Part 8 (1/2)
”With this letter co the favor of you to sell in any of the islands youme in return for him ”One hhd of best ood and cheap ”One pot of ta about 10 lbs
”Two small ditto of mixed sweetmeats, about 5 lbs each
And the residue, ood old spirits That this fellow is both a rogue and a runaway (tho' he was by no means remarkable for the former, and never practised the latter till of late) I shall not pretend to deny But that he is exceeding healthy, strong, and good at the hoe, the whole neighborhood can testify, and particularly Mr Johnson and his son, who have both had hiives ement sell well, if kept clean and trim'd up a little when offered for sale”
Another ” felloas shi+pped off in 1791, and was sold for ”one pipe and Quarter Cask of wine from the West Indies” Sometimes only the threat of such riddance was used, as when an overseer complained of one slave, and his master replied, ”I am very sorry that so likely a fellow as Matilda's Ben should addict hiuilty of any atrocious criiven up to the civil authority for trial; but for such offences as uilty of, you had better try further correction, accompanied with admonition and advice The two latter sometimes succeed where the first has failed He, his father and mother (who I dare say are his receivers) e, that if a stop is not put to his rogueries and other villainies, by fair oner Jack) for the West Indies, where he will have no opportunity of playing such pranks as he is at present engaged in”
It is interesting to note, in connection with this conclusion, that ”admonition and advice” were able to do what ”correction” sole order to whip, and that the above case, and that which follows, are the only known cases where punishave Ben, for his assault on Sambo, was just and proper It is my earnest desire that quarrels may be stopped or punishment of both parties follow, unless it shall appear _clearly_, that one only is to blame, and the other forced into [a quarrel] froton wrote, ”If Isaac had his deserts he would receive a severe punishment for the house, tools and seasoned stuff, which has been burned by his carelessness” But instead of ordering the ”deserts” he continued, ”I wish you to inforh by their idleness; they need not add to it by their carelessness”
This is the ave him constant annoyance by their wastefulness and sloth and dishonesty Thus, ”Paris has grown to be so lazy and self-willed” that his master does not knohat to with hiht to knit, and _made_ to do a sufficient day's work of it--otherwise (if suffered to be idle) many more alk in her steps”; ”it is observed by the weekly reports, that the sewers make only six shi+rts a week, and the last week Carolina (without being sick) ton says their usual task was toTell them therefore from me, that what _has_ been done, _shall_ be done”; ”none I think call louder for [attention] than the smiths, who, from a variety of instances which fell within my own observation whilst I was at home, I take to be two very idle fellows A daily account (which ought to be regularly) taken of their work, would alone go a great way towards checking their idleness” And the overseer was told to watch closely ”the people who are at ith the gardener, some of whom I know to be as lazy and deceitful as any in the world (Sam particularly)”
Furthermore, the overseers arned to ”endeavor to roes take care of their cloathes;” to give them ”a weekly allowance of Meatbecause the annual one is not taken care of but either profusely used or stolen”; and to note ”the delivery to and the application of nails by the carpenters, [for] I cannot conceive how it is possible that 6000 twelve penny nails could be used in the corn house at River Plantation; but of one thing I have no great doubt, and that is, if they can be applied to other uses, or converted into cash, ru it”
When robbed of soton complained that ”the deceptionis of a piece with other practices of a similar kind by which I have suffered hitherto; andcolors, first how little confidence can be placed in any one round you; and secondly the necessity of an accurate inspection into these things yourself,--for to be plain, Alexandria is such a recepticle for every thing that can be filched froht owners, by either blacks or whites; and I have such an opinion of ros (two or three only excepted), and not much better of so that can be disposed of at any price, at that place, that will not, and is not stolen, where it is possible; and carried thither to so keepers, who support themselves by this kind of traffick” He dared not leave wine unlocked, even for the use of his guests, ”because the knowledge I have of my servants is such, as to believe, that if opportunities are given thelasses of wine for every one that is drank by such visitors, and tell you they were used by the very ordinary qualities, he had to confess that ”I know not a negro arity and attention could be relied on for such a trust as this”
Whatever his opinion of his slaves, Washi+ngton was a kind master In one case he wrote a letter for one of them when the ”felloas parted from his wife in the service of his master, and at another time he enclosed letters to a wife and to James's ”del Toboso,” for two of his servants, to save thee In reference to their rations he wrote, ”whether this additionis sufficient, I will not undertake to decide;--but in e I desire they s hurt with complaints of this sort, nor lye under the i the to supply the deficiency To prevent waste or e of them at all--for if, instead of a peck they could eat a bushel of meal a week fairly, and required it, I would not withhold or begrudge it theer for whiskey or ruroes,” and towards the end of his life he ordered the overseer, ”although others are getting out of the practice of using spirits at Harvest, yet, as shead of Rum must be purchased; but I request at the sareater kindness of his was, in 1787, when he very ro ent that ”if he has a family, hich he is to be sold; or from whom he would reluctantly part, I decline the purchase; his feelings I would not be thein the latter case, nor _at any rate_ be incumbered with the former”
