820 



TRINIDAD : THEN AND NOW. 



which its carrying out caused. There must be some- 

 thing in human nature, no matter from what race it 

 springs, which delights in returning to its uncivil- 

 ized state, for one thing is certain to all beholders 

 that there is a relic of barbarism, in this carnival. 



The following ds the account of the origin of the 

 Cannes Brulee, given before Sir H. C. Hamilton when 

 he came here to enquire into the disturbance arising 

 out of the suppression of this saturnalia in 1881. I 

 quote from his report : — 



* ' In the days of slavery whenever fires broke 

 out upon an estate, the slaves on the surrounding 

 properties were immediately mustered and marched 

 to the spot ; horns were blown to collect them to 

 their work. After emancipation, the freed slaves 

 began to represent these scenes as a kind of com- 

 memoration of the change of their condition and the 

 procession of the " Cannes Brulee (burning the cane 

 rat) used to take place on the night of the 1st of 



August " After a time the day was changed 



from the 1st August (and the informant might have 

 added * The Carter's Races ' instituted in its place) 

 and for many years past the Carnival days have been 

 inaugurated by the ' Cannes Brulee.' 99 



Mr. Osborn Inniss, an old inhabitant of high 

 standing, gives a totally different origin to it, he 

 says : — 



No one at the time seemed to know whence 

 the custom came and what it signified, but I have 

 since (meaning since the holding of the commission) 

 had reason to believe that it must have been at first 



