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Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la m6thode. by errata med to lent une pelure, fapon d 1 1 32X 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 h ' ^ ^ ^ s^ !^ V ^ S^ (0 vS- r; ■\ ■<5 r' fv.^ ^ 5 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. VOL. I. TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES, COHPaiSINO VISITS TOTKE MOST INTERESTING SCENES IN NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA, AND THE WEST INDIES. WITH NOTES ON NEGRO SLAVERY AND CANADIAN EMIGRATION. BY CAPT. J. E. ALEXANDER, 42d Royal Highlanders. ' F.R.G.S. M.R.A.S. ETC. AUTHOR OF TRAVELS IN AVA, PERSIA, ETC. IN TWO VOLUMES. > ( VOL. L LONDON: RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET. ^ublt{li)er tn a^tHtnari) to ^ii i^aititv, 1833. IN INSCRIBED TO GIDEON COLQUHOUN, ESQ. LATE RESIDENT AT BUSSORAH, &c. &c. &c. IN TESTIMONY OF THE RESPECT AND AFFECTION OF THE AUTHOR. in ii I, ■■.i I u U •* Trav lie, took the read( worl peru In any parts expe full Seen to 01 volui Ame series ing direc I mi^ INTRODUCTION. In submitting these Sketches of Voyages and Travels in the Western Hemisphere to the pub- lic, I beg to state tlie reasons why I under- took them, and also to furnish an outline of the route which I followed, in order that the reader may clearly understand the nature of the work which he may think it worth his while to peruse. In the beginning of 1831, being unattached to any regiment, and having already visited many parts of the Old World, I determined on an expedition to the New, previous to returning to full pay. I communicated my intention to the Secretary of the Royal Geographical Society, and to other literary and scientific individuals, and volunteered to execute commissions for them in America or the West Indies. I thus obtained a series of interrogatories to answer, and in collect- ing information for myself, had my attention directed to other matters of great interest, which I might otherwise have omitted to notice ":' ' i i * I I Vlll INTRODUCTION. Having provided myself with introductions for the various places I intended to visit, I sailed from the Port of London for South America, and in due time arrived at Stabroek. I spent some time among the planters of the coast of Guiana, and made enquiries into the state of slavery, and the present condition and future prospects of this valuable colony. I also penetrated into the inte- rior, and saw Indian life on the banks of the mighty streams which descend from the Andes, and under the shade of the primeval forest almost untrodden by the foot of the European. I collected in "the Bush" many particulars re- garding the wandering tribes in the South Ame- rican wilderness, and paid some attention to the animate and inanimate productions in general, which are here so different from those of the Eastern hemisphere. I have condensed my in- formation on these subjects as much as possible, and rendered it in, I hope, a popular form. As my sojourn on the great continent daily furnish- ed me with something novel and interesting, I have endeavoured to make my readers partici- pate in the pleasures I enjoyed. I next steered for Barbadoes, made the tour of that ancient settlement, and have furnished an account of the late dreadful hurricane which swept across it with destruction on its wings. I then visited in succession Tobago, the scene of the shipwreck and hermitage of the celebrated llobinson Crusoe ; Trinidad, a most valuable INTIlOnUCTlON. IX island, but whose capabilities liave been as yet very partially developed ; Grenada, that gem of ocean, the most beautiful of the Antilles; St. Vincent, with scenery of the most sublime and magnificent character, and distinguished by a souffriere or volcano ; and Jamaica, with its blue mountains, fertile savannahs, and deadly lagoons. Whilst voyaging among the British West In- dia Islands, the reader will be furnished with the state of society and manners among the Antilles. Military matters will be discussed, and the con- dition of the negroes enquired into, about whom the philanthropic in England take such interest ; their condition under British masters will be also noticed and compared with that under other proprietors of negroes, on which subject the writer was sworn to give evidence at the bai* of the House of Lords. Having the honour and prosperity of our native land at heart, an endea- vour is made to show the value of our Western intertropical possessions; — possessions, to obtain which the blood of our bravest countrymen has been shed, and their bones lie thickly strewn beside those of the rivals they displaced. One fact may be here mentioned : so far back as the year 1828, the value of the imports from the British West Indies into Great Britain was £8,908,672. From the East Indies and China the same year, £8,348,767. The exports to the former £4,049,856, to the latter £6,388,330. X INTRODUCTION. From Jamaica I sailed in a frigate for that splendid possession of Spain, Cuba. I there visit- ed the tomb of the great Columbus, and during my rc^sidence in Havannah, and in the country, saw many strange sights and heard many strange tales, winch are faithfully recorded. I next sailed in a Spanish vessel for New Or- leans, or " the Wet Grave," and arrived there during the sickly season. Whilst I was detained amongSv the cane-brakes and cypress swamps of Louisiana, I collected some information re- garding the neighbouring territory of Texas, which the reader will find to be the garden of North America. From New Orleans I sailed up the Mississippi, and, after several adventures, some of a grave, and others of a ludicrous nature, I arrived at Mem- phis; from thence 1 journeyed as a sailor, partly on foot and partly in waggons, through the back woods of Tenessee and Kentucky, to Louisville, at the Falls of Ohio. I next proceeded up the " Queen of Rivers," the Ohio, by Cincinnati to Weeling, in Virginia ; then crossed to Lake Erie, whence I went to Buffaloe, and saw the glories of Niagara. I then crossed Lake Ontario to York, Upper Canada ; was present at a distribution of presents to In- dians; thea went to Kingston. I thence pro- ceeded, by the Lake of the Thousand Isles, to the Ottawa, which I ascended to Bytown, on the Ri| Canal, I nej St. An St. Lai format! dian ei esting nadian I Champ I th< phia an had th Presidt I retur] Acader able cit verpool Perh volume sand n motto by floo Some ^ weexp a rang had vc World North t'^ INTRODUCTION. XI the Rideau Canal, of which, and of the Welland Canal, a short iiccount is given. I next descended the Ottawa, by the Rapids of St. Anne, to Montreal, and then embarked on the St. Lawrence, for Quebec. There I obtained in- formation regarding the condition of the Cana- dian emigrants; and, after visiting various inter- esting scenes in the neighbourhood of the Ca- nadian capital, arrived at New York, by Lake Champlain, and the noble Hudson. I then journeyed to Washington, by Philadel- phia and Baltimore, to see Congress opened, and had the honour of several interviews with the President of the United States, General Jackson. I returned to New York, and visited the Milita/y Academy at West Point, and the old and agree- able city of Boston ; finally, I embarked for Li- verpool. Perhaps, I ought not to confess that these volumes were written, and about sixteen thou- sand miles were traversed, (in the spirit of the motto of my people,) " Per mare, per terrain," by flood and field, in the space of a twelvemonth. Some will exclaim, " What solid information can we expect from one who hurries over so extensive a range of travel ?" To this I answer, that I had very quick voyages to and from the New World. To South America, three weeks ; from North America, sixteen days ; and I was equally xu INTRODUCTION. fortunate among the West India Islands. I halted a month, a fortnight, or three days, at various places, according to circumstances ; and my observation being continually on the alert, I did all in my power to make up for the want of a longer acquaintance with the people and scenes I have attempted to describe. I therefore trust that I shall not be censured for venturing to put forth these tomes. J. E. A. Berwick Barracks, April 1§33. CONTENTS OF THE FIRST VOLUME. CHAPTER I. Embark in a ship bound for South America.— Reflections on leaving England. — Pleasing anticipations. — The General Harris East Indiaman. — Deal Boatmen. — Sail down Channel. — A wreck. — Awful catastrophe. — Custom-house regulations. — The solitude of a Ship highly bene^cial. — A rattling Breeze. — Reconnoitred by a suspicious-looking vessel. — The Elysian cli- mate of Madeira. — Nautical Superstitions. — A Night-scene. — The Gulf-stream. — The great Columbus and the Sea-weed. — Tropical showers. — The Coast of Guiana. — Nearly run aground. — A black Pilot. — The Essequibo River. — Appear- ance of Stabroek . . ... 1 i ) \l CHAPTER n. Land at Stabroek. — The Streets. — The white Inhabitants. — The coloured The Negroes. — The coloured and black Free- men. — The Indians or Bucks. — The Military. — The Barracks. — Medical Mon. — Causes of mortality among the Troops. — In- judicious manner in which the English and Dutch live in Stabroek. — Animal Food condemned. — The Public Buildings and Private Residences. — Stabroek a City of Refuge. — Anec- dote. — Form of Government — Civil and Criminal Courts. — Grants of Land. — Anti-Malthusian doctrine. — Salubrity of the climate. — A castle of indolence. — Tricks played with electric ' ( XIV CONTENTS. Eels. — The last Census. — Slave Population on the Increase. — Returns of Produce. — Imports. — Price ot* Labour and Provisions. — Examination of Soil. — Defence of British Guiana from foreign invasion , .... 14 CHAPTER III. Desire to visit the Interior. — Eldorado. — Sail to the Esse- quibo. — Carelessness of Negro crews. — Anecdote. — Islands of the Essequibo. — Mazarooni and Coioony Rivers. — Few traces of early Settlers. — The mighty Forests. — The Mora, Cotton, Palmetto, and Mangrove trees. — The Campanero. — The Tapir. — Manati. — American Leopard. — The Cayman. — Monkeys. — Deer. — Peccari Hogs, and other quadrupeds of Guiana. — Parrots, Macaws, Vampires, Owls, and Goat-suckers. — Aquatic Birds. — Humming-birds. — The Cock of the Rock. — Aboma Snake. — The Conacoushi, Labarri, and Rattlesnakes. — Anec- dote. — The Cobra of India. — The Pipa Frog. — Visit a Dutch Entomologist. — Remarkable Fishes. — Pacoo, Perai, Silurus, Assa, electric Eel, Wurwureema. — 'The Frog-fish. — Guiana a rich field for the isaturalist. — Awful solitude. — Approach of a Storm. — Geology of the Essequibo — Woodcutters — A forest Residence. — Wood-nymphs. — Kykoveral. — The Post. — Visit an Indian Settlement ..... 32 CHAPTER IV. On the Indians of British Guiana. — Population. — The names of the Tribes. — The Arrawaks. — Best known to the Settlers. — — Practise polygamy — Inconveniences of this system. — How to win a Bride. — Shameful conduct of some Europeans. — Dreadful effects of Seduction. — The Indian not unwilling to be related to the White Man.— The Birth of a Child Named by the Peiman. — How the Indians spend their time. — Rum ought to be prohibited. — Hospitality of the Indians. — The behaviour of the Indians in the house of an European. — Indian deport- ment.— Highly useful as Bush-rangers. — Diseases. — The Vil- lage of the Dead. — Funeral Ceremonies. — Indian Theology. — Tradition of the Creation. — Of the Deluge. — Never address the Deity. — The Accaways. — Wourali poison. — The Caribisce. — The Wurrows. — The Macoushis. — Indian language.^ — Indians ought t( Their Dl The Soil coloniza^ gious Ir — Mismj Colonial! Settle! Guiana.- ers. — Ej the Maj Peak.— glorious Tale of The me Left val Enchanti Indians > tain part Descei Plantatic scribed.- ninnies. oppresse A Plant Field-ga tuary. — and Lar Boiling.- — A sue Fishing — Negi ments ( Colony. ment CONTENTS. XV ought to be reclaimed. — The Protectors and Postholders. — Their Duties. — Their Character. — Roguery of a Posthokler. — The Soil and Climate of the Indian country. — Adapted for colonization. — A Settlement rocommended. — Moral and Reli- gious Instruction. — Indian labourers.— Labour of Sexes equal. — Mismanagement of Indian aifairs. — A Remedy proposed. — Colonial Policy ..... 58 CHAPTER V. Settlers on the Coast. — Unacquainted with the Interior of Guiana. — Pleasures of a Bush Expedition. — Advice to Wander- ers. — Expedition of Mr. Hilhouse and Mr. Tichmaker. — Sail up the Mazarooni. — Magnificent mountain ranges. — Raleigh's Peak. — Arrawak Fathers. — The great Falls ofCumarrow A glorious scene.— How to spend the Night in the Bush. — A Tale of the Living and the Dead. — Interesting collections. — The melancholy fate of the travellers Smith and Gullifer Left valuable papers. — Cannibalism on the Essequibo. — The Enchanted Pool. — The Rev. Mr. Hyne's visit to the Spanish Indians of Morocco. — Their civihzed state. — Conduct of cer- tain parties of pleasure condemned. — A warning . 77 CHAPTER VL Descend the Essequibo. — Dangerous Rocks. — Arrive at Plantation Meerzorg — The House, Garden, and Works de- scribed. — A Negro Holiday. — Musicians and Dancers. — Picca- ninnies. — Ladies of Quality. — Creole Dance. — The poor oppressed Slaves. — Insect serenade. — Ride round the estate. A Plantain Thief — Walks. — Canals. — Punts. — Cattle. — A Field-gang. — Book-keeper and Driver. — Studies for a Sta- tuary. — Breakfast — A Jaguar at the Hog-pen. — Dutch Coffins and Land-crabs. — The manufacture of Sugar Grinding. Boiling. — Curing. — Animating Scene. — The Calabash Estate. — A sucking Thief. — Military Smugglers. — A Dinner Party. — Fishing for Guanas. — A Buck Party. — Sunday in Wakenaam. — Negro Congregation. — Critiqut on a Sermon. — Misstate- ments of the Abolitionists. — -The Churcn Establishment of the Colony. — Moravians the best Missionaries. — A candid State- ment ..••... 93 XVI CONTENTS. CHAPTER VU. The important Question of Abolition of Slavery. — Im])artiul Witnesses ought to be heard. — Colonies ought not tc be sacrificed. — Slavery in the abstract cannot be defended. — Ruinous Consequences of sudden Emancipation. — St. Do- mingo. — Character of a Functionary there. — Humane enact- ments of the British Government. — Protectors of Slaves and their Assistants. — Their Duties. — Sunday Markets prohibited. — Also servile labour on that day. — Men, Women, and Chil- dren, how punished. — Religious Instruction and Medical At- tendance. — Marriage's of Slaves. — May acquire property. — Re- latives not to be separated. — Manumission. — Slaves may pur- chase their Freedom. — Evidence of Slaves to be taken. — The food and maintenance of the Slaves. — Supported by an Allow- ance of Provisions or an Allotment of Land. — Hours of Labour. — Slaves' clothing. — How lodged. — Planters plead their inability to comply with all the Legislative Enactments. — Slavery in the East. — A cruel Punishment. — Treatment of Slaves in Surinam. — Incredible. — Fresh Importations of Slaves. — Community of Lepers. — Comparative Slavery.— Brazilian Slaves. — A Slave Ship.'— A Slave Market. — Some Slaves more degraded than beasts of burden. — French Slaves. — British Planters cannot compete with Foreigners if the present great Trade in Slaves is not suppressed . . . . .108 CHAPTER VIII. Visit the Morocco coast of Essequibo. — Attention of the Planters. — Their Prospects. — Not allowed a hearing. — Old Pre- judices. — Additional Labourers much wanted. — East India competition. — Mistake of a distinguished Writer. — Plough husbandry ought to be introduced. — Rice. — Negroes at times very provoking. — Anecdotes. — Contrivance to attract the Birds of the Forest. — Plantation Lima. — Again enter "the Bush." — A Boat Song. — The Tapacooma Lake. — A Woodman's re- treat. — Forest amusemv^nts. — The Water Mamma. — A de- serted Settlement. — Effects of Indian Superstition. — Adven- tures. — Combat between a Jagurr and Cayman. — A Bush CONTENTS. XVU exnedition. — Fascination of the Forest. — Effects of instruction in Gymnastics. — A pleasant Predicament. — Sail for Stabroek. — Pleasant Companions in the hold of a Schooner. — Land in safety ....... 125 CHAPTER IX. Embark in a Schoo.er bound to Barbadoes. — Crowded ca- bins. — Bid adieu to South America. — Passengers' Anecdotes. — Yankee Skippers. — Change of colour in the Sea. — A Barba- dian Dame. — Barbadoes descried. — View of the Island from the Sea. — Carlisle Bay. — His Majesty's ship Shannon. — Bridge- town. — Enmore. — Population and Produce of Barbadoes. — Agriculture. — Public Buildings. — The Governor. — The Bishop. — Schools. — The country. — Worthing, the Barbadian Brighton. ■ — The Shooting season. — Upton. — Codrington College. — The Principal. — Course of Instruction. — The Black Population rapidly increasing. — A part ought to be removed. — Distressed state of many Proprietors. — Peculiar habits of Negroes — The Barracks of St. Anne. — Healthy situation for Troops. — Forts, Magazines, and Hospitals.— The Court-house and Gaol. — Go- vernment of t'ne Island .... 140 CHAPTER X. Leave Enmore to make the Tour of the Island. — Splendid View from Hackleston's Cliff. — Precipitous Descent. — The white Creoles. — Plantations.— Turner's Hall Wood. — The boil- ing Spring. — Harrison's Cave and the Animal Flower Cave. — How to travel between the Tropics. — Creole Hostess of the Bridge-town Clarendon. — A Joan-Johnny dance. — Unpleasant finale. — A quality Ball. — An exclusive Party. — Barbadian drinks. — Fair Barbadians — Character of the White Inhabitants. — A Cock-fight The mysterious Vault. — The charming resi- dence of Vaucluse Strange infatuation of a Negro. — The first Hurricane of the season. — Preparations for departure . 154 CHAPTER XL The great Hurricane of 1831. — The English suffer from their Prejudices. — Will not change their habits in any climate. — The Hurricane of 1780 Injudicious Style of Building.— Flat VOL. I. b i ti lik£i ' XVIU CONTENTS. Roofs recommended. — The Writer apologises for his ReRmrks.— Barbadoes before the Hurricane of 1831. — The last great Hur- ricane more dest uctive than the former one.— Destruction in Briugetown, — The Effects of Hurricanes illustrated. — Atmo- spherical Phenomena on the 10th of August. — Commencement of the Gale. — Awful and sudden Gusts from different Points of the Compass.— Destructive effects. — The air filled with frag- ments of wood and stone. — An Earthquake and Shower of Hail. — The Salt-spray. — Examples of the violence of the Wind. — Fire-balls. — Exposed situation of delicate Females. — Appear- ance of Barbadoes afler the Hurricane. — The Dead and Dying. — Destruction of St. Anne's Barracks and the Public Buildings. — Great loss of Shipping The wounded, how disposed of. — Generosity of the Governor. — Liberality of the Merchants. — R'jsignation and Enterprise of the People . .163 CHAPTER XII. Sail from Barbadoes. — A Party in the Cabin.— .Anecdotes of Clapperton the traveller. — Appearance of Tobago.— The drown- ing Mariner. — View of Scarborough. — Robinson Crusoe. — Land. — Delightful prospect from Mr. Noding's residence. — Effects of Defoe's celebrated narrative. — The Citadel. — The Country. — Visit the Governor. — See Trinidad from a hill. — Attractions of the fair Creoles. — Dangerous to Travi Mers. — An excellent cha- racter. — Ridiculous Fears of ft Tobago Proprietor. — Ride ac.oss the Island. — Effect of n Hurricane. — Courland Bay. — Outline of the history of Tobago. — The Negroes. — Natural Productions of Tobago. — The Currents and Crusoe's Cave. — Indians from the Main ...... 181 CHAPTER XIII. Sail from Tobago. — Adventure of a French Doctor. — A narrow escape. — Sight of the lofty shores of Trinidad. — The King-fish. — Pass the Boccas. — Bay of Chagaramus — Combat between a Whale and Thrasher. — The Port of Spain. — The An- tilles well adapted for Panoramas. — The first Alcalde. — Drive through the Capital of Trinidad. — The Cathedra'. — BeauLy of the Creole Women — The Catholic Church — Visit the Markets. — Feathered Scavengers — The late Captain T. Abercrombit CONTENTS. XIX Trant.— Environs of Port of Spain. — Tlie Government House at St. Anne's. — The Barracks of St. James. — The Church Service ought; to be curtailed for Soldiers. — Trinidad Races. —The Coloured Spectators. — Sacrifice to Bacchus. — Sable Divinities. - The Spanish Ladies. — The Carnival. — The Ride to St. Joseph's. — Swamps. — Injudicious clearing of Timber. — Great fcrtiii*^^y of the Soil. — Sugar Estates. — Manner of pur- chasing Estates. — The Cocoa Planters ruined. — Climate of St. Joseph's good. — Mortality in the West Indies less than that of the East. — The Lepers . . . .194 CHAPTER XIV. The British Governmcr* judiciously preserves the Laws of conquered Colonies. — The Government of Trinidad. — The Cabildo. — Inhabitants wish a Representative Government. — The Commandants of Districts. — Population of the Island. — Governors of Colonies might take an example from Sir Ralph Woodford. — The Valley of Maraccas. — The River St. Joseph. — A Tropical Scene. — Free Blacks. — The Falls of Maraccas. — The Village of Arima. — An Indian Settlement. — Indian Cottages. — The Red Men. — Their appearance. — Character and Habits. — Schools. — Trinidad Indians have no Traditions. — Here as elsewhere their numbers are diminishing. — Change of System again recommended. — The Pitch Lake. — Its Islands. — Singular Effect of standing on the Pitch. — Experiments. — Mud Volcanoes. — Sin-iiarities between Crim Tartary and Trinidad. — The Bois immortel. — A Spicy Grove and Tropical Residence. — Strange instance of delicacy in a Creole. — The Trinidad Militia. — Fort St. George. — Defence of the Island criticized. — Trinidad too valuable to be sacrificed . 214 CHAPTER XV. Sail from "Ilrinidad. — Mackworth's Island.— The Bay of Cha- garamus. — A Flower in the Wilderness. — The Diablotin.— The Umbrella Passage. — An accident. — Grenada. — Sunrise between the Tropics St. George Town and Forts. — Negro Fishermen. —Forbearance of Grenada Sharks. — The Grand Etang. — The expedition of the Count D'Estaing — Negro Washerwomen. — A Mountain Ride. — The Scenery at the Grand Etang.— Massacre ' I * .fl XX CONTENTS. of the Curibs. — A French I'luntcr. — Fruits. — Knglish Colonists compared with those of other nntionH. — • A change in West Indian Society. — Sangaree. — Fiffects of Intemperance. — West Indians obUged to Uve en their estates. — Refinements. — A Ride through St.Geoi^ ^own. — Richmond Heights — The Mili- tary. — Impressions of i. "C in the West. — OfKcers ought to make the most of every quarter. — Some Officers become creol- ized.— Service in the Eaet and West compared.— A Rhapsody 237 CHAPTER XVI. Discourse on Military Matters continued. — Advantages of Regimental Schools. — Libraries and 'i'heatres Encourage- ment ought to be given to Games. — Soldiers ought to be fitted for Settlers. — Bathing indispensable between the Tropics. — Spare Tanks ought to be converted into Baths. — Unfortunate situation of Soldiers' Wives. — Repairs of Barracks ought not to be delayed. — Improvements in Barracks proposed. — Verandahs, shutters, and open blinds. — Danger of exposure to night air. — A light ought to burn in each barrack-room. — Campaigning in the East. — The Canteen. — Alterations proposed. — Military drunkenness might be got rid of. — Pernicious effects of New Rum. — New Rum inc leases the Pension List. — Malt liquor recommended. — Canteen Keepers. — Change of Diet recom- mended. — Invalids sent home from Antilles only once a yeal". — Ridiculous clamour of Pseudo-political Economists. — Military Costume. — The Forage and Dress Caps. — Under Vests. — Offi- cers and Men ought to be thoroughly drilled with the Reserve. — Uniform in the Colonies ought to be generally worn. — Strength of the French in the Antilles. — Conclusion . 253 CHAPTER XVII. Leave Grenada. — Sail past the Grenadines. — Evening at Sea. — St.Vincent's.-— Fort Charlotte. — Kingstown Visit the Citadel. — The Governor. — Botanical Garden. — Marooning par- ties. — Dangers attending them. — The Souffriere Mountain. — The eruption of 1812. — Earthquakes and showers of Ashes- Bursting of the Lava. — Manner of visiting the Souffriere. — Canoes. — A Tarpeian Rock. — The charming Valley of Buc- cament. — The Wallibon River. — The road up the Mountain. — CONTENTS. XXI Scene of tlesolntion. — Tlie great Crater. — The Lake. — Tlicr- mometricnl Observations.— Distant view of the Charib country. — The Charib war.— King Daniel. — The New Crater. — Tlie perilous Descent to the Lake. — Sensations in the Water.—. Ascent. — Gusts of Wind. — Meteorology . . 268 CHAPTER XVIII. Sail in his Majesty's brig Reindeer for Jamaica. — Our Passengers. — High Dignitaries lightly spoken of. — Resuscita- tion of a Flying-fish. — A gallant Breeze. — St. Domingo.— The Blue Mountains of Jamaica. — Anchor off Port Uoyal. — The great Earthquake. — A Muscjuito Fleet. — Pleasure of Canoe- sailing. — The streets of Kingston. — The Commander of the Forces. — Jeremiads. — An Anti-slavery Newspaper. — Incendia- ries. — Small-pox. — British and American Merchantmen com- pared. — Bribery of Custom-house Officers. — British men-of-war in the Antilles. — An accommodating Store-keeper. — The Barracks at Up Park Camp. — A Military Funeral. — Effects on the Living — The seasoning Fever. — The Yellow Fever not a contagious Disease. — Dr. Pinckard. — The Yaws and Cra-cra. — Draining of Swamps neglected. — Treatment of Yellow Fever. — Public Buildings in Kingston. — Markets and Hospitals. — The Native School. — Thoughts on Education. — Excursion to the Mountains. — The great Lagoon. — A Coffee .state.— The Battle of the Bats. — View from the Mountams of Li- guanea. — Spanish Town. — Lord Belmore. — An Antiquary put to flight. — The order of Travellers . . 283 CHAPTER XIX. Summary account of the treatment of Slaves under British Masters. — A proud Reflection. — West Indians harshly judged. — The Soil of the British West India Islands is not utterly exhausted. — The Writer expresses his regret. — Real State of Negroes has been often described. — Comforts, labour, and punishments, of the Slaves. — How the friends of Negroes ought to act. — Unsuccessful Experiments. — Superior class of Managers and Overseers. — Negroes sometimes refuse freedom. — The Members of Anti-slavery Societies. — Are Negroes to be exempt from labour : — Effects of violent Emancipation in St. ii' xxii CONTENTS. I Domingo. — Violent language UBed by a Clergyman.— Formerly Slaves were much attached to their Masters.^Ncgro Prenchera. — Last Year was a fatal one for West India IVoprietors. — A common'Scnso View of Slavery ought to be taken. — Advice to the Colonists . . . . • 305 CHAPTER XX. Sail in his Majesty's frigate Blanche for Cuba. — Jamaica by Moonlight. — The Pedro Plains. — Trial of skill between the Blanche and Shannon. — The great Cayman. — Cape St. An- tonio. — Heavy Gales. — The iron-bound coast of Cuba. — A fragrant Breeze. — Exciting anticipations. — The Moro Castle. — The Punta. — The Harbour and City of Havannah. — The Salute. — Land. — Characters on the Quay.— -The Plaza dc Armas. — Wait on the Captain-General. — Leave Havannah. — Slave Ships. — Drive to Guanabacoa.— A Volante. — Cuba Iloads. —The Country. — His Britannic Majesty's Commissioner. — Panoramic View. — Murders in Ferry-boats. — Police of Havan- nah. — Moorish Scene. — Pleasant situation for English Ladies. — The Cathedral. — The Tomb of Columbus.— Reflections. — A Relic ...... 315 CHAPTER XXL Population of Havannah. — The People in the Streets. — The Markets. — The Pasao. — Fair Donnas. — Botanical Garden. — Cigar making.— A Havannah Tavern. — Spanish Cookery. — Battle at a Boarding-house. — Nic, the Tavern-keeper and Undertaker. — A Death-bed Scene. — The Blanche sails.— Visit the Churches. — High Mass. — Lively Music— The Priests. — The Bishop of Havannah. — Clerical Gambling and Immorality. — Decay of Religion. — The University of St. Jerome. — The Casa de Beneficencia. — The Institution of St. Lazarus. — The Casa de Locos. — The Campo Santo. — A crowded Cemetery. — The Bishop lauded. — Funeral Rites. — Barbarous Customs. — The Havannah, a hot-bed of Disease. — A Deadly Swamp. — Mortality in a British Frigate. — Manner in which the Havan- neros spend their Time. — ^The Ball-room. — The Carcal, or Pri- son. — Cut-throat Characters. — Shocking Depravity. — Havannah and Hydrabad compared. — Day Robberies. — The Man with the Iron Cane. — ^The murdered Gallician. — An execution 331 CONTENTS. XXlll CHAPTER XXII. Statistical account of Cuba. — Census of Cuba.— Difficulty of UHCurtaining the amount of Negro population. — Sugar and Coffee estates. — Cuba, how divided. — Effects of circular sur- veying. — List of Vessels at Havannoli. — Commerce. — The Revenue of Cuba. — The Tonnage. — Foreign Merchants in Ilavannah. — The Natural History of Cuba. — Piratical haunts. — Pleasures of the Asatea.— Cubanos mind their own affairs. — Jealousy of the Spanish Military. — View the defences of the Moro and Cabanas. — Silver Walls. — Offer of protection to the Cubanos. — Heavy duty on Flour. — Strange conduct of Spanish Officers. — Spanish Troops. — A Sugor Colonel. — Excursion into the interior. — The Monteros. — Caravans. — The Great Red Plain. — Treotment of the Aborigines by their Conquerors.— Treatment of Negro Slaves — The Slave Trade. — Canarymcn. — A Cuban Overseer. — Slave Labour. — Food of Slaves. — Dress. — Punishments. — Capture of Slaves. — Plans for sup- pressing the Slave Trade. — Negro Music — Characters of dif- ferent Classes in Cuba. — The Count Fernandino. — An Entci- tainment — Daquilla. — A Chase. — Yellow Fever. — A Hurri- cane. — Sail from Havannah . . • 360 |f |i il ILLUSTRATIONS. AbRAWAAKS .... TO FACE THE TITLE. Map op part op North and South America, &c. . 1 ScENL;..if OP Guiana ■ • ■ • • A West Indian Residence .... SOUPFRIERE OR VoLCANIC PvIoUNx .IN, St. ViNCENT's El Moro, Havannah ' • • t Tomb of Colcmbls, Havannah 32 140 268 315 328 !! TITLE. . 1 . 32 . 140 s . 268 . 315 . S28 t,"" I . jra^P n ^ i ^^ "S \i 1 K ^5 ■•■■.•" 1 iM ^ ""^o^. ^- i/ IP* iu OF PART OF phU 3rOfiTBAVI» SQVTm ASSSmSGA _ , = , and the Lake FarimA Eldcrada ■ /.{•n.ii'r.lkihf.-lfr'ltA'Vi in /ii'f,!itr\iJif.titlty,lSurfAi.9rr u^ ii'.i^'-'ii'i.m,' H ■i>ii/),;r/i'nat'"t.'',,Yf/ . TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. CHAPTER I. Embark in a ship bound for South America. — Reflections on leaving England. — Pleasing anticipations. — The General Harris East Indiaman. — Deal boatmen Sail down Channel. — A wreck — Awful catastrophe. — Custom-house regulations. — The solitude of a ship highly beneficial. — A rattling breeze. — Reconnoitred by a suspicious -looking vessel. — The Elysian climate of Madeira — Nautical superstitions A night scene. — The Gulf stream — The great Columbus and the sea weed. — Tropical showers. — The Coast of Guiana. — Nearly run aground. — A black Pilot. — The Essequibo River. — Appear- ance of Stabroek. On a bright and balmy morning, the face of Nature smiling under the mild influence of a vernal sun (in 1831), I sailed down the Thames to join the good ship Thomas King, James Williamson, R.N. Commander, bound for British Guiana, South America. Having been so long a wanderer, the pang of leaving my father-land was not severe, still a train of melancholy reflections intruded itself on my mind on again embarking on the changeful deep; I was leaving valued friends, many of whom it perhaps might never be my lot to see in life again, and VOL. 1. B 3 PLEASING ANTICIPATIONS. England ere long might again be engaged in stirring warfare, and there might be scenes of high excitement on the Continent of Europe, whilst I was about to separate myself from them, and to plunge into the wilds of America. The Old World which I was leaving was rich in the pleasures of memory, the New in the pleasures of hope and of anticipation ; in the former had been enacted glorious deeds, and the great men of the earth had there earned an imperishable fame. The treasures of ages were there accumulated, and the imposing monuments of antiquity, the majestic ca- thedral, and the baronial castle, all bore the im- press of matured civilization, and of " the shadowy grandeur of the past." In America I was about to see Nature in her pristine vigour, the virgin soil bursting with fertility and abundance ; the moun- tains, lakes, and rivers, on a scale of magnificence far surpassing that of Europe ; and her endless forests, many of them nearly impenetrable and trackless from the wild luxuriance and rankness of the vegetation. There was risk and uncertainty before me, but mingled with many pleasing antici- pations. The ship lay a day at Gravesend, and a solitary stroll in Kent was particularly interesting to one leaving his country, even for a short season. The trees and hedge-rows were just beginning to assume their verdant liveries ; the spring birds were coyly wooing their mates, and the villagers were busily employed in their gardens ; all around " Hope told A\ INDIAMAN — DEAL BOATMEN. a flattering tale," and gave promise of abundance and plenty in the forthcoming autumn. An Indiaman of the first class passed up the river between two steam vessels, and I recognised in her the old General Harris, which ten years before had borne thirty-six beardless youths besides myself to " the land of the sun." Over the bones of many of these, who with me left England full of life and high in hope, the sands of the Carnatic are now drifting, or the rank grass of the Deccan waving over their early graves. Whilst we lay at Deal, many boatmen came off to supply us with sea stores. They seemed anxious for another war ; for since the last, their circum- stances had been daily declining. No " free trade" now ; little smuggling, and no carrying of specie to the opposite coast. Fortunes they had made, but these they had squandered by imprudently in- vesting their funds in ships and foreign stock ; and penury was now the lot of hundreds of these hardy seamen. On leaving the Downs, myself the only pas- senger besides a Master Lewis, we had heavy rain : this is considered a good omen by mariners, and so it proved, for a favouring gale filled our canvass, and we quickly passed the white cliffs on the coast of Kent — how often gazed on with eyes moist with the salt tear of both joy and sorrow ! We had got about halfway down Channel, when a wine cask floated past us, followed by a dozen others, besides spars and pieces of wreck. Finally a B 2 !i; Ji ;1i 4 A WRECK — AVVFUl, CATASTKOPHK. large vessel, keel upwards, appeared on the swell of the merciless deep, apparently a French ship, re- cently wrecked. It was a most melancholy sight ; the black hull of the noble vessel, with the white crested waves dashing over it, at one time was buried in foam, then it rose above the billows, and showed its dark length. Most probably the crew had met with a watery grave, for she seemed to have been run down. To what painful reflections did not this give rise ; the thick channel fog causing the steers- man to look round in perplexity, in dread, and in continual apprehension of uisaster. Suddenly a black cross appears towering above him — it is the foretop- gallant-mast of a large ship ; the lower stratum of the dense vapour is rolled aside by the broad bows, and rising fearfully on a mountain wave, she crashes over the frail and sinking wreck, and hur- ries on her course with the blast which bears after her the shrieks of the drowning crew. ** Then all is hushed, Save the wild wind and the remorseless dash Of billows." The Custom-house regulations requiring wine and spirits picked up at sea to be surrendered, our captain did not wait to secure any of the casks floating so temptingly round us, but philosophically bore away from them, and ere long we bade adieu to the last vestige of England, the Lizard light. Few contrasts are so great as that of one day inoving in the midst of a bustling crowd, madly pursuing pleasure and gain, and the next flnding ,.^--- 71 > !CW SOLITUDE OF A SHIP BENEFICIAL. Wine oneself alone, and without companions on the ocean ; few situations are so beneficial to the mind and heart, and fe\: so we^l calculated to fit man for fulfilling his various duties in life, as quitting for a while the tumultuous scenes of a metropolis, with its noisy enjoyments on one hand, and squalid misery and heart-rending distress on the other, and seeking for a while repose in the " solitude of retirement." On the silent mountain's side, in the depths of forests, or whilst navigating the great waters, the mind may regenerate itself, and, freed from the artificial atmosphere in which it may have existed, it has then opportunity for reflection on by-gone scenes, on successful projects, or on hopes blighted ; has then a chance of gathering wisdom from expe- rience, can then look inwardly with a rigid self- examination, and firmly resolve on future well- doing. So far from feeling melancholy or ennui during the voyage to South America, it was the source of the greatest satisfaction to me, and let no man delay or abandon an expedition for want of a com- panion ; if pleasure only is sought, companions are indispensable, but on a journey to acquire informa- tion, they are quite unnecessary. With books, and as many resources as possible within himself, the solitary voyager may hold on his way with a cheer- ful spirit, and taste the joys of an Eden easily created in his own breast. We stood away towards Madeira with a nine- 1 ) A RATTLINO BREEZE. knot breeze, and a very heavy sea running ; and though we shipped a good deal of water over the bows, yet the captain was determined to make a quick passage, " cracked on" all the canvass our tight little bark could bear, and more, for she was borne down on her beam ends, and seemed fre- quently on the verge of upsetting ; with all this we made about seven hundred miles in three days, and rushed onwards through seas crested with white and sparkling foam. Along the coasts of Spain and Portugal we saw some ships, most of them appearing like specks in the distant horizon, but after we passed the latitude of Gibraltar, we had the wide expanse of the At- lantic to ourselves. Two little birds of the Finch genus remained on board as long as the blowing weather continued, but left us when we got into summer seas ; and with the exception of a shoal or two of porpoises, no living thing came near us during the voyage. One of the above vessels caused some specula- tion ; the reason was this — seeing us steering towards her, she clewed up her mainsail, and backed her mizen-topsail, and lay across our bows at the dis- tance o. ., mile and a half ; she was a rakish-looking man of war or pirate, corvette size, and as she rose on the swell, she showed a straight sheer and broad tier of ports ; we had only two carronades on board, and should have fallen an easy prize to her, and she certainly had a most suspicious look. She closely reconnoitred us as we approached, and In sail. ELYSiAN CLIMATE OF MADEIRA. up went a tri-coloured flag at her peak over a white and red ensign in four horizontal stripes ; she backed and filled for a time, seemingly undecided how to act, but at last set her mainsail, and stood away to the north-east. What an Elysian climate is experienced in the latitude of that last resort and faint hope of the worn-out invalid — Madeira ! How bright the sky, and how gentle and soothing blows the trade wind near that favoured shore ! " For^ .nata Insula !" but how painful it is to reflect on the many hundred fair forms and brave spirits who have been com- pelled to seek its climate to avert for a time the stroke of the fell tyrant — Death ! How few with renovated constitutions have been permitted to revisit their father-land ! Our captain had fre- quently taken out passengers to Madeira ; young women, adorned with every personal grace and highly cultivated minds, but on whose cheek was painted the fatal hectic flush ; and young men, or- naments to their different professions, but afflicted with a sepulchral cough, which told too plainly that their days were numbered, and that they were shortly to repose in the shade of the myrtles of the Funchal cemetery. " The genius of the isle that showers His germs of fruits, his fairest flowers, Hath cast his robes of vernal bloom In guardia' fondness o'er their tomb." In the evening, when the ship was under easy sail, a few of the hands would sit in a group l\ ri 8 NAUTICAL SUPERSTITIONS. in the waist, and as usual tell their favourite ghost stories. It is wonderful what superstition there is among seamen, and how easily they are frightened with any thing that savours of the supernatural; sometimes they are so excited by talcs of terror that they are afraid to look round, to leave the group, or to go to their berths. I made a small collection of naval anecdotes of the above stamp, one may serve as a specimen of the whole. A ship was sailing in the North Sea, and black clouds hurrying across the welkin, and collecting in heavy masses, indicated to the careful commander that a storm was brewing aloft ; the haulyards were let go preparatory to reefing the topsails, but the main-topsail-yard would not come down on the cap, and two hands were sent up to " overhaul the tie ;" they had just got into the main-top, when a coffin tumbled out of it, and fell on the quarter- deck. The captain immediately went to his cabin, loaded his pistols, called the hands aft, and ordered them to touch the coffin in succession; the two ^en who had gone aloft were the last to do so, but when they approached the bier, blood flowed from it, they confessed a murder, the coffin disappeared in a flash of fire, and the criminals were placed in irons, landed, and in due course hanged. Poets sigh for " a lodge in some vast wilderness," and truly they might have found it in our quiet ship, as she pursued her lonely way over the At- lantic. Of an evening, after sitting for hours hold- ing sweet converse with a favourite author under NlfJHT SCKiMv— THE Ol'Ll- STREAM. 9 the cabin lamp swinging overhead, and every sound hushed in the vessel, except the monotonous creak- ing of the timbers joining in chorus with the rush of the billows as we bounded over the deep, I would change the scene and stroll on deck : solitude was also there ; the watch (by permission) was asleep under the booms, the helmsman plied his silent task, the clouds rolling on the easy gale across the face of the *' gentle moon," occasionally ob- scured her disk, and then permitted her to send a broad beam of light over the ocean, and to illu- minate our canvass, and cause us to move " in glory and in joy" over the dark waters. The easterly wind bore us within the influence of the gulf stream, where branches of sea weed continually floated past us, some fresh and green, others yellow and withered, as if they had long been torn from their bed, about the situation of which the scientific are so divided in opinion ; but as these " Sketches" are intended for the general reader, we will not here pause to speculate on " the fields of ocean" from whence these beautiful marine plants are derived, and only recall to mind their effect on the crew of the prince of navigators, the immortal Christopher Colon. Disheartened with the length of their voyage, the trade winds blowing continually from a quarter which seemed to debar the hope of their return, the ravenous shark rising ** like a spectre " from the depths of the Atlantic, and flying fish seen for the first time, besides other causes of alarm, induced them to demand from their I II I 1 < > 10 COLUMBUS — COAST OF OUIANA. intrepid commander an ab'.ndonment of his unri- valled enterprise; but his gallant spirit bore him through his desperate trials, and pointing to the sea weed, he revived the drooping spirits of his crew by the prospect of a speedy sight of the land of promise. After some heavy squalls of wind, accompanied with a deluge of rain, we found ourselves trans- ferred from a blue and transparent sea, into water of u turbid brown colour ; and though we did not see land, yet we sounded and found bottom with only three fathoms of line : we then knew that we were close to the South American coast, and to the mouth of one of the mighty streams of the New World. A small schooner appeared steering acrgss our bows, at the distance of two or three miles ; a boat with six stout hands was sent to inquire our exact position, and we anchored to await the return of the mission. The horizon in the mean time clearing, we perceived the tops of trees resting, as it were, on the surface of the water to leeward : the anchor was then got up, and we stood along shore, the current setting strong to the north-east ; we thought to make the Demerara River, but we passed it, and got by mistake into the Great Essequibo (there twenty-five miles in breadth with numerous islands), and before our boat rejoined us, we tacked in a quarter less three fathoms on the hard and dangerous sand of Qua- keraba, where, if we had struck, we must have THE ESSKQUIUO lllVEH. 11 gone to pieces : fortunately we deepened our water, and af^ain anchored. The Esscquibo communicates with the Great Amazons and Oronooco rivers by means of the Rio Negro ; and it was interesting to reflect that the grey water on which we floated was perhaps tinged with the debris of the Andes, which, having been transported from the interior for two or three thousand miles, was now mingling with the briny flood. After dusk a black pilot, with a bunch of plan- tains in his hand, boarded us from a small cutter ; he requested a glass of porter, asked me if " Massa got any old trowsers ?" and then took charge of the vessel. The current was still setting strong from the mouth of the Great Amazons towards the Oro- nooco ; heavy clouds charged with rain hung over the land, and we were drenched with tropical showers, which fell not in drops, but as if a sluice or the windows of heaven had been suddenly opened. We stood towards the mouth of the De- merara, which appeared, as opening among the trees, of two miles in breadth : the sable Palinurus carried us over the bar (with only nine feet of water on it at ebb-tide), and we found ourselves in a broad river. On both banks the coridore and mangrove trees grew thick ; here and there amongst them the palms waved their fringe-like leaves, their tall stems ap- til 12 APPEARANCE OF STABROEK. pearing like living columns over the lower vegeta- tion. No hill or rising ground was visible in any direction, for this part cf South America is a dead flat, consisting of a rich alluvial soil, carried down from the branches of the giant Andes. Stabroek, or George Town, was situated on the left, but few of the houses could be seen, the foliage being so dense ; a lighthouse (of which there are far too few in our western possessions) became the most conspicuous object in the picture. About sixty ves- sels lay opposite the town, all under the British flag ; schooners conveying the produce from the different estates along the coast, were leaving and entering the noble stream ; the negro crews of these droghers shouted, laughed, and asked us the news as they passed Under our stern ; occasionally they sung in wild chorus, or like Tritons blew a long blast from a large conch shell. Whilst inhaling the fresh and fragrant odour of the land breeze, on viewing the serenity of the sky, the gorgeous foliage shading comfortable white houses of two stories, surrounded with verandahs, the river bearing on its bosom a fleet of merchant- men, the windmills and tall chimneys of numerous steam-engines on the bank opposite to Stabroek, and all betokening the wealth and importance of British Guiana, or the united colonies of Deme- rara, Essequibo, and Berbice, I was led to exclaim, " Are these the splendid possessions which some in England are willing to sacrifice to an unjust REFLECTIONS. in and ignorant clamour, whereby the thousands de- pending on them for subsistence would be plunged into ruin ? and above all, when the superabundant population at home, renders it so difficult to provide employment for the rising generation?" But a truce to this subject; my reader must be rather sea-sick, and so, if he pleases, we will land, and commence another chapter. ( H CHAPTER II. Land at Stabroek. — The streets. — The white inhabitants. — The coloured. — The negroes. — The coloured and black freemen. — The Indians or Bucks. — The military. — The barracks. — Medical men Causes of mortality among the troops. — In- judicious manner in which the English and Dutch live in Stabroek. — Animal food condemned. — The public buildings and private residences. — Stabroek a city of refuge. — Anec- dote. — Form of Government. — Civil and criminal courts. — Grants of land. — Anti-Malthusian doctrine. — Salubrity of the climate. — A castle of indolence. — Tricks played with electric eels. — The last census. — Slave population on the increase. — Returns of produce. — Imports. — Price of labour and provisions. — Examination of soil. — ^Defence of British Guiana from foreign invasion. The stelling, or wooden landing-place, was occu- pied by a few negresses sitting beside trays of fruit and vegetables^ from thence a road, flanked by canals, led to the streets, which were unpaved, but in excellent order. Except close to the river, the houses of the inhabitants were widely scattered, each being surrounded by a garden and lofty trees. Last year it was found impossible to keep the gardens free from weeds, owing to the amazing quantity of rain that had fallen, which was reckoned by feet, and not by inches in the usual way : thus in five months six feet eight inches of rain fell at Stabroek ! The about i; tropica men hi moved were e: ance; i never c of whic and del and roi brown 1 they wc the fast above a One outcry i tion of the neg emaciati a look clothed, the driv men wei caps th( prefer c wearing work to abundan were de common INHABITANTS OF STABROEK. 15 The European inhabitants were riding or walking about in white Panama hats, and clothes suited to a tropical climate : though nearly under the line, the men had a tolerably healthy look, because they moved about in the open air ; but the white ladies were exceedingly pale and sickly in their appear- ance ; a few were observed riding in gigs, for they never condescend to walk abroad, the consequence of which is that they are generally very languid and debilitated. The mulatto men, in straw hats and round jackets, were tall and robust, and the brown ladies also well grown and in excellent case ; they wore handkerchiefs tied round the head, after the fashion of the French femmes de chambre ; but above all the negroes attracted attention. One would have imagined, from the incessant outcry in England about ameliorating the condi- tion of the black population in the colonies, that the negroes are in a very deplorable condition — emaciated, borne down with hard labour, wearing a look of hopeless despondency, badly fed, badly clothed, and sounds of suffering and of the whip of the driver everywhere heard : no such thing. The men were well clothed and well fed ; hats or striped caps they wore on their heads ; and though they prefer carrying their jacket under their arm to wearing it on their shoulders, and strip to their work to the trowsers, yet they all seemed to be abundantly supplied with clothes. The negresses were decently clad in printed gowns, and were commonly seen walking about huckstering vegeta- ' 'J ( \\\ II [ n i' ■ ( w i< .ii 16 INHABITANTS OF STABROEK. bles, carried in a wooden tray on their heads. There were no sounds but those of merriment ; the son^ and chorus of a group of young negresses, the sa- lutations and jokes of friends meeting, and the in- cessant gabbling of the old women, who when they can get no one to converse with, carry on a con- versation (aloud) with their own sweet selves, like negroes at their balls, sometimes dancing to their own sha ^ow on the wall for want of a partner. Contrasted with the sleek appearance of the slaves, there were certain ragged and miserable- looking beings sitting at the corners of the streets, or sleeping off their drunkenness in the shade. These were free negroes, and disreputable people of colour ; those who were awake, were gambling and quarrelling ; blasphemy and horrid oaths were on their lips, and their presence was offensive. As a proof of the incorrigible laziness and worthless- ness of these " low caste" freemen of Stabroek, they cannot be induced to push a canoe into the river and fish. The market is badly supplied with fish, which are scarce and dear in town, though they abound in the stream. Last of all, the Indians, or Bucks, from the inte- rior are to be noticed, and it is with great interest that a stranger contemplates these children of na- ture moving among civilized life. Of short stature, but well proportioned, they walk about in a state of nudity, with the exception of a narrow lap or strip of blue Salampore about their loins, their head protected from the sun and shower by their THK MILITARY— BARRACKS. 17 straight and glossy black hair alone, their skins beautifully clean, and of a light mahogany colour ; their features were those of handsome Tartars, oval, the nose long but not prominent, the eyes wide apart and narrow ; their expression was pathe- tic, but good-natured and amiable. Their wives fol- lowed them in blue petticoats, and with the breasts exposed, rows of party-coloured glass beads about their necks, their raven tresses neatly braided, and fastened with a silver skewer on the crown of the head. Men and women carried either a child across the hip, or bows and arrows, pegals or baskets, parrots, or skins of birds to barter for powder, shot, and cloth. I have thus given a skei^ch of the people I met in walking through Stabroek to a lodging-house, and before I repose in the New World I shall say a word on the military, .^n old acquaintance, Lieutenant-Colonel Chalmers of the 25th, on my arrival invited me to join the mess of his regiment. I availed myself of the hospitable invitation, but was sorry to remark that several of the officers and many of the men of the regiment were suffering from fever and ague ; one hundred were sick out of three hundred. The barracks were in a low, swampy, and badly-drained situation ; in fact, there was a puddle of water covered with weeds in the iriddle of the barrack square. The burial-ground was imme- diately opposite : altogether the site of the barracks is very bad, but it could be improved without re- moving them. VOL. I. c i^il I ' I 18 MEDICAL MEN — MORTALITY. The soil and climate of Guiana are totally dif- ferent from the West India islands, thou^ people at home are so ignorant of this, that the colony of Demerara is commonly considered to be an island, Essequibo to be in Mexico, and in the Edinburgh Almanack for 1831 Berbice is placed among the Bahama islands ! No wonder, then, that the sur- geons who accompany regiments from England are unacquainted with the diseases and their mode of treatment in Guiana; but when they arrive, they undoubtedly should condescend to be instructed by the old and experienced surgeons of the colony. During the war t. frightful source of disease among the military was the crowded state of the barracks ; though building materials are cheap and most abundant (wood I mean), and though a water and sun proof shed, with a dry floor, is all that is required for soldiers in the West, yet they were crowded into small rooms, their hammocks were touching one another, and six men used to occupy the same space that three now do in those ad- mirable contrivances the iron bedsteads. Formerly when a regiment of seven hundred strong arrived in the country, they were all cramped up together, and made to occupy as little space as possible. Three hundred would quickly die off with impure air and new rum; the four hundred who would survive would be healthy, because, it was said, they had got inured to the climate, but in reality because they had got room to breathe ; and the troops in the islands are now compara- MANNER OF LIVING. 