The kindness thus indicated bore fruit in a real attachment of the slaves for their ton the poet alluded to the negroes at Mount Vernon in the lines,--
”Where that foul stain of h Afric's sons transmitted in the blood; Hereditary slaves his kindness shar'd, For rees prepar'd: Return'd frolee by artless signs express”
And in a foot-note the writer added, ”The interesting scene of his return home, at which the author was present, is described exactly as it existed”
A single one of these slaves deserves further notice His body-servant ”Billy” was purchased by Washi+ngton in 1768 for sixty-eight pounds and fifteen shi+llings, and was his constant co after his master at reviews; and this servant was so associated with the General that it was alleged in the preface to the ”forged letters” that they had been captured by the British froton's” When Savage painted his well-known ”faroup,” this was the one slave included in the picture In 1784 Washi+ngton told his Philadelphia agent that ”The mulatto fellow, William, who has been with me all the war, is attached (married he says) to one of his own color, a free wo the as also of my family
She has been in an infirm condition for some time, and I had conceived that the connexion between them had ceased; but I aet her here, and tho' I never wished to see her more, I cannot refuse his request (if it can be complied with on reasonable terms) as he has servedthis e to Alexandria”
[Illustration: SAVAGE'S PICTURE OF THE WAshi+NGTON FAMILY]
When acting as chain-bearer in 1785, while Washi+ngton was surveying a tract of land, William fell and broke his knee-pan, ”which put a stop to et hiet a sled to carry him on, as he could neither walk, stand or ride” From this injury Lee never quite recovered, yet he started to accoive out on the road
He was left at Philadelphia, and Lear wrote to Washi+ngton's agent that ”The President will thank you to propose it to Will to return to Mount Vernon when he can be removed for he cannot be of any service here, and perhaps will require a person to attend upon him constantly If he should incline to return to Mount Vernon, you will be so kind as to have him sent in the first Vessel that sails for Alexandria after he can be moved with safety--but if he is still anxious to coratify him, altho' he will be troublesoh for the President to gratify hiton gave Lee his ”immediate freedom or if he should prefer it (on account of the accidents which have befallen hi or of any active employment) to remain in the situation he now is, it shall be optional in him to do so-- In either case however I allow hi his natural life which shall be independent of the victuals and _cloaths_ he has been accustomed to receive; if he _chuses_ the last alternative, but in full with his freedoive him as a testimony of my sense of his attach the Revolutionary War”
Two ston's last illness are worth noting The afternoon before the night he was taken ill, although he had hi his affairs on horseback in the storm most of the day, yet when his secretary ”carried so to send the,” Lear tells us ”he franked the letters; but said the weather was too bad to send a servant up to the office that evening” Lear continues, ”The General's servant, Christopher, attended his bed side & in the rooh his whole illness In the [last] afternoon the General observing that Christopher had been standing by his bed side for a long time--made a motion for him to sit in a chair which stood by the bed side”
A clause in Washi+ngton's will directed that
”Upon the decease of my wife it is my will and desire that all the slaves which I hold in _ht_ shall receive their freedo her life, would, tho' earnestly wished by me, be attended with such insuperable difficulties, on account of their interroes as to excite the reeable consequences from the latter, while both descriptions are in the occupancy of the sa in roes are held tothose ill receive freedoe, or bodily infirmities & others who on account of their infancy, that will be unable to support themselves, it is my will and desire that all who come under the first and second description shall be comfortably cloathed and fed by my heirs while they live and that such of the latter description as have no parents living, or if living are unable or unwilling to provide for them, shall be bound by the Court until they shall arrive at the age of twenty five years The negroes thus bound are (by their ht to read and write and to be brought up to soton's sentilanced at As early as 1784 he replied to Lafayette, when told of a colonizing plan, ”The scheme, e the emancipation of the black people of this Country fro evidence of the benevolence of your Heart I shall be happy to join you in so laudable a work; but will defer going into a detail of the business, till I have the pleasure of seeing you” A year later, when Francis Asbury was spending a day in Mount Vernon, the clergyn a petition for the eton replied that it would not be proper for him, but added, ”If the Maryland assembly discusses the matter; I will address a letter to that body on the subject, as I have always approved of it”