A CHRISTENING. 



11.5 



the French bean ; it is of a dusky brown colour, 

 approaching to black. 



I was invited in January 1815 to attend a 

 christening at the sugar-plantation of Macaxeira, 

 which is the largest and the most valuable in 

 every respect of the three in the island. The 

 vicar, another priest, a captain of the ordenanqas, 

 and myself, set off early on the morning of the 

 day appointed. We rode through the planta- 

 tion of St. Joam, and spoke to the owner, who 

 was preparing to follow us with all his family. 

 He is a Portuguese who has accumulated a 

 large fortune in Brazil, and has married one of 

 the daughters of the owner of the place to which 

 we were going. This person and his immediate 

 relatives will in the course of a short time pro- 

 bably possess one half of the island of Itama- 

 raca. We were received at Macaxeira by the 

 father and uncles of the child ; and afterwards 

 the grandmother, who is a widow lady and the 

 owner of the estate, made her appearance, and 

 by degrees we saw the younger ladies of many 

 of the neighbouring families. As soon as the 

 christening was over, the day was devoted to 

 eating and drinking and playing at cards. When 

 the men had left the table after dinner, the cloth 

 was again laid, and the ladies sat down to 

 dine ; but one of the priests declared that this 

 separation was barbarous, and seating himself 

 again, was followed by several other men, and 



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