_Jan. 3._ I don't know how low the thermometer would have stood out of
doors here. R.'s was at 19°. The one in our parlor was at 28° some
time after lighting the fire.
You will probably in due course of time see the tintypes of Rose and
Demus. Old Judy and Minda got theirs taken some time since, but there
has been no opportunity of sending them to you. As they went up all by
themselves, the arrangement of their toilet was original; hence a
display of jewelry rather more characteristic than tasteful.
The subject of the approaching land-sales now becomes the
all-important topic.
_Jan. 20._ There was notice given for all the people to meet at St.
Helena church on Sunday last to hear the President's new instructions
about land-sales. These new orders were obtained, as nearly as I can
learn, by Father French, who went to Washington at General Saxton's
request to urge the matter. The plan defeats that of Dr. Brisbane,
who meant to sell at auction.[151] Now, as you will see by the papers,
all the lands that were bid in by the United States are offered at
private sale, to black or white, in lots of twenty or forty acres at a
uniform price of $1.25 per acre, like Western public lands, with the
privilege of preëmption, but to those only who have resided on lands
belonging to the Government for at least six months since the
occupation of the island by our forces. So this gives all the
superintendents and teachers a chance to buy as well as the negroes,
but excludes all new-comers. I found Dr. Brisbane as much disturbed as
it is possible to conceive.
Of course I stayed over with Mr. R. another night to attend the
church. It was a fine morning, and we found a pretty large attendance,
both black and white. Parson Phillips was there and opened the
services. Mr. French followed, urging them to go ahead at once and
locate their lots. General Saxton followed, saying but little, but
urging them not to sleep till they had staked out their claims.
Father French begged leave to differ, for he wanted them to respect
the Sabbath. Mr. Hunn followed, saying they had better do it _to-day_,
for it was no worse to drive stakes Sunday than to keep thinking about
it. He condoled them on the small pay they had been getting from
Government and private speculators, saying, "What's thirty cents a day
in these times for a man who has to maintain himself and his family?"
(Great sensation among negroes, and a buzz, with mutterings of "that's
so," etc.). Then a paymaster made a spread-eagle speech. Then Colonel
Ellwell was called out by Mr. French. Then Judge Smith mounted the
pulpit and explained to the negroes the meaning of preëmption, how it
was formed of two Latin words. Colonel Ellwell contrived to mystify
the people a little as follows. After expatiating on the goodness of
President Lincoln, he said he was so kind he had even offered pardon
to the rebels, and perhaps we should see their old masters back here
some day, with a whole county of scoundrels to swear they had always
been loyal Union men, etc. The whole fandango lasted till nearly three
o'clock, and then we had the usual amount of shaking of hands, etc.,
outside. I lost no time in finding Mr. Hunn and informing him that I
had paid an average of over fifty cents a day through the whole season
of working cotton. If he had been a younger man, I should have said,
as I thought, that it was not a true kindness to these ignorant people
to say anything tending to make them discontented with the rates of
pay that had been established with a good deal of care by men who had
been quite disinterested and well calculated to judge of such things.
In fact, I might have told him, what I certainly believe, that a much
higher rate of pay than they have been receiving would tend to
diminish the amount of industry rather than to stimulate it, by
rendering it too easy for them to supply their simple wants. I held my
peace, however, and was content to hear him apologize, disclaiming any
intention of referring to me in what he had said, etc., and admitting
that my case was an exception, adding that he didn't suppose I should
be _allowed_ by Government to pay higher rates than those established
by General Saxton! We were accompanied home from church by Mr.
Eustis, and Mr. R. came as far as G.'s. They all met here Monday, in a
pouring rain, to talk over the subject of wages for the coming year.
It was concluded to pay in money entirely instead of in molasses and
bacon, believing that the days of rationing in any form had passed,
and that the negroes would be better pleased to handle all the money
and spend it as they pleased. So we raise the pay of cotton hoeing
from twenty-five cents to thirty-five cents per old task, and add five
cents more, making it forty cents, besides the premium on the weight
of crop, which remains as before, making the average wages about sixty
or sixty-five cents for cotton work, which we think none too high for
the present prices of dry goods, etc. Of course, the smart hands earn
more than this in a day, for they do one and one-half times or twice
as much per day as they used to, and these prices are based upon the
old master's day's work or task. I have some men who gin fifty pounds
a day and earn their dollar, while they never ginned more than thirty
pounds for their master. I spent most of the day with G. on his
plantations, talking with him and his people about the prospect of
success with the new system. I haven't yet found a single man on any
of my places who wants to risk buying land. They all say they had
rather stay where they are and work for me. The more intelligent
foresee many difficulties in owning land, such as having no access to
marsh, or woodland, no capital for live-stock, plows, harness, carts,
etc., and they don't like the idea of having to wait a whole year to
get their reward for planting the cotton crop. The people seemed
highly satisfied to work on and well pleased with the prospect of
higher nominal wages to talk about, and slightly higher in reality,
with the privilege of spending them as they wish.
_Jan. 27._ Last Friday I made an expedition to Eddings Point in our
little boat. Arriving about one o'clock, and leaving the boat in
charge of the boys, I walked up to Mr. Wells' house on the Mary
Jenkins place, about one and one-quarter miles. I went down to the
nigger-house to see the people. I found the people in a state of
confusion about buying land. They had got the impression at church
from the earnest way in which they were urged to buy, that they _must_
buy land _nolens volens_, and wanted to have my consent to stay where
they were and work for me as long as they pleased! Of course I laughed
and told them they were welcome to stay as long as they wished and
behaved well. They seemed "well satisfy" with this, and all in good
humor.
I stayed at home Monday to see Mr. Hull, who came down with another
big boat-load of cotton for our people to gin. They had finished
ginning what he brought last week in two days. As soon as his boat
came to the landing near Nab's house, the people made a rush for the
cotton, the men carting it and the women carrying the bags on their
heads and hiding it, so they might have some of it to gin. It was like
rats scrambling for nuts.
Mr. B. has a letter from Secretary Chase, urging that a bale of free
labor cotton be sent to the Sanitary Fair at New York, and I offered
to present a bale for the purpose. It will be worth about five hundred
dollars; but is not a very great contribution, considering that we
have two hundred of them nearly.
I see that my letter to Alpheus Hardy[152] is going the rounds, being
copied in Providence _Journal_ and New York _Evening Post_, with a few
blunders as usual. Did you notice the expression "extend the arm of
charity" was printed "area" instead of "arm," making a very absurd
appearance? The Providence _Journal_ put in an extra cipher,
multiplying my figures by ten. In order to correct this blunder, which
was a serious one, making the cotton cost ten times as much as I
stated, I wrote to the editor, giving him some more information about
my crop, for the benefit of the Providence cotton spinners.[153]