796 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1809. 



prevails here among the free co- 

 loured women, who will sometimes 

 challenge one another when they 

 are offended, before a tribunal of 

 their own sex. They appoint a 

 day, and fix a place, which is in 

 general a handsome garden, where 

 a large tent is erected, and in the 

 evening is well lighted up. The 

 lady who first gave the challenge 

 is seated in the principal part of 

 the tent, surrounded by her own 

 slaves, and those of her friends, 

 finely dressed. A circus of chairs 

 is placed for the visitors. The 

 lady (or to whom she gives the 

 commission) sings a line contain- 

 ing part of her complaint, or some 

 reflection upon her antagonist; 

 and this is repeated in a chorus by 

 the attending female slaves, and 

 followed by other lines, until it be- 

 comes a complete song, between 

 the dift'erent parts of which there is 

 a dance ; and the negro females 

 accompany the movements, and 

 mark the time with fruit-shells 

 strung on a string like beads. This 

 method of treating the dispute gives 

 at least to the adversary, a fair op- 

 portunity of knowing what is spo- 

 ken of her, and of course enables 

 her to answer it. The next week 

 she invites the company, when it 

 becomes her turn to expose the 

 character of her antagonist ; and 

 this kind of alternate contention is 

 sometimes carried on for several 

 weeks, during which they are vi- 

 sited by some of the principal in- 

 habitants, as the scene affords con- 

 siderable entertainment. Some- 

 times, indeed, these females of co- 

 lour will challenge a friend, in a 

 frolic, to arrange such parties 

 against one another, and a great 

 deal of humour is then displayed, 

 in which even the visitors are often 



not spared; but,to prevent any dis- 

 order at such numerous meetings, 

 some of the police-officers are, al- 

 ways in attendance. 



The free negroes are esteemed to 

 be about equal in number at Para- 

 maribo to the people of colour : 

 they are handicrafts, such as black- 

 smiths, carpenters, tailors, shoe- 

 makers, &c. but they work ex- 

 tremely slow, and are very neg- 

 ligent, so that little dependence 

 can be put in most of them. 

 There is, however, a great differ- 

 ence between those who have been 

 instructed in the Christian religion, 

 by the Moravians and the others ; 

 and I have found by experience 

 how much more their word may 

 be relied on ; but in general all 

 the free negroes are reported to be 

 very idle, and will only labour 

 just for a present subsistence. 

 The negro slaves often declare 

 that they are better off than the free 

 negroes. Jn the songs which the 

 plantation negroes frequently sing 

 there is one of a very lively tune, 

 and is always accompanied with 

 much laughter and mirth ; the 

 words are, Mackarele Saneda, 

 mackarele Monday, mackarele 

 Tuesday, mackarele alleday, &c. ; 

 the meaning is, mackarel Sunday, 

 mackarel Monday,' mackarel Tues- 

 day, mackarel every day, &c 

 Seeing the negroes so very merry 

 when they were singing this song, 

 I asked them the meaning of the 

 words, when one of them answer- 

 ed, " Mastera, when we have good 

 master, we find ourselves more 

 happy than those free negroes are, 

 and when we see one of them, we 

 make him hear this, for they live 

 upon nothing but mackarel, whilst 

 we other negroes have plenty of 

 different provisions on the planta- 



lions." 



