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218 



CREOLE NEGROES, 



and New Ilenriques. * The name of Henriques 

 is derived from the famous chieftain, Hen- 

 rique Diaz, in the time of the Dutch war. J 

 have heard some of the most intelligent of those 

 with whom I have conversed, speak in enthu- 

 siastic terms of the aid which he gave to the 

 whites in that struggle. I have seen some por- 

 tion of one of these regiments in Recife, accom- 

 panying the procession of our Lady of the 

 Rosary, the patroness of negroes. They were 

 dressed in white cloth uniforms, turned up with 

 scarlet, and they looked very soldier-like. They 

 were in tolerable discipline, and seemed to wish 

 to go through the duty of the day in the best 

 manner that they were able ; they acted with 

 an appearance of zeal and the desire of excel- 

 ling. Those of which I speak formed a finer 

 body of men than any other soldiers which I 

 had an opportunity of seeing in that country. 

 On gala days the superior black officers in their 

 white uniforms, pay their respects to the gover- 

 nor, exactly in the same manner that the per- 

 sons of any other cast, holding commissions of 

 equal rank, are expected to go through this 

 form. These men receive no pay, so that their 

 neat appearance on such occasions bespeaks a 

 certain degree of wealth among them ; neither 



' Manumitted creole blacks are, 1 am nearly certain, ad- 

 mitted into these regiments. 



