too much." "Hi!" said old Betty, "you brudder an' sister been eat you
like one oyshter!" "Dey tink you like one angel come down," said old
Judy, "and they no ben see you so long time."

The long letter that comes next is perhaps the most
interesting and convincing of all that Mr. Philbrick wrote.

E. S. P. TO W. C. G.

_Boston, July 8._ Your long letter has received due attention, but I
do not yet feel as if it would be advisable to sell lands any sooner
than I had always intended, viz., at the end of the war. I agree with
you that the present system is unsatisfactory and annoying, tending to
develop the evil as well as the good that is in the negro character. I
had about concluded to propose next winter something like the
following plan, but don't think it good policy to promise _anything_
now for two reasons: first, such promises would be distorted and
misrepresented by the negroes among themselves in the interim, so
that when the time comes, nothing but dissatisfaction and growling
would result; second, because something may turn up in the meantime to
change my mind as to what is best. My rough plan is to sell to the
people at cost all live-stock and implements we could spare,--nearly
the whole,--for which they can doubtless pay cash next winter. Then
divide the lands among them to be used as they see fit for the
remainder of the war, they to pay either a certain share of the cotton
they raise, say one half, or a certain amount of cotton, annually.
(Don't like this last.) A small farm to be reserved on large
plantations to be sold to or worked by some white settler, who can
devote his time there and act as our agent to look after our rights,
and if possible work a little cotton on his own account, experimenting
and introducing improved methods of culture. It might be almost
impossible for such a man to get labor, but there will be some negroes
too dependent in their habits to want to wait a year for their pay and
some old people and widows who would prefer wages paid monthly. This
white man's farm is, however, not a necessary part of the plan, and if
labor can't be got, of course it wouldn't succeed. Teachers and
store-keepers to be kept on the ground at our expense, who will look
after the houses they live in and do whatever else they can to keep
things straight.

Another plan is to sell life-leases to the negroes, instead of the fee
simple, disposing of the lands you propose to sell. This occurred to