2 BLACK BAPTIST CHURCH [CHAP. XX. 



we passed through the General s Cut, a canal so 

 called because, according to tradition, Oglcthorpe s 

 soldiers cut it out with their swords in one day. 

 We met a great number of negroes paddling their 

 canoes on their way back from Darien, for it was 

 Saturday, when they are generally allowed a half 

 holiday, and they had gone to sell on their own 

 account their poultry, eggs, and fish, and were bring 

 ing back tobacco, clothes, and other articles of use or 

 luxury. 



Having taken leave of our kind host, we waited 

 some hours at Darien for a steamer, which was 

 to touch there on its way from St. Augustine in 

 Florida, and which conveyed us speedily to Sa 

 vannah. Next day, I attended afternoon service in 

 a Baptist church at Savannah, in which I found that 

 I was the only white man, the congregation con 

 sisting of about 600 negroes, of various shades, most 

 of them very dark. As soon as I entered, I was 

 shown to a seat reserved for strangers, near the 

 preacher. First the congregation all joined, both 

 men and women, very harmoniously in a hymn, most 

 of them having evidently good ears for music, and 

 good voices. The singing was followed by prayers, 

 not read, but delivered without notes by a negro of 

 pure African blood, a grey-headed venerable-looking 

 man, with a fine sonorous voice, named Marshall. 

 He, as I learnt afterwards, has the reputation of 

 being one of their best preachers, and he concluded 

 by addressing to them a sermon, also without notes, 

 in good style, and for the most part in good English ; 

 so much so, as to make me doubt whether a few 