19 tively healthy for the same reason. Yet there are many points which still require alteration and amendment, and if medical en would only make representations in the proper quarter, doubtless abuses would be immediately enquired into and removed ; but, alas ! what is " every body's busi- ness is nobody's." I shall not now trespass further on the patience of the general reader with observations on the treatment of soldiers in the western colonies, but reserve for another place some more observations on this important point. Health is a subject in which we are all interested, and he must be un- feeling indeed, who does not sympathise with brave men suffering under an injudicious system, which cannot be known at head-quarters unless sub- ordinate officers will most respectfully submit pro- posed improvements to the higher authorities. Whilst on the subject of health I may remark, that during the few days I remained at Stabroek I was particularly struck with the manner in which the English and Dutch families live • it seemed to me to be highly injudicious even hi a cold climate. Before breakfast a Dutchman has his pipe and several drams of schidam, and some of the old English residents adopt the same system ; at break- fast is the favourite pepper-pot, or meat stewed with cassireep, (the juice of the bitter cassava or manioc,) and made pungent with red and green pepper; there is also salt fish from the United States or Newfoundland, beef-steaks, and unripe (; 2 ii u 20 ANIMAL FOOD CONDEMNED. plaintains roasted ; abundance of butter and grease of every kind is employed in the cuisine, and green tea is in high favour. After this substantial meal, between ten and twelve o'clock there is a little sauntering exercise, according to the calls of busi- ness ; in the middle of the day there is a meat lunch, after which the siesta in the grass hammock. At dinner there are again loads of meat, and a mixture of porter, spirits, wine, &c. and supper at ten o'clock : all this would produce inflammatory diseases in any climate, and particularly within 6° of the line. I need hardly say, that if a person wishes to enjoy good health, he must place a re- straint upon his appetite in all situations, and live by rule ; and I may state, after an experience of all climates, that two small slices of meat per day are quite sufficient to support nature, with milk, bread, and vegetables as may be requisite, and even whilst taking very violent exercise; thus two hunured miles have been ridden in one day, and fifty walked in another, without any animal food for some time previous. When young men visit the tropics, their friends say, " Don't drink," (every one knows that strong drink is injurious,) but they are seldom warned against strong meat ; it is that which is so pernicious ; but consume it in moderation, " Then good digestion waits on appetite, And health on both." The public buildings in Stabroek are the resi- dence of the Governor, Sir Benjamin d'Urban, G.C.B. called the Camp, which is commodious. PUBLIC AND PRIVATE RESIDENCES. 21 rendered cool by broad galleries round it, and shaded with many noble trees. There are also several excellent churches ; an extensive range of public offices of brick, now just finished ; a jail, with {,hat useful appendage a treadmill ; hospitals, &c. ; and there is a steam-boat for the ferry across the river, which vessel is also employed to convey purchasers to estates that may be exposed to sale. I was much pleased with the nt^. manner in which the private houses of respectability were fitted up ; the broad piazzas rendered them ex- tremely cool, and the open windows and doors gave free passage to the fragrant breeze ; goglets of porous earthenware in the verandah, cooled the rain water collected in tanks and cisterns from the roof; convolvuli twined round the pillars and trellis-work of the gallery, and the rich odour of the mignonette was diffused through the rooms. The broad-leaved plantain and papaw, the acacia with golden flowers, the fig tree and myrtle, grew beside the majestic pal- metto royal in the garden ; couches, tables and chairs, were of the beautiful colonial woods ; the walls of the rooms were handsomely papered, and on them were wall-shades in silver sockets, to skreen the light from the wind and winged insects; and the floors were covered with oil-cloths. The East Indian punkah was wanting, but the sea-breeze from the north-east during the day, and the land breeze from the south-east during the night, obviated the neces- sity for the " punkah's cooling breath ;" and it has been truly said of the good people of Stabroek, ' y^ 1 1, .if S2 REFUGE FOR BAD CIIARACTtuS. whose hospitality is j gratefully remembered by one who ardently desire i their prosperity, " that their doors are ever open 1;o the stranger, and their purses never shut to the ne ^dy." Stabroek is a city of refuge for bad characters from the West India islands — they abound here, and it seems difficult to prevent their ingress. The manner in which they live is this : — every estate has a schooner, manned by a black captain and six negroes ; in these vessels, as I said before, the pro- duce (rum and sugar) is conveyed to Georgetown for shipment to England. The estates are principally on the coast, and not up the rivers, since the con- quest of British Guiana from the Dutch in 1796. In every schooner there is an experienced cooper, who dexterously opens the casks, takes out a part of their contents, and, like a cunning workman, makes all smooth again. At night the black cap- tain sends a canoe under the wooden wharfs with the plunder; a trap-door communicates with the obscure dwellings of the white vagabonds before- mentioned ; they purchase from the negro captain at a cheap rate, and again sell their commodities to hucksters and grog-shops in town. In 1823 five hundred whites were ferreted out to serve in the militia against the negroes in a state of insurrec- tion ; of these Europeans the police had previously no knowledge, for they slept all day and drank and gambled all night ; they shunned the light " because their deeds were evil." The Dutch form of government is still preserved FORM OF (iOVERNMENT. 2S in British Guiana, and the laws arc administered hy a governor and council. The members of coun- cil are elected by the keizers, or representatives of the people, and each burgher possessing twenty-five slaves, or six hundred guilders per annum, is en- titled to a vote. The council framing laws is termed the court of policy, and the court of justice was composed, when I was in Stabroek, of the governor and cer- tain councillors. Great civil and criminal causes came under the cognii.ance of this court, while petty offences were reicrred to the commissary court. The fiscal, or public prosecutor or attorney- general, was the principal officer of this court ; his duty was also to inspect the roads of the colony, accompanied by the burgher captains of the districts. Lately the courts of civil and criminal justice have been annihilated, and others created in their place ; peripatetic judges holding sessions in British Gui- ana, Trinidad, and St. Lucie twice a year ; also petty courts are to be established. The crown colonists complain of this new arrangement, because it will produce great delay, debtors will be favoured, pro- perty in the market will deteriorate in value, and so on. Grants of land are obtained by application to the governor and council ; the usual size of an estate is a quarter of a mile of front, and a mile and a half in depth ; if not cleared in part within a certain time the grant is annulled. Strange to say, it was Englishiiion who first showed the Dutch the I t vi 84 ANTI-MAITIIUSIAN DOCTKINF. Buperiority of the land of the coast to that on the banks of the rivers. From the Pomeroon river to the Berbice, there is a stripe of cultivation with the richest soil in the world, and bounded by a forest which extends across the continent, passes the Andes and ends only with the Pacific. I did not visit Berbice, which was first settled, but the appearanc. of the country there, and the manner of cultivating sugar and coffee, are similar to Demerara and Essequibo. Many cotton estates have been abandoned in Berbice, such a mania pre- vails for sugar making, though it is well known that the colonies produce far more than there is a demand for in England. A sugar estate requires a negro per acre; a coffee estate two for three acres, and a cotton estate one for two acres : it will this be seen the great expense that attends a sugar estate. I often wished that some of those who think that ere long the world will be overpeopled, and that we shall shoulder one another off it, or into the sea, could view the vast solitudes of Guiana, and reflect that nearly the whole of the interior of the South American continent, though capable of sup- porting billions of inhabitants, is as yet almost entirely in the keeping of nature. The cultiva- tion in British Guiana is now confined to two hundred miles of the coast, and the same may be said of South America generally. In the West, the general impression is, that the climate of Guiana is unhealthy, but it is really less SALUBRITY OF THE CMMATK. 25 80 than that of the neighbouring ishinds. When the forest was first cleared on the coast, and the decayed trees and leaves exposed to the influence of the sun, when the sea unconfined by dikes was allowed to form salt marshes, then yellow fevsr prevailed, but for several years this fatal malady has been altogether unknown here. The " Dandy," or stiffening fever, three years ago paid a flying visit to the islands and the main ; it seems to have been a sort of rheumatic attack, the joints became suddenly stifl*, and the patient was assisted to his hammock, where for two or three days he remained in a helpless state, and in con- siderable pain, but gradually recovering, no bad eflects resulted. I walked about Stabroek, and visited the friends to whom I had introd actions, the public buildings, and that castle of indolence, the Logie, or shed on the banks of the river, for the accommodation of the Bucks, or Indians who visit the town. There the men and children lay in their hammocks, suited in size for an adult or for a child a day old ; the buckeens, or women, were commonly baking the flour of Cassava on an iron plate, and they ate as they felt inclined, for the Indians have no fixed hours for meals, and of course have not the slightest idea of the value of time. In Stabroek, it is usual for the old residents to amuse themselves at the expense of strangers ; won- derful stories are told of snakes, as large as trees, of alligators cooling themselves on the streets of an ii 26 ELECTRIC EELS. evening, and occasionally looking in at a bed-room window, of vampires attacking the throat, and of land crabs, so large that two or three of them will drag a man into thei.r holes if he happens to sleep near them. I heard many strange tales which I need not repeat, but will mention a trick which was playod me, and with which new comers are often rerved. I was standing in the gallery of a house belong- ing to a half-pay officer (now a planter), when I observed a large jar in the garden ; I enquired what it contained, and was told, an electric eel, " but," said my friend, *' I have had it a long time, it is sickly, and has entirely lost its electrifying powers." I went to examine it, and saw a brown fiat-headed broad-tailed eel, four or five feet long, with a look of " noli me tangere,'* moving slowly round the inside of the jar. The planter then taking up a piece of old iron hocp, said in an off-handed man- ner, " If you touch him with this, you will perceive he has lost all his power." I did so, and was nearly knocked flat on my back : the shock was most severe, though tho eel did not appear to be the least agitated ; of course my friend was highly delighted. Scenes of great diversion are occasioned among the English sailors wlio come to Stabroek by elec- tric eels, they are told to bring them to be cooked. Jack bares his arm and plunges his hand into the jar, and in a moment receives a shock which be- numbs him; he looks round in wild amazement. THE LAST CENSUS. 97 and then at the eel, all the while rubhing his elbow. " Try again. Jack, for a bottle of rum :" he does so, grasps the eel firmly, grins and swears at " the beggar," receives shock after shock, drops the eel in despair, and runs off as if the devil had struck him. A little dog was thrown into a jar one day in which there was an electric eel, and was so paralyzed that it sunk helpless to the bottom, and was got out alive with some difficulty ; and a horse that attempted to drink out of the jar wns immediately thrown back on its haunches, and gal- loped off with mane and tail on end snorting with terror. The last census of Demerara and Essequibo I have seen is of 1829, there were then. White males Ditto females 2,100 906= 300G Coloured and Wi:ck freemen Ditto ditto females 2,530 3,830= 6,360 Slaves, males . . Ditto females . . . , Total 37,092 32,276 = 69,368 — 78,734 At present more than seven twentieths of the slave population are under twenty years of age, and a large proportion of the females are already arrived at the age of bearing children ; the average age of all the slaves is about thirty-two years and a half, and I now select at random a few planta- tions as exhibiting an increase during the last three years, fully equal to the periodical increase of the I 1 :|H r «f ii ^ I 28 SLAVE POPULATION — PRODUCE. population of Great Britain, which has been esti- mated at one and a half per cent, per annum. Increase Average Negroes. Births. Deaths, per ct. age. Enmore . .301 34 9 9 nearly 28^ Hamburg . . 260 19 7 5 42 Batchelor's adventure 690 62 36 4 31 Chateau Margeau . 241 23 9 6 30 Foulis . .156 20 7 9 27 Jalousie . . 309 25 10 5i^o 35 The different parishes differ in salubrity, and the greater mortality in some is to be imputed to their situation on the banks of rivers and creeks, which have always been considered unhealthy. This con- clusion is borne out by the smaller degree of mor- tality in the parishes on the sea coast, where the air is very salubrious. The mortality of the colony on the average of the last three years is one in twelve. Further, with regard to the slave population, a check has been given to the natural but serious loss hitherto suffered by the dropping off of the old Africans, and the approaching equalization of the sexes ; and it must be highly gratifying to the humane to know that the colony has reached the termination of a period of decrease, and will now doubtless exhibit an increasing population. The amount of the produce of Demerara and Essequibo in 1829 was — 91,652,331 tbs. 4,555,789 „ 3,389,739 gallons. 2,288,737 „ Sugar Coffee Rum Molasses Cotton Plantains Cattle 1,217,269 tbs. 526,424 guilders. 64,844 „ IMPORTS — PRICE OF LABOUR. 29 Average age. 42 31 30 27 35 V 4^. 6d. sterling is equal to 1 Spanish dollarj=3 guilder8,=:60 stivers. The measures are English, from a gill to a gallon, and 110 lbs. English are equal to 100 lbs. Dutch. The expenditure of 1830 was guilders 985,899. The average value of the im- ports for the last three years — From Great Britain, value of imports . £554,869 Ships . 177 Tonnage . 51,704 From British North American Colonies . £139,180 Ships . 302 Tonnage, . 29,645 The price of labour is very high in Stabroek ; a dollar a day is usually given to a common artizan, but certain Europeans purchase negroes and let them out as task-gangs, and realize a handsome profit in this way. I saw many of these task- gangs building houses, digging trenches, making dikes, &c. Medical men usually receive as follows, eleven guilders for a visit during the day, and twenty-two during the night ; and lawyers also twenty-two for an hour's consultation. All proprietors of slaves pay six guilders of a capitation tax per annum. The price of provisions varies very much; for instance, American flour, which usually sells for eight dollars a barrel, rose to four-and-twenty when I was in Stabroek. The trade with the United States had just been thrown open, but the Americans imagined that they could not com- pete with the Canadians, and they again thought that the market would* be overstocked by the Ame- ricans; the consequence was, that neither Ame- 1 f ' 30 SOIL OF STABROEK. ricans nor Canadians sent any flour, and the price rose to a ruinous amount, but this was temporary. Butcher's meat usually sells for ten stivers the pound, a pair of fowls forty stivers, and a large querriman fish from six to nine guilders. Though the soil of Stabroek is argillaceous, yet no one makes bricks for the foundations of the wooden houses, or tiles instead of the Wallaba shingles for the roofs; the bricks are sent from England at an enormous expense Some brick sugar-works near town have cost £20,000. I ex- amined the only shaft that ever was sunk in Sta- broek for water, the strata were as follows — To the depth of 44 feet — blue clay. 10 do. — fragments of v oc i partly decayed. 19 do. — compact whitish grey clay. 31 do. — yellow sand mixed with clay. 6 do. — violet coloured clay when first brought to the surface, after- wards it became light grey. 10 do. — white sand and clay mixed. 2 do. — quartorze sand and clay mixed ; water. 112 The principal defence of Guiana from a foreign foe consists in the shallowness of the sea on the coast; large men of war are unable to approach it, and the rivers are guarded by dangerous bars. Signals can be made from the Berbice river to the Pomeroon with great rapidity, and what with re- gular troops, the colonial militia, sailors from the ships, and the Indians, a formidable force might be ini .j 2* DEFENCE OF BRITISH GUIANA. 81 speedily assembled to repel invasion. Still, how- ever, the fort at Stabroek is too small to make a good defence. The works on Fort Island, on the Essequibo, formerly mounted forty pieces of cannon, but Kykoveral, at the junction of the three rivers, Essequibo, Coioony, and Mazarooni, is the natural citadel of the colony. I ■• 32 CHAPTER III. / Desire to visit the interior. — Eldorado. — Sail to the Essequibo. — Carelessness of negro crews. — Anecdote. — Islands of the Essequibo. — Mazarooni and Coioony Rivers. — Few traces of early Settlers. — The mighty Forests. — The Mora, Cotton, Palmetto, and Mangrove trees. — The Campanero. — The Tapir. — Manati. — American Leopard. — The Cayman. — Mon- keys. — Deer. — Peccari Hog", and other quadrupeds of Gui- ana. — Parrots, Macaws, Vampires, O^fIs, and Goat-suckers. — Aquatic birds. — Humming-birds.'—The Cock of the Rock. — Aboma Snake. — The Conacoushi, Labarri, and Rattlesnakes. — Anecdote. — The Cobra of India.— The Pipa Frog. — Visit a Dutch Entomologist. — Remarkable fishes.— Pacoo, Perai, Silurus, Assa, electric Eel, Wurwureema. — The Frog-fish. — Guiana a rich field for the Naturalist.- Awful solitude. — Ap- proach of a Storm. — Geology of the Essequibo. — Woodcutters. — A forest residence.— Wood-nymphs. — Kykoveral. — The post. — Visit an Indian settlement. I REMAINED but a short time in Stabroek, for I was impatient to plunge into the primeval forests of the interior — to navigate the mighty rivers ferti- lizing regions unexplored by European travellers — to visit the nameless creeks overshadowed by the gloomy, though rich and luxuriant vegetation — to tread the soil of that country, ever famous since the days of Sir Walter Raleigh, as containing the magnificent city of Eldorado, which " for great- ness, riches, and the excellent seat, far exceeded any city in th ^^ 5 ^ ^ * k ELDORADO -THE ESSEQUIHO. S3 sea two hundred leagues long, like unto the Mare Caspium." No Eldorado has ever yet been discovered, though a shallow lake called Parima exists between the Amazons and Oronooco ; and the gallant courtier is right when he says, " he never saw a more beau- tiful country (than that to the south of the Oro- nooco), nor more lively prospects; hills so raised here and there over the valleys, the rivers winding into divers branches, the plains adjoining without bush or stubble, all fair green grass (in many parts), with ground of hard sand, easy to march on either for horse or foot ; the deer crossing in every path ; the birds toward the evening singing on every tree with a thousand several tunes ; cranes and herons of white, crimson, and carnation, perching on the river's side ; the air fresh, with a gentle easterly wind, and every stone that we stooped to pick up promised either gold or silver by its complexion." Elated with pleasing anticipations, I embarked in a small schooner to sail up the great Essequibo river, in company with a Dutch physician, full of life and good humour. Dr. Speringshoek, and Mr. Hilhouse, a surveyor in British Guiana, and late of the staff corps, a gentleman who has seen more of the interior of Guiana, and is better acquainted with its natural productions and the habits of the wandering tribes of Indians, than any other person I know. I was extremely fortunate in my compa- nions, and most thankful to these gentlemen for volunteering to accompany me. i 1 I I - VOL. I. D 84 CARELESSNESS OF NEGRO CREWS. The navigation at the entrance of the Essequibo is very dangerous from the shifting banks of sand : the coasting schooners cor.tantly get aground there, and are sometimes totally wrecked ; but this is oftener owing to the carelessness of the crews than any other reason. It is difficult to keep even the steersman awake ; and I have seen him nodding over the tiller, and the vessel constantly taken aback, the captain during this time quietly asleep in the fore part of the schooner. The drogher belonging to the estate called Maria's pleasure, was totally lost a short time before I arrived at Stabroek; and as an instance of the folly and carelessness of negro crews, I shall give a short anecdote. Some time ago a schooner got aground between the Demerara and Essequibo rivers ; she lay in the mud for several tides, and at last was noticed by a pilot cutter, the master of which boarded the schooner, and found half the crew asleep; the others were coolly roasting plantains. " Why don't you lay out a warp, and try to get your vessel off? if it comes on to blow, you will all be lost," said the pilot. " Me no care, suppose lost," re- plied Quaco ; " Massa schooner, massa nigger — all massa's loss." At the mouth of the Essequibo, the three islands of Leguan, Waakenaam, and Tiger, are cultivated like gardens, and produce most luxuriant crops of coffee and sugar. We sailed up the Essequibo for eighty miles. TRACES OF KAHLY SETTLERS. 35 and occasionally took to canoes, or coorials, to visit the creeks. We then went up a part of the Maza- rooni, and saw also the unexplored Coioony . These three rivers join their waters about one hundred miles from the Atlantic. In sailing or paddling up the stream, the breadth is so great, and the wooded islands so numerous, that it appears as if we navigated a large lake. The Dutch, in former times, had cotton, indigo, and cocoa estates up the Essequibo, and even beyond their old capital Kykoveral, at the forks or junction of the three rivers ; at present, however, beyond the islands at the mouth of the Essequibo, there are no estates, and the mighty forest has obliterated all traces of former cultivation. There is solitude and silence on cither hand ; and not a vestige of the dwellings of the Hollanders is to be seen; but occasionally in struggling through the entangled brushwood, one stumbles over a marble tombstone, brought from the shores of the Zuyder Zee, covering the remains of a Hollander. " An hundred summer suns had showered Their fostering warmth and radiance bright, Since first this remnant of his race Did tenant his lone dwelling-place.' And truly one is tempted to exclaim, that such a mercenary, cold-hearted, and cruel people to their slaves as the early Dutch settlers generally appear to have been, from the painfully interesting narra- tive of Stedman, deserve as richly to lose their valuable possessions, as the Spaniards did for their D 2 mm 36 THE MORA AND COTTON TREES. barbarities to the unoffending Indians : at the same time it must not be forgotten that, fifty years ago, our own planters, with their negro task-masters, too often grievously oppressed and abused their sable bondsmen ; but to the honour of the nation, a mighty change for the better has taken place. At every turn of the river we descried objects of great interest ; the dense and nearly impenetrable forest itself occupied our chief attention. Magnifi- cent trees, altogether new to me, were anchored to the ground by the bush rope. I'onvolvuli, and the flowers of parasitical plants of every variety, caused the woods to appear as if hung with gar- lands. Pre-eminent above the other sons of the forest, was the " towering and majestic mora," its trunk spread out into buttresses ; and on its top would be seen the king of the vultures, spreading out its immense wings to dry after the dews of night. Rivalling the mora in height, and surpassing it in beauty, was the silk cotton tree. A naturalist might study for days one of these grand objects, produced by exuberant nature from the richest mould, with the combined advantages of a tropical sun and a moist atmosphere, and still he would find something new and much to wonder at. Yet the timber is not valuable, and the cotton is only used for pillows. Let us pause awhile, and admire the noble shaft, eighty feet in height, without knot or branch, and its grey surface smooth and shining as if polished by the hand of man : high overhead it col( of des( trav WILD PINE, VINE, PALMETTO. 37 stretches out its great limbs, partly hidden by the bri<( 40 MONKEYS — DEER — PICCAREE IIOGS. II bush rope, here running up their stem, and there joining branch to branch, were at times alive on each side of the river with the restless sacca- winkee, or small red monkey with a white face. They travel from tree to tree with facility by means of the wild vines ; and numerous families of these active little creatures, with their offspring on their backs, may be seen disporting themselves among the leaves and feeding on the nuts, far removed above their enemies, the snakes, below. Advancing up a creek, the wanderer may come to a lonely spot, rocks and trees casting broad shadows into the pools, and he will there see the spotted wirrebocerra, or red bajeer deer, reposing at noon, or rushing with panting sides to the water. The flesh of both these deer is delicious eating, parti- cularly that of the wirrebocerra. Rushing through entangled brushwood will be heard a score or two of piccaree hogs, remarkable for the gland on the back, emitting a fetid odour, which some improperly suppose to be the navel. The ant bear, tree porcupine, the scaly armadillo, and the languid sloth are not unfrequently met with in traversing these luxuriant and unbroken forests ; but above all the red men desire to meet with the amphibious laaba, about the size of a pig a year old, witli short neck and legs, and the body brown with white spots, affording flesh, rich and delicate. It is a saying in Guiana, " that he who eats laaba and drinks creek water will be sure to MACAWS, VAMPIRES, AQUATIC BIRDS. 41 return to the country." I did both, and the grate- ful flavour of the former is still present in my recollection. When the sun sinks rapidly in the west, and dis- appears behind the trees like a fiery target, gorge- ous macaws and screaming parrots fly in pairs over head, returning from their feeding-grounds to their favourite roosts ; the dreaded vampire then leaves the shady nook or hollow tree where he had dozed during the day, and flits on ebon and leathery wing along the river's bank. Not unfrequently he attacks the naked foot of the sleeper in his hammock under the trees, applies the cylindrical tongue, and whilst dexterously cupping, gently fans the foot with his wings in an ecstasy of delightr-the sleeper awakes faint and exhausted, and sees below him a pool of his own gore. These foul bats are sometimes three feet from wing to wing. During the night the owls and goat-suckers lament with ominous cry, and at early dawn the black hannaqua loudly repeats its own name; the woodpeckers commence their hammering on the decayed trunks, and the mighty-billed toucans yelp from the loftiest trees. Near the mouths of the rivers the curry-curry, or scarlet curlew, stalks conspicuously among other aquatic birdL* : and the pelican and spoonbill are seen with flocks of ducks and teal. Water fowl, in particular, are so numerous on the coasts of Guiana at particular seasons of the year, that huntsmen I t r 1 ( 42 BIRDS OF GUIANA. say, you may bring down an acre of them in a day ! Of like the renowned Munchausen, spit half a dozen ducks on the ramrod at one shot. With active though invisible wing, the minute humming birds are often observed, the metallic lustre of their plumage glistening in the sunbeam : " The winglet of the fairy humming-bird, Like atoms of the rainbow fluttering round." Darting from flower to flower of the shrubs planted near the habitations of the settlers, they extract a honeyed repast of sweets and insects with the slender filaments of their tongues, and too often are they shot by the idler sitting listlesf iy in his shady piazza, not for the purpose of preserving the deli- cate skins, but out of sheer wantonness. Far removed from the haunts of men, sits the cock of the rock, in orange plumage, so brilliant that some will say it is impossible to look sted- fastly on it. It is a crested bird, about the size of a pigeon, and of an elegant form ; but I must not stop to describe at greater length the great variety of the feathered tribe that are met with in these wilds, but merely mention the names of the scarlet and blue aras, the great trumpeter and powese, or peacock pheasant, the brown marrodee, the spotted tiger bird, the blue bird, and the rice bird, the green sparrow, and, above all, the kishee kishee, the size of a lark, but decorated with splendid plumage, the various colours of which are beauti- fully arranged so as to enchant the eye of every beholder. SNAKES OF GUIANA. 49 Nourished in hot swamps is the mighty camoodi, aboma or boa : he drags his great bulk to the edge of his favourite marsh, and lies in wait for the pass- ing deer, or even the wandering Indian ; suddenly he twines round his victim, breaks the yielding bones of his prey, (writhing in helpless agony,) covers it with saliva, and slowly gorges the prepared morsel. But far more dreaded by the red man, is the cona- coushi. Waterton, the prince and paragon of wanderers in desert places, enthusiastic as a na- turalist, and peerless as a preserver of birds, of this formidable snake beautifully says, " Unrivalled in his display of every lovely colour of the rainbow, and unmatched in the effects of his deadly poison, the conacoushi glides undaunted on ; sole monarch of these forests, both man and beast fly before him, and allow him to pursue an undisputed path." The conacoushi is belter known by the name of bush- master ; I saw one twelve feet long, and his general appearance was that of the head of the ugliest toad on the foul body of a serpent. The Indians avoid this monster by means of their dogs, sent in ad- vance to warn their masters of the bush-masters occupying the path ; but I have also been made aware of the vicinity of a poisonous snake by the strong musky odour left by it in its progress through the herbage. The labarri is nearly as poisonous as the cona- coushi, and is sometimes killed in Stabroek. No object can be conceived more horrid than this rep- tile ; when irritated, every scale rises from its body '. u RAITLESNAKES — AN ANECDOTE. like the feathers of a cock, the eye sparkles with malignant ire, and the open jaws show the long fangs ready to dart the venom into the shrinking limb. But let the sceptic who says in his proud heart " there is no God," be covered with confusion, when he is told that a merciful Creator has provided cer- tain remarkable plants which grow near the haunts of these deadly snakes, and are effectual remedies against their bites ; and He has clearly pointed out to the naked and ignorant Indian, by the spotted stems of these plants, resembling the colour of the poisonous reptiles, by their coiled roots and flowers like the open-mouthed serpent, that there is yet a balm in Gilead. Rattlesnakes are common in almost all parts of America, and in Guiana they are not wanting ; there are also tree and water snakes of several varieties : of the rattlesnake I may here give an original anecdote. A stout negro belonging to a friend near Sta- broek, brought in from the bush two rattlesnakes in a box ; he seemed to have completely subdued them by intimidation, and after a time he would let them out in the verandah, and they would re- turn to him at his call. One day they were missing, and the negro's master going to an out- house, saw them coiled up under the step of the door, he was a long time imprisoned, but at last plucked up courage and sprang into the open air over them. The negro went out with his box to THE COBllA OF INDIA. 45 the last air to catch them, " Ah ! you damn rascal, you go way ! Get in house this minute," said Quaco, and the rep- tiles obeyed him ! Sometimes he would irritate his pets, and they would bite him in the hand, then he would run out to the high grass near the house, and rub the wound with a plant, the name of which he would not reveal, for his fellow slaves looked on him with great respect from his being a snake-charmer. At last, on one occasion, he got drunk, began handling the snakes, they bit him, he neglected to apply his antidote, went to the field to work, and in a short time was a bloated corpse. I have seen the cobra de capello, or hooded snake of India, caught in my garden, have watched the snake-charmer with feathered turban sitting beside a hole under the hedge of prickly pear, and piping on a rude musical instrument made from a gourd and a bit of looking-glass in front of it; — unlike *' the deaf adder," the head of the cobra would soon appear above ground as if listening to the wild strains, and his eye attracted by the dazzling glass. An assistant would be ready to catch him behind the neck, would draw forth his yellow and writh- ing length, and without extracting the poisonous fangs, would slip him into a covered basket, mutter- ing the usual curse of " Hut Tere." Next day the charmer would return, place his basket on the ground, sit on his haunches before it and pipe, the lid would rise, and the subdued snake come forth, partly coil himself up, and move his head to the music, and ever and anon display his spectacled I ! 1 ! i ] (: ^l 46 UUIANA ] HOG— AN ENTOMOLOGIST. hood, or hiss when the charmer approached his hand ; the assistant would go behind and hold up the reptile by the tail, then he could not do injury, but if a fowl were to be thrown at him, it would be dead in a few minutes. What I have said of tame rattlesnakes is less surprising than the feats of oriental snake charmers with the cobra. The pipa or Guiana frog, hideous as a toad, and of the size of a duck, abounds in all the pools : the c^ ^bined croak of a number of these reptiles amoun iln j t to a roar in loudness: the tadpoles come to matun ' by attaching themselves to gra- nules on the back of the mother. Though harm- less, the pipa is a most disgusting animal. Whilst on the Essequibo I heard of a recluse who collected insects, and I went in a canoe to visit him. I landed in a cane brake, up to the knees in mud, and scrambled for half a mile through an entangled and swampy path to his retreat. A small open space in the forest was cultivated as a cassava-field, and in the midst of it stood a close and an open shed for the cold rains and the dry weather. Mynheer Faber, a thin, grey- headed man, displayed before me a rich and valu- able entomological collection, consisting of the most beautiful varieties of butterflies and moths, of bee- tles in coats of shining armour, lantern and fire-flies of different species, the remarkable walking leaves, gigantic bush-spiders^ the red-footed tarantula, centipedes a foot long, and scorpions whose bite occasions fevers and death in a few hours. I was REMARKABLE FISHES— PACOO, FEKAl. 47 strongly tempted to purchase, but when I came to inquire the prices that Mynheer affixed to a double tray of selections from the Guiana insects, I re- frained from indulging myself. M. Faber asked 10 joes, or 15/. for what he collected about his own door, so I made my salam and returned from whence I came. I saw many remarkable fishes of species unknown in Europe, for the river icthyology of Guiana requires yet to be described. Mr. Hilhoub3 has applied himself to this branch of zoological inquiry, and is making a large collection of valuable c'-iw- ings of the finny tribes of Guiana ; and it is ir 1 hoped that he will one day make them public^ wik-h descriptive letter-press. Many of the Guiana river-fish are of the most delicious flavour, and afford excellent spo . to the angler. Among others, the pacoo, which is found near the rapids of the Essequibo, is flat, twenty inches in length, and weighs four pounds. It feeds on the seeds of the arum arborescens, in devouring which the Indians shoot it with their arrows. Of similar genus are the cartaback, waboory, and omah. The perai or omah, is deservedly dreaded by the swimmer in the Guiana waters. It is two feet long, and its teeth and jaws are so strong that it cracks the shells of most nuts to feed on their kernels, and is most voracious, for the Indians say that it will snap off the breast of a woman or one of the extremities with the greatest ease. The genus if i i t! n 48 SILl'llUS, ASSA, ELK(TRI(: KKl,. silurus is very remarkable, for the young swim in shoals of one hundred and fifty over the head of the mother, who at the approach of danger opens her mouth — they rush in, and she swims off with lier progeny to a place of safety. The loricaria calicthys, or assa, constructs a nest on the surface of the pools from the floating blades of grass ; in this it deposits its spawn, which are hatched by the sun. In the dry season this singular fish, however incredible it may appear, has been dug out of the ground in the broad sa- vannahs, for it burrows in the rains, owing to the strength and power of the spine and gill-fin, and the body being covered with strong plates. Far below the surface it finds moisture to keep it alive till the rain again converts the plains into shallow lakes. The electric eel, a well-known inhabitant of these waters, has sometimes nearly proved fatal to the strong swimmer, for if it paralyzes him with its touch, he sinks at once to the bottom. I have seen electric eels eight feet long ; their head is broad, and below they are keel-shaped. If this fish is sent to England in tubs, the wood and iron act as conductors, and keep the fish in a continued state of exhaustion, causing eventually death. An earthenware jar is the vessel in which to keep it in health. The fish called wurwureema (a tetrodon), though only three inches in length, resembles the bush- master of the woods, for it not only disdains to WURWUREEMA— FUO(. FISH. 49 retreat before man but inflicts a bite of the most deadly poison. When first taken out of the water it blows itself out like a ball. Lastly, 1 shall notice the rana paradoxa, or frog- fish, perhaps the most singular production of Gui- ana ; first a fish of fiye inches long, then gradu- ally assuming legs, and losing its tail, it becomes a frog of a pea-green colour, leaves the water, and emits a melancholy note before rain. I have thus given a sketch of the treasures that are to be met with on the surface of British Gui- ana. As a pupil of one of the most distinguished naturalists of the age. Professor Jameson, I might have been expected to enter more fully into the natural history of the colony, but I am fearful of fatiguing many of those who honour these pages with perusal ; I therefore briefly state, that I know of no finer field in the universe for a naturalist to distinguish himself in than that of Guiana. There are vast mineral treasures yet to be discovered in the mountain ranges ; the most valuable gums, spices, and medicinal plants abound in these ro- mantic woods, scented by the sweet hyawa ; and in a morning's walk, under the matted trees, or by the side of the lonely creek, new species of insects, inhabiting the land or water, are continually to be met with. Let this rich harvest then be reaped by some able hand, and let " the natural history of British Guiana" teach the public to appreciate the noble possessions of England in South America. But let not the wanderer imagine that whilst VOL. I. E I ! I i if I 1^ 50 SOLITUDE -STORM — GEOLOGY. voyaging by land or water in Guiana, he will meet with animated nature at every step ; no — the forests may be trodden for hours, and not a sound be heard, or a quadruped or bird seen. Creeks silent as the grave may be navigated for miles, and at last an approaching shower will alone relieve the awful solitude. First the heavy drops are heard at a little distance, singly among the leaves, then they fall around, and lastly, the rushing blast sweeps through the foliage, forked lightning dis- plays the forms of the trunks and branches, and the thunder-cloud in dark majesty moves across the welkin — " And then the mighty organ of the wind Raised up that tuneful anthem which has rung Since the creation day !" The fertile soil near the mouth of the Essequibo was still Seen higher up the river, and the decayed trees and leaves afforded a rich mould over the clayey bottom. Still higher up, the alluvium of the estuary was changed for white sandstone on the immediate river's bank, and I saw occasionally black oxide of manganese. The rocks at the forks were of a granitic nature. Inland were seen wooded hills of small elevation, which no one has perhaps ever visited : the Indians think they are inhabited by demons ; and their distance from the river prevented the early settlers occupying them. Scattered along the banks of the Essequibo, at wide intervals, are the lonely residences of a hw woodcutters, of Dutch descent. They send down RESIDENCES OF THE WOODCUrrEKS. 51 to Stabroek logs of the ducollubola, rivalling ma- hogany, the bouracourra or letter-wood, the durable green-heart, the tough hackea, ebony, and iron- wood, and receive in return cloth, powder, shot, fkc. Their wants are few, for they live like the Indians, on cassava bread, and pepperpot, and drink creek v ater, with a modicum of rum when they can prncure it. I visited several of the houses of these Back- woodsmen ; some consisted of only two rooms, others had more pretension; Mynheer Hoenkirk's was two- storied, with gable ends to the front, a stoop or gallery to the upper story, where a Hollander could enjoy a quiet pipe, and a mo5t noble view of the broad river, studded with its wooded islands. The house was shaded with palms, and under a spread- ing pomerose tree was the tomb of a brother, sur- rounded with rails. It was an affecting sight, and I often remarked in Guiana that the mouldering remains of a near relative repose in the corner of the garden of those who loved him when living, and who constantly desire to cherish his memory when dead. " What doth it matter then, if thus Without a stone, without a name, To impotently herald us, ^Ve float not on the breath of fame, But like the dew-drop from the flower Pass, after glittering an hour ?" There was plain furniture in the rooms, which were clean and neatly boarded ; and we were served with pepperpot of guana, (a large lizard, delicate £ 2 , I r It, m 52 A FOREST RESIDENCE. to eat, but not particularly agreeable to view,) also the fish called querriman ; we dipped the roasted plantains into the rich sauce, and washed down the pungent food with weak spirits and water. There were no beds in the house, but net ham- mocks were slung across the principal rooms by ropes of the silk grass plant ; and we slept in these till morning, and enjoyed a cool and a delicious repose, undisturbed by the stings of the musquitoes of the coast. Behind Mynheer Hoenkirk's peace- ful retreat was the endless and entangled forest, and through it there were a few paths, one of exceeding beauty, for it followed the course of a clear rivulet, and opened out into little glades, in which stood groups of moras, and across which the light-footed wirrebocarra deer would skip, or a herd of the peccaree hog rush pursued by the spotted jaguar. The females one meets with in these wood-cutters' houses are one or two Dutch girls, some fair as the flowers of their own savannahs, a few mulattas and negresses. The brown men are excessively indo- lent, and it is no unusual thing to see one of these stout fellows fast asleep in the bottom of a canoe with a bottle of rum in close embrace, and allowing himself to glide down with the stream, with fishing- lines fastened to his toes. The fort of Kykoveral is an interesting remnant of the old masters of the Essequibo, the Dutch. A coat-of-arms is yet to be traced over the gateway, and the high walls which enclosed the island to the water's edge are still in tolerable preservation. The KYKOVERAL — THE POST. 58 site of Kykoveral is most picturesque, for it is at the forks of the three rivers, but it has long been deserted, and the ancient capital of Essequibo, like the estates on the banks of the river, has been buried under rank vegetation. There is the house of a Post-holder near Kykoveral ; his duty is to report to the Protector of Indians at Stabroek the proceedings of the red men, and to prevent, if possible, suspicious characters proceeding into the interior. The trien- nial presents are distributed to the Indians here, when hundreds assemble from their different settle- ments in the wilderness, and bring their wives and children in their large coorials or canoes, and live for some days at the post in open logics or sheds prepared for their reception. The post Is on a high rocky bank, and below it the clear stream runs swift and deep ; here, two years ago, a son of Sir Benjamin D'Urban leaped from a rock to bathe, in the middle of the day, and was never again seen in life. We were in the Mazarooni river, and observed a family of Indians crossing the stream in their log c:inoe and disappearing under the bush on the oppo- site i,ide. Mr, Hilhouse and myself paddled after them in a small coorial, and landed under some locust trees, and found an Indian settlement. The logics were open all round, and thatched with the leaves of the trooly palm, some of them twenty- four feet long. Suspended from the bamboo timbers of the roof were grass hammocks : in these the men were lazily swinging ; one or two of those who were 54 VISIT TO AN awake were fashioning arrow heads out of the cockarito palm. The men and children were en- tirely naked, with the exception of the blue lap or cloth for the loins, the lap of the former ending in a fringed tail, and bands of beads were round the wrists and ankles of the latter. The young women in their blue petticoats, braided hair, hands stained with the seed of the arnotto, like the rosy-fingered and gazel-eyed beauties of Persia, were scraping the roots of the bitter or poisonous cassava tree into a trough of bark ; it was then put into a long press of matting, which expressed the poisonous juice ; the dry farina was afterwards baked on an iron plate, and the juice converted by boiling into cassereep for the savoury pepperpot. The old women were weaving the square coiioo, or lap of beads, which they wear sometimes without a petticoat, also armlets and ankle ornaments of beads, the wampum of the North- American Indians. Some were fabricating clay pots, and all the females seemed actively employed. Parrots and saccawin- kee monkeys were on the rafters, and little sharp- nosed dogs and spotted fly-catchers were below. I was attracted by the arms scattered about the logics — the short and heavy war-clubs, a rifle or two, bows and arrows, with many barbs for shooting fish, and with blunted heads t>r stunning birds, and above all the blow-pipe made of a straight reed six- teen feet long, by metins of which the miniature arrows dipped in Wourali poison, and ending in INDIAN SETTLEMENT. 55 cotton balls, are projected with deadly aim to the distance of three hundred feet. The Indians stared at us without speaking, and we sat down in empty hammocks and commenced swinging like the rest. I caught up a red boy, a chubby-faced firm little rogue of a year and a-half old, and tickled him till he screamed with laughing ; his mother, who was pounding maize in a wooden mortar, ceased from her labour, and courteously offered us casseree in a gourd — a crimson liquor made from the sweet potatoe ; of this I partook, and found it to taste like cider : however, I politely de- clined the pywarree. This intoxicating beverage is like thick rice-water, and is prepared by the sweet mouths of the Indian fair, old and young : they chew the cassava flower, spit it into a wooden trough, or sometimes a small canoe, add water, the liquor fer- ments, and at the pywarree feasts the men sit round the vessel, and the entertainers and their guests roll in the sand, drunk for two or three days toge- ther : their tender helpmates look after them, and keep them from being suffocated with the sand get- ting into their mouths. But pywarree is a harm- less liquor, Iiat is to say, it does not produce the disease and baneful effects of spirits ; for after a sleep the Indians rise fresh and well, and only occasion- ally indulge in a debauch of this kind. We saw the fish and birds which the men had just shot with their arrows, brought out of their canoe and barbacoted or smoke-dried on a grating il t M 56 INDIAN PURSUITS. of bsimboo over the fire ; and we then followoii no ageJ Indian with a cutlass to the small fiekic of* ??>s- sava cleared by girdling and burning pan'^ ot the forest behind the logics. The cassava plant is four feet in height, has a knotted ash-coloured stem, with slender branches at the top, from whence pro- ceed the red footstalks of the broad digitated leaves ; the white root is cylindrical and a foot long. In the bitter, or poisonous cassava, is a fibre, which the sweet wants. The Indians, above described, were Arrawaks, and we afterwards saw Accaways, Caribs, &c. and I have seldom experienced greater pleasure than in visiting the settlements of these children of nature, passing their days under the majestic trees by the side of the oozy creek, or clear and rapid stream, sometimes listlessly reclining in their ham- mocks, then, instigated by the calls of hunger, pro- ceeding warily and stealthily through the bush in quest of game ; at one time paddling their canoe up the river, dragging it up the rapids, and nimbly springing from rock to rocV with a stout towing-rope of nibbee or vine in theii ^' d, and animating each other to exertion by short and impatient shouts. A small cataract is to be passed, tht cunoe is un- loaded and transported on the shoulders to the still water above, and the voyage is resumed. The creek teeming with the finny tribes is visited below the foam of a cascade, and dammed up ; the roots of the Hyaree tree poison the water, and in a short ti'iie the fish rise to the surface, agitated, and for a INDIAN FISHING. 57 tii:io drunk with the i tinted element. The Indians are then all life anc' agility, dart from their Ic^^ bows their barlttd arrows, and their women plunge into the pool and bear the rich prize to the bank. Again they descend the river to their logics and shoot the rapids, the steersmen sit in silence and watchfulness with balanced paddle at the head and stern of the canoe, glancing on either side their practised eye ; the water boilmg and roaring among the rocks sends them breathless into the midst of the breakers, crested with foam ; the spray dashes into the frail bark, but the danger is past, and with a wild chorus they regain their lowly sheds. ;• 'M i i !! Jt 58 CHAPTER IV. On the Indians of British Guiana. — Population. — The names of the Tribes. — The Arrawaks. — Best known to the Settlers. — Practise polygamy. — Inconveniences of this system. — How to win a Bride. — Shameful conduct of some Europeans. — Dreadful eiFects of seduction. — The Indian not unwilling to be related to the white man — The birth of a child. — Named by the Peiman. — How the Indians spend their time. — iRum ought to be prohibited. — Hospitality of the Indians. — The behaviour of the Indians in the house of an European. — Indian deportment. — Highly useful as Bush-rangers. — Diseases. — The Village of the Dead. — Funeral Ceremonies. — Indian Theology. — Tradition of the Creation. — Of the De- luge.— Never address the Deity. — The Accaways. — Wourali poison. — The Caribisce. — The Wurrows. — The Macoushis. — Indian language. — Indians ought to },e reclaimed. — The Pro- tectors and Postholders — Their Duties. — Their Character. — Roguery of a Postholder. — The Soil and Climate of the In- dian country. — Adapted for colonization. — A settlement re- commended. — Moral and religious Instruction. — Indian la- bourers. — Labour of Sexes equal. — Mismanagement of Indian affairs — A remedy proposed. — Colonial policy. The Indian population which inhabits British Guirna is estimated at twenty thousand souls, but oniy about five thousand of these receive presents fronr/ the Colonial Government, the rest are wan- derers, extending their migrations from the Ama- zons to the Oronooco, The principal tribes are the Arrawakt, Accaways, Caribisce, Wurrows, and Macoushis. The settler towns the cri bush r and rei insurre was su insubor The seen oi another girl wh( in grea those \^ forests < periencc lord of treats fc till the ( former 1 restore to the p the Sha « Wi Du Mo The mother, priety pi they ar* INCONVENIENCES 01- POLYGAMY. 59 The Arrawaks are best known to the European settlers on the coast, as they continually visit the towns and plantations, and many of them live on the creeks near the sea ; they are invaluable as bush rangers, and for tracking run-away slaves ; and rendered great assistance to the colony in the insurrection of 1823, when the Missionary Smith was supposed to have instigated the negroes to insubordination. The Arrawaks practise polygamy, and I have seen one man with two sisters as his wives, and another with two middle-age^l women, and a young girl who was to succeed them, all living apparently in great harmony ; but I have been assured by those well acquainted with Indians, that in the forests of the West, as much inconvenience is ex- perienced as in the harems of the East, by the lord of a plurality of wives. In the latter he re- treats for a time " to smoke the pipe of patience,** till the domestic broils have ceased ; whereas in the former he hesitates not to use a stout bush rope to restore order. Indian wives are won by presents to the parents ; or when the lady herself is wooed, the Shakspearian maxim is followed : " Win her with gifts, if she respects not words ; Dumb jewels often in their silent kind, More than quick words, do move a woman's mind." The descent is traced from the family of the mother. Though in public a native sense of pro- priety prevents the men caressing the women, yet they are extremely attached both to them and to i ,1 i- H 60 DREADFUL EFFECTS OF SEDUCTION. their offspring, and the children never receive per- sonal correction. It was with feelings of unmin- gled disgust that I remarked some Europeans uncovering the bosoms of the Arrawak women in presence of their husbands, and otherwise behaving rudely to these inoffensive people. Coarse must that mind be, and destitute of all sense of propriety, which induces an individual to outrage so grossly another's feelings. A short time before I arrived in the colony, a brown man had induced the young wife of an Arrawak to visit him. The husband saw his wife leave the house of the seducer, and led her to his logic : there he taxed her with her infidelity ; she confessed she was deserving of death, and the hus- band acknowledging ids fondness for her, avowed that he was unable to wipe off the stain his honour had sustained if she looked at him ; on which she deliberately turned her back, and he struck her to the ground with his heavy war club, and then stabbed her. The Arrawak's friends gave him up to the Fiscal, to prevent a ** bellum internecivum," or war of mutual extermination. He was tried, and found guilty of murder, and the sentence re- mitted for approval to England. The brother of the woman declared in court, that if the husband was not hanged, he would have his life, though it cost him his own. After this, what more need be said to show the fatal consequences of a libertine inter- fering with the domestic concerns of the A I'rawaks ? But the Indian is not unwilling to give one of 1^' BIRTH OF A CHILD. 