, so coming into
this colony, to settle or reside, as aforesaid, shall
afterwards remove out of the same, such person shall be
obliged to carry all such negro or mulatto slaves, as also
all such as shall be born from them, out of the colony with
them. "Provided, also, that nothing in this act shall
extend, or be deemed to extend, to any negro or mulatto
slave brought from the coast of Africa, into the West
Indies, on board any vessel belonging to this colony, and
which negro or mulatto slave could not be disposed of in the
West Indies, but shall be brought into this colony.

"Provided, that the owner of such negro or mulatto slave
give bond to the general treasurer of the said colony,
within ten days after such arrival in the sum of L100,
lawful money, for each and every such negro or mulatto slave
so brought in, that such negro or mulatto slave shall be
exported out of the colony, within one year from the date of
such bond; if such negro or mulatto be alive, and in a
condition to be removed.

"Provided, also, that nothing in this act shall extend, or
be deemed to extend, to any negro or mulatto slave that may
be on board any vessel belonging to this colony, now at sea,
in her present voyage."[473]

In 1730 the population of Rhode Island was, whites, 15,302; Indians,
985; Negroes, 1,648; total, 17,935. In 1749 there were 28,439 whites,
and 3,077 Negroes. Indians were not given this year. In 1756 the
whites numbered 35,939, the Negroes 4,697. In 1774 Rhode Island
contained 9,439 families, Newport had 9,209 inhabitants. The whites in
the entire colony numbered 54,435, the Negroes, 3,761, and the
Indians, 1,482.[474] It will be observed that the Negro population
fell off between the years 1749 and 1774. It is accounted for by the
fact mentioned before,--that many ran away on ships that came into the
Province.

The Negroes received better treatment at this time than at any other
period during the existence of the colony. There was a general
relaxation of the severe laws that had been so rigidly enforced. They
took great interest in public meetings, devoured with avidity every
scrap of news regarding the movements of the Tory forces, listened
with rapt attention to the patriotic conversations of their masters,
and when the storm-cloud of war broke were as eager to fight for the
independence of North America as