ETHNOGRAPHY. 175 



and having preserved Spanish habits, fond of smoking, dancing, 

 and all other kinds of amusements, but, above all, of the dolce 

 far niente. They are, generally, possessors of conucos, that is to 

 say of a few acres of land, which they cultivate in provisions and 

 corfee, but particularly in cacao. 



Newly imported Africans are, generally speaking, industrious 

 and laborious, but avaricious, passionate, prejudiced, suspicious, 

 and many of them still adhering to heathenish practices. The 

 Yarribas or Yarrabas deserve a particular notice. They are a 

 fine race, tall and well proportioned ; some of them with fine 

 features, intelligent, reflective, and seeming to appreciate the 

 benefits of civilisation and Christianity. They are laborious, 

 usually working for day - wages on estates, but preferring job 

 labour. The women are mostly occupied in petty trade or huck- 

 stering; some also in the culture of ground provisions; their 

 houses are neat, comfortable, and kept in perfect order within. 

 In character they are generally honest, and in disposition proud, 

 and even haughty ; so that the cases are rare in which a Yarraba 

 is brought before a magistrate for theft, breach of contract, or 

 other misdemeanour. They are besides guided, in a marked 

 degree, by the sense of association ; and the principle of combi- 

 nation for the common weal has been fully sustained wherever 

 they have settled in any numbers ; in fact, the whole Yarraba 

 race of the colony may be said to form a sort of social league 

 for mutual support and protection. 



The emancipated class and their descendants bear the distinctive 

 characteristics of the three European nations with which they were 

 more intimately connected ; and these characteristics are, to a 

 certain extent, borne out by the external appearance and deport- 

 ment of the three specimens, the French negro resembling in 

 these respects a French European ; the Spanish, a Castilian ; and 

 the English negro, an Englishman. There are, however, some 

 general traits which may be taken as an index to the distinctive 

 peculiarities in the character of the emancipated class. The re- 

 collections of slavery seem still to act as an incubus on their 

 faculties ; and they are, in general, averse to all menial occu- 

 pations, and to the hired labour of the cane - fields especially. 

 This feeling undoubtedly has its origin in human nature ; but, 

 unfortunately, they still continue to nourish a sort of repugnance 

 to all kinds of agricultural pursuits, giving preference and pre- 



