the  distribution  of  the  Buildings  will 
seldom  come  within  the  province  of  the  Manager, 
who  must  be  content  with  such  as  he  finds,  yet  as 
this  Treatise  may  be  deemed  worthy  the  perusal  of 
some  persons  about  erecting  Buildings,  and  the 
proper  distribution  of  them  is  an  object  of  such  im¬ 
portance,  the  Author  has  presumed  to  offer  his 
sentiments  thereon. 

-  \ 

For  convenience,  your  Draining-platform  should 
be  contiguous  to  your  Mill-house  ;  the  back  of 
your  Mill-house,  if  the  surface  will  permit,  should 
be  on  the  edge  of  a  descent  from  the  buildings,  so 
that  the  Coffee-husks  may  be  raked  away  to  a 
sufficiently  spacious  artificially  formed  platform, 
somewhat  below  ;  made  by  digging  the  ground  to 
a  level  sufficient  to  receive  it.  For  though  they 
have  an  offensive  smell,  and  contribute  to  filth,  if 
left  about  the  buildings,  they  must  not  be  lost, 
being,  as  we  have  already  observed,  of  great  use  in 
making  manure. 


Immediately 


(  43  ) 


Immediately  con  t  i  g  u  0  u  s  t  o  y  o  11  r  cl  ra  1  n  i  n  g  pi  a  t  ■ 
form  should  be  your  drying  platform,  or  Glacis,  of 
a  lesser  slope,  and  that  slope  the  contrary  way,  and 
it  should  be  spacious  and-  extensive  :  contiguous 
as  possible  to  this  latter  should  be  your  Granary  or 
Beaucan  ;  so  situated  as  to  cast  little  or  no  shade  on 
your  platform  at  any  hour  of  the,  day  during  the 
year,  or  at  least  in  crop  time.  If  this  Building 
consists  of  two  stories,  which  I  would  recommend, 
as  it  costs  so  little  proportionate  additional  expence, 
(as  one  roof  covers  all )  a  part  of  the  breadth,  and 
the  whole  length,  of  the  lower  story,  may  be  de¬ 
voted  to  Coffee- drawers,  and  yet  leave  sufficient 
room  for  other  Coffee  ;  or,  should  it  happen  that 
the  dwelling-house  forms  a  side  or  part  of  a  side  of 
the  area,  and  it  is  sufficiently  elevated  to  admit 
thereof,  one  front  of  it  may  be  advantageously  de¬ 
voted  to  these  drawers,  as  is  the  case  on  the  Estate 
of  the  Author.  But  in  fact  the  figure  and  distribu- 
tion  of  the  Buildings  must  be  regulated  by  circum¬ 
stances  of  locality,  and  the  shape  of  the  Ground  ;  as 
some  situations  require  large  excavations,  performed 
with  prodigious  labour,  and  vast  expe-nditurcof  time, 
to  procure  a  sufficiency  of  flat  surface  on  which  to 
erect  Buildings.  That  of  which  the  figure  is  here 

I  *i  1  •  •  •  'f/  /  • 

represented,  with  some  deviations,  is  more  fortu¬ 
nately  situated  in  that  point  of  view  than  many. 
These  deviations  have  been  made  in  order  to  shew 
the  advantages  the  present  owner  would  have  de¬ 
rived  from  it,  had  lie  been  the  beginner  of  the 
Buildings,  at  their  first  origin. 


Should 


(  44  ) 

a* 

Should  the  situation  be  such  as  to  afford  a  suf¬ 
ficient  stream  of  water  for  the  purpose,  the  Pound¬ 
ing  Mill-House,  and  one  Water-wheel,  perform  the 
whole  process  ;  which  may  be  extended  to  grating 
Cassada  :  but,  should  that  not  be  the  case,  and  a 
Horse-mill  be  requisite,  it  should  be  immediately 
contiguous,  and  to  leeward  of  the  Granary  or 
Bcaucan .  As  the  Horse-walk  is  circular,  so  should 
be  the  Building  which  covers  it — at  least  a, polygon 
of  a  considerable  number  of  sides,  of  which  per¬ 
haps  sixteen  is  as  convenient  a  number  as  can  be 
adopted  ;  and  here,  as  the  span  is  considerable, 
and  a  very  trifling  additional  expence  will  convert 
it  into  a  Building  of  such  utility  and  importance, 
1  cannot  repress  my  censure  of  those  whose  mis¬ 
taken  parsimony  induces  them  to  deprive  them¬ 
selves  of  the  advantages  to  be  derived  from  two 
or  three  feet  additional  length  of  post,  which 
affords  a  spacious  airy  apartment  for  the  reception 
of  Coffee,  towards  the  latter  part  of  the  process  of 
the  manufacture.  The  upper  floor  of  this  Building 
1  would  prefer  (if  the  ground  will  admit)  to  be  on  a 
level  with  the  lower  floor  of  the  Granary,  or  Beaucany 
and  doors  of  communication,  with  a  kind  of  bridge- 
passage  between  them.  The  Coffee  fit  for  the 
pounding  process  should  then  be  thence  brought 
to  the  floor  of  the  polygon  building,  and  let  down 
through  a  shuttle  in  the  floor  to  the  pounding 
trough,  as  fast  as  may  be  requisite  ;  and  the  fan¬ 
ning,  or  winnowing  Mill  being  situated  without, 
against  one  of  the  sides  of  the  polygon  most  imme¬ 
diately  to  leeward,  and  covered  with  a  shed-roof, 
continued  from  the  eve  of  the  main  building,  would 
so  far  complete  the  process.  The 


(  45  ) 


The  Sifters  should  be  hung  in  the  upper  part  of 
the  Polygon,  and  the  Picking-table  round  the  cen¬ 
tral  upright  post  ;  and  thus  the  presence  of  one 
person  would  suffice  to  superintend  the  whole  of 
the  operations. 

During  all  this  bustle,  should  the  picking  so 
far  slacken  as  to  give  him  time,  the  attentive  Plan¬ 
ter  will  avail  himself  thereof,  and  spare  as  large  a 
portion  as  possible  to  weeding  :  for  on  keeping  his 
Coffee-patches  clear  from  weeds,  and  his  Pols -clo ax 
fences  regularly  trimmed,  and  their  cuttings  duly 
spread  over  the  surface,  will  depend  all  his  chance 
of  an  abundant  and  increasing  crop. 

IIis  solicitude  will  now  be  peculiarly  and  anx¬ 
iously  called  forth  to  the  Drying-platforms,  or  Gla¬ 
cis .  Plis  Coffee  we  will  suppose  carefully  spread, 
and  duly  raked,  so  as  the  whole  of  it  equally  bene¬ 
fits  by  the  Sun’s  beams: — When,  lo  !  the  clouds  ga¬ 
ther — his  whole  force  about  the  Buildings,  ser¬ 
vants,  male  and  female,  old  and  young,  are  col¬ 
lected,  and  his  grain  is  housed  with  the  utmost  ex¬ 
pedition. 

