Slfii',7ri*s P.'ist and Present Slate of Jamaica. 



614 



■H'alclics, (eli'sc.opns, lookin^-fjlasscs, 

 giinpovvilcr, S^c. Tin- iinllior once amu- 

 sed a pirly ol negroes \vi;li l!)e liccrj)- 

 lioiis of a iiiasic liiiitcin. 'J'hey >;azi(l 

 w illi the utmost woiidei and asloiiislumiit 

 at the hideous lii;iiie.s eoiij'ired up liy 

 this optical machine, and were (if oinnion 

 lliat notiiing simrt of wilcheraft could 

 have produced sii. Ii an inslruitient. 

 They are also-aslonished at the means 

 hy which the Europeans ran find tl-.cir 

 ■way to Africa and olher remote countries, 

 and guide their vessels, through track- 

 less oceans, vvilh as much certainty as 

 they can travel over a few miles of well- 

 known coimtry. This they can only at- 

 Irihuto to some sujiernalnral gilt of 

 knowledge. 



'I'lie Creole slaves arc in general more 

 arulc and quicker of apprehension than 

 the Africans. A Creole negro hoy put 

 to learn a trade aecpiires a tliorougli 

 knowledge of it in iive or six years, and 

 performs his work w iili as mneli neatness 

 as a European workman, Ihongii with 

 less dispatch. Excellent negro masons, 

 carpcnteis, coopers, Macksniiths, tailors, 

 sailors, pilots, &c. aliound here; — and 

 there caniiot he a doubt hut that, hy the 

 culture of education, th<'y are capable 

 of the Iiigiicr alt:iii!nieiits of the mind. 

 'J'liere have been (^xaiiiph s of negroes, 

 who, with but little assistance from 

 rdneation, !ia\e dis]>la\<d astonishing 

 proofs of talent; among these the cele- 

 liralcd T(/Ussaint L'( )u\eitnre, who, 

 though an uneducated sla\e, acquitted 

 liimself as a general aiul a statesmim in 

 a matmer that astonishr'd and eunfoundcd 

 those who maintained that mgrocs were 

 incapable of intellectual improvement. 



Tlicliouses of the slaves are in general 

 romfortable. They are built of hard- 

 Mood posts, e-tlier bo;ir(led or wattled 

 and plastered, and the roof formed of 

 siiingles (wood s|)lil and drossed into the 

 sliapes of slates, and usc^l as a substimie 

 lor them), or thatched with the lc:i\es of 

 the sngar-cane, or the brainhes of the 

 mountain cabbage: this latler is of so 

 durable a nature that it wiU last for 

 thirty or forty vears. 'J'he size of the 

 liouses is generally from fifteen to twenty 

 feet lopn;, aii<l from ten to fifteen wide. 

 They contain a small hall, and one or 

 two bed-rooms, according to the size of 

 the family. The finiiitme of this dwel- 

 ling is a small table, two or three chairs 

 or stools, a small cupboard, furnished 

 with a few articles of croekery-waie, 

 some wooden bowls and calibashcs, a 

 water-jiir, a W(ioden nioitar for |)oun(ling 

 Indian com, &c. and various other ai ti- 



des. 'I'he beds are .seldom more than 

 wooden frames spread with a mat and 

 blanket. 



Adjoining to the house is usually a 

 small spot of ground, laid out into a sort 

 of garden, and shaded by various fruit- 

 trees. Here the family de|)osite their 

 dead, to whose memory they invariably, 

 if they can afford it, erect a rude tomb. 

 \v.\k\\ slave has, besides this spot, a piece 

 of ground (about half an acre) allotted 

 to hill) as a provision-ground. 



'J'he common food of tiie slaves is salt 

 meat (commonly poik), or salted fish, 

 boile<l along with their yams, cocos, or 

 plantains, mixed up with jiulse and other 

 vegetables, and highly .seasoned with the 

 jnUive pepper (capsum Iiidicus). I'i- 

 uiento they never use in their food. 

 They reeei\e from their masters seven 

 or eight herrings per w cek, a fooil which 

 most of them, who can afford l)ettcr, 

 despise ; and they accordingly sell lliein 

 in tiie markets, and purchase salted pork, 

 of which they are exceedingly fond. 



'J'he common dress of the male slaves 

 is an osnaburgh or check frock, and a 

 pair of osnaburgh or sheeting trowsers, 

 with a coarse hat. That of the women 

 is an osnaburgh or coarse linen shift, a 

 petticoat made of various stulf, according 

 to their taste and circumstances, and a 

 handkerchief tied round their heads. 

 IJoih men and women are also provided 

 with great-coats (or crrocas, as they call 

 them) of blue wnollcu sluft". Neither 

 sex wear shoes in common, these being 

 reserved for particular occasions, such 

 as dances, &c. when all who can allbrd 

 it appear in very gay apparel — the men 

 in broad-cloth .coats, fancy waistcoats, 

 and nankeen or jean trowsers, and the 

 Women in white or fancy muslin gowns, 

 beav( r or silk hats, and a vaiiety of ex- 

 pensive jewellery. But it is only a small 

 proportion w iio can aflord to dress thus 

 finely. 



'i'he slaves have little time to devote 

 to anmsement, but such occasions as 

 oiler they eagerly embrace. Plays, as 

 they call them, are their principal and 

 lavomile one. 'J'his is an assemblage 

 ol both sexes, dressetl out for the occa- 

 sion, who form a ring round a male and 

 female dancer, who perform to the mu- 

 sic (it drums and the songs of the other 

 females of the party, one alternately 

 going over the song, while her compa- 

 nions repeat in chorus. 



Plays, or dances, very frequently take 

 place on .Saturday nights, when the 

 slaves on the neighboiuing plantations 

 assemble together to enjoy this amuse- 

 ment . 