61 a his nation to be an helpmate to the white man, and is even proud of the connexion. The Dutch pos- sessed great influence over the tribes, by selecting their mistresses from among them, while the Eng- lish, by some extraordinary perversity of taste, prefer the daughters of Africa. I was anxious to ascertain whether an extraor- dinary custom prevailed among the Arrawaks of which I had read, viz. that on the birth of a child the lazy father lies in his hammock, acts the part of a woman indisposed, and is nursed for some weeks by his family. I was assured that this was not the case ; that the father merely receives in his hammock the congratulations of his friends, and does not act so ridiculous a part as has been formerly described. The child is named by the peiman, or magician, and doctor of the tribe, who is distinguished by possessing a calabash containing certain seeds and shining pebbles, and ornamented with parrots' fea- thers ; with this he performs his incantations, and is besides possessed of a knowledge of medicinal herbs. The Indian leads a life of the most luxurious ease. A bountiful nature supplies all his wants, and the climate obviates the necessity for clothes. For two months in the year he cultivates his cassava, and raises a supply of farinaceous food, which, with game and fish, is sufficient for the remainder of the year. Then, like the French Canadians, he visits his friends, and sings, dances, and drinks pywarree. l! 1,1 11 ' M t ^ G2 HOSPITALITY OF THE INDIANS. I was pained to see the Europeans pay the In- dians for any little articles they purchased from them, as a parrot, pegals or baskets, models of buck houses, or bows and arrows, with the health- destroying rum. Indians are not naturally fond of spirits ; and young men to whom it is offered for the first time, constantly refuse it, but by persua- sion they are at last induced to taste " the poisoned chalice," and the usual consequences follow : — Disease, death, and the extinction of families. Oh ! cursed destroyer of happiness, soon may there be an end of thy pernicious influence ! The Indians are extremely hospitc*ble, and I was delighted to see the readiness with which food and drink was offered to the stranger. An Indian visi- tor, naked and armed for the chase, on coming into a hut, says to the man dozing in his hammock, and who may never have seen him before, " Prooha meroo," (I am come,) to which the other replies deliberately, ** Cherre," (sit down,) and no other in- troduction is required, but food and lodging im- mediately tendered. When the Indians untie their hammocks and visit the whites, the women and children are com- monly left with the coorials in the neighbouring creek, and the men walk quietly through the house or sit on their hams in the verandah, smoking to- bacco rolled up in a leaf; they will not pilfer if confidence is placed in them, and are ready to barter their handywork for cloth or cutlery. In the lonely " bush," or in a crowded assembly, they are gra in their express natural Kizzilbt and to as if the Light heavy ki the disti day, anc they ma) senses of unheedec convey ir leaf in thi him that fore, but The Ii eases, th< sometime by a frien the streai south, he pass the a hundrei cooking p but there Thinking bush, the bogies, at( INDIAN SAGACITY — DISEASES. 68 and com- iring ouse to- er if jT to In they are grave and sedate in their demeanour, graceful in their action, upright in their carriage, and rarely express astonishment at novel sights ; this may be natural to them, but my old friends the Persian Kizzilbash are taught to suppress their wonder, and to contemplate strange sights with sang-froid, as if they had been long accustomed to them. Light of foot and unencumbered with dress or heavy knapsack, the Indian will march three times the distance that an European soldier would in a day, and their sagacity in tracing those of whom they may be in pursuit is quite astonishing. Their senses of hearing and seeing are most acute ; sounds unheeded by the dull ear of the whites immediately convey intelligence to the red-man, and the pressed leaf in the path, or the broken twig, not only inform him that he of whom he is in pursuit has gone be- fore, but the very time he has passed that way. The Indians of Guiana are subject to few dis- eases, though small-pox contracted on the coast sometimes cuts off whole tribes. Thus, I was told by a friend that once, on an expedition to some of the streams that fall into the Oronooco from the south, he landed with his Arrawak followers to pass the night at an Indian settlement of at least a hundred logies ; in the sheds, the hammocks^ cooking pots, and arms, were all in the usual order, but there were no other signs of the inhabitants. Thinking they were gone on an expedition into the bush, the travellers took possession of one of the logies, ate and slept in it. In the morning, a ( ! i \ \ ll ^>. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT.3) ^"-^ 4ki K^ ^° ^^ 1.0 I.I 118 12.5 me ti^m 12.2 m 140 1.8 IL25 |I|_U 11.6 I V] VI /: "V'/^ "> ^ /> % / Hiotographic Sciences Corporation VV'- 23 WfiST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716)872-4503 V'^o %- 64 VILLAGE OF THE DEAD. wood-skin, or the bark of a purple heart-tree, sus- pended from the rafters, was seen to contain a corpse, and on examining the other logics, they were each found to contain two or three dead bodies. The Arrawaks were alarmed, and preci- pitately fled from this village of the dead ; and it was afterwards ascertained that the small-pox having appeared among this (extinct) tribe of In- dians, the Spaniards had isolated them, and they had been cut off nearly to a man. The Indians when attacked by this frightful disease, cannot be made to believe that the cold-bath is very danger- ous ; they plunge into the stream when the burning fever is on them, and the virus which would other- wise expend itself on the surface, is driven inwardly with fatal effect — the peiman all the while rattling his calabash, blowing the fumes of tobacco over the patient, and screaming horribly. The Indians of Guiana frequently bury their dead under the floors of their logics, and burn a fire over the grave for some time afterwards. Sometimes thev desert the spot where their friends have died, ana seek a new settlement. The annual feast of the dead is said to prevail among some of the tribes far in the interior : all who have died since the former feast, are disinterred and brought from considerable distances to be interred in one spot. It must be an awfully impressive ceremony. The recent corpse loathsome with corruption ; in others the flesh wasted away, and the skin alone covering the bones like parchment ; and then of some, the INDIAN THEOLOGY — THE CREATION. 65 dead over imes died, ast of the since from spot. The others skeleton alone remaining! See these poor people piously collecting the loved remains of their de- parted friends, renewing their lamentations and their grief, and with rude pomp and ceremony again committing them in honour to their native earth. Though the feelings of the inhabitants of the Old World may be shocked at this savage solemnity in the New, let them not deny that the Indians of America are capable of affection to- wards one another, and continue their regard for their relatives even beyond the grave. ** How sorrowful their hearts I when to their dead The last sad melancholy rite was paid, They buried their old men and the young boy, And the athletic hunter, in their last And narrow home, and mournfully departed." The Arrawaks say that they believe in a supreme Creator of all things, who has a brother, the Go- vernor of the Universe ; there is also an Evil Spirit, (Yabahoo,) whom they endeavour to conciliate by means of iheir peimen, who attempt to cast out the Evil Spirit with their calabash. Their tradition of the creation is, that the Great Spirit sat on a silk cotton-tree, and cut off pieces of bark, which he threw into the stream below him, and they became animated, and assumed the forms of all animals. That man at last was created, that a deep sleep fell upon him, that he was touched by the Deity, and when he awoke he found a wife by his side. The world becoming desperately wicked was drowned by a flood, only one man was saved VOL. I. F t ■ 1 i ' ' 1 i I 1 t i I 66 THE UEfAIGE — NEGLECT OF PRAYER. in a canoe, from this he sent out a rat, to discover if the waters had subsided, and it returned with a head of Indian corn. The Indians believe in " free will," and have neither priesthood nor form of worship ; they say that it is unnecessary to address the Creator in prayer, for that as he is supremely just, he will not give any one undue precedence on supplication, neither will he willingly afflict his creatures. By incantations they attempt to propitiate the Evil Spirit. Further removed from the coast than the Arra- waks are the Accaways ; in stature they differ not from the former, but are more energetic, quarrel- some, and insubordinate to their chiefs. Under proper leaders they are capable of the most des- perate enterprises, and are universally dreaded by the other wandering tribes. It is the Accaways who principally prepare the wourali poison from the wourali vine, certain bul^- bous roots known only to themselves, with the addition of the muneery, or large black ant, and the fangs of the Conacoushi, labarri, and rattle- snakes. The Caribisce inhabit the upper country, be- tween the Essequibo and Coioony, and are a manly and intrepid race. Those that I saw were fairer than the Arrawaks, and I was particularly struck with the noble bearing of a young chief on a visit to an Arrawak family, from the members of which he was distinguished by a dash of red arnot fully Th open and tl the \^ Th( Pomei wretcl] buildej famed Wurro of the they al and w sionall) sn^oked and cui Far interior Macous poisone the tool and wh take a 1 the brea The otl and kid with im is very revenge. SKETCH OF TIIK DlirERENT TIIIHES. 67 the bul- the and ttle- be- e a were larly f on ibers red arnotto under the eyes, and a chintz scarf grace- fully crossed over his broad chest. The houses of the Caribisce are all roof, and not open at the sides, like the logics of the Arrawaks ; and they have a tradition that they once inhabited the West Indi islands. The Wurrows occupy the coast between the Pomeroon and Oronooco : though a black and wretched-looking race, they are very skilful boat- builders, and construct the Spanish launches, so famed for elegance and speed. The food of the Wurrows is principally fish, and the edible part of the eta, or mauritia, from which invaluable tree they also manufacture their hammocks and baskets, and with the leaves thatch their sheds. Occa- sionally the Wurrows visit Stabroek, to barter sn^oked and salted querryman (mugil) for cloth and cutlery. Far in the deep recesses of the forests of the interior, dwell, in constant dread, the persecuted Macoushis; they surround their dwellings with poisoned stakes, carry contmually about them, in the tooth of the cayman or alligator, deadly poison, and when they suspeci a guest of treachery, they take a little of this under the nail and mix it with the bread, and thus relieve themselves of their fears. The other tribes plunder them of their property and kidnap them without mercy, but not always with impunity, for the cunning of the Macoushis is very great, and they are implacable in their revenge. f2 68 INDIAN LANGUAGE. The language of the South American Indians is necessarily very copious, from the immense number of objects of natural history with which they are surrounded, for all of which they have appropriate names. The origin of nations is to be learned from an analogy of features and language, and few have yet made a study of the different dialects of South America. The researches of my friend Mr. Ran- king, as to the origin of the American Indians, are extremely interesting and well worthy of attention ; and it appears to me, from the similarity of colour and feature between the inhabitants of Eastern Asia and the Guiana Indians, that that learned antiquary is borne out in his assumption that the American continent was partly peopled by Tartars. On rocks high up the Essequibo, there are certain rude figures or hieroglyphics, which ought to be accurately copied for the purpose of comparison with those so rife in Mexico. The Carib language is considered the first great language on the east of the Andes, then the Arrawak and Wurrow. The Accaway is merely a dialect of the Caribisce, whilst the Arrawak and Wurrow are totally different. As a specimen: — Fire, in Arrawak, is ikehkee ; in Wurrow, ikoonooh ; and in Caribisce and Accaway, waatuh. Water, in Arrawak, is wunney-yaboo ; in Wurrow, ho ; and in Caribisce and Accaway, tooniah and toonah. Earth, in Arrawak, is ororoo ; in Wurrow, hotah ; and in Caribisce and Accaway, eetoh. INDIANS OUGHT TO BE IlECLAIMED. 69 in This, then, is a sketch of the different tribes who inhabit British Guiana. At present they are of little or no value to the colony, except, like the Maroons of Jamaica, being a check upon the negroes ; but with care they might be of great benefit to the province. No time ought to be lost in endeavouring to reclaim them, and to teach them settled and industrious habits, or they will quickly disappear from the face of the earth by European diseases, for which they have no cure, and the vicious habit they acquire of drinking spirits. The great Chateaubriand lays down most judi- cious directions for the management of Indians ; and from a little work entitled " Indian Notices," by Mr. Hilhouse, published in Stabroek seven years ago, valuable instruction may be derived by those who have the interest of these neglected wanderers at heart. What have been the consequences to the Hol- landers of neglecting their Indians in Surinam ? Dangerous settlements of bush negroes, amount- ing now to seventy thousand souls, who continually plunder the plantations, and may one day drive the Dutch into the sea. In British Guiana there are six Protectors of Indians, but in reality mere honorary appointments, and under these there are six Postholders and assist- ants on the different rivers. The Postholders re- ceive £158 of salary per annum and a house, and their assistant £72. The duties of the Protectors are, to see that the Postholders do their duty and ; i 1 . , , i ; ,' : 1 1 1 !? I 70 PROTECTORS AND POSTHOLDERS. fill their offices agreeably to instructions ; to endea- vour to make peace between contending parties of Indians ; to transmit quarterl} turns to the Lieu- tenant-Governor. The duties of Postholders are, to keep the posts in good order ; to attach the Indians to their posts ; to endeavour, on all occasions, to prevent misunderstanding and quarrelling between individuals or tribes ; to preserve peace among them ; to deter all persons, whether whites or free coloured, from passing the posts without permission of the Lieutenant-Governor or Protector of Indians ; and to give in, through their respective Protectors, to the Lieutenant-Governor a quarterly return of all occurrences at their post. The Protectors have no salary, and are merchants and planters who live on the coast ; the Indians are therefore left to the tender mercies of the Post- holders, who, removed from observation in the in- terior, report "what seemech good to them" to the Protectors, who again only triennially visit the posts. I took pains to get introduced to one of the Protectors, expecting to get from him a good deal of information regarding the Indian population, their condition, manners and customs, &c. ; but what was my surprise to find that he knew nothing whatever about them, and seemed to care as little ! Some of the Postholders are men of mongrel breed between the English and Dutch, are alto- gether unprincipled and worthless, shamefully neg- lecting or abusing the charge committed to them. UOOUEllY OF A POSTllOLDEH. 71 Their sole aim seemed to be to enrich themselves, or to find the means of living a debauched life by inducing the Indians to cut wood for them by pre- sents of rum, thereby demoralizing the people they were intended to protect. " Ea: uno (Usee omnes,'* — one instance of their roguery will suffice : After the declaration of independence by Colum- bia, three hundred Indians from the Spanish mis- sions, refusing to place themselves under the re- publican government, came to the banks of the Pomeroon river and settled on the British territory. They were in a very civilized state, were well clothed and well acquainted with agriculture, and many mechanical arts, to the honour of the Jesuit padres who had instructed them. Altogether they were a valuable acquisition to the colony. A drunken and unprincipled Postholder on the Po- meroon, concealing from his Excellency the Lieu- tenant-Governor the arrival of these people, imme- diately employed them in cutting troolees for his own benefit ; and Mr. Hyne a most respectable Roman Catholic clergyman, told me that he was the first to discover them to the Lieutenant- Go ver- nor, for n, deputation from these Spanish Indians came to him in Stabroek, requesting that he would visit their settlement, which he did, married many of their young people and baptized about seventy children. From this excellent man I got many interesting particulars of the state in which he found these Indians. Mr. Hilhouse's report on the soil and climate of I f 72 SOIL AND CLIMATE OF GUIANA. the interior of Guiana, or the region inhabited only by the Indians, is very favourable. " For," says he, " it is far more salubrious than that of the coast ;" though nearer the line, its superior elevation lowers the temperature, and the thick shade of the forest keeps the surface of the earth cool. I said that the number of deaths on the estates on the rivers and creeks was greater than those on the coast, but this meant only the flat banks of the rivers near the sea ; for higher up, and beyond the influence of the tide, the rivers* banks are extremely healthy. There the drainage is perfect ; no stag- nant waters exist, nor is miasma generated by decayed vegetables exposed to the influence of the sun. As forest tracts are always moist, so in the interior great quantities of rain fall ; the forests attract the clouds required for their own support, and between the tropics abundant nourishment is required for vegetation; therefore it is recommended, in clearing a country for cultivation, that groups of trees be left to increase the fertility of the soil. My informant stated, that it was his opinion, if the hand of cultivation reached the hills of the in- terior, and a few artificial improvements were added to the advantages of local situation, the climate of Guiana would be the most healthy and agreeable of any within the tropics, with fish, flesh, fowl, and vegetables in abundance, pure water, no fevers, and no musquitoes. One therefore naturally supposes that this region ADAPTED VOR COLONIZATION. 78 would be a favourable one for the occupation of British emigrants, and it really would be so, if the emigrants were properly directed. But first it would be necessary to act justly with regard to the Indians ; to colonize them, to assemble them in com- munities, teach them industrious habits, and elevate their minds by moral and religious instruction. Mr. Hilhouse recommends Bartika, at the con- fluence of the three rivers, as an eligible situation for a colony, and thinks it will succeed best if it is half European and half Indian. Thus the former would learn the appropriate habits of the climate, the moral character of the Indian would be im- proved, (supposing that the Europeans conducted themselves with propriety,) and "^o hostility or opposition would then be experienced on the part of the Indians. The head of this colony should be well acquaint- ed with the character of the Indians, be of sound principles and unspotted reputation ; he should reside constantly at the colony, and report to the Lieutenant-Governor alone. No worthless charac- ters should be allowed to approach the red man, no spirit drinking allowed, no debauching of their women, and no interference with their prejudices. Of course the white colonists ought to have the immediate benefit of instruction with religion for its basis, without which it is highly pernicious. But with regard to the Indians, their morals ought first to be improved before they can be duly sus- ceptible of religious impressions; industry and I " i . , 74 INDIAN LAHOiniKllS. sobriety ought first to be inculcated, and tlien let religion shed its benign iiiHuence over them — " Then Ici the desert sing ; Where sprang the thorn, the twining vine shall spring, And where uniiightly and rank thistles grew, Shall grow the myrtle and luxuriant yew." A military force, partly white and partly Indian, may be organized from the colonists, which as bush rangers, and preventing slave insurrection, and detecting runaway negroes, would be invaluable. It is a singular fact, that the colonies of Guiana owed their origin to Indians. The Dutch came amongst them, induced some to labour and others to procure for them Indian slaves. The free In- dians received a few European articles, which they prized, as cloth and ammunition. The Dutch gra- dually becoming richer by the export of their pro- duce, purchased negro slaves, and dispensed with the services of the Indians. The coffee, indigo, cocoa and arnotto (dye), which were cultivated high up the river, are now succeeded by cotton and sugar on the sea coast. At present, the agricultural labours of the In- dians only occupy them two months in the year, but, with proper management, they might be in- duced to raise sufficient maize, cassava, and plan- tains to support them, without roving about for fish and game, as they do at present ; and though the savannahs of Columbia and of Brazil are occupied with immense herds of cattle, the savannahs of British Guiana are grazed only by the deer. lAHOl'Il OF SEXES EQUAL. 75 let of Those who are superficially acquainted with the Indians, complain of the drudgery that the women are subjected to : thus they see them en route, first the husband, with upright carriage, bearing only his light arms ; behind him, in single file, walk the women carrying the heavy burdens: — then again the women are seen weeding in the fields, drawing water, collecting fire-wood, and preparing the food; whilst all this time the man may be lazily hanging bis legs and arms out of his hammock ; — but then it must be considered that on a journey his hands ought to be free to guard against surprise ; that he clears the fields, builds the coorial and the logie, hunts and fishes — so that the division of labour is not unequal. It is a very painful reflection, that although the colony annually pays the Protectors, for presents, provisions, Postholders' salaries, &c. about £3000, in order to induce the Indians to remain in British Guiana, yet the office of Postholder has been so shamefully abused, that the Indians are yearly and rapidly decreasing in numbers. In the Coromantyne negro rebellion of 1793 and 1794, eight hundred Carib warriors took the field to suppress it. Scarcely fifty can now be found in Demerara ; nine-tenths of the Arrawaks which then existed, exist no more ; half the Accaways and half of the Wurrows have now disappeared. The In- dians have rendered signal services to the colony, but neither have pains been taken to preserve them, nor has their welfare been at all promoted. No )l 7b* COLONIAL POLICY. charge of corrupt dealing can be brought against the Protectors, v/ho are generally highly respectable gentlemen* but their indifference to the interests of the red men cannot be excused ; and really the system which has existed in British Guiana for forty years^ compared with that in Columbia, with re- spect to the Indians, makes one blush for one's country. Thfc reasons why the administration of Indian affairs ought immediately to be changed, are these important ones : — First, on the score of humanity ; at present the Indians near the coast imitate the vices of the Europeans, and contract their diseases, and no arm is stretched forth to save them from the utter destruction, bodily and mental, which is about to overwhelm them. — Secondly, on the score of inter- est ; if the colony is again attacked by a foreign foe, the negroes would probaMy rise in rebellion if there are no Indians to keep them in check ; the regular militia will be obliged to succumb to the invader ; the honour of the British arms will be tar- nished, and the rich South American colonies lost. The change recommended to be made is simply this. One active, zealous, and responsible Sup» rin- tendant of Indians, with an adequate salary, instead of six unpaid Protectors. Steady half-pay officers as Postholders ; annual Indian fairs, and the forma- tion of Indian communities. To conclude, "our policy is simple, and the danger to be avoided is great." 77 CHAPTER V. the Settlers on the coast. — Unacquainted with the interior of Guiana. — Pleasures of a Bush expedition. — Advice to Wan- derers. — Expedition of Mr. Hilhouse and Mr. Tichmaker. — Sail up the Mazarooni. — Magnificent mountain ranges. — Ra- leigh's Peak. — Arrawak fathers. — The great falls of Cumar- row. — A glorious scene. — How to spend the night in the bush. — A tale of the living and the dead. — Interesting col- lections. — Tlie melancholy fate of the travellprs Smith and Gullifer. — Left valuable papers. — Cannibalism on the Esse- quibo. — The enche.ited pool. — The Rev. Mr. Hyne's visit to the Spanish Indians of Morocco. — Their civilized state. — Conduct of certain parties of pleasure condemned. — A warning. Is it not strange and surprising, that although most of the rivers and creeks of the interior of British Guiana are unknown, hardly any one has attempted to explore them ? The merchants and planters on the coast ridicule the idea of expedi- tions into the interior, attended as they are with risk, discomfort, and no profit. Yet, if one is will- ing to leave for a while the pursuits of wealth or idle pleasures, let him penetrate the wilds of Gui- ana, and he will be amply repaid for his trouble ; he will there view the grandest productions of the torrid zone — the broad rivers abounding with unde- scribed fish ; the vast forests tenanted with wild beasts, shunning the approach of man ; and with \ n tf [4 78 PLEASURES OF A BUSH EXPEDITION. the most beautiful of the feathered tribes, appear- ing like blossoms among the leaves ; the swamps nourishing in their gloomy recesses serpents of the largest size ; and the rich green plain of the broad savannahs, perhaps diversified only here and there with a solitary tree. High excitement will attend the pilgrim, and no great danger, either from Indians or wild animals, — respect the prejudices of the former, and cautiously tread near the haunts of the latter : — Prudens et audax. Prudence with daring, is an excellent motto and maxim for a traveller. If the dry season in October and November is selected, comparative comfort will attend the wan- derer ; he will then enjoy a clear sky, the rapids will be more easily passed, and the rivers flowing with gentler current than during the freshes in the rains ; he will have a long morning twilight, and in the evening the moonlight and the refreshing breeze will delight him as he prepares for his repose under the serene canopy of heaven, listens to the hum and noise of th3 myriads of insects around his hammock, or watches the sparkling showers of the fire-flies among the foliage. " And nought of gloom he feels, or inward dread, But joy-inspiring shades he sees before him spread 1" 1 was unable to ascend the rivers as far as I wished to do, from the great freshes in them. The season of the year was most imfavourable, and I was daily drenched with rain ; yet I penetrated in SAIL UP THE MAZAROONI. 79 every direction as far as I could, and by practising a Spartan abstinence, shielding my head from the sun's influence, and taking care always to sleep dry, I suffered no injury on the score of health. I recommend a broad-brimmed leather hat, covered with white linen, a light waterman's jacket, short water-proof cloak, and leather leggings, for bush expeditions between the tropics. The arms, — a rifle, sword, dagger, and double barrelled pistol. Mr. Hilhouse, and a young and intelligent planter of the name of Tichmaker, availed them- selves of the dry season of 1830, and had, to the distance of two hundred and fifty miles, a most interesting expedition up the Mazarooni river, by them explored for the first time. I now subjoin a short sketch of their proceedings. At Stabroek the travellers hired a number of Arrawak Indians, and a large canoe, in which they placed tin boxes containing their clothes ; presents of cloth, cutlery, and beads for the red men, and fowling-pieces to kill their food. From the Esse- quibo river they passed into the Mazarooni, which makes a considerable sweep to the north-east, and then returns, so as to form a large peninsula en- closing lofty mountains and considerable creeks. The isthmus of the peninsula is so narrow, that three days will suffice to cross it, so that thus the sweep may be avoided. The travellers, however, pursued the course of the river, passed the mouths of several creeks, and saw on the left, mountain ranges seemingly of white quartz, and several ' 1 1 I i i ■ ( I mr rm i In justice, however, to the Brazilians, we must add, that from all I have read and heard of the treatment of their slaves on estates, they are far more humane, than the Dutch, and their slaves soon become habituated to a country of which the climate so much resembles their own. Whilst in South America I had not the good fortune to fall in with any one who had visited the beautiful French colony of Cayenne, rich in cloves, cinnamon, pepper, nutmeg, and other choice spices, and consequently could not inquire how negroes were treated there. The French are an amiable and kind-hearted people, and in Europe invariably treat their domestics well. I understand that in the French islands the house negroes are indulged, but the out-door negroes are often over-worked, though certain holidays are allowed them, and on Sundays they are very gaily dressed. When I landed from an Indiaman on the African Isle of Bourbon, some ten years ago, I was hauled on shore through the heavy surf by a gang of naked negroes, chained together, and I afterwards saw others cruelly flogged by French overseers. There is a flourishing slave-trade carried on at Mar- tinique, Guadaloupe, and other French West India islands, and, as far as I could learn, more slaves were imported from Africa in 1880 into settlements not British, than ever there were before. How then can the British planter compete with foreigners? and how can he afford to sell his produce at so cheap a rate as they can ? f!! 125 CHAPTER VIII. Visit the Morocco coast of Essequibo. — Attention of the Planters. — Their prospects. — Not allowed a hearing. — Old prejudices. — Additional labourers much wanted. — East In- dia competition. — Mistake of a distinguished Writer. — Plough husbandry ought to be introduced. — Rice. — Negroes at times very provoking. — Anecdotes. — Contrivance to attract the Birds of the Forest. — Plantation Lima. — Again enter "the Bush." — A Boat Song. — The Tapacooma Lake. — A Woodman's retreat. — Forest amusements. — The Water Mamma. — A deserted Settlement. — Effects of Indian super- stition. — Adventures. —Combat between a Jaguar and Cay- man.— A Bush expedition. — Fascination of the Forest. — Effects of instruction in Gymnastics. — A pleasant predica- ment. — Sail for Stabroek. — Pleasant companions in the hold of a Schooner. — Land in safety. From Wakenaam island I proceeded to the Mo- rocco coastj and visited many estates between the Essequibo and Pomeroon. There is a broad road which leads along the coast to connect the different plantations, though the planters commonly go be- tween Stabroek and their estates by sea. With the usual kindness of the planters, I was transferred, without trouble or expense, from the one house to the other, either on horseback or in a light chaise, and every attention was paid to my comfort and convenience. On^ jolly-looking old planter I met with, in talking of his prospects said, " By Jove ! [i: Mi!: T 126 OLD PREJUDICES. Sir, I know very well that in a year or two we'll all be ruined by the influence of the saints at home ; they are so bitter against us that they won't believe a word we say in our defence ; and worse than that, though we are Englishmen and entitled to a hear- ing, we are condemned without being heard. Every now and then, a planter at home writes and pub- lishes a pamphlet, showing the true state of our case, but no one reads it, and even when an im- partial witness who visits the West (like the clever author of " Six Months in the West Indies") pro- nounces a favourable judgment on us, our enemies immediately cry out, ' Oh ! this man lived on sugar- plums, and was treated with sparkling cham- paigne; no wonder then he speaks well of the planters.' But I am tired to death of the senseless outcry against us, and since it seems we are to be sacrificed, d — n it, I had rather it would happen at once, and have it over." Every sugar-estate had its steam-engine, and some had two ; and the old Dutch windmills were in ruins. However, some of the grey-headed plant- ers, like the prejudiced in general, are adverse to all improvements and innovations in sugar-making. In talking to one of these about the new mode of boiling cane juice in vacuo, and potting the sugar with syrup, so as to increase the size of the grain, he said, " I don't care a fig about improvements in sugar-making, only give me a good crop of canes; the old plans are the best, they are easiest learned, i I I EAST INDIA COMPETITION. 127 and are less expensive ; but we want hands. Sir : here we are with an immense country, almost too rich for canes, plenty of provisions for negroes, and hundreds of miles uncleared ; in many of the islands the negroes are starving, their masters have more hands than they can feed, yet they cannot benefit themselves and their people by bringing them here." I answered, '* On. the first view of the case, that seems very strange, but you remember that negroes were not allowed to be transferred from one colony to another, as it might open the door to smuggling in fresh slaves from Africa." " Very true, but I don't believe that a single fresh slave would be introduced, for since the abolition of the trade in 1807, no slaver has ever been de- tected within sight of a British colony. If we had more hands, we would supply the world with sugar, and as it is, we produce more than all the British West India islands put together, Jamaica excepted. But we are afraid of being undersold by the East India sugar. Is not labour there very cheap ?" " You may make yourself perfectly easy about the East India sugars," I replied, " they will never do you any harm ; the wages of labour, to be sure, are low in the East, but the quantity of work done is next to nothing ; it takes ten men to do the work of one here. If you have two men to work for you there, you require to have a third to look after them. You see then, that in reality, labour is very dear in the East; besides, the freight is W:\ 1 1 t • 1 I 'i 1 " .] it .1 128 PLOUGH HUSBANDRY RECOMMENDED. heavy, and the distance between the East Indies and England is three times greater than that between England and the West Indi .&." This gentleman was one of the few exceptions to what I so generally remarked in British Guiana, that the planters to the utmost of their ability tried to improve the manufacture of sugar. A deservedly popular writer, Mr. Gait, committed a great mis- take some time ago, in a paper on the sugar colo- nies ; he said, " The planters are very careless in the manufacture of sugar, they will not adopt the most approved modes for producing a superior article, they will not refine their sugars ; the days of molasses and dirt ought to be now gone by," or words to that effect. Now, refined sugars are not allowed to be imported into England, only clayed ; and really in the manufacture of sugar, the planters spare no expense, but immediately adopt (if they can) whatever is considered an improvement. Sometimes men of first-rate intelligence trip ; " Ali- quando bonus dormitat Homerus" — is due to Mr. Gait on this occasion. The cultivation of the cane is certainly defective in Guiana. Plough husbandry ought really to be extensively tried there. The Americans succeed very well with the plough in tl;e sugar-states of Louisiana and Mississippi. Guiana is flat like them, and has abundant food for cattle ; unlike Barba- does and other islands, where they complain of wanting fodder. Guiana has also a great advan- tage over the islands in her canals, which intersect RICE.- CONDUCT OF NEGROES. 129 the estates in every direction, whereby the produce is conveyed to the mill with light labour, and at trifling expense. Why not then gradually diminish the number of " hoeing " slaves by substituting the plough, and use the limbs of brutes instead of men? If the soil is too soft for the hoofs of cattle, let broad boots be used, as in the morass between Manchester and Liverpool. I saw a little rice on one estate, and I asked the manager why it was not more generally cultivated ? He replied, " Rice succeeds admirably on this flat coast where it is easily irrigated, but if one man only plants rice, the birds all flock to his flelds and eat up the grain ; whereas, if all the planters would plant simultaneously, the loss among many fields would be trifling. We don't think either, that it is so nutritive for our people as plantains." At the house of an assistant protector of slaves I heard a negro make some frivolous complaints against his master ; but when the protector pro- ceeded to take down his deposition, the negro retracted a great part of what he first stated ; and it is a singular fact, that negro witnesses, when they see that their statements are recorded, gene- rally give true evidence, and vice versa. There is nothing so common as for negroes to take a lazy fit, and sham sick. One day I saw a negress come to a manager, and with a rueful face say, " No can work, massa." " What 's the mat- ter ?" " Very seek, massa." The pulse was imme- diately felt and the tongue examined — all right; 'A VOL. I. K !!! 11^ ISO CONTRIVANCE TO ATTRACT BIRDS. i|f«! Illi|l^ " Head turn round, massa." On another occasion, a negro had absented himself without leave, and I saw him approach the house limping and support- ing himself as if in great pain, ** What now, Cupid ?" " Snake bite um foot, massa — no can walk, massa." I watched him after he had turned the corner, when he shouldered his stick a!\d stepped out as nimbly as needs be. Negroes are really at times excessively provoking. In my progress along the coast, 1 was most hos- pitably and kindly treated by Colonel Dougan, the Honourable Mr. Bean, Mr. Mackie, and the Honourable Mr. Rose ; their civilities to me 1 duly acknowledge and always gratefully remember. At Mr. Bean's I remarked an ingenious contrivance to attract the birds of the forest to the veranda : a yellow and ripe banana was placed in an open basket, and fearlessly the feathered tribe in their gorgeous plumage picked the sweet fruit. I was strongly tempted to ensnare some of these visitors, for the sake of their handsome coats, but I placed a restraint on my evil propensities. Mr. Rose, at Lima, (an estate in a high state of cultivation with five hundred negroes upon it,) was so kind as to man a canoe with some of his people, and I again proceeded into the bush, to visit an Indian settlement and the Tappacooma lake, eight miles in length, formed by a dam between two sand hills, and intended to irrigate the Morocco estate in the event of a scarcity of rain. The negroes merrily plied the paddles, and we brushed past the li(MT SONG. — TAPACOOMA LAKK. l.il overhanginj? trees to their favourite song of *' Velly well, yankee, velly well oh !" De botiley oh I de bottley oh I De negcr like de bottley oh I ' Right earl in de marning, de neger like du bottley oh ! A jottle o' rum, loaf a bread, Make the neger dandy uh I Right early in de marning, de neger lihe de bottley oh t We passed through the Tapacooma lake, and saw those trees leafless and rapidly decaying whose roots were unaccustomed to be continually submerged. Spurwings and spoonbills were fishing in the newly- formed lake, and the black clay nests of the Mara- buntahs, or wasps, were surrounded by the pendant habitation of the orioles swinging from slender branches. I hung my hammock in the forest retreat of Mr. James Frazer, an eccentric countryman^ to whom I became much attached. Indifferent to luxuries, either in dress or lodging, he ranged the forest in quest of game in check shirt and trowsers. His cottage was simple and unadorned, thatched with palm leaves, and the sides enclosed with split mani- cole, but the jaguars, snakes, and vampires had free admission if they chose, and I was lulled to sleep by the melancholy note of the houtou, and the dis- tant cry of the howling baboon. Thermometer during the night 70°. With Frazer I visited the logic of Wallabanari, an Arrawak chief ; traversed the gloomy forest, or paddled our canoe in the dark creeks. Sometimes we made the woods resound with the martial music K 2 It i ii 132 FOREST AMUSEMENTS. of the pipes, or on the beams of a logie competed wi**^ the Indians in gymnastic exercises ; then in- a them to play their rude flute of bamboo, or simple viol with three strings, and enjoyed their dance, performed by three or four men clasping one another with their arms, advancing, retreating, pirouetting, and stamping the ground with their heels, to the song of " Na, na, na !" We were paddling our canoe among the water- lilies of the Tapacooma lake, when Frazer related a singular instance of superstition in the Indians. He was engaged to superintend some Arrawaks w!io had agreed to work at the dam which formed the lake, but they declared that they would not commence their labours until the Water-Mamma was appeased : — this is a sort of mermaid, believed by the Indians to inhabit the fresh waters of Guiana and to be possessed of malign influence. " I told the Arrawaks " said Frazer, " that instead of ap- peasing the Water-Mamma of the Tapacooma creek, I knew how to catch it ; so I set to work and stuffed a bear-skin jacket with straw, and put it into an old puticheonfull of water in a dark corner. Three of the Arrawaks were persuaded to come and see it, which they did in fear and trembling, and no sooner had they looked into the puncheon than they fled, fell sick and actually died, though we took the greatest pains to explain to them the trick that had been played them. One afternoon we paddled down a dark creek, and landed where an overgrown path led into the EFFECTS OF INDIAN SUPERSTITION. 13S bush. We proceeded cautiously along it, to allow the snakes to get out of our way ; though neither they nor other wild animals will attack unless sud- denly disturbed, always excepting the horrid bush- master ', fortunately these are seldom seen, and the Indians are warned of their presence by their dogs, and making a wide circuit round them, they transfix them with their arrows at a safe distance. Leaping over the fallen trees, and brushing aside the branches of the underwood with our paddles, we came to an elevated and cleared spot, on which were three deserted logics : here a tragedy had been enacted, which caused the Indians to desert a place of evil omen. At a Pigwarry feast an Arrawak had been killed in a moment of irritation, and the murderer, a Pei-man (or sorcerer), was sentenced by the tribe to be shot by the nearest relative of the murdered man after digging his own grave. With this latter part of the sentence he complied, and was led out to execution ; when left alone, he suddenly sprang into the forest ; one man fired at him and missed him, and dreading his spells he sickened and died. Under the floor of one of the logics were the graves of the murdered Arrawak and the bad marksman. As we were proceeding leisurely with the stream on another occasion, I said to Frazer, " You must have met with a number of strange adventures, and seen many strange sights in your wanderings ?" — ** Yes," said he, " particularly when I used to visit the Oronooco, to procure the laurel oil, so famous [' 1 1 il^ 134 ADVENTURES. If >;l ii for the cure of chronic rheumatism. I went princi- pally by water from Stabroek to Angostura, not by way of the coast, but by the numerous rivers that intersect all parts of Columbia south of the Oronooco. We made short portages from one river to the other, the Indians carrying the canoe and the baggage on their heads. " I was twice bit by Labarri snakes. I cut round the wounds, and one of them still gives me pain. One of my dogs was bit by a labarri in the head ; the labarri-plant was at hand — I rubbed the root of it into the wound, and there is the dog alive and well. You see Antonio, there, a Spanish In- dian, in the bow of the canoe ; well, he and myself, and a few others, once went up the Apoori, a branch of the Oronooco, to look for turtle's eggs, and on that expedition we saw a very strange sight, which might not be believed at home — and I don't like to tell it to every one." — " Don't hesitate to tell it me, Frazer. I have seen sights myself that I don't like telling, as I would rather have a cha- racter for veracity than be considered one who has seen wonders, and is fond of doing them full justice in the narration ; but communicate freely, and I '11 reciprocate." — "Well, then; we went up the Apoori and came to the sandbank where the nests were, and whenever there was a smooth part of the sand we dug down eight or nine inches, and com- monly found five-and-twenty eggs, with a soft shell like parchment. After procuring as many as we wanted, we dropped down the Apoori and got into •J. ♦ COMBAT OF A JAGUAR AND CAYMAN. 1S5 the Oronooe, broad and deep, and bordered by heavy forests. We were passing a spit of sand on a clear afternoon, when we saw a large cayman, ten feet long, asleep on the sand, at the distance of a few feet from the water's edge. We approached in the coorial, to shoot the monster in the eye, but, as we neared him, a spotted jaguar was seen to issue from the edge of the forest, and stole towards the alligator, creeping with his belly on the ground like a cat preparing to surprise a bird. We drew off, to see what would happen. The leopard made a sudden spring on the cayman, and they both dis- appeared in the river, in a cloud of spray and foam. The cayman did not reappear, but the nimble jaguar soon rose to the surface, blowing with his exertion; sitting on his haunches, like a dog, on the sand, he licked himself for a few moments, and recovering his breath, he again plunged into the river like a Newfoundland dog. Up he came again ; still no cayman was seen, though the water was much agitated, and air-bells rose to the surface. At last, after a third dive, he dragged the alligator on the sand in a dying state. We wanted to secure them both, and fired away all our powder and ball at the jaguar, but he just sat looking at us, grinning and growling as we fired, and we were obliged to move oiF; but next day we got the dead cayman, but don't know what became of his con- queror. No part of the cayman had been eaten ; perhaps a ball may have spoilt the jaguar's appe- tite." — " Yes, or perhaps he had attacked the I ' 1 i r \ i ttf ^ ^^gg| ^^^ ■ i 136 A BUSH EXPEDITION. cayman merely through natural animosity, like the icLiieumon the snake." About this time there was a bush expedition, to recover some runaway negroes. The manager of an estate had been changed : then the negroes usually try what he is made of; some are insolent, others refuse to work, and when threatened with punishment, run away and secrete themselves in the forests. Part of the militia on the Morocco coast was called out, principally consisting of the book-keepers ; but their inefficiency was soon proved. On the second morning, one man com- plained of illness for want of his coffee ; another said he was unable to proceed, having lost a shoe in the mud ; and a third said he must look after his helpmate, who was in the family-way. Frazer and a few Arrawaks soon tracked the runaways, and they were lightly punished under the eye of a protector. I had now been some weeks in British Guiana, and I thought it high time to proceed to the islands. I therefore quitted the woods with extreme reluctance, and returned to Plantation Lima. To certain temperaments, removing for a time from ail conaexion with mankind to " the silent shade of some sequestered spot," is very congenial, and even beneficial ; it estranges the mind from the pursuit of sensual enjoyment, enables us to see the folly and vanity of the votaries of pleasure, and induces one to exclaim. SAIL FOR STABROEK. 137 " Give me, indulgent gods I with mind serene, And guiltless heart, to range the sylvan scene ; There pleasing objects useful thoughts suggest : The sense is ravished, and the soul is blest." But it is sinful and presumptuous in one who has been placed in a certain station in society, altogether to seclude himself. He has duties to perform, which in retirement he must neglect, and therefore, though, in common with many others, I was fascinated " with the boundless contiguity of shade," where one is independent of Fashion's edicts, I determined to break the spell and return to Stabroek. On a dark and stormy night I bade adieu to Mr. Rose and his excellent lady, and walked down to the Lima stelling, or pier. A small schooner rode at anchor at some distance from it ; and on hailing her, a boat was sent to bring me off. A heavy sea was running, and it was dangerous for the skiff to come alongside the pier. Accordingly, the negro steersman allowed the waves to wash it under the piles, and I suspended myself by the hands, with a depth of some three or four fathoms water below me, in order to drop into the boat. It was an interesting predicament, no doubt, though rather a ridiculous one. The sea rolled the boat in and out, the negro was unskilful, and there I remained swinging in mid-air, like the epicurean in the trials of initiation, and calling lustily to direct the steersman. The spray washed 1 i ■I I ii I I I i \i i ii I' 138 COMPANIONS IN THE SCHOONER. my feet, and the wind confounded me ; at last I dropped into the boat, and nearly stove it, but reached the schooner in safety. The negro captain then directed the anchor to be weighed, and to stand out to sea; but, with the usual carelessness of a black crew, after sail was made the schooner was allowed to run aground ; she struck heavily on the hard sand : however, by great exertion we got her head round, and bore away under a reefed mainsail. Black clouds obscured the heavens, and torrents of rain accompanied the heavy squalls of wind ; the influence of sleep began to steal over me, and as there was no cabin, I descended to the dark hold to woo the " sweet restorer." I felt for a pillow on which to repose, and found a bunch of plantains ; and wrapping myself up in my cloak, I lay down, but a more comfortless night I have seldom expe- rienced. The schooner rolled and pitched heavily, agitated the bilge water, which saluted the olfacto- ries with aught but " the perfumes of Arabia,'* and the rain poured in upon me through the seams of the deck. I was not the only occupant of the hold ; squadrons of cockroaches flew against me, musqui- toes stung me, rats nibbled at the plantains, and ran over me, as also did long files of ants ; then an unwieldy hog, that usually occupied the fore part of the hold, paid me a visit, and commenced grunt- ing at my ear. I struck out in desperation, and drove him off for a time. I got no rest from my ARRIVAL AT STABROEK. 139 numerous tormentors till morning dawned, when I discovered three negresses sleeping heside me, on their way to the trtad-mill, and over-head hung a basket containing two Camoodi snakes ; but after a voyage of twenty hours, I arrived, unscathed, at Stabroek, and then, as on many other occasions, was compelled to laugh at the annoyances to which I voluntarily exposed myself. . M .*; H ! i /: !ii 140 CHAPTER IX. Embark in a schooner bound to Barbadoes. — Crowded cabins. — Bid adieu to South America. — Passengers' anecdotes. — Yankee Skippers, — Change of colour in the Sea. — A Barba- dian dame. — Barbadoes descried. — View of the Island from the Sea. — Carlisle Bay. — His Majesty's ship Shannon. — Bridgetown. — Enmo'e, — Population and produce of Barba- does. — Agricu' . > - - '^iibHc buildings. — The Governor. — The Bishop. — S« ois.- - »'he country. — Worthing, the Bar- badian Brighton. — The i\ ^ting season. — Upton. — Cod- rington College. — The Principal. — Course of Instruction. — The black Population rapidly increasing. — A part ought to he removed. — Distressed state of many Proprietors. — Pecu- liar habits of Negroes. — The Barracks of St. Anne. — Healthy situation for Troops. — Forts, Magazines, and Hospitals. — The Court-house and Gaol. — Government of the Island. I NOW engaged a berth in the Paget schooner. Captain Gilbert, proceeding to Barbadoes, and at three o'clock one morning took leave of my old schoolfellow, Mr. James Glen, of the wealthy house of Glen and Co., and rowed down the Demerara river to join the vessel, which, though a " clipper," was little larger than a ship's launch; the negro boatmen nearly upset us among the hungry sharks by running foul of a hawser, but after some trouble we got safe on board. I found all hands asleep, and beheld three ladies, consisting of two actresses and a young creole, who occupied berths in the small cabin, where was also ^ V ? m 1 'JiiM i^i^' III nil' \i i ) CROWDED CABINS. 141 my resting-place. The ladies said they preferred the gentlemen's cabin to their own, as it was cooler ; and the captain said that the other cabin was full of mulatto women. Here was another trial of ini- tiation, so we lay down in our clothes in our berth, with the consent of the fair. At daybreak the tide and wind favoured, and lightly bounding over the billows, we bade adieu to the shores of South America, and saw the long line of mangroves gradually disappear in the horizon. We had sixteen passengers on board ; the men, all sea-sick, lay about the deck in their cloaks, end the ladies lay in their berths, as it rained heavily during the day. We were extremely crowded, the sea was very rough, and our little bark seemed every mo- ment about to be immersed beneath " the briny flood;" the white-crested waves curled high over her stern, but she heeded them not, but gallantly scudded before the blast — 'ils 8* ire T15 (TTaTOj isnrof axo]^ciii- if 4^ "k^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) 1.0 I.I m ■so 12.5 1^ 1^ 12.2 I: ^ 1^ 12.0 K HIUu i.8 1 1.25 1 1.4 1.6 ^1 6" ► V] vl 7. '^ 7 Photographic Sciences Corporation 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. M580 (716) 873-4503 «-- ■<^^ ,** 156 THE BOILING SPRING. i, Il_ «.