406 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 18l/. 



less proceeds from the ignorant 

 state in which they are brought 

 up; they scarcely receive any edu- 

 cation, and have not the advan- 

 tages of obtaining instruction 

 from communication \\ith pcisons 

 who are unconnected with their 

 own way of life; of imbibing new 

 ideas tYom general conversation. 

 They aie hoin, bred, and continue, 

 sunounded by slaves without re- 

 ceiving any check, with high no- 

 tions of superioiity, without any 

 thought tliat what they do is 

 wi'ong. Bring these women for- 

 wards, educate them, tieat them 

 as rational, as equal beings, and 

 they will be in no respect inferior 

 to their countrymen ; the fault is 

 not with the sex, but in the state 

 of the human being. As soon as 

 a child begins to crawl, a slave of 

 about its own age and of the same 

 sex is given to it as a playfellow, 

 or rather as a plaything ; they 

 grow up together, and the slave is 

 made the stock upon which the 

 young owner gives vent to pas- 

 sion ; the slave is sent upon all 

 errands, and receives (he blame of 

 all unfortunate accidents ; in fact 

 the white child is thus encouraged 

 to be overbearing, owing to the 

 false fondness of its parents. Upon 

 the boys the effect is less visible in 

 after-life, because the world curbs 

 and checks them, but the girls do 

 not stir from home, and therefore 

 have no opportunities of wearing 

 off these pernicious habits. It is 

 only surprising that so many ex- 

 cellent women should be found 

 among them, and by no means 

 strange that the disj)osition of 

 some of them should be injtireil 

 by this unfortunate direction of 

 their infant years 



As vegetation rapidly advances 



in such climates, so the animal 

 sooner arrives at maturity than in 

 those of less genial warmth ; and 

 here again education is rendered 

 doubly necessary to lead the mind 

 to new ideas, to curb the passions, 

 to give a sense of honour, and to 

 instil feelings of that species of 

 pride which is so necessary to a 

 becoming line of conduct. The 

 state of society, the climate, and 

 the celibacy of the numerous priest- 

 hood, cause the number of ille- 

 gitimate children to be very great ; 

 but here the roila dos engeitados, 

 and a custom which shows the na- 

 tvual goodness of the people, pre- 

 vent tiie fiequent occurrence of 

 infanticide, or rather render it al- 

 most unknown. An infant is fre- 

 cpiently during the night laid at 

 the door of a rich person, and on 

 being discovered in the morning 

 is taken in, and is almost invariably 

 allowed to remain ; it is brought 

 up with the children of the ho\ise 

 (if its colour is not too dark to ad- 

 mit of this), certainly as a depend- 

 ant, but not as a servant; how- 

 ever a considerable tinge of colour 

 will not prevent it from being 

 reareil witli the white children. 

 These engeitados, or rejected ones, 

 as indixiduals who are so circum- 

 stanced are called, are frequently 

 to be met with, and ] heard of 

 few exceptions to the general kind- 

 ness with which they are treated. 

 Public feeling is much against the 

 refusing to ac(:e|)t and rear an en- 

 geitado ; the owner of a house, 

 who is in easy circumstances, and 

 ybt sends the iiifant from his own 

 door to the public institution 

 which is pro\ided for its reception, 

 is generally s])(d'.en of in terms of 

 iuilignution. ."Sometimes a ]inoi' 

 man will find one of these presents 



at 



