Query 4. The state of slavery in Massachusetts
when slaves were most numerous ? their
number when most numerous ? their pro-
portion to the Number of white persons at
that Period ?

It is difficult to say at what time slaves were most
numerous; we never had any thing like a Census till
the year 1763, & then (it being an unpopular measure) it
was not very accurately taken. There was another
in 1776 & another in 1784, which stand thus --

Years. Whites. Blacks. Proportion
1763 235,810 5214 45 to 1
1776 343,845 5249 65 to 1
1784 353,133 4377 80 to 1

[In the Census of 1790 Negroes & Indians were put into
one list & the whole Number was 6001 of which
I suppose upwards of 4000 were Negroes & of the oth-
ers many were a mixture of Indians & Negroes.] [Written and crossed out in left margin: (to come in at P. ult)]

I am inclined to think that Slaves were more
numerous before 1763 than at that time, because
many of them enlisted in the 2 preceeding wars either
into the armies or on board some vessels of War, with a
view to procure their freedom. One of my inform-