< : 1,, W IHE' ^J •: .hBI ^ S- III : I: ■ m- L LAi resque ; there were hill and dale, the rich tints of tropical vegetation, and glimpses of the Atlantic at the bottom of the long vistas of the valleys between the ridges. We rode past some small pools, where tar issued out of the earth, and then skreened our- selves from the scorching rays of the sun under the shelter of the ancient forest. Tying our horses to a tree, we scrambled down to the boiling spring, and on approaching the dark guUey where it is situated, we became sensible of an unpleasant gaseous odour ; and discovered a hole in the ground, from which there were " mutterings of unutterable things" proceed- ing. We threw water into the hole, and a violent bubbling immediately ensued ; and if we had applied a light, the inflammable gas would have burst into a flame. Harmless snakes, monkeys, and birds of varied plumage, inhabit Turner's Hill Wood, which by the ancients would have been considered a deli- cious retreat for fauns and dryads. I shall not now stop minutely to describe the other natural curiosities of this part of Barbadoes. Harri'^on's Cave, incrusted with beautiful petrifac- tions, and through which, like Styx, a stream flows, but clear and limpid ; and again the animal flower cave, where in a natural basin into which the tide flows, there is a rock with beautiful varieties attached to it, of that remarkable zoophyte — the hydra ; they appear like petals of the marigold, of purple, yellow, and green colours, to attract the insect prey, but when touched they contract and become invisible. This remarkable production CREOLE HOSTESS. 157 ints of itic at itween where d cur- ler the ies to a g, and ;uated, odour ; h there roceed- violent applied st into )irds of which a deli- be the Dadoes, etrifac- flows, flower ch the irieties B — the old, of ict the ct and luction forms the connecting link between the animal and vegetable kingdoms of that extraordinary grada- tion, or chain of beings, proceeding from the rudest unorganised matter up to man. We rode home in the evening, and after a bath felt no bad effects from the long excursion. Pro- tect the head from the sun, be temperate, and exer- cise may be taken between the tropics with im- punity whilst the thermometer stands in the shade at 110°. To get an insight into creole character, I some- times strolled down to town, and sat for an hour with the well known Betsy Austin, the hostess of the Bridgetown Clarendon. At the door, lolling in her easy chair, wou: d be seen the jolly dame, decked in gaudy finery and superintending the light labours of some female slaves, whom slie occasionally rated in no measured terms. She kept a very clean house of entertainment, and was always remarkably civil. " Ah ! you stranger gen- tleman, I know very well why you come down and see me. You go away and laugh. The devil take you, Sally, be quick and bring the captain a chair ; will you take cocoa-nut water or lemonade, sir ?" " The cocoa-nut, if you please." — " You have heard some people abuse me, I suppose, sii, but I don't care, I tell you ; — damn you, Pompey, why don't you sweep up the floor, you black neggar you." One evening whilst sitting in the marble verandah at Enmore, and listening to the ceaseless hum of i I , • .1 ri il s 158 A JOAN-JOHNNY DANCE. i:;. I I |H.|: the insects and the gentle rustling of the trees, and thinking of again venturing on the treacherous deep, I heard the lively sound of a drum at some distance, and immediately repaired to where the negroes were amusing themselves under the mild rays of the Cynthian queen. On a level spot, surrounded by small houses of coloured and black people, was a bench, on which were seated two negro fiddlers and a thin fellow beating a drum ; behind stood a man shaking violently a calabash filled with small stones and reeds, and singing with contortions an African air. The crowd formed a ring, and those who wished to dance the Joan- Johnny stepped forward, presented the leader of the band with a bit, and he " Bid the fiddle to the banjar speak, The banjar to the calabash without," and a couple would twist their bodies, thump the ground with their heels", and circle round one another to the inspiring strains. The little black urchins, as usual, were setting to one another on the outskirts of the admiring crowd, or kneeling down behind their elders, who would be pushed over amidst shouts of laughter, or mimicking the actions of the white lookers on. I was much amused with the scene, but a violent end was put to the entertainment, for a huge stone was hurled at the musicians by some unknown hand, which wounded the leader's bow-arm. Immediately there was a great uproar, and a second stone nearly demolishing an instrument, the party broke up, A QUALITY BALL. 159 es, and ;herou8 t some gre the 16 mild 1 spot, a black ed two drum; ;alabash ng with trmed a 3 Joan- sader of imp the md one le black )ther on kneeling pushed king the IS much was put s hurled I, which sly there 3 nsarly roke up, venting curses on the unseen spoiler of the sport — probably some choleric frc^eman, who did not like sounds of obstreperous mirth near his dwelling. The " quality balls" of the coloured people are well worth visiting. The brown beaux and belles are gaily dressed — kid gloves, silk stockings, "tight continuations," and quizzing-glasses, are seen on the gentlemen ; whilst the ladies sport feathers, silks, book-muslin, tinsel turbans, bustles, and satin slippers. I was fortunate enough to be present at two balls of the " Premiere Qualite." They were con- ducted in a similar manner to what we are accus- tomed to at home. At these parties I saw many fair forms, who left a lasting impression ; and an additional interest has been excited — for these pale and dark-eyed maids have since had to hurry from their couches at the dead of night, the roofs blown from their dwellings, and the walls crumbling in ruins behind them. Whilst the dance procer'^ed, the thirsty souls among the gentlemen would adjourn to pledge one another in tea-anne anci coffee-anne, (preparations of Congo or mocha, wiih spirits,) or each would take up a huge glass vase of sangoree, with a "spry" of lemon-peel floating on it, and quaff deep draughts of the tempting beverage, half wine, half water, with sugar and nutmeg. It was really very enticing, but we must resist seductions of all kinds whilst wayfaring. Many of the fair Creoles whom I had seen in the m WB f : 160 CHARACTER OF THE BARBADIANS. ^1 mw \: morning languidly reclining on a couch, and appa- rently incapable of the slightest exertion, were now as it were, inspired ; their eyes sparkled with ani- mation, the colour played in their cheeks, like " a rose crushed on marble," and with delicate shapes they moved in the dance gracefully and untiringly. *• What do you think of the Bims or Barba- dians ?" said an English resident, accosting me at one of these balls. " Why, I have been so short a time on the island," I replied, " that I ought not to give an opinion at all. The impressions I have formed of them are these : — open-hearted and good-tempered, with no small opinion of them- selves or of their island ; which I am not surprised at, as it seems a right pleasant island, and its turtle and punch, I am sure, find favour in your eyes." — " Yes," answered he ; " but many of the Barbadians are very ignorant. Would you believe it. Sir, only the other day a Bim asked me how long the people were locked up in England ? ' Locked up !' I answered ; ' what ! do you think the cold confines us to the house?' — * Yes.' — * Not in England, my good friend. True, it does so in Siberia ; you must be thinking of that part of the world, where if you yawn, such an icicle forms in your mouth that it requires a hatchet to cut it !' Now, the Bim believed this nonsense, and repeated it to his friends." — " I can assure you," I retorted, " that the ignorance of the Barbadians regarding England is more excusable than the absurdities we hear regarding the West Indies at home ; a certain COCK-FIGHTING. 161 a appa- •e now h ani- ike " shapes •ingly. Barba- me at short a rht not I have ed and ■ them- iirprised and its in your r of the believe ne how ngland ? u think Yes.' - , it does part of e forms cut it !' repeated etorted, !garding dities we a certain party make people believe that in the Antilles there is nothing but weeping, wailing, and gnash- ing of teeth, chains and whips, yaws and yellow fever." I said that c jk-fighting was one of the prin- cipal amusements of the lower class of white Barba- dians, but the middle class also is partial to this cruel and disgusting sport. At a main, fought by the birds of two well-known sporting gentlemen, the pit was quite full, and great amusement was derived from watching some of the betters and lookers on. They sejmed to feel such intense anxiety i:i the fate of their favourite birds, that every stroke had an electric effect upon them. A hideous, sunburnt buccaneeri'~g-looking fellow ap- peared to suffer as much as the cock upon which he had staked his money ; suddenly he would writhe as if in acute pain, his hands clenched, breath drawn in, and his body bent forwards, watching with convulsive eagerness the pending battle. At last, his bird received the coup de grace, when, with a wo-begone face, and mouth screwed up, he uttered aloud, " Whew ! he ben't a cock ; he 's a 'orse ; see how he jumps on the flats o' his foots !" It is not generally known, that in Barbadoes there is a mysterious vault, in which no one now dares to deposit the dead. It is in a churchyard near the sea-side. In 1807 the first coffin that was deposited in it was that of a Mrs. Goddard ; in 1808 a Miss A. M. Chase was placed in it ; and VOL. I. M '\ \\ 162 THE MYSTERIOUS VAULT. « in 1812 Miss D. Chase. In the end of 1812 the vault was opened for the body . the Honourable T. Chase ; but the three first coffins were found in a confused state, having been apparently tossed from their places. Again was the vault opened to receive the body of an infant, and the four coffins, all of lead, and very heavy, were much disturbed. In 1816 a Mr. Brewster's body was placed in the vault, and again great disorder was apparent in the coffins. In 1819 a Mr. Clarke was placed in the vault, and, as before, the coffins were in confasion. Each time that the vault was opened the coffins were replaced in their proper situations, that is, three on the ground, side by side, and the others laid on them. The vault was then regularly closed ; the door (and a massive stone which required six or seven men to move) was cemented by masons ; and though the floor was of sand, there were no marks of footsteps or water. The last time the vault was opened was in 1819 ; Lord Combermere was then present, and the coffins were found thrown confusedly about the vault ; some with the heads down, and others up. What could have occasioned this phenomenon ? In no other vault in the island has this ever occurred. Was it an earthquake which occasioned it, or the effects of an inundation in the vault ? In England there was a parallel occurrence to t. is some years ago at Staunton, in Suffolk. It is stated, that on opening a vault there, several leaden coffins, with wooden cases, which had been fixed RESIDENCE OF VAL'CLUSE. 16a the rable id in Dssed bd to )ffins, irbed. Q the in the in the ision. coffins bat is, others ;losed ; red six lasons ; 'ere no l1819; 5 coffins vault ; What In no ;curred. or the L. reiice to It is 1 leaden en fixed on biers, were found displaced, to the great con<- sternation of the villagers. The coffins were again placed as before, and the vault properly closed, when again another of the family dying, they were a second time found displaced ; and two years after that, they were not only found all otf their biers, but one coffin (so heavy as to require eight men to raise it) wus found on the fourth step which led down to the vaults, and it seemed per- fectly certain that no human hand had done this. As yet no one has satisfactorily accounted for the Barbadian or the Staunton wonder. I spent one day at a most charming residence, Vaucluse, on a high spot, delightfully cool, anfl commanding extensive views. The proprietor said that some Moravian brethren had established them- selves in his neighbourhood, and that those of his negroes who attended the instructions of that ex- cellent fraternity, were extremely sober and indus- trious. His butler had lately died, and he gave him a handsome funeral, for he had served him faithfully for many years, and the master was anxious to testify his respect for his servant. Shortly aft 3r this, a healthy negro refused all food, lay with his eyes open, and gasping as it were for breath ; the doctor could discover no ailment, and it was conjectured that the butler's funeral had so excited his envy, that he determined to have a similar one, and to starve himself. The master came in, and said aloud, " ii this negro dies, I mean to throw him into a hole, and bury him with M 2 jr^i ^11 Hi i^ ]64 IIURHICANE. — UEI'AIITUHE. his face down." It is almost unnecessary to add that, shortly after this speech, the sick took up his bed and walked forth healed. One night whilst I was ruminating on my in- tended route in bed, the wind, which had shifted suddenly from one point of the compass to another, at last set in to blow with fearful violence from the south-east ; it roared among the trees, bent them, and tore off branches, injured the roof, and seemed to sweep with resistless violence across the island, which it drenched with heavy rain. This was the first hurricane of the season. Next morning I walked down to Carlisle Bay, to see how it had fared with the shipping : the men of war and mer- chantmen were pitching violently at their anchors ; immense waves, in long ridges of green water, broke over the pier-head and shook the stones. Some of the smaller craft had drifted on shore, and when the wind moderated a little, the launches were sent from the frigates to collect all the " Liberty- men" on shore and prepare to go to sea. I also prepared to go to sea, for I calculated that imme- diately after a storm there is likely to be moderate weather. " The vehicle to mount is that which has been upset the day before." to East tinuj their as if and excel sprei m mm 165 CHAPTER XI. The great hurricane of 1831. — The English suffer from their prejudices. — Will not change their habits in any climate. — The hurricane of 1780. — Injudicious style of building. — Flat roofs recommended. — The writer apologises for his remarks. — Barbadoes before the hurricane of 1831. — The last great hurricane more destructive than the former one. — Destruc- tion in Bridgetown. — The effects of hurricanes illustrated. — Atmospherical phenomena on the 10th of August. — Com- mencement of the gale. — Awful and sudden gusts from different points of the compass. — Destructive effects. — The air filled with fragments of wood and ston. — An earthquake and shower of hail The salt spray. — Examples of the violence of the wind. — Fire-balls. — Exposed situation of delicate females. — Appearance of Barbadoes after the hurri- cane. — The dead and dying. — Destruction of St. Anne's barracks and the public buildings. — Great loss of shipping. — The wounded, how disposed of. — Generosity of the Governor. —Liberality of the merchants. — Resignation and enterprise of the people. In the splendid possessions of Great Britain situated between the tropics, I have often remarked to what a prejudiced nation I belong. In the East, or in the West, our countrymen are con- tinually at war with the climate — attempt to build their houses as they are wont to do at home, dress as if they intended to walk the streets of London, and eat and drink as if the thermometer never exceeded 65''. One would imagine, that having spread themselves over the four quarters of the ) n I m ' ! i ( m\ 16G TlIK IHTRRICANE OF 1780. 1 f i ! I ! \ ^H ^Hr' ; I tlL 1 i ■1^ L. globe, Britons would now have voluntarily become endowed with the properties of Proteus — that they would be able to change their habits according to change of scene ; but as yet this is far from being the case. Our African travellers were spit upon and reviled because they dressed as Britons and as Christians ; and Englishmen abroad suffer continual inconvenience, great loss of property, and life itself prematurely, because they will not study and ac- commodate to the pecularities of foreign climes — " Coelum non animum mutant qui trans mare currunt." Many of the West India islands are subject to dreadful hurricanes in the months of August and September — Barbadoes, in particular, has suffered most severely. In 1780 it was laid waste, and four thousand five hundred of its inhabitants were buried under the ruins of the houses ; yet I remarked that the style of building throughout the island was, as usual, very badly adapted to the climate. The houses were generally on a small scale, the rooms were not sufficiently" lofty, and the roofs, covered with tin or shingles, retained the heat, as the iron roofs of Moscow, during a great part of the night. Then again, instead of excluding the sun by light mats, as in the East Indies, every window was left open, and thus what little comfort was gained by the circulation of air was counterbalanced by the reflected heat from the white roads. But the great inconsistency in the mode of building at Barbadoes was this: instead of flat roofs, the houses were INJUDICIOUS STYLE OI- HUILDING. 167 3S were covered in with a lofty unci clumsy structure, quite disproportionate to the rest of the building, and offering a resistance to the wind, which too often has occasioned their destruction. To this it may be replied, that the houses thus constructed are much cooler than others ; but this is disproved, for in Eastern countries, where the heat far exceeds that of the Antilles, and where inland there are no refreshing sea-breezes, the houses are flat-roofed, yet cool. With flat roofs, single stories, and sub- stantial piazzas, hurricanes are not to be dreaded. The barracks of Antigua, occupying the highest ground on the island, resist all tempests, and are built on the above excellent principle. But why should I indulge in this train of obser- vations after the direful calamity of the 10th of August 1831 ? why should I irritate and vex those who have suffered so grievously, by insinuating that they were partly to blame for what has be- fallen them ? " Shame be my portion, and let my head be sprinkled with ashes," if I were to be so unfeeling as to upbraid the luckless inhabitants of Barbadoes for their heavy misfortune ! I merely give my own impressions, and those of others who have visited the East, on the manner in which their houses were built, in the hope that in future the Oriental plan may have at least a trial in the Antilles. But let us now proceed to describe, as concisely and distinctly as possible, from various authentic documents, the dreadful visitation of the autumn of H l\ ll.l i^^ 168 HURRICANES OF 1780 AND 1831. i^\ III- 1 ; \ 1 t w 1831. On the morning after the hurricane it was truly said that Barbadoes, the gay, the prosperous, and the happy — one of the finest of the colonial isles — the Brighton of the West Indies — the mart of commerce — the home of hospitality — Barbadoes in its pride, was no more. Bridgetown, the capiteil, was a heap of ruins ; and country, villa, and hamlet, were a. ke level with the earth. On Wednesday, the 10th of August, it pleased the Almighty Disposer of joy and sorrow to visit this island with one of the most destructive hurri- canes ever known in the western hemisphere ; and misery, irretrievable misery to thousands has been the dreadful consequence. The islands of St. Vin- cent, St. Lucia, St. Domingo, and Cuba, with the city of New Orleans, also came within the track of the destroying tornado, and suu^red most materially. Those who recollect the great hurricane of 1780, all agree that the wind on the late tremendous gale was far more violent than the former, and the truth of this may be proved by mathematical demonstra- tion. If the force of the wind in 1831 in five hours did twice as much damage as was done in 1780 in eleven hours, it follows that the last hurri- cane raged with far greater fury than the first ; and that more ihan twice as much mischief was actually done by the last storm, a view of the face of the island, even after several weeks had elapsed, sufficiently testified. After the gale of 1780, about one-fourth of the houses with which the island was thickly dotted COMPARATIVE EFFECTS. 169 me in lurri- I first ; was face p,psed, )f the lotted remained standing; whereas on the 11th of last August no more than two in every twenty remained. In the first storm Spikestown suffered very little injury ; it is now little better than neap of ruins. With regard to Bridgetown, it is certain that it suffered far greater injury in 1780, but that cir- cumstance is to be attributed as much to the dura- tion as the violence of the storm. On these dread- ful occasions one street protects another, and the protecting street must be blown down before the others can be violently assailed. Had the last gale lasted in its utmost severity only two hours longer, every house in the town, every building, both of stone and wood, throughout the whole island, would have been completely levelled with the earth, and would have met with the fate of Jerusalem, without one stone or timber being left on another. An intelligent Barbadian gave me a very clear account of the nature of a West Indian hurricane. The wind does not on such an occasion, as is com- monly imagined, act with a broad sweep, bearing down with equal force every thing before it; it comes in squalls or whirlwinds, and very frequently a tornado does not extend in width beyond two or three miles. The next squall may exert its force on another part of the sea or land, not far distant from the first. To make this more intelligible, suppose there are two vessels at sea, about two miles from each other, east and west ; let us imagine the squall to come from the north or south, it may strike I' 2 it li f 170 ATMOSPHERICAL PHENOMENA. ^ M fi one of the vessels and miss the other; one may be dismasted, while the other has only a moderate breeze. The next squall may take the other ves- sel, and leave untouched the dismasted one. Were the vessels, instead of being east and west of each other, to be north and south, exactly in the track of the wind, the case would be altered, the same squall would equally affect both. One un- fortunate planter in Barbadoes had his house blown down as early as half past two a.m. by a dreadful gust from the north-north-west. At that moment a gentleman who lived not more than a mile and a half to the east of the other, said ho was " snug in bed listening to the wind, which did not seem to him at that time to be alarmingly high." It is evident, then, that the blast which struck the first missed the second ; hut he also suffered, for the south-west wind at six in the morning unroofed him, and this same gust levelled with the earth most of the buildings in the southern and eastern parts of the island. On the western coast the cocoa-nut and other trees lay in general from the rorth-north-west to south-south-east ; in the interior of the island they lay from south to north. On the evening of Wednesday, the 10th of August, certain appearances in the sky indicated unsettled weather, and many persons in Bridgetown prognosticated that there would be a gale before the morning, but few anticipated so dreadful a visitation as that which took place. The wind was COMMENCEMENT OF THE GALE. 171 at times rather high, and about ten o'clock there was a shower of rain, which was succeeded by a calm ; after this a dtmse mass of clouds gathered over the horizon, and remained for some time suspended in a gloomy canopy over the devoted island, as if the spirit of the storm was looking down from his dark throne, and contemplating the feeble works of man which he was about to overthrow. At midnight the clouds burst in a severe squall, which was followed by a torrent of rain. Then a smart breeze set in from the north-east, and the atmosphere was clear and bright, and smiled as it were malignantly for a while : — the wind increased ; in two hours it blew a tremendous gale, and the atmosphere, portentously dark, was lighted up at short intervals with vivid flashes of the electric fluid. At half past two the gale lulled ; but at three came the force of the hurricane, when heavy, sudden, and awful gusts seemed to shake the foundation of the island itself. ' " And all around, the clouds, the air, the sea, Rose from luinatural, dead tranquillity. And came to battle with their legions." Then the work of destruction commenced; every succeeding five minutes there was heard in the town the dreadful crash of falling trees, chimneys, roofs, and houses themselves, above the roaring of the gale. Those who had cellars to their houses took shelter in them, overpowered with feelings of intense agony ; they were helpless, and could only commit themselves to the care of a merciful jl 172 DESTRUCTIVE EFFECTS. Providence. Huge pieces of timber, tiles, and bricks would continually strike the frail tenements, and the inhabitants whose houses had been over- whelmed, would be heard wandering about the streets crying for shelter. The greater number of the houses were levelled with the earth or unroofed ; the largest trees were torn up by the roots, or their branches were twisted off them, and whirled like the autumnal leaves before the blast ; the air \/as filled with shattered frag- ments, threatening with instant death those exposed without shelter to the pelting storm. The majestic palms would be tossed to and fro as a withe, then snapped off with an appalling crash, or uplifted from the earth with terrific force, and dashed against the buildings they were wont to shade ; and tombstones prostrated, exposed the coffins of the dead. Some imagined there was an earthquake during the storm. There was a rapid shower of hail while the wind was between north and west ; then it shifted and blew fiercely from the east, veered to the south-east, and about six o'clock burst from the south-west with renewed violence, accompanied with a deluge of rain. The sea ail this time rolled in mountain waves towards the shore, and was lashed into one immense sheet of white foam. As the quick rising billows uplifted their heads, the wind carried the salt spray into the troubled air, and swiftly bore it on its pinions over the ill-fated island. VIOLENCE OF THE WINDS — FIRE-BALLS. 173 ;s, and 3ments, ti over- >ut the levelled es were twisted s before d frag- 3xposed najestic e, then uplifted dashed shade ; ffins of during of hail ; then veered st from ipanied 3 rolled id was n. As ds, the led air, U-fated During the tremendous squall from the north- west, which swept the western part of the island, the power of the wind was such, that a heavy cart was blown into a pond a considerable distance from it, and taken out afterwards piecemeal. A large leaden cistern (attached to a sugar mill), which received the cane juice, was battered or crumpled by the wind like paper squeezed in the hands ; and those who were driven into the fields, so far from being able to stand on their legs, could not even sit up, the wind was so violent as to throw them on their faces. The lightning flashed tremendously in their eyes, and appeared to strike the ground only a few yards from them ; but such was the roar of the wind, that the thunder could not be heard. In- numerable fire-balls were seen to fall from the clouds. Those who saved themselves in their cellars or hurricane chambers, although doubtless they had dangers and terrors enough of their own (the dread of the walls falling in upon them, keep- ing them in a state of horrible agony and suspense), yet could form no adequate idea of what was seen, heard, and felt by those who lay in the open fields. The gentleman beforementioned said, that whilst he lay with his family around him in a pool of water, the blue lightning appeared just to miss his wretched group, and the phosphoric light, which seemed to be falling in great balls from the clouds, in one instance was brushed from the head of a child, who providentially remained unhurt. The i \' A ^.i IV it 1 174 DISTRESS OF THE INHABITANTS. '^m Is i» dreadful howling of the wind^ which resembled the not far distaLt roar of heavy artillery ; the pelting of the rain drops, which seemed to fall like small shot on the eyes, and reddened and brui!:>ed the tender necks of the delicate females ; the pieces of timber falling within a few feet of the trembling group ; the impenetrable, the Cimmerian darkness which shrouded the sky in a black pall in those intervals when the lightning glared not, were hor- rors which were not witnessed by those under cover — thej/ have yet to learn what the fearful ac- companiments of u hurricane are. Conceive the situation of those who, reared in the lap of luxury, never before had been exposed to the rude warfare of the elements ; who, accus- tomed to every comfort, and even super+luity which money could procure, were driven forth from their dwellings at the midnight hour, their roof pursuing them and flying in thousands of fragments over their heads ; then lying down on the damp ground, cramped and chilled by the cold, paralyzed and stupified with terror, and continuing in this state for several hours ! The bodily and mental torture of those who were in health must have been ex- cruciating, but what must the state have been of delicate females who had been lingering on a bed of sickness ? and many of these there were, some in the open fields, separated from their relatives and friends, and almost in a state of mdity ; helpless infants too were in like manner torn from the arms of their distracted parents. >led the pelting :e small jcd the ieces of imbling iarkness ft those ere lior- I under rful ac- lared in exposed , accus- ;y which im their lur suing its over ground, ed and lis state torture een ex- been of 1 a bed some in v^es and lelpless le arms APPEARANCE AFTER THE HURRICANE. 175 From six to eight the wind and rain continued, but there was little standing to encounter the fury of the hurricane ; then the tempest subsided, and winged its flight to the north-west. The noise of the winds and the crashing of tue falling ruins having ceased, the shrieks of the affrighted, and the groans of the wounded and dying, broke in mournful sounds and pitiable accents on the ears of the less unfor- tunate survivors ; all was desolation and ruin — not one house in Bridgetown had escaped, and thou- sands of the popuhvtion of the island were buried, or fallen among the ruins of their own habitations, or severely injured. " The groans of the people spread over the hills; it was like the thunder of night, when the cloud bursts on Cona, and a thou- sand ghosts shriek at once on the hollow wind." Every street was impassable, every roof was gone, every lane closed up, shingles and immense pieces of wood, stone, and bricks were knee deep in the streets. In one place the heads of the numberless dead were seen ; in another their arms and legs, in many instances severed from their bodies. Those whose strength remained, commenced a sorrowful search for the respective members of their families, some of whose lifeless bodies were disinterred from the ruins to be transferred on boards to another grave, whilst mangled forms of others were dragged forth frightful from their bruises, and making the hearts of their sympathising relatives bleed with anguish. Wives would be seen crying bitterly for the loss of their husbands, mothers weeping for i\ 1 I Mil i III if 176 DESTRUCTION OF PUBLIC IlUiLDINGS. their children, sons nnd daughters lamenting the loss of all that was dear to them in life. Then again, those who unexpectedly met after a signal deliverance, would rush into each other's arms and cry aloud for joy. On the garrison of St. Anne, the storm spent a portion of its severity ; fifty men were killed under the ruins, and upwards of two hundred officers and men were seriously injured. The wind rushed under the broad verandahs, tore off the roofs, demolished the walls, and the pillars were levelled in rows. The country villas were now no more, and the once beautiful and smiling scenery was now also gone. No vestiges remained of the woods and the groves of palms, and even the so?l which produced them was washed away ; almost all the public buildings were razed to the ground. Besides the magnificent barracks, and the military b tore-houses, Government-house and King's-house, Codrington- coUege, the custom-house, theatre, and national school, were heaps of ruins. The shipping which rode so proudly and appa- rently so safely in the noble bay had disappeared, but the beach told the fate of many ships, brigs, schooners, and cutters ; some of them were stranded, others foundered at their moorings, and a few were driven to sea ; twelve at least were seen high and dry, total wrecks. Twenty years will not repair the damage done in Bridgetown alone, and a cen- tury, it is said, will not place the planters or estates llu , , ^iLi :: L GENEROSITY OF THE GOVERNOR. 177 ing the Then 1 signal rms and spent a d under lers and id under lolished )WS. and the ow also and the reduced public des the -houses, •ington- lational I appa- peared, brigs, randed, w were gh and repair a cen- estates on the same good footing as they were on the lOtli of August, the fields which on that day presented so luxuriant an appearance, were completely changed into a desert ; neither canes, corn, nor provisions, with a few inconsiderable exceptions, were left in the ground, and the sugar mills were all over- thrown. The cathedral, although it received considerable injury in the roof, was yet made available as an hospital, and presented a dismi spectacle. There the dead and the dying were borne from different places, and the bruised taken for surgical assist- ance. The pews were filled with white, free-co- loured, and slaves, no respect of persons was shown — all, by a very judicious and benevolent arrange- ment,, were provided with every comfort, with food and medicine, and were most diligently and regu- larly attended by the physicians and surgeons of the town, assisted by the medical gentlemen of the army ; the clergy and the staft took their watch day and night, and ministered to the comforts of the afflicted patients. His Excellency Sir James Lyon, himself a con- siderable sufferer in worldly estate, and having been dri\en to the cellar of Cavernment-house, was most prompt in calling the legislature together, and did all, wliich in his situation he could do, for removing or lessening the public distress. Besides, that excellent and distinguished officer who happily for the colony then administered the government. VOL. I. N il 178 RESIGNAriON OF THE PEOPLE. «i|| most generously announced his determination not to receive his colonial salary during the severe exigency of the island. The active exertions ot w . ecclesiastical chief, Lord Bishop Coleridge, and of the venerable the Archdeacon^ can never be remembered but with gratitude : the spiritual and temporal wants of the distressed were most promptly attended to by these distinguished persons ; and crowded congregations offered up to that God who had humbled and afflicted, but not destroyed them, their sacrifice of thanksgiving, humiliation, and prayer. It was indeed truly gratifying to see the pious feelings of the people generally, rich and poor, bond and free, under this afflicting dispensation. A sub- dued spirit, a patience, ;i tranquillity of feeling, a cheerful and truly Christian resignation, pervaded all ranks. Many who had always occupied spa- cious apartments, furnished with every convenience and every elegant article of domestic use, were now, with their families and dependants, and in many instances with their neighbours, who had been de- prived of all shelter, huddled together, ten, fifteen, twenty, or thirty persons, in a negro-house or a cellar, a kitchen, a stable, or a coach-house. It is said that " the wind is tempered to the shorn lamb," and this was verified in the present instance : a pestilence was dreaded from the putrid dead and unburied bodies of men and animals, a famine was to be feared, and a negro insurrection ; but providentially none of these calamities took LIBERALITY OF THE COLONISTS. 179 place, for the cup of suffering of the Barbadians was already full. Some of the slaves showed inso- lence and insubordination, but the majority of them behaved in the most exemplary manner ; and though at first paralyzed and stupified, they at last made every exertion to preserve their own and their masters' property. Would this have been the case if their proprietors had previously ill-treated them ? The noise of the carpenter's hammer was heard in every direction, and all exerted themselves to restore shelter. Food was abundant, and we re- cord the fact with feelings of unmingled pleasure, that the merchants of the town disdained to take any advantage of the distress of the moment to raise the price of any articles of necessaries. They not only disposed of them at the usual prices, but also effectually prevented any base attempt to monopolize articles of food by retailing them, thus accommodating families with small quantities at a time. This noble and disinterested conduct must ever be remembered with respect and gratitude. The conduct of the neighbouring colonists can- not, either, be too highly extolled ; sums of money were voted from the public chests, subscriptions were opened, and vessels freighted with timber and provisions for the sufferers, not only at Barbadoes, but also at St. Vincent's and St. Lucia ; and though themselves suffering from the general depression in the West Indies, one and all most humanely and promptly stepped forth in aid of the kind, brave, and hospitable people, who on every occasion of N 2 ' Ml ! ! 180 PUBLIC GRANT TO THE SUFFERERS. colonial distress have evinced themselves so ready to help others. The government also most libe- rally granted £100,000 to Barbadoes, St. Vincent, St. Lucia, &c. to assist in repairing the damage they had sustained ; £50,000 of which sum was appro- priated to the use of Barbadoes. The amount of property destroyed in Barbadoes was estimated at two millions and a half; and five thousand human beings miserably perished, and were severely wounded in the ever memorable hurricane of the 11th of August 1831. So great a destruction of property, and so melancholy a loss of life, is believed to be without a parallel in history, except where whole cities with their inhabitants have been swallowed up by earthquakes, or over- whelmed with volcanic eruptions. i • III IHl o ready )8t libe- y^incent, ige they 5 appro- CHAPTER XII. irbadoes and five led, and imorable ) great a a loss of history, habitants or over- Sail from Harbtuloes. — A party in the cabin. — Anecdotes of Clapperton the traveller — Appearance of Tobago. — The drowning mariner — View of Scarborough Robinson Crusoe. — Land. — Delightful prospect from Mr. Noding's residence.— Effects of Defoe's celebrated narrative.— The citadel. — The country — Visit the Governor. — See Trinidad from a hill Attractions of the fair Creoles. — Dangerous to travellers. — An excellent character. — Ridiculous fears of a Tobago pro- prietor. — Ride across the Island. — Effect of a hurricane. — Courland Bay. — Outline of the history of Tobago. — The Negroes.— Natural productions of Tobago. — The currents and Crusoe's cave. — Indians from the main. I TOOK a passage for Tobago in the mail schooner Jean, the fastest in commission in the Antilles, and lately the yacht of Sir W. W. Wynne ; and one stormy- looking evening, with black clouds hanging over Carlisle Bay, we stood away from " Little England." It blew fresh and rained during the night, but we had a very comfortable party in the cabin, where the tale went round as usual. Our captain had been a shipmate of that daring traveller Clap- perton, and told many characteristic anecdotes of him. " He was a d — d smart fellow, sir ; drew well, but was not particularly clever with the pen ; he was first of all in the merchant service, and then in a man of war, and it was not long before he got ■i'l 4 ill 182 ANECDOTE OF CLAPPERTON. on the quarter-deck, but he ran away when a mid- shipman, and some time afterwards was pressed from a merchantman, and was placed in the sanie ship he had been in before, where a second time he was made an officer, for he was a thorough seaman every inch of him. He was tall, and strong as a young elephant. — Lord ! I remember him spring- ing across the forehatch, and taking our two biggest hands in the ship and rapping their heads together for quarrelling ; he could floor an ox, sir, — such a fore arm ! He was headstrong, but of a line, generous, and brave spirit, and proud as Lucifer of the navy. Once we were lying off Macao, in China, the captain was on shore, when a typhoon came on ; it blew as if St. Antonio had burst his bags, and we all thought the frigate would go down at her anchors. I was in bed, under the effects of mercury to cure a stiff" attack of fever, when Clapperton jumps down into my berth with only a pair of nankeen trowsers on, rolled up to his knees — ' Well, old fellow, get up,' says he, * I 'm come for you, tnere 's no time to be lost, we must make a swim of it ; we *re old cronies you know, and I would rather save you than any man aboard.' * It's of no use,' said I, ' water will kill me, I may as well lie here, but take the captain's commission, his decoration, and his mother's picture and save them ;' so ne tied them in a handkerchief round his neck, and was actually forcing me out of my cot when the gale began to lull. D — n it, Clapperton was made of the right stuff", depend upon it ; and his death is a great loss to the service." APPEARANCE OF TOBAGO. 183 a mid- pressed he sariio time he seaman Drong as 1 spring- 3 biggest together r, — such f a tine, jucifer of in China, came on ; >ags, and n at her f mercury apperton a pair of ;— ' Well, for you, a swim of lid rather no use,' lie here, icoration, lo ne tied and was the gale made of lleath is n We were not long in sighting Tobago ; it seemed when seen from the north to be a mass of high mountains, had a very gloomy appearance, for black precipices descended abruptly into the sea, and rain clouds rested on the heavy forests. " The land appeared a high and rocky coast, And higher grew the mountains as we drew, Set by a current, towards it." We ran along shore, the colour of the sea being livid like molten lead, with very strong currents. We had a view of the melancholy island in its whole extent, the high central ridge of basalt, with separate hills rising from it, and below it, and forming deep and narrow ravines, through which streams were seen to pour. The north side termi- nated in abrupt precipices, with the dark islands of little Tobago and the dangerous rocks called St. Giles's, skirted with white breakers, dashing high upon them with sullen roar : the south side ter- minated in plains and lowlands. Truly it was a sight of gloom, very different from smiling Bar- badoes. A few plantations were observed on the sides of the mountains, and we saw in a bay a five-hundred- ton ship, stranded in the late hurricane. It was evening, and though unable to run in with the land, yet we could not lie too, or the current would soon have swept us out of sight of the island ; so we stood away, avoiding the dangerous rock called the Minister. We were straining our eyes to catch the lights of the houses in Scarborough, (for here. \ 1 M It 184 VIEW OF SCARBOROUGH. ^Tj .. , if m i^i lit' ^ (' as in the other West India Isles, there is a deplor- able want of light-houses,) and were at the same time all anxiety to clear the sunken Minister, when a voice of distress hailed us from the sea ; we an- swered the shout, but got no reply, and it was so dark that we could not perceive the wretched being from whom the voice proceeded ; we shortened sail, but it was useless — the wind whistled through our cordage and the sails flapped heavily, but the sea and sharks had done their work. We saw a twinkling light afar off and stood in again, and got under the rocks of Scarborough and into a fine bay. From the heights above us nume- rous lights flashed out, and at eight o'clock the bugles from the citadel sent forth their warning sounds. We anchored, and at early dawn a strange sight presented itself: on our right, pearly five hundred feet above us, was Fort George, on a conical hill below it was the town — houses and trees intermixed — before us ; the head of the bay was covered with wrecks, as if the island had lately been visited by an invader. Cocoa-nut trees fringed the water, and the land sloped away to the main ridge, green and verdant, and on the left the land stretched out long and low to where it ended in Sandy Point. Flocks of pelicans flew round us, dived, brought up fish, and goodnaturedly allowed the parasite gull to light on their heads and partake with them. Reader, it was here that Defoe laid the scene of the shipwreck and hermitage of the cele- brated Robinson Crusoe. deplor- e same p, when we an- was so id being led sail, Ligh our the sea stood in ugh and is nume- ock the warning L strange irly five e, on a ind trees )ay was id lately s fringed he main the land pnded in ound us, r allowed partake laid the the cele- DELIGHTFUL PROSPECT. 185 I landed, and walked up the steep streets of Scarborough, admiring the handsome forms of the Creoles of French extraction, sitting at the doors of the houses. I passed a large town-house and a methodist meeting-house, conspicuously situated, and delivered my letters to Mr. Noding, one of the most respectable merchants on the island, with whom I took up my residence. What a delightful view of Rocky Bay, famous for turtle, and of the garden of the island, where the rich black mould is highly cultivated, did Mr. Noding's house com- mand ! and above all of the strand where " the hermit is said to have walked about, lifting up his hands, and his whole being wrapped up in the con- templation of his deliverance from the raging ocean, then cast his eyes on the stranded vessel, which the breach and froth of the sea nearly covered, and reflected on all his companions who were drowned, and looked to Heaven and thanked God in the ecstasy and transport of his soul that his life was spared." Yet thus he often thought, " though monarch of all he surveyed." " Society, friendship, and love. Divinely bestowed upon man, " Oh I had I the wings of a dove, How soon would 1 taste you again !" What a tide of recollections of our boyish days did not this scene occasion, and of the extraordinary effects of Defoe's great work ; of how many it had unsettled, of how many it had sent roaming, and imbued with a spirit of adventure. Good Master ff ■^i u 1 1 i u 186 THE CITADEL. Daniel ! though your fiction (if fiction it be, which I really much doubt,) suggests very useful instruction " by showing how the native powers of man may be exerted for surmounting the difficulties of any external situation ;" yet the wonders of the life of your hero are so exciting, and of such variety, that you have occasioned thousands of youths of lively imagination and ardent temperaments to court danger and difficulty, and have moistened many a fond mother's and sister's cheek with salt tears, for those destined never again to be a light to their eyes. I visited the citadel with poor Knocker of the Royal Engineers, now no more, and was sorry to see that the quarters of the troops (a wing of the Royals) were not very agreeable, and that there was a deadly morass under the hill of Scarborough. This morass had been partly drained and culti- vated, still there is much to be done ; and it would cost but little to prevent the overflowing of the low land by the tide, which here rises four feet. It would also be worth while to employ the mili- tary, morning and evening, in throwing up earthen ramparts with turf revetements, where the stone ramparts are open and unfinished. Some officers try how they can save their men between the tropics from all fatigue ; that is not the secret of health, but moderate exercise and labour, with temperance. I mounted a horse to visit the Governor, Gene ral Blackwell, who resided in a hired residence some VIEW OF TRINIDAD. 187 vhich I •uction n may of any life of y, that f lively court [ many t tears, [ght to of the 3rry to of the t there prough. i culti- k would of the ir feet. le mili- sarthen stone officers len the cret of r, with jreneral ;e some four miles in the country, till the new Government house (on an elevated site, with the town and Rockley Bay below it,) should be completed. In traversing the country I was struck with its beauty, and forgot my first impressions of the island from the sea ; many of the hills, though steep, were so regular, that they were cultivated to near their summits, that is, those in the direction of Courland Bay, on the west side of the island ; while to the north it was one wild and romantic scene of moun- tain and wood, with numerous cascades in dark glens, where wild hogs and birds, resembling the beautiful varieties met with in the Spanish main, are found. General Blackwell, who had served unremittingly from the taking of Seringapatara to the end of the last great Continental war, received me with great urbanity and kindness. I left his Excellency, and proceeded to one of the highest points in the centre of the island, and had a noble view across it from Rockley to Courland Bay. To the south was seen the Island of Trinidad. What says Crusoe ? " It being a very clear day, I fairly descried land, whether an island or a continent I could not tell, but it lay very high, extending from the west to the west south-west, at a very great distance ; by my guess it could not be less than fifteen or twenty leagues off— probably the savage coast be- tween the Spanish country and Brazil, whose in- habitants are indeed the worst of savages, for they are cannibals or man-eaters, and fail not to murder ■5 , 4 # m *i 188 ATTRACTION OF THE FAIR CREOLES. t ■ and devour all the human bodies that fall into their hands." I returned to Mr. Noding's, and spent the even- ing with some of his friends, acquiring information regarding the island, with the pleasant interlude of music. I may say with truth, that if the wanderer does not keep watch on his heart while voyaging among the Antilles, he will find them to be isles of Ca- lypso, and there forget Ithaca. Fair daughters of the West, " your languid beauty captivates in the morning, and the lively gaiety of your heart de- lights at eventide. " True, you are not very indus- trious, but that is the fault of your early education among indolent Africans, and also arises from the enervating effects of the climate ; but after a visit to the old country, you return graceful and accom- plished, with mild and gentle manners, and pure hearts. I saw a Penelope in Tobago, whom I fain would have wooed, but the Fates forbade it ; with hair black and glossy as the raven's wing — with eyes like those of doves " by the rivers of waters washed with milk, and fitly set — and with a coun- tenance like Lebanon, excellent as the cedar ;" her form like the beautiful cypress in a garden of Iran amidst beds of spices and pleasant flowers — her voice like that of the boolbool telling his loves to his favourite rose. Though at the risk of offending a friend, I can- not omit giving a sketch of the career of a gentle- man of Tobago, so highly to his praise ; presenting it AN EXCELLENT CHARACTER. 189 1 into 5 even- mation ;erlude r does among of Ga- iters of in the art de- indus- Lication 3m the a visit accom- d pure 1 I fain with -with waters ti coun- " her jf Iran s — her 3ves to I can- gentle- senting at the same time a picture creditable to humanity, and one which ought to attach us more and more to our species. Of a respectable Dutch family, he was shipwrecked, when a mere infant, on the island of Barbadoes, and lost all his relatives ; he alone was saved, and wis left a naked and helpless child. A kind-hearted planter adopted him, tenderly reared him, educated him, and established him as a mer- chant. He was intelligent and industrious, and fortune was propitious. He settled in Tobago, and was living in comfort and independence, with a charming wife and family, when fortune frowned on his benefactor in the evening of his days. He then eagerly solicited him to share his dwelling with him, and there I saw him. A young man who had been left considerable estates in Tobago, went there lately from Liverpool to see his property, but the demon of yellow-fever seemed to haunt him whilst he remained on the island. He was in constant dread and alarm; brought with him a large supply of chlorate of lime ; carried some continually about his person ; white- washed his room with it, and sprinkled it on the floor. It was quite laughable to see his apprehen- sion ; he thought, he talked, he dreamt of nothing but " the black voraiit ;" and one evening whilst at dinner, on some one by way of joke telling him that " a case" had just occurred in town, though in reality Tobago has been remarkably free from yellow-fever of late years, he got up from table, hurried down to the beach, embarked in a vessel 1 ' s ■) ll i ,!i 190 RIDE ACROSS THE ISLAND. 5 , ; 4f ■i«f ■• H, S I that was to sail for England next day, and was off without previously arranging his affairs ; he being of opinion that — " The weariest and most loathed worldly life, That agis ache, penury and imprisonment Can lay on nature, is a paradise To what he feared of death." I started one morning at an early hour to break- fast with the Governor, and visit some of the plan- tations and the west side of the island ; Knocker, as before, accompanied me ; an excellent young man he was, quiet and gentlemanly in his deportment, and I believe fully prepared for the dread visit of the remorseless blighter of youthful hopes and an- ticipations. We everywhere saw the effects of the late hurri- cane : trees lay across the road which had been cut up by the heavy rain ; the rivers at the bottom of the steep hills had risen ten feet at once, and swept off houses, mills, and cattle, the plantains and yams of the negro grounds. The canes too had slipped down in many places, and it was calculated that £15,000 of ' mage had been sustained on the estates, and £6000 by the shipping. With my oriental head-dress, I rode all day in the flaming sun with impunity, but was drenched by some heavy tropical showers. In descending to Courland Bay, a beautiful sea view opened upon us ; palm trees waved on the ironbound shore, on which the breakers played and coquetted with the COURLAND BAY. 191 black rocks ; a single droguing (coasting) sloop lay at anchor in the smooth water before a battery of cannon placed at the point which commands the entrance of the harbour ; and the scattered houses of the small town of Plymouth, half hidden in foliage, were immediately below us. It is not known by whom Tobago was discovered, but its abundant production of useful woov'j, fertile soil, and numerous streams, attracted a small colony from Barbadoes in 1625, which shortly afterwards abandoned the island, and left perhaps the goats and cats of which Crusoe makes mention. The Dutch and Courlanders alternately possessed the island, and from the latter Courland Bay is named ; but after Tobago fell in 1677 to the French, it lay desert and neglected until 1757, when a French hermit was discovered by the Stirling castle, who had been living alone for twenty-one years. Since 1803, it has been in the undisputed possession of the English. I observed and heard that the negroes in Tobago were well treated and contented, and seemed to be on excellent terms with their masters ; their houses were built of boards, or wattled, and consisted of two apartments, with a portico in front of many of them ; and here, after the day's work was over, might be seen the familes enjoying themselves in thoughtless levity, or ehe basket-making, and pre- paring their trays of market goods. On Saturday night a negro wench balancing an empty bottle on ' !