ABSTRACT
William Beckford, the first cousin of the author of the oriental Gothic novel Vathek, was a historian and plantation owner who lived at Hertford, Jamaica for thirteen years. The essay is dedicated to Sir William Parsons who had recently become Master and Conductor of the King’s Band of Music and whose patronage Beckford was presumably seeking. In his Remarks, Beckford defends slavery and the slave trade. In the first part of the essay he disconcerts the reader by dwelling on the maltreatment of the slaves and blaming those proprietors who abuse their authority, pleading for a milder and more humane management of the estates.
