LETTER IX. 231 



forty Perfons in a row) fing very merrily, /. e. 

 two or three Men with large Voices, and a fort of 

 Bafe Tone, fing three or four fliort lines, and then 

 all the reft join at once, in a fort of Chorus, which 

 I have often heard, and feemed to be, La^ Alla^ 

 Lay Luy well enough, and indeed harmonioufly 

 turned, efpecially when I was at a little diftance 

 from them. They fing too at Burials, but get 

 drunk, and have no fign of Devotion, calling out 

 to the Dead Perfon, and afking him, Why he 

 died, when he wanted nothing the World could 

 afl?brd, to fupport Nature ? 



8. I once went to fee, out of pure Curiofity, 

 a Negro Boy, as foon as born ; he looked of a 

 dark Red colour ; and I alfo vifited a Mulatto 

 Child, about half an hour after his Mother was 

 brought to Bed of him, and I do fincerely de- 

 clare, I could not have diftinguifhed him from a 

 White Woman's Child. But I had like to have 

 forgot to tell you, that about ten years before my 

 arrival at Nevis^ a young Negro Woman was 

 delivered of two different forts of Children, at a 

 neighbouring Ifland, viz, 2. Coal Black one, and 

 a Mulatto, which odd kind of Birth, was ac- 

 counted for (right, I fuppofe) thus. Her Hulband 

 had carnal knowledge of her, juft before he went 

 out to his work, and as foon as he was gone, the 

 White Overfeer went to the Hut, and had the 

 like carnal knowledge. At Charles Town, our 



p 4 Metro* 



