The West indies in 1837

Page 275

JAMAICA.

259

part to the zealous co-operation of the Hopeton family, •but chiefly perhaps to the persecutions many of their members have had to sustain, before the introduction of the apprenticeship, from their .overseers or propri­ etors. Some striking instances were related to us of the stedfast and consistent lives of the christian negros. One of them, who is a native African, and still an ap­ prentice, was described as very successful in bringing numbers of his ignorant and degraded brethren to aknowledge of the gospel, A large number of the ap­ prentices as well as the free children attended the family worship this morning. Some of the Bog negros i also took advantage of their breakfast time to run to , Hopeton to attend it. We were introduced afterwards ; to W I L L I A M H A M I L T O N , a man of color, who is now ! the overseer of Lenox, the sugar estate adjoining j Hopeton, and belonging to the same proprietor. He i was formerly a slave on the Bog, and purchased his j freedom soon after the introduction of the apprentice- ' ship. Though self-educated, he is evidently a person • of an intelligent and reflecting mind, which has { been improved by reading and disciplined by a life of : adversity such as rarely falls even to the lot of a slave. • We afterwards visited the school on Hopeton. It is supported at the expence of the proprietor, super­ intended by a young man and his wife, two excellent and competent persons, sent out from England by the "Ladies' Society." There were about eighty children present, of whom forty were free children or appren­ tices from Hopeton and Lenox, thirty free children from the Bog, and several the off"spring of free parents. They were examined by their teacher and shewed great i proficiency in reading and arithmetic, and answered j scripture questions with great readiness. All thescho-


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