| 1 V 1 ■* 192 IirSTOUY OF TODAGO. her head, and rattling a calabash filled with small pebbles, advances with a dancing step to the ma- nager, and sings, " Ax de bottle what he da want, Massa full him, massa full him ;" whilst Tim makes a triangle out of a stirrup and a rusty key, and Jack vigorously thumps a skin stretched across a barrel, throws back his woolly head, and shouts with delight at his own rude music. Though the country of Tobago is for the most part improvable, there is but little of it in cultiva- tion; still it is valuable for supplying timber for ship-building, and victualling for fleets. Mer- chants and planters may here make fortunes if the fanatics would only leave them alone. If the naturalist visits the island, he will find it abound in fruits and flowers, and in birds of the most splendid plumage, in great numbers and of infinite variety. I .dw several beautiful collections, consisting prin- cipally of mannikens, perroquets, and humming birds. Basalt, sienite, and trap, form the highest ridges, and I picked up some madrepores on the hills, and enriched my sketch-book with many in- teresting views. It will be in the recollection of my readers, that when Robinson Crusoe put to sea in his canoe, he describes minutely the currents which set round his desolate island, and how they seemed to be affected by the stream of a great river on the main, doubt- less the great Oronooco. So correct is the descrip- INDIANS FROM TIIK MAIN. 193 tion of the set of these currents, that they could only have been seen to be so particularly noticed. " Surely," I exclaimed, " Defoe's work has a true narrative for its basis ;" and will it be believed thiit near Sandy-point there is a cave, answering tke description of the one in which the hermit saw the frightful monster, the old he-goat, glaring upon him? The entrance to this cave is hidden by brushwood, which requires to be cut away before the mouth of it is reached. The cave is level and dry, and divided into two apartments, and the floor is covered with the skeletons of goats ; near it is the sandy beach where the print of the man's foot paralyzed Crusoe. I was cogitating on all the similarities I had ob- served between Tobago and the island of Crusoe, when on walking to the beach I discovered two canoes of Carib Indians which had just arrived, assisted by the currents from Trinidad or the main ; not, as in days of yore, to partake of a bloodv feast, but to barter fish, basket-work, and variegated wood for cutlery and beads. These people were nearly naked, of a dark olive colour, their faces round and plump, eyes sparkling, nose small and straight, a good mouth set with ivory teeth, and withal comely, handsome peopb, perfectly well- made, and with strong limbs ; then I thought of the Man Friday, and was perfectly convinced that I trod the soil hallowed in the recollection of the English youth, as the scene of the hermitage of their esteemed favourite Robinson Crusoe. M I r \ I \ I VOL. I. O H II II ii 194 CHAPTER XIII. Sail from Tobago. — Adventure of a French Doctor.— A narrow escap !. — Sight of the lofty shores of Trinidad. — The King- fish. — Pass the Boccas. — Bay of Chagaramus. — Combat be- tween a Whale and Thrasher. — The Port of Spain. — The An- tilles well adapted for Panoramas. — The first Alcalde. — Drive through the Capital of Trinidad. — The Cathedral. — Beauty of the Creole Women. — The Catholic Church. — Visit the Markets. — Feathered Scavengers. — The late Captain T. Abercrombie Trant. — Environs of Port of Spain. — The Go- vernment House at St. Anne's. — The Barracks of St. James. — The Church Service ought to be curtailed for Soldiers. — Trinidad Races. — The Coloured Spectators.— Sacrifice to Bacchus. — Sable Divinities. — The Spanish Ladies. — The Carnival. — The ride to St. Joseph's. — Swamps. — Injudicious clearing of Timber. — Great fertility of the Soil. — Sugar Es- tates. — Manner of Purchasing Estates. — The Cocoa Planters ruined. — Climate of St. Joseph's good. — Mortality in the West Indies less than that in the East. — The Lepers. Once more upon the waters, the anchor weighed, jib, fore, and mainsail set, pennant and ensign dis- played, and the long black hull with its narrow red streak buries its bows in the rolling sea. We steered cautiously out of Rocky Bay, passed the dangerous reefs, and two conspicuous red rocks with shrubby tops, white with sea-fowl, and saw a large turtle entangled in the seine set by the mulatto fishermen. We soon left behind us the pleasant houses of Scarborough, which ere long ADVENTURE Ol' A FRENCU DOCTOR. 195 V narrow he King- imbat be- -The An- ;. — Drive — Beauty Visit the aptain T. -The Go- )t. James, oldiers. — .orifice to es. — The njudicious Sugar Es- a Planters ty in the irs. weighed, sign dis- rrow red ja. We ,ssed the 3d rocks and saw by the us the ere long dimly blended with the verdure of Tobago ; and gladly careered over the waves. In any other craft we should have been washed fore and aft, but the rake of our masts was such, that we were lifted clear over the sparkling crests, and left a bright snowy track in our wake. One of our passengers was a French doctor, who said he was a botanist, making a tour among the Antilles; when he afterwards left us, he omitted to pay his passage money, thinking, perhaps, that men of science ought ^o be franked everywhere. I got into conversation with him, and he said, that a short time before he had sailed from Surinam, in a schooner of fifteen tons, bound for Martinique ; so small was she that the water was " flush" with the gunwale ; there were only the Dutch captain and two hands on board, and one of the last was laid up with ophthalmia. The captain took no observation — said his quadrant was out of order ; but the fact was, he himself was constantly drunk. A fev*' rotten plantains were the only eatables on board, and after sixteen days out, all reckoning lost, and the water gone, an American fortunately hove in sight, and took them into Antigua, or else they must have all perished. It is strange to see the small schooners and cut- ters which navigate between the Antilles; many disappear every year, either foundering in squalls, or captured by pirates and slavers. Thus a gentle- man told me, that he landed from a schooner, with his servant, at St. Vincent's, leaving all his baggage o 2 ' I i Ifll 196 ROMANTIC SHORES OF TRINIDAD. If on board, and a rich collection of objects of natural history, for he intended merely ti speak to a friend and return in an hour or two to the schooner, which lay off and on waiting for him ; a squall came on, the schooner stood out to sea, and has never been heard of to this day — there was a narrow escape ! Fresh blew the breeze as we sighted the lofty and romantic shores of Trinidad ; the captain kept near the land, and from the deck of our little bark we enjoyed a glorious prospect. The mountainous coast was covered with gigantic forest trees, the tropical woods of noble growth descending to meet the waves, where precipices did not fall abruptly into the deep water; on the right were the blue ridges of Cumana, in South America, and before us were the wooded islands between the mouths of the Dragon, or Boccas, seeing all which, in Oriental phrase, " caused the goblet of the he^^rt to overflow with the wine of ecstasy." We stood for the Bocca Grande, and caught a king-fish (not unlike a salmon) of twelve pounds weight, with a line over the stern ; it was imme- diately cut up and cooked, and a more delicious morsel I have seldom tasted. Our eyes and mouths feasted with beautiful scenery and savoury morsels ; we rolled under a wall of rocks on the right, and found a strong ripple and powerful current setting against us ; we were between a Scylla andCharybdis, and the danger is imminent if in these dreaded pas- sage, o the breeze fails. We saw the rock on which a BAY OF CIIAGARAMUS. 197 atural friend which ne on, • been ape! ; lofty n kept e bark ainous 38, the meet )ruptly e blue before uths of riental v^erflow ught a pounds imme- elicious mouths lorsels ; ht, and setting arybdis, led pas- which a large ship had lately been broken up, but to us vEolus was favourable — " Implevit velis ventisque secundis," and we dashed into the clear waters of the gulf of Paria. In the bay of Chagaramus is a whaling establish- ment, and here it is usual to see the monsters of the deep majestically ploughing the waves, turning up their black sides to the sun, and spouting water to a great height in the air ; here also are frequently witnessed desperate combats between the whale and the thrasher ; the latter springing into the air falls with violence on its enormous foe, and belabours it with its tail. The noise of the combatants, and agi- tation in the sea are very great ; the whale dives perpendicularly, and is then said to be attacked by the sword-fish, and again reappearing, the thrasher assails it, till worn out and exhausted in the en- counter, it falls a prey to its enemies, and its flesh is devoured. Low lying and surrounded with an amphitheatre of hills, was Port of Spain, the most imposing and the handsomest city in the West Indies, with tower and spire, and massive stone buildings. Before it lay the shipping and canoes, with white sails, dart- ing amongst the larger vessels. Stretching to the south of the city was the Savannah Grande, of fer- tility equalled only by that of the plains of Guiana ; and as we cast our eyes back to the Boccas, we saw the coast studded with rocky islets. \l l\ 198 PORT OF SPAIN. j.; ! I fiilf # I sketched the enchanting panorama as we were becalmed for a short time, before we slowly ap- proached the anchorage grounds ; and in the hands of a Claude, the scene might be worked up into a picture of surpassing loveliness. Panoramic views of the Antilles would make the fortune of any painter, and give the English public some idea of the beauty and value of their Occidental posses- sions, alas ! how decried. The harbour-master carried me on shore in his boat, and I landed on an excellent pier, beside a battery of cannon, and took up my residence in the suburban villa of the first Alcalde, M. Shine. Port of Spain is extremely well built, and I was delighted with the regularity of the streets, the public walks shaded with trees, and the neat trot- toirs for foot passengers ; but at this time, the month of July, the thermometer was at 90° in the shade, and the refreshing sea breeze was shut out by the picturesque hills to windward. I drove through the streets with my kind enter- tainer, and remarked the substantial air of the Spanish houses, so different from the wooden build- ings usual in British colonies. Our countrymen visit tropical countries only to accumulate wealth, and return to enjoy it in Old England ; whereas foreigners expatriate themselves entirely, and build for their descendants. The general air of cleanli- ness about the city said much in favour of its municipal police ; and those public buildings which had been constructed under the eye of a late Gover- BEAUTY OF THE CREOLE WOMEN. 199 nor. Sir Ralph Woodford, were evidences of his good taste. We first visited the Protestant church, or cathe- dral, occupying one side of a square, and built in the gothic style with a lofty square tower. The body of the cathedral is extremely elegant, the great expanse of the roof, unbroken by ailes, is beautifully groined, and the wainscoting, altar, doors, and pews were composed of the rich woods of the island, carved in excellent taste. The dra- peries were purple, and there were no invidious distinctions between the accommodation for the whites and the coloured people. " Fleecy locks and dark complexion Cannot forfeit Nature's claim ; Skins may differ, but devotion Dwells in white and black the same." Truly, the coloured women here are uncommonly handsome; Spanish blood they say amalgamates better than British with African, and really I saw some faces and figures that reminded me of the healthy olive cheeks and cypress waists of the East. Now the brown Creoles of the old English islands have not such characteristics, neither do they dress so well ; and I was particular in learning from the fair daughter of the alcalde the fashionable mode of adjusting the saffron and crimson handkerchief, which so well becomes the head of the Trinidad mulattas. The Catholic church, also of gothic architecture, is a more prominent and beautiful object than the I 200 THE MARKETS. nil Protestant, and is very conspicuous from the har- bour, with its tower, lofty roof, and pointed win- dows. Here, under the chancel, are entombed the remains of a bishop who died a short time ago, leaving behind him an unblemished character, and bearing with him to the grave the regrets of all the inhabitants of Port of Spain, whether Roman Catholic or Protestant. Indeed the kindly feeling and absence of all religious animosity which exists among the inhabitants of this island, are highly deserving of praise. Though there was a superb avenue of trees leading up to the entrance of the church, forming a most delightful promenade, it seemed to be at all times deserted, the ladies prefer- ring the roads near the town, and even the hot streets. I visited the markets, and saw the treasures, in the shape of vegetables and fruits, which are here bestowed in luxurious abundance by a bountiful nature. Plantains and sweet potatoes, okras, yams and teniers were exposed in baskets before brown or black hucksters, sitting under the shade of umbrellas, whilst the eye delighted to wander over the heaps of pomegranates, guavas, shaddocks, oranges, limes, custard-apples, mangoes, pines, and grenadilloes, which could be purchased for very trifling sums. The butchers had a cool hall immediately opposite the vegetable and fruit market, and it would have pleased those who " hanker after the flesh pots of Egypt," to have witnessed the cleanliness of the stalls and the excellent appearance of the beef and I fi 1 ■ Is 51 CAPT. T. ABERCUOMBIE TRANT. 201 le har- d win- )ed the le ago, jr, and 1 of all Roman feeling 1 exists highly superb of the ade, it prefer- streets. ires, in re here )untiful I, yams brown ade of er over ddocks, les, and )r very pposite d have pots of of the 3ef and mutton, of which eight pence per pound was, I believe, the price. Outside, and unmolested, were at least one hundred black vultures, waiting pati- ently in rows to perform the office of scavengers ; like the adjutant of India, their voracity is quite surprising, and they make " no bones" of whatever is thrown them. When I went out in the morning I had remarked an Indian from the interior sitting on a log and looking towards the sea ; in the afternoon I looked again at the log, and lo ! there was thd self-same day-dreamer sitting in the same spot, and in the same attitude, but his face now turned inland. Before we take a glancu of the environs of Port of Spain let us state to the reader, that from a highly-valued friend, now no more, we derived much information regarding Trinidad ; that friend, whose loss we never cease to deplore, was Captain T. Abercrombie Trant of the twenty-eighth regi- ment, who resided a year on this island. A concise account of the extraordinary career of this young officer, who was cut off at the early age of twenty- seven, will be found in the attractive pages of the United Service Journal for April 1832 ; and here let it suffice to state, that he had served his king and country with honour and reputation in the four quarters of the globe, was favourably known to the public as the author of " Two Years in Ava," and the " Narrative of a Journey in Greece," and was cut off after protracted sufferings, occasioned by the various trying changes of climate he had under- ! I ill '• ! U\ ! fl II 202 ENVIRONS OF PORT OF SPAIN. gone at a time when the star of his fortur was apparently in the ascendant. But^ alas ! for youthful anticipations and fond hopes of future success^ " 'Tis ever thus, 'tis ever thus, that when the poor heart clings, With all its finest tendrils, with all its flexile rings. That goodly thing it cleaveth to, so fondly and so fast. Is struck to earth by lightning, or shattered by the blast." Of the colony of Trinidad, abounding as it does in natural curiosities, with a rich and productive soil, with valleys bounded by the most picturesque and beautiful hills, and those few parts of the island under cultivation indicating its vast capabilities, and how important it may yet become, I could see little in the course of a few days ; but my friend supplied my deficiencies ; and to him then let the reader ascribe much of the information which is found in the following pages. Much as the Port of Spain is to be admired, still more does the country around it attract attention ; the mountains form a wide semicircle in the back- ground, and between them and the town the inter- vening level plain is cultivated ; the sides of the circular road, for four miles out of town, are diver- sified with cottage residences and plantations, and in addition to the eternal verdure of the trees, the waving fields of sugar-cane present a bright sheet of green, " whilst the red blossoms of the bois im- mortal shine like clusters of rubies in a setting of emeralds, and the yellow flowers of the tulip-trees form a dazzling relief to the dark-coloured leaves." I drove out to St. Anne's, the country residence PUBLIC BUILDINGS. 203 ur was youthful JSS, lart clings, fast, e blast." s it does oductive turesque le island abilities^ I could ay friend 1 let the which is ired, still ttention ; he back- he inter- ns of the ire diver- ons, and rees, the jht sheet bois im- etting of iilip-trees leaves." residence of the interim-Governor, Sir Charles Smith, R.E. The house is cool and commodious, stands on an elevated plateau commanding a delightful view of the town and gulf of Paria, and is backed by the forest-covered mountains, and surrounded by a botanical garden, in which are rare and valuable plants i&om distant climes. The nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove there flourish ; the banyan and teak, the bread fruit, cocoa, and vanilla, grow on a soil car- peted with delicious lemon grass. Next I visited the barracks of St. James, two miles from town, in a most beautiful situation, but badly chosen in point of salubrity. The buildings were extremely handsome and substantial, sur- rounded with iron railings, and behind them was a park, over which waved the feathery leaves of palms : above were wooded hills, and in front was the sea ; but near them was a badly-drained swamp, and the cold currents of air from the lovely valley of Ma- raval, caused great mortality in a wing of the Royal regiment. Though there was a prodigal disbursement of money in the construction of St. James's barracks, yet there is not accommodation for a regiment in them. I attended divine service with the officers and men of the Royals (among the former I discovered some fellow-students at the Royal Military College), and t)iough I remarked that attention was given to the sermon, I am of opinion that between the tropics, the service of the Church of England would not be the worse for being shortened, for many a 1 I III 204 TRINIDAD RACES. slumbering soldier behind me gave nasal tokens of inattention ; and I have always remarked the same to prevail among negroes. During the prayers they doze, rouse themselves to listen to the sermon, and are always wide awake to accompany the organ with their excellent voices. Sometimes, but rarely, there are races in front of St. Anne's ; the novelty consequently attracts a great many spectators, and the scene becomes very ani- mated. A stand is erected for the accommodation of the fair sex, and a profusion of bonnets and rib- bons, many pretty faces, and neatly turned ankles may be seen crowded within its limits. At four in the afternoon scarcely a soul remains in town, except the old and the bed-ridden. The merchants shut up their stores (for though here, as in other Western Isles, there are veritables boutiques, yet the word shop is unknown), and if single, mount their horses, or if they have a better half, step into a light one-horse chaise, and whirl along the firmly macadamized road to the place of ren- dezvous. Then the more aristocratic part of the society follow, amidst a crowd of merry, grinning blacks and good-looking coloured girls, with bright flaming fichus tied d la Fran^aise, and feeling as proud and consequential as the first lady in the land. Even " Beau Nash" closes his retail store, and Reine Maude leaves her throne, whence she is wont to dole out " Epiceries en detail," and proceed to join the spectators. There being none of the Greek ahjrui, or officers illiill SABLE DIVINITIES. 205 :okens of the same l^ers they non, and 16 organ I front of ts a great very ani- nodation and rib- id ankles remains in. The here, as wuti(jues, f single, ter half, irl along B of ren- t of the grinning h bright jeling as y in the ail store, ;nce she lil," and r officers to preserve order and regularity, at the St. Anne's races, when the horses start, with black jockeys in their silken jackets and top boots, what a shout arises from the motley crowd — such an uproar, such anxiety, such betting! men who, one might sup- pose, possessed nothing but the clothes on them, stake their dollars, joes, and doubloons, and then the eagerness with which the " legs" (to call them black would be invidious), make their be to, and strive to take each other in, is not the least amusing part of the scene. Then in the interval between the heats, some tents where refreshments are sold become the caaba, or point of attraction ; and when the rum begins to take effect, and blackey's wit to be excited, many are the jokes, and loud the roars of laughter, one might hear there. " Du sublime au ridicule il n'y a qu'un pas," said a great man, now no more. The justness of the observation must have been acknowledged, when Wellington and Napoleon were seen rolling along in drunken fellowship, whilst Pompey and Caesar forgot their rivalship, and merrily enjoyed a glass of grog. Nelson, who carried too much sail aloft, fell on his beam ends ; and Blucher staggering past, jeeringly pointed at him, and exclaimed, " Hi, Massa ! me tink him dam drunk ; him black nigger." There also the forgotten favourite of a queen, Bergami, might be seen, — of course a pre- cious young scamp: innumerable goddesses for- sook Olympus, and in the semblance of ebony- I 'M'\ l|!l: 206 SPANISH LADIES. i . coloured damsels jcined in the happy group ; Juno, Minerva, and Venus, Diana, Aurora, and Hebe, without any apples of discord, severally honoured the assemblage with their presence ; and many English names, which might remind one of " Cheeks vying wi'h the blooming rose, And lips like brightest coral," were responded to by ladies having visages as black as coal, noses like saucepans, and mouths from ear to ear. Certainly it is rather annoying to hear names which have been ennobled by the glorious deeds of those who bore them, or which may be endeared to us by recollections of love and affec- tion, thus degraded. There is a full house of peers to be found in any of the Western Isles ; and either of the West India regiments contain as many ge- neral officers as there are names in the army list ; so that those who have earls and viscounts to con- verse with daily, ought not to complain of their society. Except on Sundays, and jours defites, the Spa- nish Creole women are seldom seen. I was fortu- nate enough to see a considerable number in white and black mantillas (veils) ; their appearance was very Castilian, though more languishing, and eyes swimming in love ; or, " like hawks, these black- eyed damsels playfully glancing, seized with the talons of their eyelashes, the hearts of helpless lovers in their grasp." They say, however, that there is less dancing and gaiety now among the IIIUE TO ST. JOSFJMIS. 207 Spanish residents than formerly ; that the light guitar is seldom heard accompanying the voice of a lover when serenading his mistress in her bower, or the castanets keeping time to the steps of a bolero or fandango ^ yet at the period whei* the people give a loose to their gaiety, at the Carnival, every house in Port of Spain is thrown open, and the authority of Momus universally acknowledged. Groups of masks perambulate the streets at all hours, and as much life and spirit are then shown, as there is listlessness during' the previous period of the year. The races always close witli a ball (but race- balls are nowhere select) ; and those who may have been selling gloves or milliriery in the morning, may be seen figuring in the dance in the evening — mere trifles to philosophical travellers. In riding into the interior of the island, the usual road to take is that leading to the town of St. Joseph, due east of the capital ; on the left is a range of hills, and on the right, connected with the Savannah Grande, is an extensive swamp covered with mangrove shrubs, and from whence such a noxious vapour exhales that many of the houses built in its vicinity have been deserted. Very little attention has been paid to the draining of swamps in the West ; we hear constantly " the bad climate" talked of, but it is like a man's feeble constitution being blamed. The fault rests with ourselves only : if P'^ pains are taken to drain salt ii'i 208 TOWN OF ST. JOSKPII. marshes, we must expect yellow fever ; if no pains are taken to live judiciously, we cannot expect u green old age. After the swamp is passed, the country is highly cultivated ; the pretty village of St. Juan is passed, a fine stream of water crossed, and then the spire of St. Joseph is seei above the cocoa plantations at the entrance of the valley of Maraccas. Gorgeous wild flowers are on the sides of the road, and birds of the richest plumage disport on either hand. The country on the road from St. Joseph's is every- where cleared, and being well watered by numerous mountain streams, offers great facilities for cultiva- tion ; the clearing of the ground from wood has however been performed with little discrimination, as, not contented with the removal of the brush- wood and shrubs which might interfere with agri- culture, the planters have also felled those majestic trees, which if left in clumps or groups of four or five, would not only have given the estates the semblance of parks, and not have impeded the progress of cultivation, but would also attract rain, so indispensable for canes. ~ But everywhere in the New World I made the same remark ; little or no taste is displayed by the clearers of land, every thing is swept off, " root and branch," with remorseless hands ; so that, as In Trinidad, one sees the houses placed in the middle of an uninteresting open space of ground, rendered still more insipid by its contrast with the richness of the wooded mountains which overhang it. KF, UTILITY OF THE SOIL. 209 The returns of the soil at Trinidad arc so great, that it would seem an easy matter to acquire a large fortune ; but although a planter's outset does not seem to be an arduous undertaking, yet when his situation is minutely enquired into, it will appear to be one of much exertion, and requires a great share of perseverance. Land is here so abundant that the price of an estate is not calculated from the number of acres that it comprises, but from the number of slaves belonging to it, each slave being considered adequate to cultivate and manufacture three, or three and a half hogsheads of sugar. Thus the primary object is to secure a well- manned estate, since owing to the laws prohibiting the removal of slaves from one island to another, those in Trinidad are too few in number to do justice to the prolific soil, and other natural advan- tages, which give this island a superiority over our other western colonies. It is also of great importance to fix upon a part of the island whence the sugar may be transported with ease to the coast ; but these points being settled, that which one might suppose the most difficult to arrange, namely, the payment, is a matter of no importance, as the purchaser, until by his own industry he has cleared off his mortgages, is merely the agent of the former proprietor. For instance, if an estate is for sale for £20,000, and a person chooses to become the purchaser, it is merely necessary for him to pay as a first instal- ment £3000 or £4000, which could be borrowed on VOL. I. P 210 COCOA PLANTERS. the security of the estate; the remainder of the purchase-money would only be required in instal- mentSj at considerable intervals; and as an estate of this value would produce £2000 a-year, it may be easily understood, tit at by constant industry and economy a man may, in the course of time, clear off his incu .ibrances and become independent. There are instances of people having purchased estates without possessing any capital with which to commence, and by judicious management and for- tunate seasons have secured an unincumbered pro- perty in seven years ; but these examples are not of frequent octcurrence, and for ore estate that is out of debt there are a dozen that are mortgaged. These remarks are solely applicable to the sugar estates, the cocoa plantations being now of no value ; hence tiie depressed state of the poor Spaniards, wl^o principally cultivated this pleasant fruit. Cocoa, many years since, was the staple commodity of the island, but a short-sighted policy induced the planters to introduce an inferior de- scription of that plant, because more productive; and the South American e.'tates having been laid waste by the contending parties during the revolu- tionary war, they found no difficulty in disposing of it. But when the peace enabled the Columbians to attend to the cultivation of their estates, the supe- riority of their cocoa was universally acknowledged, and the result was that the Trinidad planters, who had been in the habit of selling their cocoa at thirty CLIMATE — MORTALITY. 211 of the instal- estate it may ry and , f.lear indent, chased hich to id for- 3d pro- I not of t is out e sugar of no poor leasant staple [ policy ior de- uctive ; en laid revolu- sposing tians to e supe- ledged, rs, who t thirty dollars the liundredweight, could no longer find a mart for their produce, and now would be glad to obtain for the best cocoa four dollars a fanega, or one hundred and ten pounds; they are therefore poor people, mostly ruined. Some are cutting down their beautiful cocoa plantations, " those aromatic shades," in order to plant canes; while others allow the cocoa groves to run wild, and employ their slaves on other estates in cultivating sugar. Captain Trant, who lived several months at St. Joseph's, (seven miles from Port of Spain, now con- taining about a hundred houses, though formerly the capital, and plundered by Sir Walter Raleigh,) gave a very favourable account of the climate, the thermometer being four or five degrees below that at the modern capital ; during the day a refreshing breeze prevailed, which reduced the heat to the temperature of a summer's day in England. Cer- tainly one was not prepared to meet with so fine a climate in the West Indies. We hear so much of the mortality which is sup- posed to take place in the West Indies, that they are viewed in the worst possible light, and many suppose when their relatives and friends embark for these islands, that they are preparing to en- counter certain death ; they are pitied for their impending fate, and praised for the fortitude they evince in not shrinking from the trial ; and perhaps these very people may live much longer and enjoy better health than those they are leaving. p 2 it ii-s •lli^ 212 LEPROSY AT TRINIDAD. The fact is, that at least two thirds of the deaths are brought on by imprudence ; and if one lives in a quiet moderate way, without absolutely avoiding or seeking exposure to the sun, there is little doubt but that a man may live in the West Indies for many years (at a distance from swamps), without their proving the Golgotha they are said to be. The clii late there is decidedly superior to that of Bengal ; in the latter, if a person were to take exercise at noon in the sun, without a thick turban on, or (what I particularly dislike) an umbrella over his head, a fever would be the inevitable con- sequence ; whereas in the West the sun is compa- ratively harmless. Observe also the personal ap- pearance of those who have resided for many years in the two climates; the East Indians are (many of them) sallow, withered, and emaciated, while the West Indians, on the contrary, still appear to retain the vigour of their European constitutions (though of course not altogether unimpaired), and seem much fresher and healthier than their eastern brethren. In fatal diseases the two countries are much on a par ; the East is scourged with the cholera, while in the West the yellow fever leaves few who can boast of having recovered when once attacked. I saw several cases of that terrible disease, the le- prosy, at Trinidad; English, French, and Spa- niards, had it in their families introduced by black women ; parents had been careless as to whom they LEPROSY. 213 selected as nurses, and the consequences were very painful to witness. " * Room for the leper,' and aside they stood, Matron and child, and pitiless manhood — all Who met him on his way, and let him pass. And he went forth alone ; not one of all The many whom he loved, nor she whose name Was woven in the fibres of the heart, Breaking within him now, to come and speak Comfort unto him. Yea, he went his way, Sick and broken-hearted, and alone to die, For God hath cursed the leper." 214 CHAPTER XIV. The British Government judiciously preserves th . Laws of conquered Colonies. — The Government of Triui !=;d. — The Cabildo. — Inhabitants wish a Representative Government. — The Commandants of Districts. — Population of the Island. — Governors of Colonies might take an example from Sir Ralph Woodford. — The Valley of Maraccas. — The River St. Joseph. — A Tropical scene. — Free Blacks. — The Fall f Maraccas. — The Village of Arima. — An Indian Settlen.' it. — Indian Cottages. — The Red Men. — Their appearance. — Character and habits. — Schools. — Trinidad Indians have no traditions. — Here as elsewhere their numbers are diminishing. — Change of system again recommended. — The Pitch Lake. — Its Islands. — Singular effect of standing on the pitch.— Experi- ments. — Mud Volcanoes. — Similarities between Crim Tar- tary and Trinidad. — The Bois immortel. — A Spicy Grove and Tropical Residence. — Strange instance of delicacy in a Creole. — The Trinidad Militia. — Fort St. George De- fence of the Island criticized. — Trinidad too valuable to be sacrificed. The British government, with great judgment, has preserved the laws, as they respect private pro- perty, in the colonies conquered in the West. The Spanish laws of Trinidad still remain with some modification, and by them almost despotic power is vested in the Governor, who is aided by a council of his own nomination. In addition to the council, a corporate body of considerable influence, called i' i'i GOVERNMENT OF TRINIDAD. 215 the cabildo, exists in Port of Spain ; it is selected from among the most respectable inhabitants of the island, who when they retire at the end of the year, noniinate their own successors. The cabildo has an income o{ £12,000 per an- nuniy which is dedicated to the erection of public works, and to pay the salaries of the executive officers. Though not possessed of the same power as the representative assemblies of other islands, the cabildo can, notwithstanding, act with great inde- pendence ; but the power of taxing ad libitum, rests with the Cirovernor. Arbitrary power is, in fact, essentially necessary in an infant colony, composed as it is of people of various nations, and comprising many desperate adventurers and outlaws. It is true that the educated and enlightened part of the community are extremciy desirous of a repre- sentative government ; but although it might prove personally beneficial to them, as throwing the power of taxation into their hands, yet at present it would but embarrass and tie up the power of the Governor, and prevent his enforcing acts which, by consoli- dating the executive power, tend to prevent the jarring of various interests, and by embracing only the ultimate benefit of the island, would enable it in a few years to emerge from its present depressed state, and assume the important station in the West, that its geographical situation, prolific soil, and favourable climate, entitle it to hold. Trinidad, next to Jamaica, will be the most valuable island appanage of the British crown ; I I \ I ! 216 POrULATlON. . but to aid its rise, the person at the head of the government should be of a firm and decided cha- racter, one who will not allow himself to be biassed by the murmurs of the discontented, or influenced by the interested advice of favourites. Another powerful reason against the establish- ment of a popular assembly is, that from the cir- cumstance of there being at present but few resident gentry in the island (the object of all those who now reside on their estates being to return to England when their exertiono are repaid by a suffi- cient income), it is natural to suppose that those measures from which only a distant benefit would be derived, would meet with the disapprobation of legislators, whereas those calculated to afford im- mediate relief, though at the expense of a great loss hereafter, would be joyfuUy acceded to, as the 0Ttu.s would fall on their successors. In conformity with the Spanish form of govern- ment at Trinidad, the terms Alcalde, Algacil, &c. are always used instead of their corresponding names in English. The inland division of the island is also regulated according to the old sys- tem, and is portioned into districts under the su- perintendence of commandants, whose office is to keep the peace, punish refractory slaves, secure marauders, and so on — but their power is very limited. The population of Trinidad is yearly increasing, and is now estimated at five thousand whites, six- si GOVERNORS — SIR R. WOODFORD. 217 teen thousand people of colour, and only twenty- two thousand slaves, which form an average of nine souls to a square mile, the island being seventy miles long and as many broad. The proportion of white males to females, is as two to one ; but the females of the negro race exceed the males by one hundred. Field labourers are so scarce in Trinidad, that I was told of hundreds of hogsheads of sugar abso- lutely rotting on the ground for want of hands to cut the canes. Governors of colonies, besides superintending and administering the government entrusted to their charge, may render great benefit by ameliorating the state of society, and setting an example of liberality without extravagance ; and by urbanity and polish of manner, may throw a brilliancy over the circle in which they preside, and above all, place the members of it on good terms with each other. In the days of Sir R. Woodford there were none of our western colonies which could boast of a gayer or more agreeable society than Trinidad ; he had raised a social structure with great judgment and foresight. The fair delighted in St. Anne's, as the place where happy moments might be passed with gay Lotharios in the mazy dance ; the young men, in conversing with Sir Ralph, derived both amuse- ment and instruction from his remarks ; whilst the elder rejoiced in the choice wines and excellent dinners which graced the Governor's hospitable t\ II n I' 218 VALLEY OF MAIIACCAS. m 1 . ■ ■ i f f ■ : 1 i ■ 1 ;l ! board. He encouraged theatrical amusements^ and mirth and festivity pervaded his halls. Let us now make another excursion into the interior. In the recesses of the Valley of Ma- raccas there is a most magnificent waterfall; and in riding up the valley, it is impossible for the wanderer to suppress his exclamations of delight. Beautiful shrubs in full blossom hang over the sparkling stream of the St. Joseph, and blending their perfumes with that of the acacia, refresh the sense, " like a garden of perfect beauty and fragrance, in which the cypress and cedar grow side by side, and the lily and the rose, like a bride and bridegroom, recline on each other's bosom." Then the larger trees, bending low their boughs over the river, for awhile conceal it from the sight (though it can still be heard rushing over its rocky bed), or form here and there a rustic bower, in- viting to repose in its cool shade ; above on either side is a lofty mountain, which hemming the river in, causes it to meander and wind like ^the coil of a serpent ; eight times it is forded in less than four miles. Animated nature likewise adds to the interest of the scene. Numberless humming-birds flit from bough to bough ; at one moment darting across the path, and the next balancing themselves in the air close to a flower from whence they seek to extract the insects or the sweets, and agitating their wings with such rapidity as to render them invisible. TROPICAL SCENE. 219 " While richest roses though in crimson drest, Shrink from the spleiidour of their gorgeous breast." Afar in the forest is heard the barking of the large beaked toucans, the scream of the parroquet, and the waitings of the goat-sucker ; butterflies of all sizes, and of all colours of the rainbow, skim around ; lizards of an emerald green run across the road, or lie basking in the sun ; and snakes, startled at the approach of human feet, retreat with rustling noise into the grass on the way-side. At the eighth ford of the river there is a clump of the mo^t beautiful bamboos, and so regularly have they by chance sprung up, that the stems seem to form the clustered columns, and the weeping branches and leaves the arches, of a graceful gothic edifice. Here, after the exercise of walking and shooting among the hills, the luxury of a bath may be enjoyed, and after it a rural repast. Beyond this the valley becomes wider, and forms a basin, shut round by the mountains ; and here, in different directions, are observed some small houses and plantations, delightfully situated on the slope of the hills. The high road is now left, and a mountain path is ascended for a couple of miles, having on one side a steep declivity, and on the other a lofty mountain ; here the ground has been partially cleared by some free black settlers. On looking to the steep in front, the cascade will now be seen, falling in a perpendicular line from the mountain into the valley. The trees again shut it from the view ; but from the first glimpse the H I ■f 220 FALLS OF MAUACCAS. WH' lover of nature will feel assured that he will be amply recompensed in the ei\'\. It is now neces- sary to proceed onwards on loot, along a narrow path, with a precipice below, and amongst wild scenery; at last, on emerging from a thick wood, the traveller finds himself at the bottom of the fall. The precipice over which it rolls is two hundred and eighty feet high, and the trees which grow on the summit of this, have the semblance from below of mere shrubs, and from the crevices of the rock which forms the cliff, various shrubs and flowers project, and afford a support to the festoons of parasitical plants which fall from above them. At the very highest part of the cliff the water rushes from under the trees, over a ledge of rock, and falls in an unbroken stream about two-thirds of the way, where it breaks into spray, and forms rainbows in the sunbeams. So perpendicular is the precipice, that one may walk up to its base, and then on gazing upwards, the overhanging rocks seem threatening to escape from their beds, and in falling down, to crush one to atoms. Earthquakes (here of no uncommon oc- currence, though Trinidad is free from hurricanes,) have detached large masses of the precipice, which lie scattered in the bed of the torrent, where also may be seen the mangled remains of water-fowl and snakes. Near the cascade stands a tree which has been used as an album by former visitors to the fall, and on its venerable trunk are inscribed names VILLACR OF AIM MA. 221 and dates as far back as 1802. Pineapples and othsr fruits may be here enjoyed, as the inuUittoes in the neighbourhood pay attention to gardening. Few of the residents in the island have seen the waterfall of Maraccas. Sir. R. Woodford first caused the path to be cut which leads to it ; and before his time it was comparatively little known. In a country which contains such magnificent scenery as Trinidad, it is not unlikely but that there may be other scenes similar in their gtneral character, but there can be none equal in grandeur to the vale of Maraccas. " It seems the seat of pure delight, A paradise or faery land." In the village of Arima, in the interior, a settle- ment of Aboriginal Indians has been formed, under the auspices of the British Government. There, are assembled a remnant of that unfortunate race, who only three centuries since were the quiet and undisputed possessors of this portion of the Western hemisphere, but whose history since that period has been one uninterrupted tale of oppression, misery, and despair, and who now are so rapidly decreasing in numbers, that ere another century elapses, they will in all probability be entirely swept from the face of the earth. Arima is ten miles inland from St. Joseph's, and the road to it is agreeably diversified with planta- tions, comfortable houses, savannahs, and forest scenery. Several fine mountain streams rush across it, and on viewing the great capabilities of the soil. II I 'I Ifil 222 INDIAN SRTTI F.MENTS. i I ■ I and the abundance of water, one cannot but regret that the dearth of inhabitants should condemn the greatest part of this island, to remain in its original state of wildness. In the centre of Arima is a square, on one side of which is a church, which much resembles a barn ; beside this is the house of the curate, and opposite is a thatched house, called the Casa Real, for the accommodation of the Governor, when his Excel- lency visits the settlement : a few Indian cottages form the other two sides of the square. The other huts of the inhabitants are on two sides of a broad street, on which the grass grows luxuriantly, trod- den down in one narrow path only. The interior of the Indian habitations is neat and comfortable. The inmates are of low stature ; and although the women are very delicately formed, the men are stout and robust. They have the usual long and black silky hair, and their features, which strongly resemble those of the Malays or Tartars, are dull and apathetic. When not at work in their small fields, or in the forest, they always appear, like Turks at the doors of their cofFee- shops, to be engaged in deep thought, although, in fact, their mind is quite unoccupied ; and in a torpid state would they pass their lives, unless excited by hunger or some other cause. Nature has endowed them with an inertness of disposition, which at first seems quite incompatible with a savage state, but which is removed, when they are partly civilized, like those at Arima ; there they can INDIAN HAmT8. 233 ut regret lemn the I original one side ) a barn ; opposite I, for the is ExceU cottages rhe other f a broad :ly, trod- i is neat stature ; Y formed, have the features, [alays or it at work 3y always ir coffee- although^ and in a !S^ unless Nature sposition, ; with a 1 they are B they can be made to exert themselves; there they arc well dressed, and in some of their houses there is furni- ture of a superior description ; indeed, one man, of the name of Bravo, built himself a very comfort- able rep'ience, and by his assiduous attention to the cultivation of cocoa at a time when it was in great demand, he derived from it an annual income of £350. Unfortunately the Indians of Arima have acquired such habits of drunkenness that it is impossible to persuade them to refrain from the use of ardent spirits ; and the pernicious extent to which they carry this vice is of course considered one of the reasons why they rapidly diminish in number. The descendants of the whites who taught them this fatal propensity, should labour hard to teach them temperance. These Indians also neglect their chil- dren until they attain the age of ten or twelve years, and then they only take care of them in order that they may be assisted in their labours. But although the parents pay but little attention to the welfare of their offspring, the government of the island watches over them with a careful eye ; and the state of the schools does the worthy Padre infinite credit. Both boys and girls are instructed in reading and writing, Spanish, and in the prin- ciples of the Catholic religion. The boys' school- room is whimsically enough divided into Roma and Carthago, and beneath these names, which are painted on the opposite walls over each class, is the figure of a jackass, which when the one J^ 224 INDIANS HAVE NO TRADITIONS. ' ■ ) class excels the other in its conduct is turned to the wall, whilst the stupid set have their emblem fiilly displayed. The Padre is a great favourite with his young charge, and also with their parents, and was one of those who fled from Old Spain to England, to avoid the persecutions of the petticoat embroiderer, Ferdinand. There are about two hundred Indians at Arima, and nearly four hundred more in the other settle- ments; but of these the males form the largest proportion, and, strange to say, those of Arima have lost all traces of their own language and only speak Spanish. They likewise retain none of the tradi- tions of their forefathers, and have no idea when the Europeans arrived in the New World, still less are they aware that the whole island was formerly theirs ; their little world is now limited to Arima, where a considerable tract of land has been secured to then in perpetuity. The present station which these poor people hold in the civilized world is owing to the judicious liberality of the British Government, and more especially to the interest which the late Sir Ralph Woodford took in ame- lioratmg their condition. Truly this excellent Go- vernor is most deserving of a statue, if ever a public benefactor deserved one. The Indians of the other three missions are not at present so well cared for as those of Arima, and are more frequently seen with the fig-leaf than in decent attire. During the Spanish misrule the Indians were viewed in the light of beings devoted irned to emblem avourite parents, ^pain to petticoat t Arima, ir settle- j largest ima have nly speak he tradi- lea when still less formerly ;o Arima, ti secured on which world is ! British J interest : in arae- lUent Go- f ever a s are not ima, and leaf than srule the devoted CHANGE OF SYSTEM RECOMMENDED. 225 to the service of the whites ; no pains were taken to rescue them from their barbarism ; they were over-worked, ill-treated, and the slaves of their oppressors, so that death to an unfortunate Indian was a welcome release from misery. Now that they are independent, enjoying all the comforts of life, and possessing every facility for acquiring a limited education, the Indians, it might be expected, would shake off those indolent and depressed habits, which, though natural to them, may have been increased by their state of debase- ment during the last three centuries. But such is not the opinion of those who ought to be well acquainted with them; their speedy extinction is foretold by all, and it would almost seem, say they, as if the Almighty had ordained that a race of beings, possessing so few of the energies of man, should gradually recede before the colonists of the old world, until at last none are left, and the conti- nent of America become peopled with men calcu- lated to avail themselves of its vast resources. I say now, as I said formerly, that a proper plan has not been pursued with these unfortunate red- men. What miracles have not temperance societies accomplished in our own country, and in the United States! and why not hold out to the aboriginal American the inducement of an office of trust, if he conducts himself properly and fits himself for it ? Cold-blooded and avaricious men may say that the Indians are incapable of improvement ; what were the Peruvians, the children of the sun, before they VOL. I. Q Ji i ' 1 1 1 226 THE PITCH LAKE. fell before their remorseless invaders ? What were the Mexicans, with their magnificent temples and palaces, before they were, like stricken deer, scat- tered to the four winds ? What says the Indian lament ? " I will weep for a season, on bitterness fed, For my kindred are gone to the hills of th. ''\id; But they died not of hunger, or lingering decay, The steel of the white man hath swept them a way." One of the greatest natural curiosities in the world is a lake of asphaltum, or pitch, in Trinidad, situated about thirty-six miles to the southward of Port of Spain. The western shore of the island, for about twenty miles, is quite flat, and richly wooded ; and though only one or two houses are perceptible from the sea, the interior is well culti- vated, and several small rivers, which empty them- selves into the gulf of Paria, afford great facilities for the transport of sugar to the ships which anchor off their embouchures. As Naparima is approached, and the singular mountain (at the foot of which San Fernandez is sitnated) is plainly distinguished, the shore assumes a more smiling aspect; here one sees a noble forest, there a sheet of bright green points out a cane-field. Cocoa-nut and palm trees are sprinkled over the landscape, and gently wave their feathered foliage ; now and then a well-built house appears close to the water's edge, with a verdant lawn extending from it to the sea, and the ground sometimes broken into sinuosi- ties, and then slightly undulating. The beauty of \mi I ITS ISLANDS. 227 this part of Trinidad is very great, though from some undrained swamps poisonous malaria exhales. At Point La Braye are seen masses of pitch, which look like hlack rocks among the foliage. At the small hamlet of La Braye a considerable extent of coast is covered with pitch, which runs a long way out to sea, and forms a bank under water. The pitch lake is situated on the side of a hill, eighty feet above the level of the sea, from which it is distant three quarters of a mile ; a gradual ascent leads to it, which is covered with pitch in a hardened state, and trees and vegetation flourish upon it. The road leading to the lake runs through a wood, and on emerging from it the spectator stands on the borders of what at a first glance appears to be a lake, containing many wooded islets, but which on a second examination proves to be a sheet of asphaltum, intersected throughout by crevices three or four feet deep and full of water. The pitch at the sides of the lake is perfectly hard and cold, but as one walks towards the middle, with the shoes oS* l»i order to wade through the water, the heat gradually increases, the pitch becomes softer and softer, until at last it is seen boiling up in a liquid state, and the sules of the feet become so heated that it is necessary to dance up and down in a ridiculous manner. The air is then strongly impregnated with bitumen and sul- phur, and as one moves along the impression of the feet remain in the surface of the pitch. Q 2 li S28 STANDING ON THE PITCH. During the rainy season, it is possible to walk over the whole lake nearly, but in the hot season a great part is not to be approached. Although several attempts have been made to ascertain the depth of the pitch, no bottom has ever been found. The lake is about a mile and a half in circum- ference; and not the least extraordinary circum- stance is, that it should contain eight or ten small islands, on which trees are growing close to the boiling pitch. In standing still on the lake near the centre for some time, the surface gradually sinks, till it forms a great bowl as it were, and when the shoulders are level with the general surface of the lake, it is high time to get out. Some time ago, a ship of war landed casks to fill with the pitch, for the purpose of transporting it to England ; the casks were rolled on the lake, and the hands commenced fill- ing, but a piratical-looking craft appearing in the offing, the frigate and all hands went in chase — or returning to the lake, all the casks had sunk and disappeared. The first alcalde presented me with a metallii* substance, thrown up by the pitch fountains, which 1 have submitted for analysis ; it much resembles copper ore. Science is at a loss how to account for such an extraordinary phenomenon as this pitch lake, for it does not seem to occupy the mouth of an exhausted crater, neither is the hill on which it is situated of volcanic origin, for its basis is clay. if i>iii II EXPERIMENTS. 