suggested
comparison with negroes.

The next letter is the first from W. C. G., whom Mr.
Philbrick has already mentioned as destined to be his
assistant.

_March 24. Coffin's Point._ It is the largest plantation on the
Islands, numbering in its full days over 250 hands, or head, as the
negroes call themselves.

A large amount of cotton is still in store here, for which the boat I
hope will call this week; meanwhile the cotton-agent[14] and a guard
occupy the house with us. The former has been on the place three or
four months in charge of a large district with several plantations; he
is a smart young fellow, very dashing and jockey-like. We were
received by the guard with shouldered arms and by this agent, who did
their best to induce or rather bluff us into leaving the premises and
taking possession of another house; for we have two plantations
besides this,--estates belonging to William Fripp's sons.[15] We
stayed, however, and are now occupying two rooms, with plenty of
furniture of different kinds stored by the agent, probably for
removal. The whole business of our Commission and all its agents are
much disliked by the cotton-agents, partly because they don't
sympathize with our purposes,--partly because we seem about to usurp
their authority, to which of course we do succeed.

The cotton-agents have started the corn-planting on most of the
estates,--and almost everywhere the whole condition of people and land
is much better than I expected to find it. The present state of a
plantation depends on the previous character and age of the people,
the influence of the drivers,[16] and the circumstances to which they
have been exposed since the soldiers came. If the people are on the
whole old and steady, if the drivers are intelligent and
strong-minded, if their masters have been humane and fatherly, and if
they have seen few soldiers,--then the work has usually been kept up
pretty well and the negroes are still at home and willing to go
a-field,--and their condition varies as those items vary. On the
larger number, as I have said, things are much better than I expected
to see them. As is proper, more attention has as yet been paid to the
_corn_ lands, and very little to the cotton. Two precious months have
been lost for that crop. On most of the plantations corn enough
remains to last through the next crop,--so there is little danger of
much suffering for want of food. But everything except corn, an