The  clouds  disperse,  and  no  rain  falls — he  spreads 
it  out  again,  and  blames  himself  for  trusting  to 
false  appearances. — Again  the  sky  assumes  a  gloomy 
cast. — He  looks,  and  doubts,  and  thinks  the 
clouds  will,  as  before,  disperse.  Mistaken  his 
conclusion— down  comes  it — in  a  delude  too  it 
comes — and  ineffectual  now  is  rendered  his  former 
pains  of  many  days  exposure.  He 


(  46  ) 


He  now  finds  it  more  prudent  to  err  on  the  safe 
side,  and  house  his  grain  at  every  token  that  fore¬ 
bodes  a  shower. 


TIIE  STOVE. 

The  Stove  is  in  use  on  only  one  Estate  iii  this  Is¬ 
land  ;  nor  has  the  Author  ever  heard  of  its  services 
being  resorted  to  in  the  process  of  drying  Coffee  in 
any  other.  It  is  found  to  answer  the  purpose  per¬ 
fectly  ;  and  may  be  used  when  the  Sun  withholds 
his  beams.  But,  as  the  worthy  and  pleasant  Gen¬ 
tleman  who  introduced  it  observed  to  the  Writer  of 
this  Treatise  : — “  he  would  not  sullenly  forego  of 
his  old  friend  Phoebus  the  friendly  assistance5’ — 
nor  would  we  by  any  means  be  supposed  to  re¬ 
commend  our  readers  so  to  do.  The  Stove  may  be 
usefully  brought  in  as  a  serviceable  auxiliary. — The 
Stove,  it  may  be  therefore  concluded,  may  be  only 
advantageously  used  when  the  Sun  withholds  his 
beams. 


That  which  he 
G 1 1  r  i  s  t  o  ph  e  r  1  v  o  be  rt , 


instances  is  on  the  Estate  of 
Esq.  and  the  construction  of 


jt  was  taken 


from 


the  kind  of  Stove  used  in  England 


for  drying  malt. 


W e  are  somewhat  surprized  it  is  not  more  gene¬ 
rally  adopted,  and  can  only  account  for  it  on  the 
principle  of  the  repugnance  which  the  long  esta¬ 
blished  Planters,  who  are  the  best  able  to  try  ex¬ 
periments,  have  to  deviate  in  the  least  article  from 
old  established  custom.  Ln 


♦ 


(  47  ) 


In  the  process  of ,  separating  the  unmarketable  Houfe  picking 
grains,  commonly  called,  from  the  French,  the  boni- 
Jication  process,  his  attention  will  be  strenuously 
called  for.  Here,  as  w^fas  in  the  field,  (simple  as 
is  the  process)  some  are  more  expert  at  it  than  others: 

Fie  must  be  carefully  vigilant  at  the  picking  table. 

And  here ,  should  he  have  engaged  in  the  conjugal 
state,  a  wife  can  superintend  the  business  as  well  as 

! '  t  f  .  <  ,  r  •  fr  *  -  - 

himself,  and  lie  may  exert  himself  in  urging  matters 
forward  elsewhere.  Indeed,  the  surest  way  to 
equalize  the  work  is  to  provide  each  picker  with  a 
hag:  and  as  it  is  a  work  which  may  be  allotted  alike 
to  the,  lame,  the  young,  not  lit  for,  and  the  aged, 
already  past,  more  active  labour— laziness  or  re- 
missness  .in  performing  their  portion,  very  justly 

V  *  '  ■  *  J  *  , 

comes  anions  those  faults  which  call  forth  correc- 
tion. 


Tiie  Picking-Table  should  be  of  hard  wood,  and 
the,  surface  well  planed  or  smoothed  over ;  as  a 
ppjjshed  surface  much  facilitates  the  work.  A  large 
heap  of  Coffee  is  placed  on  the  middle  of  the  Table, 
from  whence  each  picker  draws  a  lesser  heap  before 
them.  They  then  draw  it  into  small  handfulls, 
thinly  spread,  towards  the  edge  of  the  Table  ;  and, 
after  picking  out  what  few  broken  or  other  objec¬ 
tionable  grains  may  be  among  them,  and  raking* 
them  a  little  on  one  side,  draw  the  remaining  good 
Coffee  into  an  apron  or  coarse  cloth  in  their  lap  ; 
and,  if  the  Coffee  is  of  a  good  quality,  these  re¬ 
jected-  grains  will  be  so  few  that  the  business  will 
go  on  with  wonderful  rapidity.  When  the  cloth  or 


apron 


/ 


(  48  ) 

\ 

apron  is  nearly  filled,  the  picker  should  empty  it 
into  his  or  her  bag  : — and  a  good  picker  ought  in 
tlie, course  of  the  day  to  produce  at  least  one  hun¬ 
dred  weight  of  marketable  Coffee. 

As  the  Triage,  or  rejected  Coffee,  is  still  valuable 
at  an  inferior  price,  it  should,  of  course,  be  pre¬ 
served  :  That  part  of  it  which  consists  of  broken 
grains  is  as  good  as  the  rest  ;  and  by  being  used 
for  the  consumption  of  the  Estate,  may  prevent 
your  encroaching,  on  the  Coffee  destined  for  market. 
The  Flotage ,  or  Coffee  which  rises  to  the  surface  in 
washing,  is  likewise  preserved  by  some  thrifty 
Planters  ;  but  1  must  confess  (although  I  may  per¬ 
haps  be  condemned  for  want  of  economy)  I  would 
not  be  at  the  trouble  of  preserving  it. 

There  is  another  species  of  quality  of  Coffee, 
which  however  we  must  not  omit  taking  due  note 
of,  by  the  Planters  called  the  green  and  ripe,  or 
last  picking:  of  this  we  must  enter  a  little  more 
amply  into  the  history. 

Towards  the  latter  end  of  the  Crop,  when  the 
ripe  berries  become  so  thin  and  scarce,  that  the 
Neg  roes  cannot  bring  home  a.  quantity  worth  the 
time  and  labour  expended,  as  well  as  for  another 
reason,  the  relieving  the  trees,  already  sufficiently 
exhausted,  from  the  burthen  of  its  fruit,  by  clearing 
them  ot  all  the  remaining  berries,  in  order  to  allow 
vegetation  to  take  place  preparatory  to  the  ensuing 

crop 


{  49  ) 


crop.  *  Oi  these  mixed  berries,  some  Planters  pick 
out  tiie  ripe  ones,  which  undergo  the  same  process 
as  the  general  crop;  the  others  they  dry  in  the 
outer  husk  ;  and  if  they  have  arrived  at  their  full 
size,  though  they  may  not  have  attained  their  co¬ 
lour,  they  will  become  good  Coffee. 

.  «  '  t 

» 

Although  the  process  of  manufacturing  it  in 
this  state  is  more  troublesome,  yet  by  putting  it  up 
for  old  Coffee  (as  Coffee  improves  by  age)  it  may  be 
cleaned  in  small  parcels  at  a  time,  for  the  consump¬ 
tion  of  the  people  on  the  Estate  ;  and  any  remaining 
extra  quantity  to  persons  who  wish  for  Coffee  of 
a  superior  quality  for  their  own  drinking.  Some 
Planters  soak  these  berries,  after  they  have  become 
black,  till  the  skin  becomes  sufficiently  soft  to  pass 
through  the  Mill,  and  then  proceed  with  it  as  with 
the  other  Coffee. 