229 The flow of pitch from the lake has been im- mense, the whole country around, except near the Bay of Grapo which is protected by a hill, being covered with it, and it seems singular that no erup- tion has taken place within the memory of man, although the principle of motion still exists in the centre of the lake. The appearance of the pitch which had hardened, is as if the whole surface had boiled up into large bubbles, and then suddenly cooled ; but where the asphaltum is still liquid, the surface is perfectly smooth. Many experiments have b^.n made for the pur- pose of ascertaining whether the pitch could be applied to any useful purpose. Admiral Cochrane, who was possessed of the enterprising and specula- tive genius of his family, sent two ship-loads of it to England, but after a variety of experiments, it was ascertained, that m order to render the asphaltum fit for use, it was necessary to mix such a quantity of oil with it, that the expense of the oil alone would more than exceed the price of pitch in England. A second attempt was made by a com- pany styled the Pitch Company, who sent out an agent from England, but finding that Admiral Cochrane had failed, and being convinced that any further attempt would be useless, he 'et the matter drop. Forty miles to the southward of the Pitch Lake is Point du Cac, which forms the south-west ex- tremity of the island, and one side of the 13oca del Sierpc ; on this cape is another natural curiosity, li H 230 MUD VOLCANOES. which is well worth seeing, although the distance from Port of Spain renders it rather a difficult operation to proceed thither. What renders this point so interesting to the stranger, is an assem- blage of mud volcanoes, of which Ihe largest may be about one hundred and fifty feet in diameter. They are situated in a plain, and are not more than four feet elevated above the surface of the ground, but within the mouth of the crater, boiling mud is constantly bubbling up ; at times, the old craters cease to act, but when that is the case, new ones invariably appear in the vicinity; the mud is fathomless, yet does not overflow, but remains within the circumference of the crater. From what I recollect of the Crimea, I should say that there are remarkable similarities between it and Trinidad, geologically speaking : in both there are mud vol- canoes; in both there are bituminous lakes; and both have been frequently visited with earthquakes. One of the most beautiftil of the trees in Tri- nidad, is the Bois immortel, which at certain sea- sons of the year is covered with clusters of scarlet blossoms of exceeding brightness, and which when shining in the sunbeams, look like a mantle of bril- liant velvet. The tree is very lofty and umbra- geous, and serves as a screen to the cocoa plant, which being of too delicate a nature to bear ex- posure to the sun, is always planted under the shelter of the Bois immortel. This double wood has a very pleasing effect, especially when the cocoa DELIGHTFUL TROPICAL RESIDENCE. 231 is bearing fruit, when its various colours are beau- tiful. The hedges of the cocoa plantations are usually formed of the coffee bush, intermingled with the lime and bitter orange trees, which when in blossom, breathe perfumes as if — " Wliere some rich caravan not long before Had passed, with cassia fraught and balmy store ;" whilst amidst the herbage beneath, one sees burst- ing forth some of the rarest and most valuable bulbs and shrubs, which in England would be tended with the greatest care in the forced atmosphere of a hot-house. Place beside this delicious grove the long, cool, but lonely residence of the proprietor, perhaps a veteran of Austerlitz, or a noble Cas- tilian, and let it be shaded by mango and silk cotton trees, with graceful palms, and the bamboo, which though in size far less than those with t.'hich the Burmans used to construct their for- midable stockades in the forests of Pegu, yet still is incomparably beautiful, waving gently its weeping branches with the slightest breath of air ; and there will be found a retreat, perhaps, called " Mon repos," or *' Mon desir," and as sweet as that of Paul and Virginia, in view of the mountain of the Three Peaks. Pause for one instant in the garden, and gaze with w onder on the butterfly plant ; nothing can more resemble that lovely insect than the blossom which bears its name; attached by a slender and almost invisible stalk, it has the appearance of flut- I I !i J, m : 1 2$2 DELIC/XY IN A CREOLE. tering in the air ; you fancy you con distinguish the double wings, and the long stamina are the an- tennae of a brilliant butterfly. Some fastidious people think that the Spanish and French girls of the second class in Trinidad are not particularly attractive ; they are certainly darker than our people, but for my part, from having been accustomed to it early in life, I prefer a healthy olive countenance to one " sicklied over with a p ' ';a{;t," from unwonted exposure to tro- pical heat 111- damsels before mentioned are said to have a list.^ i and insipid manner, with no great delicacy, and a gentleman recounts this sir.- gular circumstance in proof of it. He was riding through the town of St. Joseph's, when, on passirg a house at the door of which a French Creole was standing, he observed that she was suckling some extraordinary sort of being, so unlike a child, that he rode up to her in order to ascertain what it might be, and great was his astonishment, when on approaching nearer, he ascertained that the sup- posed child was an ugly little pup. " Le pauvre petit," said she, " sa maman vient de mourir, et je Tallaite." He then naturally inquired whether she had lost her own baby, and she replied — '* Oh ! que non. Monsieur, I'enfant est la bas." This was certainly throwing away the milk of human kind- ness with a vengeance. I attended a review of the Trinidad militia, and really their appearance on the great plain before St. Anne's was very respectable ; every freeman on TRINIDAD MILITIA. 233 I, and before lan on the island is enrolled in the militia, which is com- posed of cavalry, infantry, and artillery, with a very numerous staff. I was certainly rather astonished at the great display of lace embroidery and Saxon plumes, and I thought that a plain bush-ranger's frock would have been much more appropriate ; still, plumes, epaulettes, and scarlet please the ladies» and that is a great point gained. I saw adjutants-general and quarter-masters- general, aides-de-camp, paymasters, doctors, and commissioners without number ; each regiment of infantry had its peculiar uniform, but above all '^e St. Anne's hussars shone conspicuous. The Kin^^i^ must have borrowed their new uniform from the St. Anne's, for they wore light blue jackets and trowsers richly braided, with scarlet pelisses. The Trinidad militia is about four thousa.*d five hundred strong, and is in a more effective state than that of the other islands ; but the period of assembling for exercise (which formerly took place once a month) having been made quarterly, it is supposed that its discipline may become more lax. The titles of the island military are not quite so grand here as at Barbadoes, where there are lieu- tenant and major-generals, royal horse and foot guards. Colonel is the most exalted rank in Tri- nidad, and there is no household brigade. One forenoon I started with Captain M'Nicol, of the Royals (who for twenty years had enjoyed uninterrupted good health in the West Indies), to visit Fort George, commanding one of the most 'I ; 1 i : ! \: 234 FORT ST. GEORGE. beautiful views in the island ; it is three miles from the Port of Spain. We passed Cocoreet, where the ordnance stores are kept, a swampy unhealthy spot; and then ascended a hill on horseback, but were soon obliged to dismount, for trees had fallen across the road from a late gale, and we scrambled up on foot. We called at the huts of several negro pensioners of the West India regi- ments ; they seemed to be quite happy with their " frows," patch of cassava ground, and plantains. I remarked beautiful fern trees on the way up, and the rare " petrea volubilis," with its blue garlands, amongst which the whiskered humming bird flitted ; at last, after a long and steep climb, the blockhouse of Fort George was reached, in which was a signal-master and a few black soldiers. In looking out from the blockhouse, I certainly have seldom seen such a glorious prospect ; on the left was the capital of Trinidad, and the ultra- marine waters of the Gulf of Paria, with a few white sails in the distance. The mountains of Cumana, South America, were in front, and then sweeping the eye along the horizon to the right, the Boccas, with cape, headland and island sin- numerable ; immediately below was the valley of Diego Martin, extending across the island to the Atlantic, with overhanging woods and cultivated fields. " While on his noontide couch in heavy sleep, Outstretched the* interminable ocean lay, Waveless and windless." DEFENCE OF TRINIDAD. 235 Fort George is an example of the manner in which great sums of money are sometimes lavished on useless fortifications ; here battery on battery rise in succession from the shores of the gulf to the barracks, twelve hundred feet above the level of the sea ; and although it would be a difficult mat- ter to storm the hill, yet what the use would be of stationing a body of men there, leaving the capital, three miles off, and the whole country open, is in- comprehensible to every one, except perhaps to the officer who projected the works. Fort George commands but one pass where the road leads to the valley of Diego Martin ; ail the other entrances to the interior of the country are undefended, and Port of . Spain is quite open. An enemy, therefore, by leaving a corps of observation near Fort George, might tranquilly take possession of the island, and soon starve out the besieged troops. On the south side of the capital Sir Thomas Picton erected a blockhouse, which com- ma.ided the town, and might have been serviceable in case of an insurrection ; but now it has fallen into decay, and goes by the name of Picton's Folly. In the event of an attack, if the town is not better defended than it is at present, it ought to be aban- doned, and the defence limited to the defiles and passes leading in-land ; a few temporary entrench- ments thrown across there, the woods well lined with marksmen, and a disposable body of men to defend any point threatened, would render the conquest of this invaluable island no easy task. Jl! ! ^ 2S6 COLONIAL TROOPS. For the greater efRcicncy of Colonial troops, I wish they could be persuaded to lay aside their hussar jackets and scarlet swallow-tailed coats, and sub- stitute a sad-coloured rifle-dress, with snake and water-proof leather leggings, and amuse themselves with ball practice more than they do. , 237 s, I wish r hussar md sub- ake and emselves CHAPTER XV. Sail from Trinidad.— Mackworth's Island. — The Bay of Cha- garamus.— A Flower in the WilderncBS. — The Diablotin.-^ The Umbrella Passage. — An accident.— -Grenada. — Sunrise between the Trop'cs. — St. (ieorge Town and Forts.— Negro Fishermen.— Forbearance of Grenada sliarks. — The Grand Etang. — The expedition of the Count D'Estaing. — Negro Washerwomen. — A mountain ride. — The scenery at the Grand Etang. — Massacre of the Caribs. — A French Planter. — Fruits. — English Colonists compared with those of other nations.— A change in West Indian society. — Sangaree. — Effects of Intemperance. — West Indians obligp'l to live on their estates. — Refinements. — A ride through St. George Town. — Richmond Heights. — The Military. — Impressions of service in the West. — Officers ought to make the most of every quarter. — Some officers become Creolized. — Service in the East and West cor.ipared. — A rhapsody. Again embarked in a schooner, I bade adieu to the lofty mountains and smiling plains, romantic valleys, and magnificent forests of Trinidad, and to Port of Spain, with its pleasant residences, and beautiful women therein reclining, and stood away towards the Boccas. As I stood on the deck and gazed on the glorious scene, I felt grateful that I had been per'.iitted to see this favoured land; and as the breeze impelled us from the shore, and the outlines of the mountains became fainter, I might have said in the words of the song, " Absence will but make thee dearer, Isle of Beauty, fare thee well 1" h i 1 i t 1 i 1 i I I I III '^ ^\ ^ ci^ '^^^ 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. MSSO (716) 872-4503 f/. 250 MILITARY SERVICE IN THE WEST. ! I ! a short time at one spot, made me overlook many of the drawbacks attendant on a residence in the West Indies, " where I had no continued city." As a military station, the West Indies for a lengthened period is the worst that a young officer can possibly resort to ; he has little to gain there in a professional point of view, and the chances are twenty to one that, secluded as he will most likely be from much general society, his habits may become dissipated and unprofitable to him- self; but for the short period of service usually allotted to regiments in the West Indies, I see little cause of complaint. If officers would only try to make the most of their situation, they have abundant leisure for intellectual pursuits— excellent opportunities to perfect themselves in drawing or music, if they have a taste for these twin accom- plishments ; and now, by the institution of the United Service Museum, an occupation is furnished them on foreign stations, viz. an inducement to collect and preserve objects of natural history. Besides, in gardening, there will always be found much to pkase and interest the temporary exile from his father-land. I have met with many military men who have passed the greater part of their lives in the West Indies, and are now so completely creolized, that I doubt much if they would wish to return home. Whereas the young men are of course all anxious to escape from their island prisons, as they term them, lest indolence and apathy should cast a spell OFFICERS BECOME CREOLIZED. 251 over them. In point of salubrity, as I said before, I do not think that the West Indies are by any means so bad as the East ; for sometimes in the West a year elapses and not a single officer dies ; whereas in the East, amongst an equal number of regiments, several in the same space of time would have fallen victims to the diseases of the climate. Be it remembered too, that the East India Company will not , agree to relieve King's regiments until after the lengthened period of two- and-twenty years, whereas regiments in the West are relieved every five years. But withal the East is a glorious land to serve in, a land of romance and adventure : " as children we delight in it as the scene of the Thousand and one Nights ; ladies love it, as from it are derived gems and silks and Cashmere shawls ; and soldiers, because there high reputations have been earned and may still be won." Well pleased am I that it fell to my lot to serve some years in Eastern climes ; and many tales of war and pilgrimage has a sojourner there for any time to relate. The East is full of interest and excitement, wherever you move. What could be more delightful than this ? — donning that noble head-dress, a Moslem turban, white robe, shawl, girdle, and loose trowsers ; armed with sword and pistol, and with two trusty domestics, going forth as bent upon adventure as ever knight errant that set lance in rest ; visiting caverned temples, and the splendid remains of by- gone ages ; hunting deer with the cheeta, or i i i m J ! 252 A RHAPSODY. !l ! 'y'^r ^ MtiS, 11 1 1 • il leopard, or lying in wait for the brindled tiger ; living entirely with the natives, conforming to their customs, studying their language, and gaining an insight into their remarkable characters and pecu- larities. But I must not allow my pen to run wild in describing life in the East; at present I have to speak of occidental climes — of a West Indian life. The most humorous illustration was given by a portly major, with whom the heat did not at all agree : during the day he would sit in a tub of cold water, and every now and then ejaculate, " Damn Columbus — curse the fellow, why did he discover these rascally islands !" f i ill y/ * f7- : 6 1 « 253 5n to run CHAPTER XVI. Discourse on Military Matters continued. — Advantages of Regimental Schools. — Libraries and Theatres. — Encourage- ment ought to be given to Games. — Soldiers ought to be fitted for Settlers. — Bathing indispensable between the Tropics. — Spare Tanks ought to be converted into Baths. — Unfortunate situation of soldiers' wives. — Repairs of barracks ought not to be delayed. — Improvements in barracks pro- posed. — Verandahs, shutters, and open blinds. — Danger of exposure to night air. — A light ought to burn in each barrack-room. — Campaigning in the East. — The Canteen. — Alterations proposed. — Military drunkenness might be got rid of. — Pernicious effects of New Rum. — New Rum in- creases the Pension List — Malt liquor recommended. — Canteen Keepers. — Change of diet recommended. — Invalids sent home from Antilles only once a year. — Ridiculous clamour ot pseudo-political economists. — Military Costume. — The Forage and Dress Caps. — Under Vests. — Officers and Men ought to be thoroughly drilled with the Reserve — Uni- form in the Colonies ought to be generally worn. — Strength of the French in the Antilles. — Conclusion. I In those regiments where particular attention is paid to establish schools, and to provide books and periodical publications for the men, the greatest benefits have arisen ; with a further view of occupy- ing the minds of the soldiers, and contributing to their amusement, regimental theatres should be encouraged. Major Raper " got up" a theatre both at Grenada and St. Vincent's, in which a party of the men performed twice a month, to the 254 GAMES OUGHT TO BE ENCOURAGED. 1 i no small entertainment of their comrades. It may probably excite a smile, and appear ridiculous for soldiers to assume the buskin; but among the various characters of a barrack-room a greater portion of natural talent is generally to be fou'^d than the public seem disposed to allow, and in many regiments there will be found a dozen per- formers, who would do credit to any country theatre at home. To vary the amusements, and if possible to dissipate the gloom of a foreign station, which at best is only a temporary exile, every encourage- ment ought to be given during leisure hours to bowls, quoits, and other games requiring mode- rate exertion. In the East Indies we used to have a fives-court, but some commanding officers object to this, and both fives and rackets are con- sidered too violent for the West Indies ; they are so in the middle of the day, but not in the morning and evening. Cricket would be less violent, but there is seldom suitable ground within a reasonable distance. The sudden stoppage of perspiration is the principal thing to be guarded against, and officers know how difficult a thing it is to get a British soldier to change his apparel when heated ; it therefore ought to be borne in mind, that all games requiring severe bodily exertion, between the tropics become objectionable ; but let the men be continually exercised, let them be taught me- chanical arts, to fit them for settling either in Canada or Australia when discharged, and above D. It may :ulous for nong the I greater be fou'^d r, and in ozen per- ' country ossible to , which at incourage- hours to ng mode- ) used to [ig officers s are con- ; they are e morning olent, but reasonable piration is linst, and J to get a n heated ; I, that all , between t the men lught me- either in and above BATHING INDISPENSABLE. 255 all, let us spurn the idea that British sohMers ought to be mere machines. What is much wanted in tiie smaller West India Islands, and which if acceded to would tend to promote both health and cleanliness, is a greater facility for the men to wash their persons. The distance of the hill forts from the sea, with the uncertainty of the weather and general bad state of the roads, seldom admit of bathing, and the daily allowance of fresh water being limited to two gallons each for all purposes, viz. cooking, drink- ing, washing of clothes and themselves, one can readily fancy how difficult it is for the poor fellows to preserve even the semblance of cleanliness. I may here remark, that to economise water when scarce, and at the same time to cleanse the skin most effectually, a small bag of coarse cloth to fit the hand may be used. A hair or cloth bag drawn on the hand like a glove, and dipped in water, is much superior to the sponge. When we consider the heat of the barrack-room, and the many duties to which soldiers are subject, such as fatigue parties, exercise at drill, marching to and from the distant guards, &c. combined with their exposure to every change of weather, it is scarcely possible to entertain the notion that they are altogether cleanly ; on the contrary, they must at all times be otherwise — a circumstance which cannot fail in some degree to affect their health. That however might easily be prevented, and at a very slight expense, for even in garrisons, where 256 SITUATION OF SOLDIERS' WIVES. I scarcity of water may exist, the construction of a moderate-sized tank, or the " fixing up" of the spare metal ones now kept in store, would under a proper arrangement suffice. It would at the same time be requisite to have, contiguous to it, a small room capable of accommodating six or eight men, and provided with as many small tubs to enable them to wash their bodies. By a suitable regulation in the hours of attend- ance, tlie same room would serve for the women and their children. At present these unfortunate creatures, when in barracks,, labour under greater disadvantages than the men ; the latter can adopt what is termed dry rubbing as an aid in cleaning their bodies, whereas the poor women cannot even do that if they have a regard to decency. 1 he health of the women and children is an object of great importance, for whatever maladies arise among them generally spread through a corps. Great delays frequently take place in the repairs of barrack-rooms in foreign stations ; I am not at liberty to enter into the cause of this, but merely allude to it, and hope that ere long some new regulation may be issued on this importunt point. Men ought not to be exposed to sun or damp in their quarters, and where the materials are abun- dant, the remedy is easy, and ought to be speedily applied. The construction of the barrack buildings varies in different stations. It may therefore be remarked IMPROVEMENTS IN BARRACKS. 857 ion of a " of the Id untler 1 at the J to it, a or eight . tubs to ►f attend- e women ifortunate >r greater zan adopt I cleaning nnot even icy. I'he object of ise among le repairs am not at ut merely some new ,nt point, damp in are abun- e speedily ngs varies remarked generally in what appears would prove beneficial to the troops. Whenever a barrack is without a verandah, especially on the windward aspect^ it should have both jalousies (open blinds) and win- dow shutters; the former alone being insufficient in stormy weather to prevent the rain from beat- ing in and wetting the men's beds ; while on the contrary, when the latter are used singly, although a protection from rain, they are in every slight shower obliged to be closed, when they exclude the air altogether. In blowing weather, when open, they also admit so strong a current of air, that ihe men are liable to catch cold, which is the primary cause of most of the maladies in the West Indies. By having both jalousies and shutters (even if not provided with a verandah), a barrack may be preserved dry under the heaviest rains ; while in moderate weather the men can ex- clude the wet, and at the same time admit sufficient air for their general comfort. However, when the position of a barrack will allow of it, verandahs are doubtless the most desirable, as they exclude the overpowering heat of a tropical sun, and serve as places for the men to clean their appointments and take their meals in ; they also prevent the accumulation of dust and dirt, which -./ould other- wise unavoidably ensue, for when fifty or sixty men are obliged to clean their pouches and shoes, and to pipe-clay their belts, in the same room in which they constantly eat and sleep, cleanliness VOL. I. s i'f '■ 4 258 DANGER OF NIGHT AIR. 11 is scarcely to be expected. In such a case, instead of breathing a puie and wholesome atmosphere, the men are inhaling dust and pipe-clay. Many complaints originate in a sudden exposure of the men from a warm bed and an overheated barrack to the chillness of the night, when they move out on certain occasions, often without taking the trouble to put on their clothes. The ill effects which may thus arise might be prevented, by merely having a small and well ventilated room attached to each barrack. It would be very desirable to have one lamp in each barrack throughout the night. By proper management, a very trivial extra quantity of oil would suffice, which with the cost of the lamp would be the only expense attending it ; at present, when the men move out in the dark, they are apt to come in contact with the iron bedstead, and are sometimes so much injured, as to be obliged to go into hospital, which by the aid of a light might be avoided ; they could also, in case of an alarm, dress and turn out in half the time they could do in the dark. It would, moreover, prevent the oc- currence or even the suspicion of disorderly con- duct of any kind ; and all danger from fire would be guarded against by having the lamps under lock and key. In marching or campaigning in the East, each man was ordered to have a carpet to sleep on, and a quilt ; and each tent was provided with a tar- THE CANTEENS. 250 instead 3re, the xposure rheated jn they t taking 11 effects ^ merely attached lamp in f proper ty of oil he lamp present, f are apt , and are 3liged to ht might m alarm, could do it the oc- erly con- re would ps under last, each p on, and ith a tar- pauline to spread on the ground, and thus keep the men from the damp. Troops in garrison require no tarpauline, hut nothing could be better adapted for the field. Some objections may be stated to the present canteen system. As long as it is the only object and interest of a canteen contractor to encourage drinking, and increase the sale of his rum, so long will the daily temptation be held out to the soldier to get drunk. Non-commissioned officers may be stationed in the canteen to prevent inebriety, but the contractor and the soldier can easily evade their scrutiny. If all the general canteens were to be abolished, and ;ach regiment had its own canteen under proper control, and the non-commissioned officers who superintended the issue of liquor were to receive no profit on the quantity sold, but merely be exempt from certain duties, drunkenness would soon disappear, aided by that excellent regulation of last year, that a penny a day be given in lieu of an allowance of liquor as formerly. Rum of the best quality might be procured by the Commissariat, and kept two or three years in store prior to its issue ; this would ensure a whole- some spirit, and obviate the pernicious effects of new or adulterated rum. Few in this country know that new rum is a powerful nocturnal diuretic. A man in the West Indies getting drunk with new rum, or " kill devil," is sure to experience a s 2 'i I 260 MII.ITAIIY DRUNK RNNKSS. singular effect from it ; whereas, getting intoxicated with any other spirit, is not attended with the dis- reputable consequence here alluded to. No loss could fall on Government by the plan proposed. A price might be put upon the rum equal to the present receipts from the canteen con- tractor, together with a trifling sum to recompense the sergeant and corporal, and still the soldiers would gain the difference between those united sums and the profit now made by the contractor ; or, if thought proper, the present canteen price might be continued, which would not only serve to pay the non-commissioned officers, but cover all loss by wastage in store, and leave a considerable profit to Government besides. The injurious effect of new rum on all constitu- tions has been too often verified to admit of a doubt ; and there is as little doubt, that there are at this moment many individuals, who, by a too free indulgence in its use, have become a burthen to the nation in the capacity of pensioners : men who would have been useful and efficient soldiers if perhaps a different canteen system had been in force. Cheap as malt liquor is in England, it might be worth the attention of Government to pro- vide a regular supply for the use of the troops ; iwch men as wished it might then be allowed a reasonable portion at their meals — a measure which would reduce the consumption of ardent spirits, be more conducive to health, and ultimately benefit tl a hi d( si( le iW CANTE/N KEKl'KKS. 261 the public. A profit nii^^lit be put upon the iilc or beer, which (from the greater quantity likely to be consumed) would equal the present gain on rum. The Board of Ordnance might object to this ar- rangement, as the canteen profits would then be transferred from that department to the Commis- sariat ; but as John Bull pays for all, one cannot see why the public money may not as well pass through one branch of the service us another, when an evident advantage would accrue. From regiments the canteen returns might be paid weekly ; the expense of advertisements, risk of loss by the failure of canteen contractors and their securities, and the correspondence which at times arises on the misconduct of canteen keepers, would all be avoided. The canteen keepers in some of the West Indian islands do not provide the troops with any description of provisions, and are not, in consequence, required to reside in garrison. The profits on the trifling consumption of bread, tea, &c. by a wing of a regiment, would probably not repay them for loss of time, so they merely attend the canteen when open for the sale of rum ; but it is supposed to be a mutual advantage, for the soldiers are regularly supplied, and on as reason- able terms, by market people who attend at the barrack gates. Whenever a canteen keeper un- dertakes the provisions, and for that purpose re- sides with his family in garrison, it invariably leads to drunkenness ; for under the pretence of purchasing tobacco or other trivial articles, the I! , t 262 CHANGE OF DIET RECOMMENDED. M ^ " men can at any hour procure rum without being detected. With regard to the men's diet, it seems more a subject of considei ation for medical than military men. I am however of opinion, that the soldiers would benefit by an increased allowance of fresh meat, in lieu of so much salt provisionSj which corrupt their blood, and increase their thirst ; at present they have the latter five days a week, and the ration is ill-proportioned ; that of salt pork, for instance, not being enough, while the allowance of rice and peas is rather more than sufficient. The pork ration weighs only nine ounces and one-seventh, and when boiled scarcely exceeds four ounces and a half, which is rather a limited portion for a grenadier of six feet ; still I am no advocate for strong animal food in any climate, much less in a hot one. The troops in the West Indies labour under a serious inconvenience by invalids being sent home only o>ice a year ; many soldiers in consequence fall victims to the climate, whose lives might have been saved by a timely removal, and the trifling addi- tional expense would be an infinitely less public loss than is at present incurred by the sacrifice of so many valuable lives. It would likewise greatly diminish the list of pensioners, as many men who are invalided at Chatham as unfit for further ser- vice, would, if sent home at an early stage of their complaints, recover at their respective depots, and again become effective soldiers. Our service la- i MILITARY COSTUME. 263 it being ( more a military soldiers of fresh I, which lirst ; at a week, of salt hile the )re than le ounces exceeds k limited I am no climate, under a jnt home lence fall lave been ng addi- ss public crifice of e greatly men who ther ser- e of tlieir pots, and jrvice la- bours under great inconvenience at present, from the outcry there is for retrenchment on the part of civilians, and mistaken economists; they display grant ignorance of military matters, as is natural to be b apposed, call aloud for a reduction of the army, and to substitute a militia for the regulars. How can reliefs be effected among so many colonies, unless with a considerable standing force? and what English militia would serve under the burn- ing sun of Jamaica, or would relish looking over a rampart for ten years at Gibraltar ? The war department is most solicitous to pro- mote the comfort and efficiency of the troops, but it is hampered by the pseudo political eco- nomists. Considerable attention ought always to be paid to military dress ; though some old officers are indifferent to it, yet, really, the efficiency of a soldier depends much on his costume. I am the better enabled to suggest certain points to be attended to in military appointments, from having had the good fortune to have seen most standing armies. I have always remarked that the forage-cap m ill-adapted for the tropics ; it neither protects the eyes nor head from the effects of a scorching sun, and there can be little doubt that it tends to aug- ment the number of ophthalmia cases, headaches, fever, &c. The crown between the tropics ought to have cotton two inches in thickness in it — a peak invariably ; and two white duck covers ought to be fiirnished to each man. The officers' dress i t t : ' 1 1 S64 UNDER VESTS. caps are equally objectionable, from their extreme weight, and their exposing the back of the head. Some officers cannot wear them an hour without suffering for the remainder of the day. The only people who can benefit by them, are those who derive an exorbitant profit on their sale. One thing is evident, that the same dress will not an- swer for all climates, either for the military or civilians. The use of elastic cotton, or flannel under-waist- coats, is a point which claims the serious attention of the medical officers. It would probably be better if the men wore none, than only to have two under- vests as at present — for if they get wet while one is " at wash," they have then no means of change, and become more liable to take cold than those who never use them. They should either have three each, or none ; and it is of course question- able, whether a soldier whose constitution obliges him to wear flannel can be considered efficient in the field, where it would be impracticable for him to convey the number requisite to insure a change. There is another point which it may be, perhaps, as well to mention, and which would contribute greatly to the comfort, and in some instances to the health of the troops. I allude to the expe- diency of having both officers and men thoroughly Jrilled at home, instead of allowing either the one or the other to join the service companies before they have acquired a competent knowledge of their DRILLING RECOMMENDED. 265 nsure a duty. This particularly applies to field officers and captains, on whom the command of a regi- ment, wing, or other portion, is likely to devolve. Whenever a commanding officer is himself igno- rant of the minutiae of drill, those under him are sure to be unnecessarily harassed for his instruc- tion ; and it is well known from experience, that when any extraordinary degree of drilling is in progress between the tropics, the hospitals fill in proportion. Such a circumstance, whenever it occurs, also leads to a relaxation rather than an improvement in the discipline of the corps, for the men being aware that the instructor is un- able to discover their errors, soon acquire loose and slovenly habits under arms, and lose all con- fidence in him. In fact, long and useless parades, and unnecessary exposure of the men, either to sun or rain, or to drilling on wet grass, ought to be prevented. If a corps be in a good state of discipline when it embarks for foreign service, and every individual who may subsequently have to join it be Jirst made thoroughly acquainted with his duty, very little drilling would be required to maintain it in the highest order. It is with reluctance I mention it, but a sense of duty compels me to observe, that in one or two of the West India islands, the officers were allowed to appear on all occasions, and in all situations off duty, in sailors jackets, round hats, &c.; and this at a time when a slave insurrection :J 266 FRENCH FORCE. ir 'v t r It was dreaded, and the commandant habitually sat in his room with a brace of pistols on the table. The military force in the French islands of Mar- tinique and Guadaloupe amounts to seven thou- sand men. In all the British West India islands, in British Guiana, and Honduras, there are only eight thousand five hundred. Now, the French force is so disproportionate to ours, that, in the event of a sudden war, unless our fortresses were in good state for defence, our small garrisons would be overpowered in succession if the French were to act en masse against them ; let us not then hear any more nonsense talked about our large and useless force in the West. We have laboured to show that these colonies are very valuable, they therefore ought to be defended against foreign foes and negro insurrection ; every military man knows and feels to his cost, that for such a mighty colo- nial empire as that of Great Britain, our army is much too small, and having our country's glory and honour at heart, we only trust and pray that it may not be further reduced. To civilians unacquainted with colonial service, and the many local inconveniences under which the troops labour, the foregoing remarks may ap- pear trivial and undeserving of notice ; but mili- tary men who have had ai! opportunity of per- sonally observing the life of a soldier between the tropics, will perhaps be impressed with very different feelings. I confess* I have written very unreservedly, and perhaps injudiciously, consider- ll •■'. ii !| CONCLUSION. 267 ing my rank and standing in the service to which I have devoted myself; and perhaps I may be accused of vanity or presumption. I do not in- tend either, and shall only add, that if from any of the observations which I have just made on military matters the comfort ^f the British soldier be increased, it will afford me much and lasting gratification. it •I !i i J \ i li fjiRf Sit>8 M CHAPTER XVII. Leave Grenada. — Sail past the Grenadines. — Evening at Sea. — St. Vincent's. — Fort Charlotte. — Kingstown. — Visit the Ci- tadel. — The Governor. — Botanical Garden. — Marooning par- ties. — Dangers attending them. — The SoufFriere Mountain. — The eruption of 1812. — Earthquakes and showers of ashes. —Bursting of the lava. — Manner of visiting the SoufFriere. — Canoes. — A Tarpeian Rock. — The charming Valley of Buc- cament. — The Wallibon River. — The road up the Mountain. — Scene of desolation. — The great Crater. — The Lake.— Thermometrical Observations. — Distant view of the Charib couhi'-y. — The Charib war. — King Daniel. — The New Crater. — The perilous Descent to the Lake. — Sensations in the water. — Ascent. — Gusts of Wind. — Meteorology. On a squally night I embarked in a mail schooner, commanded by Captain MofFat, R.N., and after tripping our anchor, and sheeting home our top-sails, we stood away to the north-west ; all next day we had baffling winds, but had an opportunity of seeing the Grenadines extending between Grenada and St. Vincent's. These small islands produce sugar and cotton; and the slaves rapidly increase upon them, for, as they consist commonly of only one estate each, the negroes have not a plurality of wives, as on other islands where concubinage is so prevalent. We saw St. Vincent's towering in the distance as the ^un set in majesty, and then the stars came out )g at Sea. isit the Ci- )oning par- Mountain. s of ashes, (uffriere. — I [0 eyofBuc- " -^^ Mountain, e Lake.— the Charib ew Crater, ons in the ichooner, nd after top-sails, t day we of seeing ada and ice sugar ase upon only one irality of age is so stance as came out ^ •^ 'v; ^ 1 I 'n \ ; Mil ■m EVENING AT SEA. 269 clear and sparkling in the azure sky. Few quiet pleasures can be compared to that of reclining on the deck of a vessel, and contemplating the glorious constellations flashirg in glory in the heavens, and the gently heaving sea under the influence of a balmy breeze, between the tropics ; one is soothed and refreshed by the scene and the temperature, and it is impossible to go below and repose in the dark cabin. If the dews are not heavy, and the vessel is at some distance from shore, one may sleep on deck with perfect impunity ; many hundred delicious dreams I have had on a hen-coop, disturbed only occasionally by a few rain drops on the face, and the rushing of many feet to take in sail, preparatory to the coming squall. " She bends before its force, And dips her lee-side low beneath the waves ; Straight o'er the sea she flies, as when a hawk Darts on a dove, and with a motionless wing Cuts the light yielding air." Next day we stood towards St. Vincent's, and saw the great Souffriere, or volcano, casting its shadow over the waves on the north-west of the island ; we tacked to and from the shore, and had splendid views of the island scenery. If Grenada is lovely, St. Vincent's is sublime in its character; the hills of the former are rounded .» (ueir outline, while those of the latter are sharp r ^ abrupt, and deep valleys are bounded by steep precipices. We passed under the guns of Fort Charlotte, on a lofty hill, with a conspicuous drawbridge across : > ■ » 270 KINGSTOWN— FORT CHARLOTTE. '. I ! ■ ( ■ 1 ft F mkM a ravine; here a major had lately been shot by one of his men as he was returning from a party. Then opened the town of Kingstown, built rcund a wide bay, with country-houses rising behind the streets, among which was the house of the Governor, in a garden ; but the most conspicuous object was a church, with a taper spire ; in the back ground was a chain of lofty mountains. We came to an anchor, and ran our boat on shore on a pier-less and wharf-less beach, and were obliged to watch the receding waves to land dry. I took up my residence with Mr. Le Gall, in a cool and pleasant house, washed by the Atlantic. Mounting a horse, I rode through the town, and passed a market filled with negroes in holiday clothes, trafficking and chattering at a great rate, and then passed up a very steep road to Fort Charlotte ; here was stationed a wing of the 19th, under Colonel Hardy. So precipitous is the hill on which this handsome fort is built, that in looking from the mess-room windows, the sea is seen per- pendicularly below, with the island of Becquia and the Grenadines in the distance, and Old Woman's Point forming the opposite horn of the Bay of Kingstown. I inspected a valuable collection of island shells and a handsome library, the property of Major Dickson, of the P.oyal Engineers, and then de- scended the hill, and rode up a valley towards the Governor's residence ; on the left, in a confined situation, where no fresh breeze could blow, were BOTANICAL GARDEN. 871 jrovernor. the remains of the old French stone barracks, where many victims had succumbed to the climate. We found ourselves in the botanic garden, a most interesting spot, but sadly neglected since the death of Mr. Anderson, who formed it ; still, though choked with rank weeds, I remarked many rare plants, and fruits, and flowers, in wild luxuriance. We dismounted at a long single-storied cottage, and paid our devoirs to Sir George Hill. Though an elderly gentleman, he has had no cause to com- plain of the climate of St. Vincent's ; yet his Excel- lency seemed puzzled to account for my visiting the Antilles voluntarily, and risking my health. I explained that since I lived strictly by rule, I con- sidered myself free to roam wheresoever I listed. After receiving an invitation to spend a day with Sir George, I took leave. My stay in St. Vincent*s was short, which 1 1 \ch regret, for I consider it the most interesting isiand I have ever seen ; in point of scenery, its character is awfully sublime, and well calculated to withdraw the mind from trifling sublunary pursuits to the contemplation of the founder of the everlasting hills. No island affords such excellent opportunities for marooning parties, or pleasure excursions, as St. Vincent's. The officers stationed here, if they please, may be engaged in one of these every week during the favourable season, for the planters and merchants delight in pic-nics, and they have always been patronized both by Governors Hill and Bris- bane. True, they are rather dangerous for those i' i! !• 272 DANGERS OF MAROONING PARTIES. ! ■ ij 'i. ^ t '1 ! 1 1 i ii' : • : ' i • ' ' 1 i iiiiiiiit who have left a dulcineo in England, or wish to preserve a whole heart ; for enjoying a pleasant repast in a tent pitched in a rural spot beneath lofty trees, lively conversation without formality, sparkling wine and sparkling eyes, an evening's ramble by the flowery bank of a clear and murmur- ing stream, with o fair and light-hearted creole under one's arm ; now admiring the distant moun- tains, or the wide expanse of the Atlantic, and then reciprocating glances of satisfaction at the scene, and pleased with one another ; he must be cold indeed, or extremely philosophical, who can long resist such seductions. As Enat Oolla has it, " the heart becomes entangled in the snare of her dark tresses, and the bird of the soul becomes a captive in the net of her glossy ringlets." Conspicuous among the majestic mountains of St. Vincent's, is the Souffriere, occupying the north- west point of the island. This celebrated volcano is the grandest scene in the West Indies. The lofty summit is only to be seen at intervals between the rolling clouds, and the sides are furrowed with streams of lava. Before the last eruption in 1812, the great cra- ter, five hundred feet in depth, and three miles in circumference, contained within it a conical hill, streaked beautifully with sulphur, like a tulip, and covered with shrubs and flowers, amongst which rare birds " warbled their wood-notes wild." On the 27th of April 1812, after many violent convulsive throes, columns of smoke ascended from THE SOU IF IMF- UK MOUNTAIN. 273 the mountain ; these were followed by showers of light pebbles and dust, which covered the vege- tation on the hills and valleys around. On the 30th, earthquakes shook the solid earth ; smoke and showers of ashes were thrown up rapidly and portentously from the mountain, indicating some direful event; and all the whites, Charibs, and negroes fled from the vicinity of the mountain. After a great roaring and agitation in the Souf- friere, the hot lava boiled up to the mouth of the crater, overflowed, and ran down the sides of the mountain, destroyed the vegetation, and covered the surrounding country with streams of melted rocks : all this while the earth heaved in agony, the thunder pealed about the dread summit of the SoufFriere, and forked lightning flashed round its burning sides. It was a dreadful night ! The showers of stones, sand, and ashes, fell over the whole island, and were even carried to some of the neighbouring colonies. After a week's agi- tation the mountain became still ; then nought was heard " but the murmur of the torrent from afar ; the roaring waves which climbed the distant rocks ; the flies of evening on their feeble wings, and the hum of their course on the field." In order to visit the Souffriere, let the traveller embark at Kingston in a canoe, manned by half a dozen stout negroes. The island canoes are hol- lowed out of cedar trees, raised on the sides with planking, and may be pulled at the rate of seven or eight miles an hour. The proprietors on the VOL. I. T , I ! !l f \ ' m 274 VALLEY OF BUCCAMENT. coast allow their negroes to go to market in these canoes, and they sometimes come a distance of thirty miles. In pulling round to the north-west, a high per- pendicular rock, washed by the sea, is pointed out, from whence the Charibs are said to have hurled their criminals, as the Romans did theirs from the Tarpeian. Whilst passing close under this preci- pitous clifF, it is difficult to repress a shudder, on imagining to oneself the number of victims whose frantic shrieks have rent the air when dashed from the dizzy height into the gulf below. During the war, cannon were hauled up at this place from vessels which could come alongside ; and a fort is seen on another commanding eminence. Though the coast is very bold, yet on every prac- ticable spot are seen plantations Oi' canes, and one or two villages ; but of all the valleys I ever saw, I think that of Buccament bears away the palm, and might dispute it with the happy and secluded vale of Rasselas. In one respect, it is far superior to the retreat of the Prince of Abyssinia ; it is open to the sea, overhanging mountains formed the sides, from which rivulets descended, watering the vege- tation. " The banks of the brooks were diversified with flowers ; every plant shook spices from the rocks, and every month dropped fruits upon the ground." Precipices of bare rock alternated with the verdure, and down the vale ran a clear and rapid river, abounding in mullet. The valley is five miles long, shut in with a mountain at the up- VVALLIBON KIVKR. 275 in these ance of igh per- iled out, 3 hurled from the is preci- dder, on ms whose hed from iring the ace from I a fort is very prac- , and one ver saw, I palm, and uded vale iiperior to is open to the sides, the vege- diversified from the upon the nated with clear and e valley is at the up- per end; and is a mile in width, where the river pours into the Atlantic. Altogether, " it forms a most luxuriant picture of cultivation, contrasted with romantic views, and is wholly secluded from the world." On viewing this enchanting scene from the sea, these lines were recalled to memory, and I participated in the feeling which suggested them. " Let me, where yon tall cliffs are rudely piled, Where towers the palm amidst the mountain trees, Where pendent from the steep, with graces wild, The blue liania floats upon the breeze. Still haunt those bold recesses, Nature's child. Where thy majestic charms my spirit seize." Cumberland Bay is next passed, wooded to the water's edge, and here, landing at Richmond estate, on the Wallibon river, the manager's house is reached^ looking down from an eminence on an- other charming valley. At the mouth of the Wallibon river, from whence the sketch of the Souffriere, six miles dis- tant, was made by my friend Mr. George Parker, there is a broad expanse covered with black sand and ashes. The river was larger before the erup- tion, but now varies in size according to the heavi- ness of the rains. This desolate waste was once a green sward, with the proprietor's house in the centre of it, immediately behind which were the buildings ; of these there remains only the side of the boiling house. The desolation was caused some time after the eruption, by the bursting of the river, carrying along with it immense quantities T 2 I !l 'i TTf yw 1 1 276 SCENE OF DESOLATION. of sand and ashes with which it was dammed up. On the left of the picture is a bay, and the perpen- dicular cliffs are composed apparently of black ashes, which are washed away when the sea is raised by storms. Leaving the manager's house, the road to the SoufFriere passes through cane fields, and a thick- et of long grass and ferns which reach over a horse's back ; the path then can hardly be seen, and seems to be on a narrow ridge, on each side of which is a precipice, that to the west being the most terrific. The danger here is considerable from the difficulty of keeping the path ; the shrubs are so thick, the ferns so tough, that they can hardly be broken through, and the grass is sharp and cutting; the ascent is gradual. Six large trees, half way to the volcano, afford a shade under which to refresh, and to admire the graceful forms of the tree ferns scattered here and there. For some distance beyond the resting-place the path continues intricate as before, and then the cra- ter ridge is reached. This is more thinly sprinkled with trees; itill, towards the summit, it is quite bare, and furrowed with the traces of the mountain tor- rents and of lava, whilst sand and ashes are under- foot. To the south is a mountain, which seems to overhang the traveller ; it is richly covered to the top with tufted foliage, which forms a contrast to the scene on the north ; there desolation seems to have marked it as its own ; the destructive agency of fire has annihilated the vegetation and GREAT CRATER AND LAKE. 277 left nothing but a bare, barren, and blackened mass of rocks. Here might the naturalist pitch his tent and watch the vegetation improving as we descend the mountain, lichens, mosses, grasses, shrubs, and trees. There is a convenient nook for leaving the horses, and then, on walking forwards twenty yards probably, a mighty cloud of vapour will be seen ; it fills the crater to the brim, gradually clears off, and the whole majesty of the scene is unfolded. Instinctively the gazer recoils from the abyss beneath his feet, and his senses are wrapt in amazement, for he sees before him one of the most awful scenes in nature ; the sides of the mighty goblet with a lake at the bottom, are themselves mountains — here descending in a per- pendicular wall to the water, and there inclining at an angle of 45° : distinctly marked on the sides of the cauldron is the height of the water of the lake at different times, the variation of which takes place doubtless from rain and eva- poration. According to my very intelligent informant, Mr. John Tinney, of Liverpool, the eastern lip of the crater is three thousand five hundred feet above the level of the sea, and there also the depth from the lip to the surface of the lake in the crater is five hundred feet, the circumferen o of the caul- dron at the top is about three miles : a cold mist commonly rests on the surface of the green, slimy, and unfathomable water at the bottom ; and so hor- 11 278 VIEW or THE CI1AUI13 COUNTRY. rible is the scene, that one almost expects to see the fiend rise " on ebon wing" from the surface of the dreary lake. In a countr)' where the mean fall of rain exceeds one hundred inches, a funnel one mile in diameter must collect a great quantity of water ; and, owing to the dense fogs and the lower temperature at the summit of the SoufFriere, the evaporation is much less than in the plain, while the fall of rain is greater. The three peaks to the north of the crater are all of the same height nearly, that is, four thousand feet above the sea. On one of these Mr. Charles Parker, of Liverpool, a gentleman of consider- able scientific acquirements, observed the thermo- meter at forty-five minutes past two, p. m. on the 31st of July 1824, when clear, to stand at 69° ; and when hazy, at 70" ; whilst about noon, in the plain, it indicated 82° of heat. From the SoufFriere, when the day is clear, an extensive view may be had of that wild region, the Charib country, now occupied by a mere handful of red Indians ; formerly, there were black as well as red Charibs in St. Vincent's, the former supposed to be sprung from the survivors of a wrecked slave-ship. In 1794 the black Charibs revolted against the authority of the English, and with the assistance of the French, maintained for two years a desperate struggle with our troops, (among other regiments engaged, was the 42nd) till that doughty knight, Sir Ralph Abercromby, KING DANIEL. 