854 
quoted with approbation by their 
critics, but such as abound in anti- 
thesis, or such as are confessedly of 
a nature too lyrical for represeuta- 
tion, The love of epigram may 
have rendered a metre, peculiarly 
favourable toit, popular; but, from 
the history of their poetry, I am in- 
clined to believe that the epigram 
rather owes its popularity to the 
cultivation of a metre, which, when ‘ 
the language is somewhat refined, 
becomes insipid without it. Such 
short pauses are evidently more 
calculated for the.expression of wit 
than of passion. Hence it is not 
unusual for the characters of Lope, 
when placed in embarrassing situa- 
tions, and wavering between the 
most violent and opposite affections, 
to express their wishes, describe 
their feelings, and justify their con- 
duct in a long string of reasoning 
epigrams ; of which the logic is not 
very convincing, and the wit evi- 
dently misplaced.” 
More than five hundred of Lope 
de Vega’s plays are still extant. 
Many of them are exceedingly 
scarce, but all merit preservation, 
A Dutch Vendue of Slaves, at Ber- 
bisthe, &c. From Pinckard’s Notes 
on the West Indies. 
On arriving at the town, we were 
surprised to find it quite a holiday, 
or a kind of public fair. The sale 
seemed to have excited’ general at- 
tention, and to ‘have brought tege- 
ther all the inhabitants of the co- 
tony. The planters came down 
from the estates with their wives 
and families all arrayed in their 
gayest apparel: the belles and 
beaux appeared in their Sunday 
suits: even the children were in full 
ANNUAL REGTS TER, 
1806. 
dress; and their slayes decked out 
in holiday-clothes. It was quite a 
gala-day, and greater numbers of 
people were collected than we had 
supposed to have been in the colo- 
ny. Short jackets, with tawdry 
wide-flowered petticoats, and loose 
Dutch slippers, formed the prevail- 
ing dress of the females. Scarlet, 
crimson, and poppy, with all the 
bright colours used in a northern 
winter, rivalled a tropical sun, and 
reigned conspicuous in the flaming 
broad-patterned petticoat. To the 
inhabitants it seemed a day of feast- 
ing and hilarity, but to the poor 
Africans it was a period of heavy 
grief and affliction, for they were to 
be sold as beasts of burden—torn 
from each other—and widely dis- 
persed abont the colony, to wear 
out their days in the a toils 
of slavery. 
The fair being opened, and the 
crowd assembled, these unpitied sa+ 
ble beings were exposed to the 
hammer of public auction. A long 
table was placed in the middle of a’, 
large room, or logis. At one end 
was scated the auctioneer, at the 
other was placed a chair for the ne- 
grocs to stand upon, in order to be 
exposed to the view of the pur- 
chasers; who were sitting at the 
sides of the table, or standing about 
the different parts of the room. 
All being in readiness, the slaves 
were brought in, one at a time, and 
placed upon the chair before the 
bidders, who handled and inspected 
them, with as little concern as if 
they had been examining cattle in 
Smithfield market. “They turned 
hem about, felt of them, viewed 
their shape and their limbs, looked 
into their mouths, made them jump | 
aud throw out their arms, and sub- 
jected them to al! the means of trial 
as 
