354
JAMAICA.
even twenty-four hours length, and estates are in stanced in the Appendix, on which the mule boys and sugar boilers work continuously for six days and nights, snatching a few minutes rest during the short intervals of their toil. All this extra labor and night work is sometimes obtained by the coercive powers of the Special Magistrate, without any remuneration ; sometimes it is extorted for a trifling and most inade quate payment, under the sanction of pretended agree ments. Very efficient i-egulations have been framed to enforce voluntary contracts, and the same are used also to enforce fictitious and pretended contracts, for the labor of the apprentices. The Act declares, (c. xxi.) that apprentices shall not be compelled to work on Sundays except in certain specified cases of necessity, but in consequence of their being fraudulently deprived of their time, as above stated, and of the mulcts im posed on them by the Special Magistrates, they are frequently compelled by want, to work their provision grounds on the Sabbath. With regard, therefore, to the labor of the apprentices, we are brought to the conclusion, that not only is every provision of the Im perial Act violated, but the requirements of a much higher law are openly contemned. The planters may be emphatically addressed, in the language of the apos tle JAMES : " The hire of your laborers, who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud crieth ; and the cries of them which have reaped, are entered into the cars of the Lord of Sabaoth." We come next to consider the maintenance of the apprentices. By the Imperial Act (c. xi.) a pro prietor is i-equired to provide his apprentices, with " such food, clothing, lodging, medicine, medical at tendance, and such other maintenance and allowances,"^