266 JAMAICA. 



are few who would not amafs confiderable fortunes, and render their 

 pofterity opulent. But they are fond alfo of monopolizing large 

 trails of land, buying up all around them, and attempting to fettle 

 new eftates before the old one is cleared of debts. By this means, 

 and impofing on themfelves by a fpecious mode of payment, in 

 giving their own bonds, and taking upon them the debts of other 

 men, they become harrafled and unhappy ever after. Finding 

 themfelves unable to depofite when the day of payment arrives, 

 they are either reduced to be Haves for life, in hopes to redeem, or 

 luftaln, the whole of a large territory thus acquired ; or to plunge 

 deeper and deeper in debt and diftrefs, by fubmitting to every fpecies 

 of fraud and extortion that may gain them a little refpite; till per- 

 haps, after a tedious conflift, they leave at their deceafe their whole 

 fortune to be torn piece-meal, and their family turned adrift, to 

 make room forfome worthlefs upftart, who has poffeffed cunning 

 and villainy enough to accumulate money, or obtain credit, fuf- 

 ficientfor becoming the proprietor. It is a fettled maxim, " that 

 " you arenotdiftinguiihed, or of any note, unlefs you are in debt.'*" 

 In other words, you are no body, unlefs you make yourfelf literally 

 fo. But what Ibrt of a levee is to attend luch pre-eminence? A 

 banditti of creditors and deputy marflials, who, for their own fakes, 

 not the planter's, wifli him well for a while, that they may be the 

 better ; as a flight of vultures would rather make their repaft on a 

 fat carcafe, than a lean one ; and will pick either the one or the 

 other to the very bones before they quit it. 



Moft of the old Creole families are allied, by the inter- marriages 

 I/' among their anceftors before the ifland was populoufly fettled. 

 The fame remark may be made on many other communities in the 

 world, which have fprung from a few fiimilies ; for example, the 

 WeKh and Scotch. The natives in general prefer pure water to 

 any other beverage. Punch feems almofl: profcribed from the 

 politer tables ; though, when it is made with rum of due age, ripe 

 fruit, and not too ftrong, it is a very pleafant, refrefhing, and 

 wholefome drink, and one of the beft appropriated to a hot climate.^ 

 Madeira wine is in more efteem than claret, not only becaufe it is 

 cheaper, but as the greatcil: heat of the air only ferves to improve 

 its flavour, and as it is not apt to ferment in the ftomach. It is ge- 

 nerally 



