ft6 . N A R R A T I V E O F A N 



CHAP, and folemn. Young women of this defcription cannot 

 ^ indeed be married, or conne6ted in any other way, as 

 moft of them are born or trained up in a ftate of 

 flavery ; and fo little is the pra6lice condemned, that 

 while they continue faithful and conftant to the part- 

 ner by whom they are chofcn, they are countenanced 

 and encouraged by their neareft relations and friends, 

 who call this a lawful marriage, nay, even the clergy 

 avail themfelves of this cui^om without reftraint ; witnefs 

 the Rev. Mr. S— dh~s, Mr. T— 11— t, &c. Many of 

 the fable - coloured beauties will however follow their 

 own penchant without any reftraint whatever, refufing 

 with contempt the golden bribes of fome, while on others 

 they beftow their favours for a dram or a broken to- 

 bacco-pipe, if not for nothing. 



The hofpitality I had experienced on our firfl: arrival 

 ■ , in the colony was not confined to that time only : I had a 

 general invitation to vifit, befides his excellency the go- 

 vernor^ and Colonel T'exier^ the commandant, in more 

 than twenty refpe6table families, whenever it fuited my 

 convenience ; fo that, though the officers of our corps 

 had formed a regimental mefs, I had feldom the honour 

 of their company. One gentleman, a Mr. Kennedy^ in 

 particular, carried his politenefs fo far, as not only to 

 offer me the ufe of his carriage, faddle-horfes, and table, 

 but even to prefent me with a fine negro boy, named 

 fluaco<f to carry my iimbrella as long as I remained in 

 Surinam. The other gentlemen of the regiment alfo 



met 



