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A FESTIVAL. 



ber), it is customary for the vicar to determine 

 upon those persons who are to sustain the ex- 

 penses of the nine evenings previous to the fes- 

 tival of Our Lady of Conception, — that is, to 

 supply the bonfires, gunpowder, oil, &c. Each 

 evening is provided for on all these occasions, 

 by one or more persons of the immediate neigh- 

 bourhood, and a greater or less expense is in- 

 curred, according to the means and the inclina- 

 tion of the individuals who have been named. 

 It was my general practice to accompany the 

 Vicar to church on Sundays and holidays, return- 

 ing with him to his house to breakfast. I was in 

 the church when he read over the list of the names 

 of those who were to provide for the nine even- 

 ings, and was somewhat surprised to hear my 

 own in conjunction with that of a neighbour, 

 for the ninth night. I had, however, some sus- 

 picion that this would be the case, for I had 

 heard some whisperings upon the subject among 

 the secondary people ; the custom is, thus to 

 keep the individuals who are to be concerned 

 ignorant of what is intended. We began on 

 the following morning to make preparations for 

 the occasion, and sent to Recife for the colours 

 of several ships, some gunpowder, fire-works, 

 and a few of the musicians of the band of the 

 Olinda regiment, applying through a friend for 

 the consent of their colonel. We likewise sent 

 for Nicolau, a creole black, and a tailor by trade ; 