279 Anally subdued them — they ware then removed to Rattan Island. A sketch of the war is to be met with in the pleasant work of Mr. F. W. N. Bailey, entitled " Four Years in the West Indies." The red Charibs who now remain in St. Vin- cent's, are in number one thousand, including both sexes ; they are an idle and luxurious race, live in comfortable huts, cultivate their provision-grounds, and barter fish and curious baskets for rum. Some time ago they had a king, or chief, called Daniel, a venerable patriarch, who had a harem of five wives ; he was short and thin, with an olive complexion, prominent nose, straight hair, and wild fiery eyes — perhaps his majesty is still alive. In walking along the brink of the crater it is necessary to clamber over ridges covered with slippery moss, on a loose soil, without a shrub to hold by, and a false step will send the adven- turer rolling down into the Souffriere. After a mile and a half (or half way round) is accom- plished, the new crater is seen ; it lies to the south- east of the other, and if the mist is thick and a breeze blowing, as is often the case, it is necessary to crawl forwards on hands and knees, otherwise it is impossible to avoid a fatal accident whilst look- ing into the lesser crater. The two craters are separated only by a narrow ridge, or saddle, which, though apparently impass- able, a sailor once succeeded in crossing. The new crater is more of an abyss than its neighbour, its sides are more rugged and frightful, but it is .1 1280 PERILOUS DESCENT TO THE LAKE. i II' i: S. much smaller at bottom, where is a mass of black ashes and sand, and a little water of a red clayey hue ; sometimes it is quite dry. When the force of the last eruption was beginning to subside, these ashes must have fallen back into the crater again. It was not known till some time after that a new crater had been formed. The earthquakes are sup- posed to have ceased on its formation, by the free vent which was then given to the fused matter in the bowels of the earth. It is possible, but it is a perilous enterprise, to descend to the surface of the lake in the great crater. It is necessary to slip down rocks and gul- leys, having only small projecting stones, roots of grass, and shrubs to hold by and to stand upon. A few small plants are beginning to make their ap- pearance, but what are they to the rich scene which was presented in the time of the historian of the West Indies, Edwards, when also the sweet notes of a bird were heard, now no longer known ? The rapid descent occupies about twenty mi- nutes, and then there is a small promontory which juts out a few yards into the water. Here two friends stripped, ?,iid determined to bathe in the appalling lake, with its slimy water of unfa- thomable depth ; they plunged into the abyss, but nothing could equal the sensations which over- whelmed them on finding themselves in the water, and on looking up and around them ; the green and brackish water chilled their bones, and a feel- ■ n<, SENSATION IN THE WATER. 281 ing of horror came over them, when they consi- dered they were in a vast and deep cauldron en- closed with black and steep rocks, and over head the sky. It seemed as if they were about to be swallowed up, and they were not long in regainLig the land ; their ascent was difficult and slow, and often they thought of giving up the attempt through fatigue. Diverging from the proper path, which increased the danger, and turning to the right, they were stopped by a gulley ; then to the left they clambered over ridges of sand, and along shelving rocks ; but at last reached the top in safety, having performed a feat which none ever before attempted. It is curious to observe a gust of wind whirling down into the crater ; it is observed by the mist descending upon the water, which is twisted and tossed up into the air to some height. At Langley Park, eight hundred and fifty feet above the level of the sea, and below the Souffiiere there fell, in 1822, 120.14 inches of rain. |l ' if There were dry days - - - 104 Wet do. - 261 365 Floods ^ . - 40 Thunder showers - - - 60 100 282 CONCLUSION. This, then, is a sketch of one of the most inter- esting mountains in the world ; at present it shows no symptoms of again vomiting forth its destruc- tive lava, but the day may not be far distant when it will again send out its waving and admonitory pyramids of smoke, and be shaken with earth- quakes. 1 )f| i 'bh i - l^E ' ; 1 ' '1 :■! ( , sl: .■ ->.t:','. ' m 283 st inter- it shows destruc- mt when nonitory h earth- CHAPTER XVIII. Sail in His Majesty's brig Reindeer for Jamaica. — Our Passengers. — High Dignitaries lightly spoken of. — Resusci- tation of a -ying-fish. — A gallant Breeze. — St. Domingo.— The Blue Mountains of Jamaica. — Anchor off Port Royal. — The great Earthquake. — A Musquito Fleet. — Pleasure of Canoe-sailing. — The streets of Kingston. — The Commander of the Forces. — Jeremiads. — An Anti-slavery Newspaper. — Incendiaries. — Small-pox. — British and American merchant- men compared. — Bribery of Custom-house Officers. — British men-of-war in the Antilles. — An accommodating Store- keeper. — The Barracks at Up Park Camp. — A Military Funeral. — Effects on the Living. — The seasoning fever. — The Yellow Fever not a contagious Disease. — Dr. Pinckard. — The Yaws and Cra-cra. — Draining of Swamps neglected. — Treat- ment of Yellow Fever. — Public Buildings in Kingston. — • Markets and Hospitals. — The Native School. — Thoughts on Education. — Excursion to the Mountains. — The great La- goon. — A Coffee Estate. — The Battle of the Bats. — View from the Mountains of Liguanea. — Spanish Town. — Lord Belmore. — An Antiquary put to flight. — The order of Travellers. One afternoon, when I was hesitating whether to go or stay some days longer in St. Vincent's, with which I was quite fascinated. His Majesty's packet brig Reindeer appeared round Old Woman's Point, stood across the bay, backed her fore-top sail, and sent a boat on shore with the mails. She was pro- ceeding direct to Jamaica ; such an opportunity was not to be lost, so I took a passage in her, shipped f ^^hT u i ] :i i T •1 i ^1 » ' H . f * ■ 1 * 284 I'ASSENOEKS IN THE IlKINDEEK. myself and baggage at half an hour's notice, and we stood away into the Caribbean Sea. Lieutenant Dickens, R.N. our commander, was a smart ofHcer and a perfect gentleman, so we had a pleasant time of it. Other passengers we had — two ladies and two gentlemen ; one of these last was a youngster who had just been " cut adrift from his mother's apron-string." Many were the tricks played upon him. In crossing the Tropic the sailors proceeded to duck the greenhorns ; our youth barricaded himself in his cabin, and swore he would complain to the Admiralty if they attempted to ill-use him. " Complain to the Admiralty!" said a great hairy fellow of a boatswain's mate ; " by George ! we would souse the Lords o' the Admiralty themselves, if they were here, in a couple of shakes — I 'm d — d if we wouldn't." A flying-fish came in at a port one morning, and young master greedily caught up the curiosity and put it in his basin, thinking to bring it alive again ; a mischievous dog watched when he went on deck, and laid it on his bed : he turned in to take his afternoon's siesta, and on getting up he made a great outcry on finding the fish smashed under him ; but he was pacified and consoled when told that his experiment had succeeded, the fish had come to life and had flown out of the basin into his bed ! Our packet had the usual defects of the old ten- gun brigs ; very crank, no breadth of beam, low between decks, and small hot lerths; but as we ST. DOMINGO — POINT MOKANT. 285 I, antl we ider, was , so we igers we of these ;ut adrift were the B Tropic rns ; our swore he ttempted miralty !" 's mate ; Is o' the re, in a wouldn't." ling, and osity and i^e again ; on deck, take his ) made a ed under i^hen told fish had asin into 3 old ten- eam, low mt as we had eight and mine-knot breezes, clear skies, and a lively sea sparkling in the sun or moon beams, we bowled along gaily, with light hearts and elastic spirits. The usual temperature of the air was eighty-three, md that of the sea eighty-two in the month of Jujjy. After a week's run we sighted afar off the dim outline of part of St. Domingo, and then the lofty mountains near Point Morant, the eastern cape of Jamaica. It was a magnificent scene, this part of the island ; the Blue Mountains, eight thousand feet high, towered above a stratum of clouds, and the rugged hills below them were furrowed by ravines ; we could see no level land, but the steep cliffs descended abruptly into the sea, on which were one or two small coasting-vessels. As we approached nearer, we observed that the hills were not altogether barren, black forests were upon their sides, and patches of bright emerald green, and white houses, were seen as we ran along the south coast toward? Port Royal. From Fort Nugent, conspicuous under a steep hill, to Port Royal, there is a narrow spit of land, called the Palisades, composed of sand overgrown with mangroves, studded with grave-stones, and having a conspicuous pirate's gallows upon it. Behind this is the harbour of the capital ; and Kingston itself was seen on an extended plain, and, somewhat after the manner of Port of Spain, was encircled with mountains. We stood close in shore, and saw coral banks quite close to us, over which .1 i S8€ PORT ROYAL. *i!ff III i B \ I'M .': ill an angry current swept ; we rounded to under the guns at Fort Point, almost touching them with our lower studding-sail boom ; our canvass was quickly taken in, and we dropped anchor among a squadron of men-of-war. Among other vessels was the Cham- pion, eighteen, in which I had returned from Burma five years before. The present town of Port Royal, opposite to which we lay, is now reduced to three or four streets and a few lanes ; at times there is consider- able bustle here, for it contains the navy-yard for heaving down and refitting men-of-war, also bar- racks and an hospital. Old Port Royal, which rose by piracy and the slave-trade to be one of the wealthiest cities in the New World, was built on a sandy stratum which rested on a rock; a dreadful earthquake shook it with its inhabitants into the sea, and our anchor lay among the ruins, which may be seen under the wave in a clear day. " The earth below Gushed out in fire, and from the brazen sky, , And from the boiling seas such wrath did flow, As saw not Shinar's plain or Babel's overthrow." We had hardly come to an anchor when we saw a musquito fleet of wherries and schooner-rigged canoes bearing down upon us from Kingston, dis- tant seven miles ; the negro crews boarded us, and then came the " tug of war" as to who should have the honour and profit of conveying us to the capital. I placed my baggage in a canoe, and stood away up the harbour ; but I believe there TOWN OF KINGSTON. 287 mder tlie with our s quickly squadron le Cham- m Burma posite to 1 or four consider- -yard for also bar- il, which >e one of was built rock; a habitants ;he ruins, ear day. w, )W." in we saw er-rigged ston, dis- d us, and mid have IS to the moe, and eve there was more danger in this short run than on several voyages across the Atlantic. The canoe carried a heavy press of sail, the sea washed into us — the sea-breeze was very strong — the crew belayed the sheet, negro fashion, and the gaf top-sail fins of blue sharks might be seen cutting the wave near us; the hands sat on the weather-gunwale, and after several heavy lurches we " brought up" at a wooden wharf in Kingston. In walking through the long, straight, dusty, and hot streets of Lower Kingston, I remarked that the houses were two-storied, with verandahs " aloft and aiow," and numerous stores, on the doors of which was written in chalk, " Oats on sale, herrings, &c." to show that fresh supplies had just arrived. A crowd of negro boys ran past, dragging along by a string, with great shouting and cruelty, an un- fortunate guana ; it turned and gaped at them like a young crocodile, when the cowards took to their heels. I took shelter from the heat (90°) and stifling dust in the comfortable lodgings of Madam Sabut, who had two buxom and lively daughters. I donned my uniform, and waited on Sir Wil- loughby Cotton, the Commander of the Forces. The General's house (as well as many others in the upper part of the city) was spacious and well aired, the rooms were large and lofty, in the Ma- dras style, and there were pleasant gardens outside. An old friend. Captain Finnucane, Assistant-Mili- tary-Secretary, started back when he saw me, as if I had been an apparition ; and I need not say that 288 ANTI-SLAVRRY NEWSPAPER. ;) I was most hospitably entertained by the General, who for years had moved in the gay circle at Carlton Palace. In wandering among the West Indian islands last summer, it was truly painful and distressing to hear the desponding tones of the planters and merchants. I deeply sympathised with them, for they did not complain without very good reason ; still I felt my own spirits sink with being con- tinually in the house of lamentation, and hearing constantly jeremiads. Thus I went into a store in Kingston, belonging to one of the most respectable merchants of the place ; he said, " We were lately in a thriving way, but the crisis which we long dreaded is now come. I would willingly stay here, but incendiaries set the town on fire every week — they can't be detected ; and then again the saints at home have established the Watchman Anti-Sla- very newspaper ; it has not fifty subscribers in the colony, and to conduct and publish such a paper requires £2000 per annum, so that it must be supported by our kind friends at home who seek our ruin : now if we merchants, who mainly support the planters, leave the colony for the United States, the planters* state will be bad indeed." I afterwards saw the Mayor, and he said he had just offered £1000 currency and freedom to any slave who would inform against the incendiaries, who daily became more daring. Small-pox, too, afflicted this unfortunate city and its suburbs ; one thousand had perished in the last six weeks : I saw many funerals. i Lk General, circle at n islands iftressing nters and them, for 1 reason ; jing con- i hearing El store in ispectable ere lately we long stay here, ■y week — the saints Anti-Sla- irs in the 1 a paper must be who seek ly support ed States, lid he had m to any iaries, who 3, afflicted thousand saw many BRITISH AND AMERICAN MERCHANTMEN. 289 I strolled down to Kingston harbour, and was pleased to see the crowd of shipping, that, not- withstanding the bad times, still lay off the town. Since the opening of the trade between the British West India Islands and the United States, this year (1831), I confess that I have experienced a pain- ful sense of humiliation in witnessing in the West India ports the inferiority of the British merchant- vessels to those of the United States: the former, from a certain regulation of the custom-house, have no breadth of beam, their masts or yards are neither taunt nor square, they are abominably wall-sided, consequently are very crank, and unable to carry a press of sail, except in the most moderate weather. The American merchantmen, on the other hand, have all the qualities of a smart vessel, which the British want: true, they may not stow so much cargo in their holds, but they do not find it neces- sary to do so. \yould it cause a great loss of revenue to alter the above regulation for admea- surement of British vessels ? If our present system is persevered in, the Americans, by quick runs between port and port, will assuredly forestall us, and will continually go on injuring our trade, introducing their own manufactures, and under- selling us everywhere. Another point connected with the Customs may be here noticed. It is impossible to bribe Ame- rican custom-house officers, because they receive three dollars a day, whether employed or not on board a vessel ; at our ports, the custom-house VOL. I. u 290 MEN OF WAR IN THE ANTILLES. m h' I lUl M officers receive only 2s. 6d. when on board a vessel. In the W«st Indies they are also very inadequately paid, and when they make a seizure are not remu- nerated as they ought to be, and are often put to law expenses for their trouble. I need not state the consequences of all this. I was witness to an extensive smuggling transaction in the West Indies (not in Jamaica), where in open day a large quan- tity of French wines and liquors was landed at no great distance from the custom-house wharf with perfect impunity. I never contemplate a British man-of-war without " feeling an increased warmth circulating through my veins — the conscious pride of a Briton that, of all seamen in the world, those of Old England are pre-eminent ;" and yet, though I remarked on board our men-of-war in the West, that the men were very efficient, smart in their dress, and in a high state of discipline, and also that the condition of the rigging and decks was very creditable to all hands, I was mortified when I noticed .the manner in which the midshipmen were allowed to land with the " liberty men." What limgt people have thought when they saw officers of ships-of-war out at elbows, in green coats, and hats with part of a brim ? There is much need of reform here. At Port Royal there was no society for the naval officers; the store and billiard-table of a Frenchman, Johnny Feron by name, was the chief rendezvous. In the climate of the West Indies, some cannot get through the day without sipping a mi ACCOMMODATING STOREKEEPER. 291 a vessel, equately ot rema- in put to lot state ;ss to an st Indies •ge quan- ed at no tiarf with r without r through n that, of igland are L on board were very rh state of he rigging ids, I was which the ' liberty when they in green re is much ;y for the ;able of a the chief est Indies^ t sipping a little brandy and water ; so, after Johnny's visiters had been served, he would call out to his negro boy, " Who call for grog, Tam ?" " Don't know name, massa, little tall gentleman, tink," — " Well, put it down to all to prevent mistakes." Johnny was indifferent about marrying his three daughters to any decent man, but had no objection to dis- pose of them for a lieutenant's quarterly bill, or £27 ; he was a wonderfully accommodating cha- racter, and made " no mistakes." I visited, with Colonel Macleod, Assistant-Ad- jutant-General, Fort Nugent and Rock Fort, de- fending the pass to the east of the capital ; and then drove to the handsome and commodious bar- racks at Up Park Camp. They are seated on a sloping plain at some distance from town, and pre- sent a fine range of buildings for the men, with comfortable quarters for the officers in front ; be- hind them, at some distance, are the noble mountain ranges, ridge above ridge, rising into the clouds; on the grassy plain there was scattered wood, and in the centre in front of the barracks there was a solitary silk-cotton-tree, of venerable age, and paved round, on which the band play in the even- ing in fine weather. The Colonel pointed out a clear stream which ran past the barracks, and which filled one of the largest and best swimming- baths I ever saw, judiciously planned and perfected by Sir John Keane ; seeing all this, and the open airy situation of the barracks, I said, " Surely there can be no disease here ?" when the wailing notes of V 2 i \\ 292 MILITARY FUNERAL. t I ■it f, i 1 the Dead March in Saul^ and the heavy tread of soldiers with muskets reversed, accompanying an Assistant Surgeon of the 33rd regiment to the tomb, after a fatal attack of yellow fever, soon con- vinced me of the contrary. At the foot of the mountains in rear of the barracks, there are some pestilential swamps, which ought to be surveyed, and drained without delay. A military funeral at all times, with " its slow music and solemn parade," is an awfully impressive scene: — in this instance it was doubly so, for the victim of the relentless destroyer had braved, for several years, the climate of Sierra Leone and Cape Coast, and, thinking himself perfectly safe in Jamaica, had imprudently exposed himself in the discharge of his duties, and died after a residence of only six weeks in the colony. In hot climates, where the body is more predis- posed to disease than in temperate climes, on witnessing the warlike honours paid to a deceased comrade, and hearing the " thrice-volleyed fare- well," gloomy apprehensions, often attended with fatal consequences, are apt to occupy the minds of the beholder. As the poor doctor's mortal remains were carried past the guard, I observed the men turn out, and gaze on the heart-moving procession with looks of despondency : — " And what," thought I, " must be the feelings of the sick in hospital, on hearing the muffled drums and the muskets at the grave, when those in health are so affected by the ceremonial ?" Soldiers ought r ot to be deprived THE SEASONING iEVER. 29^ tread of lying an t to the lOon con- t of the are some surveyed, f its slow mpressive ), for the aved, for eone and tly safe in elf in the residence re predis- imes, on 1 deceased jyed fare- ided with 2 minds of al remains I the men procession ;," thought jspital, on kets at the ted by the 3 deprived of the usual honourable obsequies of their calling ; but between the Tropics let the procession be con- ducted in a different manner, and move by a retired road to the final resting-place. Most Europeans who visit the West Iiidies have an attack of seasoning fever, and it depends on their constitution and previous habits whether the attack is a severe one or not. This fever is the usual bilious one of Tropical climates, and is either intermittent, remittent, or continued — the latter is the true yellow fever. It may be taken as a gene- ral rule, that since nature has fitted man for living lu all climates, it depends generally on a person's own precautions whether he escapes disease or not. In some situations, all precautions are unavailing — with our greatest care we are attacked by severe 11. lady ; but, in general, the source of our health and happiness is at our own command. Creoles and negroes are subject to intermittent fever ; Europeans, who have resided some time in the West Indies, are commonly attacked with fever in the remittent form; whilst the healthiest and the strongest of the new comers are subject to the continued or yellow fever. Of late years, however, yellow fever in its most malignant form has not been prevalent in the British West India Islands. To prove that the yellow fever is not a contagious disease, creolised or acclimated inhabitants of the Antilles are very seldom attacked by it. Though strangers arc liable to be seized by the endemic, yet, whether the yellow fever be contagious or not. f.:t- 1 f-^'-'T^ ill' If i , f pi ; Jl:;i: ; 1 ■ f, f f ■■■ '^^ i .: i 1 - i i ll ,;,; .if ;. -i ■ ijIkiiM 294 THE WS AND CKA-CllA. it is decidedly imprudent to approach a patient too nearly, whilst labouring under it ; and from some experience of the cholera in India, and the plague in Turkey, I may say the same of these insatiate devourers. Dr. Pinckard, in his excellent notes on the West Indies, remarks, that it is not a law of contagion to make its attack upon the most robust and vigorous people ; more commonly it assails those of tender fibre as, — for example, were any given number of strong, healthy men, and the same number of children, to be exposed at the same time to the influence of the contagion of small-pox, measles, or scarlatina, com- mon observation informs us that the children would be found to be most susceptible of the impression, and attacked in the greatest number. But the very reverse of this would be the case, were they to be exposed in a similar manner to the cause producing the yellow fever — the men would be found to be the most susceptible, and a greater proportion of them would fall victims to the disease. There is no doubt of the yaws and cra-cra (glan- dular and cutaneous diseases) being contagious dis- orders ; but these are principally confined to the negroes, and arise from impure living. The season in which yellow fever is most preva- lent is at the decline of the wet season of the year. Whilst there is constant rain, or constant sunshine, there is little of this disease. Newly cleared land, damp situations, and particularly salt marshes, or the mouths of rivers, generate yellow fever, — mias- DRAINING NEULliCTED. 295 tient too )m some e plague insatiate ;he West tagion to vigorous ider fibre >f strong, Idren, to iCe of the ina, com- en would ipression, the very ley to be roducing tid to be ortion of ra (glan- 'ious dis- ;d to the st preva- the year, sunshine, red land, irshes, or — mias- ma, or an unwholesome exhalation from decayed '..getable substances, causing it to attack indivi- duals whose fibres are not sufficiently relaxed for a hot climate. I had occasion to remark before, that it is lament- able to see how careless Europeans are in the West Indies of the soil near their towns. For the conve- nience of commerce, a town will be built near a deadly swamp ; and if any one thinks it worth while to drain the marsh, and convert it into sugar-fields, the town will be healthy ; if not, fevers are conti- nually prevalent. The mad pursuit of wealth ren- ders health quite a secondary consideration ampng nations calling themselves civilized. The yellow fever is always attended with a de- rangement of the biliary system, and, consequently, the liver is affected. Bilious vomiting is a usual symptom, (hence the Spanish name of the disease " el vomito negro,") then yellowness of the skin and eyes in the last stage. Form-^rly the yellow fever was treated in the jsame way as the remittent, by the copious use of bark ; but this has been found to be quite fallacious. Mercury, blood-letting, and the bath, are very effi- cacious in the early stages ; and I heard of a Spanish doctor who v/as very successful in his treatment of the disease by administering a preparation from the juice of pine-apples. Many of the fevers of the Antilles have a pecu- liar tendency to affect the brain, and the patients, though otherwise quite sensible, meditate self- 296 PUBLIC BUILDINGS. i mUfi Hill \ fi li I ! ,1: 5 destruction. Several instances have thus occurred in which they succeeded in their fatal purpose. " No holy man, with pious care. O'er their poor relics breathed a prayer ; No mourner graced them with a tear, No funeral bell toU'd solemnly." I visited the English and Scotch churches in Kingston : from the steeple of the former, I had a most delightful and extensive prospect of the city, the plains around it, the amphitheatre of moun- tains, and the magnificent harhour. It is a useful memorandum for travellers, on first arriving in a town, always to mount to the highest point in it, so as to have a general idea of the topography ; and afterwards to visit the theatre, if there is one, to have a general idea of the inhabitants. The Eng- lish church in Kingston is handsomely fitted up — gilding and scarlet in profusion, with marble monu- ments. The Scotch is a neat circular building, but was what they call " a whistling kirk," that is, had the advantage of an organ. Some of my puritani- cal countrymen think this a scandalous innovation, and that musical instruments of any kind are an abomination in the church service, forgetting at the same time that " it is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto his name upon an instrument of ten strings, upon the psaltery, and upon the harp with a solemn sound." I visited the markets, where there was the usual display of fish, flesh, and fowl, fruits and vegetables. I then visited the hospital for whites, and re- THE NATIONAL SCHOOL. 297 icurred se. ches in I had a he city, f moun- a useful ng in a [it in it, graphy ; s one, to he Eng- ;d up — e monu- ling, but is, had juritani- lovation, are an itting at to give unto his upon the sound." ;he usual getables. and re- marked that the patients were extremely crowded, and very little attention was paid to cleanliness. I saw a young lady labouring under confluent small- pox, miserably accommodated. I then visited the gaol; in the outer court were the debtors, in the second the felons, and in the third were the con- demned cells ; but though there were eighty incar- cerated alt' '^ther, yet there had been no execution in Kingston for seven years — which speaks volumes in favour of the population. I next stayed two hours in the native school, and had a long conversation with Mr. Reid, an enthusiastic teacher and intelligent man, on the different systems for developing the faculties of youth ; the system of Witherspoon, for infants, I saw tried here with success, and that of Wood, or the interrogatory system. In the boasted parish- schools in Scotland, I have often remarked, that if the children read a chapter in the Bible with tolerable fluency, they were considered perfect scholars. Wood's admirable system is to make them not only read fluentl), but also perfectly to understand, by cross questioning and oral instruc- tion, every syllable they read. When children are taught foreign languages, which ought never to be attempted till they thoroughly understand their own, and can compose in it with facility, the Hamiltonian system, with interlinear translations, (whatever opposition it may receive from teachers interested in retarding the progress of youth), I know from experience to be a royal short and •;( \ ' 298 THOUGHTS ON EDUCATION. !(! ' 'i ill L|Li''f ! easy road to the acquisition of any tongue. Give a youth a taste for learning by a rapid acquire- ment, in the first instance, of a vocabulary (as it were) of words on the Hamiltonian plan, and then teach the grammar. It is the same thing in music or drawing : if a child is kept at the gamut for weeks, it gets a distaste for music ; but teach it to play or sing a simple air by any mechanical means, and what was before disagreeable, becomes a delight : again, if a child is kept sketching eyes, and mouths, and fingers, for a long time, it will naturally detest drawing ; but teach it to draw a little figure, and it will return eventually to the detail or grammar with satisfaction. I was anxious to visit Spanish Town, or St. lago de la Vega, the ancient capital in the interior, also to see some of the estates, and to ascend some of the mountain ranges; so one morning I mounted in company with a Mr. Freckleton, and rode out of Kingston in the direction of Spanish Town, to the westward. On either side of the road, hedged with logwood, were pleasant houses^ at intervals, with trees and gardens about them; and a few planters from the country passed us, behind whom were riding servants with leather portmanteaus strapped on their saddles. There were some old silk-cotton-trees by the road side, under which negroes coming into town were reposing in groups ; and then we came to a great lagoon, or salt marsh, at which there was an inn called the Ferry-house. The smell arising from the lagoon was heavy and THE GREAT LAGOON. 299 5. Give acquire- ry (as it ind then in music imut for teach it echanical becomes ing eyes, B, it will 3 draw a iy to the • St. lago jrior, also I some of mounted rode out Town, to d, hedged intervals, tnd a few ind whom tmanteaus some old ler which n groups ; alt marsh, y-house. heavy and sepulchral ; the breeze which swept over it seemed loaded with deadly fever, and there were a few mi- serable-looking negroes fishing in places clear of weeds. In passing through it on a raised road, and sensible of the murky pestilential atmosphere I breathed, I was reminded of thos^ jungles in some parts of India, in travelling through which for some days, or even hours, one may contract a fever which it will be impossible ever to shake off; and again, I thought this dreadful lagoon, within seven miles of Kingston, was like some parts of Guinea, where the country is altogether uncul- tivated, overflowed with water, " surrounded with thick impenetrable woods, and overrun with slime ; v/here the air is so vitiated, noisome and thick, that torches and candles burn dim, and seem ready to be extinguished, and even th^ human voice loses its natural tone." After a short stay at the Ferry-house, we turned off to the right, and rode up a valley with high rocks on either side, and ancient fig-trees with bush-rope hanging from their branches, and aloes and torch-thistles beneath them. We ascended for some hours winding round the face of hills, and after a scrambling, and in some places dangerous ride, we arrived at what is called a coffee moun- tain. The beautiful coffee and pimento plants were set round the summit, and on a level pla- teau was the manager's house, with barbacues or terraces for drying the pods, and the pulper-mill in which the berries are detached. A little below m^ I. (f 300 BATTLE OF THE UATS. < ■ I this were tlie negro huts, with gardens ubout them, and palms overhanging them ; it was a perfect pic- ture of a mountain plantation, and I enjoyed it the more as the heat, which in Kingston was 90°, was now at six in the evening at 70". I partook of mountain fare with the manager, coffee and plantains, and attempted to read before going to bed, but a squadron of bats jflew into my room, dashed against my face, extinguished and upset my light ; and though I attempted to make play with a short stick, and not a few drank the sher- bet of death, yet at last I was fairly driven under the quilt. A bat is a most unpleasant visiter at all times, and especially in a sleeping-room between the tropics, where they are so large, have such sharp teeth, and really delight in human blood. I rose at five in the morning to enjoy a most glorious prospect from an elevated peak of the mountain, where it is possible to see nearly across the island, forty miles in breadth. A vast chain of mountains run east and west throughout the length of Jamaica ; the country on the north side of the island (one hundred and fifty miles long) rises at some distance from the sea into gentle hills, with broad valleys between them ; the face of nature being clad in a bright vesture of green, with scat- tered groves, and abundantly watered with silver streams. Nearer the centre of the island are vast forests, dark and dense, and rising up the side of the mountains, which lose themselves in the clouds at the height of eight thousand feet above the level MOUNTAINS OF LUJUANKA. 501 of the sea. Looking towards the south, I saw the great plain of Ligiianca and Kingston near the sea, and saw how inaccessible the capital is to foreign foes. The range of mountains on which I stood, formed a semicircle behind King. and fell sud- denly into the sea on its left, < ' 'C Rock Fort guarded the narrow pass ; then a the right was the great lagoon, far more impenetrable than the marshes of New Orleans, and running up from the sea to the base of the mountains, so that no enemy could approach by land, except after overcoming countless natural obstacles, neither could he ajv proach by sea, for the guns of Port Royal would sink any fleet that attempted to pass into the har- bour formed by the long spit of the palisades. After enjoying myself for some time on the high- lands of Liguanea, breathing a pure air, and feeling enlivened and spiritualized as it were, as all do when raised above the gross vapours of the plains and the still grosser and insatiable pursuits of lucre, I descended and rode towards Spanish Town. After passing some sugar-estates and cattle-pens, and crossing an iron bridge over the Cobre river, I rode through many dull streets, in which there were few moving objects, and then came suddenly on a handsome square, in which were the palace of the Governor, the courts and public offices, and in an open temple a statue of Lord Howe. After a survey of the town and public buildings, which I need not stop to describe, I returned to King., ton. Lord Belmore, the Captain-General, did not re- 302 SPANISH TOWN. if \ I* 11 i 11 i \ S3:i: side in his palace at Spanish Town, hut at a country-house some distance off, in one of those healthy situations so ahundant in this rich and favoured isle ; where, if the heat of the plains de- bilitates the frame, the mountain is at hand where the fruits of Europe flourish, and where a blanket ' may be used throughout the year. " May the graves of those be defiled, and their fathers burnt," who wish to cut off this island from the possessions of our noble country ! Whoever has heard of M. le Comte Forbin, Directeur-General des Musees en France, must re- member the dreadful blow which Lord and Lady Belmore, when travelling in Egypt, unwittingly inflicted on the sensitive feelings of M. le Comte. According to his own story, Forbin (making moun- tains of mole-hills and oceans of rivulets) had suc- ceeded with great difficulty in reaching Thebes, and was revelling, like Marius at Carthage, in all the luxury of meditation on the revolutions of the past, as exemplified by the stupendous ruins which were piled around him ; when, *' figurez son-etonne- m'jnt," on seeing tripping along the banks of the Nile, unconscious of the classic soil on which she trod being contaminated by her presence, " une ferame de chambre Anglaise, portante un parasol vert et habUlee en spencer couleur de rose !" This dread- ful apparition, it appeared, was an attendant upon Lady Belmore, who was returning from Nubia. Iii a moment it dispelled all the Count's glorious visions of the past, and despairing of being able to AN ANTIQUARY PUT TO FLIGHT. 303 )ut at a of those rich and lains de- nd where I blanket May the s burnt," >ssessions Forbin, must re- nd Lady wittingly e Comte, ig moun- had suc- Thebes, je, in all IS of the ns which i-etonne- 18 of the 1 she trod le femme 1 vert et is dread- ant upon Nubia. glorious g able to gain any scientific knowledge where there were F,ng\ish/emmes-de-chambre,he returned from whence he came, to Cairo. Now, that is the Count's ver- sion of this affair ; hear another, and judge which is the true one, discriminating reader. Lord Bel- more certainly met M. Forbin at Thebes, but her Ladyship and all the females of her party had laid aside European dresses and adopted the Turkish, as better suited to the climate, and rendering the wearers less objects of remark than if they were attired in their usual manner ; consequently the " spencer couleur de rose" was an invention of Forbin's flowery pen. However, Forbin consider- ing, as men usually do who, after passing their meridian, for the first time " take the road," that he had performed miracles in travelling as far as Thebes, on finding that ladies had penetrated into Nubia, and thought his journey but a very tri- vial one, felt unwilling to encounter the fatigues of a longer tour when he could not boast of being the first explorer of those regions, and so preferred returning to La Belle France, and talking of what he did and what he did not see. But in Egypt there is really much to disgust a romantic traveller. Conceive his indignation on reading, in large letters, the name of a celebrated London quack in the catacombs ; or " Warren's Blacking, 30, Strand," on the pyramid of Cheops. The hand that produced this miserable wit was probably directed by a mind belonging to that class who disgrace the order of travellers. I remember it 304 THE ORDER OF TRAVELLERS. one of these who had been " a young man about town," and who had travelled in Georgia and Persia ; he was met in South Russia dressed in a swallow-tailed coat and tightish continuations, and was asked what he had seen, " Oh ! d — d barren countries ; I went to the Caspian, and saw the fires at Bakoo, (where were the altars of the Guebres, or fire-worshippers,) but you may see as good any day when they light the gas in Piccadilly." Now M. le Comte Forbin, I am sure, would willingly have assisted in ducking this character for pre- suming to visit scenes hallowed by historical re- collections of surpassing interest, and after all affecting to treat them lightly. n il: 4 i \ ' It 11 ^ i 'i ■;';f I 1 M:,! ;l| #■' ■•' u iiii 305 a about ria and led in a ms, and I barren the fires juebres, ;ood any ." Now willingly for pre- ►rical re- after all CHAPTER XIX. Summary account of the treatment of Slaves under British Masters — A proud Reflection — West Indians harshly judged. — The Soil of the British West India Islands is not utterly- exhausted. — The Writer expresses his regret. — Real state of Negroes has been often described. — Comforts, labour, and punishments, of the Slaves. — How the friends of Negroes ought to act — Unsuccessful Experiments.— Superior class of Managers and Overseers. — Negroes sometimes refuse free- dom. — The members of Anti-slavery Societies. — Are Negroes to be exempt from labour ? — Effects of violent Emancipation in St. Domingo. — Violent language used by a Clergyman.— Formerly Slaves were much attached to their Masters.— Ne- gro Preachers. — Last year was a fatal one for West India Proprietors. — A common-sense View of Slavery ought to be taken. — Advice to the Colonists. It is a proud reflection for a Briton, that England was the last to engage in the slave-trade, and the first to abandon it ; and that, to induce other nations also to abandon it, and to suppress, by every means in her power, the unhallowed traffic, she has ex- pended men and treasure to a great amount. The feelings of the nation being decidedly adverse to slavery, it is impossible to believe that many of her sons, though holding slaves, will wantonly ill use them, or consider it justifiable to hold them in hope- less bondage from father to son. They do not — but, of late years, the West India proprietors have been constantly held up to scorn and reproach, and VOL. I. X ! i ; (I I Pil i ■' I 306 SOIL OF THE WEST INDIA ISLANDS. it has been gravely stated by the leaders of the fac- tion with which they have to contend, thg,t since they have possessed slaves for many years, and en- joyed the fruits of their labours, they should now emancipate them without compensation; in other words, reduce themselves to the state of paupers. Already the increasing agitation of the slave ques- tion has causr^^ the loss of confidence with the mer- chant, (who supplies stores for estates and receives the produce,) and the great depreciation of pro- perty. The soi? of the British West India Islands is not utterly exht:^ sted, as some people wish to make it appear to be. True, Baibadoes and some of the longest settled islands do not raise the heavy crops of cane they used to do ; still with the assistance of manure they produce good crops, and if more at- tention were paid to draining swamps, these ver- dant and picturesque islands might be rendered perfectly healthy, and Elysian retreats for those who have been harshly used by fortune in the mother country. They will always produce abundantly the necessaries of life ; and as to the islands of Trinidad And British Guiana, they are yet but very partially cultivated, and surpass in fertility any part of the British possessions, not excepting the fruitful val- ley of the Ganges. But it is now to be stated how negroes are treat- ed by British planters, since we have endeavoured to show how hard their fate is when subjected to other masters; however, before I summarily de- tl p1 tl tti U oil o^ COMFORTS OF SLAVES. S07 ;he fac- i,t since ind en- jld now n other paupers, ve ques- Dhe mer- receives of pro- ds is not ) make it ae of the avy crops stance of more at- ;hese ver- rendered those who le mother dantly the f Trinidad y partially art of the uitful val- are treat- ideavoured bjected to marily de- scribe the present condition of British slaves, I must express my unfeigned regret at having been obliged to expose the conduct of Christian people in treating of slaves under Dutch, Portuguese, and French masters ; I shall afterwards have occasion to describe the condition of Spanish and American slaves. It is considered a proof of an uncharitable disposition to take pleasure in lowering the cha- racter of our neighbours, and I have submitted the statements in Chapter V. to the public with the greatest reluctance, a sense of duty alone compel- ling me to do it, for I do not see how I can better serve my country and the British colonists in the west, than by giving a comparative state of Trans- atlantic slavery ; and I will not shrink from the tas-. which I ha^.e voluntaiily undertaken, whatever construction may be put on my motives. Many books, and pamphlets without number, have been written, to show that the negroes in the British West India Islands, as far as creature-com- forts (to use a homely phrase) are concerned, are infinitely better off than the bulk of the labourers and mechanics in Great Britain and Ireland. Churches and schools are now seen everywhere throughout the West Indies, and I have heard planters say, that they imagine the only check on the slaves rising and massacring the whites is, " that they are prevented by religion being so ex- tensively diffused among them." It is the interest of the planter to use his servants well, nnd public opinion, if he is not actuated by conscientious mo- X 2 jH 308 UNSUCCESSFUL EXPERIMENTS. [I n tives, prevents his opposing the mental instruc- tion of his negroes ; so that, in general, British slaves are comfortably clothed, well fed, well lodged, not over-worked, lightly punished, (now commonly with the tread-mill,) have the best medi- cal advice, often the half of Saturday and always the whole of Sunday; and many schools are pre- paring the rising generation for gradual and even- tual emancipation — What more is required ? Those who wish well to the slaves might employ their money to great advantage, by subscribing to establish more schools than there are at present for young negroes, where they could also be taught trades ; and if they would assist the planters (who have been impoverished by the outcry that has bten raised against them) to build churches and support their clergymen, they would effectually promote the cause of philanthropy and religion. I will now give a proof of the difficulty of rege- nerating adult negroes, who have been for some time slaves. Miss Frances Wright, a lady of Scotch pi.rentage, but now an American citizen, and lately a peripatetic lecturer on popular educa- tion, &c. some time ago gave much attention to the subject of American negro slavery, and attempted experiments in behalf of her coloured brethren. She saw that negro slavery was the great stain on the national honour of the States, and for four years, in the most disinterested manner, devoted her time and fortune to a race who seemed to be " outcast from hope ;" she purchased a tract of MANAGERS AND OVERSEERS. 309 istruc- British , well , (now t medi- always* je pre- d even- ? employ ibing to jsent for J taught 3rs (who that has phes and Pectually Tion. of rege- [br some lady of 1 citizen, ar educa- on to the ittempted brethren, •eat stain d for four devoted ned to be tract of land near Memphis^ on the Mississippi, and several coloured families, and hoped by means of her peo- ple, " to evince the practicability of making their labour work out the price of their emancipation :" but she was miserably deceived. Her negroes were very comfortably fed, clothed, and lodged, were fat and sleek, but like the free negroes of Antigua, as described by Coleridge, intolerably idle and dissipated, so that at last, in 1839, their benevolent mistress, harassed into illness by over- exertion, repeated disappointments, and great loss of property, removed them to Hayti, and there gave them their freedom, fearing that, if manu- mitted in the States, they might be kidnapped, and return to their original bondage. Several New Orleans planters complained to me, that it was a great pity to see such able-bodied people leave the country when there was so great a de- mand for slave labour ; of course, I heartily con- doled with them ! The difficulty of finding employment for young men of respectability at home, causes many of a superior class to visit the West Indies, to obtain the situation of manager, or overseer, on estates. Formerly Europeans, of low caste, were employed on estates, from whose ignorance and unfeeling dis- position not much lenity might be expected towards the slaves ; but the case is now altered. I have seen slavery in the East Indies and in Russia, besides having just viewed it in various parts of the West, and was summoned to give evi-p 310 ANTI-SLAVERY SOCIETIES. / ; I i dence on the Slave question before a Committee of the House of Lords, therefore I ought to know something about it, — and really I cannot conceive a situation more comfortable for a human being who has never tasted freedom, and whose mind is uncultivated, than that of negroes under British masters in the West Indies : every thing is found them, and " they have no care for the morrow." Negroes, above forty years of age, constantly refuse freedom when it is offered them, ** because," they say, " we are unable to take care of ourselves." Little, therefore, can be done for the present race of adult negroes ; their progeny only ought to be prepared for manumission. No one has a higher esteem than the writer, for the great mass of those who join anti-slavery societies : their motives are excellent, but they are led to givf^ their sanction to unwise and even cruel measures, Vy fanatics, individuals interested in a different market from that of the West Indies, or by the ambitious, who merely use the slave ques- tion as a handle to popularity. To ask the pro- prietors of negroes to emancipate their slaves with- out compensation, is as reasonable a request as to solicit the fundholders to give up their capital for the payment of the national debt. Let the aboli- tionists place themselves in the situation of the planters, and then ask themselves how they would act. Are n'jgroes to be exempted from the common lot of humanity — labour ? " No," reply the abo- EFFECTS OF VIOLENT EMANCIPATION. 511 litionists, " but they ought to labour for their own support, not to enrich their master." Very true ; but first give them the inclination and means to support themselves by instruction, mental and ma- nual, and then emancipate them. What have been the effects of violent emancipation in St. Domingo ? — agriculture and commerce nearly at an end; murder and debauchery stalking hand in hand through that fertile island ; and at this moment the heads of departments are not negroes, but men of colour. No feasible or well- digested plan has yet been proposed for emancipating negro slaves. The pre- sent enlightened Government, which is strongly inclined to act with a liberal policy to all, is con- fused with the wild clamour for immediate manu- mission of slavery ; and so unfeeling and senseless are the most violent of the abolitionists, that a minister of the Gospel declared publicly at an anti- slavery meeting a short time ago ; — " In order that the negroes may be instantly freed, I care not if the blood of the whites flow in streams, and Eng- land lose all the colonies where human beings are held in bondage." Such was the language of a preacher of peace! Still, I confess that on one or two occasions I was also provoked by exhibitions of great perver- sion of feeling on the part of slave-owners ; men who inveighed against all protection of slaves by Government; who said that fourteen or fifteen hours of daily labour were nothing to slaves ; that I! if } 812 SLAVES ATTACHED TO THEIR MASTERS. the planters were the best judges of the number of holidays to give their people ; that bondage in the West Indies, under an European master, was a great ad' ance towards civilization ; that the slaves, by being placed under Europeans, had an example set them to imitate, and that, without any other trouble being taken with them, they would gra- dually but surely be prepared for emancipation, or at least their children would. No doubt, those who talked in this way were provoked by the non- sense spoken by their opponents, and there is some apology for them ; but there were few who express- ed themselves as above, or who used insulting language towards Great Britain. Formerly it was gratifying to see the interest which the sable retainers in a family took in the affairs of their master and mistress. The mansion, and every thing appertaining to it was entrusted to their care, and they were faithful to their charge ; since, however, certain " busy bodies, meddling with the concerns of others to do good," have com- menced their operations, the former race of domes- tics has been converted into one, the individuals of which think it their duty to cheat, rob, and even murder their proprietors. It was only in September last that fifty white women and children in Virginia were massacred in cold blood by negroes. The writer is not one ex those who maintain that negroes are naturally inferior beings, and ought to be treated as such. He has listened with wonder and delight to negro preachers, and seen ■■ 5 fil I !''«C WEST INDIA PROPRIETORS. 313 iber of in the was a slaves, •[ample ' other d gra- ion, or , those le non- is some 5xpress- isulting interest in the lansion, itrusted charge ; ng with e com- domes- iuals of id even Dtember Virginia laintain ^s, and ed with nd seen negroes labouring hard, under every disadvantage, to learn to read ; whoever, therefore, advocates perpetual slavery for his African brethren, from father to son, is a monster in human shapr. This year has been particularly fatal to the West Indies ; dreadful hurricanes have passed over them, with destruction on their wings, and ruined thousands. In June we saw Barbadoes smiling with pleasant residences, shadowed by the richest tropical foliage, and the whole island cultivated like a beautiful garden : in August it was lying waste and desolate. A fearful hurricane, exceed- ing in violence the great storm of 1780, had swept across it, like the breath of the destroying angel ; the sound of lamentation was heard on every side, and the air was loaded with corruption from tliou- sands of men and beasts violently deprived of life under the ruins of their habitations. Then came the revolt and burnings in Jamaica. But I must draw towards a conclusion. Since we have endeavoured to show that foreigners have done little or nothing to ameliorate the condition of their slaves, while British proprietors have done, and are doing, all in their power to render their situation comfortable ; it might be suggested to those who are continually looking abroad with " telescopic eye," to take down the glass for a time, and contemplate with their " natural optics" the state of our suffering population in the " old country ;" or if they will meddle with West India affairs, let them take a common-sense view of the S14 ADVICE TO COLONISTS. I! question of slavery, and discuss it with feelings of charity and Christian benevolence towards their countrymen, who depend for subsistence on the beautiml isles of the Antilles. One word to the colonists. In submitting a plain statement of your case to the government, the use of intemperate language will not b^ advisable, and to threaten separation from the mother country is madness, which would eventually, if effected, be bitterly repented of; for as long as Britain main- tains her naval superiority, it would be vain for islands to attempt to detach themselves from her. Stand by your native land, then, at all risks, and bear up patiently a little longer against the tide which strives to overwhelm you. Your grievances will doubtless be listened to by the paternal go- vernment of a Monarch who is in truth the father of his people, and eventually ample justice will be rendered you. In the mean time, do not give way to despondency, but buoy yourselves up with the spes melioris avi — the hope of better times. iri; I jling^ of is their on the itting a [lent, the dvisable, country cted, be in main- vain for rom her. isks, and the tide rievances irnal go- he father le will be give way with the ' i m i » ik xm «i f^ 815 CHAPTER XX. Sail in his Majesty's frigate Blanche for Cuba. — Jamaica by Moonlight. — The Pedro Plains. — Trial of skill between the Blanche and Shannon. — The great Cayman. — Cape St. Antonio. — Heavy Gales. — The iron-bound coast of Cuba. — A fragrant Breeze. — Exciting anticipations. — The Moro Caistle. — The Punta. — The Harbour and City of Havannah. — The Salute* — Land. — Characters on the Quay. — The Plaza de Armas. — Wait on the Captain-General. — Leave Havannah. -—Slave Ships.