150 BERMUDA. 



the class of the qninterons, there are several inter- 

 vening circumstances which throw them back; for 

 between the mulatto and the black, there is an inter- 

 mediate race, which they call sambos, owing their 

 origin to a mixture between one of these with an 

 Indian, or among themselves. Betwixt the tercerons 

 and mulattos, the quarterons and the tercerons, &c., 

 are those called tente en il ayre (* suspended in the 

 air'), because they neither advance nor recede. 

 Children whose parents are quarteron or quinteron, 

 and a mulatto or terceron, salto altras retrogades ; 

 because, instead of advancing towards being whites, 

 they have gone backwards toward the black race. 

 The children between a black and a quinteron are 

 called sambos de negroe, de mulatto, de terceron, &c." 



The advantage possessed by a few of these people, 

 of being able to read and write, is a circumstance 

 on which they pride themselves greatly among the 

 rest of the people of colour, to whom they consider 

 themselves much superior. 



Of those arts in which perfection can be attained 

 only in an improved state of society, it is natural 

 to suppose that the people of colour have but little 

 knowledge. They undoubtedly possess organs pecu- 

 liarly adapted to the science of music. In vocal 

 harmony they display both variety and compass. 



