The West indies in 1837

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JAMAICA.

local magistrate, to the following effect :—that the Stipendiary ought if required to administer the law literally, and to require the forty hours and half labor per week, from the apprentices in cases of sickness, or pregnancy, and that all needful i-elaxations should emanate from the bounty and humanity of the proprie­ tor. Against these sentiments the Stipendiary pro­ tested, and declared that he would never violate the law of nature in any such manner. 13th.—The last case was the valuation of ALLICK, an apprentice to JOHN ROSS, of Mullatto River estate. This apprenlice was a fine, intelligent, negro, who has been employed for teii months past as an overseer on the estate, at a salary of twenty pounds per annum, giving up all his extra time. He was, however, so good a house servant, that his mistress had persuaded her husband to reduce him again to that capacity, which was the cause of his wishing to be valued. His master, who was present, employed another gentleman, the same local magistrate, to act for him on account of his age and deafness. An agreement was produced to fix the class of the apprentice as a predial. The pur­ port of which was, that fourteen apprentices therein named, of whom ALLICK was one, should receive the same time and the same quantity of provision ground as the predial apprentices, on condition of their re­ maining apprentices till 1840. This had been verbally settled between them and their master on the first of August, 1834, and a year afterwards confirmed by the memorandum now produced, which was signed by their marks, and by the Special Magistrate, D A W S O N . The agent for the proprietor observing, that the vStipendiary disregarded this agreement, again produced the new classification law, and proposed as a local magis- ,


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