426 JAMA rianA/^af 



to wafhiug the Black-a-moor white ; audi, ^fter a long coui-fe of 

 endeavours to no purpofe, her miftrefs found there was no remedy 

 but to change her for another attendant, fomewhat lefs odoriferous. 



The labouring Negroes are all allowed, by their mafters, a frock 

 and trowfers for the men, and the women a jacket and petticoat of 

 olhabrig, belides woollen fluff; but tradefmen,; amid the better fort, 

 are generally fupplied likewife with checks, haiidkerchiefs, hats, 

 and caps; and the laws of the ifland oblige e.v^ry owner to give 

 his Negroes proper cloathing. What they receive annually in this 

 manner compoles their working-drcfs : but there are few of them 

 who do not acquire lufficieiit profit, by their hiickfLpring traffic,. to 

 furnifh themfelves with a wardrobe of better cloaths tor holitiayr- 

 wear; upon thefe they beftow as much -finery as ,theij;pircum- 

 flances will permit, invariably preferring the gaudieft colours. ,-, - 



They fupply theii- ignorance of letters by a kind of technical 

 memory. Few of them can alcertain their own age, or that^ of 

 their children ; but, when queifioncd about any event that has 

 happened in the courfe of their lives, they recur to a ftomij a par- 

 ticuhirly dry or wet feafon, and the like, and reckon by the nqmber 

 of Chriflmafes they recolledl; fince thofe periods.. Thus, i£ you 

 alk a Negroe how long ago it was that he left Africa, he anfwers, 

 eight, ten, twelve Chriftmas, according as the cafe happens to be, 

 or according to his remembrance. They have no computation .for 

 the fra£tional parts of a year ; and confequently can never fix any 

 fadt or event nearer than about a twelvemonth before or after the 

 time when it occurred. They reckon the ages of their children, 

 tlieir horfes, and dogs, in the fame manner. They give their dogs 

 as many names as a German prince ; or more frequently call them 

 by a whole fentence, as, Run-brtjk-you-catch-iim^good, &cc. The 

 Africans fpeak ^their refpeilive. dialeds, with fome mixture of 

 broken Englifli, The language of the Creoles is bad Englifli, 

 larded with the Guiney diale£t, owing to their adopting the African 

 words, in order to make themfelves underftood by the imported 

 flaves; which they find much eafier than teaching thefe flrangers 

 to learn Englifli. The better fort are very fond of improving their 

 language, by catching at any hard word that the Whites happen 

 to let fall in their hearing ; and they alter and mifapply it in a 



flrange 