Although  these  observations  were  not  intended 
for  one  so  young  in  the  business,  as  to  need  to  be 
informed,  that  he  must  not  begin  the  cleaning  his 
Coffee  from  its  parchment  state,  till  he  has  an  Op¬ 
portunity  of' delivering  it  as  fast  as  he  gets  it  ready, 
yet,  having  wrought  them  into  somewhat  more  of 

method 


*  During  the  process  of  picking  in  the  green  and  ripe  ber¬ 
ries,  attention  should  be  paid  to  pluck  off  the  suckers  which  may 
have  sprung  up  subsequent  to  the  last  weeding.  Doing  it  at 
this  time,  besides  most  essentially  relieving  the  trees,  will  save 
much  labour,  which  must  otherwise  be  bestowed  when  they 
have  attained  more  substance  and  strength. 


i 


(  30  ) 

method  than  tile  Author  'Originally  intended,  it 
may  not  be  amiss  to  introduce  the*  caUtioli :  for, 
as  the  experienced  Planter  well  knows,  if  it  remains 
long  on  the  Estate  after  cleaning,  it  will  turn ewliite, 
which  (although  hot  with  any  soli  cl  ground /'Colour 
being  in  the  Colonial  Market  the  grand  criterion  of 
quality)  will  cause  its  condemnation  to  sell  at  an. 
inferior  price. 


Before  we  come  to  the  last  and  most  important 
section  of  this  Work — “  The  Government,  Care  and 
Treatment  of  the  Negroes/'—- wer  shall  once  more 

call  forth  the  attention  of  the  Coffee-Planter  to  his 

young  trees. — We  hope  they  are,  at  this  period,  in 
good  plight,  clean  of  weeds,  and  answering  hi$ 
most  sanguine  expectations^ 


Some  patches,  or  parts  of  patches,  have  perhaps 
attained  a  sufficient  perpendicular  height  to  ren- 
dei  .proper  the  stopping  their  further  progress, 
and  to  require  the  operation  of  topping  or  stopping— 
that  is,  taking  off  the  top  of  the  sprout  at  die 
height  to  which  you  mean  to  limit  the  altitude  of’ 
your  trees.  This  operation  is:.at  this  stage  easily 
done  (and  this  is  the  stage  most  proper  for  its  per¬ 
formance)  by  nipping  it  off  with  the  thumb  nail 
It  should  be  done  about  an  inch  or  two  above  the 
two  uppermost  opposite  branches,  as  by  perform¬ 
ing  it  too  near  them,  the  remaining  stem  may  at 
that  part  he  liable  to  split.  *  y  • 

“  *  '  *  *  *'  *  *7.  «•-  -- 

7crt  »*ttbe  joints  acquire  elongation  in 
the  aiter  growth  of  the  tree.  Laborie  acknowledges  himself  in 

doubt 


{  51  ) 


The  height  they  should  attain,  previous  to  un¬ 
dergoing  this  operation,  varies  according  to  cir¬ 
cumstances.  I  have  found  three  feet  and  an  half 
(which  gives  a  good  luxuriant  tree)  a  good  rule  to 
go  by.  But  in  exposed  situations,  subject  to  wind, 
it  should  be  performed  lower.  The  performance 
of  this  operation  is  the  province  of  the  Driver,  who 
should  be  provided  with  a  measure  of  the  length 
.requisite  for  the  purpose- 

We  shall  now  take  >our  leave  of  the  working 
;part  of  the  Plantation,  as  well  in  the  manufactory 
as  in  the  field,  and  call  the  attention  of  our  Coffee- 
Planter  to  objects  that  still  more  imperiously  call 
forth  the  utmost  exertion  of  his  care,  anxiety,  and 
attention. 


doubt  on  the  point.  Although  I  never  went  to  the  nicety 
measuring  the  same  tree,  at  different  periods,  yet,  from  the  size 
I  have  seen  trees  attain,  topped  or  stopped  at  the  height  before 
mentioned,  when  arrived  at  full  maturity,  I  am  inclined  to  the 
opinion  of  the  affirmative* * 


H  The 

* 


\ 


(  53  ) 


> 

THE  ' 

GOVERNMENT,  CARE, 

.  AND 

•  % 

TREATMENT  of  the  NEGROES. 

% 


I  now  come  to  the  most  important  part  of  my 
subject,  the  treatment  of  that  class  of  people  from 
whose  labour  the  revenue  of  the  Planter  is  de¬ 
rived — the  Labourers;  a  term  far  more  appropri¬ 
ate  than  that  of  Slaves,  when  applied  to  a  set  of 
people,  who  possess  (the  head  of  each  family  of 
them  at  least)  their  house,  their  home,  their  plan¬ 
tation,  their  poultry,  their  pigs — whose  private 
property  is  as  perfectly  secured  to  them  as  is  that 
of  their  master — who,  in  sickness,  are  attended  by 
the  same  physician,  and,  during  that  period,  par¬ 
take  of  the  luxuries  of  the  master’s  cellar  and  table, 

:  NA  J  1  *  , 

V  Vain 


V 


/ 


(  34  ) 

Vain  would  be  rendered  the  most  exact  adher- 
ance  to  the  rules  and  principles  laid  down  in  the 
foregoing  pages,  if  a  judicious  mode  of  conduct 
towards  the  class  of  people  whose  labour  must  put 
them  in  execution  was  not  observed.  Moderation* 
and  humanity  towards  them  are  the  first  and  most 
essential  requisites,  to  which  the  interest  of  the 
Planter  most  incline  him.  Human  nature  of  all 
colours  and  climes  is  nearly  the  same  ;  and  in  all 
constituted  societies,  from  Kingdoms  and  Colonies 
to  a  Plantation,  the  disposition  of  the  subject,  the 
inhabitant,  and  the  servant,  must  be  studied  and 
considered,  and  prudent  avail  be  made  thereof. 

In  our  commerce  with  the  world,  however  circum- 

\ 

scribed  the  sphere  we  move  in,  we  are  obliged  to 
enter  in  some  degree  into  the  study  of  mankind  ; 
and  a  person  to  whom  is  confided  the  charge  arid 
government  of  some  bundled  subordinate  Beingsr 
among  whom  some  stand  in  the.  relationship  of 
Husband  and  Wife,'  Child  and  Parent — and  in 
which  age  and  infancy,  robustness  and  debility, 
are  included,  must  devote  himself  to  acquire  some 
knowledge  of  the  disposition,  as  well  as  in  the 
mass,  of  each  individual  composing  such  a  set  of 
people. 

