JAMAICA.
275
right man, has also recently been removed from St. Thomas in the East, to the opposite end of the island, without any assigned cause. The planters, encouraged | by their recent success in these two instances, and in that of Dr. PALMER, are again plotting against several of the unpopular magistrates, who persist in endea vouring to do justice to the apprentices. A planter, who is also a barrister and leading member of Assemhly, has recently sent a circular letter to the overseers in his neighbourhood, requesting them to meet and \ prepare a memorial and affidavits against CHAMBERLAINE, who has scarcely been two months in his new district. He promises that he will lay the respective affidavits before the Governor and enforce them by all ; means in his power. If the upright magistrates con- ' tinue to be thus left unsupported by the Home Govern- " ment, and exposed to these intrigues in the colony, not 1 one of them will be able to retain his commission. i We had several opportunities during our stay in | Clarendon of conversing with the negros. Their state- ? ments will be found with others of a similar kind.* Î Several of them who had been sent to the treadmill i exhibited on their legs the scars of the severe inj uries j which they had received. Their complaints were prin- | cipally of frauds of time, and of as large or larger an amount of task-work being extorted from them than.! during slavery in spite of the legal restriction of theJ hours of labor. There were also several instances of ai common but flagrant abuse, where women with six = children or upwards, were compelled to work in the | field, who had been accustomed during slavery to " s i t ' down" or required only to attend to light work. From' * See Appendix F, Sec. iv.