34
ANTIGUA.
cused of living with women to whom they were not married :—their sentences were, to be put out of the church. Another case was that of a husband charged with beating his wife:—sentence, suspension. These decisions are taken to the monthly conference of the missionaries for confirmation. The addresses of the minister to the offenders were affectionately solemn and appropriate ; and appeared to produce a deep im pression. The people are more in fear of the church discipline than of legal punishment ; and some planters employ the authority of the minister, rather than that of the magistrate, in enforcing due discipline and subordination on their estates. 29th—We went after breakfast to see a part of the Mission property ; which has been let off in little plots to laborers on adjoining estates, who esteem it a privilege to tenant them ; though they receive no equivalent increase of wages, in lieu of the hut and ground which they would otherwise occupy on the estate. The rent is six shillings currency, (two shil lings and eight-pence sterling) per month for a cottage, and a quarter of an acre of land. One boy of fifteen, who has an aged mother to support, applied for a piece of land ; and, when the minister hesitated, said " O massa, I can manage to pay the rent," He im mediately set about clearing it with great spirit ; and has now got it into nice order, and part of it planted with yams. The free cottage system has been tried to a small extent in one or two other places ; and hitherto with complete success. At present, however, except ing in the towns, there are perhaps, not fifty independ ent cottages in the island. A part of the mission land has been also appropriated to the children of Bro ther MORRISH'S infant school, who have little gardens