The  Blacks  are  not  quite  that  simple  description 
of  people  which  our  philanthropists  are  pleased  to 
represent  them.  A  Negro*,  whether  a  Creole  or 
African,  of  any  standing  in  the  Colonies,  is  more 
polished,  and  better  able  to  work  his  way  in  the 

the 


.  (  $5  )  , 

world,  than  an  European  Rustic.  He  has  more 
craft,  and  can  more  readily  discover  the  foible  or 
weakness  of  the  person  to  whose  authority  he  is 
confided  He  is  generally  conscious  when  he 
merits  chastisement  ;  and  either  appeals  to  youi\ 
clemency,  or  suffers  punishment  without  a  murmer. 
He  is  also  (and  justl))  impatient  at  beingpunished 
for  an  imputed  crime,  without  full  conviction. — 
Therefore  punishments  upon  mere  suspicion  ought 
never  to  be  inflicted.  Their  domestic  connexions 
should  never  be  interfered  with  by  the  white  peo¬ 
ple  ;  and  should  be  discountenanced,  and  punished, 
where  it  occurs  among  themselves.  In  fact,  every 
privilege  and  immunity  to  which  they  are  entitled 
should  be  religiously  and  scrupulously  afforded 
them.  Their  holidays  and  times  of  recreation 
should  be  strictly  allowed  them  ;  their  cloathing 
and  allowances  as  regularly  issued  to  them  as  pos¬ 
sible  ;  and  their  private  property,  as  well  real *  *  as 
personal,  most  sacredly  respected  and  secured  to 
them. —  And,  as  this  conduct  is  so  regularly  and 

generally 


f  The  exercise  of  this  talent  is  particularly  observable  on  the 
appointment  of  a  new  Manager.  They  will  devise  every  possi¬ 
ble  means  of  trying  his  disposition  and  temper  :  they  will  thwart* 
as  far  as  possible,  all  his  measures  :  they  will  sedulously  pry 
into  his  conduct,  both  past  and  present  :  and  if  they  can  dis¬ 
cover  any  vice,  fault,  or  failing,  they  will  not  fail,  in  the  most 
glaring  manner,  to  haul  it  into  view,  and  turn  it  to  his  prejudice. 

*  In  the  Island  of  Dominica  the  Negroes  have  almost  a  Freehold 
property  in  the  lands  they  cultivate  for  raising  their  ground 

provisions. 


/ 


I 


(  56  ) 

generally  observed  to  them,  that  I  can  scarcely 
call  to  my  recollection  a  property  where  these 
maxims  are  infringed,  I  would  wish  to  know  from 
the  philanthropists  in  what  consists  the  deplorable 
part  of  their  situation  ? 

Laborie  !  Laborie  !  thou  liberal-minded,  gene¬ 
rous — yes — modest  Frenchman  ! — let  me  here  pay 

you  that  tribute  which,  however  coarsely  it  may 
be  expressed,  comes  direct  from  the  heart.  The 
precepts  thou  hast  delivered  on  the  same  subject 
breathe  the  soft  voice  of  benevolence,  candour,  anti 
humanify. — Accept  the  sincere  effusions  of  a  kin¬ 
dred  spirit;  and  may  the  close  of  life  be  blessed  with 
that  calm  serenity  which  a  mind  like  yours, 
fraught  with  pure,  with  genuine  philanthropy  and 
plnl  osophy,  can  scarcely  fail  to  secure  to  its  pos¬ 
sessor  ! — 

I  perfectly  agree  with  this  generous  French¬ 
man,  that  “  the  articles  of  luxury  which  find  their 


provisions.  They  are  allowed  to  take  a  reasonable  quantity  in 
the  parts  less  likely  to  be  wanted  for  the  produce  of  the  pro¬ 
perty,  and  to  occupy  it  as  long  as  they  please  ;  or  should  it  be 
required  to  be  added  to  that  part  on  which  is  raised  the  staple 
commodity  of  the  Estate,  a  reasonable  time  is  allowed  them  to 
reap  the  fruits  of  their  labour,  and  other  lands  are  allotted  them* 
A  right  of  Inheritance  is  even  admitted  among  them,  as  ;n  case 
of  the  death  of  the  possessor,  his  children,  it  they  are  cIisdoslcJ 
so  to  do,  are  permitted  to  retain  and  cultivate  them. 


/ 


(  d~  ) 


‘4  way  to  the  master’s  table  should  be  liberally 
4 4  afforded  the  slave  (as  he  terms  him)  when 
<c  sick  : — soup,  broth,  and  wine,  are  never  too  good 

for  those  who  are  seriously  ill.” — But  the 
44  Bullock’s  head,”  which  he  prescribes  for  the 
Others  thrice  a  week%  is  an  article  which  (in  the 
Wind  ward  Islands  at  least)  is  not  very  frequently 
procurable  for  the  master’s  own  table  ; — though 
pouhry,  and  other  fresh  animal  food,  for  such  as 
n  quire  good  nourishment,  ought  to  be,  and  gene¬ 
rally  is,  substituted  ;  and  should  be,  in  reasonable 
abundance,  afforded  them. 

I  will  avail  myself  of  the  work  of  this  solid  and 
reflecting  Frenchman,  to  wind  up  the  present 
Essay  ;  the  observations  being  so  just,  that  it  is 
impossible  to  amend  or  improve  them. 

On  the  subject  of  punishments  he  very  judici¬ 
ously  says  —  44  Punishments  must  be  certain,  irnme- 
44  diately  inflicted,  proportionable  to  the  fault,  and 
*c  never  excessive.  Crimes  of  an  atrocious  nature 
46  come  within  the  province  of  the  Magistracy  ; 
“  the  laws  having  wisely  placed  those  powers  be- 
“  yond  the  cognizance  of  the  Master  ;  and  do  not 
44  fail  to  punish  the  trespasses  committed  against 
44  their  authority. 

44  In  the  management  of  private  discipline,  it  is 
44  essential  to  be  acquainted  with  the  character  of 

44  the 


(  -58  ) 


44  the  offender,  that  such  punishment  may  be  pre- 
44  ferred  as  is  most  likely  to  deter  him  from  offend- 
44  ing  again.  It  is  fortunate  when  from  that 
44  knowledge,  you  may  venture  to  dispense  with 
44  that  revolting  ceremony ,  flogging.  The  hand  of 
44  the  person  inflicting  it,  is  also  a  matter  worthy 
44  of  observation  ;  twenty  lashes  from  one  may  be 

more  severe  than  double  that  number  from  ano- 
44  ther. 

44  Lastly,  never  threaten  a  Negro  with  punish- 
44  ment  at  a  future  period  ;  and  never  chastise  in 
44  anger,  where  you  run  the  risque  of  exceeding 
44  proper  bounds.  The  coolness  and  temper  with 
44  which  punishment  is  directed  increases  the  moral 
44  effect  of  the  chastisement.  A  Negro,  menaced, 
44  may  abscond  or  run  away  ;  so  that  punishment 
44  for  two  faults  will  be  to  be  inflicted  instead  of 
44  one. 

-  / 

46  I  am  confident  that  a  code  of  regulations  of 
144  the  above  tendency  is  not  calculated  to  draw 
44  upon  Planters  the  slanders  with  which  they  have 
44  been  loaded  by  those  pretended  philanthropists, 

4  4  who  have  usurped  the  name  of  Friends  to  Negroes , 

44  which,  in  reality,  more  truly  belongs  to  us.” 

