But I discover other ways in which Mr. Steele was benefited, as I advance in the perusal of his writings.  It was impossible to overlook the following passage:  “Now,” says he (alluding to his new system), “every species of provisions raised on the plantations, or bought from the merchants, is charged at the market-price to the copyhold-store, and discharged by what has been paid on the several accounts of every individual bond-slave; whereas for all those species heretofore, I never saw in any plantation-book of my estates any account of what became of them, or how they were disposed of, nor of their value, other than in these concise words, they were given in allowance to the Negroes and stock.  Every year, for six years past, this great plantation has bought several hundred bushels of corn, and was scanty in all ground-provisions, our produce always falling short.  This year, 1790, since the establishment of copyholders, though several less acres were planted last year in Guinea corn than usual, yet we have been able to sell several hundred bushels at a high price, and we have still a great stock in hand.  I can place this saving to no other account, than that there is now an exact account kept by all produce being paid as cash to the bond-slaves; and also as all our watchmen are obliged to pay for all losses that happen on their watch, they have found it their interest to look well to their charge; and consequently that we have had much less stolen from us than before this new government took place.”

Here then we have seen another considerable source of saving to Mr. Steele, viz. that he was not obliged to purchase any corn for his slaves as formerly.  My readers will be able to judge better of this saving, when I inform them of what has been the wretched policy of many of our planters in this department of their concerns.  Look over their farming memoranda, and you will see sugar, sugar, sugar, in every page; but you may turn over leaf after leaf, before you will find the words provision ground for their slaves.  By means of this wretched policy, slaves have often suffered most grievously.  Some of them have been half-starved.  Starvation, too, has brought on disorders which have ultimately terminated in their death.  Hence their masters have suffered losses, besides the expense incurred in buying what they ought to have raised upon their own estates, and this perhaps at a dear market:  and in this wretched predicament Mr. Steele appears to have been himself when he first went to the estate.  His slaves, he tells us, had been reduced in number by bad management.  Even for six years afterwards he had been obliged to buy several hundred bushels of corn; but in the year 1790 he had sold several hundred bushels at a high price, and had still a great stock on hand.  And to what was all this owing?  Not to an exact account kept at the store (for some may have so misunderstood Mr.