and though completely out of the sound of the Minister, yet thought themselves equally happy in offering up their own private adoration in presence of that sacred house. And here, my reader, believe me, did these thousands of liberated blacks enjoy themselves the whole day, not in feasting and drunkenness, but in fasting and prayer.

And, much to the honour, may it here be said, of our zealous and worthy Rector, the Rev. Miles Cooper Bolton, who most ardently laboured the whole long day, in addressing (besides our Church services) suitable admonitions for their comfort and edification.

And strongly did he point out to them, by a representation of the journey of the Israelites of old through the wilderness, after their liberation from the Egyptian bondage; the necessity of their shewing gratitude, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, by patiently waiting for, and faithfully labouring out, the termination of their apprenticeship.

And I do most solemnly assert, that it is a base LIBEL on these unfortunate and degraded race (who have not had friends to stand boldly forward in their defence) to assert otherwise; but that they have most faithfully adhered, and zealously followed up this good advice, and by so doing have not only given the lie direct to their enemies' false assertions, but have put a lasting honour upon their own credit, and your noble undertakings in their behalf.

I could set before you a volume on this head, but I must cut short, as my work is considerably more enlarged, than I at first anticipated it would have been. But, if your generosity should only replace my already sacrificed fortune, believe me, neither it shall lay idle, nor shall my zeal slacken, until oppression be put down, and every trace of slavery swept away from our shores.

For the purpose of shewing you more clearly the stubbornness of the facts on which I am about to write, and the false mask cast over slavery, by the appellation of apprenticeship, I shall lay before you a portion of the famous Abolition Act, which I intend you to scrutinise.

An Act

For the Abolition of Slavery, passed in

Jamaica, in December, 1833.

Sec. 21. And be it further enacted,

That it shall not be lawful for any person or persons entitled to the services of any such apprenticed labourer, or any other person or persons other than such justices of the peace holding such special commissions as aforesaid, to punish any such apprenticed labourer for any offence by him or her committed, or alledged to have been committed, by the whipping, beating, or imprisonment of his or her person, or by any other personal or other correction or punishment whatsoever, or by any addition to the hours of labour herein-before limited; nor shall any Court, Judge, or Justice of the Peace, punish any such apprenticed labourer, being a female, for any offence by her committed, by whipping or beating her person.

Sec. 22. Be it therefore enacted,

That all such offences shall be tried in a summary manner before any justice appointed by special commission; and that any apprenticed labourer convicted of absenting himself or herself from the service of his or her employer without reasonable cause, for half or any smaller proportion of a day, shall forfeit to such employer not exceeding a whole day's labour of his or her own time.

Sec. 23. And be it further enacted,

That any apprenticed labourer, convicted as aforesaid, of being absent without any reasonable cause for more than half a day, shall in like manner forfeit not exceeding three days labour, of his or her own time; Provided always that it shall be lawful for the special justice, before whom such com

plaints shall have been heard, on which he shall have adjudged that the said apprentice shall forfeit three days labor of his or her own time, and he is hereby authorised and requested so to divide the said three days labour as shall not impose the obligation on such apprentice of working for more than fifteen extra hours in any one week,

Ser. 29. Be it further enacted,

That any apprenticed labourer who shall be convicted, as aforesaid, of insolence or insubordination to his or her employer, shall be sentenced to hard labour in the house of correction or the penal gang of the parish, for any time not exceeding two weeks, or, to receive any number of stripes not exceeding thirty-nine.

Sec. 41. And be it enacted,

That for all offences where punishment by flogging is authorized to be awarded by this act, it shall be lawful for the Special Justices, in case such offences shall be committed by females, to sentence such females to solitary confinement for any period not exceeding ten days.

Sec. 44. Be it further enacted,

That all other inferior misdemeanours, and other crimes committed by apprenticed labourers against each other, or against the person entitled to his or her service, or against any other person and not herein-before specified, shall be heard and determined before any justice appointed by special commission, reasonable notice of the time and place of such trial being given to the person entitled to the services of the apprentice complained, against, where such person so entitled to his or her services is not the complainant; and such justice shall, upon conviction of such apprentice, order and direct such punishment to be inflicted as he shall think proper, not exceeding fifty lashes, nor three months imprisonment to hard labour, nor twenty days so

litary confinement; Provided, that nothing in this clause contained, shall be taken to authorise such magistrate to sentence any female apprentice to be flogged or beaten :And provided also, that nothing herein contained shall be deemed or taken to deprive any of his Majesty's subjects of his or her right to proceed against any such apprentice in any of the superior courts of this Island, or any court of quarter session or common pleas, for remedy against any apprentice for any wrong or injury done or committed to or against the person or property of such subject: and provided also, That when any apprenticed labourer shall be convicted of indolence, or negleet, or improper performance of work, the Special Justice before whom such conviction shall take place, may, if he sees fit, sentence the offender, either alone, or in addition to the punishment by flogging, or hard labour, hereinbefore directed, to labour for such number of hours or days, in his or her own time, for the benefit of the person intitled to his or her services, as the justice of the case may seem to require, not exceeding fifteen hours in any one week,

Sec. 47. Be it enacted,

That from and after the first day of August next, every praedial apprenticed labourer shall be entitled to four hours and one half of an hour, out of the five and forty weekly working hours, hereinbefore-mentioned, for the cultivation of his or her grounds, and such portion of time shall be allowed to each apprentice, &c.

Sec. 59. And be it further enacted,

That from and after the first day of August, one thousand, eight hundred and thirty-four, Saturday in each week shall be the day given to every praedial labourer, provided, that praedial labourers, employed in works of necessity, tending cattle, domestic services, and in protecting property, shall have some other day in lieu of Saturday.

An Act,

In aid of an Act, for the Abolition of Slavery, passed in July, 1834, in Jamaica.

Sec. 5. And whereas,

It is necessary to regulate uniformity in the hours of labour: BE IT ENACTED that on all sugar estates and other plantations, field labour, shall commence with sun rise, and terminate with sunset, giving such cessation in the middle of the day as, with the usual half hour allowed for breakfast, shall reduce the actual time of labour to nine hours in the day: provided always, that nothing herein contained shall prevent the employer and the labourers from making any other arrangement as to the hours of labour, which they may mutually agree upon.

Sec. 6. And be it enacted,

That it shall be the duty of every employer to intimate to the labourers in his or her employment the commencement and the close of the legal hours of labour, by the usual mode of ringing a bell, or sounding a horn, or shell, or any other signal, which shall be always of such a nature as to be distinctly visible or audible to the several praedial apprenticed labourers in the service of any person.

Sec. 21. And be it further enacted,

That if, after the expiration or other determination of the term of apprenticeship of any apprenticed labourer, he or she shall, having three months' notice to quit previously to the determination of such apprenticeship, refuse to quit and deliver up possession of any land, dwelling, or building, which he or she shall have been permitted or suffered to occupy, during his or her state of apprenticeship, to his or her employer or c. ployers, or to any person or persons acting on his