Journal of a Residence Among the Negroes in the West Indies

Matthew Lewis' Journal of a Residence Among the Negroes in the West Indies was first published posthumously in 1834. It describes the author's visits to his estate on the island in 1815-1817, after the abolition of the slave trade but before emancipation. The author himself was an opponent of slavery, although he did not campaign for its abolition, instead working to improve conditions for the 400 slaves who worked on his estate, which made him unpopular with other plantation owners. Written in an engaging and witty style, Lewis' journal provides a fascinating account of life on a Jamaican sugar plantation during the period when the abolition of slavery in the British Empire was an important political issue.