— Drive to Guanabacoa.— A Volante. — Cuba Roads. — The Country — His Britannic Majesty's Commis- sioner. — Panoramic View. — Murders in Ferry-boats. — Police of Havannah. — Moorish Scene. — Pleasant situation for English Ladies. — The Cathedral. — The Tomb of Columbus. — Reflec- tions. — A Relic. His Majesty's frigate Blanche, 44 guns, com- manded by Commodore Farquhar, K.C.B., an ofBcer highly distinguished in his country's service, was procseding to the Havannah, and I was kindly offered a passage in her ; accordingly, on a calm night in the end of July, I placed my baggage in a canoe, and was paddled down the harbour of Kings- ton to Port Royal. The sea reposed in beauty in the moonlight, but a dark canopy of clouds hung over the mountains of Jamaica ; the sky wore a portentous aspect, for it was the hurricane season ; men-of-war and mer- chantmen were flying for safety to more secure M <•■ i Ii' 'tti 1-5 ^!l i 1 t 1 ■ ;■ 1! /'■• V i; 1 ■ 4 ■f 316 PEDRO PLAINS. i: ports thai) those exposed to the influence of these awful tempests. After an hour's voyage I came alongside the noble frigate ; I trod her silent decks, and then turned into a cot in an airy berth, con- gratulating myself on my good fortune. We weighed anchor at four in the morning, with the Shanno. in company ; stood to the westward, and passed before long the singular rocks called the White Horses, the Pedro Shoals, and Pedro Bluff. Behind this last are beautiful undulating plains of dark red soil, covered luxuriantly with herbage, with clumps of trees dispersed over them ; here thousands of cattle and horses graze. It is said, that for beauty of prospect, for purity and dryness of air, and a climate exempt from either extremes of heat and cold, the Pedro Plains of Jamaica may vie with any spot on the habitable globe. The two frigates held on their way leisurely, with a five-knot breeze, and a trial of skill took place between the respective crews in the evening ; all hands were piped to reef topsails, in a moment the shrouds were covered with active and eager young fellows, waiting for the command " away aloft ;" when given, they sprang on the yards, drew up with vigorous arm the heavy canvass, reefed it, and then slid down on deck, quick as lightning : we beat the Shannon. Next day we saw the Great Cayman Island, long and low, thirty miles by six, covered with wood, dotted with houses, and containing three thousand ft CAPE ST. ANTONIO. 317 inhabitants. We stood towards it for turtle, and saw the wreck of a brig on shore ; then half-a- dozen canoes came off, with mulatto and negro crews, bringing with them turtle of all sizes at seven pence the pound, pigs, fowls, and variegated shell. After making what purchases we wanted, we steered a north north-west course, and the Shannon left us for Honduras. We had pleasant breezes till we reached Cape St. Antonio, in Cuba, and then we had some heavy gales, when we turned our head to the eastward : the topsails were closely reefed, the gallant ship pitched heavily in the troubled sea, and the green waves came rolling in over her bows. It looked as if there was to be a repetition of the peril in which the Blanche had been placed lust year nearly in the same place — the dreaded entrance of the Gulf of Floridas. Then she lost all her masts by the board, some hands were washed out of her, and the crew were proceeding to throw the guns over- board, when the gale moderated. With considerable difficulty we approached the north coast of Cuba, after a week's sail from Jamaica, and saw it stretching out low and flat, with palm trees waving in the sea-breeze and some hills of no great elevation in the interior. We neared the rocky shore, and observed the solitary huts of the free coloured people scattered about in the country, near patches of maize and groups of palm, tamarind, and orange trees ; and on the right of the picture was the light-house tower of ' M ■ l»; 1 . ■if I'* 1)^ > I i| -t 4? I 318 EXCITING ANTICIPATIONS. the Moro Castle, at the entrance of the harbour of the Havannah. We lay off and on from the dawn till the sea- breeze set in ; the gentle gale which was wafted towards us over the land was loaded with a spicy and exotic fragrance, recalling to mind the air scented with the sweet odours of Araby the blest. " See yon fair groves that over Yemen rise, And with their spicy breath embalm the skies, Where every breeze sheds incense 'o'er the vales, And every shrub the scent of musk exhales." Several othr.i: vessels lay near us, like the expect- ants at the pool of Bethesda; at last the fresh and steady breeze, driving before it fleecy clouds, wooed our sails, and we steered for the celebrated Moro. I could not help feeling much pleasing excite- ment at the prospect before me ; I was about to see the most important and interesting city in the West Indies, the ke) of the glorious island of Cuba, which is within an eighth as large as Eng- land : I was about to view a city which, on ac- count of its noble harbour and favourable site for commerce, has accumulated great wealth, and is peopled by a strange mixture of inhabitants : I was about to visit the head-quarters and grand rendezvous of pirates and slavery : I was about to witness the scene of the triumph of the arms of England, when the island fell before the prowess of our troops in 1762 ; and, above all, I was ahout to stand beside the bones of the great Columbus. MCRO CASTLE — THE PUNTA. 319 irbour ot the sea- ks wafted \ a spicy I the air e blest. kies, ! vales, s." e expect- the fresh ;y clouds^ elebrated ig excite- Dut to see y in the isiand of as Eng- I, on ac- e site for h, and is itants : I nd grand } about to i arms of prowess of } ahout to ibus. We reached the long and narrow entrance of the harbour, widening out into a basin capable of con- taining a thousand men of war, and passed close under the guns and rock of the Moro. High over the massive walls and battlements waved the golden and red standard of Spain, and many gay pennants fluttered from no fewer than four signal staffs, be- speaking the great number of vessels that were crowding to the rich western mart. On the opposite side of the entrance of the harbour was the castle of the Punta, a regular wor«: of four bastions, also mounting heavy guns ; and on looking up we saw, on each side of the long entrance to the harbour, battery behind battery, and then the walls of the city itself. The shipping was thus completely secure against a hostile fleet, for only one vessel can enter at a time, and a fleet attempting to pass would be sunk in detail. Over the walls were seen the gay and crowded buildings of the city, white houses and deep red roofs, pillar and pinnacle, terrace and balcony, towers and domes, intermixed with trees which rose in picturesque confusion ; on every church a flag was displayed, and the bells sent forth their peals, for it was a saint's day. Immediately in front, were seen the masts of two hundred merchantmen, lying with their bows to the wharfs, for there was not room for them otherwise; and tent boats with painted canvass awnings, and others loaded to the gunwale with the most delicious fruit of every variety, approached us as we dropped our anchor under the Moro. Wv wmr w' Pf (^ ' 1 ! ' ; : t ■ ^:' Ift {Hi! ^ 1 VF w^ - 1* 1 1 '' 1 i 320 HARBOUR OF HAVANNAir. A voice from the watch-tower above then hailed us, and demanded our nation, and from whence we came ; and then the Spanish soldiers, with their dark complexions and high caps, crowded on the parapets to gaze at the English man-of-war, which fired a salute of fifteen guns in compliment to the Spanish Admiral (Saborde). The custom- house cutter, and then the health-boat, came along- side with negro crews, and the national flag at the stern ; and though we had come from Jamaica, in which the small-pox was raging, we were not pre- vented from landing. I put on my uniform, and accompanied one of the Lieutenants on shore, to wait on the Captain- General (Vives), and announce the arrival of the frigate. We pulled up to the custom-house quay, and the moment we stepped on shore, v*e found ourselves in the midst of a bustling scene. The wharfs were crowded with piles of merchandize and barrels of provisions; crowds of half naked blacks, shouting and singing, were loading and un- loading the vessels ; shipowners and shipmasters were standing in groups, with broad-brimmed Pa- nama hats, and striped linen coats, talking of sugar, coffee, and flour; the fumes of cigars rose on every side, particularly from the seamen out of employ, and I thought I could detect a pirate or two, or the captain of a slaver walking about, re- garding with piercing eye the men who might be fit instruments for their unholy purpose. A portly personage addressed us in broken Eng- CITY OF IIAVANNAU. 321 [1 hailed whence rs, with ^ded on i-of-war, ipliment custom- le along- ig at the naica^ in not pre- i one of Captain- il of the ise quay, ve found le. The chandize If naked and un- pmasters .med Ta- lking of jars rose n out of jirate or )out, re- night be :en Eng- lish, and asked if we wished to wait on Governor Vives ; we replied in the affirmative, and he offered to conduct us to his palace. We followed him through a narrow street, where our olfactories were saluted with the odour of jerked or dried beef, and fish imported for the sustenance of the blacks, and then found ourselves in a handsome square, called the Plaza de Armas. The buildings which sur- rounded it were lofty and substantial; verandahs ran along their front, and the roofs were concealed by parapets, on which were rows of urns. The centre of the square was laid out in walks between flowering shrubs, and the whole air of the place inspired the idea of wealth and luxury. The Governor's palace occupied one side of the square, and we passed through its lower piazza, oc- cupied as an exchange by the merchants ; whence, receiving from the guards in blue and silver uni- form a salute, we ascended a broad marble stair- case, and entered a suite of apartments, the walls of which were painted in the Moorish style, with wreaths of flowers, recalling to mind the glorious Alhambra. In an inner chamber, on the walls of which hung portraits of the different governors of the Havannah, and two large historical paintings, one representing Columbus' first landing in Cuba to plant the cross and perform mass, the other Cortes burning his ships, to show his followers that there was no retreat for them from Mexico, we found General Vives. He was seated on a gilded sofa, and rose to receive us; he was a short, stout VOL. I. Y ;?'W^'\ "»«4-j. m ■■tt' 1 -: t i I ' ; I ; 322 VISIT TO THE CAPTAIN GENERAL. man, with grey hair and dark complexion, and wore a common shupa, or coat, of blue and white striped gingham, white waistcoat and trowsers. Beside him were his two daughters, charming little Seiioritas, in yellow gowns, and high tortoise-shell combs. The General was very polite, said he should be happy to receive Commodore Farquhar, and, after a good deal of discussion about a complimentary salute, we took leave. I had an introduction to Mr. Macleay, his Britannic Majesty's Commissioner in Cuba for the adjudication of slaves ; he lived in the country, some distance from Havannah, and his secretary and assistant, Mr. Jackson, a young man of excellent ability and most gentlemanly manners, kindly offered to take me with him ; we accordingly stepped into a boat and rowed across the broad harbour. We passed three Spanish men-of-war, apparently in good order, for Admiral Saborde has a high character, both as a man and as a naval ofBcer, and saw under the walls of Casa Blanca (white castle) the long and rakish-looking black hulls of numerous slavers. It is here they fit out with perfect impunity, and with the knowledge of the authorities; and I could not help reflecting what a mockery it was in the Spaniards agreeing to abolish the slave-trade, when here I saw it openly permitted. Twenty-four pounder carronades peeped from the ports of the slavers, and long eighteen pounders, or swivels, were amidships. They were schooner-rigged, and were mostly built after the DRIVE TO GUANABACOA. 323 on, and nd white browsers, ing little aise-shell hould be nd, after imentary action to tnissioner 3 lived in I, and his >ung man manners, cordingly ;he broad jn-of-war, borde has s a naval sa Blanca ing black ey fit out wledge of reflecting greeing to it openly les peeped ; eighteen rhey were after the model of the Baltimore clippers, the fastest vessels in the world, with masts like the ears of a vicious horse thrown back on its neck. We landed at Regla, on the opposite side of the harbour to the capital, and a mile ad a half from it. Regla is the Blackwall of Ilavannah, situated on a low and swampy sh'-re, and in- habited by pirates, slavers, and vagabonds of all kinds. We then took our seat in a volante, to drive to Guanabacoa, the summer resort of the aristocracy of Havannah. A volante is one of the most singular vehicl I ever saw ; the body of it is like that of a large c iriolet slung on leathers; enormous wheels a& high as the hood of the ma- chine, are at one end of the shaft, and the horse is yoked to the other end, some distance from the body, which swings between them. In the city volante, the negro postilion sits on the horse be- tween the shafts ; but in the one we mounted, he rode on an additional horse attached to an out- rigger on the near side. Our Calasero was a most singular figure ; on his head he wore a straw hat a yard high; a blue hussar jacket with gold lace covered his upper man, and his legs were cased in jack-boots, with a pair of massive silver spurs. Seated on the volante, we were skreened from the glare by a blue curtain in front. We drove through Regla at a rapid rate, and soon ascertained the meaning of the high wheels of the conveyance. The roads or tracks in Cuba are quite in a na- tural state, that is, they are not made or repaired ; Y 2 liin p •«H ) ■ i 1 S24, PANORAMIC VIEW. 4' the only regulation regarding them is, tliat they shall be sixteen yards wide. Here, they were fur- rowed in gullies by the rains ; and there, huge rocks lay upon them. We descended and ascended these impediments in safety, owing to our peculiar wheels ; and even in the streets of Regla, where an English carriage could not have advanced ten yards without upsetting, we dashed over the ruts, and sunk into the mud to the axle with perfect impunity. The country round the Havannah was once covered with ingenios, or plantations ; but the old soil being exhausted, the fresh soil of the interior is now sought, on which to raise sugar and coffee. The landscape on each side of the road was there- fore bare, and was covered with scanty vegetation, with occasional patches of maize and palm trees, in groups. Our road was gently ascending till we reached the rocky site of Guanabacoa. The houses on each side of the street (which was alto- gether unpaved) were whitewashed — two-storied buildings, without much pretensions to architec- tural beauty. On the outskirts of the town we reach- ed the delightful casa occupied by Mr. Macleay. We entered a court in which was a small and beautiful flower-garden, then ascended a marble staircase to a broad verandah, and in a cool apart- ment surrounded with books and newspapers, sat his Britannic Majesty's commissioner. I dined with Mr. Macleay, partaking of Spanish olios, fricassees and fricandeaux, washed down with French claret, and then admired the noble pano- { i MUllDEUS IN I- EIlttY-BOATS. 325 :hat they were fur- uge rocks dec! these ,r wheels ; n English Is without sunk into r. was once it the old le interior md coffee, was there- egetation, aim trees, jnding till coa. The 1 was alto- ;wo-storied » architec- n we reach- . Macleay. small and a marble :ool apart- papers, sat of Spanish down with loble pano- ramic view from the top of his house. On the right of the picture, at the distance of two miles, was Fort Coxemar, where Admiral Sir George Pocock landed the English army in 1762. The ridge on which we stood was then occupied by the Spaniards, drawn up in battle array. Lord Albe- marle advanced towards them, defeated them, made Guanabacoahis head quarters, and then broke ground before the Moro, which, with the harbour, city, and a deadly mangrove swamp, were in the centre of the picture. Beyond the Havannah was the strong fort called El Principe, on an eminence ; and on a hill on the extreme left, was a most interesting relic, a cross, said to have been erected by Columbus. I received an invitation from Mr. Macleay to re-visit him after I had seen " les curiosites de la ville," and we returned in the evening to Regla. Here we got into a heavy-sailing passage-boat, to cross over to the city, and paid a media, or three- pence, for our passage. We had Spaniards, male and female, on board ; mulattoes, and negroes ; and I was told that it is no uncommon thing for the crews of these boats to murder and rob their pas- sengers in the evening. We reached the wharf in safety, and Mr. Jack- son most kindly offering me a room in his house, I accepted his proffered civility, and we walked toward his casa, through the narrow streets, which in Havannah, after dusk, is really a perilous under- taking. We passed some slaves bearing lanterns according to regulation, and a few dons, each of I ■ ': 1 i MMMLl I \ I II ^ 320 MOORISH SCENE. whom was armed with sword and dagger. They kept the middle of the way, and curled round us when we neared them; truly an agreeable state of society where one walks in momentary dread of assassinations. We saw neither police nor watchmen. The Arabian Nights were forcibly re-called to mind, when I viewed the houses of the wealthy. They were two-storied, and built on the plan of a hollow quadrangle, with a patio or court yard, and galleries, round the interior ; the front was plain stone, painted white, blue, or yellow. h\ the arched door-way was the volante, and a few black domestics sat under the lamps smoking, singing, or talking. Shrubs were dimly seen in the garden beyond, or a marble fountain, near which " A mantling vine His curling tendrils wove with amorous twine; From the green stalks the glowing clusters hung, Like rubies on a thread of emeralds strung." Here one could " scatter roses of delight, and quaff wine of pleasure from goblets of bliss." The other houses we passed were of one story, with immense iron-barred windows, enabling us to see the whole apartment within. As the vesper- bell tolled, the women, dressed in white, rose from their rocking chairs at the window, and repeated their prayers before a picture of the Virgin, then drew the curtains of their windows, and retired to rest on their folding canvass cots. THE CATHEDRAL. 327 r. They round us ble state rv dread )lice nor called to wealthy, plan of urt yard, ront was low. l'i\ iid a few smoking, r seen in ain^ near e; lung, and quaff )ne story, ling us to le vesper- rose from repeated gin, then retired to We walked through many streets without inter- ruption, and found Mrs. Jackson sitting in an anxious state for the return of her husband. She as well as the only other English lady in Havan- nah, (Mrs. Norman,) told mc that, whenever their husbands are out of an evening, they sit in fear and trembling, dreading to see a corpse brought home to them, murder is so frequent in this city. After a light repast, I retired to my room, but, excited on finding myself a sojourner in such a remarkable place as Havannah, it was some time before I could compose myself to sleep ; like one moon-struck, I gazed on the churches and houses, clearly re^^?aled by the rays of the Cynthian queen, and then turned to the harbour, on the water of which her beams were playing. I heard no sounds of serenading, but only two negroes below my win- dow, talking in an under-tone, perhaps, I thought, watching to assassinate some unfortunate individual. I rose at an early hour, and hastened to the tomb of Columbus. The cathedral in which his precious remains are deposited occupies one side of a small square. The exterior of the bu.lding is of massive stone, of no particular order of architec- ture ; its gable rises in a pyramidal shape ; on the apex is a cross, and on either side are towers ; pil- lars adorn the building, and behind these hired assassins frequently lurk. I passed into the body of the church, and was struck with its grandeur and simplicity. The roof was arched and very lofty, and Saxon arches enclosed the aisles. The 1 ( t 328 TOMB OF COLUMBUS. IflKS ill 11 whole was tastefully painted in imitation of grey marble, and there were none of the gaudy colours and tinsel decorations which are too often met with in Catholic churches. Exquisite paintings were disposed here and there round the walls ; one was the announcement to Sarah, by the angel, of her miraculous conception ; another, our Saviour conversing with the woman of Samaria at the well ; whilst in the same were repre- sentations of Moses, the Prophets, and the Evange- lists. The principal altar, at the upper end, was chastely and richly ornamented. Within the railing was a mosaic floor of marble, and the seats of the dignitaries were highly carved. Looking to the left, I saw a slab of white marble let into the wall ; this was the monument of Columbus, and as there was only a single priest in the cathedral, we obtain- ed his permission to approach the tomb. I was under the influence of no ordinary sen- sations on finding myself in so interesting a situa- tion. I stood beside the mouldering bones of the most intrepid mariner who ever lived, one who ** first had the judgment to divine, and the intrepi- dity to brave, the mysteries of the perilous deep which divides the Old World from the New, and who, by his hardy genius, his inflexible constancy, and his heroic courage, brought the ends of the earth into communication with each other." He must be dull and insensible, indeed, who could contemplate the final resting-place of the great Colon, without being powerfully affected, and with- Ik m- T > 11 < ; through a grated window on a level with the street ; three men passing observed that he was gaily dressed, in order to appear to advantage in the eyes of the fair ; one tapped him on the shoulder, and said, " You are wanted." He stepped aside. The other two showed him their knives. He was stripped of his finery on the spot, and then sneaked back to the window for condolence. - When the least scuffle takes place in the streets, all the doors and windows are hastily closed in the neighbourhood; the inmates of the houses are so much afraid of being called upon to give evidence in case of a murder. I walked about at all hours, and fortunately escaped molestation; but I was fully prepared for a skirmish, with an iron-cane, a very handy weapon, something between a poker and a crow-bar. On looking at it, no one could suspect its weight until they felt it. I recommend this to travellers instead of the piked sticks of Dr. Kitchener, for it strengthens the chest and arms, and disables an antagonist without killing him. The bodies of the murdered are exposed for a day in the street, behind the gaol, in order that their relatives may claim them. One forenoon, I happened to be passing the government-house with my friend Mr. Jackson, and observed a small crowd collected ; we looked over the shoulders of the people, and saw a ghastly sight. In an open bier, with legs and handles to it, lay the corpse of a white man, about forty years of age, rather good- looking, and wearing a grim smile on his counte- THE MURDERED OALLICIAN. 355 ! street ; IS gaily J in the houlder, id aside. He was sneaked : streets, ;d in the IS are so evidence W hours, it I was n-cane, a a poker me could commend :ks of Dr. md arms, him. sed for a rder that renoon, I ouse with lall crowd rs of the ►pen bier, rpse of a her good- is counte- nance. A dreadful gash was in his throat, his hands were also cut in the death-struggle, and his trowsers and shirt were torn, and literally steeped in gore. This was a Gallician shopkeeper, who had been murdered in his own store, two or three hours before. He was a sober and industrious man, had arrived in Havannah a few years before, and had become possessed of twenty houses, and eighty thousand dollars in cash. His negro wench informed two of her black paramours where the money was kept. The miscreants went in the morning, on pretence of purchasing rope ; the Gal- lician stepped to a corner of the store to supply them ; they sprang upon him like wolves, held his mouth, threw him down, cut his throat, and carried off two coffee-bags of gold. All this took place within a few yards of the custom-house guard, with perfect impunity to the murderers. One day I was returning from the country in a volante, with a gentleman, (who had resided some years in Havannah, and was one of the few Eng- glish merchants of respectability there,) when he told me the following story : " This hollow way, which we are now passing," said he, " leading down to the shallow stream at the bottom, has been the scene of more deeds of violence than per- haps any other in the island of Cuba. One evening I was riding a spirited horse, and on coming to this spot, a man dashed at me from the side of the road, and attempted to seize my bridle. I galloped over him, and he called out, and another S A 2 356 GANGS OF ASSASSINS. II - ■ 1 i ■ i grasped my thigh and nearly pulled me off; I struck him on the face, freed myself, and put spurs to my charger ; a blunderbuss was fired after me, I escaped ; my horse was wounded in the neck, but carried me into town. On another occasion, I saw three men on the road before me ; it was open day ; they were a white man and two mulattoes ; they walked with their hands in their breasts. I suspected that they grasped their wea- pons ; accordingly, I attempted to make a wide circuit round them, but got involved in a morass; seeing that I must pass them, I primed my pistols, took one in each hand, and with my reins in my mouth, passed the fellows, and muttered " Adios," their answer was, " Carajo, Inglese." Some of these villains laid a plot to seize my favourite horse, for whilst on it I set them all at defiance. I found out by accident their contrivance. A negro stopped me one day on the Pasao, and said, * Signor, you were kind to me when I was sick, and I '11 now tell you a secret. I overheard some monteros talking about seizing your horse ; be on your guard.' I gave him a dollar, and promised him more if he spoke the truth. Shortly after I saw five country- men waiting for me on the road, * Hist ! hist !' said they, in the usual Spanish way, ' we have some- thing to say to you.' — ' To my horse, I suppose,' answered I, and galloped on. Not long ago, I got a clerk from Yorkshire ; he was a raw country lad, and went out to take a walk, the evening of the day after his arrival. Whilst gapir g and staring AN EXECUTION. 357 about the streets, he was followed by a robber, who got him into a corner, and struggled with him to get his watch. The robber succeeded and ran off. My clerk came home much agitated and went to bed ; on going in to see him in the morning, I found the bed-clothes bloody ; I awoke the sleeper, to a?k him what was the matter, and to his horror and alarm he discovered that he had been stabbed within a quarter of an inch of his heart. He re- covered in three or four days, but has never ven- tured since to take constitutional exercise of an evening." I have described some deeds of violence, but I have not yet brought any culprit to condign punish- ment. I am tired of horrors, and am afraid my readers are so likewise ; but 1 think it will be satis- factory to describe an execution, which does not happen quite so often as it ought to do at Havan- nah. If a criminal has money, he may put off capi- tal punishment for years, even after sentence is passed upon him ; but he who is friendless andpen- nyless, mounts the scaffold immediately after he has been found guilty of a capital offence. The Spa- niards have a great objection to see a white person executed at Havannah, because it degrades their order in the eyes of the coloured inhabitants. They bribe the civil authorities and priests to procure respites, and even if the culprit is not entitled to the least mercy, they will go to the governor and solicit a pardon by the impegnio, or private peti- tion, which it is not generally the custom to refuse. 358 AN EXECUTION. F« i A white woman had made mince-meat of her husband, and had put the mangled body into a beef-barrel ; she was found guilty, but by means of bribery and the impegnio, the punishment was delayed for two years ; at last, to the great an- noyance of the fair Havanneras, she was placed on the fatal garot^, and her hands and feet tied cO the chair, a collar of iron received her neck, to which a screw and winch were attached. A priest prayed with the condemned, ard on a signal the executioner stepped behind the culprit, turned the winch, th'j neck was dislocated in a moment, and ** the bitter sherbet of death tasted." On passing the Carcal one afternoon, I saw a cross and lanterns displayed before a black cloth opposite the door of the prison chapel ; this was the signal for the execution of a criminal on the morrow. In the chapel was a tall negu, pinioned and guarded, with a priest sitting beside him ; 1 asked what the crime was tor which he was about to suh'br, and was told that he had been attached to a negress, but discovering that she favoured a mulatto, he waylaid them whilst they were pro- ceeding on horseback into the country, and mur- dered man, woman, and horse, m a solitary place. I rose at five o'clock next morning to witness a Spanish execution. The condemned, dressed in a white frock, was taken from the chapel, and drawn in a hurdle for some distance, and then compelled to walk for a mile and a half to the plain without the city, which is washed on two sides by th^ sea ; .■is.: AN EXECUTION. 359 of her y into a means of Lent was ^reat an- >laced on : tied to neck, to A priest gnal the irned the Lent, and I saw a ck cloth this was Ell on the pinioned ; him ; 1 as about attached ivoured a Tre pro- and mur- y place, witness a 3ssed in a nd drawn compelled 1 without th^ sea ; here was the gallows. The cross and lanterns preceded the coffin. He was attended by the Brothers of Charity in black robes and white capes, one of them bearing a bottle of brandy and a glass ; the " Companios Urbanos," or city guard, in leather caps, green jackets, carbines, and swords, were on each side. Arrived at the fatal tree, where a mul- titude waited in anxious expectation of the sight, the culprit got a large dose from the bottle, and then, with a ferocious-lcrking negro (the execu- tioner), mounted the double ladder, and the rope was adjusted ; the executioner then whispered some- thing in the ear of the culprit, probably to throw himself olF, but he did not do so, when the execu- tioner gave him a hitch with his elbow, and away he swung; the executioner then sprang into the air with the agility of a Clias, seized the rope, and alighted on the shoulders of the murderer, and there sat kicking his breast with his heels. When the executioner had sa^'^tied himself, by stooping down and looking in the face of the culprit, that it was all over with him, he slid down by the legs and mingled with the crowd. Then a priest mounted the ladder, and pointing to the dead, delivered a short and impressive hi mily. The body was left on the gallows till mid-day, and then taken down for the purpose of being decapitated, and the head to be placed on a pole at the spot where the foul deed had been done. .'J60 CHAPTER XXII. t ! |{^ i' J Statistical account of Cuba. — Cenjus of Cuba. — Difficulty of ascertaining the amount of Negro population. — Sugar and Coffee estates. — Cuba, how divided. — Effects of circular sur- veying. — List of Vessels at Havannah. — Commerce. — The Revenue of Cuba. — The Tonnage. — Foreign Merchants in Havannah. — The Natural History of Cuba. — Piratical haunts. — Pleasures of the Asatea. — Cubanos mind their own af- fairs. — Jealousy of the Spanish Military. — View the defences of the Moro and Cabanas. — Silver Walls. — Offer of protec- tion to the Cubanos. — Heavy duty on flour. — Strange con- duct of Spanish Officers. — Spanish Troops. — A Sugar Co- lonel. — Excursion into the interior. — The Monteros. — Cara- vans. — The Great Red Plain — Treatment of the Aborigines by their Conquerors.— Treatment of Negro Slaves. — The Slave Trade. — Canarymen. — A Cuban Overseer. — Slave Labour. — Food of Slaves. — Dress. — Punishments. — Capture of Slaves. — Plans for suppressing the Slave Trade. — Negro Music — Characters of different Classes in Cuba. — The Count Fernantlino. — At Entertainment. — Daquilla. — A Chase. — Yellow Fever. — A Hurricane. — Sail from Havannah. Until lately it has been the policy of Spain to conceal, with a veil of impenetrable mystery, the internal condition and resources of her colonies ; but as regards Cuba, this veil has lately been un- expectedly withdrawn, under the direction of the captain -general. A statistical account of " the ever faithful island of Cuba," was prepared by a committee of military and civil officers, and publish- ( ENSUS OF CUHA. 361 fficulty of $ugar and •cular sur- rce. — The rchants in L:al haunts, r own af- e defences of protec- ange con- Sugar Co- ds. — C'ara- Vborigines ves. — The jr. — Slave — Capture e. — Negro .'he Count Chase. — ih. Bpain to ery, the olonies ; )een un- of the »f " the ;cl by a publish- ed at the Huvannah in 1829. This is to be follow- ed by another similar publication next year, from which very ample information is expected on this noble colony. The last census of the population in 1829, gives a return of 704,867 inhabitants, over a most fertile surface as large as Portugal, and equal to all the Antilles put together. At this moment the i)opu- lation is roughly estimated at 1,020,000 ; but taking it at a million, 500,000 of these are free, and 500,000 are slaves ; of the free 300,000 are white, 125,470 are mulattoes, and 74,530 are negroes ; of the slave population about 50,000 are mulattoes. According to the tables of Dr. Abbott, with regard to the slave population, it is nearly impossible to get at any thing like the truth. Fresh importa- tions are constantly arriving from Africa, some estimate them at 10 or 15,000 last year ; 2000 fi h landed from Africa, passed under my window one morning from the country ; and the mortality of these unfortunate beings is dreadful, fom 10 to 15 per cent. It is the interest of the planters to conceal the number of their slaves, to save the ca- pitation tax ; and it is the policy of the government to conceal from the negroes their own strength, and also that of the military on the island, which may be reckoned at 20,000 men. The number of slaves introduced into the island has always been very great, thus — From 1321 to .763 1764 to 1790 60,000 33,490 Ifl S63 NEGRO POPULATION. In Havannah alone — From 1791 to 1805 1806 to 1820 91,211 131,892 There were, besides these, fifty-six thousand in- troduced into the eastern parts of the island clan- destinely, from 1791 to 1820. Most of the coloured population are born out of marriage; in 1828 one marriage only took place out of one hundred and ninety-four individuals of the entire population. The monteros, or lower class of whites, cultivate small farms all over the country, principally by means of a rude plough with one shaft, to which horses or bullocks are attached. Besides these farms, of which no return of the number could be procured, there are now about one thousand two hundred sugar plantations^ and two thousand two hundred coffee estates. The island is divided into three provinces — Havannah, Cuba, and Puerto Principe, over each of which is a governor, though the Captain-General and Governor of Havannah is superior to the other two. Each province is divided into partidos, or por- tions, each about one and a half or two leagues square; these are altogether one hundred and twenty in number, but the uninhabited parts of the island have not yet been portioned off. The parro- guias, or parishes, are subdivisions of the partidos. Towns of one thousand inhabitants have corpora- tions, but they are subject to the Captain de Par- tido, who again reports to the Governor of his province. m TRADE AND COMMERCE. 863 The inhabited parts of the island were surveyed in circles touching each other, consequently be- tween these there were portions unappropriated. The Louisiana and Florida Americans, with their long noses, quickly smelt out these " locations/' and came over to the ever-faithftil island and "squatted" upon them, without leave asked or obtained. I heard many complaints of these intruders, and the Spanish proprietors threatened that if they did not leave the country, or purchase property in the usual way, club law would be put in force. List of vessels which left the Havannah in October 1831 :— Vessels of war. Merchantmen. Spanish vessels 3 American 1 English 5 Hamburgher Prussian Sardinian 4» 87 8 1 1 1 The arrivals were 75. Total departures, 84. Average importation of Cuba, 1831 : — Spanish Trade . 8,924,847 Dollars. Foreign Trade . . 11,487,842 In-bound . 1,923,501 Total 17,336,190 Average exportation, 1831 : — Spanish Trade . 2,373,298 Dollars. Foreign Trade . . 10,344,631 * In-bound . 1,488,823 Total 14,206»752 364 REVENUE OF CUBA. I' ) The revenue ot Cuba amounted, in 1831, to nine millions of dollars ; and the tonnage to the grand total of two hundred and forty-seven thousand fifty- seven tons and a half this year, and last year to two hundred and forty-nine thousand two hundred and fifty- three tons, for Java coffee and Brazilian sugar have interfered with Cuba produce so as to reduce the demand for it in foreign markets. The amount of specie which left Havannah for foreign countries, in 1831, amounted to nine hundred and eighteen thousand nine hundred and eighty-nine dollars and three-quarters ; which summary, I think, will con- vey some idea of *' e great prosperity of this bright jewel in the Spanish diadem. There are only three English merchants of re- spectability in Havannah, but the Americans are in considerable numbers there. I am sorry to say, however, that many of them are very unprincipled. New Orleans is first resorted to by the worthless, and as a last resource they come to the Havannah. The Spanish merchants stared in great fear of the supcior address (to use a mild term) of the Ameri- cans; they tell long stories of damaged flour, stones in provision casks, &c. ; and from the Ame- ricans being seen constantly calculating, the story is current that they are born with a pencil behind their ears. I became acquainted with one or two American merchants of great respectability at Ha- vannah, but in general the traders there consist of a melange of rogues and vagabonds from all parts of the world, and not a few of them from our own country. t. i • % NATURAL HISTORY. 365 , to nine le grand md fifty- ir to two Ired and an sugar o reduce } amount ountries, eighteen liars and will con- lis bright ts of re- us are in ' to say, incipled. orthless, avannah. ir of the 3 Ameri- nd flour, he Anie- he story 1 behind 5 or two y at Ha- nsist of a rts of the country. As regards natural history, the island of Cuba is as yet nearly an untrodden field. It is impossible to go far into the interior, except in large parties, and fully armed. Brigands abound in the sierras and in the lonely valleys ; and as offenders are sel- dom brought to punishment, the lawless commit their depredations with impunity, so that few have ventured to pursue scientific researches under such circumstances. Much information may be expected on the entomology of the island from the British Commissary Judge, Mr. Macleny, who has made large and valuable collections of the insects. There is little remarkable in the mammalia, or serpents. The botany would be a research of great interest ; and as to the geology, it may be shortly stated that a main ridge of hills run from east to west, princi- pally composed of lime-stone, in many places very cavernous, and the natural grottoes filled with sta- lactites of great beauty. The highest peak in the island is that of Tarquino, seven thousand seven hundred feet above the level of the sea ; and the most picturesque portion of the island is in the vicinity of St. lago, on the east coast, where primi- tive rocks, deeply indented with bays, (the haunts of pirates,) are arranged in the most remarkable and striking forms. " It is a wild and breaker-beaten coast, With cliffs above and a broad sandy shore, Guarded by shoals and rocks as by an host, And rarely cease the haughty billows' roar." Whilst I sojourned in Cuba, one of the pleasant- see PLEASURES OF THE ASATEA. est walks I had was on the asatea, or terrace roof of my friend's house. The city, glittering with white walls, towers, and pinnacles, was behind me, and before were the fortifications guarding the en- trance to the harbour. Taking a to-and-fro walk on that elevated spot, I enjoyed the sea-breeze, and could observe the ladies in the neighbouring houses, sometimes chasing one another or their female slaves through the apartments, or sitting at embroi- dery, or with a guitar on their knees ; or I could watch the various ships which passed in and out under the heavy guns of the Moro. Sometimes a long black slaver, with taunt and raking masts, would steal out ; then a fine merchantman, display- ing the star-spangled banner ; or a broad-bowed Dutchman would roll out to sea. The Cubanos have a fortunate habit of minding their own busi- ness, and 3very one follows his lawful trade without let or hindrance, so ships of all nations and for all purposes go and come ; and if a little *' manure,'* as the Persians call a bribe, is placed in the hands of the custom-house officers, no questions are asked. Seeing the fortifications so often at a distance, inspired me with a longing desire to inspect their interior. I applied for permission to do so, but was refused, and a Spanish officer plainly told me, " The English have twice paid us unfriendly visits here, (in 1669, under Buccaneer Sir Henry Mor- gan, and again in 1762, under Lord Albemarle,) and really we are suspicious of you. Some of these JEALOUSY OF THE MILITARY. 367 days your people may pay us a third visit ; so we don't allow any strangers, except mauvaises sujHs, to see the inside of our works.'* But I was resolv- ed to examine the ditches and outworks ; so I got up early one morning, took a boat, crossed over to the other side, walked between the Moro and Cabanas away into the country, looking neither to the right nor left, wheeled round and returned, and walking round the covert way, saw all that I wanted without being challenged. The Moro at the extreme point of the ridge opposite to Havannah, is washed on two sides by the sea, and on the third is a ditch, apparently one hundred feet deep and eighty broad, cut in the solid rock. The only ditch I ever saw equalling it was that of Dowlutabad, in India. It certainly is as impassable as the Stygian flood to the unburied dead. When the English took the Moro, after a month's siege, some of the batteries were placed on the hill now occupied by the immense forts of the Cabanas, bristling with cannon, and capable of containing thirty thousand men. The Moro and Cabanas, one-eighth of a mile apart, are con- nected by a covert way, and some say also by a passage under ground. When the English most injudiciously abandoned their splendid conquest in 1764, the Cabanas was commenced, and Mexico principally paid for its construction. It is sup- posed that it cost fifty millions of dollars, though some maintain that the works were not completed f t 368 OFFER OF PROTECTION. I' ;i: under one hundred millions. The King of Spain, on seeing the accounts, naturally inquired if the Cabanas were made of silver. Nothing could rouse the United States to arms sooner than England or France getting possession of Cuba. The valley of the Mississippi would then be commanded, and the commerce of the great em- porium. New Orleans, completely under the con- trol of either of these two great nations, which the cabinet of Washington could not brook. The Mexicans, after separation from Old Spain, offered the Cubanos military protection if they would also throw off the yoke of the mother country. This was ridiculous enough, for now-a-days the Mexicans are hardly able to protect themselves ; but one great objection to a coalition between Mexico and Cuba is this, — in the former slavery is abolished, certainly prematurely, as far as the tranquillity of the republic is concerned and the happiness of the negroes. Cuba could not consent to this measure. Certainly the Cubanos enjoy many advantages, and do not seem inclined to revolt from Spain at pre- sent. They have no direct taxes, except on volantes ; their indirect ones are on produce and goods sold in the island, which pay a duty of four and a half per cent. I was surprised at the enor- mous duty on American flour. A barrel of it is purchased at New Orleans for five dollars ; if ship- ped in a Spanish bottom, it pays seven dollars of duty ; if in a foreign vessel, ten ; it afterwards sells for fifteen or sixteen ; so that the price obtained of Spain, ed if the \s to arms possession ould then great em- the con- ns, which ►ok. The in, offered ^ould also ;ry. This Mexicans but one [exico and abolished, quillity of ess of the measure, ages, and in at pre- xcept on )duce and ty of four the enor- 1 of it is if ship- dollars of ards sells obtained SPANISH TROOPS. 369 for this necessary article covers the duty and freight, and remunerates the importer, though it will be evident from this, that living is not cheap in Havannah. The Spanish officers evinced great reluctance in allowing me to inspect their barracks, and to see the state of their men. If troops are in an efficient state, their officers ought to be proud to show them to a foreign militaire, and vice versa. I attended their evening parades, and certainly should not have had great hesitation in standing before a com- pany of their infantry when firing. Once I saw fifty men attempt a volley, and three muskets went off. But we must not despise the Cubanos, for all that. If they thought there was a prospect of a war, they would get new muskets, I have no doubt. The officers were smart in their dress, wore pointed foils at ordinary parades instead of swords, and the ranks were distinguished as follows : — colonels, lieutenant-colonels, and majors, wore three, two, and one guerdon round the arm ; the captains and subalterns wore epaulettes. On one occasion I saw a regiment of recruits pass under the standard, kiss it, and swear to defend it. I had the honour of making the acquaintance of what is called a Sugar Colonel, that is, the pro- prietor of a plantation, who has purchased his rank and risen rapidly without having seen any service, and has little inclination to smell powder. The gentleman of whom I now make honourable men- tion, belonged to one of the battalions which were VOL. I. 2 b 870 THE MONTEROS. > il orr'ered on the abortive Mexican expedition some two or three years ago, when Old Spain attempted, with a few hundred men from Cuba, to reconquer New Spain. Our worthy immediately fell sick, was recommended to try the hot baths at Guana- bacoa, and came out with his head all plastered over with mud ; he had slipped his foot and fallen on the floor of the bath-room : of course the expe- dition failed from his unavoidable absence — " Thou wear a lion's hide ! dofF it, for shame, And hang a calf's skin on those recreant limbs." In leaving Havannah to go into the country, it is curious to observe the Spanish taste for orna- mental painting ; the shops had birds and beasts depicted on their walls, mounted cabaleros armed with sword and pistol, and donzellas flourishing their fans. At the posadas, or inns by the way- side, a group of monteros would be seen on their long-tailed horses, stout swarthy fellows in straw hats, striped shirts and trowsers, and each with a machette, or long sword, thrust through the hand- kerchief which girt his loins ; others would meet us with fowls hanging from their saddles by the legs, and call with a singing voice, and the last syllable but one a note or two higher than the rest — " Vamos a ver esto polio, esta gallina caserita, esto pavo, esto guanago, Esto gano." " Come let us see this chicken, this domestic fowl, this turkey, this guinea-bird, this goose." ion some tempted, econquer fell sick, ,t Guana- plastered md fallen the expe- bs." )untry, it for orna- nd beasts ros armed lourishing the way- on their in straw eh with a the hand- ed meet us J the legs, st syllable jt— ic fowl, this THE GREAT RED PLAIN. 371 — whilst hundreds of little horses, laden with coffee- bags, or boxes of sugar, followed one another in long rows; on the last a bell, and on the leader the driver sat, cigar in mouth, with sword and dagger by his side. In the day-time, in town, people do carry arms openly, but in the country, day and night, the monteros at his plough, and the solitary shepherd in the broad savannah, all go armed ; such is the lawless state of society in Cuba aujourdhuL For some distance from the city to the westward are extensive vegetable gardens, but no appearance of plantations or of country seats ; the former are further in the interior, and though the country, being undulating, and well wooded and watered, is admirably adapted for the latter, yet it would be unsafe for a respectable person to live near Ha- vannah in a lonely place, unless it was furnished with a moat and drawbridge. At the distance of four leagues from Havannah ihe great Red Plain commences, exteuding to the south and to the west ; on it are seen numerous coffee plantations, tastefully laid out in shady walks, with lime hedges, fruit trees, and avenues of palm, and producing heavy crops of that aromatic berry, grateful to the palate of prince and peasant, from the Tuileries to Tehran. The cruelties practised on the unfortunate abo- rigines of the New World by the Spaniards, are recorded in every history of America. It would appear that they shot them down and hunted them with blood-hounds, as if they had been monsters, 21 B 2 372 TREATMENT OF THE v^BORIGINES. r' i \l ) iii ■ ; whereas, generally speaking, they were mild and inoffensive. Some they enslaved and compelled to wash the sand of rivers for gold dust, to work in the mine, and to till the ground ; all this ended in the total annihilation of the Indians in the Spanish islands, and great mortality among them on the main. Among other appalling facts, the fertile island of Cuba, which once supported an Indian population of four millions, has not a single red hunter in her majestic forests or noble prairies. All a; 3 swept away by the ruthless invaders. Now, when I was told that the Spaniards were kind and indulgent to their negroes, I doubted the fact, and after minute enquiries into the real state of the case in Cuba, I maintain that, notwithstanding the boasted lenity of the Spaniards to their slaves, in general the slaves on estates are treated with great cruelty. It is true that in Havannah, where wealthy families have large and useless establishments of slaves, they are mildly used ; but there, having no- thing to do, and their masters being idle, they are ten times mor^ so — drink, gamble, and are the assassins of the city. By robbing and murdering the whites they retaliate on them for being en- slaved, and find the means of pursuing their own vicious courses, and giving full scope to their lawless and depraved appetites. In Cuba the slave-trade flourishes more than ever, and thousands were landed during the time I was on the island, which was only a few weeks. In 1817 the Spanish Government was induced by TREATMENT OF THE SLAVES. 373 nild and )elled to work in ended in Spanish 1 on the le fertile 1 Indian ngle red prairies. ;. Now, kind and fact, and e of the iding the slaves, in ith great wealthy ments of iving no- they are are the mrdering eing en- heir own ir lawless ore than he time I iv weeks, duced by British gold, to the amount of £400,000, to pro- hibit the African slave-trade. This large sum, which was so liberally given them, was intended to compensate those engaged in the lawful trade for the losses they would sustain on being obliged to look for other freight ; but the money was actually transferred to Russia for certain ships of war, and the unfortunate slave-dealers got nothi"'^. Of course they thought their case a very hard one, and it appears that their government are of the same opi- nion, since they now offer no impediment to them in their African traffic. Slavers still commonly lose one half of their living cargo on the passage from Africa, the poor creatures are so cooped up in the small fast-sailing vessels. When landed, they are marched across the country to the estates for which they are bespoke ; their heads are then shaved, and they are shut up in a kind of stable. The proprietors of estates> if they happen to be Spaniards, live during the greater part of the year in Havannah, spending only one or two months in the country. Their overseers are unprincipled Canary-men, who turn out constantly armed with a long sword, or ma- ehette, and dagger, and attended by a couple of blood-hounds, their aides-du-camp and protectors. The Canarians say; " We don't carry fire-arms, for they sometimes miss liie, but the stroke of the long machette is certain ; however, the negroes are more afraid of our blood-hounds than all our arms put together, for they will immediately tear to pieces those who offer to touch us." 374 SLAVE LA noil It AND FOOD. . i Two hours before sunrise the negroes are sum- moned to their toil, and while the dew still lies heavy on the ground, or the rainy season may have rendered the ground a morass> they cut grass for the horses and cattle, and feed the stock under negro drivers for gangs of twenty-five. After this, they proceed to the sugar or coffee plots ; there they labour with the hoe till breakfast-time, for which they are allowed half an hour ; again at work till dinner, for which an hour is allowed, if it be not crop time, when a quarter of an hour is all they have to devour their meals in, Sun-down does* not terminate their labours, for on moonlight nights they car.ry wood or stones, building materials, or are otherwise employed till nine at night, when a bell rings them to their stable. I do not say that the Cuba plantation slaves are all treated as above- described ; but a great many are so abused, and this I had from the mouths of Spanish planters. Th ^ Spanish and French planters of Cuba give their negroes rice, maize, and four ounces of jerked (dried) beef at each meal, but barely enough to support nature. The Americans in Cuba give salt fish instead of beef, because it is cheaper ; but their negroes are not so strong as those fed upon beef. The field negroes go nearly naked. The negresses commonly get a coffee-bag to cover themselves : they cut a hole in the bottom of it for their head, and two holes at the corners for the arms. Sunday brings no holiday to these unfortunates, for till ten in the forenoon, and from four till dusk, they labour as usual in the field ; between ten and four they are DRESS AND PUNISHMENT. S75 re sum- still lies lay have ;rass for k under 'ter this, 1 there ime, for at work t be not all they wn does* it nights trials, or , when a say that is above- sed, and iters, uba give of jerked lOugh to give salt but their pon beef, negresses mselves : eir head, Sunday r till ten ey labour ■ they are humanely permitted to cultivate their own vege- table grounds. Individuals of both sexes are cruelly flogged with a cow-skin of plaited strips of J«ather ; and to sum up, the negroes on the estates in Cub« too often are badly clothed, badly fed, badly lodged, severely punished, over-worked, and die at tl