ThefeudthatragedoverthereligiousinstructionofthenegroesmakesacuriouspieceofJamaicanhistory.“TheimportedAfricanswerewild,savageandbarbarousintheextreme;theiruntractablepassionsandferocioustemperamentrenderedseveritynecessary.Theyprovokedtheironruleofharshauthority;andtheearliestlaws,constructedtorestraintheirunexampledatrocities,wererigidandinclement.Theyexhibited,infact,suchdepravityofnatureanddeformityofmindasgavecolourtotheprevailingbeliefinanaturalinferiorityofintellect;sothatthecolonistconceivedittobeacrimeofnogreatermoralmagnitudetokillanegrothantodestroyamonkey;howeverraretheirinterestinthem,asvaluableproperty,renderedsuchalamentabletestofconscience.”ThustheRev.GeorgeWilliamBridgesonthenegroeswhentheirspiritualstatewasexercisingthemindsofallthereligiousteachers.Thisparticularshepherdwaswrothbecauseheobjectedtothesectarians,thatisQuakers,MethodistsandBaptists,takinguponthemselvesanyinterestinthesoulsoftheslaves.“Thecountryalreadypays,”heremarks,“near￡40,000perannumfortheirreligiousinstruction.”Idon’tknowifIshallbecalledlibellous,butitdoesseemtomethattheChurchwasdecidedlyslackindispensingthatinstructionforwhichshewassohighlypaid.Sheadministeredreligionintheimpersonalanddignifiedmannerthatwasherwont,andtheslavesmightbechristenediftheysodesired.Ofcoursetheyhadtogettheirmaster’sconsent,foritwasnotlikelytheparsonwasgoingtodoitfornothing,andattheendoftheeighteenthcenturyitcostfourbitsahead,thatisabout2s.6d.Buttheclergymanwassometimesopentoabargain,andwoulddothewholeestateforafixedsum—abouthalftheusualcostperhead.Andsometimesawholeestatewouldclamourtobechristened.SometimestheydiditasasafeguardagainstsomefearedObeahman,andsometimessimplytohavenameslikethebuckra.Aftertheirnewnametheyaddedthatoftheirmasterforasurname,andreservedtheoldnameforcommonuse.Andthencametroublefortheoverseerorbook-keeper,forthenewChristianswhileexceedinglyproudofbeingChristianslikethebuckras,wereapttoforgettheirnewnames,andwerealwaysteasingtobetoldthem,for,ofcourse,theywererecordedintheestatebook.
