CHARACTERS. 



795 



liis breakfast under his piazza, at 

 which he is attended by a number 

 of female negroes, and a boy who 

 presents him with a segar-pipe ; 

 during this time he orders the do- 

 mestic concerns for the day ; then, 

 putting on a light dress, he takes a 

 walk by the side of the river, to see 

 if there are any new vessels ar- 

 rived, and to converse witii their 

 captains. About eight o'clock he 

 returns home, and till ten employs 

 himself in business, then takes a 

 second breakfast, v^hich consists 

 of more solid articles than the first, 

 and would be considered in Eu- 

 rope as a tolerably good dinner ; 

 after this he occasionally returns 

 to business till about two o'clock, 

 when he goes to a club, of which 

 there are two principal ones ; here 

 he learns the news of the day, 

 takes some refreshment, or cordials, 

 and returns home at three to din- 

 ner, which is often in the society 

 of his friends. Some have the same 

 custom here as prevails in the south 

 of Europe, of indulging themselves 

 with a nap in the afternoon, but 

 others rather prefer a walk. About 

 six o'clock, after taking his tea, if he 

 is not engaged in any other company, 

 he again visits the club to play at 

 cards or billiards, and about ten he 

 returns home to his supper, and 

 then to rest. 



Several gentlemen who have a 

 taste for music, hold a concert al- 

 most every week, to which they 

 invite company. There is likewise 

 a theatre here, and gentlemen, for 

 their amusement, have given us se- 

 veral representations; amongst 

 them were some very excellent 

 performers. 



Besides the balls given by the 

 governor and general in honour of 

 some particular days, there arc 



also subscription-balls, where the 

 colour of the dresses cannot afford 

 more variety than the different com- 

 plexions of the company. 



The inhabitants who are born 

 here of European parents, or the 

 Creoles, show, in their infancy, an 

 early display of extraordinary ta- 

 lents ; but they are like the fertile 

 soil of the tropics, which, if riot 

 well cultivated, will soon be over- 

 spread with weeds. Some, who 

 have the good fortune to obtain 

 proper instructions, prove that 

 they are capable of being brought 

 up to any line of business. They 

 possess a strong memory for learn- 

 ing languages, and they are all 

 distinguished by the excellence of 

 their hand-writing; fencing they 

 learn well, as also the use of other 

 arms, and they show a great deal 

 of address in all bodily exercises. 

 Tlie people of colour born in this 

 colony possess much the same ta- 

 lents as those born of European 

 parents, and^ are well made. The 

 women are remarkable for their 

 fine figure, beautiful eyes, and fine 

 teeth ; but their dark complexion 

 admits not the rosy colour of the 

 cheeks : the hair is crisped ; but 

 the mestizos, who are born of an 

 European father and a mulatto 

 woman, are a degree more remote 

 from the negro ; and these persons 

 are often so fair as to be hardly dis- 

 tinguishable from the Europeans. 

 The quaderoons are still a degree 

 nearer the Europeans ; all the dis- 

 tinctions between them are no 

 longer perceptible, and the laws 

 themselves give them the same 

 rights as Europeans. They possess 

 a great deal of vivacity in their 

 temper, much natural wit, and, it 

 is said, they are very constant in 

 their affection. A curious custom 



prevails 



