A Description of the island of Jamaica with the other isles and territories in America, to which the English are related ... : taken from the notes of Sr. Thomas Linch, Knight, governour of Jamaica, and other experienced persons in the said places : illustrated with maps / published by Richard Blome.

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Title
A Description of the island of Jamaica with the other isles and territories in America, to which the English are related ... : taken from the notes of Sr. Thomas Linch, Knight, governour of Jamaica, and other experienced persons in the said places : illustrated with maps / published by Richard Blome.
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London :: Printed by T. Milbourn, and sold by the book-sellers of London and Westminster,
1672.
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"A Description of the island of Jamaica with the other isles and territories in America, to which the English are related ... : taken from the notes of Sr. Thomas Linch, Knight, governour of Jamaica, and other experienced persons in the said places : illustrated with maps / published by Richard Blome." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A28392.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 24, 2024.

Pages

The Inhabitants.

The Inhabitants of this Isle may be Ranged under 3 heads or sorts, to witt, Masters, (which are En∣glish, Scotch, and Irish, with some few Dutch, French, and Jews) Chri∣stian Servants, and Negro-Slaves. And these three sorts are excee∣ding numerous; for, according to

Page 84

a Calculation not long since made, the Masters, and Servants, did a∣mount to about 50000, and the Negroes to about double the num∣ber.

The Masters, for the most part, live at the height of Pleasure

The Servants, at the expirati∣on of 5 years, become Freemen of the Island, and employ their times according to their abilities, and capacities; either to get a small Plantation, or to work at day-la∣bour in other Plantations, or else to exercise their Trades, if so capa∣citated.

The Negro-Slaves are never out of their Bondage, and the Chil∣dren they get, are likewise perpe∣tual Slaves. They have but mean allowance of dyet, cloaths, and lod∣ging; and although held to such hard Labour, and so ill treated,

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yet are they well contented with their Conditions; and if their Master is but any thing kind, they think nothing too much to be done for them; and therefore 'tis great pity to wrong such poor Creatures.

The chiefest Stock of a Planter, consists in his Servants and Slaves, but especially the Slaves, who are more numerous. And these they Buy on Shipboard, as men Buy Horses in a Fayr, and according as they are handsome, lusty, well-shapen, and young, either the men or women, they give more or less; the general Rates for the Christi∣an-servants being about 10 l. but if one that hath a good Trade, as a Carpenter, Joyner, Smith, or the like, then far more: Likewise, a Female that is young and handsome, is highe valued. The general Rate for the better sort of

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Negro-men, is 20 l. or 25 sl. ster∣ling; and for Women, about 15 l. for the encrease of stock of Ne∣groes, they generally take as ma∣ny Men as Women.

Notes

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