Respecting  the  sick,  and  of  those  complaining, 
but  of  whose  sincerity  a  doubt  may  arise,  his  ob¬ 
servations  are  admirable — 44  I  come  now,”  says  he, 

44  to  the  state  of  sickness,  and  here  the  Father  steps 
44  into  the  Master’s  place. 

44  Never 


(  59  ) 


_  i 

<s  Never  turn  back  any. — A  Negro  presents  him- 
64  self  in  the  morning  (especially  on  Mondays)  Mas- 
14  ter>  lam  sick  / — his  eye  is  clear,  his  tongue  clean, 
44  his  skin  cool,  and  his  belly  soft.  It  is  ten  to  one 
44  but  he  pretends  illness  ;  yet,  perhaps,  he  has  occa- 
44  sion  for  a  few  days  rest.  Let  him  go  to  the 
44  hospital  ;  take  away  the  pipe  ;  put  him  upon 
44  low  diet,  with  plenty  of  water  and  clysters  ;  and 
54  he  will  be  glad  to  be  dismissed,  after  two  or  three 
44  days. 

44  Let  the  Drivers  have  a  watchful  eye  in  this 
respect.  A  good  Negro  is  seen  to  slacken  at  his 
44  work,  or  to  fail  at  his  meals  :  let  him  be  sent  im- 
44  mediately  to  the  hospital,  and,  of  course,  to  the 
44  Master  (or  Manager’s)  previous  examination. 
44  Another  has  a  small  excoriation  on  his  leg  :  let 
ce  him  be  sent  instantly  ;  otherwise  a  large  sore 
44  may  be  the  consequence  ;  and  what  might  have 
44  been  cured  in  three  days  may  last  perhaps  fora 
44  month.  The  surest  way  in  such  cases  is  to  put 
44  those  laid  up  for  sores  in  the  stocks.  Negroes 
44  fond  of  labour  dislike  the  confinement  of  the  hos- 
44  pital,  and  it  must  be  such  that  must  be  princi- 
44  pally  watched.  On  the  contrary,  there  are 
44  others,  who  irritate  an  accidental  sore,  or  actu- 
44  ally  form  one,  in  order  to  lay  up.  For  those 
44  the  hospital  should  be  made  as  disagreeable  as 
44  possible.  When  cured,  and  convicted,  they 
44  ought  to  be  punished. 

44  It  is  not,  ”  continues  this  Author,  44  in  our 

I  44  power 


(  60  ) 


46  power  to  attend  our  sick  Negroes  with  the  same 
“  assiduity  and  watchfulness  as  we  do  our  wives 
44  and  children  ;  but  in  the  essential  things,  little 
44  difference  is  made.  The  frames  and  distempers 
44  are  similar  ;  except  that  Negroes  do  not  bear  low 
44  diet  so  well  as  Whites. ” 

Who  but  must  admire  the  elegance  and  huma¬ 
nity  of  the  following  Extract ! 

44  I  now  come,”  says  Laborie,  “to  old  age.” 

4<  Light  employments  (as  has  been  seen)  are 
44  given  to  Negroes  as  they  fall  into  the  decline  of 
44  years. 

44  But  as  they  sink  into  decrepitude,  retirement 
44  and  rest,  with  affectionate  usage,  to  alleviate  the 
44  pains  and  hardships  of  bodily  infirmities,  are  a 
44  debt  due  to  humanity,  and  an  acknowledgment 
44  for  past  services.  A  man  of  reflection  and  sen- 
44  sibility  cannot  fail  to  be  moved  at  the  sight  of 
44  that  privileged  creature,  who,  after  fulfilling  in 
44  an  useful  manner  the  functions  of  his  station  on 
44  earth,  through  all  the  periods  of  life,  stands  upon 
44  the  brink  of  Eternity,  about  to  be  united  to  the 
44  Author  of  his  being  ! 

44  Take  care,  then,  not  to  afflict  the  good  old 
44  man,  by  dragging  him  from  his  old  thatched  and 
44  plastered  mansion,  his  family,  and  his  habits, 
44  under  the  mistaken  idea  of  having  him  more 

44  within 


(  61  ) 


within  the  reach  of  your  care  and  attention.  It 
44  is  better  to  make  his  own  house  more  comforta- 
44  ble,  to  furnish  him  with  warmer  clothes,  and 
44  to  supply  his  wants  partly  from  your  own  table* 
44  Do  not  forget  a  glass  of  wine,  the  best  milk  for 
44  old  age.  Visit  him  often.  If  he  suffers,  com- 
k4  fort  and  relieve  his  distress.  If  he  is  sick,  in- 
44  crease  the  usual  care.  He  will  bless  you  ;  and 
44  the  blessings  of  a  good  old  man  will  be  placed 
44  to  your  account  of  credit  before  the  Almighty. 
44  The  youth  will  thus  be  encouraged  to  serve  you  ; 
ii  a  prospect  of  comfort  being  placed  before  their 
44  eyes  after  the  toils  of  life.  If  you  ever  descend 
44  into  your  own  heart,  there  you  will  find  an  inex- 
44  pressible  sentiment  of  approbation. 33 

And  now,  Laborie,  I  will  bid  thee  a  long  farewell, 
by  quoting  the  three  concluding  paragraphs  of  thy 
Book,  which  breathe  such  a  spirit  of  patriotism, 
benevolence,  and  humanity,  as  must  impress  the 
bosom  of  everv  reader  of  generous  sentiments  with 
veneration  and  respect  for  the  man  of  whose  heart 
they  are  the  effusions. 

44  A  good  Citizen/’  says  Laborie,  44  owes  to  his 
14  country  that  portion  of  land  which  Providence 
44  has  assigned  to  him  in  the  territory  of  the  state. 
“  Is  that  a  trust  and  responsibility  to  be  thrown 
44  away  into  mercenary  hands  ? 

44  To  enjoy  under  a  burning  zone  a  cool  healthy 
44  climate  ;  to  have  all  the  comforts  of  life  ;  to  see 

44  all 


(  ) 


I 


ifi  all  around  buildings  in  good  order ;  a  well  sct- 
44  tied  manufacture  and  household  ;  plantations 
44  that  answer  your  advances,  and  abundantly  re- 
44  pay  your  toils  ;  happy  servants  ;  cattle  in  good 
44  plight  ;  and  to  be  able  to  say  to  yourself, 
44  in  the  calm  and  recollection  of  self-applauding 
44  conscience,  I  have  created  all  this, — Nature, 

4 4  Heaven,  and  Earth,  my  Country,  and  my  Fel- 
44  low-citizens,  smile  at  my  labour  and  success.  If 
44  I  am  remote  from  the  pleasures  of  a  boisterous 
44  vain  world,  I  am  secure  also  from  its  intrigues 
44  and  corruption  ;  my  days  glide  along  without 
44  trouble  ;  my  nights  are  free  from  the  dreams  of 
44  ambition  and  the  pangs  of  remorse  ;  nothing 
44  breaks  my  slumbers  but  the  tender  cares  due  to 
44  suffering  humanity  :  the  wishes  of  those  around 
44  me  are  for  the  duration  of  my  existence  ;  and, 
44  when  that  shall  be  peaceably  terminated,  my 
44  servants  will  sprinkle  my  grave  with  their  tears  ; 
44  my  children  or  heirs  will  bless  for  ever  the  good 
<4  man,  to  whose  toils  they  find  themselves  indebt- 
44  ed  for  their  comfort  and  bliss. 

