2.  The allowances of food continue the same as during slavery, excepting that now the master may give, instead of the allowance, a third of an acre to each apprentice, but then he must also grant an additional day every week for the cultivation of this land.

3.  The master has no power whatever to punish.  A planter observed, “if I command my butler to stand for half an hour on the parlor floor, and it can be proved that I designed it as a punishment, I may be fined for it.”  The penalty for the first offence (punishing an apprentice) is a fine of five pounds currency, or sixteen dollars, and imprisonment if the punishment was cruel.  For a second offence the apprentice is set free.

Masters frequently do punish their apprentices in despite of all penalties.  A case in point occurred not long since, in Bridgetown.  A lady owned a handsome young mulatto woman, who had a beautiful head of hair of which she was very proud.  The servant did something displeasing to her mistress, and the latter in a rage shaved off her hair close to her head.  The girl complained to the special magistrate, and procured an immediate release from her mistress’s service.

4.  It is the duty of the master to make complaint to the special magistrate.  When the master chooses to take the punishment into his own hand, the apprentice has a right to complain.

5.  The master is obliged to sell the remainder of the apprentice’s term, whenever the apprentice signifies a wish to buy it.  If the parties cannot agree about the price, the special magistrate, in connection with two local magistrates, appraises the latter, and the master is bound to take the amount of the appraisement, whatever that is.  Instances of apprentices purchasing themselves are quite frequent, not withstanding the term of service is now so short, extending only to August, 1840.  The value of an apprentice varies from thirty to one hundred dollars.

PROVISIONS RESPECTING THE APPRENTICE.

1.  He has the whole of Saturday, and the remnants of the other five days, after giving nine hours to the master.

2.  The labor does not begin so early, nor continue so late as during slavery.  Instead of half past four or five o’clock the apprentices are called out at six o’clock in the morning.  They then work till seven, have an hour for breakfast, again work from eight to twelve, have a respite of two hours, and then work till six o’clock.

3.  If an apprentice hires his time from his master as is not unfrequently the case, especially among the non-praedials, he pays a dollar a week, which is two thirds, or at least one half of his earnings.

4.  If the apprentice has a complaint to make against his master, he must either make it during his own time, or if he prefers to go to the magistrate during work hours, he must ask his master for a pass.  If his master refuse to give him one, he can then go without it.