master, young children were purchased from some family where
they abounded, to furnish those attached servants to the rising progeny.
They were never sold without consulting their mothers, who if expert and
sagacious, had a great deal to say in the family, and would not allow her
child to go into any family with whose domestics she was not acquainted.
These negro-women piqued themselves on teaching their children to be
excellent servants, well knowing servitude to be their lot or life, and
that it could only be sweetened by making themselves particularly useful,
and excellent in their departments. If they did their work well, it is
astonishing, when I recollect it, what liberty of speech was allowed to
those active and prudent mothers. They would chide, reprove, and
expostulate in a manner that we would not endure from our hired servants;
and sometimes exert fully as much authority over the children of the family
as the parents, conscious that they were entirely in their power. They did
not crush freedom of speech and opinion in those by whom they knew they
were beloved, and who watched with incessant care over their interest and
comfort. Affectionate and faithful as these home-bred servants were in
general, there were some instances (but very few) of those who, through
levity of mind, or a love of liquor or finery, betrayed their trust, or
habitually neglected their duty. In these cases, after every means had been
used to reform them, no severe punishments were inflicted at home. But the
terrible sentence, which they dreaded worse than death, was past--they were
sold to Jamaica. The necessity of doing this was bewailed by the whole
family as a most dreadful calamity, and the culprit was carefully watched
on his way to New-York, lest he should evade the sentence by
self-destruction.

One must have lived among those placid and humane people to be sensible
that servitude, hopeless, endless servitude, could exist with so little
servility and fear on the one side, and so little harshness or even
sternness of authority on the other. In Europe, the footing on which
service is placed in consequence of the corruptions of society, hardens the
heart, destroys confidence, and embitters life. The deceit and venality of
servants not absolutely dishonest, puts it out of one's power to love or
trust them. And if, in hopes of having people attached to us, who will
neither betray our confidence, nor corrupt our children, we are at pains