44  Ask  any  reasonable  man,  if  happiness  does 
44  not  exist  in  such  a  situation,  is  there  any  un- 
44  der  heaven  where  it  can  be  found  ?  ” — 

To  conclude. — As  I  asserted  in  my  Prefatory 
Address,  the  present  work  was  not  originally 
intended  for  publication,  but  merely  as  a  Guide  to 
my  own  Manager.  It  has  'grown  imperceptibly 

under 


# 


(  63  ) 


under  my  hands  to  its  present  bulk.  To  others  in 
a  similar  situation  with  him  it  may  be  of  equal 
utility. 

It  is  well  known,  that  although  the  work  of  a 
Sugar  Estate  and  a  Coffee  Estate  is  so  very  differ 
rent  ;  yet  the  system  of  the  government  of  the  class 
of  people  by  whom  it  is  performed  is  precisely  the 
same  and  is  reducible  to  that  short  maxim — the 
extracting  the  greatest  possible  labour  by  the 
easiest  means,  or  making  each  individual  perform 
his  full  duty,  without  exacting  more  than  justice 
and  humanity  demand.—  Now  a  Sugar  Planter 
may  be  transferred  to  a  Coffee  Estate,  and  although 
he  is  perfectly  acquainted  with  the  knowledge  of 
enforcing  labour,  discipline,  and  order,  he  may  be 
wholly  uninformed  of  the  minutia  of  the  culture 
and  manufacture  of  the  other  article  of  produce. 

To  such  a  few  plain  directions  and  explanations 
may  be  of  use  ; — but  to  suppose  they  could  in 
the  least  benefit  such  as  are  not  previously  acquaint¬ 
ed  with  the  culture  of  soil,  and  the  mode  of  direct¬ 
ing  labour,  would  be  as  absurd  as  to  undertake 
to  teach,  by  written  precepts,  the  carpenter’s  trade 
to  a  man  who  had  never  seen  a  saw  or  a  hatchet ; 
to  make  a  mason  of  a  man  who  had  never  handled  a 
trowel  ;  or  to  compose  a  treatise  on  the  art  of  tooth¬ 
drawing  *;  which  reminds  me  of  an  anecdote  of  a 

very 


*  By  the  bye,  Swift  has  obliged  us  with  a  cure  for  the  tooth¬ 
ache, 


f 


(  64  ) 


very  worthy,  ingenious,  but  eccentric  friend  of  the 
author,* *  who  invited  him  to  pass  some  days  with 
him,  declaring  “we  would  live  like  kings;  for  he  had 
“  found  a  treasure. ” — On  my  arrival  I  found  this 
treasure  was  Mrs.  Glass’s  book  upon  Cookery. — 
But — this  was  attended  with  a  woeful  subsequent 
discovery,  viz.  that  my  friend  had  forgot  to  provide 
himself  with  the  materials  on  which  to  display  his 
newly  acquired  knowledge  ! 


ache, — a  very  effectual  one  ;  viz.  the  exposing  the  roots  of  the 

offending  party  to  the  rays  of  the  Sun  for  half  an  hour ,  or  some 
less  period  of  time  :  but  of  the  manner  of  bringing  it  into  that 

warm  situation  from  the  jaw-bone  he  has  unfortunately  left  the 
world  in  total  darkness. 

*  Doctor  Houlton  Harries. 


OMISSIONS. 


OMISSIONS. 


Among  the  apologies  which  the  Author  of  these 
pages  might ,  and  probable  ought  to  make  for  omis¬ 
sions,  his  chief  is  that  scarcely  pardonable,  one  of 
haste  ;  the  idea  of  it  having  only  struck  him  about  14 
days  previous  to  his  forwarding  it  to  the  press. 
He  takes  blame  to  himself  for  not  having  devoted 
more  time  to  this  work,  but  peculiar  circumstances 
called  for  its  sudden  appearance  ;  and  to  be  candid, 
he  neither  had  no  more  time  to  spare,  nor,  if,  he  had 
would  he  have  devoted  it  to  this  work  : — a  rather 
arrogant  assertion,  but  such  as  considering  the  re¬ 
ception  which  gocd  intentions  meet  with  ill  the 
world,  he  conceives  to  be  justifiable. 

Among  the  number  of  omissions  is  that  of  not 
having  added  to  the  requisite  attainments  of  the 
Manager  (and  he  thought  he  had  prescribed  him 
enough)  a  perfect  knowledge  of  the  qualities  of 
timber,  and  of  the  seasons  for  cutting  it  down  for 
buildings  ; — points  in  which  he  would  recommend 
him  to  inform  himself  of  by  a  communication  with 
the  ideas  of,  and  benefit  from,  the  experience  of 
others. 


Of 


(  66  ) 

Of  the  season  of  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  sap  in 
trees,  and  benefiting  thereby  in  felling  them  in  the 
dark  of  the  moon,  we  recommend  him  to  be  duly 
attentive  : — but  as  to  the  means  of  enabling  him 
advantageously  to  derive  benefit  from  the  stages 
of  the  moon,  for  planting  corn,  pulse,  cabbage, 
and  potatoes,  we  shall  leave  him  to  profit  by  his 
own  experience. 

These  are  the  principal  omissions  which  have 
occurred  to  us  : — and  now,  craving  the  indul¬ 
gence  of  our  reader  to  these  pages,  which  were 
most  sincerely  dictated  with  a  view  to  his  benefit, 
we  beg  leave  to  assure  him,  should  it  happen  to 
come  to  the  Author’s  knowledge,  that  he  has  in  the 
smallest  degree  succeeded,  he  will  feel  himself 
highly  gratified  ;  and  in  these  sentiments  he  bids 
his  reader  a  most  sincere,  cordial,  and  hearty 
farewell. 

The  AUTHOR. 


Dominica,  1st  July, 

1806. 


\ 

fc^rrr- - . — r-  .  ■  ■  - 

APPENDIX. 


OF  DRAINING,  &c. 


I  have  in  general  observed,  with  very  few  ex¬ 
ceptions,  that  Coffee  affects  a  surface  somewhat  on 
a  slope,  in  preference  to  a  bottom  or  level ;  and 
that,  even  where  there  is  not  apparent  extra-mois¬ 
ture  in  the  soil.  It  Certainly  very  ill  accords  with 
a  surface  any  ways  inclining  to  a  swamp.  Yet 
there  are  instances  of  veins  of  springy  lands,  where 
the  surface  one  would  suppose  to  be  not  so  much 
of  a  flat  as  to  retain  a  sufficient  moisture  to  injure 
that  plant. — It  is,  however,  frequently  the  case  ; 
and  proper  precautions  must,  in  such  cases,  be  re¬ 
sorted  to. 

