,51 



satisfaction attendant upon our having overcome 

 the difficulty, added something to the illusion of 

 its effect; but the beauty of the atmosphere, the 

 dark purple mountains, the shores covered with 

 mangroves of the liveliest green down to the very 

 edge of the water, and the light-coloured houses 

 with their lattices and piazzas completely embow- 

 ered in trees, altogether made the scenery of the 

 Bay wear a very picturesque appearance. And, 

 to complete the charm, the sudden sounds of the 

 drum and banjee, called our attention to a proces- 

 sion of the John-Canoe, which was proceeding to 

 celebrate the opening of the new year at the town 

 of Black River. The John-Canoe is a Merry- 

 Andrew dressed in a striped doublet, and bearing 

 upon his head a kind of pasteboard house-boat, 

 filled with puppets, representing, some sailors, others 

 soldiers, others again slaves at work on a plant- 

 ation, &c. The negroes are allowed three days for 

 holidays at Christmas, and also New-year's day, 

 which being the last is always reckoned by them 

 as the festival of the greatest importance. It is 

 for this day that they reserve their finest dresses, 

 and lay their schemes for displaying their show 

 and expense to the greatest advantage ; and it is 

 then that the John-Canoe is considered not merely 

 as a person of material consequence, but one whose 

 presence is absolutely indispensable. Nothing could 

 look more gay than the procession which we now 

 saw with its train of attendants, all dressed in white, 



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