The  piece  of  land  on  which  I  essayed  the  mode 
here  exemplified  lies  at  the  foot  of  a  hill  of  a  mode¬ 
rate  sloye,  and  has  itself  some  descent.  The  mode 
I  took*was  suggested  partly  by  necessity,  not 
having  then  the  strength  I  possess  at  present  : — 
but,  was  I  to  perform  the  same  operation  at  present, 
I  would  notwithstanding  follow  the  same  method, 
for  reasons  which  I  shall  here  alledge. 


K 


Having 


(  68  ) 


Having  determined  on  draining  every  second 
row  of  Coffee,  I  began  by  every  fourth  ;  meaning  to 
take  the  intermediate  ones  as  my  time  and  strength 
would  permit :  through  each  of  which  I  run  a  trend), 
precisely  in  the  centre,  of  two  feet  broad,  and  one 
foot  deep,  in  the  direction  of  the  general  descent  of 
the  land  ;  but,  in  order  to  prevent  the  escape  of  the 
soil,  I  made  a  square  hole  in  every  fourth  row, 
crossing  them  at  right  angles,  of  four  feet  square, 
and  from  three  to  four  feet  deep  :  —  l  thus  had  a 
complete  drain  for  every  four  rows  of  Coffee,  and  a 
deposit  for  the  soil,  which  might  be  washed  along 
hem,  in  four  receptacles  to  every  sixteen  trees. *  * 

The  remedy  being  effectual,  I  desisted  from  the 
completion  of  my  plan,  which  was,  to  have  made 
similar  drains  to  each  second  row  ;  and  to  vary  the 
'situation  of  the  pits  so  as  to  form  the  figure  in  the 
plate. — It  is  a  mode  1  would  recommend  to  every 
Planter,  who  has  land  which  requires  draining  :  but 
it  must  be  observed,  the  outlet  from  one  pit  to  the 
trench,  which  is  to  conduct  it  to  the  next  lower  pit, 
should  be  only  just  sufficient  to  let  the  water  drain 
over,  without  overflowing  the  ground,  otherwise 
the  soil  will  be  washed  out  almost  as  fast  as  it  en¬ 
ters. 

By 

✓ 

*  These,  for  distinction  sake,  I  shall  call  the  superior  drains  ; 
those  afiervvards  made  at  each  sec  ond  row,  the  inferior  drains* 


i 


(  69  ) 


By  this  mode,  as  well  as  accomplishing  the  drain¬ 
ing  of  the  surface,  a  considerable  quantity  of  the 
soil  is  saved,  and  collected  : — and  perhaps  if  hori¬ 
zontal  drains  were  made  to  cross  the  others  at  the 
intervals  where  there  are  no  pits,  it  would  bean  im 
provement. 


■v 

'  DIAGONAL  LINING. 

. 

% 

Ox  the  subject  of  lining,  the  ingenious  Laboric 
just  mentions,  but  does  not  recommend,  the  mode 
of  planting  in  Quincunxes  ;  that  is,  every  four  pic- 
quets  form  two  equilateral  triangles.  (See  the 
plate.)  By  this  mode  the  same  quantity  of  ground 
is  occupied  ;  but  the  rows  approximate  one  way, 
and  elongate  the  other.  In  preference  to  this  me¬ 
thod,  l  would  line  diagonally — (seethe  plate) — that 
is,  the  two  first  rows  must  form  an  angle  of  4,5  de¬ 
grees  with  the  two  primitive  lines  ;  and  from  these 
the  other  rows  are  laid  off  parallel.  The  only 
objection  to  be  ailedged  is,  the  inconvenience  of 
weeding  the  rows  thus  obliquely  situated  : — but 
this  is  obviated  by  taking  the  rows  direct  up,  and 
allotting  one  person  instead  of  two.  If  your  Coffee 
is  planted  at  nine  feet  each  way,  this  mode  will 
present  to  each  weeder  a  breadth  of  five  feet  and  an 
half,  which  is  as  much  as  they  can  conveniently 
carry  up. 

In 


(  70  ) 


In  order  to  enable  the  Coffee- Planter  to  asceru 
the  quantity  of  land  by  the  number  of  picquets, 
may  be  proper  to  inform  him  that  a  square  acre 
of  land  contains  43, 560  square  feet: — therefore  if 
he  plants  at  9  feet,  for  every  537  picquets  he  may 
count  an  acre. 

At  10  feet,  435  picquets  will  be  an  acre. 

At  8 - 6S0. 

At  7 - 8S8,  &c. 

FOR 

10  X  10=100  and  43560=435. 

100 

^  I 

9  X  9=81 - 43560=537. 

81 

8  X  8=64 - 43560=680. 

64 

7  X  7=49  - 43560=888,  See. 

49 

* 

So  2722  Cane-holes  of  4  feet  square  make  an  acre. 

4  X  4=1 6,  and  43560=27 22,  &c. 

16 

REFERENCES 


4 


(  71  ) 


n , 


f  (-fb  to  Til’,  CM.  1  !  fill  ft 

REFERENCES  to  the  PLATES. 


V  :IO 


— -  — 


* 

Plate  I.  represents  the  greater  part  of  the  plan. 
Plate  II.  Fig.  5,  in  perspective  ;  but  the  Mill- 
House,  Draining  Platform,  &c.  being  thrown  at 

such  a  distance  as  to  become  indistinct. 

Plate  111.  Fig.  1,  represents  a  view  of  those 

two  parts  separately. 


i  . 


nw  ,2 


In  the  plan,  plate  II.  Fig.  5. 

No.  1,  represents  The  Cherry  Mill-House. 

2 - The  Draining  Platform. 

3 — - First  Drying  Platform. 

4  - Granary  or  Beaucan. 

5  - - - Second  Drying  Platform. 

6  - - - Pounding  Mill  and  clean¬ 

ing  Loft,  with  the  Fanning- 
Mill  to  the  westward. 

7  - Dwelling  House,  under 

which  are  three  Rows  of 

. 

Drawers,  five  Drawers  to 
each  rowT. 


8‘ 


9- 

10- 

li- 


•A  Stone  Kitchen,  to  which 
a  Stove  or  Kiln  may  be 
added,  if  required. 

-Store  Room, 

-Manager’s  House. 

-Cooper’s  and  Carpenter’s 
Shop. 

L  The 


(  72  ) 


The  other  ttvo  buildings  being  for  the  manufac¬ 
ture  of  Sugar,  a  part  of  the  property  being  planted 
in  Canes,  belong  not  properly  to  this  work,  and  arc 
only  represented  to  shew  how  the  Author  availed 
himself  of  the  small  quantity  of  level  surface  which 
he  had  to  deal  with. 


Stable. 


12- 


- Is  a  Stock- Yard. 

Sheds  to  keep  the  Stock  from  the 
weather. 


The  water  comes  from  a  Spring  through  the 
Coffee  to  a  Bason  outside  the  Garden  Fen^e,  which 
has  an  outlet  to  throw  it  pff  when  too  abundant  ; 
from  thence  runs  to  a  Bason  in  the  centre  of  the 
Garden  to  a  Bason  at  the  Draining  Platform,  where 
it  has  another  outlet,  if  not  wanted  ;  from  whence 
jt  is  sent  either  into  the  Mill  Cistern,  under  House 
No.  1,  or  round  by  the  Kitchen  and  Sugar-work, 
where  a  drain  carries  it  oft. 


Plate  II.  Fig.  I.  Lining  is  referred  to  under 

o  o 

that  article. 

i  %  i 

Fig.  3  and  4,  a  plain,  and  a  more  complex 
Cabrit  or  Level  for  tracing  Koads,  &c. 

Fig.  6  and  7?  are  referred  to  in  the  Appendix. 

Plate  III.  represents  a  Plan,  Elevation,  end  and 
sideways,  and  a  perspective  view  of  the  Coffee- 
Mill. — That  here  represented  is  not  the  one  com¬ 
monly  in  use,  though  of  the  same  figure— They 


*.  • 


(  73  ) 


are  in  general  made  of  a  solid  Roller. — This  he 
considered  as  an  improvement,  as  throwing  the 
weight  from  the  centre  to  the  circumference,  and 
thereby  answering  the  purpose  of  a  tly. 

Plate  IV.  Fig.  1,  represents  the  plan  of  ,th£ 
Coffee  Mill-house,— -No.  1,  Plate  It.  Fig.  .5,  in 
which  only  two  Mills  are  here  represented,  although 
six  might  be  placed  if  required  .  Fig.  2,  represents 
a  section  of  the  Cistern,  with  a  plastered  pave¬ 
ment,  over  which  beams  are  thrown,  and  planks 
laid  for  the  people  to  stand  on,  inclining  thereto 

each  way,  which  conducts  the  Coffee  at  once  into 
•/ 

the  Cistern,  and  saves  the  trouble  of  gathering  it 
up  in  baskets,  as  is  commonly  practised  to  put  there. 

Pla  te  V.  represents  an  improved  Receiver,  and 
Measuring  Box  for  the  Cherry  Coffee. 

No.  1.  The  Box  empty  in  a  state  for  receiv¬ 
ing  the  Cherry  Coffee,  which  is 
thrown  in  from  the  Ladder. 

2—  The  Box  discharging  the  Cherrv 
Coflee,  by  being  turned  on  the  axle 
behind  it. 

3 —  Plan  of  the  improved  Receiver.  * 

•  t  ' 

This  Receiver  is  nine  feet  longand  seven  broad, 
it  is  six  feet  high  at  the  farther  end,  and  four  feet 
at  the  end  next  the  Box,  and  has  a  descent  to  the 
spouts  a  and  b,  which  feed  two  Mills  below. 

rn 

1  II  E 

*  SubstitireJ  for  that  in  Plate  I Y.  Fig.  3. 


1 


I 


-  .  (  r*  ) 

The  Box  contains  two  Barrels  ;  and  the  Manager, 
( werseer,  or  Driver,  must  make  a  score,  on  the 
side  of  t lie  Receiver,  of  the  number  of  times  it 
is  discharged  into  the  Receiver. 

i 

No.  l — Plate  U.  Mg.  o,  Draining  Platform. 

'No.  2,  sloping  in-wards-,  and  Drying  Platform. 
No.  3,  sloping  outwards,  in  a  sort  of  perspective, 

where  it  will  be  observed  that  advantage  has  been 
taken  of  the  ground  to  sink  the  lower  story  where 
the  Mills  are  placed,  so  as  the  floor  of  the  upper 
story  comes  on  a  level  with  the  platforms;  in  the 
upper  story  should  be  the  Receiver  for  the  Cherry  - 
Coffee,  which  descends  through  two  small  scuttles 
to  the  Mills. 

Plate  VI.—  No.  1,  is  an  outside  view  of  the 
Pounding  Mill,  Mill-House,  and  Granary — No. 
is  a  section  of  the  inside- — and  No.  ‘3,  is  a  design 
of -a  Sugar  Mill  and  Mill-IIonse  Frame. -^The  mo- 

O 

tionof  this  Mill  is  accelerated  by  means  of  the 
Balance-wheel,  and  the  cases  are  carried  round  near¬ 
ly  twice,  for  one  round  of  the  Cattle  ;  but  it  wras 
chieflv  for  the  framing  of  the  roof  that  he  was  induc- 
ed  to  make  the  drawing,  which  may  be  adopted  by 
those  who  may  stick  to  the  common  Mill,  and  is  so 
constructed  as  to  derive  no  disadvantage  from  the 
want  of  an  upright  support  in  the  centre,  which 
Sugar  Mills  cannot  have,  on  account  of  the  motion 
work  being  from  thence. 


# 


C  75  ) 


CONTINUATION  EXPLANATION; 
OF  THE  PLATES. 


I  have  thought  proper  to  be  somewhat  minute 
in  describing  the  different  parts  of  the  Polygon 
Bui ;  ding,  which  covers  in  the  Pounding-Mill  and 
Loft,  as  its  complicated  construction  requires 
more  correctness  of  workmanship  than  any  of  the 
other  buildings. 

As  the  space  is  very  considerable,  it  must  of 
course  have  a  support  in  the  centre. — And  here  the 
first  idea  is,  the  making  the  arm  work  in  a  collar 
round  the  upright  post  ;  which  1  however  rejected, 
and  adopted  the  mode,  Plate  V,  Fig.  4,  5,  6,7,  &  S. 

Should  occasion  occur  (which  may  never 
happen)  the  centre  post  may  be  removed  by  driv¬ 
ing  out  the  key  or  wedge,  and  inclining  the  post 
a  little  on  one  side  ;  having  previously  secured  the 
beam  by  temporary  uprights. 

The  Author  has  been  obliged  to  make  names 
for  the  different  parts  of  the  Iron-work  ;  which  he 
has  endeavoured  to  make  as  appropriate  as  he  could. 

Plate  V,  Fig.  4,  5 ,  6,  7?  &  8. 

A — Represents  the  Pivot. 


M 


B.  The 


✓ 


(  76  ) 

B — The  Strap ,  which  turns  round  the  pivot  at 
No.  1,  and  rests  upon  the  projecting  part 
of  the  pivot  below. 

C — The  Bearer ,  a  solid  circular  piece  of  iron, 
which  rests  on  the  second  projecting  part 
of  the  pivot  below  No.  2,  and  prevents  tiie 
weight  of  the  upright  from  bearing  on  the 
neck  of  the  strap. 

D — The  Resister ,  which  is  nailed  to  the  bottom 
of  the  upright  ;  through  which  the  pivot 
passes,  and  rests  upon  the  bearer ,  to  pre¬ 
vent  the  wood  wearing  or  decaying. 

E — The  upright  central  support,  hooped  at 
the  bottom  to  prevent  its  splitting. 

This  is  the  mode  which  the  Author  has  adopt¬ 
ed  and  completed— and  it  promises  strength, 

durability,  and  convenience* 

*  * 


/ 

FINIS. 


C.  Lowndes,  Printer,  MarquiS-Court, 
Drury-Lane, 


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